Nature Myths and Stories for Little Children Read online

  Phaethon was too happy to hear what his father was saying.

  He leapt into the golden chariot and stood erect as the fiery horsessprang forth from the eastern gates of Day.

  They soon missed the strong steady hand of their master.

  Up, up they went, far into the sky, above the stars, and then plungeddownward toward the earth.

  The clouds smoked, the mountain tops caught fire, many rivers dried upand whole countries became deserts.

  Great cities were burning, and even Poseidon cried out in terror fromthe sea.

  Then the people on earth learned with what great wisdom the path of thesun was planned.

  Helios saw that the whole world would soon be on fire, and cried tofather Zeus to save the earth from the flames.

  Zeus searched all the heavens for clouds and hurled his thunderboltsfrom the sky.

  Phaethon fell from the chariot, down, down into a clear river.

  The naiads cooled his burning brow, and gently sang him to sleep.

  His sisters came to the banks of the river and wept.

  That they might be always near Phaethon, Zeus, in pity changed them intopoplar trees, and their tears became clear amber as they fell into thewater.

  At last the tired horses became quiet, and the great car rolled slowlyback into its old path.

  But the deserts and barren mountain tops still tell the story of the dayPhaethon tried to drive the chariot of the sun.

  THE GRATEFUL FOXES.

  It was springtime in Japan, and the blossoms hung thick on the cherrytrees.

  Butterflies and dragon flies fluttered over the golden colza flowers inthe fields.

  The rice birds chirped merrily. Everything seemed to say, "How good itis to live in days like these."

  A beautiful princess, O Haru San, sat on the bank of a stream gailypulling the lilies.

  All the maidens of her court were with her.

  Along the river bank came a troop of noisy, laughing boys, carrying ayoung cub fox. They were trying to decide who should have its skin andwho its liver.

  At a safe distance from them, in a bamboo thicket, father fox and motherfox sat looking sadly after their little cub.

  The princess' heart was filled with pity, and she said:

  "Boys, pray loose the little fox. See his parents weeping in the rocks."

  The boys shook their heads.

  "We shall sell the fox's skin," they said. "The liver, too, if wellpowdered, will be used to cure fevers in the fall."

  "Listen," cried O Haru San, "It is springtime, and everything rejoices.How can you kill such a small soft beast?

  "See, here is twice your price; take it all," and she drew copper moneyand silver money from her girdle.

  The boys placed the little frightened animal in her lap and ran away,pleased to be so rich.

  The cub felt the touch of her soft hand, and trembled no longer. Sheloosened carefully the knot and noose and string.

  She stroked the red fur smooth again, and bound up the little bleedingleg. She offered it rice and fish to eat, but the black eyes plainlysaid, "This is very nice, but I hear my parents grieving near yonderbeanstraw stack. I long to go and comfort them."

  She set the little fox gently on the ground, and, forgetting its woundedleg, it leaped through the bushes at one happy bound.

  The two old foxes gravely looked it over neck and breast.

  They licked it from its bushy tail to its smooth, brown crown. Then,sitting up on their haunches, they gave two sharp barks of gratitude.

  That was their way of saying, "We send you thanks, sweet maid."

  As she walked home by the river side, all the world seemed morebeautiful to O Haru San.

  * * * * *

  The summer time came and the blossoms upon the cherry trees became rich,ripe fruit. But there was no joy in the emperor's house.

  His daughter, the gentle O Haru San, was ill. She grew paler and weakereach day. Physicians came from far and near, and shook their wise headsgravely.

  When the emperor's magician saw her, he said, "No one can heal suchsickness. A charm falls upon her every night which steals away herstrength. He alone can break the spell, who, with sleepless eyes, canwatch beside her bedside until sunrise."

  Gray haired nurses sat by her until morning, but a deep sleep fell uponthem at midnight.

  Next fourscore maidens of the court, who loved her well, kept brightlights burning all the night, yet they, too, fell asleep.

  Five counselors of state watched with her father at the bedside. Thoughthey propped their eyes open with their fingers, yet in the middle ofthe night slumber overcame them.

  All believed that the gentle maid must die.

  The emperor was in despair, but Ito, a brave soldier, said, "I shall notsleep; let me one night guard the sweet O Haru San."

  Her father led him to the chamber. Just at midnight Ito felt his eyesgrow heavy.

  He rose and held his sword above his head. "Rather will I die thansleep," he said.

  Then came a great struggle. Often his head nodded, but by his love andstrength Ito conquered sleep.

  Suddenly he heard a voice which said, "Grate foxes' livers in theprincess' rice broth and all her ills will disappear."

  The next morning the hunters searched far and near for foxes. They knewthat to the emperor a fox was worth its weight in gold. All day andnight they were in the woods without food or rest.

  At last they came sadly back to their homes. They brought no fox.

  "All the foxes know," they said, "and have hidden themselves away."

  The emperor in grief and anger cried, "Must my child perish? Shall aprincess die for the lack of one poor fox?

  "She was never willing that one should be slain and this is her reward."

  Ito said, "I will get the fox." He started out with knife and net toseek it.

  At the entrance of the town he met a woman dressed in strange garments.Very small and stooped she seemed to Ito. She carried a jar in her arms.She bowed low before Ito, and said, "What you seek is in the jar. Ihave brought it from afar."

  "Here is gold," said Ito. "What is the price?"

  The woman pulled the blue hood farther over her face and said, "Anothertime will do, I can wait. Hasten now to the princess."

  Gladly Ito obeyed.

  They made the broth in a bowl of beaten gold and fed it to O Haru San.

  Immediately she was well and all was joy in the emperor's house.

  The emperor said, "Ito, is she, who brought this blessing, paid?"

  Ito answered, "Yonder she waits at the entrance of the town."

  The emperor himself in his great joy went with Ito to meet her.

  But they found only a dog-fox dead.

  Around his neck they read this message, "This is my husband here.

  "For his child he gives his liver to the princess, dear. I, his verylowly wife, have brought it."

  PERSEPHONE.

  Demeter had the care of all the plants, fruits and grains in the world.

  She taught the people how to plow the fields and plant the seeds.

  She helped them gather in their harvests.

  They loved the kind earth-mother and gladly obeyed her.

  They also loved her daughter, the beautiful Persephone.

  Persephone wandered all day in the meadows among the flowers.

  Wherever she went the birds, singing merrily, flocked after her.

  The people said, "Where Persephone is, there is the warm sunshine.

  "Flowers bloom when she smiles.

  "Listen to her voice; it is like a bird's song."

  Demeter wished always to have her child near her.

  One day Persephone went alone into a meadow near the sea. She had made awreath for her hair, and gathered all the flowers that her apron couldhold.

  Far away across the meadow she saw a white flower gleaming. She ran toit and found that it was a narcissus, but far more beautiful than anyshe had ever seen.


  On a single stem were a hundred blossoms. She tried to pick it, but thestem would not break. With all her strength she grasped it, and slowlyit came up by the roots.

  It left a great opening in the earth which grew larger and larger.

  Persephone heard a rumbling like thunder under her feet. Then she sawfour black horses coming toward her from the opening.

  Behind them was a chariot made of gold and precious stones.

  In it sat a dark, stern man. It was Hades.

  He had come up from his land of darkness, and was shading his eyes withhis hands.

  He saw Persephone, beautiful with flowers, and instantly caught her inhis arms and placed her in the chariot beside him.

  The flowers fell from her apron. "Oh! my pretty flowers," she cried, "Ihave lost them all."

  Then she saw the stern face of Hades.

  Frightened, she stretched out her hands to kind Apollo who was drivinghis chariot overhead. She called to her mother for help.

  Hades drove straight toward his dark underground home.

  The horses seemed to fly.

  As they left the light, Hades tried to comfort Persephone.

  He told her of the wonders of his kingdom. He had gold and silver andall kinds of precious stones.

  Persephone saw gems glittering on every side as they went along, but shedid not care for them.

  Hades told her how lonely he was, and that he wished her to be his queenand share all his riches.

  Persephone did not want to be a queen. She longed only for her motherand the bright sunshine.

  Soon they came to the land of Hades.

  It seemed very dark and dismal to Persephone, and very cold, too.

  A feast was ready for her, but she would not eat.

  She knew that any one who ate in Hades' home could never return to earthagain.

  She was very unhappy, though Hades tried in many ways to please her.

  Everything on the earth was unhappy, too.

  One by one the flowers hung their heads and said, "We cannot bloom, forPersephone has gone." The trees dropped their leaves and moaned,"Persephone has gone, gone."

  The birds flew away and said, "We cannot sing for Persephone has gone."

  Demeter was more miserable than any one else. She had heard Persephonecall her, and had gone straight home.

  She searched all the earth for her child. She asked every one she metthese questions, "Have you seen Persephone? Where is Persephone?"

  The only answer she ever received was, "Gone, gone, Persephone is gone!"

  Demeter became a wrinkled old woman. No one would have known that shewas the kind mother who had always smiled on the people.

  Nothing grew on the earth and all was dreary and barren.

  Demeter said that she would do nothing until Persephone returned to her.

  It was useless for the people to plow the soil.

  It was useless to plant the seeds. Nothing could grow without the helpof Demeter.

  All the people were idle and sad.

  When Demeter found no one on earth who could tell her about Persephone,she looked up toward the sky. There she saw Apollo in his brightchariot. He was not driving as high in the sky as he was wont to do.

  Often he gathered dark mists about him so that none saw him for manydays.

  Demeter knew that he must know about Persephone, for he could see allthings on earth and in the sky.

  Apollo told Demeter that Hades had carried Persephone away and that shewas with him in his underground home.

  Demeter hastened to the great father Zeus, who could do all things.

  She asked him to send to Hades for her daughter. Zeus called Hermes. Hebade him go as swiftly as the wind to the home of Hades. Hermeswhispered to everything on the way that he was going for Persephone sothat all might be ready to welcome her back.

  He soon arrived in the kingdom and gave Hades the message from Zeus. Hetold about the barren earth and of how Demeter was mourning for herchild. He said she would not let anything grow until Persephone cameback. The people must starve if she did not soon return.

  Then Persephone wept bitterly, for that very day she had eaten apomegranate and swallowed six of its seeds.

  Hades pitied her and said that she need only stay with him one month foreach seed she had eaten.

  Joy gave her wings, and as swiftly as Hermes himself, Persephone flew upinto the sunshine.

  Apollo saw her and rose higher and higher into the sky. A gentle breezecame rustling from the southeast, and whispered something to everythinghe met.

  Suddenly the flowers sprang up; the birds flocked together and sang; thetrees put on bright green leaves.

  Everything, great and small, began to say in his own language, "Behappy for Persephone has come! Persephone has come!"

  Demeter saw these changes and was puzzled. "Can the earth be ungrateful?Does she so soon forget Persephone?" she cried.

  It was not long however before her own face became beautiful and happy,for she held again her beloved child in her arms.

  When Demeter found that Persephone could stay with her only half theyear, she brought out the choicest treasures from her storehouse andwhile Persephone stayed, the world was filled with beauty and joy.

  When she had gone, Demeter covered the rivers and lakes, and spread asoft white blanket over the sleeping earth.

  Then she, too, fell asleep and dreamed such pleasant dreams that she didnot awake until she felt Persephone's warm kiss on her forehead.

  THE SWAN MAIDENS.

  A long, long time ago there was born in the east a wonderful king.

  He was called "The King of the Golden Sword."

  Every day he came in his golden chariot scattering heat, light andhappiness among his people.

  Every day he passed from his palace in the east far over to his thronein the west.

  He never missed a day for he wanted to see that everyone had a fullshare of his gifts.

  Throughout the kingdom the birds sang and the flowers bloomed. The skywas full of beautiful pictures which were constantly changing.

  The king had many daughters who were called swan maidens.

  They were as graceful as swans and usually wore white featherlikedresses.

  The swan maidens loved their good father and each one longed to help himin his work.

  Sometimes the king saw that the grass was brown or the buds were notcoming out.

  Then he called the swan maidens to him and said, "My children, this mustnot be. There is nothing more beautiful in the kingdom than the greengrass and the trees. They need your care."

  Gladly each maiden changed her dress and set out at once on her journey.Often they could not all work upon the grass and the buds.

  Some of them ran off to play with the stones in the brook. The best oneswent down to feed the roots and worms, and worked out of sight.

  When their tasks were finished they always hurried back to their father,the king.

  They went so noiselessly and swiftly that for a long time their way oftravelling was a mystery.

  In the fall, the king called the bravest swan maidens to him. He toldthem they must go away for a long time.

  The swan maidens wrapped themselves in white, feathery blankets and camesoftly down to the shivering flowers.

  Gently they placed a white spread on the earth and left no small seeduncovered.

  At last, when the king smiled and their work was done, they stole awayso softly and happily that no one missed them.

  THE POPLAR TREE.

  One night, just at sunset, an old man found the pot of gold which liesunder the end of the rainbow.

  His home was far beyond the dark forest, through which he was passing.

  The pot of gold was heavy, and he soon began to look for a safe place inwhich to hide it until morning.

  A poplar tree stood near the path stretching its branches straight outfrom the trunk.

  That was the way the poplar trees grew in those days.

  "Ah," sai
d the man, "This tree is the very place in which to conceal mytreasure.

  "The trees are all asleep, I see, and these leaves are large and thick."

  He carefully placed the pot of gold in the tree, and hurried home totell of his good fortune.

  Very early the next morning, Iris, the rainbow messenger, missed theprecious pot of gold.

  She hastened to Zeus and told him of the loss.

  Zeus immediately sent Hermes in search of it.

  Hermes soon came to the forest where it was hidden.

  He awakened the trees, and asked them if they had seen the pot of gold.

  They shook their heads sleepily, and murmured something which Hermescould not understand.

  Then Zeus himself spoke to them. "Hold your arms high above your heads,"he said, "that I may see that all are awake."

  Up went the arms, but alas, down to the ground came the pot of gold.

  The poplar tree was more surprised than any one else.

  He was a very honest tree and for a moment hung his head in grief andshame. Then again he stretched his arms high above his head, and said,"Forgive me, great father; hereafter I shall stand in this way that youmay know that I hide nothing from the sun, my king."

  At first the poplar tree was much laughed at.