Comments on the story “The Boy, born form an Apple”
- by anna
- 26 February, 2020
According to the collector from the 19 century Kuzman Shapkarev, this story originates from the village of Mirkovo, around Pirdop, in the Rhodope Mountains.
The magical cup, turning water into gold, nails its place in the group of magical stories, but the fact that it deals with adult issues, has forced me not to include it in my collection.
The story has a strong moral content – it teaches that avarice is typical for all people, including kings and queens, who theoretically have everything. It also teaches forgiveness – all humans make mistakes and need to be forgiven for them.
The main character, who in most Bulgarian fairy tales is not named, is presented to be intelligent and ambitious – he fights to achieve what is important to him – first of all education, then an army career, then a position in the king’s household and finally – the woman he loves. When he loses the princess, he realises what she means to him and starts to look for her, until he finds her. He is a good example to the listeners – he achieves the highest reward – becomes the king of the realm.
As far as I am aware, there is no equivalent of this story in the European pool of fairy story.