Week 7 Storytelling

The Three Witch Wives 

Witch Paper Dolls

by BirdandFlower on Live Journal

Once upon a time there was a wealthy hunter named William who lived happily with this three wives, Doza (the Enchantress of Dreams), Song (the Spirit Guide), and Fulla (the Necromancer). His wives were three of the most powerful witches in all the land. They were known far and wide for their abilities and William loved them very much. To him, they were the most beautiful women of all, but they did have one flaw...

They ate like a pack of lions! These women could EAT! Each day William was tasked with procuring food for his hungry harem. It was a timely task that took much of his day and all of his energy, but he did not mind because he loved them and the food he caught was cooked into amazing meals he was welcome to enjoy. 

One particular day came to pass that William was particularly drained and worn out from his hunting that he thought he simply could hunt no more. He flopped into a chair and guzzled water, sweat pouring down his face from the day’s hunt of a particularly large deer and a cow. He had shot and carried the creatures from miles away so his wives could sate their hunger, yet still they pleaded for more and complained of their aching bellies. Taking pity and hoping to please them, William mustered up the strength for one last hunt. Surely, an ox would satisfy his brides! 

Musk Ox

By Jonathan Woodward, found on his studio website

William spent hours tracking a small group of oxen up and down the hills of the countryside before finally they stopped to graze. William stalked the group, studying them and picking out which ox to take home. He made his choice, aimed his rifle, and pulled the trigger… BANG! The gun went off and his target fell to the ground, a perfect shot. William was so elated and the rush of endorphins and exhaustion made him fatally slow as he realized he was about to be charged by the alpha male of the ox trio. He reached for his gun and floundered as his trembling hands tried to load the bullets, but it was too late and the ox ran him down, goring him, and throwing William 5 feet into the air. William’s body laid broken on the dirty ground.

Back at their shared home, the witch wives begin to worry. 

“Where is William? He’s been gone for hours!”

“I’m starving! He never takes so long!”

“What should we do?”

The wives tried not to panic; maybe he was just resting for the night, after all, he’d been out all day hunting for them. They slept, though not well, and as the sun came up, Doza rose from her bed crying and screaming, “William is dead! I saw him! I saw him in my dream! He’s been killed by an ox!” After gasps and shock, the three quickly got everything together and headed out to find their husband. This is where Song’s gift came in, as soon as the trio stepped foot on the open road, her third eye opened and she could see the way to their husband. Song led them directly to their husband and they fell on their knees around him in sorrow. 

However, Fulla knew they cried in vain. She began gathering plants and herbs and she laid them all around William. She then gave him a bouquet of herbs and began chanting over his body. In no time, William was back to his old self and the trio embraced happily before retiring, ox in hand for a grand banquet in his honor. 

Author's Note:

This week I began reading the Tales from the Congo unit which takes its stories from Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort by Richard Edward Dennett (1898), but only read the first two stories before the due date. However, I really enjoyed the story of How the Wives Restored the Husband to Life. It was a lot of fun to read and unlike many of the stories I've read lately, actually ended on a positive note. I did change some of the original story, but not much. The only thing I really changed is the end, in the actual story the wives end up quarreling over whose hut their husband should visit first when he awakens. They decide that in order to settle this fairly, they would each cook a pot of food and present it to him. Then, he would choose which to eat first and therefore choose who to visit first. He chooses Fulla Fulla's food because without the Dreamer, they might not have known what happened to him and without the Guide, they might not have found him, but without Fulla Fulla's gift, he wouldn't be able to eat any of the food they'd made. The wives could see his point but wished he would have taken a bit of each and put it into one bowl before eating it. Anyway, I made mine more kid-friendly and like a storybook. I hope it seemed easy and fun to read!