Tuesday 30 March 2010

Cost: £4.00 on the door,
or places may be reserved by phoning Jonathan Parker on 01803-712900

Fairytales reflect the inner workings of the psyche, and their telling was not only entertaining but also provided subtle hints and ideas about how to understand and respond to situations that arise in our lives. A psychological interpretation reveals the nature of factors that influence us from our inner world.

‘The Water of Life’ touches themes to which we can all relate. It is full of symbols and images that also occur in other stories too, for example, the legend of the Grail. When these are translated by interpretation into everyday language, their wider and deeper meaning becomes clearer.

Jonathan Parker is a classically trained Jungian analyst who has a practice in South Devon.
If you would like to have more information or reserve a place at the talk, please phone 01803-712900.

The Water of Life

There was once a king who was sick, and no one thought he would live. His three sons were very sad. They went down into the palace garden and wept, and there they met an old man who asked them what the trouble was. They told him their father was very sick and would surely die, for nothing seemed to do him any good. The old man said: “I know of a remedy: the Water of Life. If he drinks of it he will get well, but it’s hard to find.”

“I will find it,“ said the eldest, and he went to the sick king and asked him if for leave to search for the Water of Life, since that alone could cure him. “No,” said the king, “the danger is too great. I would rather die.”

But the son begged and pleaded until the king finally consented. The prince thought in his heart: “if I bring the Water of Life, my father will love me the best and I shall inherit the kingdom.”

So he started out and when he had ridden a while, a dwarf, who was standing on the road, called out to him: “Where are you going so fast?”

“You stupid runt,” said the prince haughtily, “what business is it of yours?” And he rode on.

The dwarf was furious and cursed him. The prince soon came to a ravine. The farther he rode the closer the mountains came together, and in the end the path was so narrow that his horse couldn’t take another step. The prince could neither turn his horse round nor dismount, and all he could do was sit there, wedged tight in his saddle.

The sick king waited in vain for his eldest son to return, and then one day his second son said: “Father, let me go and look for the Water.” He thought to himself: “If my brother is dead the kingdom will fall to me.”

At first the king didn’t want to let him go, but in the end he gave in. So the prince set out, taking the same road as his brother, and he too met the dwarf, who stopped him and asked where he was going so fast. “You little runt,” said the prince, “what business is it of yours?” And he rode on without so much as looking around, whereupon the dwarf cursed him, and like his brother he rode into a deep ravine until he got wedged in and was unable to go forward or backward. That’s what happens to haughty people.

When the second son failed to return, the youngest son asked leave to search for the Water, and the king finally had to let him go. When he met the dwarf and the dwarf asked him where he was going in such a hurry, he stopped and answered him: “I’m looking for the Water of Life, because my father is deathly sick.”

“Do you know where to find it?”

“No,” said the prince.

“Since you’ve spoken kindly and haven’t been haughty like your two wicked brothers, I’ll tell you where the Water of Life is and how to get there. It springs from a fountain in the courtyard of an enchanted castle, but you’ll never get it unless I give you an iron wand and two loaves of bread. Strike the castle gate three times with the wand and it will open. Inside, there will be two lions with gaping jaws, but if you throw a loaf to each of them, they will calm down. Then you must hurry and take the Water of Life before the clock strikes twelve because otherwise the gate will close and you will be locked in.”

The prince thanked him, took the wand and the bread, and went his way. When he reached the castle, everything was just as the dwarf had said. The gate opened at the third stroke of the wand, and when he had calmed the lions with the bread, he went into the castle and came to a big beautiful hall, full of enchanted princes. He drew the rings from their fingers and also took a sword and a loaf of bread that he found in the great hall. Farther on he came to a room where a beautiful maiden was standing. She was overjoyed to see him, kissed him and told him he had set her free.

“My whole kingdom will be yours,” she said. “If you come back in a year’s time we shall celebrate our wedding.

Then she told him where to find the fountain with the Water of Life and bade him hurry to draw the water before the clock struck twelve. He went on and came at last to a room with a beautiful, freshly made bed in it. As he was tired, he thought he would rest awhile. He lay down and fell asleep, and when he awoke the clock was striking a quarter to twelve. He jumped up in fright, ran to the fountain, drew the water in a cup that he found nearby, and hurried away. Just as he was passing through the iron gate, the clock struck twelve, and the gate slammed shut with such force that it took a piece of his heel.

All the same he was glad to have found the Water of Life, and started for home. On the way he came to the dwarf and when the dwarf saw the sword and the loaf, he said: “Those are great treasures you’ve come by. With that sword you can defeat whole armies, and that loaf will always be the same size no matter how much is eaten from it.”

But the prince did not want to go home to his father without his brothers, and he said: “Dear dwarf, could you tell me where my two brothers are? They set out in search of the Water of Life and never came back.”

“They’re wedged in between mountains,” said the dwarf. “I wished them there because they were haughty.”

The prince pleaded and at length the dwarf released them, though he warned him, saying, “Don’t trust them. They have wicked hearts.”

When his brothers appeared he was glad to see them. He told them of his adventures, how he had found the Water of Life and brought back a cupful of it, and how he had saved a beautiful princess, who was going to wait a year for him and they were going to be married and he would be king over a great kingdom.

The brothers rode on together and came to a country where war and famine were raging and the misery was so great that the king of the country thought the people would perish.

The prince went to the king and gave him the loaf, whereupon the king fed his people, and stilled their hunger. Next the prince gave the king his sword, the king destroyed the enemy armies, and after that he was able to live in peace.

Then the prince took back his loaf and his sword, and the three brothers rode on. They passed through two more countries where war and famine were raging, and in both the prince lent the kings his loaf and sword, so, in all, he saved three kingdoms.

Then they boarded a ship and sailed across the sea. During the voyage the two elder brothers went aside and said: “ Our young brother has found the Water of Life and we haven’t found anything. Our father will reward him by giving him the kingdom, which should properly be ours, and he will rob us of our birthright.”

They longed for revenge and decided on a way to destroy him. They waited until he was fast asleep, and they poured the Water of Life out of his cup, took it away and filled the cup with bitter sea water.

When they got home, the youngest brother brought the sick king his cup, expecting him to drink and be cured. But the king had barely tasted the bitter sea water when he became sicker than ever. As he was lamenting, his two elder sons came in and accused the youngest of wanting to poison him. Then they brought the real Water of Life and handed it to him. The moment he drank it he felt his sickness leaving him, and was as strong and healthy as in the days of his youth. The two deceivers went to the youngest brother and jeered at him: “Oh yes,” they said, “you found the Water of Life, but much good it has done you. Yours the hardship and ours the reward. You should have been smarter and kept your eyes open. We took it away from you on the ship, while you were sleeping, and a year from now one of us will go and claim the beautiful princess. But whatever you do, don’t tell our father about this. He wouldn’t believe you, and if you say as much as a single word you will die, but if you keep silent your life will be spared.

The old king was very angry, for he thought his youngest had wanted to kill him. He summoned his council and had them sentence the boy to be secretly shot.

One day the prince, who suspected no evil, went hunting, and the king’s huntsman rode along with him. When they were alone in the forest, the huntsman looked so sad that the prince asked him: “Dear Huntsman, what’s the matter?”

“I can’t tell you,” said the huntsman, “ and yet I should.”

“Speak up,” said the prince. “Whatever it is, I’ll forgive you.”

“Well,” said the huntsman, “I’m supposed to kill you. The king ordered me to.”

The prince was aghast. “Dear Huntsman,” he said, “let me live! I’ll give you my royal garments. Give me your lowly ones in exchange.”

“Gladly,” said the hunter. “I wouldn’t have been able to shoot you in any case,”

whereupon they changed clothes. Then the huntsman went home and the prince went deeper into the forest.

Some time later three wagonloads of gold and precious stones came to the king for his youngest son. They had been sent in token of gratitude by the three kings who had destroyed their enemies with the prince’s sword and fed their people with his loaf.

The old king thought to himself: “Can my son have been innocent?” And he said aloud: “If only he were alive! I can’t forgive myself for having him killed.”

At that moment the huntsman spoke up: “He is alive. I couldn’t bring myself to carry out your order.” And then he told the king what had happened.

A weight fell from the king’s heart and he had it proclaimed in all the kingdoms that his son was free to come home and would be welcomed with open arms.

Meanwhile, the princess had a golden road built leading to her castle, and said to the guards: “The man who comes riding straight up to me in the middle of the road will be the right one and you must let him in. If anyone rides alongside the road he will not be the right man and you are not to let him in.”

When the year had almost passed, the eldest son thought he would hurry to the princess and pass himself off as her saviour. He fully expected to win her as his wife and become master over her kingdom a swell.

He started out, and when he came to the castle and saw the beautiful golden road, he thought: “It would be a pity to ride on such a beautiful road,” so he veered off and went on the right of it. When he reached the gate, the guards said to him: “You are not the right man. Go away.”

A littler later, the second prince started out, and when he came to the golden road and his horse had only set one foot on it, he thought: “It would be a pity. What if the hoof-beats should crack it!” So he veered off and went to the left of the road.

When he reached the gate, the guards said: “You are not the right man. Go away.”

When the year had wholly passed, the third prince decided to leave his forest, and ride to his beloved, and forget his sorrows with her. Throughout his journey he thought of her and wished he were already with her, so when he got to the golden road he didn’t even see it. His horse galloped right up the middle of it, and when he reached the gate it opened. The princess welcomed him joyfully and said: “You are my saviour and lord of my kingdom.”

The marriage was celebrated with great rejoicing, and when it was over she told him that his father had sent for him and had forgiven him.

Thereupon he rode home and told his father how his brothers had cheated him and how he had kept silent.

The king wanted to punish them, but they boarded a ship and sailed away, and they never came back as long as they lived.
From ‘Grimms’ Tales for Young and Old – The Complete Collection’ [trans. Ralph Manheim] 1979. Victor Gollancz Ltd.