A man began his journey, and he believed himself beloved by all, as all

wonderful men were loved, and he was a wonderful man. On his way he came

across a milkspring. The milkspring was guarded by a spirit demon, who

stated the milkspring was meant only for those who were thirsty, which

the man was not.

"Spirit, if you do not let me through I will plunge this very knife into

my leg." the man stated, withdrawing his knife.

The spirit said nothing, and the man could not stab his leg, and so he

walked on.

Presently he came upon a pile of gold, and he desired it, but it

belonged to an ogre from the mountain.

"Ogre, if you do not give me this gold, you will see me cut off my ear

and bleed before you." he said. The ogre did not hear his threat, and

the man could not remove his ear, and so he walked on.

As he walked he soon met a fair maiden, with hair as light as wheat

fields. His heart was taken, he sought to make the maiden his.

"My lady, I am taken, and if you are not so, then you shall see me pluck

my eyeball from its very socket."

"Well, let's see it then." was her reply.

The man tried and tried to work up the courage, but he simply could not

give himself to removing his own eye. And so, in the greatest of shame,

he hung his head and walked on into the sunset.

As night fell, the man's disillusionment grew. He believed himself to be

loved by no one. He found his feet marching up toward a high cliff. He

looked up to see the bright full moon rising into the skies. And then an

idea grew.

"The gods love all, do they not?" he asked to the skies. He rushed up

the cliff, and he held his arms to the air.

"Gods! Give to me the moon, else you will see me throw myself off this

very cliff and plunge to my certain death!"

He held his hands to the skies, but there was no change, and no reply.

He thought for a moment.

"Perhaps my folly was in the followthrough." he thought. "My reward will

surely be given if I keep to my word."

And so, with great conviction, the man leapt from the cliff and sailed

below, and his body was broken into a thousand pieces onto the rocks,

and the moon remained in the skies watching overhead.

-Stories for Children, Volume IV