Three Brothers

Once there were three brothers. They were unfortunate and misshapen
The first brother was very tall with enormous hands and feet. He was so clumsy that he broke things every where he went.
The second brother was of average height but he was a hump-back and tended to let his hair grow long and unruly, he never combed it or washed it. He was not hire able.
Third brother was well enough in body but he had great big ears, and bulging eyes that were yellow with sickness, and when he had a beard on he was quite frightening indeed. No maid would look at him.


Rather than lament their unfortunate states, the brothers decided amongst them selves to make their abode far away in the high mountains. Taking what tools and supplies they could gather, and a few goats for meat and milk they removed themselves from other folk and were content to live a life of seclusion.

Now first brother, though he was clumsy was rather clever at certain things, and fishing was one of them. Often he spent his days snatching salmon and gronling from the mountain streams and lakes to smoke for the winter.

Third brother favored long walks in the woods where he could forage for mushrooms and sweet onions and smell the fragrance of the earth.

Second brother was happy to tend the goats all through the lazy day, and became good at making cheese and kefir. He kept bees and could make a fine mead as well.
In this way the brothers survived and were happy.

As progress is ever the way of human-folk, a small village soon appeared not far from the brothers’ secret home-stead. Eventually the folk of the village began to discover signs left by the brothers.
The first evidence was foot prints, twice as big as any normal person down the valley on the shore of the lovely lake. 'It has to be a large creature' thought the villagers.

One day third bother was ambling through the dark forest early in the morning just before dawn finding fresh morals and savoring the mist rising from the rotten forest floor, never noticing the drunken farmer stumbling home in the early morning fog.

"It has bulging eyes and huge ears and digs in the earth" cried the peasant when he woke up that same afternoon.


And then second brother was spotted by a small girl one evening just after sunset. He was carrying a large Billy-goat over his already humped shoulders and the horns curved sharply, tangling in his shock of messy hair. He must have been a frightening sight for such a small child.

Now the village counsel thought long about what to do with a troll in the mountains near their ever expanding farmland.
No one wished to fight it. Every one agreed that trying to slay a troll was folly. And the best thing would be to try and keep it's belly full so it had no need to gobble up poor stringy peasant folk.
So it was decreed that every one should leave what extra they had each week down near the lovely lake by a tall pile of stones for the troll.

The three misfigured brothers knowing how they frightened regular folk remained hidden as well they could, deep in the high mountains and gratefully stowed away the strange offerings that the villagers left each Frejday. In this way they were able to live in the way simple folk imagine kings do, never suffering the pain of hunger or lack of decent drink.


Then misfortune dealt them another blow and their came some folk who were not afraid of trolls. Stout men with a lot of horses and weapons and shining steel. They used fire to clear the land so their horses could get at the stone. They built walls and towers and stout buildings. They claimed the land for miles and miles around.


The weekly offerings to the brothers were no longer left by the pile of stones near the lake for they had been hauled inland for the building of walls. Soon enough the cutting and clearing reached the edge of the brothers abode and the happy trio was nearly discovered.


Then came a hard cold winter. So cold that when the maiden of spring opened the high mountain pass the men and their horses rode away, leaving the villagers that remained many fine stone buildings for grain and roots.
Despite the extra storage, the next winter was just as hard and furious and the villagers that had been left behind began to go hungry.


Now the brothers were not greedy or cruel by nature and it soon became apparent that they would have to help the villagers if the villagers were to live through the terrible winter for they were well stocked with natures bounty and had saved a good share of the discontinued offerings as well.


So one cold, cold night the brothers loaded a small cart with some frozen food and a few old stones that they had gathered for there own small walls and pushed and pulled it next to the new village gate-house.


When the villagers woke in the morning they were amazed to find a small feast stacked next to a pile of stones just out side the unmanned gate, as the foot prints in the snow seemed to belong to three different people the villagers did not suspect a benevolent troll.


In this way, with a weekly offering from the three brothers the village survived the cruel winter and the brothers were able to share the fortune so unwittingly provided them.