Week 11 Storytelling - Gold-tree and Silver-tree

King Bron

Hello there, my name is King Bronze-Stone, but most call me Bron for short. Many of you know the story about my wife, Silver-Tree (or Silvie as I call her), and my daughter Gold-Tree (Goldie). It has been the story of the land for as long as I can remember. I'm not sure exactly what I was thinking, bringing a woman such as Silver-Tree into my daughter and I's life. I should have seen the red flags beforehand. There was one event that made me realize that I had made a huge mistake and I am going to tell you about it.

One day Silvie and Goldie took a walk through a nearby glen. It was a favorite of theirs.  Goldie's mother used to take her there when she was younger and now she enjoys going with Silvie. In the middle of this glen, there is a well. During this visit, Silvie wondered over to it and noticed there was a trout inside. 

Out of curiosity she said, "Troutie, bonny little fellow, am not I the most beautiful queen in the world?" 

To which the trout responded, "Oh indeed you are not."

"Who then?"

"Why, Gold-tree, your daughter."

This answer infuriated Silvie. When I returned home later that night, she told me that she had pricked her finger on a rose bush while they were at the glen earlier that day and shortly after returning home, she began to feel very ill. 

I asked if there was anything that I could do to help her feel better, to which she replied (you might want to hold your hats for this one, it's insane), " If I get the heart and liver of Gold-tree to eat, I shall be well."

This lady is crazy. What kind of person requests a father to take the heart and liver of his own flesh and blood, just so she might get over an infection? Not going to happen. I had to think of something that would please my wife (she's not the woman you would want to upset), but also save my beloved Goldie. 

Luckily for me, a plan sort of fell right into my lap. It just so happened the next day a son of a great king from the other side of the land came to my home asking for Goldie's hand. Of course, I said yes almost immediately. This was it! This is how I save my daughter and "cure" my wife. Our countries might as well be on different planets, because before today, our paths have never crossed outside of a social gathering. I knew Goldie would be in great hands. 

I rushed her and her new prince out the door as fast as I could. I did not want Silvie to catch on to my plan. As soon as they were passed the horizon, I rushed upstairs to tell Silvie that Goldie and one of my men had made another trip to the glen, in hopes of finding something that might help her ailing step-mother. Silvie's face started to light up with deception. She knew what was coming next…or did she?

I informed her that when they were far enough into the glen he would take her heart and liver to bring back to Silvie. After I finished that statement, Silvie was glowing with delight. I quickly turned around to hide my disgusted face. I wish one of my men were following her into the woods for her heart and liver. She is such a heinous woman. 

Later than evening, my man returned and prepared Silvie’s dinner. After she ate it, she was magically feeling well and practically jumped out of bed when she was finished. Little does she know, it was the heart and liver of an everyday farm goat.

About a year later, Silvie had returned to that same glen she and Goldie used to visit. Once again, she happened upon the trout and she asked, "Troutie, bonny little fellow, am not I the most beautiful queen in the world?"

I'll be damned if that trout didn't ruin everything I had worked hard to protect. He responded, "Oh! indeed you are not."

"Who then?"

"Why, Gold-tree, your daughter."

Silvie was shocked and shook with anger. "Oh! Well, it is long since she was living. It is a year since I ate her heart and liver."

"Oh! Indeed, she is not dead. She is married to a great prince abroad."

Silvie rushed home and almost demanded that I set up a ship that will take her to see her "dear Goldie". She used a tone that almost mocked me. I did not like this, but I did as she asked. As I set up Silvie’s ship, I sent a small ship ahead to give warning to my daughter and her new husband.

Gold-tree received her father’s warning and when she saw his long-ship approaching she panicked. She rushed to her husband, telling him, "my mother is coming, and she will kill me."

"She shall not kill you at all; we will lock you in a room where she cannot get near you."

Silver-tree came ashore and as lovingly as she could, cried out, "come to meet your own mother, when she comes to see you."

Silvie managed to find her way to where Gold-Tree was being held. She was informed that Goldie was locked in and unable to get out.

"Will you not put out your little finger through the keyhole so that your own mother may give a kiss to it?"

Gold-tree, being the obedient daughter that she is, obliged her step-mother. Silvie then pricked her with a poisoned stab and Gold-tree fell dead, or so they thought.

When her husband found her, he was furious. He and his men gathered Gold-tree and placed her in a secret room to which her husband was the only one with a key.

Silver-tree returned home and went straight for the trout. Once again, he told her that she was not the most beautiful queen and that it was Gold-tree. She again, came to me a few months later with a new plan of action. Once again, I did as she asked, as well as sent a warning ship to my daughter and her husband. Completely unaware of the events that had taken place during the last visit.

After a long journey back to Gold-tree's home, Silvie finally arrived. This time she brought with her a "precious drink". I had caught wind of Silvie's new plan and sent another warning to the prince. Once he heard of the queen's plan, he went to visit Goldie's body and told her of my message. As he was leaving, he kissed her gently and she slowly began to awaken. The prince was almost in tears when he saw life coming back in his beautiful bride. They hugged each other so tightly and kissed once more.

The prince once again told Goldie of Silvie's plan. Shortly after he finished explaining, they saw my ship approaching shore. They went outside and heard Silvie calling out, "Come down, Gold-tree, love, for your own mother has come to you with a precious drink."

"It is custom in this part of the country, that the person who offers a drink takes a draught out of it first," the prince explained.

As Silver-tree brought the drink to her lips, the prince struck it so that some of it went down her throat and she fell dead (actual dead).

Author's Notes: For this story, I tried to incorporate as much of the Celtic version as much as possible. I also brought in a few details from the Disney version of the story. One major change that I made to the story was that I wrote it in the point of view of the King. He knows his wife is bad news and he devises his own plan to fool her. I wanted to get another point of view, rather than changing the story line. The aspect that I took from Disney, was that Silver-tree was the step-mother instead of her actual mother. I thought that gave a little more to the jealousy aspect than being her own mother. I also changed it to the prince kissing her to wake her up.

In the Celtic fairy tale, once they believe Gold-tree to be dead, the prince eventually remarries. One day the prince left his key at home and the second wife sneaks into the room Gold-tree is staying in. She tried to wake Gold-tree and she noticed the poisoned stab in her finger. She took it out and Gold-tree woke up. Instead of it just being Gold-tree and the prince meeting Silver-tree, it was actually the three of them. The second wife was the one that struck the drink that killed Silver-tree in the end.

As far as the ending, I'm still unsure about it. I thought I would try something new and just ending the story. At a point where good wins and evil fails. After reading it, I almost feel like it should continue.   

Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs: Gold-tree and Silver-tree