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Story of the Yara |
| "Papa
Alvin, tell us another story!" "Alright, children, settle yourselves down now. Gather round and make sure to know who is behind you. For, if you thought Eisenkopf was an evil fellow, just wait until you hear about... the Yara! She is a deceitful apparition, who lures young ones--much like yourselves--to their doom!" |
T his tale begins near a remote village... in the furthest reaches of the forest. There, in a pinewood cottage lived a boy named Guilbert [Gil-Bear]. Guilbert was not from the village. He had come there to find work after his parents had perished in a plague. He was lonely, but Guilbert worked hard and eventually had earned enough money from well-digging to buy his own goat. Now, Guilbert was very happy to have a companion, and the goat seemed content as well. Guilbert continued to work and also began to sell milk to those of his neighbors who had no goat. In time, Guilbert had saved enough to buy a cow, and at this he was quite elated. Now, the young man had plenty of milk to trade and sell. In fact, Guilbert struck a deal with a nearby chicken farmer. He traded milk everyday for three weeks in return for two young chicks. These he raised to hens, and Guilbert felt most fortunate when both began giving eggs.  So, Guilbert had the beginnings of quite
a nice farm. He
eventually bought a rooster and a brace of rabbits. Now, he had
more
than enough work just keeping
up with
all of the bunnies and chicks
that were born from his conies and hens. Soon, he had more than
he could manage, and so Guilbert decided that he should go to market at
festival time to sell as many as he had extra. He loaded his cart
with buckets of eggs, baskets of bunnies, and boxes of chicks. He then
set off for the outskirts of
town, where everyone was gathered for trading by day and for feasting
and dancing  by night. Guilbert simply said to
each passerby, "Would you like to buy a bucket of eggs, a basket of
bunnies, or a box of chicks?", and naturally, each one replied, "Well,
yes... yes I would." By the end of the day, Guilbert had
sold or traded all that he had brought.
So, feeling quite
content, he chose to remain for the feasting and
dancing rather than
to travel home past dark.Guilbert secured his belongings in his cart, all except a fine suit of clothes that he had purchased with his earnings.. He dressed himself and headed off to attend the feast. There was merrymaking and singing, storytelling and wine drinking. Guilbert had not seen such a festival in his life. But that wasn't even the best part! During the dance, Guilbert was coaxed by an elderly woman to join the circle. The dancers alternated girl, then boy, then giril, and they danced changing partners in a pattern. Guilbert noticed a beautifl young maiden several spots to his right, and despite that he was getting tired, he danced on, in hopes of eventually dancing with her. Alas, it wasn't to be, as the musicians chose the most inopportune moment to end the song and rejoin the festival. Despite his disappointment, Guilbert was determined to meet this lovely maiden, and so he sat just apart from where she was seated near her parents. However, Guilbert had no experience with making introductions to pretty girls, and he sat in consternation... unable to formulate the words that he would say. Guilbert turned away in dispair. He stared into the woods and thought what a fool he must be. Just then, out from the forest appeared a ravenous wolf! It lept for the maiden with its jaws agape. Luckily, since he had been turned toward the woods, Guilbert saw the beast in the nick of time. With a leap of his own, he seized the wolf and delivered such a blow that it he killed it instantly! Everyone at the festival stopped in amazement. The maiden's father helped Guilbert to his feet. He thanked him endlessly for aiding his daughter and introduced her saying, "This is my daughter, Simona. Truly, you have saved her life. If you are yet unmarried, I welcome you to court her." At this Guilbert was most pleased, and in the coming weeks and months he did just that. In a short time, Simona had come to love Guilbert as much as he loved her, and the two were betrothed. He visited her each evening until nighfall. At night, he would return home by way of a path that passed by a crystal-clear pool of cool, blue water. So inviting was the pond that Guilbert swam in it nightly, partly to refresh himself and partly to sate his unquenched desires toward his beloved. So, each evening he visited the maiden, and each night he swam in the pond. One day, Simona asked, "What do you do when you leave me each night, my love?" "I start home but always stop to swim in the cool, clear pond midway from here to there," he replied. "But last night," Guilbert continued, "something strange happened. Just as I was leaving the pond, I heard someone singing. The song was most beautiful, but when I called out it stopped." Simona's face turned pale as she cautioned, "No. Don't go back. I beg you! Truly, it was the song of the Yara!" "The what?" inquired Gilbert with a look of disbelief. Simona despaired and said, "You are not from here, so you don't know the stories. The Yara is an apparition of the water. She appears to young lovers and seeks to cause their death. If she has found you, then that pool is no longer safe. Promise me that you will not return there!" "Simona, my love, these are just stories. Surely, someone was hidden in the woods unaware of my presence until I called out, and so they stopped their song." "Guilbert, promise me! I'll not smile again until I have your word," said she. Guilbert paused a moment and stared into her face. Simona appeared so distressed that he knew she was not pretending. So, despite the fact that he regarded this as a ghost-story (and that he held no belief in such things), he acquiesced and replied, "I promise." Simona remained pallid for some time and asked him repeatedly not to return to the pool, to which Guilbert replied each time that she had his word and that he would not choose to cause her such despair. Eventually Simona was contented. The smile returned to her lips and the rose-color to her cheeks. At the end of the evening, Guilbert bade her farewell until the next day and kissed his beloved upon the forehead. "Until tomorrow, my love," said each of them to the other.  That night, Gulbert
took the usual path home. As he neared the
pond, he thought of how cool and refreshing it was. Although he
had promised not to go near it, he felt as if the pond was somehow like
a friend, and to abandon it caused him grief. He
stood at the water's edge and skipped
a stone
across the reflection of the full moon, watching the ripples with
longing. Remembering his promise, Guilbert started toward his
cottage, but only a dozen steps had he taken when he heard the faint
sound of singing. It was the same song, and it was so beautiful
that Guilbert felt it could not come from any evildoer. Slowly,
the song faded, and Guilbert took a few paces back toward the pool,
listening intently for its return. With each step it grew
slightly louder and faded again, beckoning him onward. All at
once, he became aware that his feet were in the water, and he realized
that no harm had come of this. Guilbert thought, "Surely, that
which Simona does not know
will cause her no grief." And, at this,
he stripped off his clothes and plunged himself into the cool, crisp
pool.He dove deep and resurfaced, indulging in the vital, peaceful waters. Guilbert gave a sigh of contentment, floated on his back and closed his eyes. The song grew louder now, even as his ears were submerged beneath the surface of the pool. He lifted his head and the song continued its steady crescendo, now piercing to his senses. He opened his eyes and beheld a whispy, white figure hovering above the water just ahead of him. Guilbert's disbelief turned to bewilderment. He was completely entranced, suspended on the surface of the pool. Suddenly, he realized the truth. Simona was right, and terror washed over him as the wide-eyed apparition reached toward him. "I promise I'll not come back. I promise I'll not come back..." And he didn't... for he was never heard from again. |
"So, children, remember not to make promises you do not intend to keep, even if you think them without merit. A promise, as they say, is a promise." |
Bibliographical Information Author: Andrew Lang Year Published: 1904 Web Source: Brown Fairy Book |
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to Cover Page Back to Introduction Story 1 - Eisenkopf Story 3 - Sylvain and Jocosa Story 4 - The White Wolf |
| Image Web
Source Apparition at Elfwood Fantasy Art Image Web Source: Moonlit Water at Margarita Beach Rentals Image Web Source: Goat on Cow at Michael McDevitt Blog Spot Image Web Source: Basket of Bunnies at Hare Hill |