The Magic Gifts

A Basque Folk Tale

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In the beautiful green hills of the Basque Country, three brothers lived together on a little farm. The farm might be small, but it was fertile and well-kept, with fields and an orchard clustered around a trim little house, painted red and white in the Basque style.

Every week, one of the brothers would take it in turn to go to market and sell their produce. Depending on the season, it might be tomatoes or apples or peppers or cherries or cheese or grapes or eggs or many other things.

One fine market morning, the eldest brother, Eneko, set off with a sack full of fine grapes. Along the road, he met an old lady, who asked him, “So where are you going with your sack?”

“To market,” Eneko replied.

“And what will you sell there?” the lady asked nosily. “

Horns,” he replied, annoyed by her question. “May you sell many horns then,” she said quietly, and went on her way. When he arrived at the marketplace,

Eneko undid his sack. What was his shock and horror when he saw that, instead of fine grapes, the sack was full of dirty, smelly old cow horns! Quickly, he tied up the sack again, for he didn’t want to be a laughingstock, and went off home without a word. And he didn’t tell his brothers what had happened but buried the sack in the field.

The next week, along went Iban, the middle brother, to market, with a sack full of juicy apples. On the road, who should he meet but an old lady who asked him, “Where are you going with your sack?’

“To market,” he replied.

“And what will you sell there?” she asked curiously.

“Toads,” he replied, thinking it a fine joke.

“May you sell many toads then,” she said gently, and went on her way.