| [What is the source of her magic spell? He replied: - Her spell lies in the sea. There is a precious gem In the mouth of a dragon in the sea. Only a fiery man could plunge into the sea, Snatch the gem from the dragon’s mouth. (break the spell) Then rise in the morning And see the maiden nude in her chamber. That will break her magic spell; No magic spell will ever take effect on him, He can capture the maiden and marry her.] Sanasar then wanted to see where the maiden lived. [The elder man took Sanasar To the roof and pointed it to him: - Do you see those mansions and windows in black? That is where the pavilion of the king’s daughter is. Black curtains cover the windows, So that the maiden will not see the world outside. Sanasar asked: Babig, what is that object burning like fire? - Son, that is a golden apple, Placed on the rooftop of her palace. There is also a mace on top of that tower. Whoever brings down that golden apple, Puts it in his chest pocket, And, mounted on his horse, Flies high and puts it back in its place Whoever has the might to snatch the mace From the top of the tower; The precious gem from the mouth of the dragon; Whoever challenges and fights the king like a warrior; He will carry away the maiden.] It appears that this horse Kourkig Jelaly is s flying horse like Pegasus. Sanasar succeeded in his task, and the next morning: [The king summoned his town crier and said: - I want the man who has snatched the gem From the mouth of the dragon Search the town. I want the man who has come And carried away the golden apple of my daughter. Seize him, bring him to me; I will have him beheaded.] Sanasar meets with the king, who decides instead to give him a set of tasks, including the return of the mace and golden apple to their rightful place. After Sanasar does this he is required to fight a whole gang of imprisoned soldiers, and this becomes overbearing for him. His brother Baghdasar then joins him in the battle and they finish the fight together. The brothers were then sent to a village but not given any instructions, so they wandered until they found out about a dragon who they were asked to slay. |
[At the mouth of the spring. There sits a dragon That has stopped the water flowing to the city; We are afraid to go there for water. Every week we have to take a virgin maiden to him. He will devour her then release the water. If we don’t do this, we will die of thirst, And our city will be destroyed.] The chapter ends with them both marrying the two maidens they rescued, the Virgin rescued from the Dragon, and the daughter of the king, both of whom coincidently, were sisters. Eventually, they passed away and the next chapter continues with one of Sanasar’s sons, Medz Mher. Those are the most important sections in this story, which relate to the mushroom. As we can see, these myths were meant to carry over ideas relating to the importance of paternity, but also chivalry and honor. They include all the mythical qualities of mushroom lore including hero worship and great strength, giants, dragons, golden apples, lightning swords and maces and shamanic dreamtime voyages into “other worlds.” |