THE LEGEND OF THE MOUNTAIN ASH

In the legend of the trees, one finds not only an interesting story, but also a greater love and respect for Nature.

In a pine grove down in a dark glen lived some tiny fairies. They had a magic cap which fitted any one who wore it. If one fairy put it on, all the fairies became invisible.

On the top of a mountain lived some giants who wanted the cap. A giant went out for a walk one day and came into the glen when the fairies were not at home. He felt sleepy and decided to take a nap.

The music of the birds lulled him to sleep. He snored and the fairies returning home heard the loud noise and thought a storm was approaching. They decided to stop where they were and spend the night. They spied the giant’s ear, and the queen said:

“Here is a fine cave; we will put the cap in here.”

A fairy put the cap in the giant’s ear and thought it was a very safe place. Just then the giant awoke and sat up.

The elf in the giant’s ear tried to jump out and run away with the cap, but the giant caught him and held him. The giant saw the cap in the elf’s hand and seized it. He placed it on his head and found that it fitted exactly. The fairies could no longer see him and began to cry so bitterly that be evening every plant in the glen was wet with tears.

An eagle who was passing by saw them and felt very sorry:

“I am called the king of the birds,” said he, “and I should be unworthy of the name if I would not help.” So he flew to the top of the mountain where the giants lived.

Now, the giants like to fight better than anything else, so the eagle watched his chance and saw them preparing for war. He knew that they were proud of their size and always liked to be seen.

“Now,” said the eagle, “this is my chance; they will not wear the magic cap in battle, and I will watch and see where they hide it.”

One of the giants placed it under a stone. The eagle went at once to the spot, and lifting the stone, flew away with the cap. The giants seeing this began to shoot arrows at him. Drops of blood and some feathers fell on the mountain side, but the eagle did not stop until the cap was safe in the hands of the queen of the fairies.

On the mountain side wherever the blood and feathers of the eagle fell, there sprang up trees with feathers like leaves and blood-red berries. All the giants, fairies, plants, and animals knew why they grew. The unselfish love in the eagle’s blood could not die, but lived again in the beautiful trees. But people to whom the fairies have not told the story call them Mountain Ash trees.