The young King Arthur was surprised and imprisoned by the monarch of the neighboring kingdom while hunting furtively in their forests. The king could have killed him in the act, because such was the punishment for those who violated the laws of property, but was moved by the youth and sympathy of Arthur and offered him freedom, as long as within a year he found the answer to a question. The question was: What does the woman really want?
Such a question would perplex even the wisest man and young Arthur found it impossible to answer. However, that was better than hanging, so he returned to his kingdom and began to question people. To the princess, to the queen, to the monks, to the wise men and to the jester of the court … in short, to all but nobody could give a convincing answer. Of course, everyone advised him to consult the old witch, because only she would know the answer. The price would be high, since the old witch was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant price she charged for her services.
The last day of the agreed year arrived and Arturo had no choice but to consult the sorceress. She agreed to give him a satisfactory answer on the condition that she first accept the price: she wanted to marry Gawain, the noblest knight of the Round Table and the closest friend of Arthur! The young Arthur looked at her horrified: she was hunchbacked, ugly, had only one tooth, gave off a stench that gave nausea, to obscene noises … He had never encountered such a disgusting creature. He cowards at the prospect of asking his lifelong friend to take on that terrible burden. However, upon learning of the proposed agreement, Gawain said that it was not an excessive sacrifice in exchange for the life of his friend and the preservation of the Round Table.
The wedding was announced and the old witch, with her infernal wisdom, said: What the woman really wants is … to be the ruler of her own life!
Everyone knew instantly that the sorceress had said a great truth and that the young King Arthur would be safe. So it was: upon hearing the answer, the neighboring monarch gave him back his freedom.
But that little wedding was that, … attended the court in full and no one felt more torn between the relief and anguish than the own Arthur. Gawain was polite, friendly and respectful. The old witch displayed her worst manners, swallowed the food directly from the plate without using the cutlery, made noises and frightful smells.
And the wedding night arrived. When Gawain, ready to go to the marriage bed, waited for his wife to meet him, … she appeared with the appearance of the most beautiful maiden a man would want to see. Gawain was stunned and asked what had happened. The witch replied that since he had been courteous to her, half the time she would appear with her horrible appearance and the other half with her attractive appearance. Which one did you prefer for the day and which for the night?
What a cruel question! Gawain was quick to make calculations … wanted to have a lovely young woman during the day to show her to her friends and at night in the privacy of her bedroom to a frightful witch or preferred to have a witch and a beautiful girl by day in the intimate moments of your conjugal life?
What would you have preferred … what would you have chosen? The choice of Gawain is below, but before reading it, make your decision …
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The noble Gawain replied that he would let her choose By herself. Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be a beautiful lady day and night, because he had respected her and allowed her to be the owner of his life.
What is the moral?
The moral is that it does not matter if the woman is pretty or ugly because, in the end, she is always a witch.