Reading Notes: Lang's European Fairy Tales Part B

The Goat's Ears of Emperor Trojan

I was really intrigued by the idea of an Emperor with goat ears. At first I thought this was going to story where the lesson was something about not finding fault in others and I was kind of confused by the ending where Emperor Trojan does not kill the young barber. I thought it was a good lesson that not even the Earth can keep its secrets but it seems strange that the Emperor was not mad enough to kill the young barber but yet not forgiving enough to let the barber continue shaving him.

Look at those ears! (Needpix)

Plot 

The Emperor kills off most of the barbers in town because they noticed and commented on his goat ears when the Emperor asked if they noticed anything strange about him.
The Master of the Company of Barbers is summoned to shave the Emperor but falls ill and sends one of his apprentices in his place.
The Emperor asks the young apprentice his normal question and the apprentice says he doesn't notice anything
The Emperor pays the young apprentice and asks him to return to shave him everyday.
The apprentice desperately wants to share the secret of the emperor's goat ears.
The master barber advises him to tell him, a priest or a hole in the ground the secret.
The apprentice digs a hole in the ground and says "The Emperor Trojan has goat's ears." three times.
A tree grows where the apprentice told his secret.
Flutes are made from the tree but they only say "The Emperor Trojan has goat's ears"
The news spreads all the way to the Emperor who confronts the apprentice
The apprentice tells the Emperor that he only told a hole in the ground
The Emperor investigates and finds out the apprentice is telling the truth.


The Emperor realizes even the earth can't hold it's secrets and let's the apprentice live but does not let him shave him anymore.




This story is part of the Lang's European Fairy Tales I unit. Story source: The Violet Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H. J. Ford (1901).