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An Irish hero whose mother had died was required
by his stepmother to set out on a journey to
an island beneath the sea and to bring back some
golden apples he would find there. Should
he fail to return within a year, he would lose
his right to the throne, relinquishing it to
one of his stepbrothers. For his journey
he was given a miserable shaggy nag. No
sooner had he set out than the nag said,
“Look in my ear. You will find a metal
ball. Throw it on the path ahead of us
and we will follow it wherever it goes.”
Unhesitatingly the prince did this, and so,
proceeding by chance, they passed
through many perilous situations.
Finally, on the point of success, the horse
said to the Prince, “Now take your
sword and slit my throat.” The Prince
hesitated, but only for a moment.
No sooner had he killed the horse than,
lo and behold, it turned into
a prince, who, except for the
acquiescence of the hero, would have
had to remain a miserable shaggy nag.
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