Gulnar and the Wonderful Ring
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twispiteficTitle: Gulnar and the Wonderful Ring
Author: elisserion
Fandom: Feminist Fairytales
Word Count: 1046
Inspiration: Chapter 11: Ala Dean, parts 1 and 2.
Summary: When Alzahra goes missing, her mother comes looking for her.
There was, in ancient times, a certain widow named Gulnar who made her living as a weaver. She had one child, a daughter named Alzahra. But Alzahra, who should have one day been the comfort of her mother’s old age, was an idle and frivolous child.
They had a neighbor, an African sorcerer, who would sometimes look out into the street and observe Alzahra playing there with her friends. He realized that she would be well-suited to his purposes; he had been searching for many years for a certain magical object, only to learn that he could not retrieve it from its hiding place himself. So he befriended the family, visiting often with much-needed food. One day, he explained that he was a friend of the royal vizier; perhaps he could arrange for Alzahra to become a handmaiden to the princess Badr al-Budur. At the thought of living in the palace in wealth, Alzahra pleaded until her mother said she might go.
The following day, Gulnar went to the palace to inquire after her daughter, but no one had seen her or the neighbor. The weaver tore her hair, beat her bosom and wept, but soon rushed out into the city, intent on finding her child.
She wandered through the streets, asking everyone if they had seen Alzahra, but her efforts were all in vain, until she came upon a dervish who asked for food.
She gave him what little she had, and explained to him what had happened.
“Ah,” said the dervish, “then your daughter is in great danger, for I know of this man. He is a cruel and evil sorcerer. Take this ring, and it will help you.”
Gulnar accepted the ring and continued out through the desert in the direction he pointed her, but the journey was a long one. As she prayed desperately for the strength to reach Alzahra before it was too late, she folded her hands and chanced to rub the ring. At once the earth shook, and there appeared a genie of frightful aspect, so terrifying that Gulnar fell to the ground.
“What dost thou wish?” said the genie, “for I am ready to obey thee."
“O genie, my daughter is lost. Take me to her, I beg you.”
No sooner had she spoken these words than she found herself in a darkened cave, next to her daughter, who was weeping piteously and immediately embraced her. Gulnar soothed her, and bade her speak of what had happened.
“Our neighbor walked with me for a full day and a full night. He commanded that I crawl into this cave and fetch him the lamp that I would find there. I did so, but when I approached the entrance again, he did not lift me up but only demanded the lamp. I told him that I would deliver it after he helped me up. He flew into a rage and shut me in, and here I have been trapped ever since. Have you anything to eat?”
Gulnar had no food with her, but told her daughter to be brave, and summoned the genie of the ring once more. She politely asked him to bear them home, and in an instant, they stood once more in their humble dwelling.
As it happened, Alzahra had kept tight hold of the lamp and brought it home with her. She said that the sorcerer must have wanted it so dearly for a reason, and Gulnar thought that perhaps it would fetch a penny at market if they polished it well; but when Alzahra began to rub it with a rag, there was a noise like thunder, and a hideous genie appeared, so tall that he knocked a small hole in the ceiling.
“What dost thou wish, mistress?” he thundered.
Alzahra boldly asked for something to eat, and instantly a feast lay shining before her. She and her mother ate until they were satisfied, and found that there was still food remaining, so they distributed it to their neighbors.
Alzahra thought very little before making her next wishes. She looked around at her poor, simple home once. Then she asked to turn all weapons of war to dust; all tax collectors into woolly, bleating sheep; all jewels into loaves of bread; and every house from her own little hovel to the Sultan's palace into a simple but comfortable dwelling, so that all would live in equality. The genie of the lamp obliged her in every wish.
The next day's sun rose on a scene of utter mayhem.
The royal family declared that they had been cursed, and called out the army to hunt down the sorcerer at fault. The soldiers re-armed themselves wtih farming tools, kitchen knives, and sticks. The families of the tax collectors also complained, and noble families had their servants whipped for supposedly replacing priceless heirlooms with loaves of bread.
Only two people guessed what had really happened. One was the sorcerer, who began preparing charms to destroy Alzahra and steal back the lamp.
The other was Gulnar, who woke up to find herself in a strange house. She called forth the genie of the ring and asked him to take her to her daughter.
In an instant they stood on a rooftop, where Alzahra hid holding the lamp. Gulnar ran to her.
"I have made a mistake," said Alzahra. "I wanted to help people, Mother, but I've ruined everything."
Gulnar gently took the lamp, kissed her daughter's forehead, and made a wish of her own.
This last wish was a great strain on the genie of the lamp, but the sun rose a second time that day, and it was as if the last few hours had all been a dream.
Gulnar and Alzahra used their wishes more carefully, asking for food on silver plates that they sold discreetly. Now living comfortably, they gave food and alms to the poor, and all loved them. They freed the two genies from their long servitude, also ensuring that their power could never again be misused. Gulnar married a kind and handsome widowed merchant, and Alzahra became a scholar of great dignity and fame. Thus they lived all their lives in joy and happiness.
NOTES
I was actually researching the Arabian Nights and planning a story based on Aladdin when this chapter showed up. I tried to mimic the language of the original story and bring in some of the forgotten elements, like the Genie of the Ring.
Author: elisserion
Fandom: Feminist Fairytales
Word Count: 1046
Inspiration: Chapter 11: Ala Dean, parts 1 and 2.
Summary: When Alzahra goes missing, her mother comes looking for her.
There was, in ancient times, a certain widow named Gulnar who made her living as a weaver. She had one child, a daughter named Alzahra. But Alzahra, who should have one day been the comfort of her mother’s old age, was an idle and frivolous child.
They had a neighbor, an African sorcerer, who would sometimes look out into the street and observe Alzahra playing there with her friends. He realized that she would be well-suited to his purposes; he had been searching for many years for a certain magical object, only to learn that he could not retrieve it from its hiding place himself. So he befriended the family, visiting often with much-needed food. One day, he explained that he was a friend of the royal vizier; perhaps he could arrange for Alzahra to become a handmaiden to the princess Badr al-Budur. At the thought of living in the palace in wealth, Alzahra pleaded until her mother said she might go.
The following day, Gulnar went to the palace to inquire after her daughter, but no one had seen her or the neighbor. The weaver tore her hair, beat her bosom and wept, but soon rushed out into the city, intent on finding her child.
She wandered through the streets, asking everyone if they had seen Alzahra, but her efforts were all in vain, until she came upon a dervish who asked for food.
She gave him what little she had, and explained to him what had happened.
“Ah,” said the dervish, “then your daughter is in great danger, for I know of this man. He is a cruel and evil sorcerer. Take this ring, and it will help you.”
Gulnar accepted the ring and continued out through the desert in the direction he pointed her, but the journey was a long one. As she prayed desperately for the strength to reach Alzahra before it was too late, she folded her hands and chanced to rub the ring. At once the earth shook, and there appeared a genie of frightful aspect, so terrifying that Gulnar fell to the ground.
“What dost thou wish?” said the genie, “for I am ready to obey thee."
“O genie, my daughter is lost. Take me to her, I beg you.”
No sooner had she spoken these words than she found herself in a darkened cave, next to her daughter, who was weeping piteously and immediately embraced her. Gulnar soothed her, and bade her speak of what had happened.
“Our neighbor walked with me for a full day and a full night. He commanded that I crawl into this cave and fetch him the lamp that I would find there. I did so, but when I approached the entrance again, he did not lift me up but only demanded the lamp. I told him that I would deliver it after he helped me up. He flew into a rage and shut me in, and here I have been trapped ever since. Have you anything to eat?”
Gulnar had no food with her, but told her daughter to be brave, and summoned the genie of the ring once more. She politely asked him to bear them home, and in an instant, they stood once more in their humble dwelling.
As it happened, Alzahra had kept tight hold of the lamp and brought it home with her. She said that the sorcerer must have wanted it so dearly for a reason, and Gulnar thought that perhaps it would fetch a penny at market if they polished it well; but when Alzahra began to rub it with a rag, there was a noise like thunder, and a hideous genie appeared, so tall that he knocked a small hole in the ceiling.
“What dost thou wish, mistress?” he thundered.
Alzahra boldly asked for something to eat, and instantly a feast lay shining before her. She and her mother ate until they were satisfied, and found that there was still food remaining, so they distributed it to their neighbors.
Alzahra thought very little before making her next wishes. She looked around at her poor, simple home once. Then she asked to turn all weapons of war to dust; all tax collectors into woolly, bleating sheep; all jewels into loaves of bread; and every house from her own little hovel to the Sultan's palace into a simple but comfortable dwelling, so that all would live in equality. The genie of the lamp obliged her in every wish.
The next day's sun rose on a scene of utter mayhem.
The royal family declared that they had been cursed, and called out the army to hunt down the sorcerer at fault. The soldiers re-armed themselves wtih farming tools, kitchen knives, and sticks. The families of the tax collectors also complained, and noble families had their servants whipped for supposedly replacing priceless heirlooms with loaves of bread.
Only two people guessed what had really happened. One was the sorcerer, who began preparing charms to destroy Alzahra and steal back the lamp.
The other was Gulnar, who woke up to find herself in a strange house. She called forth the genie of the ring and asked him to take her to her daughter.
In an instant they stood on a rooftop, where Alzahra hid holding the lamp. Gulnar ran to her.
"I have made a mistake," said Alzahra. "I wanted to help people, Mother, but I've ruined everything."
Gulnar gently took the lamp, kissed her daughter's forehead, and made a wish of her own.
This last wish was a great strain on the genie of the lamp, but the sun rose a second time that day, and it was as if the last few hours had all been a dream.
Gulnar and Alzahra used their wishes more carefully, asking for food on silver plates that they sold discreetly. Now living comfortably, they gave food and alms to the poor, and all loved them. They freed the two genies from their long servitude, also ensuring that their power could never again be misused. Gulnar married a kind and handsome widowed merchant, and Alzahra became a scholar of great dignity and fame. Thus they lived all their lives in joy and happiness.
NOTES
I was actually researching the Arabian Nights and planning a story based on Aladdin when this chapter showed up. I tried to mimic the language of the original story and bring in some of the forgotten elements, like the Genie of the Ring.
