The Feathered Ogre

The Feathered Ogre Summary | Detailed Summary

The classic themes of good versus evil and rewarded bravery are told in "The Feathered Ogre," a short Italian folk tale about a man who seeks a feather from an ogre to heal a king. The man ultimately gains the ogre's wisdom for the acquaintances he has made along the journey.

As the story begins, the king's doctors tell the ruler that in order to regain his health he must obtain a feather from an ogre. This is not an easy job because the ogre eats every human in sight. Only one of the king's attendants is brave enough to volunteer for this dangerous mission, and he is armed only with the information that the ogre lives in one of seven caves on the mountaintop.

The king's emissary walks until dark. He seeks shelter at an inn, and the innkeeper, when learning of the man's mission, requests an ogre feather for himself because they are good luck. The innkeeper also asks the man to find out from the ogre what has happened to the innkeeper's daughter, who disappeared many years ago and never returned. The man happily agrees to the innkeeper's requests and starts his journey again the next morning.

When the man reaches a river, he encounters a ferryman and explains the purpose of his journey. The ferryman is intrigued and asks for a feather for himself. He would like the man to ask the ogre why he has not been able to get off the ferry and go ashore for so many years. The man agrees to the ferryman's requests and continues on his way, stopping at a fountain to eat his lunch.

Two noblemen approach the king's man, and the man shares the nature of his journey with them. The noblemen ask for a feather also and would like to know if the ogre can explain why their fountain, which used to spew silver and gold, has now run dry. Once more the man agrees to the requests for a feather and information and continues on his journey.

As nightfall approaches, the man reaches a monastery and receives shelter and advice on how best to approach the ogre. The monastery's prior tells the king's man that there are seven caves at the top of the mountain, and the ogre will be found in the seventh one. The man must enter the dark cave at noon when the ogre will not be inside. The ogre's beautiful young wife, who will instruct the man on what to do next, will meet the man. The monks provide candles and matches and warn the man of the ogre's propensity to eat human beings.

In exchange for the monks' help, they ask the man to inquire of the ogre why there has been such unrest and trouble among the monks for the past ten years. Prior to this time, the monastery had been a place of serenity, but it is now a source of bickering and conflict. The king's man agrees to the request and begins his ascent of the mountain the next morning.

By eleven o'clock, the man has reached the mountaintop, and he rests until noon, when he enters the ogre's cave. The man lights the candles and knocks on the door, which is opened by a lovely young woman. The woman is frightened because her husband, the ogre, eats every human being he sees. The king's man explains the purpose of his journey, and the young woman agrees to help him retrieve the coveted feathers because she has been held captive for years and sees this man as a means of escape.

The young woman tells the king's man that he must hide under the bed so that the ogre will not see him and eat him. When the ogre has fallen asleep for the night, the young wife will pull out the requested four feathers. The young woman begins to prepare the ogre's dinner because his smell of humans is particularly intense when he is hungry. The ogre arrives home at six o'clock and can immediately smell the presence of a human. The young wife hurriedly feeds the ogre, who can still smell a human and searches high and low in the cave to no avail.

Finally, the couple retires, and the king's man is still hiding under the bed. The young woman informs the man that she will pretend to be dreaming when she plucks each feather so that the ogre will not suspect anything. Upon plucking the first feather the ogre is irritated, and his wife apologizes. She says that she pulled the feather while dreaming of the trouble at the monastery at the base of the mountain. The ogre tells her that the devil took up residence ten years ago, and if the monks would do only good deeds, the devil would quickly be weeded out.

A short while later, the young woman plucks the second feather, and she explains that this time, she was in a dream about the noblemen's fountain which has run dry. The ogre tells her that the men must dig to the mouth of the fountain and kill a snake that is coiled there.

A few minutes later, the young woman plucks the third feather and apologizes for her behavior. She asks the ogre why the ferryman has not been able to leave his ferry for so many years. The ogre replies that all the ferryman has to do is make sure he jumps off the ferry before his passenger, who will then not be able to leave. By the time the young woman plucks the fourth feather, the ogre is out of patience. This time, she asks the question about the innkeeper's daughter and discovers that she is that girl who disappeared so long ago.

The ogre leaves the cave at six o'clock the next morning, and the king's man crawls out from under the bed with a package of the four feathers. He flees with the young woman out of the cave and back down the mountain. The king's man and the young woman stop by the monastery to tell the monks that the devil is living inside and that good deeds will separate him from the others. The monks heed the advice and before long the devil is routed from the monastery for good.

The couple meets the noblemen next, and they explain the method of returning their fountain to its original state. Before long, the fountain again spouts silver and gold. The ferryman is the next person on their trip, and the king's man hands over the feather. Upon safely reaching shore, he shares how the ferryman can get off the ferry.

Finally, the couple reaches the inn where the king's man delivers the daughter to the safety of her father. The innkeeper is so overjoyed that he gives the young woman to the king's man in marriage. The king's man is happy, but he must first visit the king to deliver the ogre's feather and to ask permission to marry. When the king's man arrives, the ogre's feather heals the king, who doubles the man's reward out of gratitude, and the man returns to the inn to marry the innkeeper's daughter.

The ogre does not share such a happy fate, as he has come down from the mountain in search of his wife and hopped on the ferry to cross the river. Unfortunately for the ogre, the ferryman is able to jump off first when they reach the shore, and the ogre is trapped forever on the floating ferry.