{"id":26220,"date":"2026-10-31T14:40:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T13:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/llegendarium.com\/?p=26220"},"modified":"2026-10-31T18:22:48","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T17:22:48","slug":"fearless-peter-death-catalan-folktales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/llegendarium.com\/en\/fearless-peter-death-catalan-folktales\/","title":{"rendered":"Peter the Fearless and Death: Two Catalan Folktales for All Saints\u2019 Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Old Man and Death<\/em>, by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734\u20131797), 1773. An old man recoils before Death, depicted as a skeleton, in a landscape with ruins. Inspired by traditional folklore, the painting evokes the encounter between human beings and death. Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut. Public domain.<\/p>\n

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People have always told frightening stories for all sorts of reasons: to teach lessons, pass on values, explore the anxieties and uncertainties that arise from hardship, trauma and loss, ease the pain of losing someone we love, or simply enjoy a good story. For that last reason, tales of terror have often mingled with comedy. The two genres go hand in hand far more often than we might think, in traditional folktales too, and even draw on some of the same ways of stirring our emotions.<\/p>\n

Sometimes the very stories that make us glance nervously into the dark also make us laugh. What frightened us yesterday can seem ridiculous once we have come to understand it, grown used to it or overcome it. We see this everywhere: in old monster films that once terrified audiences and now provoke laughter, and in our own fears, our inner monsters and the enemies we face in the world. Laughter and the shudder stand back to back: facing opposite ways, yet inseparable. Traditional folktales know this kinship between fear and comedy well: the dead return, wild beasts tumble down the chimney, and the Devil ends up taking a beating. The two tales I bring you today play with this mixture, drawing us closer to death and the dead through laughter and shivers alike.<\/p>\n

Peter the Fearless: Wit, Courage and Fortune<\/h2>\n

Peter the Fearless<\/em> is one of three versions of the same tale preserved in the papers of the Majorcan poet and writer Mari\u00e0 Aguil\u00f3 (1825\u20131897), whose first name was also written Marian in his lifetime. This particular version comes from Vallcebre, a village set between the Cad\u00ed range, Pedraforca and the Rasos de Peguera. The edition identifies Josep Tom\u00e0s as the person who wrote down the text and credits Aguil\u00f3 with recording its place of origin, but gives neither the storyteller\u2019s name nor the exact date it was collected. Aguil\u00f3 began gathering folktales in 1841 and continued intermittently for almost thirty years, working particularly intensively between 1854 and 1864. Jaume Guiscafr\u00e8\u2019s edition, published in 2008, brings together 169 versions, alongside the fragments included in an appendix. The material ranges from fully written accounts to summaries and fragments. Sadly, the poet never managed to complete the project or publish it during his lifetime. His was a pioneering effort to collect oral narratives from across the Catalan-speaking lands. Other notable undertakings include those of Maspons, Bertran and Verdaguer; Verdaguer\u2019s collection, too, remained unfinished.<\/p>\n

The tale from Aguil\u00f3\u2019s collection presented here belongs to ATU 326, The Youth Who Wanted to Learn What Fear Is<\/em>. In Catalonia, these stories are best known by the familiar names of their fearless protagonists, such as Peter, Joan or Maria, whose lack of fear leads them into situations both comic and terrifying. This tale type often turns accepted values on their head. The hero\u2019s daring and courage lead him to confront apparitions, devils, executioners and even Saint Peter. Through grotesque scenes and bursts of comic violence, he defies the hierarchies of this world and the next, much like other characters with a rebellious, almost Luciferian streak, such as the blacksmith in The Smith and the Devil<\/em>. Fear, which ought to keep him in his place, has no hold over him.<\/p>\n

In many versions of this tale type, the hero overcomes the most horrifying trials and wins riches, a fortunate marriage or some other reward, sometimes a supernatural one. This happens, for example, in the Grimms\u2019 Good Bowling and Card Playing<\/em>. One lesson we might draw from such stories is that we should not let ourselves be defeated by fears that often loom far larger in our minds than they turn out to be. How many devils prove to be paper tigers after all? And how many seemingly terrible enemies turn out, once we face them, to be mere illusions or sorry little figures like the Wizard of Oz? In Aguil\u00f3\u2019s version, Peter\u2019s sheer audacity and quick wits carry him as far as defying the authorities of the next world.<\/p>\n

As with Fortunatus and other wandering adventurers\u2014the fools of the road, the wandering scholars, minstrels, street performers, gamblers and, more broadly, all the favourites of the goddess Fortune\u2014we do not know whether his victory will last, or whether Fortune\u2019s wheel is turning upwards or downwards. For that moment, though, his triumph is complete and satisfying. The tale in Aguil\u00f3\u2019s papers, like other versions of ATU 326, also incorporates motifs familiar from other tale types concerned with fortune\u2019s favourites, such as ATU 592, The Dance Among Thorns<\/em>, and ATU 566, The Three Magic Objects and the Wonderful Fruits<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Other versions of ATU 326 end with a comic twist: the hero finally discovers fear, often through an everyday incident that makes a satirical contrast with his supernatural adventures. In the expanded 1819 version of the Grimms\u2019 The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was<\/em>, for example, the hero triumphs over all manner of extraordinary and terrifying adventures, each more extravagant than the last, in the spirit of Baron M\u00fcnchhausen. Yet he only discovers fear when his wife tips water and fish over him as he sleeps. This final twist suggests that, for all the earlier lesson about overcoming fear, we should not become overconfident: caution still has its place. Fear serves a purpose in the order of things, encouraging us to take care and think before we act or speak. It also reminds us that, however much we have achieved, we should not grow conceited. Think of the victorious Roman generals whose triumphal processions included a slave whispering in their ear that they, too, were human and would die: memento mori<\/em>.<\/p>\n

With their blend of lessons, laughter, wonder and terror, tales such as Peter the Fearless<\/em> and Fearless Marieta<\/em> were already being told chiefly to the youngest children in the household in Aguil\u00f3\u2019s day.<\/p>\n

\n

Young Peter the Fearless<\/h2>\n

Once upon a time, a man owned a house where wild beasts kept appearing, and he was terribly afraid of it.<\/p>\n

Knowing that Young Peter the Fearless never took fright at anything, he asked whether he would spend the night there. There was just one condition: he had to light the fire at eleven and eat his supper at midnight.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course I will!\u201d said Young Peter the Fearless.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen go whenever you like,\u201d said the owner.<\/p>\n

Off Peter went, and at eleven he lit the fire. He put some water on to heat and began making himself some soup. As he worked, things started coming down the chimney: an arm, a leg, a head, a body\u2026 Once they reached the floor, the pieces joined themselves together until they had formed three men.<\/p>\n

Peter asked whether they wanted supper. They said they did, but when they sat down at the table, they would not eat. Peter had his supper alone. Afterwards, they all went into another room and began playing skittles. Peter won all their money, and they tried to take it back by setting on him with their fists. He fought back, but when he saw he was getting nowhere, he fetched the frying pan and\u2014whack, whack!\u2014laid into one, then another, until he had killed the lot.<\/p>\n

The next morning, the owner came round.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Peter? How did you get on?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery well,\u201d he replied. \u201cI\u2019ve never had such an entertaining evening.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery good,\u201d said the owner, and off he went.<\/p>\n

That evening, at the same hour, Peter lit the fire, put some water on to heat and began making his soup. As he worked, cats started leaping down the chimney, one after another. They settled in a circle round the fire until there were twelve of them. Every so often, one would creep towards the pan, but if Peter caught it doing so, that was the end of that cat.<\/p>\n

When he put supper on the table, he asked:<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you like some supper?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d they replied.<\/p>\n

But once they were at the table, not one of them would eat. Peter had his supper, and afterwards they went back into the same room and began leaping about. He struck out at them with a log, first one, then another, but when he saw he was getting nowhere, he fetched the frying pan. Whack, whack! He kept at it until not one of them stirred.<\/p>\n

The next morning, the owner came round.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Peter? How did you get on?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery well,\u201d he replied, and told him everything that had happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery good,\u201d said the owner, and off he went.<\/p>\n

That evening, at the same hour, Peter once again lit the fire, put on some water and began making his soup. As he worked, animals started appearing: a dog, an ox, a lion, a tiger, a snake, a crocodile\u2026 Every kind of beast you could imagine.<\/p>\n


\n\"A
\n<\/a>
Arthur Rackham\u2019s illustration for \u201cThe Youth Who Could Not Shudder\u201d, the Grimms\u2019 version of the Peter the Fearless<\/em> tale type (ATU 326). The arrival of the black animals finds a parallel in the cats and wild beasts that appear in the version preserved in Aguil\u00f3\u2019s papers. First published in 1909 and reproduced in Snowdrop & Other Tales<\/em> (1920). Public domain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When he put supper on the table, he asked:<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you like some supper?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d they replied.<\/p>\n

But once they were at the table, none of them wanted any. Peter ate his supper, and afterwards they all went into the same room to play. The ox gored him, the dog bit him, the snake lashed at him: each beast did what came naturally.<\/p>\n

Peter grabbed one, then another, but more kept appearing. At last he fetched the frying pan and\u2014whack, whack!\u2014kept going until he had slaughtered the lot. Then he went to bed.<\/p>\n

The next morning, the owner came round.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Peter?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery well,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome along, then. Since you\u2019re not afraid, you must go and put out that light down there in the big cellar.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d said Peter.<\/p>\n

Down he went to put it out. As he and the owner were making their way back to the door, a horde of wild beasts appeared and tossed him about as though he were a ball. The owner said:<\/p>\n

\u201cI can see you\u2019re not afraid. Here, take these three pesetas for your trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peter took them, but he was furious at being paid so little and went off grumbling. On the road he met two travellers, who were Our Lord and Saint Peter, and told them what had happened. They asked what he would like as a reward, and Peter replied:<\/p>\n

\u201cA fiddle that makes everyone dance whenever I play it, a gun that kills whatever I aim at without my having to fire, and a bag that draws in anything I want whenever I say, \u2018Into my bag!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

With these gifts, he went out hunting one day. He met a man who was going hunting too and asked Peter to join him.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d said Peter, \u201cprovided you fetch whatever I kill.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAgreed,\u201d said the other man.<\/p>\n

When they reached a wood, Peter aimed at a bird and it fell down dead.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo on, fetch it,\u201d he told the man.<\/p>\n

The man went to pick it up. Peter took out his fiddle and struck up a tune, and the man began to dance. The man begged him to stop and promised him a great deal of money if he would.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d said Peter, \u201cbut you\u2019ll have to fetch it while you\u2019re dancing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAgreed!\u201d<\/p>\n

Off the man went to fetch a large sum of money, which he handed over to Peter.<\/p>\n

After that, Peter went on his way, and the Devil appeared before him. The moment he saw him, Peter said:<\/p>\n

\u201cInto my bag!\u201d<\/p>\n

And in the Devil went at once. With the Devil safely inside, Peter made his way to the blacksmith\u2019s and said:<\/p>\n

\u201cHammer away at this. The Devil\u2019s inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGladly!\u201d said the blacksmith. Then he called to his men, \u201cCome on, lads, let\u2019s get to work!\u201d<\/p>\n

They laid the bag on the anvil and\u2014clang, clang! The Devil cried out:<\/p>\n

\u201cOw! Ow!\u201d<\/p>\n

They did not stop until they had battered him black and blue.<\/p>\n

Then Peter let him go. The Devil ran back to hell to tell the other devils what had happened. When he had finished, the biggest of them said:<\/p>\n

\u201cYou coward! What a coward!\u201d<\/p>\n

At that, the first devil replied:<\/p>\n

\u201cVery well, you go and see him. Then tell me how you get on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Off went the biggest devil, pleased as could be. He was quite sure he would make a fool of Peter. Poor fellow\u2026<\/p>\n

When Peter saw him, he said:<\/p>\n

\u201cInto my bag!\u201d<\/p>\n

And in the Devil went at once. Peter did exactly as before: off to the blacksmith\u2019s!<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, lads, give it all you\u2019ve got, all together! The biggest devil in hell is in this bag!\u201d<\/p>\n

That put heart into them! They all began hammering together: one, two, three\u2014clang, clang, bang! What a racket! And how the devil screamed! You would have thought the world was splitting apart. The louder he screamed, the harder they hammered. How they sweated! When the devil was half dead, Peter let him go, and off he fled as fast as his legs would carry him, back to hell to admit that the other devil had been right.<\/p>\n

After all this, Peter was sentenced to hang, though I couldn\u2019t tell you what crime he had committed. When they had him at the gallows, ready to hang him, he begged the executioners, for the love of God, to let him play his fiddle for a little while. They agreed. How pleased Peter was! He took up the fiddle and struck up a tune, and everyone began to dance. Away he went, leaping and bounding, for he could run faster without dancing than the others could while they danced.<\/p>\n

Once he had escaped, he went to hell to see whether they would have him. Knock, knock!<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d asked the damned.<\/p>\n

\u201cYoung Peter the Fearless,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n

What a commotion! The devils went leaping and bounding away.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want you here!\u201d they told him.<\/p>\n

Peter went on to purgatory. Knock, knock!<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d asked the souls.<\/p>\n

\u201cYoung Peter the Fearless,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n

As soon as they heard his name, they slammed the door in his face.<\/p>\n

Then he went to heaven. Knock, knock!<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d asked Saint Peter.<\/p>\n

\u201cYoung Peter the Fearless,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not coming in,\u201d said Saint Peter. \u201cWhen I told you to ask for the glory of heaven, you made fun of me. Now it\u2019s my turn to laugh at you.\u201d<\/p>\n

But poor Saint Peter\u2019s plan backfired. Peter settled down beside the gates of heaven, and whenever he saw a soul coming up after completing its penance in purgatory, he said:<\/p>\n

\u201cInto my bag!\u201d<\/p>\n

In went the souls, one after another, until there was scarcely room for any more.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Our Lord and Saint Peter were saying to each other:<\/p>\n

\u201cHow strange that no souls are arriving!\u201d<\/p>\n

Then Peter went up to the gates of heaven. Knock, knock!<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d asked Saint Peter.<\/p>\n

\u201cYoung Peter the Fearless, with a whole bagful of souls. Let him into heaven and he\u2019ll give them to you. Otherwise, he\u2019ll keep them for himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you know more of the tale, tell us the rest.<\/p>\n

Mari\u00e0 Aguil\u00f3, \u201cLo Peret sense por\u201d, in Jaume Guiscafr\u00e8, El rondallari Aguil\u00f3. Transcripci\u00f3, catalogaci\u00f3 i estudi introductori<\/em> (Barcelona: Publicacions de l\u2019Abadia de Montserrat, 2008), pp. 188\u2013191. Version from Vallcebre, in the upper Llobregat valley. Text written down by Josep Tom\u00e0s; place of origin recorded by Mari\u00e0 Aguil\u00f3. Translated from the modern Catalan adaptation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Death: Justice and Balance<\/h2>\n

The second tale was collected by the Catalan folklorist Sara Llorens (1881\u20131954). Llorens studied with leading folklorists such as Rossend Serra i Pag\u00e8s, the foremost specialist in the Count Arnau cycle. Moving beyond the romantic, idealist folklore scholarship of the nineteenth century, she emerged as one of the most forward-looking Catalan folklorists of the twentieth. The war, however, cut her career short. She went into exile in Argentina in 1938 and died in exile in Perpignan in 1954. Although she published works such as El can\u00e7oner de Pineda<\/em> (1931), her collection of folktales, like Aguil\u00f3\u2019s, remained unpublished during her lifetime. The Rondallari de Pineda<\/em> finally appeared in 2006.<\/p>\n

Recorded on 29 July 1902 from Josep Clarabuch i Aragon\u00e8s, of the household known as Can Jord\u00e0 in Pineda de Mar, Death<\/em> is another tale particularly suited to All Saints\u2019 Day and All Souls\u2019 Day. Like the first, it blends comedy with serious concerns. It combines ATU 332, Godfather Death<\/em>, with a second part linked to ATU 331, The Spirit in the Bottle<\/em>. A poor but cunning charcoal burner refuses to share a chicken with powerful figures such as God and the Devil, yet welcomes Death because he considers her just: she treats everyone alike. In gratitude, she gives him the ability to tell whether a sick person will die or recover, depending on whether he sees her at the head or the foot of the bed. This sets in motion a series of adventures that will upset the balance between life and death and disrupt the natural cycle. As in Afanasyev\u2019s wonderful tale Death and the Soldier<\/em>, the version collected by Llorens pushes this disruption still further: the charcoal burner captures Death, and the whole order of things falls apart.<\/p>\n

I explored this family of tales in detail in my book Rondalles de difunts<\/em><\/a>. For now, it is enough to say that the story has very old precedents, reaching back to antiquity. One of its underlying ideas, perhaps the most important, is the acceptance of death as an essential part of life. Paradoxical as it may seem, death is what keeps the world in balance. As the charcoal burner says, she is the only one who seems truly just, because she takes everything and everyone. As in the first tale, a simple, comic surface conceals profound questions: questions that generations before us have pondered, lived with and suffered through.<\/p>\n


\n\"Death,
\n<\/a>
Otto Ubbelohde, illustration for the Grimms\u2019 \u201cDer Gevatter Tod\u201d (\u201cGodfather Death\u201d), 1909. In this version, the candles represent human lives: when a candle goes out, the person whose life it represents dies. This episode does not appear in Sara Llorens\u2019s tale below, which instead continues with Death being tricked and imprisoned inside an iron cannon barrel. It does, however, appear in other versions of the tale collected by Llorens, such as \u201cEl ciri\u201d (\u201cThe Candle\u201d). Public domain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

Death<\/h2>\n

Once upon a time, a charcoal burner lived in a wood. One day he had to go down to the village for supplies. On his way, he spotted a chicken near a farmhouse and said to himself, \u201cYou know what? You could take that chicken. Of course you could! You\u2019d be a fool to go all the way down to the village for food when you\u2019ve found some already!\u201d<\/p>\n

And so he did. He took the chicken, carried it back up to his hut, barred the door and said:<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if God himself asks, I won\u2019t give him any!\u201d<\/p>\n

After a while, he heard a knock at the door. Knock, knock.<\/p>\n

\u201cI bet that\u2019s God,\u201d he thought.<\/p>\n

At once he called out, \u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s God. I\u2019ve come to ask whether you\u2019ll take me in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDidn\u2019t I say so? No, I\u2019m not giving you any chicken!\u201d said the charcoal burner.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019m only asking for shelter\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSay what you like. You\u2019re not getting any!\u201d<\/p>\n

God had to turn back. On his way down the mountain, he met the Virgin Mary, who asked, \u201cWhat did the charcoal burner say?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t even open the door!\u201d said God.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I\u2019ll go and see whether he\u2019ll give me some chicken,\u201d said the Virgin Mary, and up she went.<\/p>\n

Knock, knock, she went at the hut door.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d asked the charcoal burner irritably.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Virgin Mary.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll bet you\u2019ve come for the chicken. Well, you can go straight back where you came from! You\u2019re not getting any!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019m not asking for chicken, just a corner to lie down in!\u201d<\/p>\n

She kept trying to persuade him for quite a while, but it was no use. The stubborn charcoal burner refused to open the door, and the Virgin Mary had to turn back.<\/p>\n

When she rejoined God, the Devil appeared and asked, \u201cDidn\u2019t the charcoal burner give you any chicken?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d they both said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I\u2019ll go up and see if I have better luck.\u201d And off he went.<\/p>\n

Knock, knock, he went at the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho the devil is it?\u201d the charcoal burner asked crossly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Devil.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou must have come for the chicken! That wretched chicken! What a lot of trouble it\u2019s causing me! Don\u2019t bother trying. You\u2019re not getting any!\u201d<\/p>\n

The Devil went back down, joined God and the Virgin Mary, and they walked on together. Then they met Death.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere have you come from?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe charcoal burner\u2019s hut. He wouldn\u2019t give us any chicken, no matter what we said.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWouldn\u2019t he?\u201d said Death.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I\u2019ll see whether he\u2019ll give me some.\u201d And up she went.<\/p>\n

Knock, knock.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho the blazes is it now? Can\u2019t you leave me in peace?\u201d the charcoal burner shouted in a fury.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Death!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, well! If you\u2019re Death, I\u2019ll let you in and give you some chicken!\u201d<\/p>\n

As he opened the door, he said, \u201cYou wrong no one. You take everyone just the same!\u201d<\/p>\n

And he let her eat as much chicken as she pleased.<\/p>\n

Death was so grateful that she said, \u201cI\u2019ll give you a gift. Leave this trade of yours. Go down to the village and set yourself up as a doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow am I supposed to do that?\u201d asked the charcoal burner. \u201cPoor me! I can\u2019t even read!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t need to! Look, go down the mountain and let everyone know you\u2019re a doctor. If someone in a household is ill, they\u2019ll send for you. Go to them, and if you see me at the head of the bed, you can say, \u2018There\u2019s no hope for this one.\u2019 But if you see me at the foot, say, \u2018Oh, they\u2019ll soon be well.\u2019 Then go and gather a handful of herbs, the first ones you find, boil them in a pot and give the patient the water to drink. They\u2019ll be up and about in no time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The charcoal burner did just that and cured a great many sick people. Then one day the king sent for him to cure the princess. He arrived and saw Death standing at the head of her bed. But he paid no attention and insisted on trying to cure her.<\/p>\n


\n\"A
\n<\/a>
Otto Ubbelohde, illustration for the Grimms\u2019 \u201cDer Gevatter Tod\u201d (\u201cGodfather Death\u201d), 1909. The doctor beside the sick woman, with Death watching over them, recalls the gift granted to the charcoal burner in Sara Llorens\u2019s tale: the ability to recognise a patient\u2019s fate from Death\u2019s position beside the bed. Public domain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As he left the house, he met Death, who said angrily, \u201cCome to my castle. I\u2019m going to kill you for disobeying me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot yet, not yet! Let me stay in this world for three more months! I promise I\u2019ll come then!\u201d said the charcoal burner.<\/p>\n

Death took pity on him and gave him another three months to live.<\/p>\n

But the charcoal burner only wanted a chance to trick her. He went to a regiment and ordered an iron cannon barrel. He took it to a spot near Death\u2019s castle, and when she came for him three months later, he was ready.<\/p>\n

He climbed into Death\u2019s carriage. Once they had set off, he said, \u201cWhat I can\u2019t believe is that you can pass through such tiny holes, as everyone says.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s perfectly true!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNonsense! I\u2019d wager my head you couldn\u2019t get through this hole, and it\u2019s not even all that small!\u201d He pointed to the mouth of the iron cannon barrel, which was now in sight.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think I can\u2019t?\u201d said Death, laughing. \u201cHere, I\u2019ll show you!\u201d<\/p>\n

In she went. No sooner was she inside than the charcoal burner sealed the opening tight. The other end was already closed, so Death could not get out.<\/p>\n

Then he took the barrel and hid it inside the trunk of an oak tree.<\/p>\n

Seven hundred years later, some sawyers came by. Seeing such an old oak, one of them said, \u201cThere\u2019s a fine tree for sawing!\u201d So they set to work.<\/p>\n

As they sawed, they opened up the barrel. Death, who had been shut inside for seven hundred years, came rushing out and went to see the charcoal burner. He was now so old that he could only drag himself about his house, and his children and grandchildren were no better off. Everyone was ancient, for of course no one had died in seven hundred years. The moment the charcoal burner saw Death, he called out, \u201cCome, come! I\u2019m tired of living!\u201d<\/p>\n

Death had to hurry here, there and everywhere, for the world was full of old people whose time had come.<\/p>\n

Sara Llorens, \u201cLa mort\u201d, Rondallari de Pineda<\/em>, introduction and study by Josefina Roma; illustrations by Waldesca Santana (Pineda de Mar: Ajuntament de Pineda de Mar, 2006), pp. 499\u2013501. Told by Josep Clarabuch i Aragon\u00e8s, of Can Jord\u00e0, on 29 July 1902. Translated from the Catalan text with revised spelling and grammar and some expressions modernised.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A fearless young man takes on the devils of hell, while a cunning charcoal burner locks Death away. Two Catalan folktales collected by Mari\u00e0 Aguil\u00f3 and Sara Llorens explore courage, humour and the uneasy balance between life and death.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26219,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4327,4399,6925,6778,6769,7040],"tags":[6273,7228,5427,6844,7233,7229,7232,4511,7230,7227,7234,7231,7236,6804,7235],"class_list":["post-26220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dead","category-fairytales","category-latest","category-slider-eng-2","category-slider-eng","category-ultimes","tag-all-saints","tag-all-saints-day","tag-catalan-folklore","tag-catalan-folktales","tag-dead-folklore","tag-death","tag-death-folklore","tag-devils","tag-fear","tag-fearless-peret","tag-folklore-of-death","tag-humour","tag-maria-aguilo","tag-oral-tradition","tag-sara-llorens"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t