Monksmeg: A Folk Tale from the Kentucky Hills

Appalachian Grandmaw 45 Monksmeg A Folk Tale from the Kentucky HiBs as told by Delia Slone Well, it was this way. When we was young we had no books, so we told tales. Monksmeg was an old woman who had two children. Well, one time Monksmeg and her two children, both girls, was a-travelin' through the country and it got dark and they wanted to stay all night. Now they wan't nobody lived in that country but a king and a giant. And so when Monksmeg come to a house, she went up to the door and ast to stay all night. And this was the ?G mean giant's house. The old giant said they could stay, but Mongsmeg was scared of the old giant. The giant ast 'em when they got ready to go to bed, "Had you rather sleep downstairs on a hard bed or upstairs on a feather bed?" The girls said, "We'd rather sleep upstairs on the feather bed." So they went to bed. The giant had two girls of his own, and the girls all slept together. When the giant put his girls to bed, he put two blue caps on them so he could tell them in the dark. Mongsmeg got worried, so early in the night she ups and changes the blue caps from lhe giant's girls to her own girls' heads. Well, way in the night Mongsmeg hyurd the giant go upstairs, and she hyurd two big thumps on the girls' bed. Next morning Monksmeg got up early and went to the girls' room. There laid the giant's girls with their heads smashed in. Monksmeg tuck her girls and got out of there. Purty soon they come to the king's house and ast for breakfast. "Good morning," says the king, "where'd you stay last night?" "We stayed at the giant's house," said Monksmeg. "That's curious," says the king, "how did you get out? The giant alius kills people that stays with him all night. How did you manage it?" says tine king. "That's fer me to know and you to find out," says Monksmeg. "I have my ways." Then the king said, "Monksmeg, since you're so smart, I'll let my oldest son marry your oldest daughter if you will steal the giant's \vhite horse." (The king had two sons). "Will you do itr "Go make me a sack of flitters, and I will," says Monksmeg. "What'n the world you want with a sack of flitters, Monksmeg?" ast the king. "That's fer me to know and you to find out," says Monksmeg. "Never you mind what I want with'em. Just git me my sack of flitters." So the king got her a sack of flitters. Monksmeg started off for the giant's house after dark. She tied the sack of flitters under her apron around her stomach. She went to die giant's barn where his white horse was kept, but every time she tired to take the white horse out, the bells would ring and the giant's dogs would bark and the giant would get up and light die lamp. Finely the dogs got quiet and the giant went to bed. Late in the night Monksmeg thought to take the horse, but when she got him out the bells jingled and the dog woke up and the old giant come out and caught Monksmeg. "Well, Monksmeg," says the giant, "if hit hain't you. You 'caused me to kill my daughters, you're trying to steal my horse. What would you do with me if I was in your place?" "If I was in your place," says Monksmeg, "I'd cut my belly open till my guts run out and then I'd ran a way round in the cove and get me some brown wilier switches to whip me with." "That's a good idee," says the giant. "I think I will." 46 So he took out his knife and ripped Monksmeg open till the flitters fell out on the ground. And then he took off to the cove to get him some...