Tales of Giants from Brazil | Page 3

the
Giant of the Great Wind.
His father straightway opened the closet door and the Spring Princess
stepped out. In spite of her long wanderings and great anguish of mind
she was still very lovely as she knelt before the Giant of the Great
Wind in her soft silvery green garments embroidered with pearls and
diamonds. The big heart of the Giant of the Great Wind was touched at
her beauty and at her grief.
"O Giant of the Great Wind," said the Spring Princess, as he gently
raised her from her knees before him, "I am the daughter of the
Giantess of the Great River. I have lost my mother. I have searched for
her through all the earth and now I have come to you for help. Can you

tell me anything about where she is and how I can find her?"
The Giant of the Great Wind put on his thinking cap. He thought hard.
"Your mother is in the power of a land giant who has imprisoned her,"
he said. "I happen to know all about the affair. I passed that way only
yesterday. I'll gladly go with you and help you get her home. We'll start
at once."
The Giant of the Great Wind took the Spring Princess back to earth on
his swift horses. Then he stormed the castle of the land giant who had
imprisoned the Giantess of the Great River. The Spring Princess dug
quietly beneath the castle walls to the dungeon where her mother was
confined. You may be sure that her mother was overjoyed to see her.
When the Spring Princess had led her mother safely outside the castle
walls she thanked the Giant of the Great Wind for all he had done to
help her. Then the Giantess of the Great River and the Spring Princess
hastened back to the wonderful palace of mother-of-pearl set with gold
and silver and precious stones, where the Great River runs into the Sea.
As soon as she had safely reached there once more the Spring Princess
suddenly remembered that she had stayed away from her home in the
palace of the Sun Giant longer than the three months she was supposed
to stay according to the agreement. She at once said good-bye to her
mother and hastened to the home of the Sun Giant, her husband, and to
her baby son.
Now the Sun Giant had been very much worried at first when the three
months had passed and the Spring Princess had not come back to him
and her little son. Then he became angry. He became so angry that he
married another princess. The new wife discharged the nurses who
were taking care of the tiny son of the Spring Princess and put him in
the kitchen just as if he had been a little black slave baby.
When the Spring Princess arrived at the palace of the Sun Giant the
very first person she saw was her own little son, so dirty and neglected
that she hardly recognized him. Then she found out all that had
happened in her absence.

The Spring Princess quickly seized her child and clasped him tight in
her arms. Then she fled to the depths of the sea, and wept, and wept,
and wept. The waters of the sea rose so high that they reached even to
the palace of the Sun Giant. They covered the palace, and the Sun Giant,
his new wife, and all the court entirely disappeared from view. For
forty days the face of the Sun Giant was not seen upon the earth.
The little son of the Spring Princess grew up to be the Giant of the Rain.
In the rainy season and the season of thunder showers he rules upon the
earth. He sends upon the earth such tears as the Spring Princess shed in
the depths of the seas.

II
THE FOUNTAIN OF GIANT LAND
Long ago there lived a king who was blind. He had employed all the
wise physicians in the kingdom, but all to no avail. Not one of them did
a single thing to restore his lost eyesight.
One day a little old woman came to the door of the palace begging alms.
She said to the servant at the door, "I wish to say a word to the king
who is blind. I know a sure cure for his blindness."
The servant led the little old woman into the king's presence. He was
sitting upon the royal throne with his royal crown upon his head, but
his blind eyes were bandaged and his royal face was sad because he
could no longer see the bright sunlight shining upon the deep blue sea
from the window of the palace, nor the lords and ladies