THE TWELVE RIDDLES
There once lived a King, and a very wise and just King was he. He had ruled long and he had ruled well. He had a beautiful wife, who had gifted him with a beautiful daughter; although she never provided him with an heir. Even so, after thirty years, the King still loved his Queen as much as he had on the day they first met.
But the King came to that point in his life when he had to admit that neither he nor she were capable of producing offspring and so he must look around for a suitable son-in-law.
The King was saddened by what he saw. Oh! He had courtiers and knights a-plenty.
But all they knew were carousing and hunting. They had no knowledge of the people and little love for the land.
So the King, in his wisdom, set twelve riddles and he proclaimed that whosoever answered all twelve correctly would win the hand of his daughter...and ultimately the sovereignty of the land.
Of course there was no shortage of would-be suitors but each left the court humiliated by his lack of understanding. And so the challenge stood...
Now there lived a young lad named Jack. And as anyone with that name must do: Jack must leave home to seek fame and fortune. Not surprising then that his path bought him, eventually, to the King's court.
Entering the hall, he bowed low before his King, and announced "I have come to answer your riddles"
The courtiers, immediately shocked by the temerity of the commoner, that he would suggest such a thing, gawped. Then they laughed, laughed at the stupidity of such a notion, that he might answer what they could not.
The King however, as I said before, was wise and bound by his own rules. Leaning forward in his throne, with mock-menace, he answered "Have you now? Well here they are.."
"Who is the One and where does he sit?"
"What are the Two and where do they stand?"
"What are the Three and where did they fall?"
"What are the Four and whose gift were they?"
"Who are the Five and where do they live?"
"What are the Six and with whom do they ride?"
"What are the Seven and by whom are they worn?"
"What are the Eight and where do they turn?"
"Who were the Nine and why were they cursed?"
"Who were the Ten and when did they arrive?"
"Who are the Eleven and for what do they wait?"
"Who are the Twelve and where do they sleep?"
As each riddle was delivered Jack nodded sagely and made some comment such as "Ah! A good question that."
"I knew you'd ask that one."
"Oh! That old chestnut."
"Err..."
When the final riddle had been asked there was silence in the court.
"Well?" Asked the King.
"Well." Replied Jack. "Give me three years." And he ran.
He ran from the hall and he ran from the town. For the next three years he hardly stopped running. He ran from one end of the country to other, he ran from side to side and every place in between. He ran from hill to valley and village to hearth. And everywhere he ran to looked and listened and learnt.
At the end of three years Jack returned to the court. Entering again, he bowed low, and presented himself to the King.
"Well I'm back." He announced.
"And do you have the answers to my riddles?" Asked the King
"I do."
"Well I'd very much like to hear them"
"So you shall." Said Jack. "So you shall..."
"Who are the Twelve and where do they sleep? They are the Twelve sleepers, on Alderly Edge. Arthur and his knights, awaiting England's call."
""Who are the Eleven and for what do they wait? Eleven white horses, that sleep with those knights. They wait for a twelfth horse to make up their number.
"Who were the Ten and when did they arrive? The Ten legions, that arrived in 43 - and nothing was ever the same again."
"Who were the Nine and why were they cursed? The Nine Stones of Stanton Drew, the Nine Ladies of Stanton Moor, the Nine Maidens of Bodmin - all turned to stone for dancing on the Sabbath day."
"What are the Eight and where do they turn? The Eight spokes on the wheel of year and they turn as the year turns. Their names are Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltaine, Mid-Summer, Lughnasadh and Mabon."
"What are the Seven and by whom are they worn? The Seven tines on each antler, worn by Cernunnous."
"What are the Six and with whom do they ride? The Six hounds of the Wild Hunt and they ride with Herne."
"Who are the Five and where do they live? The Five companions of Robin Hood and they live in Sherwood. Their names are Little John, Will Scarlet, Friar Tuck, Maid Marion and Much, the Miller's Son."
"What are the Four and whose gift were they? The Four staves of Ogma; each with fifteen cuts, making twenty letters in all."
"What are the Three and where did they fall? The Three rays of the sun that fell to the earth, the Three drops of broth that fell on the thumb."
"What are the Two and where do they stand? The Two staves of the Dodman, stood on Wilmington Hill."
"Who is the One and where does he sit?" Then Jack looked the King in the eye and he said
"I am the one, as you are the one before me and your grand-son will be the one after me. And I sit THERE."
And you know - He wasn't wrong.