
The King of the Golden River
by John Ruskin
'The King of the Golden River ' Summary
The richness of the Treasure Valley, high in the mountains of Stiria or Styria, southeastern Austria, is lost through the evil of it owners, the two elder "Black Brothers", Hans and Schwartz, who in their foolishness mistreat Southwest Wind, Esquire, who in turn floods their valley, washing away their assets, and turning their valley into a dead valley of red sand.
This personified wind has the power to keep things this way through his influence with other winds that had caused the valley's unique fertility. Forced into a trade other than farming Hans and Schwartz become goldsmiths. They cruelly melt their younger brother Gluck's prize heirloom, a golden mug, which consists of the head of a golden-bearded man. This action releases the King of the Golden River for Gluck to pour out of the crucible as a finely dressed little golden dwarf. The Golden River is one of the high mountain cataracts that surround the Treasure Valley. Gluck fancies that it would be good if that high majestic river would actually be what it appears in the setting sun, a river of gold. The dwarfish king disagrees with Gluck, but offers a proposition: if someone were to climb up to the source of the river and throw into it at least three drops of holy water, it would become for that person only a river of gold. That person must do it on his first and only attempt or be overwhelmed by the river to become a black stone.
Hans and Schwartz desire to take the challenge, duel each other with the result that Schwartz is thrown into jail for disturbing the peace. Hans, who had the good sense to hide from the constable, steals holy water from the church and climbs up the mountains to the Golden River. He has a hard time of it on a glacier and gets away without his provisions and only his flask of holy water. Overcome with thirst, Hans is forced to drink from this flask, knowing that only three drops are all that's needed. Along the path, Hans comes across three prostrate individuals dying of thirst, a puppy, a fair child, and an old man. Hans satisfies his own thirst while denying the three needy individuals.
The surroundings on his journey turn bleak and inauspicious, climaxing in Hans being transformed into a black stone once he has hurled the holy water flask into the Golden River. Gluck secures the release of his brother Schwartz, who, buying his holy water from a "bad priest", eventually fares likewise, spurning in his turn the fair child, the old man, and his brother Hans lying prostrate in his path. The Golden River then acquires another black stone around which to rush and wail.
Gluck takes a turn at climbing the mountain. He encounters first an old man walking down the mountain trail who begs water from the flask. Gluck allows him to drink, leaving only a third of the holy water. He then encounters a fair child, lying by the road, whom he allows to drink all but a few drops. Following these unselfish acts, Gluck's path is made bright and pleasant making him feel better than he had in his whole life—no doubt, due to his kindness. He then comes across the prostrate puppy, whom he gives the final drops of the holy water. The puppy turns into the King of the Golden River, who tells Gluck the reason for the deadly fate of his two brothers: the water they had thrown into the river was made unholy by their denying it to those dying of thirst on the way. Thereupon, he shakes three drops of dew from a lily into Gluck's flask to throw into the river and then vanishes by evaporation. Gluck throws the dew drops into the Golden River, and it forms a whirlpool where it goes underground and then emerges in the Treasure Valley. The Treasure Valley becomes lush and fertile once again. Gluck the new owner is a wealthy man, who never turns away the needy from his door. Ever afterwards, though, the people show and tell travellers the tale of the two black stones in the Golden River, known as The Black Brothers.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1851Genre/Category
Tags/Keywords
Authors

John Ruskin
United Kingdom
John Ruskin was an English writer, philosopher and art critic of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and politi...
Books by John RuskinDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books

Anyhow Stories by Lucy Clifford
A collection of stories and poems for children by British novelist, journalist, and playwright Lucy Lane Clifford, better known during her lifetime as...

Ripest Peach by James Whitcomb Riley
The Ripest Peach is a classic poem by James Whitcomb Riley, known for his heartwarming and often humorous portrayals of rural life. It is a delightful...

The Singing Mouse Stories by Emerson Hough
The singing mouse tells tales of nature in songs. This book is for those who want to know how the mountains ate up the plains, what the waters said or...

Korean Fairy Tales by William Elliot Griffis
I tell in this book the folk lore of the Korean people, and of the behavior of the particular kind of fairies that inhabit the Land of Morning Splendo...

Peterchens Mondfahrt by Gerdt von Bassewitz
Peterchens Mondfahrt ist ein Märchen für Kinder von Gerdt von Bassewitz. Es handelt von den Abenteuern des Maikäfers Herr Sumsemann, der zusammen mit...

Stormy, Misty's Foal by Marguerite Henry
The story is set on the picturesque island of Chincoteague, off the coast of Virginia, and follows the adventures of two wild ponies named Misty and S...

In God's Garden by Amy Steedman
"In this book you will not find the stories of all God's saints. I have gathered a few together, just as one gathers a little posy from a garden full...

Chasse-galerie by Honoré Beaugrand
Il s'agit de l'histoire de bûcherons de la Gatineau qui font un pacte avec le diable afin de faire voler un canot pour qu'ils puissent rendre visite à...

Haunted Room by Charlotte Maria Tucker
In Charlotte Maria Tucker's "Haunted Room", Mr. Trevor inherits a sprawling estate called Myst Court, a place steeped in whispers of a haunted room....

Bobbsey Twins in the Country by Laura Lee Hope
The Bobbsey Twins, two sets of identical siblings, embark on a summer vacation filled with exciting adventures and newfound friendships during their s...
Reviews for The King of the Golden River
No reviews posted or approved, yet...