Origin of the Munka by Joshua Keezer (hanabishirecca)
There was once a pillywiggin who lived in a patch of cowslips. Each day she would collect up all of the morning dew and bring it to one large cowslip. Then, she would wait until the sunlight absorbed all of the dew back into the air. Only then would the pillywiggin be free to spend the rest of the day by the river or talking with the honeybees.
One morning a brownie watched as she gathered the dew. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“I'm gathering all of the dew just as the king asked of me,” the pillywiggin said. “Magic gathers in the morning dew and if I don't collect it, it won't return to the sunlight.”
The brownie watched until the pillywiggin had finished returning all of the dew to the sunlight. The brownie left and did not return until the following day.
“May I have some dew?” asked the brownie. The pillywiggin paid her no mind. She continued to collect the dew but the brownie tried to scoop up some of the dew from the large cowslip.
“You must not touch the dew,” insisted the pillywiggin. “It cannot be touched by anyone but me or I might lose a drop and the magic would not be returned.”
That night the brownie found the pillywiggin and offered her a cup of wine. The pillywiggin drank the wine and drifted off into deep sleep. She awoke in the morning and went to the cowslips. The brownie was there and had just snatched a drop of dew before the pillywiggin chased her off.
The brownie did not return again. After many months had passed, the pillywiggin heard that the brownie had a strange set of twins. Winter had set upon the land and there was no morning dew to collect. The pillywiggin journeyed to find the brownie and meet her two sons. When she met the twins, she knew immediately they were created by the magic from the dew.
“I must tell the king,” the pillywiggin said. She left and met the king of the fae. When he heard what the brownie had done, the king was red with fury. He summoned for the brownie and the twins. When they arrived, the king asked the brownie if what the pillywiggin had said was true. The brownie lied and said she had woke one morning to discover she had twins. The king knew she was lying and ordered her to be killed.
The king asked the twins if their mother had told them about the dew. The twins were both cowards and knew the king would have them killed if they lied. So they quickly told the truth about their mother stealing the dew drop. The king thought the twins were honest and decided to reward them. “Hence forth, you shall be known as the munka. Both of you go preform a great deed and I will reward you both with a blessing.”
The munka twins were both lazy. One of the twins found a steep cliff with a eagle nest on it. He climbed the cliff and stole an egg. The other twin traveled into the wilderness and caught two bats as they slept.
When the king saw the munka twins return with an eagle egg and two bats, he became furious. “What great deed is this?” he asked. The first twin presented the king with an eagle egg, “I have brought you an eagle egg from high upon the cliff side. It is the first time ever such a feat has been preformed.”
The second twin held the two bats for the king to take, “I have brought you two bats from deep within the forest. It is the first time ever such a feat has been preformed.”
The king saw the twins for the fools they were. He took the two bats and the eagle egg and said to the twins, “I shall bestow a blessing as promised for such feats. Hence forth, all munka shall be known for completing deeds that no other has performed. Only when a munka has completed his great dead, may he sip from the magic of the dew drop.
And from that point, the pillywiggin was given the duty to protect the magic of the dew drop until a munka came along having completed his great deed. If the pillywiggin knew the munka spoke the truth, she brought the munka a drop of dew for him to drink. And the munka to this day, strive to find any deed undone to be the first to complete it. The great storytellers can fill you with lots of tales of silly deeds performed by the munka all for a drop of dew.
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by Joshua Keezer (hanabishirecca)
There was once a pillywiggin who lived in a patch of cowslips. Each day she would collect up all of the morning dew and bring it to one large cowslip. Then, she would wait until the sunlight absorbed all of the dew back into the air. Only then would the pillywiggin be free to spend the rest of the day by the river or talking with the honeybees.
One morning a brownie watched as she gathered the dew. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“I'm gathering all of the dew just as the king asked of me,” the pillywiggin said. “Magic gathers in the morning dew and if I don't collect it, it won't return to the sunlight.”
The brownie watched until the pillywiggin had finished returning all of the dew to the sunlight. The brownie left and did not return until the following day.
“May I have some dew?” asked the brownie. The pillywiggin paid her no mind. She continued to collect the dew but the brownie tried to scoop up some of the dew from the large cowslip.
“You must not touch the dew,” insisted the pillywiggin. “It cannot be touched by anyone but me or I might lose a drop and the magic would not be returned.”
That night the brownie found the pillywiggin and offered her a cup of wine. The pillywiggin drank the wine and drifted off into deep sleep. She awoke in the morning and went to the cowslips. The brownie was there and had just snatched a drop of dew before the pillywiggin chased her off.
The brownie did not return again. After many months had passed, the pillywiggin heard that the brownie had a strange set of twins. Winter had set upon the land and there was no morning dew to collect. The pillywiggin journeyed to find the brownie and meet her two sons. When she met the twins, she knew immediately they were created by the magic from the dew.
“I must tell the king,” the pillywiggin said. She left and met the king of the fae. When he heard what the brownie had done, the king was red with fury. He summoned for the brownie and the twins. When they arrived, the king asked the brownie if what the pillywiggin had said was true. The brownie lied and said she had woke one morning to discover she had twins. The king knew she was lying and ordered her to be killed.
The king asked the twins if their mother had told them about the dew. The twins were both cowards and knew the king would have them killed if they lied. So they quickly told the truth about their mother stealing the dew drop. The king thought the twins were honest and decided to reward them. “Hence forth, you shall be known as the munka. Both of you go preform a great deed and I will reward you both with a blessing.”
The munka twins were both lazy. One of the twins found a steep cliff with a eagle nest on it. He climbed the cliff and stole an egg. The other twin traveled into the wilderness and caught two bats as they slept.
When the king saw the munka twins return with an eagle egg and two bats, he became furious. “What great deed is this?” he asked.
The first twin presented the king with an eagle egg, “I have brought you an eagle egg from high upon the cliff side. It is the first time ever such a feat has been preformed.”
The second twin held the two bats for the king to take, “I have brought you two bats from deep within the forest. It is the first time ever such a feat has been preformed.”
The king saw the twins for the fools they were. He took the two bats and the eagle egg and said to the twins, “I shall bestow a blessing as promised for such feats. Hence forth, all munka shall be known for completing deeds that no other has performed. Only when a munka has completed his great dead, may he sip from the magic of the dew drop.
And from that point, the pillywiggin was given the duty to protect the magic of the dew drop until a munka came along having completed his great deed. If the pillywiggin knew the munka spoke the truth, she brought the munka a drop of dew for him to drink. And the munka to this day, strive to find any deed undone to be the first to complete it. The great storytellers can fill you with lots of tales of silly deeds performed by the munka all for a drop of dew.
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