Bar Shalmon and the Demon Princess of Ergetz

In a great and beautiful city that stood by the sea, an old man lay dying. Mar Shalmon was his name, and he was the richest man in the land. Propped up with pillows on a richly decorated bed in a luxurious chamber, he gazed, with tears in his eyes, through the open window at the setting sun.

"My son," said the old man, slowly, and with some difficulty, "I am about to leave this world. Promise me--nay, swear unto me--that never wilt thou cross it to foreign lands."

"Solemnly I swear," he said, in a broken voice, "to do thy wish--never to journey on the sea, but to remain here in this, my native land. 'Tis a vow before thee, my father."

One day there arrived in the harbor of the city a strange ship from a distant land. To his astonishment, he learned that the cargo of the vessel was for Mar Shalmon, his father. "My good ship is filled with a vast store of jewels, precious stones and other treasures. And know you, O most favored son of Mar Shalmon, this cargo is but a small portion of the wealth that is thine in a land across the sea."

"I cannot return with thee," said Bar Shalmon. "I have a vow before heaven never to voyage on the sea."

"Fear not thy vow," said the captain. "Thy worthy father must, of a truth, have been bereft of reason in failing to tell thee of his full estate, and an oath to a man of mind unsound is not binding."

For three days all went well, but on the fourth the ship was becalmed. Suddenly the vessel sped along very swiftly. "The ship is bewitched," he exclaimed. The ship grounded on a sandbank. "This is not a human land. This is a domain of demons."

Bar Shalmon sprang lightly to the shore. The ship sped away and he was alone on an uninhabited desert land. A terrible roar made him look around. To his horror he saw a lion making toward him. When morning broke, a huge eagle flew round the tree. Bar Shalmon clung to its back with all his might. Toward night he beheld the lights of a city surrounded by trees.

To his intense relief, he saw that the first building was a synagogue. Something touched him on the arm. By the light of the moon he saw a boy standing before him. He had cloven feet, and his coat seemed to be made in the shape of wings. "_Ivri Onochi_," said Bar Shalmon, "I am a Hebrew." "So am I," said the boy. "Follow me."

An aged man, who he saw was a rabbi, rose to greet him. "Know then," said the rabbi, "thou art not in a land of human beings. Thou hast fallen into Ergetz, the land of demons, of djinns, and of fairies." "But art thou not a Jew?" asked Bar Shalmon. "Truly," replied the rabbi. "There is human blood in my veins. My great-grandfather was a mortal who fell into this land and was not put to death."

Through all the windows and the doors a strange crowd poured into the synagogue. There were demons of all shapes and sizes. "Give to us the perjurer," screamed the demons. "Our king, Ashmedai, must know of his arrival. Let us petition the king to grant him a fair trial."

King Ashmedai came forth on the balcony. "I have a son with a desire for such knowledge. If thou canst make him acquainted with thy store of learning, thy life shall be spared."

The king gave him a huge bunch of keys. "These will admit into all but one of the thousand rooms in the palace. For that one there is no key, and thou must not enter it. Beware."

Bar Shalmon put his shoulder to the door and it yielded. A beautiful woman was seated on a throne of gold. "The daughter of the king," replied the princess, "and thy future wife. Thou must ask my father for my hand. Only by becoming my husband canst thou be saved."

The wedding took place with much ceremony. Some years rolled by and still Bar Shalmon thought of his native land. On these conditions, the princess agreed that he should take leave for a whole year. No sooner had Bar Shalmon placed his feet on the ground than he determined not to return to the land of Ergetz.

"Nay, I will go," said the princess; "it will be impossible for my husband to resist me." The swift flight of the princess and her retinue through the air caused a violent storm to rage over the lands they crossed.

"I am the princess of the Fairyland of Ergetz where my father, Ashmedai, rules as king. There is one among ye who is my husband. Bar Shalmon is his name, and to him am I bound by vows that may not be broken."

"Bar Shalmon must divorce the princess and return unto her the dowry received by him on their marriage." "Oh! I'm content," he answered gruffly. "I agree to anything that will rid me of the demon princess."

The princess flushed crimson with shame and rage. "I ask but for that which is my right, one last kiss." The princess stepped proudly forward to him and kissed him on the lips. "Take thy punishment for all thy sins," cried the princess, haughtily, "for thy broken vows and thy false promises--thy perjury to thy God, to thy father, to my father and to me." As she spoke Bar Shalmon fell dead at her feet.