Tuesday, November 5, 2013

The Golden Lamb

Cultural origins: This is a folktale from Iraq. This is an interesting tale, where there is a dispute to be resolved. As is the case in tales from this region the Caliph, the judge, is the character thought to be wisest, capable of settling any problem.

Intended audience: Early Middle School (11-13)

Why this audience?: This is a longer story that requires more focus than some. It can also be paired with a book talk for other books from the middle east or stories about storytellers. Middle schoolers will be able to ask themselves the right questions and put themselves in the position of the Caliph, determining whether he was right in his judgement.

Characters:  The Oldest Shepherd
                         The Middle Shepherd
                         The Youngest Shepherd
                         The Old Widow
                         Caliph Harun-al-Rashid
                         The Audience
                        
Scenes/Settings: The fields and mountains outside the home of the widow. 
                                  The court of the Caliph Harun-al-Rashid

Synopsis: During the days of Caliph Harun-al-Rashid there lived three young men who wished to seek their fortune in this world. They wished to travel far and return with heaps of gold and treasure. Before they left on this great adventure though they had to make a little money so they agreed to spend the winter working for an old widow who had a flock of sheep. In the spring it was agreed that each shepherd would take one lamb and sell it in order to seek his fortune elsewhere.

When lambing season came in the spring the most extraordinary thing happened. The last lamb born was the color of pure gold. He was the finest lamb any of them had ever seen. Now, of course, each shepherd wanted this lamb for himself for surely he could make a great deal by selling this lamb. They begged and pleaded with the old widow until she threw up her arms, "I've had enough. This won't be settled until we see the caliph." Now, a caliph is what we would call a judge. And Harun-al-Rashid was said to be one of the best judges in all the land. He knew how to see straight into your soul and find out exactly what you were made of. The shepherds knew of the Caliph's reputation and decided that this was the fairest way to settle this dispute so they came before the court of the Caliph in Baghdad and explained their problem.

Each shepherd spoke with much passion about why he deserved the golden lamb. The eldest shepherd defended his right to possess the lamb for he was older and respect should be paid to elders. The middle shepherd proposed that he should get the golden lamb for he was very clever and could put the money to the best use. The youngest shepherd put forth that he deserved the fortune from the sale of the golden lamb for he had lost his father and his mother had many children to care for. 

The Caliph considered these three men and concluded that the only fair way to decide who would get the gold lamb was for them to use their powerful talents for speech and tell the court a story. The man with the best story would win the golden lamb and amass a great fortune.

The eldest shepherd began his story, "Your Magnificence, if it please you I shall tell the first tale." And he began to tell the most terrific tale of a hero and his brave and daring feats. There were, "OOOHs!" and "AAAHs!" from the enraptured court and they burst into applause as the hero triumphed in the end. 

"Most excellent!" declared the Caliph, "That is a difficult story to match."

Next came the middle shepherd, "Oh Omnipotent one, if it please you I shall tell the next story." And being clever he told the most hilarious story of two lovers, and mistaken identities, missing each other in the night. There was lots of laughter and a great amount of tears at the tragic and bittersweet ending. The court again clapped with much fervor, for here was another great story.

"Impressive!" cried the Caliph, "The last story has much to live up to."

So the youngest shepherd stepped forward, "Magnanimous one, if it please you I shall tell the last story." And quickly and quietly he wove the most mysterious tale. His voice was like a silk thread weaving in and out of different anomily's until the mystery was solved and the audience breathed a sigh of relief. There was much cheering and clapping for this was a fantastic story, different from the others, but just as good.

The Caliph stood and considered the three shepherds. He smiled and announced, "Your stories were all mesmerizing and of equal value so I have decided to take the lamb myself and divide your fortunes equally so you will each have what you need."

Though the shepherds were disappointed, as each had imagined a grand fortune with which to start a successful business they could not argue with the Caliph and so they nodded in agreement. Caliph Harun-al-Rashid snapped his fingers and his servants produced three sets of warm robes, three pairs of sturdy sandals and three loaves of warm, fresh bread. The shepherds were dumbfounded and immediately protested.

"This is all that you need," Caliph stopped their protests immediately. "You were not meant for business and great fortune, and you were certainly not meant for sheep herding. No, your talents will take you far and you will always have all that you need."

"What talent?" the older brother demanded.

***Possible aside to the audience. What was their talent?***

"Why your marvelous gift. Your ability to tell the most wonderful, captivating stories! This gift will keep you fed, and take you all over this land. For there always people in need of a good tale."

And Harun-al-Rashid was right. These storytellers travelled far and wide. There was always a warm hearth waiting for them and a story to tell and they made people happy. And they in turn were happy.

Story Climaxes/High Points: Caliph Harun-al-Rashid comes to a decision about who is most worthy of the golden lamb. The fate of the three friends is on the verge of changing forever: fortune or ruin.  

Special Chants/Phrases: Addressing the Caliph: Your Magnicence, Omnipotent one, Magnanimous one

Bibliographic Information:
Baltuck, Naomi. (1995). The Golden Lamb. In Apples From Heaven (pp. 3-7). North Haven, CT: Linnet Books.

Larson, Jean R. (1966). The Golden Lamb. In Palace in Bagdad. New York: Scribner.

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