VonSchönwerth’s “The Knight’s Sash” is a story about an intrepid son without a father, who continually does his duty, eventually wins love and devotion. We summarize and then discuss the story.
A hunter’s widow and her son, Hans, were always wandering around, but they espied a castle in the forest, and the giant living there eventually married his mother. He loved hunting, and one day he saw a tree with no branches, and a knight’s sash at the top that he got. Written on it was: “Whoever puts me on will have superhuman strength.” He shot a deer and carried it home. The giant and the mother started worrying about the boy’s strength, and the giant feigned illness and they told Hans the only cure was lioness's milk.
Hans went to a lioness in a nearby cave, who was standing in a submissive gesture, and he threw away his weapons and embraced her. She followed him home and his parents cooked up another mission.
Not far away, a giant’s castle supposedly had apples growing on its grounds that would cure his stepfather. The giant was out robbing and looting, and Hans picked some apples, and then broke into the castle and found a princess tied up, stark naked. He started a bonfire in the yard and that attracted soldiers from her country, who offered to take Hans with them, but he refused, for his father was sick.
Hans’ mother noticed the sash, and she prepared a bath for him so he would take it off. The giant poked out Hans’ eyes and threw him out of the castle. Hans traveled with his lioness, and almost died of thirst, but the lioness jumped on the cart of a passing wine merchant and revived him with the wine. The merchant took Hans to the city, and the princess noticed him from her window, and she ran down, embraced him, and took him to an oculist who made him artificial eyes. Her father the king was happy to have a successor, but after the wedding, the people rioted, not wanting to be led by a blind man.
Hans and his wife wandered. One day they came to a brook, and they witnessed two mice, one blind being led by the other, who washed the blind one’s eyes, and it regained its sight. The princess did the same for Hans, and they returned joyfully to the town. They lived happily until Hans died, whereupon the lioness lay down in his grave until she too died.
00:00 Introduction
00:43 Short Breathing Meditation
04:55 Summary of “The Knight’s Sash”
12:05 A Short Story Chock full of Information and Drama
14:07 A Giant Threatened by Hans
15:56 Hans, Son of a Hunter
18:05 Hans and His Mother Find a Castle in the Woods
25:00 Nonviolent Hans
25:54 A Giant and a Bad Father
27:50 A Bad Father Threatened by Hans
32:14 Maturing, Dutiful Hans, is Thrown Out
37:53 Hans, Guileless with His Parents, Gets a Lion
45:50 Why Aren’t the Princess and the Lioness Ever Seen Together?
47:56 The Marauding Giant and His Dead Father
51:13 The Tale’s Good Father & Hans’ Brokenness
52:45 Hans is Helped by his Wife
54:34 The Stark Naked Woman & Hans’ Bonfire
1:00:45 Hans Finally SEES at the Story’s End
1:03:30 Hans’ Power from Lowly Creatures
The full video episode:
The Podcast Playlist:
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I plan to conduct more interviews with various guests, so please check back later for those.
Clip Intro Music “A Baroque Letter” - Aaron Kenny
