King Arthur & The Witch
By feralwoman
@feralwoman (2199)
Australia
December 21, 2006 7:12pm CST
I received this as an e-mail from a friend of mine. What do you think the moral of this story is?Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him but was moved by Arthur's youth and ideals. So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer and, if after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death.
The question?....What do women really want? Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than death, he accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by year's end.
He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everyone: the princess, the priests, the wise men and even the court jester. He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer.
Many people advised him to consult the old witch, for only she would have the answer.
But the price would be high; as the witch was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.
The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no choice but to talk to the witch. She agreed to answer the question, but he would have to agree to her price first.
The old witch wanted to marry Sir Lancelot, the most noble of the Knights of the Round Table and Arthur's closest friend!
Young Arthur was horrified. She was hunchbacked and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc. He had never encountered such a repugnant creature in all his life.
He refused to force his friend to marry her and endure such a terrible burden; but Lancelot, learning of the proposal, spoke with Arthur.
He said nothing was too big of a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life and the preservation of the Round Table.
Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the witch answered Arthur's question thus:
What a woman really wants, she answered....is to be in charge of her own life.
Everyone in the kingdom instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth and that Arthur's life would be spared.
And so it was, the neighboring monarch granted Arthur his freedom and Lancelot and the witch had a wonderful wedding.
The honeymoon hour approached and Lancelot, steeling himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But, what a sight awaited him. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen lay before him on the bed. The astounded Lancelot asked what had happened
The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared as a witch, she would henceforth, be her horrible deformed self only half the time and the beautiful maiden the other half.
Which would he prefer? Beautiful during the day....or night?
Lancelot pondered the predicament. During the day, a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old witch? Or, would he prefer having a hideous witch during the day, but by night, a beautiful woman for him to enjoy wondrous intimate moments?
Noble Lancelot said that he would allow HER to make the choice herself.
Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time because he had respected her enough to let her be in charge of her own life.
Now...what is the moral to this story?
1 person likes this
3 responses
@ossie16d (11821)
• Australia
23 Dec 06
This is very interesting discussion feralwoman and has had me thinking for a while about what the moral is before giving a response. There could be a couple of interpretations of course. LOL
I think the moral of the story is that we should respect the right of others to choose the path they wish to take in life. If Lancelot had chosen to have her befutiful at night, then he was being selfish because she would still be ugly during the day. If he chose during the day, then maybe she wouldn't be attractive to him at night.
The other things that came to mind is the complete unselfish action taken by Lancelot, who was prepared to sacrifice himself by marrying a very ugly wish, and all for the life of his King, Arthur.
1 person likes this

@feralwoman (2199)
• Australia
29 Dec 06
Well, since this discussion has been up here for a week with very few responses - I suppose i'd better give in and put you out of your misery Ossie! The moral to the story is if you don't let a woman get her own way, things are going to get ugly!!! LOL
@feralwoman (2199)
• Australia
23 Dec 06
Hi there, Merry Christmas Ossie! I agree that he was selfless in marrying the Witch for Arthur's life. It proves what a loyal friend he was. Thank you so much for responding :)

@Ashida (1370)
• United States
22 Dec 06
Hmmm... the moral seems straightforward enough -- people should respect each other's wishes; however, a couple things strike me as intriguing -- the emphasis on a woman's beauty as a reward. Lancelot allowing the witch to chose implies that he has the power and that he chose to give it to her -- but I think ultimately that the moral is that when women are respected their beauty shines through day and night.
Am I over-analyzing this or what?
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@feralwoman (2199)
• Australia
22 Dec 06
Hmmm... Interesting answer. Perhaps Lancelot allowed the Witch to chose because he respected her (or perhaps she might put a spell on him!). Thanks for responding :)
1 person likes this
@feralwoman (2199)
• Australia
23 Dec 06
Thank you, but can you shed any light on the moral of the story?




