Hello, and welcome to the Folklore & Fiction dispatch. At the summer and winter solstices, I mimic the sun and pause to reflect on my own creative work. In this edition, I'm discussing my theatrical adaptation of a little-known tale of magic titled "The Belt and the Necklace," forthcoming as part of the Odyssey Theatre's "Other Path Podcast" series. The play is still in production, but I do have an excerpt to share with you a little later in the dispatch. For now, let's have a look at the original story. Here it is.
"The Belt and the Necklace"
There was once a king with a daughter named Barbara. She was so ugly that everyone made fun of her. She lived a lonely life.
One day she was up in her room feeling sad about her bad luck. Suddenly a gnome appeared before her and gave her three plums. He said to her: “March straight down to the sea and throw one of the plums into it. Two mermaids will rise up out of the water, bright as the sun. Throw the second plum into the sea and one of the two mermaids will come on land. She will be wearing a magical belt, and you should take it off her. When you throw the third plum into the water, the other mermaid will come on land. She will be wearing a necklace that can be yours as well. As soon as you put on the belt and necklace, you will become the most beautiful woman of all, as dazzling as the sun. If you wear the necklace as a belt and vice versa, you will become invisible. Make sure you don’t take off the belt and necklace, and above all else, don’t lose them. But come what may, I will still be there to help you.”
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