The Three Army Surgeons
Summary of the story
The story is about three army surgeons who traversed around the world and were convinced that they had learned all that they needed to know about their profession. They got into an Inn where they wanted to spend a night. To demonstrate their level of professionalism and expertise, they decided to remove parts of their bodies and to return them the following day. One surgeon removed the right hand, another removed eyes while the other revolved his heart. The maid at the inn had a secret lover who was also a soldier. The soldier cam in the night and was served some meal. After being served, the maid forgot to close the cupboard where the plate containing the parts was placed. A cat sneaked and took the body parts. Out of despair, the soldier decided to replace the parts by chopping the right hand of a thief roaming in the gallows that night, a pig’s heart, and the cat’s eyes. The surgeons then woke up and replaced their missing body parts. They then started to behave weirdly. The surgeon with the pig’s heart ran to the thick dirt while the one with a cat’s eye could only see clearly in the night. The one with the thief’s hand became a thief. They got upset and demanded compensation from the innkeeper as they had to retire from their profession.
The Robber Bridegroom
The story is about a princes who had pledged to marry a prince who had asked her several to visit him at the castle. However, she refused to visit him since the way to the castle had a vast forest and, therefore, was afraid she could lose her way. On the day she decided to travel to the castle, she walked the whole day and finally arrived at a large house where everything was quiet except for an older woman who sat in front of the door. The bridegroom happened to have a band of robbers who had kidnapped an old lady who was the grandmother of the bride. They killed her, pulled off all the rings from her fingers one after another except for the gold one which they had to chop off the hands of the old lady using a hatchet. However, the finger sprang and behind the barrel on the princess’s lap. They couldn’t find it and soon after they lay to sleep. The princess managed to escape and told her father about everything that had happened to her. Her father ordered soldiers to surround the castle when the bridegroom arrived immediately. When they arrived, the princess described to the bridegroom of the dreadful dream she had and later drew the finger from her pocket. When the bridegroom heard and saw this, he became chalk white and immediately thought of fleeing, but it was too late since the guards were already standing beneath the window. The bridegroom and his band of robbers were punished for their crimes.
Analysis of the stories
The story talks about the importance of body parts and that it is essential to take good care of the body parts. The story also discusses the social values that exist in society, especially the evils that were not encouraged, such as stealing. The removal of the hands of the thief who was wandering around the gallows at night is a description of the punishment for such behaviors. The view of society towards stealing is also demonstrated in the story. The tale also discusses the importance of humility. It was out of the pride of the three surgeons of their skills that made them end up losing essential parts of their bodies. Although they had traveled to several parts of the world, their humility could have saved them from losing their body parts.
The tale also teaches about the importance of being keen and following instructions. The maid to the innkeeper could have followed directions and closed the cupboard; the cat could not have sneaked and found the heart, eyes, and the hand. It also teaches that ignorance can, at times, become costly. It had to cost the innkeeper the right amount of money to compensate the surgeons who wanted to burn down the inn. It also required the surgeons of their professions since they had to retire from practice and therefore forfeited everything. The tale about the robber bridegroom also teaches on the level of punishment that comes with some ills in the society, such as robbery. Just as the thief in the story of three surgeons was put into suffering by cutting his hand, the robbers were also executed and died because of their behaviors. The story also warns against secrecy. It teaches about openness when carrying out everything in life. The maid had a secret lover (soldier) who came to the inn in the night and was served some food. If it were not for the night visit, the maid could not have opened the cupboard that was already closed.