Storytelling "The Branch of Joy"

Cormac Mac Art was once the king of all of Ireland.  He had a beautiful wife and two wonderful children, but they could no longer bring happiness to his heart.  His lands were great and rich, and brought forth great harvests every year, but this too failed to please him more than a moment.  He looked far and wide for a source of joy again in his life, taking up all manner of sciences and arts, sports and contests, but these all failed to lighten the burden that had settled over his heavy heart.

One day, a minstrel came to the court of the king and sang a song that sparked hope in the king’s mind.  His gentle tune told the tale of a magical branch which could alleviate the sufferings of any man, woman or child.  If they were sick, a wave of the branch could alleviate their pain.  If they were sad, they could forget all about their trials and troubles.  King Cormac at once resolved to acquire this mystical balm and thanked the minstrel for his song.

Later that same day, he began to send out his armies one by one to every corner of his kingdom to try to find the branch.  Some of his advisors complained quietly that the army should be training instead of searching for a mythical branch, but they were quieted and ignored by the court.

Day after day, the king eagerly the news that his soldiers brought back, but every day the report was the same: There is no word of the branch.  His advisors soon began to lose patience, and urged King Cormac to call off the search.  Frustrated, King Cormac himself abandoned his court and took up the search himself.  He travelled for many days, searching in vain, until at last he met a bright-faced youth.  He held in his hand a branch that glowed and gleamed, even in the daylight.  Cormac eagerly inquired what the branch was that he held, and the youth replied that it was the fabled branch of joy.

“What shall I pay you that I may have this branch, dear boy?” Cormac asked.

“My king,” replied the youth, “I am afraid that the price will be too high”

“Nonsense” he retorted. “I am willing to pay anything, no matter the price.  I must have the joy that has been lost from my life.  I swear to you no matter what you ask, I will pay.”

The young man bowed his said and answered, “Very well, King Cormac of Art. The price is your wife and children.”

In shock, he started backwards and fell down, hitting his head.  When he opened his eyes again, the youth was gone, but the gleaming branch lay in the king’s lap.  He remembered instantly that he had traded away his family for the branch, and he dropped his head in deep sorrow and pain.  Resolving to use the branch, he waved it in the air above him, and a small shower of glimmering sparks fell upon his face.  Instantly, a profound joy and happiness came over him, and he almost forgot about his wife and children.  A smile spread across his weathered face for the first time in many years, and he set off for his court, nearly skipping with joy.

Upon arriving home, he found his court in disarray, with the ladies and nobles alike crying in fear and sorrow for the disappearance of the king’s family.  Happily, however, the king danced around them, showering each with the golden glitter.  As soon as it fell upon them, they each stopped crying and began to laugh with joy, for without knowing why, their lives were suddenly more complete and joyful than they had ever been.

For many months, the king and his court passed their days in perfect bliss, always smiling, laughing, telling the cheeriest of stories and never having a care at all.  Scarcely did the king even remember his missing family, and when he did, he simply sprinkled himself again with the branch, and the pain of his loss was gone.

As the months wore on, however, the king began to notice that he no longer felt quite so happy as he did before.  Certainly, he felt no pain, no sorrow, and no regret, but he was no longer happy.  He could no longer recall anything that made him sad, and upon realizing this, King Cormac was suddenly sad.  Instinctively, he reached for his branch, but the golden sparks did nothing to change his mood.  Looking outside, he saw that it was nearly harvest time again and that an entire year had passed since he last left his castle.

Dropping the branch to the ground, Cormac ran outside and spun like a little child in the warm breeze of the autumn air.  A smile slowly spread across his face, a real smile, deep from within him, and the King understood then that the happiness that he had looked for so long had been within him the whole time.

The king returned to his palace, grabbed the glimmering stick, put it in a pack and set off to search for the youth and his family.

Story Source: More Celtic Fairy Tales, by Joseph Jacobs (1895)

Author's Note: This is a retelling of the story of Cormac of Art, found in Jacob's book (above).  In the original story, however, the key difference is that the King is apparently happy to live the rest of his life without his wife and children and bask in the artificial light of the branch of the youth (who is a fairy).  I tried to make the character of the king a little more realistic and believable than the original source.  As I read the story, I was reminded somewhat of the dangers of substance abuse, which like the golden branch, can distract someone enough that they are willing to throw away all that they have and cherish to have more of it, even if the "joy" they find is artificial.

Header Image Source, a castle in Ireland