Hi Marsha, I chose the night, but that was an impulsive, selfish answer. Gawain was wise.
You know, I think most men would want the same things for themselves as the witch said of women. When the witch-doctor throws his silent bones, some are crowned kings while others lose their thrones. (van Vliet, who else!). -Peter On 23/11/2007, MarshaV <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Question of the Ages > > > > 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 youthful happiness. So he offered him freedom, as long as > he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year > to figure out the answer; if, after a year, he still had no answer, > he would be put to death. > > The question was: > > What do women really want? > > Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and, > to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. Well, 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 everybody: the princess, > the prostitutes, the priests, the wise men, the court jester. In all, > he spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer. > > What most people did tell him was to consult the old witch, as only > she would know the answer. The price would be high, since the witch > was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged. > > The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no alternative but to > talk to the witch. > > She agreed to answer his question, but he'd have to accept her price > first: > > The old witch wanted to marry Gawain, the most noble of the Knights > of the Round Table and Arthur's closest friend! Young Arthur was > horrified: she was hunchbacked and awfully hideous, had only one > tooth, smelled like sewage water, often made obscene noises...etc. He > had never run across such a repugnant creature. He refused to force > his friend to marry her and have to endure such a burden. > > Gawain, upon learning of the proposal, spoke with Arthur. He told him > that nothing was too big a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life and > the preservation of the Round Table. Hence, their wedding was > proclaimed, and the witch answered Arthur's question: > > What a woman really wants is to be able to be in charge of her own life. > > Everyone instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth and > that Arthur's life would be spared. And so it went. The neighboring > monarch spared Arthur's life and granted him total freedom. What a > wedding Gawain and the witch had! Arthur was torn between relief and > anguish. Gawain was proper as always, gentle and courteous. The old > witch put her worst manners on display, and generally made everyone > very uncomfortable. > > The wedding night approached: Gawain, steeling himself for a horrific > night, entered the bedroom. What a sight awaited! The most beautiful > woman he'd ever seen lay before him! Gawain was astounded and asked > what had happened. > > The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her (when she'd > been a witch), half the time she would be her horrible, deformed > self, and the other half, she would be her beautiful maiden > self. Which would he want her to be during the day, and which during > the night? > > What a cruel question! Gawain began to think of his predicament: > > During the day a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at > night, in the privacy of his home, an old spooky witch? Or would he > prefer having by day a hideous witch, but by night a beautiful woman > to enjoy many intimate moments? > > > What would you do? What Gawain chose follows below, but don't read > until you've made your own choice. > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Noble Gawain replied that he would let her choose for herself. > > Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the > time, because he had respected her and had let her be in charge of > her own life. > > > > What is the moral of this story? > > The moral is that it doesn't matter if your woman (Goddess), is > pretty or ugly, underneath it all, she's still a witch---and don't > you forget it. > > Moq_Discuss mailing list > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > Archives: > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ > Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
