Riddle of Foolish Juan

Press, 27 March 1979, Page 12

Riddle of Foolish Juan

Once upon a time there was a simple country boy who was known by everyone as Foolish Juan. Nobody thought much of him at all. Now the king of the land had a beautiful daughter and one day he announced that if any man could ask the princess a riddle which she could not solve, he might marry her. However, if the princess succeeded in answering the riddle, then he would have his head chopped off.

Many young men came to the palace — noblemen, scholars, and princes from neighbouring kingdoms. They asked the princess all sorts of riddles —- hard riddles, out-of-the-ordinary riddles, foreign riddles, and mathematical riddles.. But she answered them easily and the king had every man killed. “Well,” Foolish Juan said to his mother, ‘‘l think I’ll go the king’s palace. I shall ask the princess a riddle she can't

answer.” “Not you.” exclaimed his mother. “What can you do, you foolish young man? You’ll only lose your head.” But Foolish Juan took no notice of her and set out for the palace. When he arrived at the gates, he asked a guard to take him straight to the princess. Then he looked her in the eye and in a bold voice risked her this: Foundation over foundation,

Over the foundation a box, Over the box a cross, Over the cross a mill, Over the mill two caves. Over the two caves two lights, Over the two lights a hill, Over the hill trees. And upon the trees robbers. Tell me what that is. The princess thought and thought but she couldn’t guess the riddle. At last she had to give up and Foolish Juan said:

“The first foundation is the feet, the second foundation is the legs, the box is the body, the cross is the arms, the mill is the mouth, the two caves are the nostrils, the two lights are the eyes, the hill is the head, the trees are the hair, and the robbers are lice.” Foolish Juan told the princess that they ought to get married. And that’s exactly ■ what they did.