Reading Notes: The Goat's Ears of Emperor Trojan

(King Midas via Wikimedia Commons)

-There was an emperor named Trojan who had goat ears
-The emperor asked a barber every morning if anything seemed off
-When the barber pointed out the goat ears, he was sentenced to death
-Eventually, there were hardly any barbers left to shave the emperor
-The Master of the Company of Barbers was supposed to shave Trojan, but he was sick so he sent an apprentice instead
-The emperor was confused at first but after the apprentice explained, he was fine
-When Trojan asked if anything seemed off, the apprentice didn't mention the goat ears at all
-The apprentice kept the secret of the goat ears for a really long time but it began to bother him
-He went to a meadow and whispered the secret into a deep hole three times
-A tree grew from the hole and someone cut a stem to make flutes but the flutes only sand the secret
-The apprentice confessed to whispering the secret to the earth and the emperor wanted to kill him but gave him mercy because he knew that the earth gave up its secrets
-The apprentice lived but never shaved for the emperor again

Bibliography: "The Goat's Ears of Emperor Trojan" from The Violet Fairy Book by Andrew Lang; link to the reading online