The Hedley Kow
by Unknown · from More English Fairy Tales
Adapted Version
Old Woman walks home. She is old. She is very happy. She always smiles. She feels good every day. She is never sad.
She walks on the road. She sees a big black pot. The pot is on the ground. She stops. She looks inside the pot. The pot has shiny gold. She is very happy.
Old Woman feels so happy. She has a long scarf. She ties the scarf to the pot. The pot is heavy. She pulls the pot. She wants to go home. She thinks of nice things. She thinks of a new house.
She walks for some time. She pulls the heavy pot. She feels tired. She stops to rest. She looks at the pot. The gold is gone now. Now it is shiny silver. "Oh, good!" she thinks. "Silver is nice too. It is easy to keep."
Old Woman walks again. She pulls the pot. She feels tired again. She stops. She looks at the pot. The silver is gone now. Now it is dark iron. "Good!" she thinks. "Iron is strong. I can use it. I can sell it too."
She walks and walks. She pulls the pot. She stops one more time. She looks at the pot. The iron is gone now. Now it is a big stone. "Perfect!" she thinks. "This stone can hold my door open. It is a very good stone."
She comes to her small house. She sees her gate. She opens the gate. She bends down low. She wants to untie her scarf. The scarf is tied to the stone.
The stone jumps up! It makes a loud sound. It grows very big. It has four long legs. It has two long ears. It is like a big horse. It runs away fast. It kicks its feet. It laughs like a playful boy.
Old Woman watches it go. It runs far away. She smiles big. "I am so lucky!" she says. "I saw the Hedley Kow! This is a very good day for me."
She goes inside her house. She sits by the fire. The fire is warm. She feels very happy. She thinks about her good day. She is always happy. She knows happiness is inside her.
Original Story
The Hedley Kow
There was once an old woman, who earned a poor living by going errands and such like, for the farmers' wives round about the village where she lived. It wasn't much she earned by it; but with a plate of meat at one house, and a cup of tea at another, she made shift to get on somehow, and always looked as cheerful as if she hadn't a want in the world.
Well, one summer evening as she was trotting away homewards, she came upon a big black pot lying at the side of the road.
"Now that," said she, stopping to look at it, "would be just the very thing for me if I had anything to put into it! But who can have left it here?" and she looked round about, as if the person it belonged to must be not far off. But she could see no one.
"Maybe it'll have a hole in it," she said thoughtfully:—
"Ay, that'll be how they've left it lying, hinny. But then it 'd do fine to put a flower in for the window; I'm thinking I'll just take it home, anyways." And she bent her stiff old back, and lifted the lid to look inside.
"Mercy me!" she cried, and jumped back to the other side of the road; "if it is fit brim full o' gold PIECES!!"
For a while she could do nothing but walk round and round her treasure, admiring the yellow gold and wondering at her good luck, and saying to herself about every two minutes, "Well, I do be feeling rich and grand!" But presently she began to think how she could best take it home with her; and she couldn't see any other way than by fastening one end of her shawl to it, and so dragging it after her along the road.
"It'll certainly be soon dark," she said to herself, "and folk'll not see what I'm bringing home with me, and so I'll have all the night to myself to think what I'll do with it. I could buy a grand house and all, and live like the Queen herself, and not do a stroke of work all day, but just sit by the fire with a cup of tea; or maybe I'll give it to the priest to keep for me, and get a piece as I'm wanting; or maybe I'll just bury it in a hole at the garden-foot, and put a bit on the chimney, between the chiney teapot and the spoons—for ornament like. Ah! I feel so grand, I don't know myself rightly!"
And by this time, being already rather tired with dragging such a heavy weight after her, she stopped to rest for a minute, turning to make sure that her treasure was safe.
But when she looked at it, it wasn't a pot of gold at all, but a great lump of shining silver!
She stared at it, and rubbed her eyes and stared at it again; but she couldn't make it look like anything but a great lump of silver. "I'd have sworn it was a pot of gold," she said at last, "but I reckon I must have been dreaming. Ay, now, that's a change for the better; it'll be far less trouble to look after, and none so easy stolen; yon gold pieces would have been a sight of bother to keep 'em safe. Ay, I'm well quit of them; and with my bonny lump I'm as rich as rich—!"
And she set off homewards again, cheerfully planning all the grand things she was going to do with her money. It wasn't very long, however, before she got tired again and stopped once more to rest for a minute or two.
Again she turned to look at her treasure, and as soon as she set eyes on it she cried out in astonishment. "Oh, my!" said she; "now it's a lump o' iron! Well, that beats all; and it's just real convenient! I can sell it as easy as easy, and get a lot o' penny pieces for it. Ay, hinny, an' it's much handier than a lot o' yer gold and silver as 'd have kept me from sleeping o' nights thinking the neighbours were robbing me—an' it's a real good thing to have by you in a house, ye niver can tell what ye mightn't use it for, an' it'll sell—ay, for a real lot. Rich? I'll be just rolling!"
And on she trotted again chuckling to herself on her good luck, till presently she glanced over her shoulder, "just to make sure it was there still," as she said to herself.
"Eh, my!" she cried as soon as she saw it; "if it hasn't gone and turned itself into a great stone this time! Now, how could it have known that I was just terrible wanting something to hold my door open with? Ay, if that isn't a good change! Hinny, it's a fine thing to have such good luck."
And, all in a hurry to see how the stone would look in its corner by her door, she trotted off down the hill, and stopped at the foot, beside her own little gate.
When she had unlatched it, she turned to unfasten her shawl from the stone, which this time seemed to lie unchanged and peaceably on the path beside her, There was still plenty of light, and she could see the stone quite plainly as she bent her stiff back over it, to untie the shawl end; when, all of a sudden, it seemed to give a jump and a squeal, and grew in a moment as big as a great horse; then it threw down four lanky legs, and shook out two long ears, flourished a tail, and went off kicking its feet into the air and laughing like a naughty mocking boy.
The old woman stared after it, till it was fairly out of sight.
"WELL!" she said at last, "I do be the luckiest body hereabouts! Fancy me seeing the Hedley Kow all to myself, and making so free with it too! I can tell you, I do feel that GRAND—"
And she went into her cottage, and sat down by the fire to think over her good luck.
Story DNA
Moral
True contentment comes from within, regardless of external circumstances or possessions.
Plot Summary
A cheerful, poor old woman finds a pot of gold on her way home and begins dragging it. As she rests, the gold repeatedly transforms into less valuable items—silver, then iron, then a stone—each time, the woman rationalizes the change as a stroke of good luck. Upon reaching her cottage, the stone transforms into the Hedley Kow, a mischievous horse-like spirit, and gallops away laughing. The old woman, unfazed, declares herself the luckiest person for having witnessed the creature and goes inside, content with her life.
Themes
Emotional Arc
optimism to mild surprise to continued optimism
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Folk tales like this often served to entertain and subtly reinforce community values, in this case, perhaps, the virtue of contentment over material wealth, or simply the acceptance of life's strange occurrences.
Plot Beats (10)
- An old woman, poor but always cheerful, makes her way home one evening.
- She discovers a large black pot by the road and, upon inspecting it, finds it full of gold pieces.
- Overjoyed, she ties her shawl to the heavy pot and begins dragging it home, dreaming of riches.
- She stops to rest and discovers the gold has turned into a lump of silver, which she rationalizes as a better, less troublesome treasure.
- She continues on, stops again, and finds the silver has turned into a lump of iron, which she again finds convenient and easy to sell.
- She stops a third time and sees the iron has become a large stone, which she believes is perfect for holding her door open.
- Reaching her cottage gate, she bends to untie her shawl from the stone.
- The stone suddenly jumps, squeals, grows into a horse-like creature with lanky legs and long ears, and gallops away laughing like a naughty boy.
- The old woman watches it disappear, then declares herself the luckiest person for having encountered the Hedley Kow.
- She enters her cottage, sits by the fire, and contentedly thinks over her good luck.
Characters
The Old Woman
A small, somewhat frail elderly woman, likely with a hunched or stiff back from years of labor. Her build would be slender due to her poor living and constant activity.
Attire: Simple, practical peasant clothing typical of 19th-century rural England. She would wear a long, dark, coarse wool or linen skirt, a plain blouse, and a sturdy, worn shawl (likely made of wool in a muted color like grey or brown) which she uses for carrying and dragging items. Her shoes would be practical, well-worn leather or wooden clogs.
Wants: To make ends meet, maintain her cheerful disposition, and find simple comforts in life. Initially, to bring home the 'treasure' and imagine a better life.
Flaw: A touch of naivety and a tendency to be easily swayed by the changing appearance of the Hedley Kow, leading her to accept each transformation without deep questioning.
She begins by desiring wealth and grandness but ultimately learns (or reaffirms) that her true 'luck' lies in her cheerful disposition and ability to find joy and practicality in whatever life presents, even if it's just seeing a local legend.
Optimistic, resilient, cheerful, practical, easily contented, a bit naive but ultimately wise in her own way.
The Hedley Kow
A shapeshifting creature that appears as various inanimate objects before revealing its true form. Its final form is described as 'as big as a great horse' with 'four lanky legs' and 'two long ears' and a 'flourished tail'. It is black in color.
Attire: None, as it is a creature.
Wants: To amuse itself by playing tricks on humans, particularly those who encounter it. It seems to enjoy the reactions it elicits.
Flaw: None apparent in the story; it is a powerful magical entity.
The Hedley Kow remains unchanged in its nature, continuing its role as a trickster. Its interaction with the old woman highlights her character rather than changing its own.
Playful, mischievous, trickster, elusive, magical.
Locations
Village Roadside
A rural road at the side of a village, likely unpaved, with enough space for an old woman to walk and drag an object. It is summer evening, transitioning from daylight to dusk.
Mood: Initially hopeful and exciting, then increasingly bewildered and finally amused.
The old woman discovers the Hedley Kow in its various forms (pot of gold, silver, iron, stone) and attempts to bring it home.
Foot of the Hill by the Cottage Gate
The bottom of a small hill, leading directly to the old woman's humble cottage. There is a small gate and a path leading to her door. The light is still sufficient to see clearly.
Mood: Anticipatory, then sudden surprise and magical transformation.
The Hedley Kow reveals its true form, transforming from a stone into a horse-like creature and running off, leaving the old woman amused.
Old Woman's Cottage Interior
A humble, cozy cottage interior, likely with a hearth or fireplace where the old woman can sit and reflect. It contains simple, cherished possessions like a 'chiney teapot' and spoons.
Mood: Cozy, reflective, content, and slightly magical.
The old woman sits by her fire, contemplating her encounter with the Hedley Kow and feeling 'grand' despite not having gained any material wealth.