JOHNNY GLOKE
by Unknown · from The Fir-Tree Fairy Book: Favorite Fairy Tales
Adapted Version
Once there was a tailor named Johnny. He did not like to sew. He wanted to be a hero!
Johnny was a tailor. He did not like his job. He wanted new things. He wanted adventure. He took an old sword. It was not strong.
Johnny went to a new land. Two big giants lived there. They made people scared. The King needed help. He offered a big prize. Johnny could marry the Princess.
Johnny felt a bit scared. But he was brave. He said, "I will help!" He went there.
Johnny hid in a big tree. He saw the giants. They were very big. Johnny was not strong like them. He needed a clever plan.
Johnny found small stones. He threw one at Big Giant. Big Giant felt a hit. He said, "You hit me!" He looked at him. Other Giant said, "No!" They shouted.
Johnny threw more small stones. The giants fought and fought. They were very tired. Johnny came out of the tree. He sent them far away. The giants were gone.
Johnny went to the King. He was a big hero. The King gave him the prize. Johnny married the Princess. He was very happy.
Some people were angry. They made much trouble. The King needed help again. Everyone said, "Johnny is brave!" He felt scared. But he had to help.
Johnny got a big, fast horse. He could not ride well. The horse ran very fast. It ran to the angry people.
The horse ran past a big tree. A big, broken branch broke off. It fell on the horse. The branch stuck to its neck. It looked very strange.
The angry people saw Johnny. They saw the big branch. They thought, "Oh no! Monster!" They ran fast. They were very scared.
Johnny was a hero again. Everyone cheered for him. He became the new King. King Johnny ruled very well. He was a good King.
Johnny was not the strongest. But he was very clever! Being clever can be better than being strong! Johnny was a good king. He was clever and kind. Everyone loved King Johnny. And he lived happily ever after.
Original Story
JOHNNY GLOKE
JOHNNY GLOKE was a tailor by trade; but he was a man of too much spirit to continue to be a tailor all his days. In fact, he was fonder of basking idly in the sun than of plying the needle and scissors. As time went on he grew more and more discontented, and the desire to follow some other path that would lead to honor and fame finally induced him to swear that he would do tailoring no longer. From its resting-place on the wall of his workroom he took down a rusty old sword that had belonged to some of his ancestors, and set out in search of adventures.
After traveling a long way, he came to a country that was much troubled by two giants, whom no one was bold enough to encounter, or strong enough to overcome. He soon learned that the king had offered a great reward and the hand of his daughter in marriage to the man who should rid his kingdom of this scourge. Johnny’s ardor was roused to attempt the deed, and he offered himself for the service.
The common haunt of the giants was a certain 180wood, and Johnny set out with his old sword to perform the task of vanquishing them. When he reached the wood, he lay down to think and contrive some plan of action by which he could gain an advantage over the giants, for he knew he was far too weak to combat them unless circumstances favored him. While he was still thinking, he saw them coming with a wagon to get wood for fuel, and the sight of them sent the cold shivers down his spine, they were so big and had such huge, shaggy heads and tusk-like teeth.
Johnny sought safety by hiding in a hollow tree. Presently he recovered sufficiently from his alarm to peep out and watch the two at work; and as he watched them a method of getting the better of them occurred to him. He picked up a pebble and threw it so it struck one of the giants a sharp blow on the forehead. The giant, smarting with the pain, turned on his companion, and in strong words blamed him for the blow. The other angrily denied that he had thrown the pebble.
Johnny kept quiet, but as soon as the giants, still grumbling at each other, resumed work, he let fly another pebble. It hit the same giant who had been hit before, and the fellow assailed his companion in fury, and they belabored each other till they were 181utterly tired out. Then they sat down on a log to breathe and rest themselves.
“Well,” said one of them, “all the king’s army has not been able to get the better of us hitherto, but I fancy that an old woman with a broom would be too much for us now.”
“If that is so,” shouted the former tailor, springing bold as a lion from his hiding-place, “what do you say to being attacked by Johnny Gloke with his old rusty sword?”
Before they could recover from the astonishment occasioned by his words and sudden appearance he had run to where they were, and in a twinkling he cut off their heads. That done, he went out of the wood and sought the king, who, as soon as he was satisfied that Johnny had killed the giants, gave him the princess in marriage.
For a time he lived in peace and happiness, and as he did not tell by what method he had overcome the giants, he was considered a man of great prowess and valor. At length a rebellion broke out among the subjects of his father-in-law, and such was Johnny’s reputation that he was promptly chosen as the proper person to quell the uprising. His heart sank within him, but he could not refuse and so lose his great name. So he told the servants to fetch a horse for 182him to mount, and they brought the fiercest steed that ever saw the sun, and he set forth on his desperate task. He was not accustomed to ride on horseback, and he soon lost all control of the fiery creature he bestrode. Away it galloped at full speed in the direction of the rebel army.
In its wild career it passed under a gallows that stood by the wayside. The gallows was old and frail, 183and it had so rotted away at the base that it leaned over the road almost ready to fall. Johnny came into collision with it, and it broke off and lodged squarely on the horse’s neck. On rushed the horse at furious speed, carrying both Johnny and the gallows toward the king’s enemies. When the rebels saw the horse with its strange burden dashing toward them they were seized with terror, and cried one to another: “There comes Johnny Gloke, who unaided killed two giants at the same time. Now he is going to assail us, and is bringing a gallows on his horse’s neck to hang us all.”
Then they scattered and fled in dismay, and never stopped till they reached their homes. Thus was Johnny Gloke a second time victorious. So when the old king died every one rejoiced to have Johnny become the ruler of the kingdom, and he reigned long and well.
Story DNA
Moral
Sometimes, wit and a good reputation can achieve more than brute strength.
Plot Summary
Johnny Gloke, a lazy tailor, abandons his trade to seek adventure. He encounters a kingdom plagued by two giants and, through cunning rather than strength, tricks them into fighting each other before dispatching them, earning him a princess and a heroic reputation. Later, when a rebellion breaks out, Johnny is chosen to quell it. Despite his fear and inability to ride a horse, he accidentally causes a gallows to lodge on his horse's neck while riding towards the rebels. The rebels, terrified by this sight and Johnny's fearsome reputation, flee in dismay, securing his second accidental victory and leading him to become a beloved king.
Themes
Emotional Arc
fear to triumph
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Reflects common folk tale tropes where wit and luck often triumph over brute force, and social mobility is possible through extraordinary (or perceived extraordinary) deeds.
Plot Beats (12)
- Johnny Gloke, a tailor bored with his trade, decides to seek adventure and fame, taking up an old sword.
- He travels to a kingdom plagued by two giants, where the king offers a reward and his daughter's hand for their defeat.
- Johnny, though fearful, volunteers for the task and goes to the giants' wood.
- He hides in a hollow tree and observes the giants, realizing he cannot defeat them by strength alone.
- Johnny devises a plan and throws pebbles at one giant, causing the giants to accuse and fight each other.
- After the giants are exhausted from fighting, Johnny emerges and swiftly cuts off their heads.
- He returns to the king, claims his reward, and marries the princess, his reputation for valor growing.
- Later, a rebellion breaks out, and Johnny, despite his fear and lack of military skill, is chosen to quell it due to his reputation.
- He is given a fierce horse, which he cannot control, and it gallops wildly towards the rebel army.
- The horse crashes into an old, rotten gallows, which breaks and lodges on its neck, creating a bizarre and terrifying sight.
- The rebels, seeing Johnny approaching with the gallows, believe he is bringing it to hang them and flee in terror.
- Johnny is hailed as a hero again, and upon the old king's death, he becomes the new ruler, reigning long and well.
Characters
Johnny Gloke
Of average height and build, not particularly strong or imposing, but nimble and quick-wwitted. His appearance suggests a life of moderate physical activity, but not strenuous labor.
Attire: Initially, simple, practical tailor's clothes – perhaps a sturdy linen tunic, wool breeches, and leather shoes, possibly with a leather apron. After marrying the princess, he would wear more refined, but still practical, courtly attire of the period, such as a doublet and hose made of fine wool or velvet, possibly with a simple cloak.
Wants: To escape his mundane life as a tailor, achieve honor and fame without much effort, and secure a comfortable, prestigious life.
Flaw: Physical weakness, cowardice, and a strong aversion to hard work or direct confrontation.
Transforms from a lazy, discontented tailor into an accidental hero and eventually a respected king, not through strength or bravery, but through cunning and extraordinary luck.
Lazy, discontented, clever, opportunistic, cowardly (initially), resourceful, lucky, and ultimately, a reluctant hero.
First Giant
Enormous in stature, significantly taller and broader than any human, with a powerful, brutish build. His skin is likely rough and weathered from outdoor life.
Attire: Simple, rough, and practical clothing befitting a giant who works in the woods, such as a coarse, homespun tunic or animal hides, possibly with crude leather bindings or a heavy belt. Colors would be muted, earthy tones.
Wants: To live undisturbed, gathering wood and causing trouble, likely driven by simple needs and a desire for dominance.
Flaw: His immense size makes him slow and easily outsmarted; his temper makes him prone to infighting.
Remains unchanged, serving as an obstacle that is overcome by trickery rather than direct combat.
Short-tempered, easily provoked, strong, and somewhat dim-witted.
Second Giant
Equally enormous and brutish as his companion, with a powerful, intimidating physique. His skin is likely rough and calloused.
Attire: Simple, rough, and practical clothing befitting a giant who works in the woods, such as a coarse, homespun tunic or animal hides, possibly with crude leather bindings or a heavy belt. Colors would be muted, earthy tones.
Wants: To live undisturbed, gathering wood and causing trouble, likely driven by simple needs and a desire for dominance.
Flaw: His immense size makes him slow and easily outsmarted; his temper makes him prone to infighting.
Remains unchanged, serving as an obstacle that is overcome by trickery rather than direct combat.
Short-tempered, easily angered, strong, and somewhat dim-witted, mirroring his companion.
The King
An older man, likely of regal but perhaps weary bearing, given the troubles of his kingdom. He would be of average height for a man of his era, possibly a bit frail with age.
Attire: Royal attire of a European monarch from a medieval or early modern period. This would include a rich, floor-length velvet or brocade robe, possibly in deep blues or reds, lined with ermine or other fine fur, with gold embroidery. A golden crown or circlet would adorn his head.
Wants: To rid his kingdom of the giant scourge and ensure the safety and prosperity of his people, and to secure a suitable husband for his daughter.
Flaw: His inability to solve the giant problem himself, relying on others.
Remains largely unchanged, serving as the benevolent authority figure who provides the challenge and the reward.
Desperate (initially), generous, honorable (keeping his promises), and trusting.
The Princess
A young woman of noble birth, likely graceful and beautiful, as is typical for a fairy tale princess. Her build would be slender and elegant.
Attire: Elegant courtly attire of a European princess from a medieval or early modern period. This would include a gown of fine silk or brocade, possibly in soft pastels or rich jewel tones, with delicate embroidery or lace details. A simple circlet or jeweled headpiece might adorn her hair.
Wants: To see her kingdom freed from the giants and to fulfill her duty to her father and her people by marrying the hero.
Flaw: Her fate is largely determined by her father and the circumstances of the kingdom.
Remains largely unchanged, serving as the prize and the symbol of Johnny Gloke's success.
Likely gentle, obedient (accepting her father's decree), and appreciative of her rescuer, even if he is an unlikely hero.
Locations
Johnny Gloke's Workroom
A small, likely cluttered room where Johnny Gloke, a tailor, used to ply his trade. A rusty old sword hangs on the wall.
Mood: Confined, discontented, longing for adventure
Johnny Gloke decides to abandon tailoring and seek adventure, taking up his ancestral sword.
The Giants' Wood
A dense, common haunt of two fearsome giants. It contains a hollow tree suitable for hiding and logs for resting.
Mood: Foreboding, dangerous, strategic
Johnny Gloke outsmarts and slays the two giants by instigating a fight between them.
Wayside Gallows
An old, frail gallows standing by the side of a road, rotted at its base and leaning precariously over the path.
Mood: Grim, accidental, pivotal
Johnny Gloke's horse collides with the gallows, which then lodges on its neck, terrifying the rebel army into retreat.