Folk Tales/Stronger Than Stone

"Stronger Than Stone" is a folk tale heard on Nicole's path in the game Secret Paths to the Sea. It is narrated by Mark Petrakis. The story serves to illustrate for Nicole that her parents' expectations of her can be misguided if what they want for her is not necessarily what's best for Nicole as an individual.

The Story
Stronger Than Stone

Many years ago there lived a young stone cutter named Morrow. Morrow worked with his father, and together they lived a simple, yet happy life. That is until one day when a prince rode by in a beautiful carriage. "I wish you could be a powerful prince," his father said.

Little did Morrow know that a sprite, hidden amidst the rock, had heard his father and decided to grant his wish. Suddenly Morrow found himself clad in silken clothing and shoes of fine brocade. Morrow had become a wealthy prince! Morrow hadn't a care in the world, but one thing disturbed his father's happiness. Every day as he strode through Morrow's gardens, he couldn't escape the sun's burning rays. "That ball of fire is more powerful than the prince. Royalty isn't good enough! I wish Morrow were the sun."

The sprite was still listening. No sooner were the words spoken but Morrow blazed in the sky, scorching the faces of prince and stone cutter alike. Now Morrow missed many things of his princely life, but only one thing disturbed his father's happiness: Morrow could not overcome the heavy clouds that filled the sky with rain. "If only Morrow were the rain," his father lamented, "then he would be even better than the sun."

Little did Morrow's father know that the sprite could still hear him. Instantly his wish was granted. Morrow lashed upon the land and boats capsized on the seas. "Now my son is the greatest in all the land," boasted Morrow's father. Now Morrow was quite unhappy, wet as he was. But only one thing disturbed his father's happiness. There on the shore stood a huge boulder, completely unmoved by Morrow's rain water. The strength of the boulder infuriated his father. "Clearly the rock holds the greatest power in all the land; Morrow must be the rock," the old man boomed.

The sprite amidst the rocks heard this wish and swift as lightning Morrow became the massive rock. Now Morrow was very depressed indeed, but at last he had become the best in all the land. Perhaps his father would finally be pleased. Suddenly Morrow's father heard a faint chip-chip, chip-chap. It was a stone cutter! Chipping away at Morrow's face. "Ah," Morrow cried. "Enough! If only I could be a stone cutter again then I would possess the power to cut the rocks."

The sprite heard Morrow's wish and it was instantly granted. Morrow's father marveled at his son's strong arms. So relieved was he to see Morrow as himself again that he swore to never make another wish again. And from that day forward, there was nothing that disturbed their happiness.

Origins and Other Versions
The tale is widely known in Western culture as "The Stone-cutter" published in The Crimson Fairy Book by author Andrew Lang (London: Longmans, Green, and Company, 1903), ch. 17, pp. 192-197. Lang sites Japan as the source of the tale, which is corroborated by another volume with a collection of Japanese fairy tales, Japanische Mährchen und sagen by David August Brauns (1885).

According to the Aarne-Thompson-Uther (ATU) Index, the tale falls into category 555: The Fisherman and his Wife. The characters learn through wish fulfillment that desiring more (i.e. wealth, status, power, etc.) means never being satisfied.