Folk Tales/The Hedley Kow

“The Hedley Kow” is a folk tale heard on Minh’s path in the game Secret Paths in the Forest. It is narrated by Brenda Laurel. The story serves to illustrate for Minh that when life looks scary, it is possible to find something good. The lesson could extend to Minh’s classmates, too, since they are scared of Minh’s grandmother without getting to know her.

The Story
The Hedley Kow

There once was an old woman who earned her keep doing small chores for farmers. Though she earned a scant living and lived alone on the outskirts of the village, she was spry and cheery, wanting nothing more of the world. The villagers feared for her, saying, “An old woman like that should not live alone in a forest. Imagine if the Hedley Kow should come upon her.” And everyone knew the Hedley Kow was a wicked hobgoblin who came out after dark. The Hedley Kow changed shape at will, frightening villagers out of their wits.

One evening, as she hastened homeward, the old woman came upon a large pot. “Now, that would be just the thing for me if I had anything to put in it.” She reached for the pot when, imagine her surprise, she discovered it was brim-full of gold coins! The woman sang, “How grand! I’m rich! What luck!”

She dragged her treasure pot homeward, but soon the woman grew tired. Stopping to rest, she turned to look at her pot of gold. To her astonishment, twasn’t a pot of gold at all; twas a lump of iron. “Well, isn’t that luck! The pennies from this iron will be a sight more useful. And I should never have slept a wink with all that gold in the house for fear of being robbed.”

She set off on her way and presently checked her bundle again. “Oh my! If it hasn’t gone and turned itself into a great stone this time! Oh, now that’s a change for the better. I’ve been searching high and low for something to prop me door open with. What fine luck.”

Arriving home at last, the woman bent to untie the stone from her shawl. All of a sudden, it gave a jump and a squeal and grew as large as a horse. The creature threw out legs and a tail and gave a terrifying bellow.

“Well, fancy me! Seeing the Hedley Kow all to meself!”

“Aren’t you afraid?”

“Oh, not I. Tis a rare sight you are. Not many folk have the luck I do.”

Lo and behold, the creature turned into a small man with a pointed cap. “Thank you, kind lady, for seeing the best in me.”

The woman invited the Hedley Kow to supper, and the two talked all night long, becoming fast friends. Oddly enough, from that day forward she found her cupboard well stocked with goodies. She never said a word to the villagers, and when they warned her about the Hedley Kow, she simply smiled to herself and went on her merry way.

Origins and Other Versions
Hedley is a village in England. The Kow (sometimes pronounced like the “coo” of a dove) is a shape-changing creature that likes to make mischief.

Versions of this story can be read in Tatterhood and Other Tales (1978) edited by Ethel Johnston Phelps and in Folktales Aloud: Practical Advice for Playful Storytelling (2014) by Janice M. Del Negro, who both adapted it from More English Fairy Tales (1904) collected by Joseph Jacobs. Joseph Jacobs made a note in his publication that the tale came from Mrs M. of S. Northumberland, who heard it from her mother, who had seen the Kow twice herself.

In the Aarne-Thompson-Uther (ATU) Index, "The Hedley Kow" is a variation on classification 1415: Trading Away One's Fortune. The classic tale is called "Hans in Luck" about a fool who trades his gold for a horse and makes several more trades until he is left with nothing, although he is happy to be rid of all his burdens at the end.