©1998 as retold by Ms. Holly

A little boy ran up to an older woman and said, "Grandmama Storyteller, Grandmama Storyteller please tell me the story of the seven merchants."

"Which story? There are so many about the seven merchants and thier many adventures."

"Oh tell me the one where the oldest merchant falls in love with the ruler's daughter."

"Well you know it is a long story and you have to gather all the young and old around quickly so we can tell it before it is time to sleep."

The young boy replied, "Yes I will hurry." and off he ran to gather everyone around to hear a story.

When everyone had gathered around Grandma Storyteller sat in the seating area in front of the group and began. "Now before I tell you all of this stories that are told and never written down always grow and change. And in good storytelling the audiences who know the stories well help fill in with sound affects and information they have heard told by the storyteller and others about the story being told. So do not think it is wrong if someone helps tell the story. Only those who know the story well are invited to help with the story."

"Once long ago in the Land of the Setting and Rising Sun there were seven merchants. The oldest was very tall and very strong while the youngest was very small and very fast. They lived near each other so they would go on many adventures with each other. The oldest merchant had decided it was time for him to marry so he had begun to look for a suitable wife during thier travels. One day while they were traveling to a new place the oldest merchant saw a beautiful girl in a open market place selecting many things with several other people picking up and paying for what she pointed out. (Very quietly you can hear the older women listening adding to the story by talking like they are shopping in the market.) The oldest friend said, "I would like to meet this girl she is very beautiful I would like to bring her home with me to marry." So since all the merchants were good friends they decided they would follow her and find out who she was.

So they followed her to a very large house with a very large wall around it. They could not follow her or her group any farther as there were two very large men with weapons at the wall entrance. So they walked up with the things they had intended to sell at the market and said, "We are traveling merchants we bring with us many things from far off lands. We have noticed that your mistress has been at the market and left before we had time to set up a place to show what we have brought to the market."

The guards simply stand at the gate and do not respond. A beggar near the gate waved for the merchants to come over. When the merchants walked over the beggar asked, "Why are you at the gate of the house of the ruler of the city?"

The merchants looked at each other then began laughing and poking fun at the oldest merchant for wanting to marry a rulers daughter. The beggar overheard what the merchants were saying and said "Alms for the poor man who knows what your hearts desire is and how to obtain it."

All the merchants stopped laughing and looked at the crippled beggar. The oldest merchant pulled out a coin and the others began laughing and poking fun at the oldest merchant again. The oldest merchant replied, "Oh it will not hurt to give a poor man enough to eat for a day or two and maybe we shall enjoy the story enough to add to this to tell to the town when we return home."

The oldest merchant flipped the coin through the air and as it seemed to almost stop and float in the air spinning in a circle it landed in the hand of the crippled beggar. The crippled beggar said, "This is an arogant woman you are seeking. She has had many a man want to love her. All she loves is her work and her family. She has never shown any interest in any man for she has decided she is too wise for any man she has met. She has claimed she will only marry the wisest man she can find. Every week she allows eight people in to ask a question and if none of them can answer it they must leave and never return. For as long as I have been sitting here unable to leave or move far because no one has chosen to help move me I have seen eight go in early in the morning when the sun is rising and all eight go out when the sun is setting. All with heads high when going in and all with heads low when going out."

The brothers looked at each other and began to talk amongst each other. "So how long will it be before the next time she will allow eight people in?"

The beggar had gone back to begging passerbys and was ignoring the merchants by now. The oldest merchant dug out another coin and flipped it in the air again. Just as the beggar grabbed for it the oldest merchant said, "I will give you this and more if you can help me win this woman can you do this for me?"

"Oh I cannot do this for I cannot walk well enough to enter the gates of the palace so I can hear the question she is asking. I have heard all of them as the would be suitors leave her families house. Tommorrow is the day she has decided to let people in again. Most are not difficult to figure out after one thinks awhile but never does she ask the same question. But I do know a way that you can figure out what her question is as she asks the same question to the same person each time."

The oldest merchant began to ask the beggar how to do this and noticed that he had begun to ignore him again and had gone back to begging. The oldest merchant began to discuss with the other merchants what to do. They decided to take the beggar with them and find housing for the night. So they walked over picked up the beggar and carried him off to the hotel where he directed them to go."

"Hey we do not allow beggars in here take him out the lot of you." The Hotel Manager said.

This is no beggar this is a wise advisor we have come from a long distance to ask him for advise. You would not prevent well to do travelers from obtaining what they seek. The merchants pulled out some of their merchandise to show the Hotel Keeper. Who allowed them to come in. They carried the beggar up to the large room they all decided to share. They began to devise a plan. The crippled beggar had been sitting outside the walls of the house of the ruler for so long he could not wait to bathe and change into more suitable clothes for the meeting tomorrow. This was the nicest he had ever had it since his family had all passed away when he was a young boy.

When the beggar had cleaned all up and eaten a good meal and was laying on a nice sitting area he began to talk to the merchants about how to win the rulers daughter.

"Remember the person who answers the question will be able to win the daughter's heart as she is seeking a wise man to marry. So it does not matter who figures out the answer what matters is who gives the right answer. Since there are exactly eight of us we must be first to the gateway entrance early in the morning before the sun rises. The answer must be figured out before the sun sets. So each person who is asked the same question must take his time. The last one we will send in will be the one who will answer the question the best by knowing the most. This will give us time to figure out what the answer is. We will all be waiting in the same area. So we can share what we know and have learned when we are alone. It is best to dress well so that we will be recieved well and to have rested well before tommorrow for it will be a long day."

Early before the sun rose all the merchants gathered their things and left to wait outside the gates of the rulers house. When the sun came up as they were the first to arrive at the gate they were allowed inside. They were all taken to a room and made to wait. One by one they were led out into another area. As each one came back shaking thier head. Another would be led out.

When the second merchant had been led out they asked the first one what he had been asked. He said, "Well I was blind folded and asked to tell what was in the garden in front of me. So I reached out and felt a very round rough coarse thing. I felt it and thought for a long long time. Eventually when I was told I had to answer I replied "It feels like the trunk of a tree. Then I was brought back here."

The beggar and the other six merchants began talking about what he had been asked. When finally the second merchant was led in and the third one taken out. The second merchant told them when they were alone, "I was taken out to a garden area after being blindfolded. Then I was asked what was in front of me. I reached out and touched what was in front of me. It felt long and very very coarse with a frayed area like a tassel on a rope or a carpet. Finally they told me my time was up and I had to answer. So I said, 'It feels like a very large rope.' Then I was brought back here."

The beggar and the other six merchants began talking about what he had been asked. When finally the third merchant was led in and the fourth one taken out. The third merchant told them when they were alone, "I was blind folded then taken out to a garden area. Then I was asked what was in front of me. I reached out and touched what was in front of me. It felt very flat and smooth it also bent. Finally they told me my time was up and I had to answer. So I said, 'It feels like a carpet to me.' Then I was brought back here."

The beggar and the other six merchants began talking about what he had been asked. When finally the fourth merchant was led in and the fifth one taken out. The fourth merchant told them when they were alone, "I was blind folded then taken out to a garden area. Then I was asked what was in front of me. I reached out and touched what was in front of me. It felt very round and long and rough. It also was somewhat bent or curved in shape. Finally they told me my time was up and I had to answer. So I said, 'It feels like a large tree branch to me.' Then I was brought back here."

The beggar and the other six merchants began talking about what he had been asked. When finally the fifth merchant was led in and the sixth one taken out. The fifth merchant told them when they were alone, "I was blind folded then taken out to a garden area. Then I was asked what was in front of me. I reached out and touched what was in front of me. It felt very round and rough. Finally they told me my time was up and I had to answer. So I said, 'To me it feels like the top of a very large container.' Then I was brought back here."

The beggar and the other six merchants began talking about what he had been asked. When finally the very smallest of the merchants the sixth merchant was led in and the seventh one taken out. The sixth merchant told them when they were alone, "I was blind folded then taken out to a garden area. Then I was asked what was in front of me. I reached out and touched what was in front of me. I walked all the way around the object touching it as I did. It had four very thick round areas like tree trunks. It also had long and very very coarse with a frayed area like a tassel on a rope or a carpet. As I walked around it I felt two places that were felt very flat and smooth that also would bend. At one end it felt very round and long and rough. I realized it was very large so I crawled on top which felt very round and rough. Finally they told me my time was up and I had to answer. So I said, 'To me it feels like the top of a very large piece of furniture.' Then I was brought back here."

The beggar and the other six merchants began talking about what he had been asked. When finally the seventh merchant was led in and the beggar was carried out. The seventh merchant told them when they were alone, "I was blind folded then taken out to a garden area. Then I was asked what was in front of me. I reached out and touched what was in front of me. I felt everything I could in front of me and realized it was warm also. Finally they told me my time was up and I had to answer. So I said, 'I would like to think awhile and answer before the sun sets.' Then I was brought back here."

The beggar and the other six merchants began talking about what he had been asked. When finally the beggar was led in and the all the merchants were led out. The beggar who was now being carried by the oldest merchant whispered something in his ear. When they came to the garden the rulers daughter said "You may now all have a chance to give your final answer before the sun goes down. You can keep the last one you chose or change it."

The beggar said, "It is an elephant."

The rulers daughter looked in surprise for elephants were not common to the area and she never expected the merchant to know what it was. The ruler looked at him and said, "How would you be able to guess such a thing? But the seventh merchant has not answered so he may answer still."

The merchant answered, "It is an elephant."

The rulers daughter looked at them both and knew her question had been answered correctly by both men. The beggar being the less desireable of the two to choose as a suitor. So she thought for awhile and said, "You have sat outside my gate for a long while. It is not really any question for you for surely you saw when they brought in the elephant for my question. So you must answer another question for this to be fair to everyone here."

So they took the beggar off to ask another impossible question which he could not answer before the sun set.

The next day the oldest and wisest merchant was married to the rulers daughter. They traveled home all of them including the beggar who was my father. Who lived well and taught me many of the stories of the seven merchants he use to tell stories for.

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