Legend of Piedmont - Italy (Erasmus N.E.E.D.S project)

The earl's beard

Parchment

Pocapaglia is a village on a steep hill it's so small and nice and still.&nbsp; Its inhabitants are said to hang, on the hens' queus,&nbsp;bags&nbsp; in order not to lose the eggs. Pocapaglia's inhabitants are so calm that it's easy to make fun “They all know that in Pocapaglia donkeys whistle&nbsp; humans squirtle".

Masino asked the shoemaker “How many shoes have you made this month?” The shoemaker said “Not even one”.

Masino was the cleverest of Pocapaglia's inhabitants, he was not well-built, but he was not home in that period, he was fighting in a war. At his birth, his mum bathed him into hot wine in order to make him bright his father added a horseshoe&nbsp;to make him like an iron floe&nbsp;finally he slept into a chestnut shell&nbsp;so to become an intelligent cell.

horseshoe = strenght hot wine = foxiness chestnut shell = intelligence

Masino then resumed his journeys.

The peasants came back to the square and decided to write a letter to Masino who was fighting in Africa.

“The Earl!” The peasants asked “How have you caught him?” Masino explained “All of you were to the barber's so the hair you found couldn't be yours; the shoe-hints couldn't be yours because you haven't got enough money to buy shoes; it couldn't be a ghost because a ghost wouldn't need a rope to tie the stolen animals”.

Farmers decided to go and ask for help from the Earl of Pocapaglia.&nbsp; He refused to send his soldiers to help them or otherwise who would play bingo with him at night?

Farmers found some hints in the woods: tufts of fur, hair pins, and&nbsp;shoes hints spread here and there.

Masino slept a few hours, then went into the woods alone, looking for Masca Micilina.

At that time, cows coming back from pasture were stolen by Masca Micilina (a legendary witch from Piedmont). So peasants preferred their cows to stay in stables, but the cows became slimmer and slimmer.

Masino asked the Barber “How many people have come to you this month?" The Barber said “Quite everyone”.

The Earl was punished. He had to give the animals back to the farmers, he had to clean the stabs and bring them firewood.

At sunrise, Masino came back to the square and....who was he pulling by his beard?

Masino asked the rope-maker “How many ropes have you sold this month?” The rope maker said “All the ropes I had”.

One night, while the peasants were crying around a bonfire, Masino arrived. They hugged him and asked him lots of questions. Masino told about his life and adventures and added that he had never seen more fearful people than those in Pocapaglia.

Name

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