After Raymond Roussel
Canterel:
Canterel:
Once upon a time, Prince Rolfsen lived near Eidsvold. He was known for his magnanimity and integrity.
Rolfsen, immensely wealthy, tenderly loved his daughter Ulfra, but he had been forced to disown his eleven sons, wicked young men full of base and cruel instincts.
After Rolfsen's death, all his possessions passed to the virtuous Ulfra.
Enraged, the eleven brothers went to the evil sorceress Gunvere and begged her to kill Ulfra through some kind of witchcraft.
She could only transform them into a dove for a period of one year.
But during this time, the eleven brothers could easily kill her if they succeeded in finding her in the Kingdom of Birds, where she would spend her entire exile.
The sorceress gave them a bird that was supposed to lead them to the Kingdom of Birds.
She also told them about a flying sphere of water whose shadow would be deadly if struck by it.
She revealed to them a Kabbalistic word that would protect them from this deadly danger at their destination.
For a year, the brothers lived a life of luxury, enjoying the carefree present without worrying about the future.
Only a few days before the fateful date did they remember the impending danger, set out, and follow the bird flying ahead.
They finally reached the forest, filled with the beating of wings and birdsong.
Suddenly, to their horror, they saw the danger the witch had foretold.
The water sphere and its deadly shadow instantly killed the bird that had flown ahead.
In vain they searched for the comforting word they had forgotten in their countless revels.
Shaking with horror, the young men tried to flee from the menacing aerial entity that relentlessly pursued them.
Hovering above the sphere to escape its lethal shadow, a dove dipped its beak into it and greedily drank the dreadful, floating water to the last drop.
The brothers realized they were facing Ulfra and understood their wrongdoing.