Hello and welcome to Super Great Kids Stories.
Wise tales from storytellers around the world which will make you laugh and sometimes cry.
Recommended for ages 5 to 18.
105.
I'm Kim and I love stories.
Today's story is called Hecate, Queen of the Witches, and it's another story for Halloween told by Sarah Lisa Wilkinson, who also told us The Witch's Stone.
How are you super great kids?
Did you have a good week?
This week, Hindus and others in India and countries around the world have been celebrating Diwali, the festival of light.
So we've had lots of firework displays in the UK this weekend.
I went to a different sort of festival this week which was celebrating books and stories, where I met some super great kids fans and also many people who didn't know about our podcast.
So that put a skip in my step to meet some of you loyal listeners and also share tales with people new to Super Great Kids Stories.
So, hello to Aria, Alla, Ewan, Everly, Juliet, Anton, Jessica, Jonas, Piper and Orion.
And hello to Elijah, Lila Fletcher, Emmy Phoebe Jack Oscar, Hazel Caspian Amelia, Danny and Stefan.
We'll post your marvellous pictures on our Facebook page and I'll say hello to some more of you after today's story, when we fly around the world with Story Hour and greet some of our owlets.
And thanks to those of you who tuned in to our live online show to watch Jason and Amy and Masako Carey telling stories.
Masako said she really enjoyed meeting you all.
Now, today's story is a quest.
Do you know what a quest is?
It's a tale about somebody who sets off on an adventure, sometimes a bit of a dangerous one, to find something.
They might be looking for answers to a problem or for work or to find a prince or a princess.
Do you remember Bakur in Bakur and the Dragon who set off to find work and money to support his hundred children?
And then he ended up tricking a dragon and getting lots of gold to take home for his family.
Well, that was a quest story.
So here's my question while we talk to the grown-ups.
If you were going to go on a quest, I wonder what you would be looking for.
Would you want to find treasure?
Or to help someone in your family solve a problem?
Or find a robot to do all your homework?
Have a think about what you'd go out searching for if you were telling your own quest story.
Are you ready?
Off you go.
Hello, super great kids, I'm back.
Did you decide what you'd go looking for in your quest story?
Did I hear someone say doughnuts?
No.
I'm sorry, you can't put your life in danger for some doughnuts.
Now.
It's time for this week's story, which is about an old woman who goes off on a quest looking for answers to some serious questions.
So let's give a very warm welcome to Sarah Lisa Wilkinson.
Hello Super Great Kids.
This is Sarah Lisa, and today I'm going to be telling you a story from Greece.
Once upon a time, there was an old woman.
She was a sweet old woman and she made really tasty cakes.
And the reason her cakes were so tasty was because she had a clever chicken who laid delicious eggs.
One morning, when the old woman went to the chicken coop, there were no eggs.
It was very strange.
The morning after that, the same thing.
The third morning, still no eggs.
And so the old woman checked her chicken all over.
The chicken seemed fine.
She asked the chicken, has something upset you?
Then the chicken made a chicken noise.
Well, the old woman didn't know what that meant. and so there was only one thing that she could do.
She packed her remaining tasty cakes into a bag and she set off to go and ask the Undying Sun, because he sees everything and he knows everyone.
And as she was walking down a long, dry, dusty road, she saw on one side a house.
It was a humble house, but she could see even from a distance it was well kept.
And sat outside of the house on the porch were these three young men in white tragic poses.
One of them was sighing, The second of them was crying And the third of them was why-ing.
Why?
Why?
Why?
Well, thought the old woman, there is a lot going on over there. probably best not to get involved.
And so she quickened her step and she looked the other way, but the three young men saw her.
They ran towards her, calling out old woman, old woman, where are you off to with your tasty looking cakes?
And the old woman said, oh, I'm ever so sorry.
I don't have any to spare.
There's really not enough left to share.
They're an offering to the undying sun because he sees everything, doesn't he?
And so he knows everyone.
And I've got an important question for him about my chicken.
Well, when the three young men heard that, they said, Oh!
Well, if you're headed that way, could you ask him something for us as well?
Could you please ask him why it is that three young men like us well, it is us actually can't seem to find sweethearts, romantic partners.
We've been trying really hard, working at our skills and our talents.
I can cook now pretty well.
He can sew beautifully and he...
He is so funny.
Go on, tell her that joke you were telling us the other day.
And the old woman said, oh, that's fine.
No need.
No need.
I believe you.
And yes, of course, I'll ask him for you.
So on she went, down that long, dry, dusty road until she saw on the other side another house.
Now this house was larger. much finer and fancier than the first.
It had a gate and everything.
And the old woman could see through one of the windows this strange fine lady.
And she was strange because she was wearing not one, not two, but three fur coats wrapped tightly around her body and on her head.
Not one, not two, but three fur hats.
And she was still shivering and shaking all over.
And the old woman thought to herself, well, there is a lot going on over there.
Probably best not to get involved.
And so she quickened her step and she looked the other way, but the strange fine lady saw her.
She ran towards her, calling out old woman, old woman, where are you off to with your tasty looking cakes?
And the old woman said, oh, I'm ever so sorry.
I don't have any to spare.
There's really not enough.
He sees everything and he knows everyone, and I've got a question for him about my chicken oh, and this other one now that I've picked up along the way.
But when the strange fine lady heard that, she said oh well, if you're headed that way, do you think you could ask him something for me?
Could you please ask him why it is that I'm just so cold, no matter how many furs I wrap around my body?
And the old woman said, Why not?
Of course I'll ask him for you.
So on she went, on her way, walking down that long, dry, dusty road.
And now the road she was walking on was getting steeper, because she realised she was climbing up the side of a mountain.
And as the old woman climbed, she suddenly got a bad feeling.
Right on the top of her head.
And when she looked up, she saw there was a huge rock teetering on a cliff above her.
Directly above her, the old woman's life flashed before her eyes.
She sent out a beam of love towards her chicken.
But the rock didn't fall.
It just stayed there teetering and teetering, and so the old woman got her breath back.
She kept on climbing up the mountain.
But the rock saw her and called for her old woman.
Old woman, where are you off to with your tasty looking cakes?
And the old woman, ever so sorry and none to spare and just not enough left to share offering.
You see, undying sun, sees everything, knows everyone.
Question chicken two others have picked up along the way.
When the rock heard that, he said oh well, if you're headed that way, could you please ask him something for me?
Could you please ask him why it is that I cannot fall?
I've been teetering on the edge of this cliff for what feels like an age.
And the old woman said that she would, and she continued on her way until finally she got to the top of the mountain and to the house of the undying sun.
And it was lovely in there.
It was all done up in red and gold.
And there was the Undying Sun himself sat on his golden throne, combing his golden beard with his golden comb, and the old woman was so pleased.
She got on her knees.
It was a little bit difficult because they ached, but she wanted to do it out of respect and she offered the undying son her tasty cakes and she asked him all of her questions.
But then the Undying Sun looked embarrassed and he said Oh, those cakes do look really tasty, but I'm afraid I don't think I can accept them.
You know, I know.
Everyone says I see everything and know everyone, but it's not quite true because you see, I go to bed at night and I am a very sound sleeper.
So really, I only see half of what's going on.
But there is someone.
Who knows more than I do.
Who can see further than I can.
She who can see into the dark as well as the light.
She who has power down there as well as up here.
You will find her at the crossroads.
Her name is Hecate.
Hecate Oh goodness, the old woman knew all about Hecate.
Hecate was an ancient, wise, powerful goddess.
Some people thought she was a goddess of birth and life. thought.
She was a frightening goddess.
A goddess who was in charge of witches.
A goddess who was in charge of ghosts and demons.
Hecate.
The old woman trembled just thinking of her.
But she wanted to know the answers to her questions and so...
She followed the directions of the undying sun until she got to the crossroads.
And when she was at the crossroads, the moon above her was silver in the sky.
And the old woman waited, wondering what would the goddess Hecate look like.
You know, she'd heard that she had the face of a lion, the body of a snake, the horns of a bull.
She saw a shadow emerging.
And you know what?
The goddess Hecate was an old woman.
Just like her, it was a little like looking in a mirror.
Though the goddess did have robes of bright silver, just like the moon.
She had a torch in her hand and a bright band across her brow.
And Hecate lit a fire.
She provided soft cushions so the old woman's bones wouldn't get cold, and so together they sat at the crossroads.
They shared the old woman's tasty cakes and the old woman asked the goddess Hecate all of her questions and Hecate answered.
And when they were finished...
The old woman got to her feet and she began to make her way home and even though it was very late now, the dark of night, the old woman wasn't frightened.
She wasn't cold because she had been given a torch from the goddess Hecate to light her way home.
She walked down the mountain. passed where that rock was still teetering on the edge of a cliff.
As she passed the rock, the rock called for her, asking, did she have his answer?
And the old woman said, I do.
You can't fall because you are so frightened you're going to hurt someone.
And that makes sense because you are a very big rock.
But all you need to do is give us a bit of a warning down here, you know, a countdown or something.
So then we know to get out of the way.
And as she continued walking behind her, she could hear.
Three.
Two.
One and a half.
One.
I'm falling.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
She got to the bottom of the mountain and she walked down the road passing the house of the strange fine lady who, when she saw the old woman, ran out asking Did she have her answer?
The old woman said, I do.
You are clinging on so tightly to what you have.
Because you think somebody's going to take it from you.
And that is a very cold feeling to be having.
Why don't you try just taking off one of your hats, maybe one of your furs, giving them to somebody who might need them?
See how you get on.
The strange fine lady was very reluctant because all of this had been so expensive, but she wanted to try, and so she took off one of her fur hats and took off one of her fur coats and she handed them to the old woman, who thanked her very grateful.
And as the old woman continued on her way, behind her she could hear whoops and cheers, as a strange fine lady started taking off the rest of her furs, running to give them to her neighbours.
Finally.
She came to the house of the three young men and they had been sat on the porch all night waiting for her.
When they saw her coming, they ran towards her.
Did she have their answer?
And the old woman said, I do.
If you want to find some sweethearts, some romantic partners, then you are going to have to leave your house.
It's all very well working at your skills and talents, but nobody's going to know about them in there.
And the three young men said, oh, yeah.
And as she continued on her way.
Behind her she could hear them making plans for a night out on the town.
When the old woman got to her own house, that bright torch in her hand had burnt down to smouldering.
Grey ash.
She didn't go inside straight away.
She waited in the yard, her neighbour creeping in, watched as he slipped a hand into the chicken coop, took out a warm brown egg.
But she also saw how thin he was, how his clothes were hanging loose on his bony frame, and so she did nothing until the next morning, when she went round to his house and she offered him a fur hat and a fur coat.
And she made a deal that if he could possibly leave her the eggs, then she would always share with him her cakes.
Thank you very much, Sarah Lisa, for that story.
What a kind and wise old woman she was.
And brave, too, to go and search for answers from the Queen of the Witches.
Interesting that Hecate wasn't scary at all.
But she did look a lot like the old woman and not as scary as all the people had described.
I was also pleased that she helped answer lots of people's questions and sort all of their problems in one short visit.
There is a saying or proverb which is a problem shared is a problem halved, which means it's usually a good idea to share your worries with someone you trust and not keep them to yourself, where they can grow bigger and bigger and bigger inside your head.
I wonder if you could draw a picture of Hecate, Queen of the Witches, with her robes of silver and a bright band across her head.
Or the kind old woman carrying Hecate's torch of flames to light her way back home.
You know, that bit of the story reminded me of the story I tell about Baba Yaga when Vasilisa walks back from Baba Yaga's hut carrying the glowing embers to her stepmom and stepsisters.
And now it's time to fly around the world with StoryOwl and say hello and thank you to all the owlets who've recently subscribed and joined our storytelling club.
We start in Canada. and say hello to Jessica who lives in White Rock in British Columbia.
She's been listening since she was three and she joined the Owlets Club for her sixth birthday.
Her favourite stories are The Ghost of the Bloody Finger and Why Crocodiles Sleep with Their Mouths Open.
Yes, that is a very funny one, Jessica.
And let's fly south now to Arlington Heights in the US state of Illinois.
Where Sophia G, who's seven and three quarters, listens in the car on the way to swimming practice and also before bed.
She loves the tale Bonita the Tricky Sheep and all of the super great scary stories.
And let's flip-flap-fly up to Minnesota now, where five-year-old Genevieve or Gigi listens every night before bed.
Her favourite story is Stone Soup.
And now let's head across the sea to the Netherlands, where Aria used to listen in the car on the way to school.
But now that she usually cycles, hooray, she listens when she's at home instead.
She likes hearing about other owlets, especially the ones from the US where her family used to live.
Her favourite story is the Scottish traveller tale Fox and Dog.
Yes, that was a very thoughtful story, wasn't it?
Back across the ocean to Columbus in the US state of Georgia to say hello to Alyssa, who just became an owlet for her sixth birthday, after asking for a long time.
Well done for being so patient, Alyssa.
Her favourites are the Mermaid's Gift and Eggshell Soup.
And flying to the UK now let's say hello to some super great fans who I met at the Cheltenham Festival.
Hello to Lenny, who is four and a half, and Matilda, who is two, from King Stanley in Gloucestershire in the UK.
And heading west to Cardiff in beautiful Wales, let's say hello to Sebastian, who is seven.
Great to meet you and your dad, Sebastian.
Sebastian says he likes all the stories and they enjoy the story Nora and the ackee fruit because ackee fruit with saltfish is a popular meal in their home.
And hello to Owlets from Cheltenham, Ash who is eight and his sister who is 13.
The family have enjoyed listening to the stories since COVID and lockdown.
And they particularly enjoy listening when driving across Europe from the UK to Germany.
Some of their family favourites include the Old Woman and the Pig Stone Soup, Eggshell Soup, Butterball and a Nancy and the Hot Pepper Soup.
Good choices.
Lots of soup going on there.
And let's head south in the UK now to say hello to Fox and Autumn from Brighton.
Fox is nearly nine and Autumn is nearly five.
They are both big Super Great Story fans.
Thank you for sending your mum to say hello to me at the Cheltenham Festival.
It was lovely to meet her.
And our Pick of the Week picture is inspired by the Scottish traveller story Fox and Dog.
It was drawn by nine-year-old Xanthi, who lives in Devon here in the UK.
Xanthi has drawn a beautiful, very realistic picture of the fox in that story, complete with twitching whiskers and a little black nose, white tipped ears and kind gentle eyes.
A great talent you've got there, Xanthi.
Thank you for sharing your picture with us.
Do send any of your pictures inspired by stories on our podcast.
Maybe you could draw Hecate, Queen of the Witches, or maybe the strange fine lady wrapped in furs with several fur hats perched on her head.
Or send any other pictures inspired by the podcast to our website or to our Facebook page.
Facebookcom forward slash supergreatkidstories.
And Story Owl will reply to you and post them.
That will get her hooting with delight.
And thanks to all of you who are subscribing to our podcast.
If you're an Apple subscriber and you'd like a shout out, do contact us on supergreatkidsstoriescom.
Apple don't supply us with your details, so we rely on you getting in touch with us.
We really appreciate all our owlets who support us on Apple and on Patreon.
It helps us to pay our storytellers and it gives you access to all the Super Great, Scary Stories and, depending on your level of subscription, to nearly 60 bonus stories.
Plus, you'll get access to our Super Great Kids Stories Express. which cuts straight to the story.
Great for listening to stories back to back.
Visit our website for more details, supergreatkidsstories.com.
That's it for now.
Except to remind you that, if you live in North America, it's not long until the launch of our super great book in just over a week's time, on November 4th.
Lots of you have been very kind in pre-ordering our book of 30 of your favourite tales, which we're very grateful for.
It means that the booksellers have shown an interest in our book and bookshops have ordered more books as a result.
Lovely.
Thank you very much.
And if you're interested in our book and you haven't yet pre-ordered it, you do get a discount and it helps our book to get noticed.
Keep telling those stories and singing your songs.
Have a happy week.
I hope you enjoyed Diwali if you were celebrating.
Bye for now.
Ciao, ciao.
This podcast was produced by Kim Normanton and David Smith at Wardour Studios in fabulous Fitzrovia in London.
