Reading Notes: The Sorcerer of the White Lotus Lodge, Part B

The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921).

A sorcerer was very powerful and developed many students as many wished to learn his powers. One day, he left with a bowl covering another bowl and told the students not too look what was inside but to watch it. As soon as he was out the door, the students uncovered it to only find clear water with a mini boat on it. They touched it, and it fell over. They quickly fixed it and recovered the bowl. They turned around to see the sorcerer asking why they disobeyed him, to which they tried to lie and say they didn't. He told them because of this, his ship capsized at sea.

The sorcerer left again, this time with a candle and told them to watch it to make sure the wind does not blow it out. After two days, the students became sleepy and when they awoke they saw the candle was out. They relit the candle, only to see the sorcerer asking why they disobeyed him again. He told them because of this, he was forced to walk 15 miles in the dark.

A student insulted the sorcerer, and he told the student to go feed the pigs. As soon as he walked into the pig room, the sorcerer turned him into a pig and sold him to a butcher. The son's father came looking for him, but the sorcerer said he left along time ago. Another student told the father what happened. Fearing the sorcerer, the father did not have him arrested but had him surrounded and seized by a thousand soliders who took the sorcerer, wife, and child to the capitol.

On their way, they encountered a giant angry monster. The sorcerer said only his wife could stop him, so they unchained her, only for her to be eaten by the giant. This happened to the son, and then the sorcerer. Suddenly, the monster was calm and walked away - leaving the soldiers to realize they had been tricked.

Tim the Enchanter

After thoughts

A lot could be done with this story. The kid turned into a pig could have been the one influencing all the other students to disobey the sorcerer, and that is why he was turned into a pig. The sorcerer could have been testing if he could trust the students with a simple task, and if not then they could not handle magic. The sorcerer didn't seem to be taking his job to seriously, and it made me think of the ridiculous Tim the Enchanter from the Holy Grail.