Among the beautiful stories that grandparents still pass down to grandchildren is the story of the young man whom the king made a knight. The story revolves around a foundling young man who didn’t own anything of this world’s possessions except a barley grain. This was the only inheritance he received from his parents. The young man decided to travel in God’s vast land searching for sustenance and adventure.
The young man set off carrying nothing for provisions except the barley grain. Darkness fell after he had walked a long distance. He knocked on a farmer’s door requesting shelter, and before sleeping, he placed the barley grain on the doorstep. Then he said to the house owner: This grain is all I own, and I hope no one steals it from me. The farmer replied: Don’t worry my son. Then he said: Be at ease, nothing is lost with us. Then the young man slept with peace of mind.
But a rooster came and picked up the barley grain with its beak. The farmer said in the morning: The rooster ate the barley grain you owned, but don’t be sad my son, and take the rooster instead of it. The young man took the rooster and walked on his way. When evening came, he requested shelter at another farm. When he expressed his concern about the rooster, the farm owner said to him: Don’t worry and sleep at ease. The young man slept, but a ram attacked the rooster and tore it to pieces.
The farmer said to him in the morning: Don’t be distressed and take the ram as a replacement for the rooster. The young man departed dragging the ram with a long rope and spent the night at another farm where a cow butted the ram and destroyed it, so he took the cow as a replacement for the ram. He continued with the cow until he reached another farm where a strong horse kicked the cow until she died, so he took the horse as a replacement for the cow.
The world couldn’t contain the young man’s joy. He jumped over the horse’s head and went directly to the king’s palace, who made him one of his brave knights. Thus, the young man lived as a brave happy knight, but he didn’t forget the barley grain he inherited from his parents, which was one of the reasons for his happiness.