Ricktell and the Golden Sword

Ricktell and the Golden Sword, Ricktell the Fool, or The Foolish Misadventures of Ricktell, is a classic Vermoni children's tale that centers around the misadventures of Ricktell as he navigates the mountains and searches for his voice. It has an agreed cultural impact of being the one to introduce the concept of the Golden Sword, which is a plot device or object that has perceived value, but not only not exists but also would realistically not even be able to accomplish its goal if it did exist.

Themes

The tale is believed to be a lesson on not deluding oneself in fantasy and having a realistic understanding and acceptance of one's own limitations. There is also the evident theme of misplaced trust and self-delusion present throughout, as Ricktell is in denial that he could have been fooled by the mysterious stranger he comes across at the beginning of the tale. Some subliminal themes also include present anti-war rhetoric, which is noticeably unique for stories in this time period, specifically when Ricktell comes across the remains of a battlefield and promptly runs in horror. This idea of foreshadowing has been discussed by literary scholars as a metaphor for contrast between reality and romanticization of violence by others. The implied reason is believed that Ricktell and the dead soldiers share a similar gruesome fate due to their blind following of others' instructions, not being able to think critically for themselves and being swept up by romanticized desires.

Summary

The plot goes that one day in early Spring, a daga named Ricktell is plowing the fields of a topside farm near his burrow, when suddenly he is approached by a human traveller who asks him for directions. Ricktell being a dagavirm, cannot asnwer the man since he is unable to speak, so he tries writing that he cannot speak so he must draw a map. The traveller just laughs and tells Ricktell that he is the first daga he has ever met who cannot speak. Bewildered, Ricktell questions the man on how he too can speak. The man replies that for a daga to speak, he must find his Golden Sword, which is only found at the highest of mountain peaks. Then, after using it to slay a mighty Brenton, he will have his voice and be able to speak.

Ricktell foolishly believes the traveller whom he did not know and so he gathered his things and journeyed up to the peak of his closest mountain. Upon reaching the peak, he found that he saw another mountain which was even taller than the one he stood on. And so he travelled to that mountain instead. After reaching the top of the mountain, after a long and tiresome journey, Ricktell stood at the top of the mountain he believed was the tallest. Only to realize a second later that there was, indeed, another mountain which doubled his mountain's size.

This cycle continued on for some time before finally Ricktell found a mountain where he could safely assume it to be the tallest in the lands. He proudly set up camp, eagerly waiting for his chance to find the golden sword, which would grant him his voice. Days passed, moons rose and fell, and still Ricktell found no sword, even after venturing far from camp and looking up and down. Despite the man's obvious lie being apparent, Ricktell had convinced himself otherwise. And so, faithfully trusting the man and determined to gain his own voice, Ricktell thought to himself that, of course, it must be because he had not truly found the highest mountain.

And so Ricktell continued to travel, determined to find the highest of highest mountains, endlessly wandering until he suddenly stumbled upon the site of a battle. A desolate battlefield where many lay dead; those who had died, strewn across the landscape, forgotten and lonely in death. Horrified by what he saw, Ricktell ran and ran until he stumbled upon a dead soldier, stabbed in the back by a long, bronze sword. Ricktell, enthralled by the sight, removed the sword from the daga's back and wielded it proudly. He had finally found, what he thought to be, his golden sword.

After finding his sword, Ricktell set off to find the elusive Brenton and slay the beast. Most variations of the story begin at this point however, with Ricktell either slaying mistakenly attacking a farmer's livestock, running into some other mountain predator and being mauled, slipping and falling onto his own sword, or even getting tricked by the Brenton into going back after the traveller who sent him and attacking him to find his voice. However all variations end with Ricktell not only not finding his voice, but also meeting an ironic end.

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