The Three Wizards

The following tale has been passed down through the generations, and is theorized to have been written some time in the early Second Era. Though it does not feature in the Celestine Codex, it gained its fame through folk-tale accounts and word of mouth. It remains one of the most popular and well-known fairy tales throughout all of Galoria.

Summary

Once upon a time, three wizards were on their way to meet the Queen. The eldest was a master of necromancy, and had long dreamed of attaining immortality. The second eldest was a master of evocation, and had long dreamed of becoming the most powerful caster in the land. The youngest was a master of nothing, still an apprentice to the other two and with no goals of his own.
Along the way, the three wizards came across an owl caught in a trap.
"How stupid of it." Said the eldest wizard.
"Survival of the fittest." Said the middle wizard.
"I think we should free it." Said the youngest wizard, and so he convinced his two masters to help set the owl free. They complied.
When the owl was freed of the trap, it transformed into a beautiful prince. "Thank you," said the prince, "for I was a god trapped in animal form. As thanks, I shall grant you one wish each."
"Then I wish you to make me immortal." Said the eldest wizard. But the prince had overheard this wizard's prior chatter, and knew that deep down inside he was cruel-hearted. With a snap of their fingers, the eldest wizard was turned to stone.
"There. Now he can exist till the end of days." Said the prince.
The middle wizard was enraged by this trickery, his hands alight with flame. "I wish you to make me the greatest hunter." he declared. But the prince knew that the middle wizard intended to get revenge. With a snap of their fingers, the middle wizard was turned into a fox.
"There. There is no greater hunter than wealth in cunning." Said the prince.
The youngest wizard fell to his knees, and threw up his hands in mercy. "Please, prince," he begged through tears, "you have turned my masters into stone and beast. I wish upon you no ill will, I beg of you to spare me from your wrath."
To that, the prince simply stooped low and gave the youngest their cloak.
"Then you shall walk by my side." Said the prince, and the two journeyed to meet the Queen together.

Historical Basis

Much of the story's conventions are typical of children's tales of the time. A moral, a fantastic element, and the presence of the first two villainous characters who are punished to highlight the goodness of the third. It is generalized that this story was written simply to teach children the moral of kindness and being careful what one wishes for, though some historians speculate that the owl-prince is a metaphor for Enoreth, the god of time known to 'bless as he taketh away'.

Children's Tales?

Though considered a story to tell to young kids nowadays, these myths are surprisingly common in editions of the Celestine Codex. However, most of them remain apocrypha.