Jakopo's Hair

A myth

 Jakopo’s Hair

Jakopo had the longest, softest, and shiniest hair in all the forest. Where ever he went people would marvel at his hair. His hair was so amazing that Raven would tell Lion that he would trade anything, even his beautiful rainbow feathers for hair that amazing. Even Dolphin and Panda who though everyone else beneath them envied Jakopo and his beautiful hair.

One day, while Jakopo was walking by the waterfall, he saw the most beautiful woman in the forest. She was so pale she almost seemed albino and she had flowing golden hair like Lion’s mane. He could see only her head through the mist, so he moved closer for a better look, but he stepped on a stick.

The pale maiden moved like an arrow from a bow through the mists and out the other side. Jakopo called to her, telling her that he was sorry and didn’t mean to scare her. She kept running though, and Jakopo was too slow to follow.

That night Jakopo couldn’t sleep and so he went to talk to his friend Owl, the wisest creature in the forest. He told Owl what he had seen that day and about the mysterious girl by the waterfall.

“Jakopo, my friend,” he intoned. “The maiden you saw was Megalla, the forever young. She was the shaman for the first village of the forest, some say, she was the daughter of the Sky Spirit and Earth Mother, but it is known that she was the most powerful shaman that the forest has ever known. She fell in love with the first chief’s son, but it was known and understood by all the village that he was in love only with himself. He did fall in lover with though, but young love is a foolish thing. So, one day, he decided to prove once and for all that he loved her by swimming up the waterfall. Before he could be stopped, he raced to the waterfall and started swimming up it. He was almost to the top, when he suddenly fell towards the bottom. Megalla’s heart broke that day and she decided to give up her powers, to stay young and beautiful until she meets her true love,” Owl finished.

Jakopo sat there thinking of Owl’s Story about Megalla until the sun began to rise. As the first spears of light broke through the trees Jakopo was struck by an idea. He left Owl without a word as he ran as fast as he could to the waterfall.

When he got there he saw Megalla sitting on a rock humming quietly as she faced the waterfall.

“Who is that,” she asked as he approached her.

He proclaimed loudly, “I am Jakopo. I have hair so beautiful Panda and Dolphin are jealous and you are Megalla, the forever young.”

“I know who I am you spinner of tales. Everyone knows Panda and Dolphin envy no one, but themselves,” she snapped.

“Ah, but I am not lying. Turn around and see for yourself.”

As Megalla turned her head to yell at him, the words left her tongue as she saw that he was telling the truth and that even Panda and Dolphin must even the magnificence of his hair.

“What would you trade for your hair,” she asked him.

He asked her for her shaman magic and the ability to speak to spirits. She told him that she would think about it and to come to Bear’s cave when the sun reaches it’s highest point tomorrow to hear her answer.

Hotheaded Naked Ice borer heard this exchange and went to tell Lion for such important information could only be entrusted to someone large yet hardworking and cunning like Lion he thought. Upon hearing this information Lion decided to tell Hippo for no one was smarter then Hippo. Hippo went to tell Raccoon because he trusted Raccoon with everything. Raccoon went to tell Owl because he was the wisest in the forest. Owl told Spider for no one was better at finding hidden meanings then Spider.

        When Jakopo arrived at Bear’s cave the next day, a few minutes before the sun reached its peak, almost the entire forest was there. They had heard that Jakopo was willing to trade a single strand of his hair to any animal that was willing to offer him something he really wanted. The animals began to shout and yell making their offers for his hair, but Jakopo has eyes only for Magalla.

        “I agree, and will only take a single strand of your hair, but only if you agree to marry me,” Magalla told him.

        Upon hearing this, the other animals started to offer up whatever they could to Jakopo. Hippo would trade his brains, Raven all his beautiful rainbow colored feathers, Panda his home, Dolphin his legs, and on and on they offered. 

        Jakopo was becoming overwhelmed at all these offers and so he quieted all the animals down before shouting, “I will trade one strand of my hair to every animal in the forest for that which they consider to be there most important possession.” He then lifted his hand up into the air to show all the silky strands he held.

        Jakopo traded with all the animals, taking one thing from each of them and giving them a strand of hair except for Spider. When he asked Spider what he would trade him, Spider told him he didn’t want any of his hair and walked off. He finished as the sun was setting and wished all the animals a good night and told Megalla to meet him at the same spot at the same time the next day and walked off.

        The next day Megalla came to Bear’s cave and waited until the sun set, yet she never saw Jakopo. Fearing the worst, she went to talk to Owl, but he hadn’t seen him either. That night all the animals Megalla could find assisted in her search for Jakopo, but when the sun began to rise, he still hadn’t been found.

        Knowing that Spider was the best at finding lost and hidden things, Megalla went to ask Spider if she knew where Jakopo was. “Spider,” she asked, “have you seen Jakopo since he traded away his hair?”

        “No, but I see a forest full of animals that don’t have what they think they do,” she told Jakopo.

        Puzzled by this answer, Megalla asked Spider what she meant.

        “I mean that everyone is running around with my silk,” Spider responded.

        Still confused, Megalla asked Spider to clarify

        “Jakopo tricked you my darling. Not just you though, he tricked everyone. You see, two nights ago Jakopo came to me and asked me if I would make him as many hair length threads as I could by morning. Now normally I wouldn’t do something like that, making thread is absolutely exhausting and I usually only do it for my webs, but he offered to trade me something,” she explained. “He told me he would give me one thread of his hair if I would make him enough threads for everyone in the forest. I couldn’t just refuse such a generous offer so I did what he asked. I thought I knew what he was going to do, but taking everyone’s most valued treasure’s and then leaving was quite an audacious plan.”

        After hearing what Spider said, Megalla left wordlessly to tell the rest of the forest. The uproar this caused was tremendous and for the next month every hour not spent sleeping was used to look for Jakopo. The creatures of the forest looked high and low, far and wide, and even left the forest, but Jakopo was never found.

Author's Note

Just a silly little thing I wrote for school earlier this year.