Episode 4 - The Little Sister of the Giants; A Fairy Tale from Brazil About a Jealous Queen, Three Giant Brothers, and the Wild Amazonian Jungle; Episode 4 of FIreside Folklore with Hades

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Hades: Greetings, seekers of the extraordinary and narrators of captivating chronicles! You've journeyed through the astral expanse and arrived at the threshold of our fourth episode of "Fireside Folklore with Hades". This is where we breathe life into ageless tales and folklore, echoing through the corridors of history.

Guiding you through these mesmerizing narratives, I remain your dedicated host, Hades, the Monarch of the Underworld, your guardian of mysteries, and the conductor of the cryptic.

Joining me on this journey are my exceptional co-hosts. My vibrant companion, Persephone, the Goddess of Spring, whose allure rivals the breathtaking beauty of Brazil's Iguazu Falls. And our wise nephew, Hermes, the Envoy of the Gods and, crucially for me, the Psychopomp. Don't worry if this term seems intricate – Hermes is essentially our guide, escorting souls between realms and helping us navigate these captivating tales.

Tonight, we embark on a new adventure, diving into the heart of Brazilian folklore to uncover the riveting tale of "The Little Sister of the Giants". So gather close, let the dance of the flames create enigmatic shadows, and prepare for a thrilling journey into the realm of whispered lore and uncanny folklore. Friends, let the storytelling begin!

Persephone: Hello everyone, I'm excited to journey with you to Brazil to hear this tale which in some ways, resembles that of Snow White. 

Zeus: Snow White? Bah! This tale makes Snow White look like a lullaby for toddlers! 

Persephone: [Chuckling] Oh Dad!

Hermes: I never thought we'd be venturing to Brazil! You know, Uncle Hades, I've gotta say that you've really been searching the far corners of the world for stories, and it's quite impressive. From the towering mountains to the deepest jungles, there's not a stone left unturned or a story left untold. It truly feels like we're creating a treasury of global tales here, each one as unique and vibrant as the last.

Hades: Well thank you, Hermes. It's a pleasure telling these tales and bringing gods and mortals together. Now, let's hear the fun facts you have for us about Brazil. 

Hermes: Absolutely! Here are the fun facts I learned about Brazil. 

1.    59.4% of the Amazon Rainforest is located within Brazil's borders. The rainforest is an abode for a myriad of creatures and is sometimes referred to as the lungs of the Earth due to the significant amount of oxygen it contributes to the Earth's atmosphere. However, it is under threat due to deforestation for cattle grazing and palm oil production.

2.    For the past 150 years, Brazil has been the world's largest producer of coffee, making up approximately 30% of the world's total coffee production.

3.    Brazil hosts the largest carnival in the world. Each year, more than two million people come to Rio De Janeiro to enjoy dancing, parades, and singing. It’s definitely not something to be missed!

Hades: And I thought the Day of the Dead was popular! Now then, let us introduce the cast members for today’s story. Our beloved image maker will be played by Dionysus. His daughter Angelita will be played by Aphrodite. The stepmother will be played by Athena. The giants will be played by Poseidon, Ares, and Zeus.

Zeus: What? I get a role? By the gods! I get a role!

Hades: [Chuckles] Yes brother, this time you do indeed get a role. 

And we have Hestia playing the wicked witch, and Apollo playing the prince. Other roles will be played by the cast as necessary. Now let us begin our tale. 

Once upon a time, there lived an image-maker, his daughter Angelita, and his second wife. 

Hermes: I thought an image-maker was someone who made mirrors or painted portraits, but it turns out that it’s more like a PR manager—someone who helps maintain the good image of a high-ranking official. 

Hades: Indeed. Now, Angelita was a very beautiful girl. Her eyes sparkled like diamonds, her hair was smoother than silk, and her smile? Why her smile was more beautiful than the brightest rainbow. As she grew older, her beauty multiplied tenfold, and the stepmother began to grow jealous. She would often ask the image-maker,

Athena: Whom do you love more? Your child or your wife? 

Hades: He wisely replied,

Dionysus: You, my beautiful wife. You are peerless. 

Hades: And when she would ask, 

Athena: Whom do you find more beautiful? Your child or your wife? 

Hades: He always replied, 

Dionysus: You, my darling wife. Always you, for you, my dear, are peerless. 

Hades: His constant reassurance kept the jealous woman’s blood from boiling, and so long as the image-maker was alive, Angelita was protected and led a relatively joyful life. One day, however, the image-maker was in a buggy accident and died. Both the wife and his daughter mourned his loss and tried to get on with their lives as best as they could. One day, while they were at the market, however, they heard two passersby converse. 

Hestia: That woman is beautiful, 

Dionysus: but the young maiden is prettier than all in the land. 

Hades: The stepmother flew into a jealous rage and locked poor little Angelita in the attic of the home. It had nothing but a tiny window high up near its ceiling. 

Aphrodite: I’ll find a way to open that window. 

Hades: She managed to carve footholds into the wall, and slowly scaled up to the window. Though it took great effort, she pushed it open with a squeal. As she looked out, she spotted her stepmother sunbathing on the balcony. The older woman smiled suggestively at two soldiers as they passed by. 

Aphrodite: Father hasn’t been gone even a month and she is already looking to find another. 

Hades: As Angelita watched, both soldiers turned to the woman as she relaxed on the balcony and said, 

Apollo: Though she is quite pretty, 

Ares: None can compare to the beautiful young maid she has imprisoned in the attic.

Hades: Insulted beyond belief, the vengeful stepmother told her servant, 

Athena: Take Angelita deep into the jungle and kill her, then cut off the tip of her tongue and bring it back to me so I will know that you have done as I have asked. 

Hades: Weeping, the servant took Angelita on a walk. 

Aphrodite: Where are we going? 

Zeus: We’re going on a walk in the jungle for your health, yayazinha. 

Hades: However, as they traveled deeper and deeper into the untamed jungle, Angelita began to feel a sense of dread. 

Aphrodite: Please tell me what’s really going on, or I won’t go a step further. 

Zeus: yayazinha, your stepmother has asked me to kill you and cut off the tip of your tongue then bring it back to her to prove that I have done it. I could never harm you, yayazinha, but I know not what to do!

Aphrodite: Here is what you must do. Catch one of the dogs that wander about the streets, cut off its tongue, and bring it back to my stepmother. She will never be the wiser about where it has come from.

Zeus: Very well. That’s what I will do. Good luck, yayazinha. May the spirit of the jungle be good to you. 

Hades: Little Angelita walked on and on, deeper and deeper into the jungle. As she walked, the poisonous green snakes slithered out of her way, while parrots, monkeys, frogs, and insects chattered and sang to keep her spirits up. After many hours of walking, she came upon a magnificent palace whose turrets stood taller than any she had ever seen. Though she knocked upon the door several times, there was no answer. Finally, she tried the door and was pleased when it opened easily to reveal an expansive foyer larger than the home she had left behind. As she entered, she saw, to her great dismay, that the room, and in fact, the entire palace was filthy. 

Aphrodite: Perhaps if I clean up this palace, the occupants will let me stay. Though I know not who lives here, it would be a far more comfortable existence than sleeping in the jungle. 

Hades: And so, she cleaned diligently, and by the time night had fallen, the palace was completely spotless. She found a bedroom and managed to jump up onto the large bed. She tucked herself in and was soon fast asleep. 

Poseidon: Brothers, look what we have here!

Hades: A booming voice said, awakening little Angelita at once. She looked up into the eyes of a large giant. He was accompanied by his two giant brothers, a middle-sized giant and a little giant, who really wasn’t that little at all. 

Ares: What brings you so deep into the jungle, little sister? 

Aphrodite: Oh, good giants, my stepmother wanted to kill me because others said I was more beautiful than she. Please may I stay here with you so that I might be protected from her wrath and kept far away from her? 

Zeus: What do you say, brothers? Shall we take in this little sister? 

Poseidon: If you will clean for us as you have done today, and cook our meals, then we will protect you and allow you to stay. 

Hades: Angelita was thrilled and readily agreed to the arrangement. 

Ares: It’s settled then. Welcome to our home, little sister. 

Hades: And things went well for quite some time until a little bird flew over the stepmother’s home and sang, 

Hermes: In vain, you claim your beauty supreme, Yet, Angelita thrives in jungle's green gleam! In the giant's palace, her charm they adore, Her virtue and grace, impossible to ignore!

Athena: That servant was a wimp and a liar! I can’t believe he didn’t kill that brat Angelita as I asked him to! Well, I’ll just have to do it myself!

Hades: In a fit of rage, the wicked stepmother visited an old evil witch who lived on the outskirts of the city in a ramshackle hut. This crone was all-too happy to help the stepmother with her murderous plans. 

Hestia: Give her this pair of poisoned slippers. As soon as she slips them on, she will die!

Athena: Oh, thank you! I shall soon be the most beautiful woman in the land, and truly peerless very soon. 

Hades: The vain and spiteful stepmother didn’t waste a single moment. She set off at once, plunging deep into the jungle and cutting a path for herself with her machete. This time, poisonous snakes hissed, monkeys threw rocks, and birds squawked right in her ear, for you see, animals know when evil is approaching. Undeterred, the stepmother’s determination and sheer force of will allowed her to continue her trek until she reached the palace of the giants. She knocked on the door, putting on a mournful look. When Angelita opened the door, she was surprised and fearful when she saw her stepmother on the other side of the door. 

Athena: My daughter! 

Hades: The woman called out quickly, raising a hand to prevent Angelita from shutting the door again. 

Athena: I was wrong to have let my jealousy get the better of me. I am so glad that my servant did not kill you, for if he had, it would have broken my heart. Please let me offer you this gift as a token of my goodwill. Your father had them made for you before he died, but I never gave them to you because of my jealousy. 

Hades: This cunning woman put on such a convincing performance that Angelita opened the door (and her heart) to her at once. They embraced and Angelita took the gift, which was in a little box tied with a pretty pink ribbon. Angelita opened the box once her stepmother had left, revealing a pair of leather slippers. Though they looked rather plain and at least a generation out of style, Angelita smiled because she had been misled into believing that her father had had them made for her. She quickly put them on and in a flash, she fell down onto the floor, as though dead. 

When the giants came home that night, they were puzzled. 

Poseidon: Why are there fingerprints on the door? 

Ares: And why are there smudges on the floor? 

Zeus: And why is there no smell of deer cooking upon the fire?

Hades: Worried about their little sister, the giants searched the palace until they came to Angelita’s bedroom, where they found her on the floor as though asleep. However, when they leaned over her, they could not detect a breath. 

Poseidon: We must bury her, brothers. 

Ares: Let us make a coffin. 

Zeus: I cannot bear the thought of her being eaten by the jungle animals. Let us keep her here and look upon her with fondness. 

Hades: And so, the three giants made a beautiful coffin and placed poor Angelita within it. Then, they placed her in their garden, so she might be surrounded by the beautiful flowers she loved best. 

One day, a prince was out hunting and he got lost. He found his way to the palace of the giants. As he strolled through the garden, waiting for the owners to arrive and give him directions, his eyes fell upon Angelita. 

Apollo: She is my maiden and future queen! I can feel it in my heart, and I shall have no other. 

Hades: As the prince looked at the maiden once more, he noticed the sandals upon her feet. 

Apollo: Those are the ugliest sandals I have ever seen. She shall not wear those.

Hades: And without a second thought, he took them off and threw them out the window. No sooner had he removed the slippers then Angelita opened her eyes and sat up as though nothing had happened. 

Aphrodite: Who are you and what happened? 

Apollo: I am Prince Paulo, my good lady, and I found you here in this palace, lying in a coffin with a pair of very ugly sandals upon your feet. When I took them off, you awoke, hale and unharmed. 

Aphrodite: So, my stepmother did try to kill me. I should never have trusted her. I thank you for saving me, Prince Paulo. 

Apollo: The pleasure is all mine, dear lady. 

Hades: And so, with the giants’ blessing, the two were wed, and a big feast was held in celebration of their union. And though Angelita became a great queen, she never did forget her brothers, the kindly giants who lived in the jungle, and visited them often. As for the wicked stepmother, when she found out about Angelita’s good fortune, she became so consumed by jealousy that it poisoned her from the inside out and she fell down dead on the spot. 

And that, my dear listeners, is the story of the Little Sister of the Giants. It teaches us that good triumphs over evil, and jealousy will be the death of you. It, like anger, is akin to drinking poison and expecting your rival to be harmed by it. 

Persephone: What a story! I’m so glad that Angelita got her happily-ever-after. I think her triumph over the evil stepmother calls for a celebration, wouldn’t you agree? As a nod to the wedding feast, this week, we’ll be making Brigadeiros. These chocolate truffles are a favorite treat in Brazil, loved by both kids and grown-ups. Brigadeiros have a really fun history! They were named after a nice man called Brigadier Eduardo Gomes.

A long time ago, in Brazil, there was going to be an election for president. Brigadier Eduardo Gomes was running to be the president of Brazil! The people supporting him in the election wanted to raise money, so they started selling these yummy chocolate sweets.

They called them “Brigadeiros” after Eduardo Gomes! Even though he didn’t win the election, the name stuck, and Brazilians have been enjoying Brigadeiros ever since.

Making brigadeiros is really easy and fun! Here is what you will need:

·         1 can of condensed milk

·         1 tablespoon of butter

·         1 tablespoon of cocoa powder

·         Chocolate sprinkles (optional)

First, ask a grown-up to help you combine the condensed milk, butter, and cocoa powder in a pot. Mix it all together and cook it over low heat.

Keep stirring the mixture slowly with a spoon. It will start to get thick and bubbly after about 10 minutes. This means it's almost done!

After 15 minutes, take the pot off the heat. Now comes the fun part - rolling the brigadeiros!

Let the mixture cool a bit so you don't burn your fingers. Then grease your hands with a little butter and scoop up a teaspoon of the brigadeiro mixture.

Roll it into a little ball between your hands. Make as many balls as you can with the mixture.

If you want to add sprinkles, roll each ball in the sprinkles so they stick.

Now comes the best part - eating them! Pop a brigadeiro ball in your mouth and enjoy the chocolatey goodness. Yum!

Store any leftover brigadeiros in the fridge. The balls will keep for up to a week, so you can enjoy them again later.

I hope you have fun making these tasty treats! If you’d like to share pictures or tell me how yours came out, feel free to E-mail me at Persephone@firesidefolklorewithhades.com. 

Hades: Wonderful! Those sound simply delicious. Or was that deliciously simple? Now, before he gives me a hard time about leaving him out, Zeus? Brother, please do tell us who is sponsoring the podcast this week. 

Zeus: This week, the sponsor of our show is Hermes’s Heaven-Heeled Slippers!

Hermes: Hermes's Heaven-Heeled Slippers? I was supposed to get royalties for that! 

Zeus: Tired of walking at a mortal's pace? Ready to traverse the heavens in the blink of an eye? Introducing Hermes' Heaven-Heeled Slippers, sandals blessed by the messenger god himself to gift you with divine speed. Just slip them on and you'll be racing down the highway to Hades or zipping up Mount Olympus faster than Zeus can throw a thunderbolt. With these sandals strapped, you'll leave Hermes in the dust. Light as a feather and durable as Hephaestus' armor, Hermes' Heaven-Heeled Slippers will transform your morning commute into a mythic journey. Leave traffic jams behind and breeze through your day with the speed of the gods. Hermes' Heaven-Heeled Slippers: when you need to get places in a flash.

Hades: We’ll definitely need to find some better sponsors for the next one. Well, I think that’s all we have for tonight, folks. Thank you all for gathering around the fire with me to…

Persephone: Dad, aren’t you going to do your lightning round? 

Zeus: The lightning round? Oh right! The lightning round! I’m sorry. I was enjoying these Brigadeiros here and plum forgot! Right then, folks, here’s how it works. I will ask three questions about today’s episode and the first person who E-mails me the correct answers will win a $15 gift card to Starbucks, because coffee goes well with Brigadeiros! Once you’ve worked out the answers to the questions, E-mail them to me at zeus@firesidefolklorewithhades.com and include your name and where you’re listening from if you’d like us to acknowledge you on the air. Put “Lightning Round with Zeus, Episode 4” in the subject line. Ready? Here goes!

1.    Whenever the evil stepmother asked the image-maker whom he loved best, he would say he loved his wife because she was … what? 

2.    When the evil stepmother decided to get rid of Angelita, what did she receive from the wicked witch? 

3.    When making Brigadeiro, you need every ingredient on the list except for what? 

I look forward to receiving your answers! 

Hades: Well folks, this wraps up our tale of The Little Sister of the Giants. Next time, we’ll travel to Nigeria where we’ll learn what happens when a stubborn young man refuses to heed his father’s warning and thinks he can outsmart the Bush Spirits. 

Persephone: Goodnight everyone!

Hermes: Goodnight everyone! Stay curious!