The Young Woman and the Black Bull of Norroway

The Black Bull of Norroway is a Scottish fairy tale about three sisters who leave home to seek their fortunes. While the two elder sisters receive unexpected opportunities, the youngest encounters a frightening black bull that carries her away on a remarkable journey.

Although the creature initially appears terrifying, the youngest sister discovers that it is not an ordinary animal. The bull takes her to three magnificent castles belonging to his brothers, where she receives three precious gifts. These gifts later become essential when she faces hardship and struggles to reunite with the young knight she loves.

The tale combines enchantment, loyalty, patience and perseverance. Its heroine experiences separation, deception and years of difficult labour before reaching the happiness she desires.

Three Sisters Set Out to Seek Their Fortunes

Long ago, in Norroway, there lived a woman who had three daughters. One day, the eldest daughter approached her mother and announced that she intended to leave home to seek her fortune.

She asked her mother to bake her a bannock and roast her a piece of meat for the journey. Her mother prepared the food, and the young woman went to visit an old witch who worked as a washerwoman.

The old woman instructed her to remain for the day and look through the back door to see what appeared along the road. The girl obeyed but saw nothing on the first day. She looked again on the second day, with the same result.

On the third day, however, she saw a coach drawn by six horses approaching. She hurried back to tell the old washerwoman.

The old woman declared that the coach was meant for her. The girl was taken aboard, and the coach carried her away.

After her departure, the second daughter decided to seek her fortune as well. She asked her mother for the same provisions, received them and went to the old washerwoman.

Following the woman’s instructions, she watched through the back door for three days. On the third day, she saw a coach drawn by four horses. The washerwoman told her that it was intended for her, and the second daughter climbed inside and departed.

The Youngest Sister Meets the Black Bull

When the youngest daughter announced that she also wished to seek her fortune, her mother prepared a bannock and roasted meat for her journey.

She went to the same old washerwoman, who instructed her to watch through the back door.

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The youngest daughter looked on the first day but saw nothing. She repeated the exercise on the second day, yet nothing appeared. On the third day, she looked again and noticed something approaching along the road.

It was not a coach.

Instead, a huge black bull came towards the house, roaring as it travelled.

The washerwoman declared that the bull was meant for the girl. The youngest daughter was overwhelmed with fear and grief at the sight of the enormous animal. Nevertheless, she was lifted onto its back, and the bull carried her away.

They travelled for a long time. Eventually, the young woman became faint with hunger.

The bull told her to eat from its right ear and drink from its left ear. It also instructed her to keep whatever remained. She followed its directions and was wonderfully refreshed.

The journey continued until they reached a magnificent castle.

The Three Castles and Their Precious Gifts

The black bull explained that they would spend the night at the castle because his eldest brother lived there.

The people at the castle lifted the young woman from the bull’s back and welcomed her inside. The bull was taken to a park for the night.

In the morning, the household brought the bull back and led the young woman into a beautiful, shining room. There, she received a fine apple.

She was instructed not to break the apple until she found herself in the greatest difficulty any mortal could experience. At that moment, the apple would help her escape.

After receiving the gift, she was placed on the bull’s back again, and their journey continued.

The Second Castle and the Pear

After travelling a considerable distance, they reached another castle, even more magnificent than the first.

The bull explained that his second brother lived there. The young woman was welcomed inside, while the bull was sent to the field for the night.

The following morning, she was taken into a richly furnished room and given a beautiful pear.

The people instructed her to keep it until she faced the greatest difficulty imaginable. Breaking it at the right moment would provide the help she needed.

She carefully kept the pear and prepared to continue her journey with the black bull.

The Third Castle and the Plum

The bull carried her onwards until they reached the largest and most distant castle she had seen.

This was the home of his youngest brother.

As before, the young woman was welcomed into the castle, and the bull spent the night in the field. In the morning, she was taken into the finest room of all and presented with a beautiful plum.

She received the same instruction as before. She must not break the plum until she encountered a difficulty greater than any she had previously experienced.

The three gifts were now in her possession. She had an apple, a pear and a plum, each intended to help her during a moment of great need.

After the visit, the bull returned, and the young woman climbed onto his back once more.

The Black Bull Goes to Fight the Devil

The journey continued until they arrived at a dark and frightening glen.

The bull stopped and instructed the young woman to dismount. He explained that she must remain there while he went to fight the devil.

Before leaving, he directed her to sit on a particular stone. She was not to move either her hands or her feet until he returned. He warned that if she moved, he would never be able to find her again.

He also explained how she would know the outcome of the battle.

If everything around her turned blue, it would mean that he had defeated the devil. If everything turned red, it would mean that the devil had conquered him.

The young woman obeyed and sat on the stone.

After some time, the surroundings began to turn blue. She realised that the black bull had won the battle and was overcome with happiness.

Unfortunately, her excitement caused her to forget his warning. She lifted one foot and crossed it over the other.

When the bull returned, he searched for her but could not find her.

The young woman remained there for a long time, crying. Eventually, she became weary, rose from the stone and wandered away without knowing where she was going.

Her movement had separated her from the companion who had carried her through the journey.

The Glass Hill and Seven Years of Service

After wandering for some time, the young woman came upon an enormous hill made entirely of glass.

She tried repeatedly to climb it but could not manage the slippery surface. She walked around its base, searching for a way across, but found no passage.

Eventually, she reached the house of a blacksmith.

The smith listened to her difficulty and offered to help. He promised to make her a pair of iron shoes strong enough to help her climb the glass hill, provided she worked for him for seven years.

The young woman accepted the arrangement.

She remained in the smith’s service, patiently completing the years of labour required by their agreement. The journey had already taken much from her, but she continued to endure her circumstances.

At the end of seven years, the smith fulfilled his promise and gave her the iron shoes.

With the shoes on her feet, she finally managed to climb the glass hill. On reaching the other side, she happened upon the home of the old washerwoman she had visited before leaving her mother’s house.

The Bloody Shirts and the Young Knight

While staying at the washerwoman’s home, the young woman heard about a handsome young knight.

The knight had sent some bloody shirts to be washed and had declared that whoever succeeded in removing the stains would become his wife.

The old washerwoman attempted the task herself but could not remove the stains. She then gave the shirts to her daughter, and the two of them tried repeatedly to clean them.

Despite their efforts, the stains remained.

Eventually, they instructed the young stranger to wash the shirts.

As soon as she began working, the stains came out clean. She had succeeded where the washerwoman and her daughter had failed.

However, the old woman wanted her daughter to marry the knight. She therefore deceived him by claiming that her daughter had washed the shirts successfully.

The knight believed her, and preparations began for his marriage to the washerwoman’s eldest daughter.

The young stranger was heartbroken. She had fallen deeply in love with the knight and could not bear the thought of losing him.

Remembering the apple she had received at the first castle, she decided to use it.

The First Night and the Gift of the Apple

The young woman broke open the apple and discovered that it contained gold and precious jewellery.

She offered the treasures to the washerwoman’s daughter on the condition that the marriage be postponed for one day and that she be allowed to spend the night alone in the knight’s chamber.

The daughter accepted the bargain.

However, the old washerwoman had already prepared a sleeping drink for the knight. She gave it to him, and he drank it before going to bed.

When the young woman entered his chamber, she found him fast asleep.

Throughout the night, she cried and sang about the seven years she had spent in the smith’s service, the glass hill she had climbed and the bloody shirts she had washed for him. She pleaded with him to wake and turn towards her.

But the sleeping drink kept him unconscious until morning.

The young woman had spent the night beside the man she loved without being recognised.

The Second Night and the Gift of the Pear

The following day, she remained distressed because her first attempt had failed.

She then remembered the pear from the second castle. When she broke it open, she discovered that it contained jewellery even more valuable than the treasures found inside the apple.

She offered these riches in exchange for another night alone in the knight’s chamber.

The washerwoman’s daughter agreed, and the young woman was given another opportunity to reach the knight.

Unfortunately, the old washerwoman prepared another sleeping drink and gave it to him.

Once again, he drank it and fell into a deep sleep.

The young woman spent the entire night sighing and singing the same song. She reminded him of the years she had served the smith, the difficult climb over the glass hill and the bloody shirts she had washed.

Despite her efforts, the knight did not wake.

By morning, she was nearly overcome with despair.

The Third Night and the Gift of the Plum

Although the first two nights had ended in disappointment, the young woman had one gift remaining.

She broke open the plum and discovered that it contained the richest jewellery of all three gifts.

Using these treasures, she arranged another bargain with the washerwoman’s daughter. She would receive permission to spend a third night alone in the knight’s chamber.

The old washerwoman once again prepared a sleeping drink for the knight and brought it into his chamber.

However, the knight had become suspicious because people had told him that they heard strange crying and singing during the previous nights.

He decided that he would remain awake and discover the source of the sound.

When the old washerwoman brought him the drink, he said that he could not take it without sweetening it.

She went away to fetch some honey. During her absence, the knight poured out the drink, making the washerwoman believe that he had swallowed it.

That night, the young woman entered the chamber and began singing the familiar song once more.

The Knight Recognises the Young Woman

As the young woman sang about her seven years of service, the glass hill and the bloody shirts, the knight heard every word.

This time, he was awake.

He turned towards her, and she was finally able to speak to him.

She explained everything that had happened since the black bull carried her away. She told him about the three castles, the gifts, the battle with the devil, her separation from the bull and her years working for the smith.

The knight also told her what had happened to him.

At last, the two understood the circumstances that had brought them together and the deception that had kept them apart.

The old washerwoman’s dishonesty was exposed. The knight learned that the young stranger had been the one who successfully washed his bloody shirts, not the washerwoman’s daughter.

He ordered the old washerwoman and her daughter to be burned.

The young woman and the knight were then married.

They remained together and lived happily, bringing the long and difficult journey to a joyful conclusion.

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Moral Lessons

The Black Bull of Norroway highlights the importance of patience and perseverance. The youngest sister endured a frightening journey, separation from her companion, seven years of service and repeated disappointment before finding happiness. Her experiences demonstrate that difficult circumstances do not always determine the final outcome of a person’s life.

The story also warns against deception and dishonesty. The old washerwoman attempted to take credit for another person’s achievement by lying to the knight. Her actions nearly prevented the rightful woman from marrying him. The eventual discovery of the truth shows the importance of honesty and fairness.

Knowledge Check

1. Name the three daughters in the story by their order of birth.
They are the eldest daughter, the second daughter and the youngest daughter. The story does not give them individual names.

2. What appeared to the youngest daughter on the third day of watching through the back door.
She saw a huge black bull approaching along the road.

3. Name the three gifts the youngest daughter received at the castles.
She received an apple, a pear and a plum, each containing precious treasures.

4. Why did the youngest daughter become separated from the black bull.
She moved her feet from the stone after the surroundings turned blue, breaking the bull’s instruction to remain still.

5. How long did the young woman serve the smith.
She served him for seven years in exchange for a pair of iron shoes that enabled her to climb the glass hill.

6. How did the knight finally recognise the young woman.
He remained awake on the third night, heard her singing about her hardships and turned towards her.

Source

This retelling is based on “The Black Bull of Norroway,” included in The Blue Fairy Book (1889), edited by Andrew Lang.

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