Harold and the purple crown

Harold and the Purple Crayon (Harold, #1) by Crockett Johnson

May 24, 2022

Free book that makes for good jokes

Harold has a magic purple crayon that can apparently draw anything Harold imagines.

This book was FREE as an Amazon Prime member, and who doesn't love FREE stuff? As far as content thought, this children's story is average. Although I have read this book before, I forgot what was involved because it was so unremarkable. However, this book does lead well into some good jokes for adults: Harold, what can your green crayon do? Harold, can you please draw me a giant pile of money so I can swim through it like Scrooge McDuck? Harold, do you have a sister called Maude?

This is one of the books from James Mustich's 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die A Life-Changing List.

2022 Reading Schedule
Jan Animal Farm
Feb Lord of the Flies
Mar The Da Vinci Code
Apr Of Mice and Men
May Memoirs of a Geisha
Jun Little Women
Jul The Lovely Bones
Aug Charlotte's Web
Sep Life of Pi
Oct Dracula
Nov Gone with the Wind
Dec The Secret Garden

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Harold and the Purple Crayon (Harold #1), Crockett Johnson pseudonym for David Johnson Leisk

Harold and the Purple Crayon is a 1955 children's book by Crockett Johnson. This is Johnson's most popular book. It led to a series of other books, and inspired many adaptations. The protagonist, Harold, is a curious four-year-old boy who, with his purple crayon, has the power to create a world of his own simply by drawing it.

Harold wants to go for a walk in the moonlight, but there is no moon, so he draws one. He has nowhere to walk, so he draws a path. He has many adventures looking for his room, and in the end he draws his own house and bed and goes to sleep.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز پانزدهم ماه آگوست سال2012میلادی

عنوان: هارولد و مداد شمعی بنفش کتاب یک؛ نویسنده و تصویرگر: کراکت جانسون؛ مترجم: فاطمه حجوانی؛ تهران، قدیانی، سال1390؛ در64ص، مصور، فروست: مجموعه قصه های هارولدیک1؛ شابک9789645367204؛ موضوع داستانهای خیال انگیز کودکان از نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده20م

هارولد، پسر چهار ساله، شب هنگام از خانه بیرون میرود، تا قدم بزند؛ همه جا تاریک است، اما «هارولد» مداد بنفشش را با خودش آورده است؛ او با مداد بنفش، یک ماه در آسمان، و یک راه بر روی زمین، نقاشی میکند؛ «هارولد» پیش از اینکه گام بردارد، باید با مداد بنفش، زمانی را که گامش بر آن فرود میآید، نقاشی کند؛ هنگامی که گرسنه است، با مداد بنفش غذا مهیا میکند؛ اژدهایی نقاشی میکند، اما از اژدها میترسد؛ با مداد بنفش، قایق نقاشی میکند و در آب شناور میشود؛ در تنهایی، نیاز به دوست را احساس میکند. ..؛ «هارولد»، پسر کنجکاوی ست که با مداد بنفشش، دنیای تازه ای میسازد؛ در دنیایی که ساخته، غول جادوگر را از پای درمیآورد، و باغ را سبز میکند، به آسمان سفر میکند، به قطب شمال میرود، در سیرک ماجرا میآفریند؛ او داخل تابلو میرود، و دو دنیای خیال و واقعیت را نزدیک به هم میبیند؛ شما نیز در این سری هفت جلدی، همین خیال را تجربه میکنید: «به کودک درونتان اجازه دهید خودش باشد تا پرواز کند.»؛

سری «هارولد»، از کلاسیکهای ادبیات کودک در جهان است، و در سال1955میلادی نوشته شده است؛ با اقتباس از همین مجموعه، فیلم، تئاتر، سریال تلویزیونی، انیمیشن و بازی رایانه ای ساخته و پرداخته شده، و در برنامه های درسی آموزش هنر نیز، از آنها سود میبرند؛ کودکان دیروز و امروز و فردا، و آدم بزرگهایی که کودک درونشان هنوز زنده است، دنیای «هارولد» را دوست میدارند، از آن لذت میبرند، شگفت زده میشوند، و خیالشان بال میگشاید

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 16/10/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 10/10/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

20th-century childrens-young-readers fiction

Calista

3,793 reviews31.2k followers

It’s amazing what one purple line can do for a story. Harold has a purple crayon and he goes on a journey with his imagination. The illustrations are simple and the book is enduring and cute. Everything is black and white ink drawings with that one purple crayon. It’s pretty brilliant what Crockett did here.

The niece didn’t read this and the nephew is in a phase right now. He’s a bit of a handful and he is just out-of-sorts sometimes. He had been throwing tamtrums all evening. I thought he a story might turn the tide and it did not. Anyway, he said this was a stupid story and he hated it. He gave it 1 star and told me not to read this kind of story to him anymore. He was wound up tonight. He didn’t want to go to sleep either. Not every night can be a good one.

I do think he would enjoy this story at another time, so I might try and read it again.

1950s bage-children classic

Brad

Author 2 books1,672 followers

I read this many, many times to my twins, and they liked it well enough, but they much preferred Where the Wild Things Are and Stone Soup. I wasn't sure why, but I never gave it much thought until now.

Now, you see, my little Scoutie Kat loves Harold and the Purple Crayon, and I think it is because I finally figured out the voice for reading aloud. One night last month we were sitting around, and I was exhausted, so rather than try to muster energy and liven up proceedings, I simply went with my exhaustion, put in a pseudo-mid-western accent and languidly set off on Harold's journey.

Turns out that languid is a big hit -- at least with Scoutie. Slow and steady and soothing is the voice she likes, and I discovered, much to my surprise, that I liked the story more than I ever had before. I think I'd always been reading it wrong, trying to make it into an adventure, rather than a journey to sleep. Silly me.

I have it now, though, and I'll never read it another way again.

(p.s. Until today I had it ranked at three stars, but I've added another now. Harold deserves it.)

children out-loud read-to-scoutie

Alex

1,418 reviews4,293 followers

Here is the first betrayal in a long life of betrayals, child. Your parents told you it was a classic, didn't they? Their eyes were probably limpid with nostalgia as they gave it to you. "It's about imagination," they simpered. And you took it in your grubby little hands, and you put it in your grubby little mouth, and you thought, "THIS IS BORING."

"But it's about how creativity can take you anywhere!" they cried. And "yeah," you babbled: "Anywhere purple." Because that's all it is, child, isn't it? It's just purple lines. "No," they protest, "it's pie and dragons!" Scribbly purple pies and dragons, and not the real thing. The real pie is in the refrigerator, the real dragons are in your sofa fort, and this is boring.

You might as well know now, child: your parents are boring. Your teachers are boring. You will be assaulted on all sides by books that grown-ups think are good for you, and they will be boring. By the end of it, the love of reading will be crushed out of your body and you will become a lawyer.

As you grow, you will face more boring books:

Wind in the Willows
Little House in the Big Woods
Moby-Dick
Proust

They are all boring. Did your parents honestly like them? Yes, they did, because they were never children like you. They were born small adults, and they became big adults, and they have always liked boring things. Throw this book behind the changing table where no parent can retrieve it, and read these instead:

Madeline
Matilda
Harriet the Spy
Wuthering Heights
Borges

And if any grown-up tries to talk to you about Harold and his stupid crayon, bite them.

baby-books favorite-reviews

Tina

2,308 reviews1 follower

This is a children's book, and it is the first book in the Harold series. I have read this book to my twin boys and my daughter a lot. I love this book, and one of my twin boys favorite color is purple. I love that the pictures is simple and super cute. Great book for little kids and toddlers.

children-s-book re-reads read-in-2020

Richard

Author 4 books427 followers

This is a book about an insomniac toddler who gets out of bed and goes wandering around at night armed with a magic crayon.

What were his parents thinking? Didn't they realize that you should put toddlers to bed early and make sure they stay there? And didn't they know that you shouldn't give magical objects to young children? Harold could have fallen out of bed and ended up with an owie. What is worse, he could have gotten lost, eaten, injured, kidnapped, jailed or drowned.

This book should be prohibited because it encourages neglect and shows a lamentable overuse of imagination.

2015 america children-s-lit

Another 'mommy book' that I remember from my childhood. I can actually remember setting my purple crayon aside...If it worked for Harold it would work for me! This is a wonderful book that will help nurture the imagination of a small child; one of my favorite books for children. Highest recommendation.

childrens-books favorites pop-culture

This was my choice for the Popsugar prompt "A book with your favorite color in the title"

Children's book choice 2 out of 3 and I have to say, after all the hype surrounding what a fantastic book this is, I just didn't see it. Sure it's a cute read, but for something so beloved I expected a little... more? Anyway, on to the next one!

P.S. my kids weren't all that interested either so I guess it wasn't just me.

Crockett Johnson's allegorical retelling of Books 1-6 of Vergil's Aeneid is still as powerful today as when it was originally published in 1955. After being startled by a "dragon" guarding apples - a reference to the Achaian menace brought on by the Golden Apple of Discord - Harold/Aeneas is forced into an involuntary sea voyage, accompanied only by the moon (here a stand-in for his patroness/mother Venus). He lands in a pleasant country, and enjoys a seaside feast (the wealth and luxury of Carthage), accompanied by a "hungry moose" and a "deserving porcupine", allegories for Dido and her sister Anna. It is no accident that it is Anna who is the "deserving" one - Dido, who spurns Iarbas in favor of trying to divert Aeneas from his divine mission is satirized as thin and rapacious.

Abandoning these at their banquet of overabundance, Harold/Aeneas continues his journey. He tries to climb a mountain to help locate his objective (the land where he is destined to settle), but it is only after a plunge into an abyss that he can gain enlightenment. Here Johnson has replaced the Roman conception of the underworld with a more strikingly literal representation - there "wasn't any other side" of the mountain, merely a void. Finally sensing that he is near to his destination, he passes first by a false house and then an entire false city - obvious metaphors for the false destinations such as Sicily which tempt the Trojan settlers. Harold/Aeneas "asks a policeman" (King Latinus) for directions, but, as Aeneas is guided by divine destiny, Latinus merely directs him "the way he was going anyway". Vergil's theme that a divine origin - and the firm religious foundation built upon this - is the wellspring of Roman glory is well symbolized by the ending; the journey of Harold/Aeneas ends when he embraces "pietas" and the destiny placed upon him by Venus, and builds his "room" around her (thus establishing the Roman race).
Crockett Johnson's masterful interpretation of this theme through spartan monochrome illustrations offers a remarkable counterpoint to Vergil's ornate Latin verse. But the pinnacle of his creation lies in the titular instrument. It is no great exaggeration to say that Vergil's patron, Augustus, was at the time engaged in remaking Rome in his own image. The author's metaphor is dual - Harold is not merely Aeneas, founder of the Romans. He is Augustus, the fulfillment of the Aeneid's central prophecies, redrawing Rome with an imperial purple crayon.

This book is Amazing! I love this story of imagination & imagery! My favorite part toward the end:
"And then Harold made his bed.
He got in it and he drew up the covers."

Harold and the Purple Crayon is perfect on so many levels. It all starts when Harold wants to go for a walk in the moonlight. He can't see any moon so he draws one with his purple crayon. The moon is then a companion for duration of this magical adventure.

The sad thing is I don't remember reading this as a child - I discovered The Adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon at age 30 - Where have you been all my life Harold? If you're like me or if you've read it before - do yourself a favor and read this book - rediscover a world of imagination and simplicity.

I like Harold and the Purple Crayon better than Where the Wild Things Are, which is a book of similar material, although not quite as simplistic.

Favorite Passages:

He didn't want to get lost in the woods. So he made a very small forest, with just one tree in it.
______

His hand holding the purple crayon shook. Suddenly he realized what was happening. But by then Harold was over his head in an ocean. He came up thinking fast. And in no time he was climbing aboard a trim little boat.
_____

After he had sailed long enough, Harold made land without much trouble.
_____

He hoped he could see his bedroom window from the top of the mountain. But as he looked down over the other side he slipped - And there wasn't any other side of the mountain. He was falling, in thin air. But luckily, he kept his wits and his purple crayon.

amazing childrens read-in-2010

I liked Harold and his purple crayon. This kid has an imagination! He fought beasts, made a picnic, went out to sea, floated on a balloon, made giant buildings; and all before bedtime. I liked the simplicity of the purple crayon/marker yet what he did with it was anything but simple. Very cool book to read before bedtime.

After finally having had a chance to read Crocket Johnson's

Harold and the Purple Crayon

(which I unfortunately never did get a chance to actually and actively encounter during my own childhood, although I had heard of its existence), and what in my humble opinion makes this timeless classic so very much and inherently, lastingly special is that with the simplicity of the accompanying illustrations, the author/illustrator shows children (no, he actually shows EVERYONE) that imagination and even artistic imagination does NOT need to be realism-based, does not need to be three dimensional, and most certainly does not ever really need to be painterly, as Harold's artistic adventures with his ubiquitous purpose crayon are all depicted as simple line drawings, expressive, evocative, adventurous, but in no way overly involved and with too many minute details (stick figure like renderings that most of us, and even those of us with imagination, and appreciation for art but not really all that much if any talent for drawing, painting and the like could more than likely manage easily enough).

And aside from the sweet, engagingly fun act of reading Harold and the Purple Crayon (either as an independent reader or perusing it with a child or a group of children), of showing, of demonstrating how Harold uses his very active imagination, uses his special purple crayon to create his own imaginative world of whimsy, adventure and even delicious treats, one can of course also make use of the very premise of Crocket Johnson's classic to encourage children (either at home or in the classroom) to create their own drawn purple crayon (or whatever coloured crayon) imaginative adventure storyboards, to read and perhaps even to present, to show and tell. Highly recommended and just so much potential fun (as in my opinion Harold and the Purple Crayon simply begs to be imitated, to be used as a blueprint for playtime and whimsical storytelling, but perhaps it might also and equally be worthwhile if not necessary making sure that especially toddlers do not end up initiating Harold too closely by drawing on walls)!

art-and-artists book-reviews childrens-literature

A true classic and for good reason! A marvelous story about all the places imagination (and a purple crayon) can take you! Don't let the book's apparent "simplicity" fool you--this is a treasure.

I'm a creative person, but I'm not especially artistic in terms of drawing/painting/etc. so I could both appreciate Harold's creative spirit and his artistic talents that are beyond me! That said, I think even though Harold uses a purple crayon, the imagination and creativity can be so relevant to various artistic persuasions--writing, music, dance, etc. all help us create worlds :->

childrens-picture-books

Patrick

Author 60 books230k followers

Some books are classics for a reason. This is one of those books.

I'd happily recommend this book for kids of any age range. They're delightful, and my boys enjoy having them read and re-read to them.

best-books-for-kids

Happy 66th Anniversary!

An imaginative and artistic treasure, this is.

Perfect for creative thinkers, dreamers, and do-ers.

And my is that purple, catching on the page! The smoothness and thickness of the purple lines are so appealing.

Not only is this nice on the eyes, but it also sends an empowering message; we create our world out of nothing.

Creativity and imagination can make anything happen, just grab your favorite colored marker and find out for yourself!

I borrowed this title from the Amazon Prime Reading Program. I was under no obligation to write a review, my honest opinion is given voluntarily.

I'd love to own a copy of this as well as read all the other adventures "Harold and the Purple Crayon" travels.

art children-s-books

This book is adorable and I love Harold. We picked this up as a board book in the gift shop of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (or whatever it's called) in Massachusetts. I was on one of those benders in the gift shop where I HAD to get something. I just had to! Little man was about a year old, give or take, and this place was lovely. The gift shop made me crazy to shop. So we got this and Ezra Jack Keats' A Snowy Day. Anyhow, I was a bit disappointed that everything was just purple but you know what? My son is now 7 and he loves to draw and guess what? A lot of stuff he draws is like Harold's world and we still read this book.

childrens

Harold and his purple crayon break diegetic barriers as if it's nobody's business. Postmodern as fuck.

... what are we missing?

Small-fry was bored and his only thoughts were ”why doesn’t Harold have any other colors?” And ”hey, Kaylin! Purple is YOUR favorite color too!”

I get that is about imagination and silly and all that fun stuff. But it’s also just a kid scribbling things that somehow leads to an adventure??

with-dalton-kid-s-books

Lata

3,451 reviews180 followers

A totally fun little story about Harold, who decides to go on a walk, taking his purple crayon with him, drawing himself a great adventure.
I can see where author/illustrator Aaron Becker got his idea for his Journey trilogy.

classic kids-and-ya x2019-read

Azet

1,006 reviews208 followers

I read the swedish translation of "Harold and the Purple Crayon" to my little-brother and we both enjoyed the remarkable adventures of the smart little kid Harold.I am not surprised by how beloved this book is.It has so much innocence,wonder and cuteness to it!!

children classics

Bill

879 reviews158 followers

I was given a desk calendar which recommends lots of fine literary books to read. So, what have I chosen to read so far ? This small childrens book!
Harold has a purple crayon, which sets him off on an adventure. That's it really. Short, fun & a delightfully cheeful read.

I adore this book! The whole concept is so playful and imaginative. The storyline is all about dreams, creativity, play and imaginative exploration. Harold's adventures encourage children to be curious and inventive. Harold's journey - all created with his purple crayon - shows children that we can create our reality. The whimsical purple line drawings are quirky and funny. The tone of the writing is optimistic, and sure to appeal to children, in fact, everyone who wants to get in touch with their inner creative natural child.

childrens-picture-book-art

I remember reading Harold and the Purple Crayon, by Crockett Johnson, as a child, so when I saw the book on the library shelves, I decided to check it out for my older daughter. When I read it to her, the feelings of disquietude that had plagued me as a child when I read the book (and which I had forgotten) were reawakened. Harold and the Purple Crayon is upsetting because it is not a journey into the imagination or even into a real yet magical world (a la Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are or C. S. Lewis's The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe), from which Harold can return home to his own sweet room and his own sweet bed. Instead, Harold is forced to recreate his own room and his own bed, drawing them with his purple crayon as he drew everything else on his journey. This calls into doubt the seemingly solid world around me and shakes me to my very core.

This one was in my babysitter's bag o' tricks when I was a teenager, small enough to fit in my purse and fun enough for all the kids in my neighborhood.

Short and sweet, with a straight to the heart message: make your own path - you make it happen - you save the day - you find the tools - you build the bridge - you enjoy the apples - you find adventure - you make your home - you make your bed - you earn your rest.

Love it. . . .a lovely way to present these ideas to a new human.

1k-booklist-jmustich arts-crafts-mixed-in childhood-fav

Harold and the Purple Crayon (2023)

20232023

AnimationFamilyFantasy

A young boy named Harold embarks on a magical mission with the help of his purple crayonA young boy named Harold embarks on a magical mission with the help of his purple crayonA young boy named Harold embarks on a magical mission with the help of his purple crayon

- Carlos Saldanha
Writers
- Dallas Clayton(adaptation)
- David Guion(screenplay)
- Michael Handelman(screenplay)
Stars
- Zachary Levi
- Zooey Deschanel
- Lil Rel Howery

- Carlos Saldanha
Writers
- Dallas Clayton(adaptation)
- David Guion(screenplay)
- Michael Handelman(screenplay)
Stars
- Zachary Levi
- Zooey Deschanel
- Lil Rel Howery

See production, box office & company info
See more at IMDbPro

Photos

Top cast

Zachary Levi

Zooey Deschanel

Lil Rel Howery

Camille Guaty

Hillary Harley

Woman in Car

Tanya Reynolds

Lauren Halperin

Kid's Mom

Ravi Patel

Danny Vinson

Old Man

Pete Gardner

Seth Zane Robbins

Elizabeth Becka

Ms. Barnaby

Catherine Davis

Elizabeth Carlile

Woman with Dog

Mason Douglas

Young Guy Shopper

Marcia Adams

Restaurant Patron

Grace Junot

Yasmin

Brady M. Ryan

Actor
(as Brady Ryan)

- Carlos Saldanha
Writers
- Dallas Clayton(adaptation)
- David Guion(screenplay)
- Michael Handelman(screenplay)
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

Details

Release date
- June 30, 2023 (United States)
- United States
- English
- Atlanta, Georgia
Production companies
- Davis Entertainment
- Sony Pictures Animation
- Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE)
See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

- Dolby Digital

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Top Gap

By what name was Harold and the Purple Crayon (2023) officially released in Canada in French?

Answer

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Science, Education : History : Oath IN THE MEDAN HALL : Harold Lamb : read online

you are reading a book

Oath in the Median Hall

This happened because Cyrus could not sleep the night after his bloodless victory at the mountain gates of Parsagard.

The poets finished their songs of praise, the warlords went to the new camp in search of their units, and the festive fires flared with sparks in the dark mountains. One image disturbed Cyrus - Astyages' fat face, wet with tears at the moment when the servants took off his iron plate armor, and he stood before them in one dirty shirt and riding trousers. One memory plagued Cyrus, insistent as a wasp. What the lord of the army Harpagus told him at dawn in his tent.

Everything happened exactly as the Armenian predicted. There was no doubt about this. Now Harpagus was sleeping in the same tent, and Cyrus was meditating in the reception hall, where there was still no roof, under the supervision of curious guards. Cyrus, too, was tired, but in the silence he tried to find in his memory the words that eluded him and tormented him - a lie that looked like the truth. Indeed, Astyages looked like an actor stripped of his costume. After the victory. But victory was yet to come, not before Cyrus and Harpagus captured Ecbatana.

Cyrus thought until the words became a chorus, like the murmur of a river below. He listened to the river and calmed down. The river spoke with a new voice, protected him. And he felt his friendly Fravashi move closer, warning of something.

Light flared in the darkness where Kir's thoughts wandered. He laughed softly and threw his hands up. Victory will come when they capture Ecbatana, not to Cyrus, but to Harpagus. Because in this Median city, Harpagus, the great commander, will announce the rebellion of the Persians - yes, after he himself defeated them in the first battle - and the capture of Astyages. There, in his citadel, the lord of the army will rally the whole force of the Medes around him, he may - yes, yes, of course - call some jerk from the line of Astyages his puppet and renounce Cyrus Achaemenides as a stupid actor who played his part, but hoping to turn it into reality. Harpagus hid this goal behind a screen of half-truths, more deceptive than the lie itself. Harpagus could be sure that he would see the matter through, since Astyages was unpopular, and Cyrus was unknown in Ecbatana, the capital of Media.

As soon as the son of Cambyses saw his path clearly, he immediately began to act. The great camp of Parsagard was all asleep, except for Mithradates and the chiefs of the Three Tribes, whom Cyrus summoned for an urgent conversation, which took place on the road to the northern gorge. He was followed by all the survivors of his hundred, and each woke up one friend, and they all led spare horses. They took with them some of the banners taken from the Medes, as well as the gold-encrusted armor of Astyages, who was dozing in the residential palace of Cyrus, and his ridiculous helmet with the head of a griffin, with precious stones instead of eyes. Cyrus himself put on only a cap of Persian horsemen, a smooth cloak and kept himself inside a group of one hundred and forty chosen riders.

The next day they overtook the foreign messengers on the northern road and forced them to dismount, letting them walk behind. Cyrus realized that if no one knew about his approach, it would not be easy to stop him.

It took thirty days for the caravan to slowly travel from Parsagard to the main city of Media. But Cyrus and his companions showed up at the gate under the granite peak of Elvand on the fifth morning of the trip. At this early hour they rode into the city unhindered, for they appeared to be an ordinary unit of Persian cavalry bearing the bronze eagle banners of the Median army. On the streets, they threw away their cloaks, divided into patrols and began to call the military leaders and rulers of this land to immediately arrive at the festive hall of the palace by order of the Great King, the king of the lands.

For generations the courageous Medes copied the etiquette of the once magnificent Assyrians; they used to attend ceremonies in their free time. They enjoyed the leisurely awakening and dressing with the help of the dexterous hands of slaves. Many of those who appeared in the hall of Astyages throughout the morning wore fake beards that gave them extra dignity, and long, braided dresses, symbolizing their wealth. They had no weapons, except for ceremonial daggers.

They found Cyrus waiting for them, sitting on a carved marble throne, Astyages' battle armor lying in front of the footstool.

Spearmen in ordinary clothes disappeared from the side walls, they were replaced by forty Persians with drawn bows, watching the behavior of visitors. Cyrus himself was dressed in battle attire, his words reverberated through the hall like the rattling of metal. He informed the commanders and owners of the lands about the surrender and imprisonment of their former ruler Astyages, son of Cyaxares; he ordered them to swear allegiance to him, Cyrus, as king of the Medes and Persians and heir to Cyaxares.

- Do this, men of noble families, - he urged the first assembled nobles, - and nothing will threaten your lives, as well as your houses, wives and fortunes. You will not have to feast so often, but I assure you that you will fulfill your duties. This is what I say, King Cyrus.

While they were struggling with their astonishment, trying to understand what had really happened, a clear female voice was heard above them:

- Cyrus, my son, you returned victorious, as I hoped and prayed for. It is I who speak, Queen Mandana.

She was watching from the fenced women's gallery. Many of the Medes cast reverent glances up at the stone statue of Ishtar, the goddess of Babylon. Most of them swore an oath fairly quickly. One, Abradat, who came to Parsagard as a herald, refused, saying that he was obliged to serve Astyages while he was alive.

Cyrus recognized him.

- Mr. Abradat, I promised you that this same Astyages would not be happy to meet me. And so it happened. “He ordered his soldiers to undress the stubborn Mede and lock him up in a hunting park with wild animals.

Abradath immediately protested, demanding not to be thrown to the wild beasts, but to be given a weapon so that he could die in a fair fight in the hall of nobility.

“Several years ago I became convinced that these beasts were not so dangerous,” Cyrus assured him and made sure that his order was carried out. In his heart he respected the fearless words of the herald. “The time will come,” he said to the rest of the Medes, “and I will value this husband’s loyalty above yours.

It seemed to the listeners that Cyrus Achaemenides had a merciless will, a sober and penetrating mind, like the founder of their lands, Cyaxares. At that moment, they voluntarily bowed before him. Due to the sluggishness of the courtiers, before the last of them swore allegiance to Cyrus and food was served in the hall, most of the day passed. By that time, the city streets were buzzing with rumors and questions. However, all power seemed to be concentrated in the hall of the palace; only Asvaran Persians, who rode the streets, could answer these questions.

After sunset, to some surprise of Cyrus, Harpag hurried into the hall with his bodyguards. The lord of the army looked around at those gathered around the bowls of wine, Cyrus, who alone sat on the throne, and the archers behind him. Then Harpagus sighed wearily and spread out his arms; he walked up to the platform, looked around and quickly said:

- Kir, as a rider you are better than me.

Cyrus agreed and waited for what would happen next.

After scratching his disheveled beard, the Armenian stroked the golden chain with the head of a lion hanging around his neck. He looked old and tired.

- It's true, - he said in a rough voice, - that what I wanted most of all was to bring Astyages to his knees. I saw him crying. I have been honest with you on this. Remember that in my tent I once saved your life. Now consider if I can help you as a commander of the army of the Persians and the Medes. That's all I wanted to say.

Untying the chain with his insignia, he laid it on the floor and prostrated himself at the feet of Cyrus, saying in a loud voice:

- I, Harpag, lord of Ani, lord of the Indian army, I give my life and all my possessions into the hands of Cyrus, our king.

Lifting him, Cyrus allowed him to stand behind the throne and since then always kept Harpag with him, although for three years he did not give the Armenian any independent power. Having grown old and, perhaps, becoming indifferent to political power, the wise Harpagus transferred to the young Achaemenides all the affection that he felt for his murdered son. Perhaps he let his own ambitions come true in Cyrus. He was an outstanding strategist, and Cyrus proved to be an outstanding ruler.

Queen Mandana had her own opinion on this matter. When Cyrus woke up on the first morning in Ecbatana, he found slaves motionless waiting for him to wake up to pour clean water on his hands and head. Going out on the terrace to pray to the rising sun, he saw Mandana, the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar, sitting among her maids and eunuchs. Although she wore a crown and a veil, the pitiless daylight revealed a rouge that hid the wrinkles of middle age. On this occasion, Mandana chose the outfit of the king's wife, and not the harlot who served the Great Goddess. When Cyrus finished his prayer, she turned her head towards him:

- You have changed, my son. Wisdom shines in your eyes, and in strength you have surpassed Marduk, the victor among the gods. But I fear for you even more. Alas, you lost my gift, although you fought Evil, as Marduk fought the monster Tiamat, who created life only from the dark power of Evil. Bringing her face closer, she peered into it and sighed. “Most of all, I fear that the Great Goddess is offended by some act of yours. Perhaps you harmed some woman she was protecting. The nature of your offense is not revealed to me. Cyrus, my son, a woman - an aging woman, such as I am now - does not talk about the will of the invisible gods. Either she was given the ability to penetrate into the essence of things, inaccessible to men, or she does not understand anything. Now I cannot see what is inscribed on the tablets of your destiny; I only want to protect you, like that time, during your reckless rebellion in the great hall, and like yesterday, when the nobles of the court hesitated, not knowing how to treat you.

Cyrus thought that Mandana did not look at all saddened by the loss of her husband. He promised her that she would be able to keep her rooms, servants, personal valuables, and everyone would give her due honors befitting his foster mother. Apparently, she was pleased to hear this, but she frowned and sighed again, proudly straightening her slender body.

- Of course, I am grateful for such content. Though the memory of Astyages haunts these stone chambers like the scent of a mating boar. Yes, he satiated his swollen body with meat and spices and quenched his lust with the bodies of slaves trained in Lydian pleasures. He was a mote in my eye, a lump in my throat. His death would ease my heart. The dark eyes of the Chaldean princess, above the thin veil, called out to Cyrus. “Here in Babylon, my father Nebuchadnezzar, who was under the auspices of Nabu, the god - the scribe of the tablets of fate, who defeated even Marduk, - my father once paid great honors to his bride, the princess of Media, who had a thick body, but soft hair and beautiful teeth, like all Aryans . When she grieved for her native mountains, he built her gardens on the highest roof of Babylon, hanging gardens from where she could look down on the great, crowded city, as if from the tops of her native mountains. Alas, Cyrus, am I below her? My heart really yearns for Babylonia; the comfort of that lofty garden would soothe the sorrows of the old woman who is still your mother and protector.

That morning, at the first meeting of the court, Cyrus ordered that Mandana be honored in her rooms, but kept within the boundaries of Ecbatana. The scribes wrote down his words, and the officials, accepting the written order, bowed their heads. In the Median palace, such a ceremony accompanied every action. When the Medes addressed Cyrus, they would raise their right hand before opening their mouths, as if to protect him from defilement with their breath, or perhaps to show that they had no hidden weapons. Such customs simply infuriated Cyrus, because he liked to do everything quickly.

When he mounted a horse to go inspect the new ziggurat, trumpeters ran ahead of him, blowing on brass instruments, scribes picked up their clothes and tablets, trying to keep up with him, and at the facades of houses, leaving free passage through the streets, those who wished to stare gathered new monarch.

The new tower has indeed been completed; its top shone with pure gold. When Cyrus stopped and studied it curiously, a group of diggers threw themselves on the ground, except for one man with terrible scars that crossed his naked body. Leaning on a flint shovel next to a half-planted tree stalk, he looked up at Cyrus, ignoring the flies swarming around the yoke-leaved sores on his shoulders. Cyrus recognized the digger, though badly disfigured.

- Magician, - he called and added:

- So your prophecy has been fulfilled.

The captive worker shook his head.

- This was the word of Zarathustra. - Looking at the shining tower, he continued almost contemptuously:

- It does not take much wisdom to predict the imminent end of the reign of a monarch who seeks not to fulfill his own destiny, but to accumulate wealth.

Hearing the digger's voice, the overseer ran up to him, raising his whip, but Kir angrily waved him off.

- Mage, you once invited me to share dinner with you. Now I ask you to join the company of my friends to discuss mysteries unknown to me.

The scarred man stroked his shovel and quickly replied:

- No, Cyrus, I'm looking for a completely different kingdom. This is nothing but eternal life.

- Where are you looking?

Waving away the flies around his eyes, the magician said:

- I don't know where to look for it - probably this kingdom sees the sun. East of us.

His words stirred the memory of the Aryan homeland at sunrise. This image has always been with the Achaemenides.

- Which way can you get there?

- Dear? The scarred slave stopped his thoughts and laughed. He put out a flint shovel. - Take her. Get off your horse and look after the life growing in the earth. Otherwise, no matter how much you look for my kingdom, you will not find anything.

King Cyrus was angered by this man, the only one who spoke to him so boldly. Like all temple priests, he told himself, the mage speaks the phrases he has been taught. Although he seemed to understand their meaning.

"Let him go," Cyrus ordered the overseer. “Wash, clothe, and fill his palms with silver. - Moving the horse from its place, he added to the nearest scribe:

- Follow which way he goes and tell me.

Very soon the scribe reported on the execution of the order.

- Great king, that beggar asked the way to Bactria in the caravanserai. Then, for two shekels of silver, he bought a donkey with a white muzzle and set out along the Hyrcanian road to the east.

It so happened that Cyrus himself traveled west for the next few years.

It was inevitable. Since the Medes were close relatives of the Persians, they resignedly accepted young Cyrus instead of the old Astyages, as soon as they realized that their customs were not being violated. Kirk took care of that. But their dominions were scattered rather randomly over mountains and deserts, with no other centers than Ecbatana. Astyages contented himself with cozy inactivity in his capital, but Cyrus was not so pleased with this situation. At that moment, however, he could not make distant and impoverished Parsagard the center of his rule. In fact, the question of choosing the capital for many years worried him and his successors. At heart, he remained a nomad. Cyrus solved this problem by driving from the saddle of a horse.

Cyrus summoned Mithradates to the city of the Medes and, when he arrived in a palanquin, he appointed him a hshatra pavan, acting as king - the Greeks called such a person a satrap. At the same time, Cyrus sent all the treasures of Ecbatana - silver bars, other precious metals and stones - to his hometown for safekeeping. He provided Astyages with every comfort, and provided food and drink in abundance. Foreign wines had one advantage - they clouded the mind of the drinker.

Cyrus then went on a tour around his expanded dominions to see how his Assyrian-style rule worked in more distant lands. In doing so, he satisfied his own desire for activity. Although it was still far from complete satisfaction.

The news of his seizure of the throne quickly spread throughout the distant kingdoms up to the court of the pharaohs on the Nile. As always, rumors accompanied the news, and it was already said that Cyrus and his army swooped in like lightning, which was hardly true. Embassies arrived from Tire, where purple dye was made, from Gaza, the Treasury, where glass was made, to learn the power and intentions of the impostor who appropriated the great throne. These merchant messengers managed to find out little - only that the armed forces were moving through the mountains.

In the fiery streets of Babylon, by the rivers, its prophet Jeremiah announced that in the northern country the Lord was gathering many nations. He addressed his speeches to them: “Line up in battle formation around Babylon; all who draw the bow, shoot him, spare no arrows, for he has sinned against the Lord. Take revenge on him; as he did, so you do to him."

Since everyone was accustomed to the Jews thus vilifying their masters, almost no one paid attention to these words. The first to face Cyrus was Croesus of Lydia, the most enlightened and richest sovereign of that era. From this clash began the disruption of the existing order, which caused great changes in the world.

Content:

Cyrus the Great. First Monarch: Harold Lamb

Part one MOUNTAIN SETTLEMENT : Harold Lamb

MAGIAN'S WARNING : Harold Lamb

GRACE OF THE GREAT GODDESS : Harold Lamb

ARROW ON THE TRAIL : Harold Lamb

SONG OF THE PILLAGE OF NINEVIA : Harold Lamb

Part Two KIRA'S Oath : Harold Lamb

SCYTHIAN TOMB : Harold Lamb

REVENGE OF HARPAG, MASTER OF THE HOST : Harold Lamb

LOW COUNTRY : Harold Lamb

KYR RIDES IN PARSAGUARDS : Harold Lamb

REVENGE OF HARPAG, MASTER OF THE HOST : Harold Lamb

you are reading: THE Oath IN THE MEDAN HALL : Harold Lamb

Part Three TREASURES OF CROSES : Harold Lamb

HELMET FALLING IN SARDS : Harold Lamb

HARPAG, SATRAP OF IONIA : Harold Lamb

PROPHECY OF THE ORACLE OF DELPHI : Harold Lamb

CYR FACES THE SPARTANS : Harold Lamb

GREAT CHANGE COMES : Harold Lamb

CYR FOLLOWS ZARATHUSTRA'S PATH : Harold Lamb

BORDER MOVEMENT : Harold Lamb

CYR JUDGES BAKTRIANS : Harold Lamb

EVIL COMES TO THE HOLIDAY : Harold Lamb

DANGEROUS TOP : Harold Lamb

Part Five BABYLON BROKEN : Harold Lamb

BALTHAZAR AGAINST CYRA : Harold Lamb

INVISIBLE GATE : Harold Lamb

CARE SINGING PEOPLE : Harold Lamb

WHAT NABONID HID : Harold Lamb

HE WHO LOVES MARDUK : Harold Lamb

I GOT THE PEOPLES TOGETHER : Harold Lamb

CHRONICLE IS SILENT : Harold Lamb

GREAT ROADS LEAD TO THE SEA : Harold Lamb

BATTLE ON THE SCAPE : Harold Lamb

MYSTERY OF THE IRANIAN CONQUESTS : Harold Lamb

PARSAGARD'S SECRET : Harold Lamb

XENOPHON'S TESTIMONY : Harold Lamb

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