So he took them home , and was very kind to them , and brought up the boy till he was a young man . Now when the boy had come to his full strength the King of that country fell in love with his mother , and wanted to marry her , but he knew that she would never part from her boy . So he thought of a plan to get rid of the boy , and this was his plan : A great Queen of a country not far off was going to be married , and this king said that all his subjects must bring him wedding presents to give her . And he made a feast to which he invited them all , and they all brought their presents ; some brought gold cups , and some brought necklaces of gold and amber , and some brought beautiful horses ; but the boy had nothing , though he was the son of a princess , for his mother had nothing to give him . Then the rest of the company began to laugh at him , and the King said : `` If you have nothing else to give , at least you might go and fetch the Terrible Head . '' The boy was proud , and spoke without thinking : `` Then I swear that I will bring the Terrible Head , if it may be brought by a living man . But of what head you speak I know not . '' Then they told him that somewhere , a long way off , there dwelt three dreadful sisters , monstrous ogrish women , with golden wings and claws of brass , and with serpents growing on their heads instead of hair . Now these women were so awful to look on that whoever saw them was turned at once into stone . And two of them could not be put to death , but the youngest , whose face was very beautiful , could be killed , and it was her head that the boy had promised to bring . You may imagine it was no easy adventure . When he heard all this he was perhaps sorry that he had sworn to bring the Terrible Head , but he was determined to keep his oath . So he went out from the feast , where they all sat drinking and making merry , and he walked alone beside the sea in the dusk of the evening , at the place where the great chest , with himself and his mother in it , had been cast ashore . There he went and sat down on a rock , looking toward the sea , and wondering how he should begin to fulfill his vow . Then he felt some one touch him on the shoulder ; and he turned , and saw a young man like a king 's son , having with him a tall and beautiful lady , whose blue eyes shone like stars . They were taller than mortal men , and the young man had a staff in his hand with golden wings on it , and two golden serpents twisted round it , and he had wings on his cap and on his shoes . He spoke to the boy , and asked him why he was so unhappy ; and the boy told him how he had sworn to bring the Terrible Head , and knew not how to begin to set about the adventure . Then the beautiful lady also spoke , and said that `` it was a foolish oath and a hasty , but it might be kept if a brave man had sworn it . '' Then the boy answered that he was not afraid , if only he knew the way . Then the lady said that to kill the dreadful woman with the golden wings and the brass claws , and to cut off her head , he needed three things : first , a Cap of Darkness , which would make him invisible when he wore it ; next , a Sword of Sharpness , which would cleave iron at one blow ; and last , the Shoes of Swiftness , with which he might fly in the air .
The boy answered that he knew not where such things were XXXXX be procured , and that , wanting them , he could only try and fail .
beside by for from off than that though till to