Thank you all for watching our episode, Bearskin! If you enjoyed this video, consider leaving a like, sharing the video, subscribing to our channel, and supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mythologyunleashed
It's amazing that Bearskin managed to beat the Devil and earn back his human form and get the young girl he pinned for because her father promised him a bride
I like the other lesson in this story about dealing with the devil. The "don't judge a book by its cover" is a classic lesson, but one that is used regularly in modern story telling, to a fault. The fact that the devil got the upper hand in the end is a better lesson to me. Even though the protagonist won his bet with the devil, seemingly with the upper hand, the devil still won; because any deal with the devil is bound for disaster. The true strength of the soldier would have been to deny the devil an audience and find his own future. I don't think enough stories accentuate that lesson enough in today's world. It's always about how evil can be out smarted or overpowered, never about the consequences or true guile of evil.
@@thecritiquer9407the Devil would get Bearskin’s soul if Bearskin failed the deal. While Bearskin won, the elder sisters of his fiancé ended their own lives, so the Devil got their souls instead just Bearskin’s.
I was truly enlightened by this story. It brought to mind several stories where rejecting a loathsome creature only find out at a later time the creature was actually a beautiful and wealthy person. As the old saying goes “ Never judge by its cover, for you may be passing over a true treasure yourself “
I've heard a version of this story here in Finland too. What was the same was that the man wasn't allowed to wash or change his clothes, and he would always find exactly as much money as he needed in his pocket, though there was no mention of a bearskin or green coat. Also the devil helpfully told him to go to a specific inn where a rich man had lost all his money playing cards, and the young man lived in his father-in-law's house rather than wander around. The ending was exactly the same though, the devil gleefully saying "I could've gotten one, but now I got two."
basically the plot twist is that in this story he is actually portrayed as pure evil, a master of schemes and such. I think at least that all this deal was planned out from the beginning, the soldier surviving all those years, getting after that a wife and taking the two souls of the sisters who were pieces of shit
Devil isn't a bad. D Gives opportunities with a price/exchange/challenge. If all agreements are met he comes through, you fail and the guy collects. No take backsie...unless you can sweeten the deal. But not likely.
Great narration- never heard this one before - the Grimms were just prolific in their collection of folklore. I can easily see a bit of where Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast could’ve of splintered off from this tale. This story had all the things that make great Lore.
I’ve heard several versions of this. One was covered in a Jim Henson series, and was similar to the Grimm’s “Godfather Death.” The other was a story or a princess who made herself look like a beast, to find who loved her for herself not her station. I’ve never heard this story. It made me think of much of my life. Thank you for that. Now you’ve got backup for life. Keep going. The world is better for you and your work being in it. Thank you so much.
It is a reminder as to what some people will do, when they are in dire situations. And also as some before me might have mentioned: "Do not judge a book by it's cover". Or in this case: "Do not judge an individual by their appearance, for a heart of gold may lie beneath." A very well done video, and a very good story. Thank you again for your hard work!
If I were writing the story, on the last day he would be searching for the devil, and upon seeing him, he'd run towards him. The devil was speaking to a young man who was facing the other way. Just as Bearskin came up on them, the devil spun the man around to see Bearskin. The young man shot Bearskin in the chest. As Bearskin lay dying on the ground, he heard the devil tell the young man, "Very well, you have proven you are fearless. Here are the rest of my terms..." The last thing Bearskin heard was the devil telling the man he'd need to skin the dead bear and wear it's hide as a robe.
Intriguing! And, quite timely, as such! My mind was unduly preoccupied by several tracks of discordant thought, when the notification for this video came in! Thanks for that, as my focus was pleasantly sharpened, therefore! This story brings to mind a few other accounts of encounters with the devil! One of f those is the biblical account of Jesus vs Satan, in the 40 day wilderness experience, where Jesus defeated him with the Word of God! This video also led me to recall a famous painting, by Friedrich Moritz, called "Checkmate," where an also famous story emerged from it! It is called, "The King Has One More Move!" I highly recommend it to you, my friends! Always know, beloveds, that the King always has one more move, on your behalf! Peace & blessings to you all! Indeed!🤘💜🌍🌠
@@user-dh7gq1db2r Indeed! The painting by Moritz, entitled "Checkmate," depicts a chess match between the Devil & a King. The story upon this painting is of 2 men who go to an art gallery, & when they see this painting, one of them noticed something significant! Though it appears that the King has been checkmated by the Devil (the figure in green, that's grinning), one of them looks closer at it & realizes that the King is not checkmated, but rather the King has one more move! The game of chess, itself was designed to reflect the 2 cosmic kingdoms, of light & darkness, in opposition with each other! I do hope you get a chance to check it out! Fascinating piece of art, & quite an interesting story in tandem with it! Hope your day is greatly blessed! Peace out!🌎
I remember this story from when I was a kid. Ive searched RU-vid many times for the PBS special of Bearskin from back in the day to no avail. Thank you for the post.
Great video! This was a pretty terrible deal for the bear guy. Being a disgusting mess for so many years and at the end of it he doesn't even get to keep the unlimited money cloak.
Amazing storytelling video! I 🐻 -ly knew of this story from the Brothers Grimm and enjoyed listening to it. It reminds me that when things bestowed upon thy are looking grimm, sometimes you just have to grin and 🐻 it! Plus, try not to read a book by its cover. I'm sure that wasn't the meaning of the story, but it's close to it.
Deals with the devil, magical transformations, a coat with pockets full of gold: all that is fine. But how did the youngest daughter wear HALF a ring around her neck?!
It was nice to see some footage from Tom Davenports work particularly his adaption of Bearskin. He did more than anybody for my love of folk tales. Bearskin is my favorite.
Brave is based on an old Scottish tale. A Witch had a prior romance or fling with the then King. She had her discrepancies about the King not choosing her as a bride. She used her magic and turned the Kings first born son into a Bear. The son was not seen again, missing from the kingdom forever, disappearing into the woods in his new form as a beast. The towns folk discovered a Bear close to the kingdoms boundary, they caught site of it once, sheepishly stalking the walls of the Castle. The King led the hunting party, the Bear was hunted to exhaustion, killed by the King and his men. That night there was a big celebration, the threat of a vicious animal had been nullified, their King was triumphant. Just before the meal, the King made a toast, "to my beloved first Son, youll forever be a part of me and this Kingdom". The son was inline to succeed the King. Surrounded by his people, everyone raised their glasses in remembrance. They then all sat down to feast, the meals mains were the Bear, slaughtered, cooked and served for all the Kingdom to feast upon.
seven years of austerity and penance and plus prayers from the poors and needy saved his soul, but those two elders sisters had no virtue , which could have saved their souls, so because their behaviour and action they were doomed to be in the clutches of the devil. So helpfulness and kindness always bring good results after a while, even now scientific studies show that empathy , sympathatic action and compassion helps in releasing the feel good harmones in the brain, which as a result bring healings to the body and the brain.
- Damn, so I guess its one of those don't invite evil into your life lessons. Even if you think you can make it out on top, that evil can seep into the lives of everyone that you care about or have around you. That the only way to truly beat some toxic people and ideas, is to not engage at all!
Devil - "Now I have two souls instead of one of yours...ha ha ha" Soldier - "OK, cool, I'm rich, and I get the youngest, more beautiful sister. Now gtfo so I can get married."
the devil would lie to guilt trip the soldier. the elder sisters were probably the devil's grasp anyways. given their initial reaction to bearskin, as with they've not married within those 3yrs...likely due to their toxic characteristics...which drove them to suicide. (is a rather extreme reaction)
I think that because of that, the price to pay for having riches & get married to one of the youngest of those beautiful sisters of that down-trotted fellow that Bearskin has helped sound like this time is very small; Bearskin sure lucked out on this one this time.
such a lovely story... and to be honest the deal was pretty fair, the two girls that died were pretty shit people too and nothing really could've changed them in the future anyways.. so two souls for the saving of one, his bride was ridiculed and judged on stupid things so the devil had planned it out from the start, to have the soldier get a wife and punish two sinful souls
Amazing story and well told, there’s just one issue I have at 2:38 minute mark I had to pause the video cuz my gf couldn’t stop laughing to the bear picture and sounds, for the future be more cautious with the editing (she didn’t stop laughing for 20 minutes…)
I never heard that ending before with the devil claiming the souls of the sisters, but I was just wondering during this telling of it if that were an implied outcome when it was spoken aloud and all ambiguity was alleviated.
Honestly I thought there’d be some twist at the end where Bearskin fails the deal and the Devil gets his soul. I like the twist that Bearskin wins the deal but the Devil gets the souls of the fiancé’s sisters.
Plot twist: The handsome soldier marries the youngest daughter, and after a couple of years, she finds out that he killed Bearskin, and took the ring off him.
@@TheGoldenWildcat I mean, I don't believe in the devil myself, but I still like stories where his actions somehow create some form of good. Kinda like Loki.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but in a "bet" aren't some kind of stakes involved? The devil challenges him, and he just goes along with. What, did he just have nothing else better to do? What did he possibly have to gain from going along with it, and to wager his life no less?
The stakes are, if the soldier wins then he spends the rest of his days financially wealthy and the Devil can no longer take his soul. If the Devil wins, the Devil gets the man's soul. Now those are some stakes!
Yes I remember a similar story but the young woman was either a noble or a princess who ran away from her homeland because her father fell in love with her because she grew up really beautiful that she looked like her late mother and he was intended to marry her she ran away to a neighboring kingdom and became a castle cook for the prince wearing an animal coat in disguise. The tail is called the coat of a thousand colors
