The White Deer

[1] It is a fairy tale about the quest of the three sons of King Clode – Thag and Gallow, the hunters, and Jorn, the poet – who are set perilous tasks to win the heart and hand of a princess who had once been a beautiful white deer, but lost her memories.

[2](pp 9–10) The minstrel in the castle sang of a white deer that would be found between Centaurs Mountain and Moonstone Mines.

[2](pp 11–12) The king and his three sons rode to the enchanted forest[2](p 13) and encountered a woods wizard that looked familiar to Clode.

[2](pp 26–27) Tocko told the Recorder a story of a deer from his father's time who was friends with a woods wizard.

[2](p 36) The princess commissioned Thag to kill single-handed the Blue Boar of Thedon Grove in the Forest of Jeopardy with one lance.

Jorn was merely commissioned to destroy the Mok-Mok, which was a type of scarecrow made out of clay and sandalwood to scare away rocs who tried to steal the Orchard of Chardor's cherries.

[2](pp 38–39) The Royal Recorder told King Clode Tocko's story of the white deer, while adding a few liberties of his own in the storytelling.

[2](p 41) Clode asked for the History of Sorcery book, in which the Royal Recorder spotted a report of maidens transforming into deer and back.

[2](pp 45–46) After having a weird conversation with a round man sitting in a tree, Prince Thag rode into the Valley of Euphoria.

[2](pp 53–56) Prince Thag accomplished his mission easily by killing the Blue Boar with his lance and cutting off his tusks.

[2](p 67) Gallow accomplished his mission when he encountered a man "dressed in black and blue" that gave him seven balls for the price of twelve emeralds.

To get the Sacred Sword of Loralow, all he had to do was to play a type of carnival game of throwing a ball into each of the seven heads of the mechanical Seven-headed Dragon of Dragore (who was sitting in a tent).

Jorn filled the silver chalice, but the small man disappeared and a black knight called Duff of the Dolorous Doom appeared before him.

"This is the Dolorous Doom of one who rode not home to claim his lady’s hand – that each and every Maytime till I die, I must be overthrown by love which once I overthrew," Duff said.

The Princess told Thag her true identity first and asked him if he did love her, and the prince broke the golden board tusks he had brought back with him in protest.

[2](pp 101–105) Tel told the story of how a damsel named Nagrom Yaf was sore and jealous about his father marrying another girl.

[2](pp 106–114) Nagrom Yaf and the witch she employed were struck by lightning and vanished from the face of the earth in the hour that Jorn declared his love for Rosanore.

[2](p 115) Summaries of the story state: The original 1945 edition by Harcourt, Brace and Co features black and white illustrations by James Thurber and a cover and four color plates by Don Freeman.