Fables and Folktales: The Boy Who Found Fear At Last

A bite-sized little folktale about a little man on a big adventure!
"Average coronation ceremony contains one pigeon" actually statistical error. Average coronation contains zero pigeons. "The Boy Who Found Fear At Last" is an outlier and should not be counted
Our content is intended for teenage audiences and up.
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[@tomerkramer6735]

poor kid realized he has responsibilities and immediately got a panic attack

[@mirjanbouma]

So relatable

[@jackielinde7568]

This is the same response when I learned I became a father. That was 21 years ago, and she's a good kid trying to make something of herself. So it's not all doom and gloom.

[@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369]

well anxiety attack buy yes

[@wjzav1971]

@@jackielinde7568 Congratulations. Seems like you mastered it pretty well.

[@Belthazor24]

Vibes.

[@sulemanhaider1305]

So he wasn't scared by literal ghosts, zombies, mermaids, bandits and the legal system... but was scared by responsibility. Relatable!

[@masanomchannel9436]

and thats why i think spiderman is the best superhero

[@fluffydragon1525]

He just like me fr

[@AnInsideJoke]

I absolutely loved that chaotic little shit, I want to adopt him! ...wait...but that's a child...which is a huge responsibility.... *OH* *OH NO*

[@okuyasuniijimura]

Literally me

[@ALunarLight]

@@AnInsideJoke nah don't worry he meander off after a couple day, heck he become king it is then his job to take care of you

[@patrickiamonfire965]

Boy going back to his mom with an army of guards, a horse carriage with immense wealth and power: Mother I found out what fear is.

[@christopherg2347]

"And all that is nowhere near enough to protect me from it!"

[@justadude2377]

With the same tone as the "mommy i frew up" kid

[@AnhedoniaShoujo]

"mom can you unload the carriage? im scared"

[@moreplz]

In the list you didn't include the several pigeons tagging along

[@brittanywetherill472]

@@moreplzOMG yes! I just envision one or two pigeons on him or nearby at all times, this like comedically horrifying constant reminder of his responsibilities. 🤣🤣

[@lolli_popples]

“Mom I found fear.” “How?” “I’m king of the realm now.” “WHAT”

[@lukew6657]

I consider it a crime that this post has so many likes and no replies so Im here to fix that!

[@flazzorb]

mum they want me to do things! _Well that's not too bad I'm sure-_ and not mess up!

[@AneitaLT]

​@flazzorb "and not mess up!" Now, that is really scary. It feels stressful to avoid messing up.

[@DaxterL]

It's a small thing but the "Are you sure you don't want anything else?" "Like a third bracelet?" really got me, so adorable and hilarious

[@tudoraragornofgreyscot8482]

I thought it was an innuendo.

[@beeaggro2593]

@@tudoraragornofgreyscot8482 it was nut also like look at everything

[@1mag1nat1vename]

I just thought to ask for her hand... But I appreciate the 0% simping

[@DeathMessenger1988]

@@1mag1nat1vename That boy was the original Sigma Male! ALL HAIL THE SIGMA KING! XD

[@Megalomaniac_Trans_Lesbian]

​@@DeathMessenger1988 Which means he too won't have an heir, so his people will be back to the beginning once he dies Cx

[@Punaparta]

Honestly, that the only thing that this crazy little boy who thinks he's invincible actually fears is power and the responsibility that comes with it is a brilliant twist.

[@EdgarCastillo-c6j]

With great power comes great responsibility

[@ichdu-fk6xc]

@@EdgarCastillo-c6jin a way he wasn’t just fearless he was irresponsible the entire time but it only threatens him he rightfully sees himself as utterly unprepared for kingship

[@smithjack1741]

​@ichdu-fk6xc you can also look at it like a child who hasn't "grown up" yet.

[@h0m3st4r]

Everybody wants to rule the world until they get the chance to actually do it.

[@DrakeAurum]

Is he scared of responsibility in general though, or just of taking responsibility for a society that thinks royalty-seeking pigeons are the solution to good governance?

[@Dominic-Noble]

Sometimes I find the moral of old folk tales a tad convoluted but "adult responsibility is the scariest thing of all" hits WAY too hard 😱

[@ohw5306]

Oooooooo Dom pleasent surprise 😊

[@simritagop]

Hi Dom!!!!

[@shadowkhan422]

Sad thing , that type of person makes the best rulers . What we usually get are elitist morrons who just want to have their power phantasy (and ignore all consequences that dont touch their "rich and powerfull" minority group)

[@arueshalaetablebuildingsociety]

At least he made 3 good friends he can go hang out with if things get overwhelming.

[@blueberry1vom1t]

@@ohw5306 Dom is a pretty decently common guest on osp live streams and podcasts. Look around an you'll find him all over this channel! Great chemistry with the gang.

[@bmstradivari2108]

So the weight of adulthood expectations is what finally gets him throughout his harrowing adventures? Honestly, kinda relatable.

[@wjzav1971]

for real

[@isadoracostahamsi163]

Mood

[@Wolfiyeethegranddukecerberus17]

Same, I personify my adulthood responsibilities through demons

[@cartoonistanonymous]

That's a vibe

[@starmaker75]

It reminds me of the song "I don't wanna grow up"

[@samuelmelcher333]

I love the subversion of becoming king in a folk tale. So often it's part of the happy ending, like so often it ends with "He married the princess" or "The king named him as his heir" or "He achieved his destined birthright to the throne" and now we move straight to our "happily ever after", but no. In this story, being named king is still the climax, but actually having to rule is a massive responsibility that usually gets completely glossed over, but here it takes center stage. I love it

[@cooltrainervaultboy-39]

That... That's actually a good point. How come we don't get more of that? Only example I can think of in modern media where that happens is Fable 3, and that's just me going off of hearsay. What with me never getting around to playing it.

[@samuelmelcher333]

@@cooltrainervaultboy-39 I think probably because it’s a) very hard to make it work, and b) even harder in modern media. People like it when stories have a tidy conclusion, but this is essentially the lack of one: he’s basically fine the whole story, then we learn he’s going to have a lot of challenges to deal with going forward, the end. In a regular story, that would be an incredibly unsatisfying and open-ended ending, but it works in this very specific case because the story isn’t about the boy - it’s about his unnatural lack of fear, and this ending resolves the question of “well if none of that frightening stuff is scary, then what will find frightening?” in an unexpected yet satisfying way, so the story is resolved even though the boy’s personal story is only beginning. This would be even harder in a modern story because those tend to be more centered around their characters, and they ask us to believe in them as people rather than mere archetypes/the roles they play in the story - for instance you almost never see a modern story without a single named character, including the protagonist “boy”, but that works perfectly fine in the context of a folktale. In a modern story the audience would implicitly wonder, “Well what happens to Johnny Smith now that he’s king?”, but in the context of the folktale, that question doesn’t really make sense. “What happens to the boy after he becomes king?” Nothing happens; he doesn’t exist outside of the story about his fear. You could make up another story to follow it, but it would be just that - something new. You could argue that this is true of all characters - that they don’t exist beyond their story - but that doesn’t seem to be how most people think of stories. Modern authors generally ask you to believe in the world they are telling you about, but you don’t have to imagine for a second that this boy actually existed in order to enjoy the story and appreciate its meaning.

[@short-m7598]

​@@samuelmelcher333 I wish KZbin has a save option for comments

[@samuelmelcher333]

@@short-m7598 Unfortunately I can't suggest anything better than a screenshot, but I'm glad you found it interesting! I often end up writing short essays in youtube comments sections that are essentially shouting into the ether, but I'm glad occasionally people find them insightful. As a side note, the reason I qualified that "you **almost** never see a modern story without any named characters" is because of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. The first line is "The boy's name was Santiago", but other than that he is referred to simply as "the boy", and most other characters are referred to likewise: "the crystal merchant", "the Englishman", "the gypsy", "the alchemist". In many ways Coelho is constructing a modern story with the feeling of something much older and deeper, and in so doing he creates something that is at once incredibly simple and wondrously complex. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. It's a very good book that can be appreciated on many levels

[@equidistanthoneyjoy7600]

It's a little similar to the Sword of Damocles in that sense, although in that story the guy wanted to be king and only understood after having gone through it

[@DoneRandomLee]

The idea that they weren't sure so they released more pigeons and they all kept going to him until everyone is like "fine he is the king" is just so good. I agree this should be more well known

[@slwrabbits]

someone needs to re-enact this with rabbits

[@Hecatonicosachoron]

Weren't the thee ladies pigeons too? Looks like each symbolises a particular challenge

[@michelleburgess5643]

The pigeons represent his rapidly growing anxiety. 😅

[@Megalomaniac_Trans_Lesbian]

​@@Hecatonicosachoron Doves actually. Now I have nothing to prove this, but they may be a variation on the widely spread folk tale of the swans who shed their feathers at a lake to turn into women for one night, but then one of them is forced into marriage by a man who steals her feathers. That tale itself being a variation of the seal women who shed their seal skin and then get a forced marriage with the human who steals it. In both versions, the woman usually ends up finding her feathers/skin after many years and goes back to her people, living her husband/abductor lonely and miserable

[@SYKRAL1]

@@Hecatonicosachoronthe ladies were doves. Still birds though, so maybe some symbolism there

[@theguy1239]

The Bandit leader being sad after not being able to scare a literal kid is so hilarious and wholesome at the same time

[@arturoaguilar6002]

"No Boss. You're still totally terrifying" I was dying with that scene.

[@hiddenshadow2105]

"Really, you should try the cake"

[@daviddaugherty2816]

The bandit boss crying beause he's not scary is one of the most hilarious yet weirdly wholesome things I think I've ever seen.

[@MURPHYCHACHO]

And one of his underlings trying to cheer him up and get him to enjoy some cake!

[@billyholland5156]

He was completely terrified by the idea of taking responsibility and actually caring about trying to make things work...probably a better leader than quite few IRL people would be!

[@yellowcoat4498]

anyone able to willingly take the throne is in no way fit to rule. probably an outlier if a pidgeon picks you

[@Scarshadow666]

I dunno if that means he'd be a better leader just because he's terrified of the position, but granted, I'll admit I'm biased and don't fully believe there's such a thing as a completely good leader (humans are flawed and power often corrupts people anyway). ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@_shadow_1]

​@Scarshadow666 Leadership doesn't universally corrupt people. That's ridiculous. A leader can be put into power for reasons that have nothing to do with a lust for power and openly reject even the idea of taking power themselves. The democratic system most countries use today however does often attract the worst kind of people into power.

[@sophie3869]

The pigeons chose wisely 😋

[@kjarakravik4837]

​@@yellowcoat4498 I never really got this way of thinking. Shouldn't people who want to change world for the better want to be in a position to do so? Like I get there are a lot of awful reasons for why someone would want to be a ruler, but influencing large scale systemic change seems like a pretty noble reason

[@NeroCM]

The idea that he basically got cuddle-piled by pigeons and that's how he got over his first time experiencing fear is too precious for words.

[@catbatrat1760]

Ikr? 🥺

[@slwrabbits]

after working with birds for many years, I don't think this would help me get over fear. on the other hand, my first instinct with birds is being simultaneously terrified that they will die and also try to kill me, so ... perhaps I am a terrible comparison.

[@faerylnhiikira1053]

The best part of Red's art for this video is the fact the boy keeps jumpscaring everyone else. Just casually pops in like 'hey, what's going on?' and everyone else freaks tf out. 🤣

[@Spitestar]

Not scared of monsters or dying... But responsibility and failure? Oh boy, I just found the most relatable folktale yet

[@Acudit]

666 likes. It is an omen. Also I completely agree.

[@theanimeunderworld8338]

The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself. And weasels, those little bastards will get you

[@MahiMahi-yu5jo]

Maybe cockroaches too. Those monsters are everywhere

[@johnnygyro2295]

Is that a reference?

[@theanimeunderworld8338]

@@johnnygyro2295 osp egyptian vines

[@DragonflyMind]

​@@johnnygyro2295Yes it is! :D

[@joaomrtins]

​@@MahiMahi-yu5jothey are not harmful, chill down a bit

[@siver110]

The fact it was responsibility that made him fearful is neat

[@Kagane1001]

At first I thought this would be a version of a Brothers Grimm fairytale, of the youth who journeyed to learn what fear was. It ends quite differently, but the outcome of that story was hilarious to. There, after a similarly fruitless journey to find fear, the man de-cursed and won a haunted castle and married a resident princess . However, having failed to find fear increasingly depressed him, which increasingly annoyed his wife. So one night she filled a bucket with cold water and fish, and dumped it on her sleeping husband. Who woke screaming, and finally knew how true fear felt.

[@dracuella]

That's the version I've been told, too. I always found it weird that he was afraid of little fish and water but I just figured it was the shock treatment that did it

[@gyrrakavian]

Also the version I know. Red did say that this was a Turkish version of the German folktale, so a few hundred years of telephone and at least two languages are in play.

[@tornielsen2888]

@@dracuella This is also the version im familiar with. I do think its better. The joke about the bucket ending is that it wasnt actually fear. Just what he had been told fear felt like. A chill cold sensation down the back. But it gave his wife peace. So all is good.

[@jurajbury995]

this is the version i know. i am from slovakia

[@spookysun]

I also read this Version when I was kid, didn´t like it back then though because kinda killed a man in at one of his stops and didn´t seem to care much. It just seemed a bit cruel to me that he´d get to be married to a princess afterwards

[@gana511]

I heard a version of this story, but the ending was 100% different. After going out and having all his adventures, the boy finds out his mother is getting older and experiences the fear of losing her before he gets to see her again. So he travels back, and helps take care of his mother, finally understanding what fear is, in his case the fear of losing a loved one.

[@generalzeta7000]

I wonder witch one the boy prefers.

[@Isaac-hm6ih]

​@@generalzeta7000I imagine in the king version the boy will still get the mother version later on, so...

[@SashaYamato]

The king version is much more fun and more in line with OSP sense of humor, a boy afraid of responsibility or some interpreted it as becoming an adult is relatable and funny

[@phastinemoon]

I wonder if the two different versions came from two different backgrounds of storyteller… Like, the version where he discovers he’s afraid of being king was told by the upper class, as a way to be all like “hey, the fact that we’re not at the VERY top of the food chain and still have to answer to a monarch isn’t all that bad, actually” whilst the version where he fears his mother’s mortality was more common amongst serfs and peasants, to reinforce the moral “you look after your parents when you’re grown”.

[@AgentofChaos315]

Kid isn't scared of monsters or dying but he's scared of responsibility. Relatable.

[@xhagast]

Reasonable.

[@adelinaiftime3152]

the poor mother, she was in the story for like the first paragraph and then vanished may we hope she had a fairy tale adventure of her own in the search for her son

[@rmsgrey]

She probably got sent for...

[@-ZH]

Well, she has less responsibility now, so she has less fear. Happy days.

[@NotMeButAnother]

...and having now understood fear, for the first time the boy knew how afraid his poor mother must have been at home, waiting for his return. So, as soon as the clamour had quietened, he rushed to see her the very next day.

[@isadoracostahamsi163]

​@@NotMeButAnotherthank you

[@morehero1]

She is royalty now. She will be fine.

[@rivkakinney6192]

THE FREAKING MONTY PYTHON QUOTE 🤣🤣🤣 Also, the idea that these three sisters are just randomly surprised by the kid who pulled one over on all of them means that unintentionally he probably becomes a cryptid to the magical beings in his new kingdom.

[@Aaa-vp6ug]

Where?

[@bmyers7078]

“Strange women lying in ponds, distributing swords, is no basis for a system of government”.

[@pridelander06]

Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical avian ceremony!

[@rivkakinney6192]

@@Aaa-vp6ug The ending text during the credits is a direct quote from Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail.

[@animeotaku307]

“No, I’m telling you the truth! A sister of a cousin of a friend of mine was trying to trick some kid into hoisting her onto his shoulders so she could make him fall into the water and instead he threw her off! The No-Fear Boy is real!”

[@eclipsicalbluestocking1182]

I read somewhere that when you're very young, your nightmares are very primal and basic (being chased by animals, falling from heights, etc.) But as you get older they get more modern and realistic (being fired, running late, eviction, breakups, etc.)

[@AntediluvianRomance]

Well, you have to experience school first to get nightmares about forgetting all your homework at home. That's experience at work.

[@jakerelind5577]

Aren't quite a few of those primal fears also realistic? Especially during the time this story is set in.

[@bencox3641]

As someone who had a nightmare where I lost all of my money because of a hacker, I can confirm this to be true.

[@Jwsponky]

Or if your like me you don't dream, for good or ill, at all... maybe once or twice a year.

[@ThiccTropius]

3 mystical women: try to scare the young boy to no avail A single pigeon: hold my birdseed

[@MusicLover-my6fo]

I like how his naivety ends and the dread sits in the second he realizes what politics are. Interesting tale about the woes of responsibility.

[@kab6754]

I love that the whole moral of the story is childlike whimsy will not sace you from the inevitable encroach of paying taxes and other adult responsibilities 😂

[@LilianaKali]

To be fair my insomnia didn't start until I was out in the "real world" with real adult responsibilities. Very relatable story

[@GrizzLee30]

Are we not gonna talk about how Red’s rendition of “Scared of the Dark” is so FUCKING GOOD

[@peaceflowerstudios6833]

She's so talented and wonderful

[@crimsonchaos7224]

Her rendition of EVERYTHING is amazing.

[@Tyleya]

Omg!! I was wondering what that song was!! Bravo!!

[@ThatReplyGuy]

Who sings it?

[@serge1500]

BRAD?

[@anau.u9827]

Honestly was not expecting for the fear the boy found to be *Adult Responsibility* and yet, it makes perfect sense

[@CSWells-uq4jx]

This reminds me of the, “The Cry Fairy.” A story where, fairies don’t understand why humans cry and honestly don’t care. But one fairy does care, and they launch an expedition to discover why humans cry. He returns with the knowledge that, “Humans cry when they want something that they do not have, or they have some thing that they do not want.” Incredibly simple, but true if you dig deep enough. I don’t know why, but this stuck with me since 5th grade and is comforting when I want to cry.

[@netnet_in_a_sweater9351]

I love how at the end the boy’s eyes are little 😧 faces. Also him crying covered in pigeons going “thanks guys I’m good now” would be a perfect T-shirt

[@lisacarpenter3787]

I'd definitely get it if they made it as one of their stickers

[@97Multiphantom]

Adult responsibility being portrayed as the most terrifying thing in the world is such a mood. Also, I never knew I needed to hear Red sing “Scared of the Dark” from Spider-verse, but I REALLY did!

[@catbatrat1760]

Wait, that song is from Spider-Verse? I've only seen the first movie, and I don't think I remember hearing that song?

[@97Multiphantom]

@@catbatrat1760 it’s from the scene where the city learns Spider-Man has died.

[@עומרשרייבר-ל4ר]

So turns out his fear was being a major political figure, which frankly is completely understandable.

[@animalia5554]

I wouldn’t do it. Edit: Should have said couldn’t

[@starmaker75]

Yeah as CGP grey has said: if not careful enough, the throne controls you.

[@brauliopereira9173]

As much as I relate to the fear of responsibilities, I can't help but think this is just another case of "telling the poors how good they have it". Oh no, don't try to achieve actual power! It's terrifying! You wouldn't want it! Just accept your responsibility-free (and powerless) existence and let the ruling classes deal with the "burden" of actual power!

[@animalia5554]

@@brauliopereira9173 Why not both?

[@taylor_green_9]

The faces of the three sisters when they're giving him the second bracelet are priceless 😂❤

[@rosethorn20]

I like this almost more than the ending of “the boy who went in search of fear” in the book “the juniper tree” a smaller collection of grimm fairytales. In that one the boy doesn’t find fear until he’s married to the princess, who eventually gets tired of his moaning and dumps a bucket of cold water and minnows on him in the middle of the night! Thanks for showing this version!

[@Isaac-hm6ih]

What an oddly specific thing to be afraid of

[@caderschatzman1708]

Ah yes, responsibility. Can confirm, much scarier than any ghost.

[@eleutheros7216]

So, for those interested, there's a slightly different version of this tale, called something like "The kid with no fear" or sometimes "Generic_kid_name without fear", diffused in Italy and Germany with two scenes that deserve their share of love: -the kid (Giovannino o Gioacchino in Italy) is dared to spend the night in a haunted castle in order to win it, and during the night limbs and pieces of someone's body drop from the chimney but he's so unbothered that the ghosts end up partying with him (for some reason our kindergarten teacher re-enacted this scene, dropping limbs made from paper from up above to make us learn names of the human body, we actually loved it) -in the end he gets happily married to this beautiful girl; however, he discovers true fear for the first time when she glares at him while angry

[@kathyjohnson2043]

I would have loved that teacher

[@eleutheros7216]

@@kathyjohnson2043 honestly, she was the best, it takes someone special to bask in a bunch of little kids running around with a disassembled body

[@voidempty1125]

HAHAHA

[@tannemin6758]

I love all the different renditions of this tale! In the version my grandfather told me, he gets married to a beautiful princess after freeing the haunted castle but still isn't content without knowing fear. So she jumpscares him by emptying a bucket full of living fish on top of him while he's sleeping :D In German it's "Von einem, der auszog, das Fürchten zu Lernen" (About someone who left home to learn how to fear)

[@eleutheros7216]

@@tannemin6758 if my spouse doesn't throw a bucket of fish on my head, then it's not true love

[@tobigrantlbart]

I am from Austria and this folktale is actually one of my favourites ever. I don't know why it is, but it is such a good one

[@starmaker75]

Because it shows that being a ruler that trying to do their best keeps things in order is actually the scariest thing known to man.

[@durrangodsgrief6503]

Honestly the three maidens remained me of the Rhine maidens from siegfrieds story

[@sophiaro4593]

Ich bin mir grade nicht sicher, aber das ist schon "Vom Jüngling, der auszog, das Fürchten zu lernen" oder?

[@hungrymusicwolf]

It's about a boy growing up. A naive child that fears nothing and faces the world with those eyes only a child can have, slowly he experiences the world and grows up until he is saddled with responsibility, which then forces him to face adulthood and take the bully (responsibility) by the horns and live the rest of his life with it.

[@katethegoat7507]

It's fuckin hilarious

[@gabrielhermesson9926]

I read a very similar yet very different story from Grimm's fairy tales, "the boy who couldn't shake". Long story short, this boy had no fear, and couldn't understand why others trembled. The boy ends up freeing a kingdom from a curse and getting the princess by spending three days in a haunted house. He still never felt fear, but he wanted to understand. His new wife was smart--she filled a tub with ice and kept him in it until he started shivering, which made him happy. The end.

[@badger273]

I was looking to see if anyone else mentioned this! But in the version I read, I think it was a handmaid who went down to a river in the middle of the night, got a bucket of cold water and fish, and dumped it on him while he was sleeping 💀

[@khanhuyen-co7ft]

5:03 Love the detail of a frowning/screaming face in each of his pupils as he is one with the birbs

[@katrinka9781]

I never heard this fairytale before, it's awesome, but I LOVE how the sudden dumping of power and responsibiity on him gives the kid his first taste of fear. What a mood.

[@JDM-is-my-name]

I read it a while back and it's do funny

[@Just_Some_Guy_with_a_Mustache]

Years later, after he’s well into being Ruler of the lands His Mom: looks at the Sun Dial on her wrist “Well, I’ll give him 5 more minutes. But after that, I’ll have to go start looking for him.”

[@MrStyro]

This Story: This guy ditches his mom and is completely obsessed with a keeping a trinket, causally defeats monsters/villains but ultimately dislikes when responsibility is given to him. Tetsuya Nomura (in 2002): Hey guys, I know how to design Sora’s backstory and personality in Kingdom Hearts now.

[@missnightowl1476]

I definitely feel like this metaphor for growing up and becoming an adult. But I also love how the message is basically ‘responsibility is scary’ lol 💀💀💀

[@mckayleepugmire9947]

I think this might be the first version of this tale type I've ever seen where the boy actually figures out what fear is (a lot of the versions I've seen the closest he ever gets is marrying a princess who helps him learn to shudder specifically by dumping ice water on him to wake him up, which he confuses for fear)

[@LimSiege]

Ah yes, the most terrifying thing in the world: Responsibility.

[@lizabethhampton4537]

This whole tale sounds like a metaphor for growing up and realizing you need to adult for the rest of your life

[@angel-ke9vs]

That's it the fear is responsibility and expectations. Great story.

[@kathyjohnson2043]

Exactly, told to kids who keep muttering about how they won't have to do what they are told when they are grown

[@skyrogue1977]

The real Fear is the friends we made along the way.

[@arcanelore3791]

If your interpersonal communication and social anxiety are bad enough, this can be completely true.

[@FrisbeeGorbeh]

Ok, that earned a chuckle from me. Well done lol

[@catbatrat1760]

1:38 "[comforting his crying leader] No, boss, you're still totally terrifying." XD I love this!

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

Hey, red! Trope talk suggestion for you; "The incident" or "Noodle incidents" are a literary tool of a trope that gives more literary weight (funniness, scaryness, impact on the audience) to an event or noun than a description would, mostly by context and the reader's imagination. Named Noodle Incidents because of a short series of Calvin and Hobbes comics wherein everyone at school gives the eternally frustrated 6-year-old grief about something he did in the past that is now known only as "The noodle incident." It is hinted at vaguely many times, but the writer ultimately leaves it up to your imagination; which is a strength because whatever the audience dreams up will be way more literarily impactful (in this case funny) than anything he could write down. And that's not even the only time that comic uses a noodle incident, see, there's this kids book calvin always wants read called "Hampster Hewwy and the Gooey Kablooey" and Now I'm ranting. Point is; by leaving the event, place, person or item, open to interpretation, it has more literary weight than the creator could have possibly written. The Legendary Super Saiyan may have looked a lot cooler in your head than just goku+blonde+power. Another instance this trope is used is in an S.C.P. story wherein a certain slime MUST NEVER come into contact with a human corpse. Why? That's classified. A foundation researcher files the suggestion to test the slime on a human corpse because it's never listed what happens, only that it is a V E R Y bad idea, and the researcher is curious. He gets demoted and heavily scolded by an O-5, who states "Just don't." That one of the 0-5's, who have seen untold horrible horrible things, REALLY doesn't want this to happen, forces the reader to come up with something even the 0-5's fear, and is therefore even more terrifying than anything the writer could have written down. A "Noodle Incident" or "The Incident" is a rare trope that involves telling the audience that something exists or happened, but not telling them what it was, in order to give the plot point more narrative weight than a description would give it, partly because of the imaginations of the audience. It is a great trope that I think you should cover. I'm going to keep suggesting it on every trope talk and mythology video untill you do.

[@AmbushIntheDark]

If it’s anything like that jockstrap incident then Ginyu would have buried them close…

[@JackSilver1410]

I've done this. When I worked inventory, sometimes our machines would glitch and need a reboot. When they came back on, they would ask "do you want to warm boot the device." I was told to NEVER warm boot the device, but I was never told why. Of course, that meant there was only one option open to me. Whenever a new person asked if they should warm boot the device, I would spin tales of all the horrible and catastrophic things that could occur if a device was ever warm booted. From resetting the entire store to natural disasters and pandemonium. It's important to make your own fun at work sometimes.

[@sniccups8390]

Hey, she actually made this video!

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

@@sniccups8390 Yes, and I am glad

[@luigiclub]

Kid: Man these super hard situations don’t make me feel fear. (Gets crowned king) Kid: No not responsibility!!😱

[@joeypuell3411]

*actively having existential panic* Now this looks like a guy who needs some pigeons!!! *crowd erupts in cheers*

[@justinduffany5580]

Having to be a responsible adult is a fear we can all get behind.

[@leonardchurch9048]

3:52 Fear was not the only thing the boy was happily unaware of

[@frostboi77]

i love this having a large responsibility thrust upon the boy being how he discovers fear is hilarious and mood and so relatable

[@rampage75_25]

The story of the boy who sought fear was one of my favourites. There are lots of versions of the story, but my favourite was one where the boy ends up throwing a priest (who came in an absolutly comedicly simple ghost costume) down the stairs, enters a haunted castle and absolutly confuses the shit out of the ghosts. He finds fear by getting happily married to a princess. When he lies awake one evening, mumbling about fear, his wife sneaks out, takes a bucket of ice cold water and dumps it on him while hes asleep. I first found the version in an old comic book with cartoonish style. I swear, it was hilarous😂

[@Vandalieu]

In the version I read he didn't find fear he just learned what's it like to shudder because he was freezing cold.

[@mukilanselvakumar4927]

I read the story you described in a comic book too. Could this comic book be an issue of Tinkle Magazine?

[@Max3110]

That's the Grimm's Tales version i think. Atleast that's also the version that got turned into a "Sonntagsmärchen" which are fairy tales that the German npr-equivalent show on TV every sunday.

[@isaacbenrubi9613]

"Hey mom! I found fear!" "We have fear at home, honey."

[@Ami-jc2oo]

Fear at home: *raising children*

[@jonp8015]

"Hey mom, I found fear!" "Oh thank god I was worried sic- IS THAT A CROWN!?" "Yep! And these are my bandit bros and monster girlfriends."

[@WilczycaCzarownica]

"Hey mam! I found fear! Mom?! *his mom died in fear*

[@nateds7326]

The fact that you didn't even dignify the Anti-Semitism in your narration and relegated it to a sight-only gag is both hilarious and awesome.

[@JustforNow-ty5zt]

Where is the Anti-Semitism? Edit: Never mind, I found it. It’s at 2:41

[@ByzantiumNeon]

What antisemitism?

[@hamstersandwich9917]

Timestamp?

[@M3diaHead]

2:41

[@laurelrhinehardt5160]

@@ByzantiumNeonIn case this is a legitimate question: antisemitism is a prejudice against Jewish people. One prominent historical example of antisemitism is the holocaust, but the prejudice is very real and has been pervasive throughout much of history. I believe Blue has a great video on the history of Judaism that talks a little about antisemitism.

[@maryann778]

Why has this story never got turned into anything animated or something? That's the funniest plotline and execution Ive ever heard!

[@brittanywetherill472]

I saw “boy who learned fear” and got so freaking excited so fast, you have no idea 🤩 Tbh, don’t know this exact version, but know several others, all of them are perfect comedic fantasies. LOVE this story. That and “witty Jack” of the Jack o lantern are so fun to tell to kids.

[@Drifting.Daydreamer]

When you're so sheltered the only thing that scares you is responsibility

[@kryptonianguest1903]

Sheltered? Little dude intimidated bandits and fought ghosts and monsters. You could argue for overconfident, but no way was he sheltered by the end of the story.

[@littlekuribohimposte]

@@kryptonianguest1903 So sheltered he didn't know those things were intimidating

[@kryptonianguest1903]

@@littlekuribohimposte He was sheltered initially, yes. By the time he was chosen to be king, he had encountered those things and was thus no longer sheltered.

[@_jpg]

That sounds awfully familiar-

[@djphat94]

The weight of the crown is immense and terrifying. Those who recognize that are the ones truly worthy of being king

[@ryank002]

Turns out the real fear was the responsibilities of friendship all along.

[@lanabanana538]

My Dad would tell me a story like this one! Same premise, a young boy wandering the world trying to shiver and shake, he ends up marying a princess, but he never learned to shiver, and complains about it so much that she throws cold water on him one night, and then he's super happy about finally learning to shiver and shake. It was also one of my favorites, good choice Red, thank you!!

[@parthasarathipanda4571]

This is objectively the most relatable (to me) story I have come across...

[@sideways5153]

“Boy learns what fear is” is my FAVORITE motif/story in western culture. There’s a story very similar to this in the book of Grimm’s fairy tales my family had when I was little, and the child was playing pool with skeletons and accidentally knocked some schmuck down the entire staircase for a tall tower. It was structured as a “stay three nights in this haunted house to inherit it” if I remember correctly, and it’s stuck with me for almost two decades since I read it lol

[@RevyT-js7ui]

This was essentially the version on Jim Henson's The Storyteller. My favorite of the bunch.

[@freyastuchbery7130]

I've heard a few different additions involving resurrecting warriors, haunted manors, and the thing that finally shows him fear being the prospect of marriage, I love modular folktales

[@BeautifulObscurity]

I remember reading a similar story years ago, only instead of “fear” the book used the term “the creeps” and it ends with him getting married and his wife getting so annoyed with him whining about not knowing what “the creeps” feels like she tosses some eels into the bed he’s laying is and says “you feel that crawling uncomfortable squirming feeling? That’s the creeps.”

[@slayqueenlarachelslay4842]

I remember hearing this story as a child in school and it was one of my favorites so I’m stocked to see you cover it! I haven’t heard anyone else talk about it.

[@lilyinthedark3159]

The Brothers Grimm have a version of this called "the king’s son who feared nothing" but that one actually never learned fear even after becoming king of the neighboring kingdom. He was really bummed out that he never felt the need to "shiver and shake" like his brothers did when they were scared, so his wife poured a bucket of freezing water over his head. Mood instantly repaired.

[@SouthernGothicYT]

2:13 I love the idea that he wanders into a completely different fairy tale for a moment and just pops it like a balloon. Like the concept of a mystery woman asking you to help her get her little brother and their presence being somehow related to a bracelet could be a whole different story, but to him its just an insignificant event

[@landofthehazymist]

Journey to the west vibes

[@kbye2321]

@@landofthehazymistAlso Don Quixote vibes as well!

[@WinglessMoonstone]

I love that it wasn't his life-threatening adventures that caused him to fear, but the crushing weight of responsibility. XD Also, i love the way you drew his panic attack. Those big eyes really sell it lol.

[@Ekami-chan]

The art of the boy with pidgeons and plopping on his head is so adorable!! :'O

[@mr.incredibilis4549]

this reminded me of a similar story i read when i was a kid. i'm a bit fuzzy in the details but it went something like this: a local lord was forced to deal with a haunted lair and decided that anyone who manage to take care of the monsters that live inside will marry their daughter and become the future king. many try to fight the monsters inside but eventually run in fear back outside, until a teenage boy decides to take care of it himself. as it turns out, this boy is completely incapable of feeling fear, so no amount of scaring off tactics work on him. he manages to scare one monster himself, help and befriend another one, and eventually convince the big boss of the lair to leave. the townsfolk rejoice and the kings grants the young boy his price, but he himself is pretty disappointed, because the real reason he entered the lair was to feel true fear, but he didn't. weeks later, with the princes now officially his wife, she decides to throw a bucket of water at him while sleeping, and wakes up in a complete panic, and then realizing what had happened and the fact he had finally felt fear for once.

[@pr3ntzels451]

there’s actually a musical based on this story! it’s called “Chasing Fear”, the story started to sound quite familiar until it realized that i recognized it. a high school in my hometown did the show last year. as with any musical adaptation, there are many changes to the story and setting, but it’s definitely based on this folktale. i believe it’s a pretty new musical so i’m not sure if there’s any recordings online that you could find, but yeah, fun show and great folktale!

[@_2fcd_978]

I love this "why did I look for this?" sort of ending. Because of course he wouldn't understand how foolish it is to search for fear since he didn't have it.

[@mateakalanj3988]

as a kid i remember a different version where instead of him becoming king, the pigeon is meant to choose a suitor for the princess. so when he gets chosen as her husband, the prospect of having to kiss a girl strikes fear into his heart for the first time. i always thought it was hilarious, but now i'm wondering if maybe someone changed it to make it a little more relatable for kids haha

[@PthariensFlame]

This is also unintentionally a bit gayer, if the kid is supposed to be a teen.

[@legendre007]

Oh, “The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers” starring Peter MacNicol was the best episode of _Faerytale Theatre_ . 🥰

[@xhagast]

Loved that one.

[@criticalcryptid174]

"Adorable heap of orbularity" is such a good phrase, I will be snatching this one for my own vocab. Thanks!

[@HanamoriKuna]

Wow this feels weirdly modern. I’ve never heard of this story but it’s fun and supernatural with the unexpected twist being the dread of responsibility of ruling a people and kingdom. This is my new favorite myth.

[@Blackjack1317]

I love this so much. There's a Brother's Grim version of this Fairytale: Of the one, who went out to learn fear. Its also about a youngest son that knows nothing and is just a waste of everybody's time and money. He spends three nights in a spooky haunted castle and deals with plenty of spooky shenanigans and eventually lifts the curse of the castle and marries the princess. At this point he hasnt learned what fear is though and complains about it to his now wife. She simply fetches a bucket of ice water, pours it over him in his slee and says "There ya go, fam". I love this story so much, because as the youngest brother of two very gifted sisters, I could always relate to this boy, who just goes out to do his own thing and gets rewarded for it. Even though the story makes it clear, that he is simply too stupid to feel fear, he is a real hero in my eyes!

[@claireb153]

Yeah, the whole way through I was going, "Waaait, this is basically The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth To Learn What Fear Was" (which is the title in my edition of Grimm, we must have different translations). Can I add one thing: the ice-water is because his actual aim is to learn how to shiver (which he associates with fear), and when he wakes up after having it dumped on him, he's shouting, "Now I know what it is to shiver!" Plus the water is full of fish. Just wanted to add that in there.

[@oliviastevens9156]

@@claireb153 I was checking the comments because I thought this was the one that ended with the guy getting dunked in a barrel of fish after shenanigans to learn about fear! It's been a while since I read it so I didn't know about the bucket of iced down fish.

[@ingavarh]

The version of the story I know is called the story of fearnot I think and it's in the show jim Henson's the storyteller and it's my third favourite episode of the show

[@Nasser851000]

At least he didn't cry wolf XD

[@theanimeunderworld8338]

I wonder how the boy will fair in the world of Chainsaw Man, where the devils are all living personifications of various fears

[@Ami-jc2oo]

​@@theanimeunderworld8338I guess pretty decently? At least. I haven't wat hed the show or read the manga, but I'm just looking at the evidence in this fairytale for my conclusion. Feel free to correct me :)

[@mr.awesome7381]

Interesting. I'm German and didn't know this version of the story. In the one I know the boy went out to search for Februar and first got to the local priest, who tried to scare him on bell duty at the church. But the boy got fed up with him and tossed him down the bell towers stairs, almost killimg him. After that he encountered living corpses in a swamp but just chilled with them, and in the end became King by freeing a castle from a terrible curse by bowling with the bones of the Skeleton ghost who haunted the castle. And the way he finnaly learned fear, Ehen his bride, the Former princess, now queen, pushen him into the castles moat, giving him the chills from the cold water. But still this version is also cool

[@ultimatecalibur]

That is the version I was familiar with as well. I suspect the German version and Turkish version are forks of an older tale rather than the German version being based on the Turkish version.

[@John_Weiss]

"…the boy went out to search for Februar and…" He … he went out to search for _the month of February._ What would that even look like?!?! [Yeah, yeah, I know. Deutsches Autocomplete got ya. But I still find it amusing to imagine some boy searching for the actual month of February … or its embodiment.]

[@mr.awesome7381]

​@@John_WeissOh.😮 Oops. Of course I meant fear. But February would have been interesting as well. 😂

[@SharmClucas]

This is different than the one I thought you'd be telling! The one I'm thinking of he had to stay 3 nights in a haunted castle to save the kingdom. He wasn't scared at all so had no problem, but when he found out the reward was getting married he suddenly discovered fear.

[@absolomnightwolf]

I really like this story. It's so relatable.

[@pauloltman4960]

4:29 omfg that is the face of someone who is both too young for royal responsibility and also someone who has been blessed with a pigeon, just look at that face!!!

[@jamiemcdonough6548]

This just might really be better than the brothers Grimm version of a boy trying to learn fear.

[@avacynarcher7054]

Was that the one where he learns fear at the thought of marriage?

[@jamiemcdonough6548]

@@avacynarcher7054 Even more mundane. He learns to shiver because his new wife drops a cold fish down his shirt just to teach him how to shiver.

[@shadowqueen5673]

Imagine if this kid ever sent for his mother and told her all of this what a ride, don’t we all just love folk tales

[@RainAngel111]

The most fantastical aspect of this story is a sheltered boy turning out fearless instead of a nervous wreck.

[@lordmars2387]

One of my favorites is a little short but sweet. "In the first days of Babylon their first king went out every day to fight and kill lions with his bear hands. Even seeking out the largest lions had grown into tiresome instead of exciting wrestling matches. Thus the first king declared the first law "let the strong defeat the weak, and may the fittest conquer the frailer." The next day he left without his usual hunting party, strode up to a regular lion and was promptly mauled to death."

[@9a_23_tyrantqiu7]

This boy is probably one of the chillest people I've ever seen Minus the pigeon thing

[@Kimosabes2hot]

I love esoteric and insane folktales

[@tell-me-a-story-]

I loved this one as a kid, I always wondered why nobody else seemed to remember it.

[@bowenmadden6122]

"Gurgle Burble Glurb," the boy said triumphantly.

[@samuelruby2760]

I've been really lonely but your guys videos really help me not feel so lonely. Thank you for being awesome 🎉

[@grantdotjpg]

That fear would make him a good ruler, he truly understands the weight of using power responsibly. I really like this folktale, it's so wholesome, I'm surprised there's no children's books about it

[@Drazil232]

Reminds me of a german fairy tale I grew up on, with a very similar premise: a boy, instead of going out an learning a skill, wanted to learn about fear instead, since he never felt it. On his journey he murdered some priest like dude that tried scaring him while ringing the curch bells at midnight, cut down hung corpses to warm them at the fire and slept in a haunted castle. In the end he somehow managed tl get together with a princess, but then he finally found something he was afraid of: kissing the girl

[@smilesthroughfandoms5595]

Ok yeah I’m really bummed I didn’t have this story growing up but I’m glad I have it now. This is absolutely the best story I’ve ever heard

[@EnlighthenedOne123]

Oh sweet mother of Mercy, what joyous day, to have one of our own myths interpreted by our most blessed Lady of Red! Long time fan here, I thought that this might have been a Turkish myth the moment I heard about the third sons having a magical adventure, since it seems to be a particularily Anatolian trope. By the powers invested in me by Dede Korkut (look him up, trust me, wonderful menagerie of tales, especially Deli Dumrul) and Ataturk (at this point, this has become kind of a necessary shield from my other...countrymen), I henceforth declare you as one of the "Aşık", one of the anatolian warrior poets and bards of old, which coincidentally also literally means "One who is in love". All jokes aside, this was both incredibly satisfying and marvellous. Don't ever change, and may the blessings of folk both fair and human be with you.

[@Stoneworks]

MY VIBES!!! This was absolutely fucking hilarious. Please do more whimsical folktales like this