Page:Curious myths of the Middle Ages (1876).djvu/405

 of the Sea that she slew herself. According to another version, Solomon went to his fountain, where he found the dæmon Sackar, whom he captured by a ruse, and chained down. Solomon pressed his ring to the chains, and Sackar uttered a cry so shrill that the earth quaked.

Quoth Solomon, “Fear not; I shall restore you to liberty if you will tell me how to burrow noiselessly after minerals and metals.”

“I know not how to do so,” answered the Jin; “but the raven can tell you: place over her eggs a sheet of crystal, and you shall see how the mother will break it.”

Solomon did so, and the mother brought a stone and shattered the crystal. “Whence got you that stone?” asked Solomon.

“It is the stone Samur,” answered the raven; “it comes from a desert in the uttermost east.” So the monarch sent some giants to follow the raven, and bring him a suitable number of stones .”

According to a third version, the bird is an eagle, and schamir is the Stone of Wisdom.