The Hundredth dove summary by Jane Yolen

The hundredth dove is a story written by Jane Yolen who was born in 1939. She is the author or the editor of more than 350 books. She writes here stories based on fantasy, science fiction and children books. In the story 'the hundredth dove' Jane describes about the misuse of power by the people.

This is a folktale that describes the conflict between heart and mind, feelings or thought. Sometimes, we follow mind, but at times, heart become dominating. When we only follow head, we might have to face a great physical and emotional crisis. So we need to have a good balance between heart and mind. Here, a fowler/hunter gets a choice to follow his head or heart in which he follows his head, but later, he has to regret. He uses his power to kill a dove following the king's command that becomes regretful for him at last.

Once there was a fowler (bird hunter) named Hugh, who lived in the forest and supplied the game birds to the high king of England. He hunted the birds using his bows and arrows, but most of the time, he used his silken net to catch the birds uninjured. He would choose the plumpest of the doves for the high king's table and set others free.

One day, he was called in the King's palace and the king said that he was going to be married within a week with a beautiful lady who was sitting beside him. She was as neat as a white bird, slim and fair with black eyes. The fowler had never seen so beautiful woman in his life. Her nae was lady Columba which means 'dove', and her beauty was celebrated all around the world. The king told the fowler to serve one hundred birds at his wedding. The lady did not like the idea. But the king said that it was his command and the fowler said it was his motto to serve him.

The fowler went back to his cottage and repaired his silken net to catch the birds. He went to the forest clearing, spread the grains and set his net. But when he was catching them, the last one, a white dove slipped through the silken net and flew away into the air. He took twenty gray-blue doves and put them in the wooden cage.

Even the next day, he did the same, caught twenty doves and one white dove slipped away. He was surprised how the white dove slipped away every time. He was determined to catch it. As he had promised to the king, he set his nets for the five days and the last time, he had only nineteen doves which altogether became only ninety-nine. He again went to set his net on the sixth day, waited patiently and finally he got the white dove. Though the dove tried to escape, he caught it this time.. The white dove looked at him in his eyes and spoke to him in a woman's voice, 'Master fowler set me free then thet gold and silver I'll give thee'. 

But the fowler was not tempted, his duty was to serve the king. Then she told him he would get fame and fortune but still he was not tempted. Then the white dove again told him to set free and he would get the beautiful queen as his own love. The dove had a golden ring on its leg. As he was looking at the dove, Lady Columba herself appeared in front of him in his vision, so neat, so slim and fair. He was very emotional. His hear and head shook. The dove was looking at his eyes but he closed his eyes, cried out loudly, 'Servo' and he twisted the bird's neck.

The next day, he went to the king's palace with a hundred doves - ninety nine alive ones and the hundredth or the last one dead. But unfortunately the wedding never took place there. The lady disappeared and the king could not marry her. 

Feeling a great regret, the fowler tore up his tunic with the motto 'servo' and he gave up hunting forever. He only gave grains to the birds. Different types of other birds came to ear his grains but the white dove never appeared to him.