Original name: Donkey-Suckle (literally translated, “Suckles-from-the-Donkey”.
Origin: Portugal
Original tale: The man of the twenty centner sword
He was borne of the Holy Spirit’s grace. Strenghtened by the milk of the donkey that suckled him as a babe. Wields a sword that weighs a ton. His hair was turned into golden strands. He cut the Devil’s ear and has it hanging from his neck, biting it to summon him whenever he needs help. His name is Donkey-Suckle. How can you not love a character like this? And, more importantly, how is it possible that he isn’t a Portuguese folk hero, given that far less interesting characters have attained that status in other countries?
Such injustice could not stand, and for that reason I decided to include Donkey-Suckle in Happily Upon a Time, hoping to shed some light on a traditional tale few people know of in my home country. A tale that is so deliciously Portuguese in its picaresque nature and the mundanity of its fantastical elements, that it is far more deserving of a place in the required reading list than a number of other tales that come to mind from my time at school.
With the patriotic reasons for Donkey-Suckle’s inclusion out of the way, it goes without saying that he is a character who, because of what he brings to the table, would have a place in any good fantasy story. Add to that a dose of inveterate misogyny – resulting from a particularly traumatic experience with women and from the religious fervor that stems from someone who was borne of God’s will and thus took the original sin somewhat to heart – and we have one of the most interesting protagonists of Happily Upon a Time.