In former times there was a School of Black Books. They taught witchcraft and all sorts of ancient sciences there. This school was located in a solid underground building, so there were no windows and darkness always reigned.
There were no teachers at the School of Warlock either, and all sciences were studied from books written in fiery letters, and they could only be read in the dark.
The reading lasted from three to seven years, and during this time the disciples never rose to the ground or saw the light of day. Every day a gray shaggy paw stuck out of the wall and gave food to the students.
And one more rule was always observed in this school: when the students left it, the devil kept the one who left last. Therefore, it is no wonder that everyone tried to jump ahead.
Once upon a time, three Icelanders studied at the School of Warlock - Samund the Wise, Kaulvur the son of Aurtni and Halfdan the son of either Eldjaudn or Einar. They wanted to agree that they would go out the door at the same time, but Samund told his friends that he would go last. Friends, of course, were delighted.
Samund threw a wide cloak over his shoulders, and as he climbed the stairs that led upstairs, the devil grabbed him by the floor.
“And you are mine!” he said.
But Samund threw off his cloak and ran away. The iron door slammed behind him and crushed his heel.
- The soul is more valuable than the heel! - Samund said about this, and these words became a saying.
But others say that everything was different: when Samund climbed the stairs and stepped over the threshold, the sun was so high that Samund’s shadow fell on the wall. Just as the devil was getting ready to grab him, Samund said:
- And I’m not the last one. There's another one coming after me. - And pointed to the shadow.
The devil mistook the shadow for a man and grabbed it. So Samund broke free, but since then he lived without a shadow, because the devil left it with him.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru