Appearing before the challenger neither naked nor clothed, neither riding nor walking, neither in night nor day.Making a rope of ashes (make a rope out of straw, then burn it).Sorting a huge pile of grains and lentils in a single night (if you helped a wounded bird or ant earlier, it will call its friends to help you).Carrying water in a sieve (stop the holes with mud or moss, carry something able to hold water in the sieve, or freeze the water).What happens next tends to depend on the age group the work's for. ![]() On the other-other hand, the task-giver may admit that they didn't expect the task to be completed and, on the basis that they never intended to give out the reward under any circumstance.tells the hero off. On the other hand, sometimes the task-giver is pleased with the hero's success- they can now be sent out again and again and again! On the other hand, it may be a form of The Cake Is a Lie when the king really doesn't want to hand out the Standard Hero Reward, and they may go on and on with the Impossible Tasks until finally one blows up in his face, or he decides You Can't Fight Fate. Sometimes, the one making the task will be bound by their promise should the hero succeed, or face dire consequences if they refuse. In other cases, it is simply searching for an item that doesn't exist. Sometimes the Impossible Task is a quest, often involving killing an unkillable beast, but in other cases the task is a simple paradox or riddle. In general, the person who assigns the task does not expect the hero to succeed and is trying to get rid of them or to make an excuse to not keep their end of a deal. Some creators try to set up one as the Fantastic Fragility flaw. ![]() The task might be undertaken to win a boon, or a bride, to gain land, to break a Curse, because everyone will know about it if you do it, to prove your worth to Baba Yaga (who may agree to be your mentor if you succeed), or because your Evil Uncle wants you-the rightful heir-out of the way. The Impossible Task is a favorite theme in myths and legends, folklore and Fairy Tales the world over, and is Older Than Feudalism.
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