Myths and Tales form Greece and Romania May 2012 | Page 116

Dănilă tricks the devil when asked to wrestle, by demanding that his devil first
try his hand at pinning down "an uncle o' mine, 999 years and 52 weeks of
age", and then leading him into a bear's cave. Ruffled up and defeated by the
beast, the devil then agrees to Prepeleac's next contest, a shrieking challenge.
After listening to the impressive sounds bellowed by the creature and claiming
to be unimpressed, the peasant warns him that his own shriek is capable of
destroying a brain, and tells him that he should only witness it while
blindfolded and with his ears muffled. The devil allows Dănilă to tie a rag over
his eyes and ears, after which the protagonist repeatedly hits him over the
temples with an oak beam, implying that this is the unheard sound of his own
shriek. The terrified creature then runs back into Hell.