Azarel the Shepherd for the Fontanini 5" Scale Collection - 2022 Ltd Edition

Azarel the Shepherd for the Fontanini 5" Scale Collection - 2022 Ltd Edition.

COLLECTOR NOTE - Introduced in 2022. 

 The Story of Azarel

Long ago there was a boy named Azarel, an adventerous boy that spent his days walking the green hills near his village, seeking the highest peak in which to play his harp.   His harp was his most cherished possession, carved of beautiful olive wood, a gift from his godfather upon the news of his birth,  Wherever Azarel went, he carried his harp with him, often hanging it up on a tree branch as he slept below.   One night as the gentle wind blew across the strings, Azarel was lulled to sleep with its sweet melody.   He awoke feeling peaceful and calm.  When he met up with his young shepherd friends tending their flock on the hillside, they teased Azarel for carrying his harp strapped across his back,

When Azarel told the shepherds the story of how his harp played on its own, they did not believe him.   When he told them the peace and joy he felt upon waking, they did not believe him.  His childhood friends invited Azarel to stay with them that night and play his beautiful harp in the campfire light they made.  When Azarel played, the harp strings rejoiced with the music that flowed from his soul.  The lambs that had been roaming wildly across the hills, running from the shepherds in play, drew nearer and nearer to the gently sound of the harp.  They settled slowly around the camp, not seeking to escape their masters.

As the firelight dimmed and sleep came upon the shepherds, Azarel hung his harp up on a tree branch over their heads where it would be safe.   In the night, the wind again picked up and played across the harp strings, creating the most beautiful notes ever hear.  So peaceful was this sound that the shepherds did not wake until the morning sun blazed across their eyes.  "It is True!" They said "The Harp did play for us on the wind alone!   Truly this is a gift from God and from that day forward Azarel traveled as a shepherd with his harp, playing to soothe the souls of his fellow shepherds and their sheep.