7 The King’s Medicine Quest

Sulfur and Selenium

Micah Moten; Sumra Shah; and Kachia Nguyen (illustrator)

Once upon a time in ancient Greece there was a king named Sulfur. He was the oldest of 6 brothers and the 16th of his family. His younger brother was called Selenium. Both of these young kings belonged to a family headed by the world famous Oxygen. They all were known for their social lives and their eagerness to bond with others. While they weren’t as famous as their cousins the Hal’Ogens who could befriend almost anyone, they still were no strangers to their kingdoms or their countries.

Our two kings have something in common beyond a simple love for their subjects. They both witnessed a plague befall their individual kingdoms and both kings sprung into action. While many other kings and queens would have hid away in their castle allowing others to help or hoped to rebuild after the plague was over, these two decided otherwise.

King Sulfur was known for being talented, although brittle, and so pure people would seek his guidance. He had a habit of being so busy helping others that his castle had a distinct smell that many didn’t like. He didn’t have time to clean. Despite this, his subjects loved him and he loved them. So, as you can imagine, when he heard of the plague, he immediately donned his bright yellow cloak and searched for a remedy for his beloved subjects. He wandered far and wide before he found glowing volcano just having recently erupted.He ended up finding rocks very similar to his yellow cloak and crown and he knew this was what he was looking for. He took them home to his castle and ran many tests on them. Eventually, he put them into a fire. The resulting smoke (although stinky) was excellent at purifying the air getting rid of extra germs in the air. He then worked hard and turned them into small tablets of medicine in order to fight the sickness inside of people.

Once he was finished he distributed his medicine to the kingdom. Slowly everyone began to get better and thanks to the clean air, nobody got sick again. Everyone decided to name the yellow rock after him as he discovered it. He then discovered he had so much left over of his rock he didn’t know what to do. People began to take baths in it and make trinkets out of it to celebrate their king and treasure their new health. This product became a global demand, people from all over the world wanted to buy his product.

As for his brother Selenium, he was a bit different. While he didn’t stink he liked people like his elder brother, he was a fierce fighter and was known to be less patient than his brother. People were scared as they came to find out that too much of their king was dangerous. People began trying to solve things on their own and ignoring their king fearing that they would perish should they interact with him at all. Since they shut him out he wasn’t able to help them, and it made him sad. However, King Selenium was a great doctor and while he could be dangerous if riled up too much, his typical personality and small interactions with people were very helpful. People didn’t know this and due to that, people began to fall ill with nutrient deficiencies and unhealthy lifestyles.

Selenium, catching wind of this, decided to act even if they didn’t want him to. He began walking the city and going into homes helping them out. One by one each family began to get better. They soon began to appreciate that while too much Selenium may not be pleasant, small amounts are necessary for life. After he healed his kingdom, his subjects began to rely on him. They eliminated their fear of him and came to realize just how helpful he can really be.

They also found out he’s a king of many talents. Glass blowing, photography, and electronic development to name a few. Once the kingdom let Selenium begin to develop his projects, the kingdom began to grow exponentially. He even developed a way to turn the sun into power by using pieces of his own crown. In his humility he provided the kingdom with lots of power and achieved his goal of providing for his subjects.

 

As both of these kings grew old, they settled down with a queen and started a family. Their kingdoms had grown far and wide, their subjects happy and healthy. Many people knew of who they both were and while they weren’t as famous as some other monarchs, they were satisfied with what they had accomplished. As for their children, they have yet to had make their mark. The kings passed down their vast knowledge to each of their children hoping to continue the legacy they started. These children ushered in the age of molecules, however this is a story for another time.

Fun facts:

Sulfur used to be known as brimstone, which means burning stone.

Some of the stinkiest smells we know (skunk, bad breath, rotting eggs) are due to sulfur.

Trace of selenium are necessary nutrients, but pure selenium is toxic.

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Element Stories Copyright © 2023 by Students of CHEM 1140 is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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