User:KHR FolkMyth/sandbox

• И. П. Минаев [I. P. Minaev]. Индейские сказки и легенды собранные в Камаоне в 1875 [Indian Tales and Legends collected in Kumaon in 1875]. 1877.

• Kecskeméti, István; Paunonen, Heikki (1974). "Die Märchentypen in den Publikationen der Finnisch-ugrischen Gesellschaft". Journal de la Société Finno-ougrienne (in German). 73: 205–265. ISSN 0355-0214.

[11] Pigen fra Havet (Maiden from the Sea/Das Mädchen aus dem Meere): guy steals maiden's clothes, her sisters dive into the sea; man marries girl and hides her clothing; they have a son, the son discovers the hidden box and tells his mother; sea-maiden steals back the clothes and submerges. A wise man named Giedde-ga/es-galggo says she will come back for three nights to cradle the baby, and the man must ready himself to capture her again. He gets her on the third night and hides the garment with the wise man. They live like humans for the rest of their lives.

Linguistic Human Rights Overcoming Linguistic Discrimination Edited by: Tove Skutnabb-Kangas and Robert Phillipson (1994)

Language Diversity Endangered. Edited by: Matthias Brenzinger 2007

• Sabitov, S. S. "Сюжеты марийских волшебных сказок". In: "Вопросы марийского фольклора и искусства". Vol. 7. 1989. pp. 20-45.

Reue / Reve / Reo (Lusitanian)

bull's sacrifice to the deity, which, in the comparativist Indo-European context, is more in line to warrior deities.

[12] [13] [14]

South Asian ATU 400

• The Faithful Prince - Prince Bahrâmgor and Fairy Princess Shâhpasand
• Histoire du Châh Behrâme Goûr et Bânoû Housn
• King Bahram Gur and Husn Banu
• Kissa i Shah-zadah Bahram Gor o pari Husn Banu
• Prince Bahram and the Emerald Mountain

Mari people

Hassan of Basra among the Mari people: [15] 392-408

Armenian dove-maidens (Armenian: ałunik-ałjik)

Adyghe ATU 400

Tale type 400, "Муж ищет исчезнувшую жену" ("Man searching for his lost wife"), the protagonist finds the dove maiden, hides her plumage and marries her. Later, she discovers the stolen garments, puts them on and flies away with her and the protagonist's daughter. The protagonist goes after her.

Yemeni ATU 936* + ATU 400 (Hassan of Basra)

Author Werner Daum collected a tale from a Yemeni source named Ḥādsch Ḥamūd al-Baydahi, and translated it to German. In this tale, titled Die vierzehn Königstöchter ("The King's Fourteen Daughters"), a man has two wives, the first Arab, and a concubine, two sons from each official wife and the third from the concubine. To determine the definitive proof of the better son, he hangs a sword over the throne, which the preferred son must hold. The concubine's son grabs the sword, unlike his half-brothers. The Arab woman tries to poison her stepsons' food, but a bird and a dog eat it in thei place and die, alerting him of the danger. He decides to leave home accompanied by his non-Arab half-brother. After some adventures where they rescue princesses and kill an Afrit, the concubine's son goes to a coffee house and is approached by a Indian man with a business proposition: to go to India and become rich. The concubine's son and the Indian man reach a giant mountain, and the man tells the youth to kill a camel, skin it, enter its skin so he can be carried up the mountain by the birds, and once he is up there he is to throw some firewood to him. It happens thus, and he carried up the birds. Once there, the youth finds some corpses and a dying man, who warns him the same fate will befall the concubine's son. Despite the warning, the youth tosses the firewood to the Indian man, who abandons his companion to die on the mountain. Trapped on the mountain top and with the ocean around him, he prays to Allah to protect him and jumps in the water. After two days holding onto a barrel, he reaches an island with an extravagant palace that belongs to the seven daughters of the king of the Jinns of the West. The girls welcome him and adopt him as a brother. Some time later, the jinn princesses go on a journey and leave the youth alone, with a warning not to open the gate to their yard. The concubine's son ignores the warning and goes to the garden: there, he sights seven white doves alight near a pond and taking off their wings to become human maidens (whom the story explains are the daughters of the king of the Jinns of the East). The youth steals the wings of the youngest, to keep her in human form. The other princesses fly back to the skies as doves and abandon her sister. The jinn girl marries the human youth convinced by his adoptive jinn sisters, and the couple live in their palace. The youth then begin to miss home and is carried by one o his jinn sisters to his half-brother, who greets him and gives some slaves. The youth then returns to his homeland to avenge himself on his father and stepmother, but finds out both passed away in his absence, so he lives with his mother. Time passes, and the couple have two children. One day, the youth gives his mother his jinn wife's wings, asking her to hide it in a chest, and goes to visit his adoptive jinn sisters. After he leaves, a wedding is happening at the local king's palace and the monarch wants to invite the beautiful foreign woman to the celebration, so he sends some slaves to bring the jinn woman and her mother-in-law by force to the wedding. The jinn princess says she can dance if her mother-in-law brings her her feather dress. The mother-in-law denies any knowledge of such a garment, but the king forces her to produce it. The jinn princess puts it on, grabs her children, tells her mother-in-law her husband can find his family in the islands of Wāq Al Wāq, then flies off. There, the jinn princess is punished by the Jinn Queen. Back to the concubine's son, he goes back home and finds three graves for his wife and children, which are empty. His mother then reveals she flew off back to her insular homeland, and he decides to go after her. After four days, he meets two brothers, sons of an Afrit, who are fighting over three magical objects: a staff that summons a cadre of genies, a sword that helps in battle, and a Kūfīa that makes the wearer invisible. The concubine's son tricks the Afrit brothers and runs away with the objects. At a distance, he uses the staff to summon the genies and orders them to carry him to Wāq Al Wāq. Once he is on the island, he meets an old Jinn woman with large breasts, which he suckles on as a demonstration of trust. The Jinn elder suggests he writes to the Jinn Queen about his lost wife. It happens thus: the queen gathers all women of Wāq Al Wāq invites the concubine's son to indentify his wife. He cannot do so, for his wife is not among the assembled ladies, but he takes a good look at the queen and recognizes his wife's features. The queen then discovers the stranger is her human brother-in-law, and orders him to be thrown in prison. In the dungeon, he escapes his cell by making himself invisible and goes to look for hiw wife, who is also a prisoner. He releases his wife from some hooks and takes his sons with them. The Jinn Queen orders her army to take them back, but the concubine's son uses the staff again to command the genies to defeat the army and to take his family back to his adoptive jinn sisters. The princess scold their adoptive brother's wife, but everything is resolved: he burns his wife's wings, kills the treacherous Indian man, and moves out to the island of Al Dahlak. In his commentaries to the tale, Daum recognized that the story was an "adaptation" of the tale of Hassan of Basra, albeit with a "local [Yemeni] colour".

Algerian ATU 936* + ATU 400 (Hassan of Basra)

In an Algerian tale published by Algerian author Rabah Belamri in French with the title La fée colombe ("The Fairy Dove"),

[16]

Turkic ATU 408

Uzbek ATU 408

Uzbek author Mikhail I. Sheverdin translated and published an Uzbek tale with the title "Сын бедняка" ("The Poor Man's Son"). In the first part of the tale, a poor old man earns his living by gathering and selling bushes. One day, he goes on an outing with two neighbours and happens to find some sacks of gold. His greedy neighbours kill him and take the gold, but, as last mercy given on him, lie to his old widow he departed and told her to name their unborn son "Dod". Seven years later, Dod wants to play with other children, but her mother puts a mask on him to hide his face. Eventyally, the mother and son go to gather bushes to sell, but go astray. A padishah finds the boy and inquires him the reason for his mask; he takes it off and shows his face to the padishah, who decides to adopt him as his son. Later, mother and son find each other, and the padishah helps them solve the mystery of the boy's father's murder. After seven more years, Dod settles his widowed mother in more comfortable circumstances, and goes to the padishah's palace as his adoptive son. One day, he goes for a walk in the royal gardens and stops to rest. He then has a dream about a beautiful pari coming down from Mount Kuhikaf with a stick of kebab in one hand and a cup of wine in the other; he wakes up and decides to search for his dream maiden. He takes a tulpar horse from the stables and reaches Mount Kuhikaf, then rides into the steppe until he stops next to a river. An old man appears and warns him from the other margin at the devs live by the river, but he will help the prince: he teleports the prince to the other side of the river, bids him approach a hut under a tree, enter it and steal the vegetable in the middle of three pumpkins. It happens thus, and the prince returns with the pumpkin; the old man explains contains the pari he saw in his dream, but which he must not open anywhere save at home, and transports him next to his kingdom with a spell. Nearly back home, the prince is riding his horse, when he slices open the pumpkin, sighting a girl inside so beautiful he faints. The pari comes out of the pumpkin and revives him with water, but admonishes him for not opening the gourd at home. Still, he leaves her next to a hut while he goes back the palace to bring a chariot and a retinue to welcome her. After he leaves, the sorceress who lives in the hut spots the pari and questions the reason for her presence: the pari reveals - and demonstrates - her powers of transformation (into a snake, a dove, and even an old woman), and goes to fetch water for the sorceress. However, the sorceress shoves the pari inside the well, puts on her clothes and pretends to the pari for the prince to find. On seeing her, he doubts she is the pari, but the false bride threatens to turn into a dove and fly back to Kuhikaf. Suddenly, a black horse emerges out of the well and gallops around Dod. The prince takes a liking to the horse and brings both it and the false bride home. The false pari rushes the wedding and wants the horse dead and its meat made into a dish: some butchers try to kill it, but the horse turns into the real pari and stops their actions with her powers. The false bride herself takes an axe and kills the animal; three drops of blood spill on the ground and three poplar trees sprout.

After nine months, the false pari gives birth to a son, and orders the poplars to be felled down and made into a cradle. It happens thus. However, the true pumpkin pari, as the cradle, shrinks itself and crushes the false pari's son to death. Dod laments for the death of his son. A qalandar comes to the palace and asks for some of the remaining splinters he can use as fuel for the fire. When he tries to fetch them, the splinters fly off to his hut and turn into a magnificent palace. The qalandar enters the palace and a pari appears with two div servants, who explains the palace is his, and bids him invite the padishah and his son Dod for dinner. The next day, prince Dod goes to the newly built palace and is acquainted with the qalandar's pari companion, who is the pari from the pumpkin. The pari admonishes him for falling for the sorceress's tricks and killing the pari time and time again. Dod returns to the palace, executes the false pari, and takes the pumpkin pari as his true bride back to his father's palace. In a review of Sheverdin's book, scholar Heda Jason classified the tale as type ATU 408.

North African AaTh 451A

In an Argelian tale titled Celle qui fait fuir ses frères ("The One that made Her Brothers Flee"),

In a Kabylian tale collected by Auguste Moulièras with the Berber title Seba Ouaithmathen D'Oultmathsen Fadhma Thaklith, translated by Camille Lacoste-Dujardin as Les sept frères er leur soeur Fat'ma la négresse,

Moroccan AaTh 451A

In a Moroccan tale titled La soeur et ses sept fréres ("The Sister and Her Seven Brothers"),

In a Berber Moroccan (Chleuh) tale titled Fadma qui a perdu ses frères ("Fadma who lost her brothers"),

ATU 550 Flemish

[17]

[18]

[19]

Bangladesh ATU 707 (?)

Mainamati [20]

[21]

Chinese ATU 465 (The Dragon King's Daughter from the Marine Palace)

In the first catalogue of Chinese folktales (devised by Eberhard in 1937), Wolfram Eberhard abstracted a similar opening, indexed as number 39, Der Drachenkönig erfüllt einen Wunsch ("The Dragon King fulfills a wish"): the protagonist rescues the Dragon King's child (his son or his daughter), who appears in the shape of a carp (or in one case, a mussel); in gratitude, the protagonist is taken to the underwater palace and is offered a present; following a servant's advice, the protagonist chooses the gift, and gains either a wife (the Dragon King's daughter) or an object that grants him riches. He dated some of the Chinese variants to the time of the Sung dynasty, and others to the time of the Tang dynasty.

Sang Thong (Indo-China)

J. Leyden and Captain James Low mentioned the existence of an Indo-Chinese (Siamese) tale titled "Hǒi-sang" ("The Prince in a Conch Shell"), wherein the protagonist is a prince born in a chank-shell, abandoned in the forest and rescued by the Nāgas, given a golden ship by the Thewaldas and Devas, and goes on adventures. According to Leyden, the story figured among "most popular [Cheritras] among the T'hay", containing "the same stories and incidents" current among the Rukhéng, Barma and Malayu peoples.

According to Ghulam Sarwar Yousof, the tale of Sang Thong ("The Prince of the Golden Shell"), among others, is shared between Malaysia and Thailand, having becoming part of the mak yong repertoire. The story, and its continuation Batak Halimunan ("The Invisible Aborigene"), derived from Thai popular and classical literature. The Shell Prince story is indicated to ultimately derive from an oral source, since it does not appear neither in the Southern Pali canon, nor in the Northern Sanskrit one.

The Story of Sang Thong is attested at least in two sorces: the Pannyasa Jataka and King Rama II's royal play. "People in the North [North of Thailand?] believe the tale to be a true story". "the royal chapel of Wat Phra Mahathart there were found murals done by the Ayudhya artisans, indicating the story was popular in that period". In the Pannyasa Jataka Sang Thong's name appears as Suwanna Sangkha ("Golden Conch").

Bengali Sang Thong ?

In a Bengali tale translated into German with the title Der Muschelprinz ("The Mussel Prince"), a prince is born in a conchshell named Sankha-Kumar

In another Bengali tale translated to German with the title Die Geschichte von der Göttin der Gefahr ("The Story of the Goddess of Danger"), a king has three queens, but no child. A Sannyasi appears and begs for alms, and the king tries to give some, but the Sannyasi refuses after he learns the monarch is childless. Still, the Sannyasi gives the king a magic root to be grinded and given to the queens, so they are able to bear sons. Months pass, and the three queens become pregnant, and, nine months later. they begin to feel labour pains. The first queen listens to the story of Sankata Mangalbar, prays to the deity, and gives birth to a seashell, while the other two bear sons. However, there is actually a boy inside the seashell, with lotus symbols on his palms and soles, and with a crescent moon on the front. The boy lives in the shell by day and leaves it by night to stay with his mother. The Sannyasi returns after twelve years and inquires the king on his children. The king says the the two queens gave birth to sons, but the Sannyasi knows it is a lie, and shouts for the eldest prince, named Prince Sankhadhar, the Seashell Prince, to come with him. The young prince obeys and goes with the Sannyasi. Along with them, goddess Mangalchandi comes. The Sannyasi takes the boy out of the shell and bathes him in oil and ginger, then sacrifices him. Goddess Mangalchandi turns into a fly, licks Sankhadhar's blood, and is eaten by a cow, in whose entrails she lives with the boy. The Sannyasi discovers this and kills the cow, but its entrails are snateched by a red kite and dropped around a princess's neck who was taking a bath in a ghat. The Sannyasi orders the princess to deliver the necklace, and she throws it in a field, which becomes mustard seeds. Goddess Mangalchandi turns into a dove and orders someone to sprinkle water on the seeds. The boy is restored to human form. The goddess warns the boy the Sannyasi will behead him, but he has to pretend to not know how to make a bow and ask for the man to show him, then decapitate him. It happens thus, and the prince is freed from the Sannyasi's threat. The princess's father marries his daughter to Sankhadhar, and he returns with his wife to his home kingdom, where he cures his parents' blindness.

In a West Bengal folktale titled The Wicked Mendicant, collected by Ashutosh Bhattacharya, who heard it in 1930. In this tale, a king has seven queens, but they are infertile. A passing beggar (Sannyasi) appears and suggests the king finds a certain root, grind it and give for the queens to eat, which will cure their barrenness. In exchange, the king is to give the mendicant the best of the newborn sons. It happens thus and the queens become pregnant, but the sis elder wives give birth to half-deformed sons, while the youngest gives birth to a mere conch shell. The king banishes his seventh wife with the conch shell to the forest, where the woman lives in a hut. Some time later, the disgraced queen begins to have dreams about a boy that comes at night to suckle on her breast. One day, she discovers a boy comes out of the conch shell, and she grabs him before he returns to his disguise. The boy, however, complains to his mother that he used the shell as concealment against the mendicant, who wishes to have him. Despite this, the queen returns with the boy to the palace, and the king welcomes them with open arms, now that his son is a normal human. When the young prince is twelve years old, the mendicant returns and demands the boy be delivered to him. Fearing for her son, the queen is advised to pray to goddess Sankata Mangal Chandi. Back to the mendicant, he takes the boy with him and they reach his house, which is a Kali temple, of which he was a devotee. The mendicant then orders the prince to take his baths in the temple tank, and never look to the south direction. The prince obeys, but, after a while, the boy looks towards the south and finds a pile of skulls laughing at him. The prince approaches the pile of skulls, which say that another victim will soon join them, for they were previous victims of the mendicant. The skulls, however, tell him he can destroy the mendicant, save himself, and restore the victims: when both the mendicant and the prince make their bows in front of Kali's stuate, the prince is to pretend to not know how to bow and ask the beggar to teach him, then he is to decapitate the man and sprinkle his blood on the skulls. It happens thus, and the prince restores the previous victims back to life.

A similar tale is attested as a Sankata brata: a hermit blesses a childless king, and the man promises to return in twelve years' time. The king's wife gives birth to a son in the shape of a conchshell, thus he is called Sankha-Kumar (the conch prince). The hermit makes good on his promise, appears in court and takes the boy with him to his armitage. The prince finds some decapitated heads in the armitage, which warn him they are the hermit's previous victims, and like them the boy will be sacrificed to the hermit's patron goddess, but he can save himself by feigning ignorance and asking the hermit to teach the prince how to bow. Following the heads' advice, the prince tricks the hermit and cuts off his head. The prince sprinkles the hermit's blood on the heads and restores the victims to life. Then he returns home and learns he was protected by his mother, who performed the Sankata brata in his favour.

Seychellois Sang Thong ?

In a Seychellois tale titled Prens Lansiv, a king has seven wives, but no child, thus he decides to distribute goods for the people of his realm. However, a man refuses his gifts, to whom the king asks the resaon why. The man, called Bonnomn Sarbon, says his religion does not allow him to receive such gifts, and asks why the king does not do it with his son. The king laments the fact he is childless and the man promises to help him, and brings the following day seven herbs to be given to the seven queens. In exchange, the man makes the king promise to deliver him whaterver he asks for as payment. The king agrees to a deal and takes the herbs.

The queens eat the herbs and become pregnant. After eight months, a son is born to the first six queens, and a conch to the last one. The king decides to keep the conch a secret between himself, the queen, the doctor and her nurse, and raise him in secret. Some time later, Bonnonm Sarbon comes to the kingdom and demands the son of the seventh queen, the conch. The king questions the stranger how he knows about the conch, and he simply answers he knows all. The king asks Bonnonm Sarbon to look after the prince, and the man assures the prince will returns one day to his homeland, then produces a red velvet kerchief and wraps the conch in it, and leaves.

After a long walk, he takes out the kerchief and a little prince appears, whom he takes with him to a patio filled with stones, which Bonnonm Sarbon explains are people which the young prince will help in the future. Bonnonm Sarbon raises and educates the prince, and the story explains he is a king with special powers. One day, prince Lansiv asks his adoptive father if he is a king, why the Bonnonm Sarbon charade, and he answers that, as a king, he finds much hipocrisy, but as the beggar, he can truly see good actions. Later, the prince tells him he wants to hunt, and Bonnonm Sarbon gives him a magic whip. Prince Lansiv hunts in the forest, then meets two prince who wish to make him their slave, but he turns the tables on the prince and marks them with the whip, releasing them soon afer.

At last, Prince Lansiv reaches another kingdom and offers his services as a gardener to the local king. He also goes to live in a hut in the corner of the garden. The local king has three daughters, still unmarried, the youngest of which takes an interest in the gardener and brings him food. She senses he is a good man, and one day discovers a diamond ring on him, then realizes he must be of noble stock, and chooses him as her spouse. Later, the gardener goes to talk to the king himself about his prospective marriage with the third princess, who agrees to his proposal. She is mocked by her elder sisters, who married princes, and moves out to the lowly gardener's hut.

The next day, the king wakes up and notices a large castle has appeared overnight, and goes to visit the new neighbour. He finds his youngest daughter there and questions her about her presence there. The princess explains her husband is indeed the gardener, but he is in fact a prince. The prince Lansiv himself appears to his father-in-law and asks to be delivered his two slaves, who have a mark of ownership on their bodies. Prince Lansiv points to his brothers-in-law, the elder princesses' husbands, who show the king the marks. Out of his respect for his daughters, the king scolds them for lying to him.

Prince Lansiv takes his wife and pays a visit to his adoptive father, Bonnonm Sarbon, and uses the magical whip on the stones he saw years ago. The stones are restored to life, and promise their loyalty to Prince Lansiv. The prince returns to his homeland with his wife and his army, and reunites with his father and mother.

Romanian ATU 707

Barbulescu, Corneliu (1968). "Cîteva observatii la basmul "Insira-te margaritar": tip 707 C*" [A FEW REMARKS ON THE FAIRY TALE "INSIRA-TE MARGARITAR" ("SPINNING THE YARN") TYPE 707C]. REVISTA de etnografie si folclor (in Romanian). 13 (4): 293–298.

ATU 707 in Finland

Dheghom (Serbo-Croatian reflexes)

Мајка / Мајчица / Матер Земља

Swan Maiden

• d’Huy, Julien. "Le récit de la Femme-Oiseau. In: Cosmogonies. La Préhistoire des mythes. Sous la direction de d’Huy Julien. La Découverte, 2020. pp. 243-272. [22]

Aarne-Thompson-Uther ATU 425

Motifs of ATU 425B (A in Swahn)

Swahn recognizes the separation of heroine and husband according to a taboo in his type A:

• Looking taboo - commonest
• Gossip taboo - heroine reveals secret during a celebration. Turkey and neighbouring regions.
• Name taboo - in India
• Burning the animal skin in type A - e.g., Persia

Analysis of Italian cycle of the Search for the Lost Husband (ATU 425 and AaTh 428)

• Aprile, Renato (2000). Indice delle fiabe popolari italiane di magia (in Italian). Vol. 2. Leo S. Olschki. pp. 664-779 (AT 425 Amor e Psiche), 780-783 (AT 428 Il lupo). ISBN 9788822248558.

Lost Irish/British Island variant of type ATU 425

Mythologist Thomas Keightley, in his 1834 book Tales and Popular Fictions, mentioned a tale titled The Fair Norah na Vodha and the White Bear of Worroway, which he recalled it being a "Beauty-and-Beast kind of story" he heard from a man named Johnny Stykes. The tale is possibly a variant of The Brown Bear of Norway, from Patrick Kennedy's collection.

Greek ATU 425E

Greek folklorist Georgios A. Megas suggested that tale type 425E, since it appears in combination with other 425 subtypes and with type 433B, did not originate in Greece, and possibly migrated from Italy to Greece and from there to Turkey. According to him, this would explain its presence in these three Mediterranean countries, and how the subtype appears in combination with subtype 425D as the Turkish type TTV 93, and with type 433B as the Turkish type TTV 106.

Japanese ATU 425

Japanese scholar Hiroko Ikeda, in her index of Japanese folktales based on the international Aarne-Thompson Index, catologue the animal bridegroom tales as type 425A, "The Mud-Snail Son", where in an animal son is born to human parents. In a variant from Amami Oshima, a snake is found by an elder lady and she woos the lord's daughter on his behalf. According to Ikeda, the Amami Oshima tale follows "a Korean tale" about a snake bridegroom that marries a human maiden who betrays his trust and has to search for him.

"奄美大島昔話集", 1954. p. 20. 蛇婚 譚 [Snake marriage story] (大奄美史)。[Oamami History]

Indonesian Animal as Bridegroom

• Vom Schlangenkönig Lembayung ("About Snake King Lembayung")
• Der Himmelsbräutigam ("The Celestial Bridegroom")
• Der Prinz mit dem Schlangenleib ("The Prince with the body of a snake")

Colombian ATU 425(B?)

In a Colombian tale collected in Ataquéz by professors Gerardo and Alicia Reichel-Dolmatoff with the title La Hija del Pescador or The Fisherman's Daughter, a poor fisherman earns his living by catching and selling fishes. One day on a less fortunate outing, he goes home and passes by a well on the way. A voice from the well tells him to give the voice the first thing that greets him back home in exchange for netfuls of fish. The voice asks the man to throw the net and it is filled with fishes, proving its claims. When the man returns home, his daughter greets him, to his great concern. The man tells his wife about the voice in the well, and his wife tells him to fulfill its request. After mourning for three days, he takes his daughter to the well. The voice inside it tells the man to take the girl to a hut near the river. The fisherman does and leaves her there. The girl makes the bed and sleeps and, the following morning, finds the table set with food. She also hears a voice requesting her to see his "caspitas". On the second turn, she feels a wooly texture. Later, the voice prepares a horse and tells her to visit her parents. She pays them some visits and returns on the voice's house back to the hut. The third time she touches his skin, she senses something scaly. Next, the man allows her to return home, but warns her not to bring anything from there. The girl returns home, eats, drinks and smokes a bit, then asks her mother for some matches and a candle, since she wants to discover who is her companion. The girl returns to the hut and light a candle at night: her companion is half-human, half-fish. The creature admonishes her for bringing the items from home and tells her she must find work elsewhere with the king, wearing a sombrero, a machete and abarcas. The girl leaves and goes to a king's castle. The king takes her in and asks her to find a "hebra" from the mother of all the animals in the world. The girl meets an old woman who can help her, in exchange for a drink of water. She fulfills the woman's request, and is told to reach a mountain where the mother lives and plucks some hairs form her covers. The gilr does as instructed and brings back the hebra, receiving a handsome payment for it. She then leaves the king's service at meets another old woman, who gives her a magic wand so she can teleport back home. The girl waves the wand and returns home to her parents.

Turkish ATU 425B (TTV 98)

The Green Horse

In a Turkish Anatolian tale collected by Necati Demir with the title Yeşil At ("Green Horse"), a padishah has three daughters. At one time, the monarch sets them to be married by casting three arrows at random: whomever it lands next to, they shall marry them. The elder throws her and lands near the vizier, while the youngest throws her and it lands next to a grazing green horse. He repeats her action and it still lands near the green horse. The princess out to the stable and a handsome youth comes out of the green horseskin, stating he is his bridegroom. The princess is happy and is given his ring. Later, the elder princesses' weddings arranged which the youngest princess attend, being endlessly mocked for her choice of equine bridegroom. On the middle princess's wedding, the cadette retorts there is a bridegroom inside the horseskin. His talisman breaks, and she goes to meet the human Green Horse in the stables. He admonishes her, saying she can only find him after walking in iron sandals and with an iron cane, then departs. The princess dons the iron garments, dresses like a Keloglan and goes on a journey.

She journeys far and wide until she reaches a fountain, noticing her iron shoes are worn out. Suddenly, a maidservant is nearing the fountain to fetch water for Green Horse and tries to shoo the princess away, who is in her Keloglan disguise. She asks for water to drink, and drops the ring inside the jug. The maidservant brings the water jug to Green Horse and he notices the ring, then asks whoever is at the fountain. The servant says that Keloglan is at the fountain and Green Horse asks to bring them in. Green Horse and the princess reunite, but he hides her a servant by hiring her as a gooseherder, since the man was also betrothed to a Dev's daughter. Since they are to be married in one week's time, the Dev suspects a closeness between Green Horse and the Keloglan, and gives the princess a mattress to be filled with bird feathers for the bride. Green Horse tells her to shout at the birds to take their feathers for Green Horse is getting married. The princess does as instructed and fulfills the task. Her husband Green Horse also gives her almonds and nuts with beautiful dresses inside, which the Dev steals from her to give to his daughter.

The wedding day comes, and the Dev asks Green Horse to decapitate Keloglan and serve their head on a plate. Green Horse beheads the Dev's daughter, heats up the oven and tosses the head in a cauldron to boil, then escapes with his human wife. Meanwhile, the Dev eats the head, unaware it belongs to his dead daughter. The Dev goes to check on the Green Horse and the bride and finds the beheaded daughter, then, in a rage, flies after the fleeing couple on a cube. Back to the fleeing couple, Green Horse, the princess and his horse change shape to fool the Dev: first, they become a miller (Green Horse), wheat (princess) and a millstone (the horse), then into a gardener (Green Horse), a wall (the princess), and a tree (the horse). The Dev falls for their trick twice and goes looking elsewhere. However, siince the princess is pregnant, she gives birth to a baby boy on the road. The third time, the Dev comes after them, and Green Horse turns the boy into a red rose, and himself, the princess and the horse into cobwebs to protect him. The Dev tries to pluck the rose, but its thorns hurt his hand and he retreats, flying away on his cube. Green Horse and his family return home and live in peace.

The Witch's Daughter-in-Law

In a Turkish Anatolian tale titled Cadının Gelini ("The Witch's Daughter-in-Law"), the youngest of three princesses marries a horse that is a handsome youth underneath it, since he is the son of the queen of the witches. He turns into a human during the wedding night and asks the princess to keep his secret, but she blabs about it and reveals the secret, causing their separation. The princess finds her husband at his mother's house, and both escape from her in a Magic Flight sequence, their last transformation a tree (her) and a snake coiled around it (him).

Kurbağa Şehzade ("The Frog Prince") = Search for the Lost Husband, meeting at the mountain Kafdağı (id. pp. 145/150ff.)

The Green Angel

In a Turkish Cypriot tale titled Yeşil Melek ("Green Angel"), a king has a daughter. One day, suitors gather for her choice of suitor by throwing arrows at random. The princess shoots three arrows; she misses the first two times, but the third one hits a hill in the distance. The arrow lands near a horn ("boynuzdur", in the original). The princess retrials the shoot and the arrow still lands near the horn. The princess admits it is her fate, and her father builds a house near the horn. Fortunately for the princess, a youth comes out of the horn. He tells the princess to keep quiet about him for forty days, and they can be together. After a while, there is some horse contest, and the princess is mocked for marrying the horn, but, fed up with the teasing and mockery, she tells them about the boy that comes out of the horn. The princess returns home and does not find the youth, so decides to search for him. She begins a journey and reaches the Golden Mountain in hopes of finding clues of his whereabouts. A maidservant with a golden jug tells the princess Green Angel is not there, so she continues on her journey to the Onluk mountain and finally the Ruby Mountain. The princess stops by a stream and asks for some water from a maidservant, who tells her she is bringing water to Green Angel. The princess drinks from the ruby jug and drops her ring inside it, which the maidservant brings to her master. Green Angel discovers the ring and goes to meet her outside, by the stream. Green Angel warns the princess his family (father, mother, sisters) are devs (giants), and he is set to be married to his female cousin. Despite the danger, the princess wishes to be with him, so he turns her into a pin and brings it home with him. When he enters the house, his dev mother starts to scent a human's presence, which Green Angel tries to dismiss. Eventually, Green Angel makes his mother swear an oath and transforms the princess from pin to human form. After some days, the dev mother begins to force tasks on the princess: first, to sweep and not sweep the house - Green Angel takes the broom, sweeps the room and sprinkles some dust around the room. Next, the creature orders the girl to fill vases with her tears - Green Angel uses a sieve. The creature suspects the princess is getting help from her son. The third time, knowing that she cannot renege on her vow, she sends the princess to a certain place and orders her to fetch a box of musicians from the dev mother's brother for her son's wedding. Before the princess goes, Green Angel intercepts her and advises her how to proceed: drink from a stream, exchange the fodder between two animals (straw for a donkey, bones for a dog), pass a bridge and suckle on his aunt's breasts, then ask for the box. The princess does as instructed and steals the box, as the dev aunt commands the animals and the river to stop her, to no avail. At a distance, the princess opens up the box and musicians fly out of it. The princess begins to cry; Green Angel appears and helps her lock everything back into the box by burning one of his hairs. Finally, at Green Angel's wedding to his female cousin, his dev mother lights up candles on the princess's fingers and forces her to illuminate the wedding couple. Green Angel takes some provisions for the road, then trades the candles on the princess's finger for his bride, and both escape. The next morning, the dev family discovers the couple have escape, and the bride burnt to death, then chase after Green Angel and the princess. On the road, the couple throw objects behind them to deter their pursuers: an object creates a forest, the soap creats another obstacle, and the comb creates a wall. Failing that, the dev family is still in relentless pursuit, and Green Angel decides to transform himself and the princess into other people: first, a gardener and a garden, and finally into dates (the princess) and a seven-headed snake (Green Angel) to trick his mother. Green Angel kills his mother, then resumes human shape and brings the princess to her father's land, where they celebrate their wedding.

The Padishah and his Daughters

In a Turkish Cypriot tale titled Padişah ve Kızları ("The Padishah and his Daughters"), a padishah convenes with his daughters and tells them to shoot arrows at random to choose their husbands in a crowd of people. The youngest's hits the son of the vizier's eldest son, the middle one's the head of the vizier's middle son, but the youngest's hits the head of a donkey. The padishah insists she retrials, and, thrice again, the youngest's arrow hits the donkey. The princess resigns to her fate, and marries the donkey. The animal, however, begins to talk and tells the princess he is a "Green Angel" ("yeşil melek", in the original), and she must not reveal the secret, lest she has to walk in gold shoes and search for him in the Golden Mountain, the Silver Mountain and the Cevahir Mountain until she finds him again. Time passes, the donkey comes out of the skin, becomes a human youth and brings flowers to the youngest princess. On the wedding of the eldest princess, the donkey husband, in human form, appears as a mysterious guest and brings flowers to the youngest princess, then leaves. The same thing happens on the middle princess's wedding. The girl is mocked by her sisters, but eventually reveals the donkey is a green angel. On hearing this, the youth disappears. Remembering the green angel's words, the princess asks her father for a pair of shoes made of gold and begins her journey. She passes by a stream near the Golden Mountain, where a maidservant is fetching water with a golden jug. Unable to find the green angel there, the princess walks to the Silver Mountain, where a maidservant is fetching water in a silver jug, and again the Green Angel is not there. Finally, the princess reaches the Cevahir Mountain, where she notices the soles of her shoes are worn out, meaning green angel is near. The tale then explains Green Angel is the son of a dev (giantess) woman, and she lives in Cevahir mountain. The princess reunites with Green Angel. Some days later, the dev mother orders the princess to sweep half of the house and not sweep the other half. After she leaves, Green Angel takes a broom and sweeps part of the house and not the other. The dev mother suspects the girl had Green Angel's help. Next, the princess is ordered to fill jars with her tears - the princess cries a bit, but can only fill less than half of the jar. Green Angel fills the jar with water and sprinkles some salt. Thirdly, the dev woman orders the princess to pay a visit to her sister and fetch from there a box. Green Angel intercepts the princess and advises her how to proceed: go through an open door, exchange the fodder between two animals (bones for a dog, straw for a donkey), drink three handfuls of water from a stream, eat an apple from a tree, give a scarf to a woman cleaning an oven with her breasts, enter his aunt's house and steal the box from the table, while the creature is distracted sharpening her teeth; take the both and return without opening it. The princess follows the instructions to the letter and gets the box, then makes her way back, Green Angel's aunt commanding the animals and the landmarks to stop her, to no avail. The dev mother receives the box and prepares her son's wedding, by placing candles on the princess's hands and lighting them up, so that she and her sister can devour the human girl after the candles melt. Green Angel asks the princess for a kiss twice, so that she can be saved, but the princess would rather die by his female relatives' hands. The third time, Green Angel asks his bride to hold the candles in the princess's place, and both escape, while the false bride suffers the candles melting and being devoured by the dev sisters. Green Angel's dev family realizes they devoured the wrong person, and the dev mother chases after them. To fool his mother, Green Angel turns the princess into an orchard and himself into a gardener. The dev mother can only meets the gardener and utters a curse for the princess not to give birth. The second time, Green Angel's dev aunt goes after them, and he turns the princess into a tree and himself into a seven-headed dragon ("ejderha", in the original). His dev aunt threatens the transformed pair, but the dragon attacks his aunt and she flees. The princess and Green Aunt return home and marry, and, in time, she cannot give birth, so he sends for his dev mother to help in his wife's delivery, breaking her own curse on her daughter-in-law.

Green Angel (Lefkosa)

In a Turkish Cypriot tale titled Yeşil Melek ("Green Angel"), in a certain village, a king says it is time his three daughters married, so he takes them up a hill to throw balls at the rooftops, and wherever they fall the girls are to marry the son that lives in that house. The first time, the eldest princess casts the ball and it falls on the rooftop of a king. They celebrate a wedding for forty days and forty nights, then it is the middle one's turn: she casts her ball to the vizier's house and marries the vizier's son. The third time, the youngest princess casts her ball and it lands near a donkey's head. The princess retrials her ball throwing, and it also lands near the donkey's head. The princess resigns to her fate, and marries the donkey's head in a ceremony. At night, the donkey's head turns into a youth handsome as the forteenth moon, and asks the princess to keep his secret, lest she loses him. Some time later, there is an announcement of a tournament in the village, and every knight will compete. The donkey's head tells the princess he will take part in the competition. During the competition, a handsome and mysterious knight is admired for his prowess, and the youngest princess is mocked for her choice of husband. After some of their mockery, she tells the knight is her husband, the donkey's head, is his husband, and he vanishes. The princess then asks her father to prepare some provisions for the road and begins her journey: she passes by the white mountain and the blue mountain, until she reaches the green mountain, where a maidservant says she is bringing water for Green Angel. The princess asks to be taken to him, but the maidservant warns her his mother is a man-eating creature. Still, the princess reunites with her husband, the Green Angel, who introduces her to his mother as his wife. The creature then orders the princess to fill a vase with her tears - Green Angel fills the vase with water and sprinkles some salt. His mother suspects her son helped the princess. Next, she orders the princess to sweep and not sweep the house - Green Angel takes the broom and teaches the princess how to do it. The third time, the princess is forced to eat some bread that the dog and the cat can eat, and it does not diminish. For this, Green Angel tells his human wife the task is impossible and both escape from his mother's house. On the road, the pair meet an old man and ask him to help them hide, but the old man insists they plant some vegetables first. The dev mother is approaching them, when Green Angel asks the princess to slap him: he turns into a serpent, and the girl into a red "gabag". The dev mother nears the pair and declares she wants to eat the princess first, but Green Angel asks his mother to be eaten first: she opens her mouth and he, in snake form, bites her tongue. Green Angel is released from his curse, and returns with the princess to her kingdom, where they celebrate a new marriage.

The Black Dog

In a Turkish tale titled Kara Köpek ("Black Dog"), the princess throws darts and marries a black dog that is near the dart. The black dog is human underneath the dogskin and subjects his wife to many tests, which she accomplishes with his help.

Azeri ATU 425B

Azerbaijani scholarship indexes a similar tale type in Azerbaijan, titled 428, "Div qarısının qulluğunda" ("In the service of the Div woman"). In the Azeri type, the heroine marries a snake who is a human youth underneath it; convinced by her sisters, she burns his snakeskin and he vanishes; she dons iron shoes and goes after him, eventually finding him at the house of the Div woman, to whom she has to perform difficult tasks; with her husband's help, the heroine fulfills the tasks, then both flee in a transformation sequence, their third transformation a flower (the heroine) and a snake coiled around it (the snake husband).

The Snake and the Girl

In an Azeri tale titled İlan və qız ("The Snake and the Girl"), collected from an informant named İsrafil Teğizadə, a man named Muhammad Pahlivan finds a white-skinned and dark-haired girl under some bushes, and brings her home. He marries the mysterious girl and she bears him three girls. In time, Muhammad Pahlivan begins to grow sick and emaciated. He wanders the land until he meets a dervish, to whom he confides his medical condition that no doctor can diagnose. The dervish ponders a bit and advises to take his family out of the house, give very salty food to his wife, lock up the mirrors in the house, sprinkle some salt on his finger and stay awake all night to discover what his wife does and report back to him. Muhammad Pahlavi does as instructed: his wife begins to feel so thirsty, melts the mirror with a fiery breath and drinks it to sate her thirst. The next morning, Muhammad goes to report the findings to the dervish, who reveals the woman belongs to the race of the "əjdaha" (snake-like beings), which can acquire human form after thousands of years, but their breath is still draconic, betraying their origin. The dervish also advises the man to get rid of his wife, since it is her fault he looks sick, but heating up the oven and tricking her to bake some bread, then shoving her in to burn to death. Muhammad does as the dervish instructed and tosses his əjdaha-wife in the oven, then locks it up: the flames blaze and roar, burning the creature to cinders. Muhammad enters his house and finds his daughters in a frightened state and think of also killing them, but wishes to leave fate to Allah and raises them, despite their origin. Time passes, the girls grow up and Muhammad earns their living by reaping bushes and selling them. One day, while he is cutting some bushes, a large snake appears in front of him and threatens the man. Muhammad begs to be spared, for the sake of his children. The snake then asks which children he has, and Muhammad answers: three girls. The snake has a change of heart and demands Muhammad bring him one of his daughters as bride. Muhammad returns home and, for three days, ask each of his daughters about the snake's proposal, which the elders refuse, save for the youngest, who agrees to the proposal in order to spare her father, on the third day. Muhammad goes back to inform the snake about the cadette's agreement, and brings the cadette to the snake. The snake bids the girl follow the animal to its den, Muhammad trailing behind them all the way. After crossing mountains and forests, The couple reach a cave: inside it, a large palace filled with precious metals (gold and silver) and gems. The snake then takes off its snakeskin to become a human youth, to the girl's - and her father's - relief. Muhammad returns home and tells his other daughters about their cadette's luck. The girls begins to feel jealous and decide to destroy her happiness. Some time later, they pay her a visit and start to plant seeds of doubt in her head, questioning her snake husband's love and devotion towards her. They then convince her to ask him about the snakeskin. After her sister leave, the girl asks her snake lover how to destroy the snakeskin. The man warns her that this could lead to their separation, but reveals it anyway: burn it with an onion peel, but, if she does it, she will faint and everything they own will disappear with him. He adds that she can only find him again by wearing down a pair of iron shoes and an iron cane. Despite his warnings, she goes through with burning his snakeskin and, just as he predicted, she faints and everything vanishes. Left alone in a desert plain, the girl cries, until an old woman appears and gives her iron shoes and the iron cane. The girl begins her journey and, after forty days and forty nights, her shoes are worn out when she reaches a fountain. Suddenly, another girl is drawing water with a jug. The wandering girl asks for some water to drink, but the girl tells her the water is for her fiancé Mədəd - which the wandering girl suspects is her snake husband. The wandering then drops a ring inside the jug, which is brought to Mədəd. Mədəd notice the ring and asks his fiancée is she saw someone at the fountain. His fiancée assents and is asked to bring them in. Mədəd looks at the stranger and recognizes her: she is first wife, Hal-qəziyyə ('Hal-Gaziya'). After his fiancée leaves them alone, Mədəd tells Hal-Gaziya that, after she burnt his snakeskin, he wandered until he reached the land of seven div-brothers, who wanted to devour him, but whose div-sister fell in love with him instead. Thus, he was spared, but he is to be married to his div-fiancée - the girl who drew water from the fountain. Mədəd then tells Hal-Gaziya they must escape at once, and fetches some water, some razors and some salt, which Mədəd explains will create, respectively, a sea between them, a field of razors to hurt their feet, and salt to burn their wound. Mədəd and Hal-Gaziya take a black horse and escape, the dev-brothers going after them. In order to deter their pursuers, Mədəd throws behind his wife and himself the water (which becomes a sea), the razors (which become a field of blades that destroys some devs) and the salt (to burn their wounds). At a safe distance, they reach their home and find the same old woman sat on the stairs, waiting for them. The pair welcomes her in. Azeri scholarship classified the tale as a combination of Azeri type 411, "Əjdaha qız" ("Snake Wife"), and type 425, "İtmiş ərin axtarılması" ("Searching for a lost husband").

The Snake Son

• İlan oğlan - the snake son turns his wife into an apple tree and himself into a snake coiled around it.

In a Azerbaijani tale titled İlan oğlan ("Snake Son"), an old woman is visited by a black snake who wishes to become her son. The old woman adopts it. Later, the black snake asks the old woman to court the local king's daughter on his behalf. However, the king sets some tasks for the prospective suitor: to build a castle, plant a luxurious garden and build a road, which the snake does with east. The black snake marries the princess, and reveals to her he is a human youth underneath the snakeskin, but asks her to keep his secret. Eventually, she tells his secret and he disappears. She walks with an iron staff and begins a search for him, finding him atop a hill grazing some cattle. His mother notices the human girl in their lands and suspects she is there to take her son away from her. The woman gives a drink with poison to the princess, which her husband slaps from her hand, then they make a run for it. On the road, the princess and the snake husband transform into objects to fool his mother: first, into a wormwood bush (the princess) and a snake hidden in the bush (the snake youth); next, into an apple tree (her) and a gardener (him). His mother cannot find neither of them in their new forms, and returns home. The princess and the snake youth then escape from that land.

The Golden Snake

In an Azerbaijani tale titled Qızıl ilan ("Golden Snake"), an old man goes to the forest and finds a box with a snake inside. The snake demands the youngest of the man's four daughters as its bride. The man escape sback home and avoids going into the woods for the next days. Some time later, the snake appears again and demands the man's youngest daughter, else it will kill the man. The man returns home and explains the situation to his daughters, the youngest agreeing to be the snake's bride. The snake meets its bride and tells her it will come out of a box in front of a hut. The girl comes to a hut where the box is lying next to, and a youth comes out of the box; it is the snake in human form. The man tells his other daughters the cadette's snake husband is a handsome youth, to the others' jealousy. The elder sisters then convince the youngest to burn the youth's snakeskin, but he warns his wife if she does that, she will have to search for him in iron shoes. Despite the warning, the girl burns the snakeskin and he disappears, then goes after him in iron shoes. She reaches a fountain where a maidservant is fetching water and asks for some to drink, then drops a ring inside the jug. The maidservant brings the water jug to her master, the snake youth, which discovers the ring, then asks the servant if there was someone outside with them. The maidservant tells him about the wanderer by the fountain and the snake youth goes to meet them: it is his human wife. They reunite.

The Youngest Daughter

In an Azeri tale titled Küçük Bacı ("The Youngest Daughter"), a king has three daughters, the elder married to a vizier's son, the middle one to a politician's son, and the youngest still unmarried. One day, a little dog comes which she pets and feeds it for two days. When the little animal does not show up on the third day, she feels downcast, and the king forbids her from approaching the dog again, ordering her governess to inform him if it does so. The next time, the dog comes again, which the king threatens to kill. The princess intercedes in the animal's favour and is banished for her efforts. The girl and the dog move out to a cavern, where three other dogs are, and the pack hunts food for them. One day, the princess finds a handsome youth near the entrance of the cave: he says he is the dog, but his true form is that of the human-like son of the king of the fairies, named Hesenzard. The elder princesses go to look for their cadette and find her in the cave. She tells them about the fairy prince, and the elder sister suggest she burns the dogskin. After they leave, the princess asks Hesenzard how to burn the dogskin: with onion peels. The princess burns it, Hesenzard turns into a dove and admonishes her, saying that she will only find him again if she wears out iron shoes and an iron cane bends, then flies away. The princess commissions the iron garments and begins her long journey. After seven years, the princess notices the iron apparel is worn out and reaches a fountain, where a maidservant is fetching water for Hesenzard. The princess asks for some water to drink and drops a ring inside it. Hesenzard recognizes the ring when it drops on his hands and he goes to meet the princess near the fountain. They reunite, he turns into an apple and brings her inside. He meets his grandmother and introduces the princess. The grandmother, of an evil nature, begins to order the princess: first, she is to sweep the floor with a beaded broom and not lose any, and wash the door and the chimney with her tears, in a way that the drops do not touch each other. Hesenzard summons a group of servants to fulfill the task for her. Next, the grandmother orders her to fulfill sacks with bird feathers: Hesenzard advises her to climb a mountain, summon the birds and tell them Hesenzard is getting married, and the birds will give them their feathers. During the night, Hesenzard teaches his human wife some verses that will calm his grandmother down. The next day, the woman gives a bar of soap and a black felt and orders the princess to wash it white - Hesenzard casts a spell for the felt to change colours. The grandmother then gives the princess a letter to be given to her sister and trade it for a "gаvalı" ("kavalı", 'pipe')- a trap, since the letter contains a command to eat the princess. Hesenzard intercepts his wife, warns her it is a trap, and advises her to proceed: compliment a stream of black water, compliment a stream of white water, compliment the water droplets dropping from the roof, open a closed door and shut an open one, fold an unfolded carpet and unfold a folded one, exchange the fodders between two animals (oats for a horse, bone for a dog), give a thread to a person, deliver the letter and, while she is distracted, steal the gаvalı and rush back.

The princess follows the instructions to the letter, steals the gаvalı and rushes back, the grandmother's sister commanding her servants to stop the princess, to no avail. For the next task, the woman orders the princess to plant a tree to reach the Heavens. Hesenzard casts a spell and the tree sprouts. When they are climbing the tree, Hesenzard kills the false bride and escapes with his human wife. On the road, they turn, among other transformations into a mountain of salt, a vineyard and a garden. The false bride's sisters plucks a pear and accidentally bites off three fingers from the princess's hand. After the creature leaves, Hesenzard restores the princess's finger and they return to the cave.

Kazakh ATU 425

In a Kazakh tale titled Жылан қабықты жігіт ("Jigit in a Snakeskin"), a poor, lame-bodied man lives with his wife and earns his living by selling fuel to the nearby city. He sighs for nor having a son. One day, he witnesses a black dragon killing a yellow dragon, and cuts off some part of the yellow dragon's flesh. The man returns home and finds his wife in a poor health condition. She woman eats the yellow dragon's flesh and nine months later gives birth to a snake for a son, named "Шаһимардан" ("Shahimardan"). The snake son grows up and one day asks his father to court the local king's, Babakhan, daughter, on his behalf. The poor man meets one of Babakhan's men on the way who tries to dissuade him from taking such a fool's errand. Still, the poor man goes to Babakhan and makes the case for Shahimardan's proposal. Babakhan dismisses him and orders him to be quartered and his body taken to his family. It is done so, and the poor man's corpse is brought to his wife. The woman despairs at his death, but Shahimardan breathes upon his body three times to revive him, then sends him back to Babakhan. The monarch refuses to entertain the poor man twice more and twice more he orders his execution. After three times, Babakhan realizes he is not dealing with someone common, relents and orders the man to bring a herd of horses that can fill the entire city. The man returns home to tell Shahimardan of the khan's orders, and the snake son gives him a diamond-bladed sword and bids him follow him to a snake's hole. He explains that a large black snake will come out of the burrow and his father is to behead the reptile. By killing the reptile, a herd of horses appears out of the snake's head to gallop around the city and fulfill the khan's orders. Defeated, Babakhan realizes this is no normal suitor, and arranges for his daughter's wedding: yellow-head Shahimardan rides the horse to the palace coiled around the horse's neck, marries the princess in a ceremony, and enters the wedding chambers. The snake assuages the princess and asks to be caressed from head to tail; by doing this, his snakeskin falls to the ground and he becomes a handsome youth, who then asks her to hide the snakeskin. The princess takes the snakeskin and sews it into a small pocket in her clothes. People start to question the meaning of the new pocket and try to take it from her. One day, Shahimardan himself takes the snakeskin from his wife, becomes a swallow and admonishes her, saying she can only find him again by wearing a cap and wearing down an iron cane to a stick, then vanishes. She mourns for her vanished husband for three days, and even her father Babakhan tries to set her with a new suitor, but she still loves Shahimardan and decides to go after him. The princess, named Nursulu, dons the garments and begins a long journey, and sings a song. She reaches a hut on the way and meets a woman named Gulistan Marzhan, kidnapped and forcibly married to a Dev named Karadau. Gulistan hides Nursulu from the Dev and asks her Dev husband if he saw a swallow flying by. The dev assents and says the swallow flew to the ruins of the city of Mertik, once inhabitated, but now the lair of demons and fairies. The Dev returns to the hunt, and Nursulu thanks Marzhan for her help, thinking to herself to rescue the girl after she finds Shahimardan. After a three-day journey, Nursulu reaches Mertik, and climbs the walls of a golden palace. Inside, she spies Shahimardan on a throne, looking downcast; he then puts on the snakeskin and slithers away. Nursule seizes the opportunity to creep into his chambers and wait for him. Shahimardan returns as a snake, takes off she snakeskin and looks downcast again. Nursule comes out from under his bed and reunites with him after seven long years. They exchange histories and decide to return to her father's kingdom, but first pass by Karadau's hut to rescue Marzhan and take her with them.

Uzbek ATU 425B

• Gulpari: Namangan Ertaklari (1969). pp. 43-45.

Yılan Damat

In an Uzbek tale titled Yılan Damat (İlan Kuyav, "Snake Groom"), a padishah has three daughters. One day, a large dragon ("ejderha") appears and threatens to destroy the kingdom unless he is given one of his daughters. The monarch asks his daughters which will go with the dragon, and only the youngest replies. The princess marries the dragon, who is in reality a handsome youth underneath the draconic skin. She tells this information to her sisters, who, out of jealousy, advise her to burn the dragonskin. The human dragon warns his wife not do it, for he will disappear and she will only find him again by wearing down a pair of iron sandals and an iron cane. He also gives her his ring. Despite his warning, the princess goes through with the deed, and her husband vanishes. After a period or mourning, the princess dons the iron sandals and iron cane and begins her journey. She passes by herds of horses, cattle and sheep - all belonging, she learns, to her husband Şah Kamber. Finally, she reaches a spring, where a servant is drawing water for Sah Kamber, asks him for some and drops his ring inside it. The servant takes the jug to Sah Kamber, who recognizes the ring and goes to meet his human wife. Sah Kamber takes his wife to meet his mother and introduces them to each other. However, his mother soon plans to get rid of the girl, for she wants to marry her son to another female member of her family. First, she orders the girl to fetch some cotton for pillows - Sah Kember advises his wife to go the plain and shout that Sah Kamber is dead, and all the birds will give their feathers. Next, the woman orders the girl to fetch a pair of scissors. Sah Kamber intercepts his wife and advises her how to proceed: she will pass by a door that is always opening and shutting, which she is to compliment by saying it is fit for a lodge; pass by a bridge and compliment it; exchange the fodder between two animals (bone for a dog, straw for a camel), meet an old woman, greet her and agree to delouse her hair; while the old woman is disctracted, the princess is to tie strands of her hair to the pillars, get and scissors and escape. The princess does as instructed, steals the scissors, and goes to to meet Sah Kamber. Both then escape to another city. The tale was also classified as Turkish tale type EB 98, "Pferdemann".

• Yılan Ağa (=Ilon Oga)

Czech ATU 425A (Klodzko/Kladzke)

• Chlupatej syn
• Petr z Petrohradu

In a Czechoslovakian tale titled Twelve Iron Sandals, a king has three daughters, the elder two already married, but the youngest still single. Despite her beauty and intelligence, no suitor catches her attention. One day, a knight of mysterious origin comes to the kingdom to court her. The princess agrees to his courtship and they arrange their marriage. Before the ceremony, the knight reveals he is under a spell by refusing to marry a magician's daughter, thus he can only spend the days with her, but not the evenings. The princess sympathizes with his situation and promises to endure the spell. They marry. The princess and her husband spend the days together, but he retires for the evenings. At first, she endures for his sake, but, being married to him, wishes to spend the nights with him. One day, she spies on him after he goes to his chambers, and sees him putting on a scaly skin on himself, becoming a lizard and sleeping in front of the fireplace. This goes on until one afternoon, after an game of chess, the princess walks ahead of him to his chambers and tosses the snakeskin into the fireplace to burn it. Her husband sighs for her rash action, and tells her he must return to the magician's kingdom and marry his daughter, but the princess can find him again if she wears down twelve iron sandals, walk with twelve iron staves and eat twelve iron loaves of bread. With this, he vanishes without a trace. The princess then dons the iron garments and begins her long quest, until she reaches a kingdom whose queen rules with an iron first. The princess takes off her own jewelry (a golden necklace, two crysal-gem earrings, and a diamond) - given by her husband, the king -, and uses them to bribe the queen for three nights in the king's chambers, one item for each night. To her surprise, the king's body is lying on a bed and pierced with several needles, which she beings to take one by one. She cannot complete the task on the first night, nor on the second one (for the quantity of needles is doubled), but gains enough strength from the last iron bread in her mouth to pull all of the needles on the third one. When the princess is nearly completing the task and pulling a needle on the prince's eyelid, the queen enters the room and orders the guard to seize her. By doing so, the princess pull the last needle and the king wakes up. The king then commands the guards to seize the queen, who was the magician's daughter, whom they burn at the stake. Having saving her husband, the princess and the king live in happiness.

Catalan 428/ATU 425B

• La filadora - Amades

[23] [24]

In a Catalan tale published by Joan Amades with the title Les pedres del Cap del Món, heroine Maria

In a Catalan tale published by Joan Amades with the title El geperut i la Marieta ("The Hunchback and Marieta"), translated to French as Le Bossu et la Mariette ("The Hunchback and Marietta"), a poor woman and her daughter are starving and decide to pluck some figs from a fig tree guarded by an evil-looking old hunchback. One day, they are stealing the figs, when, fearing for the hunchback, the woman tells her daughter to bury her near the tree, leaving only her ear visible, and flee, and only return after the hunchback is not in sight. The girl does as asked and leaves her mother there. The hunchback pulls out the woman by the ear, thinking it is a mushroom, and the woman begs for forgiveness. The hunchback agrees, but makes a deal with her: he will return in a year and a day to take Marietta with him. After a year and a day, when Marietta is walking back home, she is approached by the hunchback, who tells her to remind her mother of their deal. After three days, Marietta's mother agrees to surrender the girl to the hunchback. The hunchback then takes Mariette to a mansion where seven woman live with a daughter, to be their servant. The hunchback also tells Marietta can summon his help by sitting in the shade of three pine trees. The woman then order Marietta to bring water from the Seven Fountains, for Pétronille to wash her face. Marietta does not know where to go to find the Seven Fountains, and summons the hunchback by sitting near the pine tree. The hunchback appears, is told about the task, then provides her with the water. For the next task, the old women give Marietta a bag full of dark wool, which she is to wash white. The girl summons the hunchback, who takes the bag of wool, goes to the river, and returns with white wool. The ladies, noticing that Marietta is performing the tasks, decide to give her a truly impossible one: going to their aunt Maria and fetch the chalumeau for Pétronille's wedding. The hunchback is summoned again and advises Marietta how to proceed: ask a river if it wants to wash the clohtes of king Jeannet; ask a wall of brambles if it wants to dry the clothes of king Jeannet, throw a calabash filled with milk to a den of serpents, throw a handful of dry earth to some frogs; grease the hinges of two large doors; enter a manor, enter a large dining room, but eat nothing, steal a little box ("cassette"), grab a bread from the table and toss it to a dog, and rush back without opening the box. Mariette goes back to the seven ladies' mansion to fetch the provisions (a calabash with milk, dry earth and grease), then makes her way to Midi: she asks the river like the hunchback taught her, and it opens up to let her pass, just as she the wall of brambles; she then gives the milk to the snakes and the dry earth to the frogs, greases the doors, enters the manor and fetches the box. Suddenly, a dog appears to stop Marietta, but she tosses a bread from the dining room table to the dog. Marietta rushes back with the box, as the dog commands the doors, the frogs and the snakes to stop her, to no avail. After crossing the river and the bramble, Marietta stops to rest, and decides to look into the box: she opens its lid and a green bird flies out of it. The hunchback appears to her and chastises for opening the box, then says he must grab the bird, for it will save them both, if Marietta listens to its instructions. The hunchback captures the bird and gives it to Marietta, who promptly delivers it to the ladies. Later that night, the ladies orders Marietta to set the table for the upcoming feast, when the bird reminds the girl she forgot the salt shaker, which she also places on the table. The green bird also tells Marietta she will be brought to the henhouse to guess which rooster crowed, to mark Pétronille's wedding hour, but she is not to answer anything. It happens thus, and Marietta is brought to the henhouse with a creuset (a type of torch), and she listens to the crowing of the roosters in silent. The following morning, the youngest of the seven ladies, pitying Marietta, asks her niece Pétronille to cover for the girl, and replace her in holding the torch inside the henhouse. Pétronille obeys and replaces Mariette in holding up the torch. Meanwhile, the oldest of the ladies, who is Pétronille's mother, utters a spell so that the person holding up the torch dies. To her surprise, Pétronille drops dead. Her mother, realizing her mistake, grabs Marietta's neck to break it, but the hunchback appears behind the lady and wrings her neck, rescuing Marietta. Suddenly, thunder erupts, the earth shakes, and the manor with the seven ladies disappears. The hunchback turns back into a handsome prince, who tells Marietta the ladies cursed him into the form, and he would only be released if Pétronille and her mother died. Marietta agrees to marry the prince. According to Amades, the tale was collected in 1922, from a source in Barcelona named Remei Margarit i Cantarell de Rafeques.

Swedish ATU 425B

In a Swedish tale collected from Göteborg, Bohuslan, with the title Vide Vallkongsbjön, a lord has three daughters. Before he goes on a journey, his youngest asks him to bring her a garland of flowers. The man can only find the garland atop a tree, when a bear ("bjön") appears to him and demands the first thing that greets the man when he returns with the garland, then the bear will send a retinue to take them. The man returns home and his youngest greets him when he returns, fulfilling the bear's conditions of the deal. However, the man tries to avoid giving up his daughter and sends the elder two in her place, but the bear discovers the ruse and takes his intended with him. Both live together, and the girl bears him tree sons in the following years.

Vide Vallkongsbjön ("White ValKingBear") - has the tasks, visit to second witch, hide food (sausage?) in clothes.

Russian SUS 428 ?

In a Russian tale from Transbaikal with the title "ДОЧЬ ЦАРЯ И СЫН БАБЫ ЯГИ" ("The Tsar's Daughter and the Son of Baba Yaga"), king Kartaus has three daughters. One day, war breaks out, and Kartaus, old enough, laments the fact he has only daughters and is old to to. Each of his daughters, then, offers to go to war in their father's stead. The king agrees, but decides to test their courage: each of the princesses walk over a bridge, when a bear (Kartaus under a magical disguise) scares them back to the palace. The elder princesses flee back to the king's castle, save for the youngest, who faces the bear and tears out one eye. The third princess comes back to tell her father about her victory, and finds him eyeless. She returns him his eye, then departs to war under a male disguise. She is victorious, and becomes friends with a fellow combatant that is Baba Yaga's son. The man invites his companion to live with him and his mother. Kartaus gives her a little dog, which he asks to be at her side at all times. The princess then goes to visit her companion, still in male garments, and Baba Yaga suspects she is a woman, which she tells her son. Thus, they decide to test her identity: first, they are to prepare a bed of blades of grass under themselves and, if the blades turn yellow, she is a woman, if green, his companion is male. The little dog overhears Baba Yaga's plan and goes to alert its mistress. The princess escapes the first test. For the second test, Baba Yaga tells her son to take his companion to the market: if she is a woman, she will want to check female products, like women's dresses. The little dog alerts her again and she pretends to have an interest in military objects, like guns and sabers. As for the third test, Baba Yaga tells her son to prepare the bath house and invite his companion for a bath. The little dog accompanies the princess to the bath house, and steals Baba Yaga's son's clothes, buying time for the princess to have a quick bath. The next day, the princess says she must be leaving, Baba Yaga's son sees his companion out and takes her to a boat on the margin. As the boat sails the river, the princess shows him her true gender, then leaves him at the other margin. Baba Yaga's son returns home and admits to his mother he fell in love with his female companion, and wishes to have her. Baba Yaga then convinces her son to make a bed, tie twelve pigeons to the bedposts and sell the furniture to Kartaus's daughter, so the birds will bring her to him. Baba Yaga's son goes to the market and peddles the bed, which Kartaus's daughter wishes to have, since, after all, she wants to be reward for the great favour she did her father. Kartaus buys the bed to his daughter, but the pigeons begin to coo a song about flying back to Baba Yaga beyond the blue sea. The princess learns the bed is a trap, and takes turns feeding only half of the pigeons, so that they are too weak to take flight. This works for some time, until the elder princesses, out of jealousy, feed the twelve pigeons at once. That night, the princess lies on her bed to sleep, and she wakes up, the bed is flying over the sea, carried by the twelve pigeons. Before the bed lands, she gets her golden ring and tosses it in the sea, making a vow never to speak until her ring is found. The bed lands, and Baba Yaga's son greets his beloved. However, as the days pass, he notices she is strangely silent, and asks her about it: she explains she tossed her ring in the sea and will only talk to him if the ring is back on her finger. Thus, he tells his mother about, and Baba Yaga summons the creatures of the sea to find the object. A crayfish appears with the ring, which Baba Yaga gives her son. The man places the ring on his bride's finger, and their wedding is arranged.

Franco-German ATU 425A

In a German language tale collected by folklorist Angelika Merkelbach-Pinck with the title Der Wolf und die Prinzessin ("The Wolf and the Princess"),

Ukrainian ATU 425A

In a Ukrainian tale from Bukovina titled "Рак Іван Царевич" ("Crab Ivan Tsarevich"), an old couple fishes a crab from the sea, which wishes to become their son. They live together, and the talking crab provides them with food. One day, the crab gives his adoptive father a heap of gold in a handkerchief, and asks him to court the king's daughter on his behalf. The old man goes to the king and offers the gold, and the king orders the crab to build a crystal bridge between the old man's house and the king's castle, with milky shores. The old man returns home and tells the crab son the king's request. The crab whistles and summons carpenters and craftsmen, and the bridge is built.

the heroine loses her husband, and goes after him, passing by the houses of three sisters and gaining three dresses (one of the stars, the second of the moon and the third of the sun). At last, she reaches the shore of the fiery sea, and meets a man who is commanding the eagles to carry flour across the sea to the wedding of Falcon Filist, Red Leaf ("Сокіл Філіст - Червоний Лист"), with another princess. The girl asks the man to let her be carried by the sea inside a sack of flour. The man agrees to do it, despite the warning that the eagle may drop her, and she crosses the fiery sea safely. She reaches the princess's castle and works in the kitchen, in preparation for the wedding. When everyone goes to church, the girl puts on each dress to attend, drawing the attention of the false bride to it. The princess wishes to have the garment, and Falcon Filist's true wife agrees to a deal: the dress for a night in his chambers. The girl goes to talk to Falcon Filist (whom she refers to as "Ivan Tsarevich") to wake him up, since the iron hoops on her are hurting, but he cannot respond, for the princess gave Filist a soporific drink. A guest alerts Filist about a girl that cried on his bed for the past nights. On the third night, Filist forces the princess to drink her own potion, and pretends to be asleep. The girl enters his room and cries over him, he wakes up and spends the night with his first wife. The next day, Filist asks the people a riddle about an old and a new key, and which he should keep. The people answer that he should keep the old key, and he stays with his first wife.

Ukrainian ATU 707

In a Ukrainian tale form Bukovina with the title "Хлопчики з золотими кучерями" ("Boys with Golden Locks"),

Korean ATU 425 (Baemsillang)

In a Korean tale titled The Rat-Snake Scholar, an old woman gives birth to a rat snake son who she raises in a corner. One day, three sisters who live near them visit the old woman and see the little animal: the elder two mock him, but the youngest show pity. Due to this, the rat snake asks his mother to let him marry the third sister. The old woman goes next door and propose marriage: just like before, the elder two refuse, save for the youngest, who marries the rat snake. After they marry, on the wedding night, the rat snake takes off the snake skin and becomes a handsome scholar, to the delight of his wife. Some time later, the now human scholar tells his wife to look after his snakeskin, for, if something happens to it, he will not return, and departs to take the civil service exam. While he is away, her sisters discover their brother-in-law is handsome under the snakeskin, and grow envious. They pay their sister a visit and ask what she keeps in her pocket. The girl refuses to show them the snakeskin, which they take by force and burn in a fire. The girl notices that her husband does not appear for months on end, and even years, and decides to search for him. She passes by a bunch of crows, which ask her to wash some bugs in the stream until they become white. Next, the girl passes by a boar and helps it by lifting a kudzu root and peeling it. Lastly, she reaches an old lady who gives her black clothes to wash them white and some white clothes to wash them black, rinse and dry them. The girl fulfills the chores and is given a rice bowl and some chopsticks for her to sail to the place where her husband is. As she reaches the location of her husband, the snake scholar goes out his house to sing some verses to the moon, wondering if his wife is watching the same moon. At the same time, the girl is singing the same song, he listens to his wife's voice and they reunite.

In another Korean variant titled Kurongdongdong Sinsŏnbi, or The Snake Scholar, the heroine goes in search of her husband and has to perform tasks for people and animals she meets on the way: wash worms for crow, wash laundry, dig up roots for boars, and farm wide expanses of land and store the crops. Finally, she comes across a boy who is working for her husband, and asks to spend the night. That night, the moon shines on the couple, the Snake Scholar looks at the moon and sighs for his wife, just as his wife is sighing over him nearby. They meet again, but the Snake Scholar has married another woman. Thus, in order to choose which woman will stay as his wife, he sets them tasks: cut firewood, fetch water without spilling any drop, walk with very tall shoes and fetch tiger whisks. The first wife prevails and they reunite.

Polish ATU 425

Malinowski, Materyały antropologiczno-archeologiczne i etnograficzne, Tom V, 101-104.

Latvian ATU 425A/C

The Latvian Folktale Catalogue also registers tale type ATU 425A in Latvia, with the same numbering. In the Latvian type, a man promises his daughter to an animal (wolf, dog or bear) as a payment for showing him the way; the animal goes to cash in on the prize, but the man tries to trick him twice, only surrendering his daughter on the third time; the animal becomes a man at night and they live together; the girl visits her parents and tells about her husband, prompting his disappearance; she goes after him and passes by the houses of helpers who gift her with wonderful objects; at the end of the journey, she finds her husband at the mercy of a second spouse, whom she bribes for three nights with him with the wonderful objects she gained.

Also, in the Latvian Catalogue, in tale type ATU 425C, Meita un zvērs ("The Girl and the Animal"), the heroine's father is asked to bring presents to his daughters when he returns from a journey, and the heroine requests a simple gift (e.g., a red rose, a golden leaf) that belongs to a prince in animal form (a wolf or a bear); the prince agrees to a trade (the gift for the man's youngest daughter), and the tale continues as tale type ATU 425A.

Lithuania ATU 425A/C

Lithuanian folklorist Jonas Balys, in his analysis of Lithuanian folktales (published in 1936), identified two Lithuanian tales related to the cycle of the Animal as Bridegroom. In the first one, indexed as 425A, Baidyklė (gyvulys) per vyrą (Amūras ir Psyche) ("The Scarecrow (Animal) as Husband (Amor and Psyche)" ), with 12 variants reported until then. In this type, the heroine (or her father) promises herself to an animal (bear, wolf, snake) who becomes a man at night; she betrays his trust or breaks a taboo and he vanishes; the heroine journeys after him; guided by the Wind and the stars, and gaining objects from an old woman, she reaches her husband's location, up a glass mountain.

In the second type Balys abstracted, indexed as 425C, Mergaitė lokįo žmona ("The Girl as the Bear's Wife"), with 30 variants, the heroine asks her father for a return gift (a rose or a bird) from his journey, which belongs to a bear; the girl is delivered as a wife to the bear (who is a prince in cursed form), betrays her husband and goes after him, like in type 425A.

However, in a later revision of the Lithuanian catalogue, professor Bronislava Kerbelytė remodelled Balys's tale types into a single one, type 425A, Vyras – baidyklė / gyvūnas ("Husband - Scarecrow/Animal"), with 44 entries. In Kerbelytė's indexing, the heroine is promised to the animal groom on many sitations: either her father promised her in exchange for a gift from the wolf, or she offers herself in marriage as payment for a favour (filling a bucket of water), or her father is rescued by the snake and promises his daughter as payment. At any rate, the heroine's family tries to trick the animal groom, who takes the girl to his lair. Some time later, the heroine disobeys her husband's prohibition (not lighting a candle or not staying too long at her family's) and loses him, prompting a quest for him. In one sequence, she journeys with iron garments and meets the sun and the moon (or an old woman), gains magical objects and reaches her husband's location, where she is to trade the objects with the false bride for three nights with her husband. In another sequence, the heroine still meets the Sun and the Moon, but reaches a steep glass mountain where her husband is.

In a Lithuanian tale collected from a source in Ožkabaliai and titled Apie užkeiktą karaliūną levų ("About the cursed lion king"), a man has three daughters. Before a journey, he asks his three daughters which presents he can bring them: the elder two ask for material possessions, while the youngest for a jumping and singing bird. The man buys presents for the first two, but cannot find the bird for the youngest. On the way home, the man passes by a haunted mansion and sights the bird on a tree, so he sends a servant to capture it, but a lion suddenly appears and menaces the man. The animal agrees to trade the bird, but demands in exchange the first thing that greets the man on his way back. The man returns home with the bird and explains the situation to his youngest daughter. The girl agrees to the lion's terms and goes to live with him. Theirs is a happy marriage, for the lion is a man by night and animal by day. One day, the girl's elder sister is getting married, and the lion allows his wife to attend, accompanied by his lions. She also attends her middle sister's marriage. One night, however, she lights a candle on her bed and accidentally burns the lion's hair, making him turn into a white dog and flee. The girl then goes after him, passing by the Sun, the Moon and the four Winds in her search, and only the North Wind takes her to her husband's location. When she finds him again, he has turned back into a lion and was fighting another lion near a sea. The tale ends at this part.

Moroccan AaTh 425K

The Kaftan of Love, Spotted with Passion (Arabic/Moroccan from Fez) - English translation incomplete; the original had the heroine continue on her journey (Le caftan d'amour tacheté de passion).

North African/Kabylian/Berber ATU 425B

• Plantade, Emmanuel (2023). Le conte de Psyché et Cupidon, témoin du folklore d’Afrique du nord: essai sur la poétique transculturelle d’Apulée. Hildesheim Zürich New York: Georg Olms Verlag. ISBN 9783487164137. (Northern African variants)

Palestinian Jrefiyye ATU 425 + Artificial Husband

In a Palestinian Jrefiyye titled ḥikāya Lü'lü ("The Tale of Lü'lü"), translated to Spanish as Lü'lü, a king goes on a pilgrimage. While he is away, his only daughter, princess Sa'ada, ransacks his storage, snatches some pearls and fashions a male statue with them. The princess begins to pray for God to grant life to the statue, and she is joined by 50 maidservants. After some time, their collective prayers are heard, and the statue comes to life, whom the princess takes as her lover. The king learns the princess found a fiancé while he was away, then goes back home to obtain some explanations. The princess points her father to the empty closet, and explains she fashioned a lover out of the pearls. Upon learning the truth, the king approves of his daughter's marriage.

Serbian ATU 425

мужа - животње (Animal Bridegroom) АТ 425 Купидон и Психа (Cupidon and Psikha)

[25]

Serbian ATU 707

[26] - "Златни синови и несрећна царица" ("Golden Sons and the Unfortunate Queen")

Serbian ATU 441 + 425A

[27] - The collector noted that the snake bridegroom is more common in Serbia.

[28]

[29] [30]

ATU 425 B? (not one)

Macedonian 425B: "Classification typologique des contes populaires ou recueil Lavrov-Polivka" - Uther says nr. 12 (Приказна број 12: Царскиот син и ламјината ќерка Црнодраха/Црнодреха, Emperor's Son and Lamia's Daughter Tsernodrakha) - lacks heroine, lacks tasks, male protagonist

Bulgarian ATU 425B

In a (South Macedonian?) Bulgarian tale collected by Verkovic with the title "Царската ќерка и момчето — змеј" ("The Tsar's Daughter and the Dragon Boy"), a king has three daughters. One day, a zmei (dragon) appears to court them, but the king imposes tasks for him: first, he has to cover the roof of the guesthouse with one layer of fabric. [] The zmei-suitor fulfills the task and takes the elder princess to the guesthouse as his bride. He tells her he appeared in the kingdom with thunder and lightning, and she did not fear him at all. He then takes off the zmei-skin and becomes a handsome "hero-angel", then warns her to protect his zmei-skin, lest she will have to search for him in iron boots, and leaves with her to a dance. However, by leaving the skin at home, someone takes it and burns it, causing him to disappear. The princess then requests her father to provide her with iron boots and an iron cane, and begins her journey. After a long search, she climbs down a mountain and finds her husband by a fountain. The man tells her his mother is an old samovila, and his sisters are "judi" samovila, then turns the princess into a red apple to hide her from his mother. The elder samovila notices a human smell, but her son dismisses it, and tries to trick his mother for a while, until one day he restores the princess to human form and introduces her as his human wife. Some time later, the samovilas go for a walk in the woods, and order the princess to sweep and not sweep their house. Her husband advises her to sweep in certain areas and leave others untouched. The next day, they order her to prepare the dough, and bake and not bake some bread for them - he advises her to place a fire on the floor, place the bread and cover the dough on one side. Thirdly, the samovilas order her fill two pots with tears - her husband advises her to place salt inside a pot and add water. Seeing that the human princess fulfilled their tasks, the samovilas relent on their persecution, the man takes the princess back to her father and they celebrate a second marriage.

• "Завареницата и моравският бик" ("Stepdaughter and 'Maritime' Bull") - Sbornik 56 (1980), pp. 232. From Pazardzhik
• Сборник за народни умотворения и народопис 2002, tale nr. 42, from Mramor ('water bull').

Afghan ATU 425B

Shah Sultan Serpent

In an Afghan tale from Herat titled "شاه سلطان مار" ("Shah Sultan Serpent"), a king has three daughters. One day, they are bored, and send for the eunuchs to buy melons of varying ripeness and have them delivered to their father. The king questions the meaning of the fruits, and his minister answers: the melons are an analogy for their marriagebility, the elder's is overripe, the middle one is ripe, and the youngest is just right. Thus, the king gives them oranges and lead them to the palace roof, so they can choose husbands by throwing the oranges at their suitors of choice. The elder two throw theirs to the minister's house and the lawyer's house, respectively, while the youngest's falls on the plain. The youngest princess walks to the plain and digs out a hole to protect herself from the weather and wild animals, when suddenly a black snake with a crown, the Snake King or Shah Sultan Serpent, crawls out of the hole. The princess faints at the sight of the animal, but the snake takes off its skin to become a human youth, and comforts her. She wakes up and explains the situation to him. They enter a hole in the ground to a sumptuous palace, and fall in love with each other, becoming husband and wife. A year later, the princess wants to visit her family; Shah Sultan Mar at first denies her, but relents. He then prepares three horses of clouds and winds to take her to her sisters.

The youngest princess reaches a female hamman and meets with her elder sisters, who marvel at her jewels and garments, feeling jealous of her. After being told of the whole story, they deduce their brother-in-law is a peri, and convince their sister to ask how to destroy the snakeskin. The princess returns and does as her sisters requested, but Shah Sultan Mar slaps her face for her question, admonishes her that the question will destroy their life. Some time later, the girl asks again, and this time she promises she will not burn his snakeskin. On these terms, Shah Sultan Mar reveals how: with peels of garlic and onion. Days pass, and the princess gathers enough peels, take the snakeskin and burns it in a corner of the garden. As soon as she does that, the garden, the palace and everything disappears, leaving the princess alone on the plains where her orange fell. Shah Sultan Mar appears to her in the shape of a dove, admonishes her, and says she can find him again by walking for seven years towards the "qibla of the Earth", wearing iron garments and iron shoes and with seven iron canes until she reaches his lands, then flies away. The girl dons the iron garments and travels through lands and countries for seven years, until she passes by herds of sheep and cattle, which some shepherds say belong to Shah Sultan Mar and Bibi Nagar. The shepherds also mention that Shah Sultan Mar is a peri on his father's side, and the son of a female Barzangi.

The girl reaches the land of Peris and Divs, and sights the castle towers in the distance. While she stops to rest near a tree, a maidservant comes to fetch water for her master Shah Sultan Mar. The princess asks for a drink, which the maidservant denies, and the princess curses the water to become blood. The second time, the princess is denied again and curses to become pus. The third time, Shah Sultan Mar orders the maidservant to fulfill the wanderer's request. The princess takes a sip from the jug and drops her ring inside it, which is brought to her husband Shah Sultan Mar. The youth recognizes the ring and goes outside to meet his human wife. They reunite, but he warns her his family is comprised of man-eating barzangis and other bloodthirsty monsters, so he will pass her off as a maidservant. He takes his human wife inside and introduces her to his mother as a girl from a coming caravan who has come to be their servant, and makes his mother promise not to eat her.

Despite this, Shah Sultan Mar's mother begins her tricks to devour her. First, she sends the princess to her sister to ask for some dough, and writes a command on the girl's forehead for his sister to devour her. Shah Sultan Mar wipes the command on his human wife's forehead to spare her. Next, the girl is forced to wash a black thing white, which Shah Sultan Mar does by uttering the name of Azam, then to wash the white thing black again, which is also done by Shah Sultan Mar. Thirdly, the girl is to sweep and wash the path for his upcoming wedding, which Shah Sultan Mar does by saying a prayer. Just before the wedding ceremony, Shah Sultan Mar asks his wife to fetch some needles, some juwaldaz (giant sewing needles), some salt and a mirror. Later that night, the princess is made to hold candles and dance during Shah Sultan Mar's wedding to his cousin. As the princess dances, she sings some sad verses about how her fingers are burning, and how she has suffered for Shah Sultan Mar, while Shah Sultan Mar says his heart and soul are burning, referring to the princess as "Bibi Nagar". After the ceremony, as they enter the "halja" (an alcove), Shah Sultan Mar puts out the candles in his wife's hands, kills his cousin, and escapes with the princess through the roof. The next day, the barzangi family knocks on the door to the wedding chambers and, suspecting the silence, enter the room and find the dead bride. They blame the human girl they brought in, and gather the tribes to go after them. On the road, Shah Sultan Mar and his wife realize they are being pursued, and throw behind them the items to deter his family: the needles to hurt their feet, the salt to burn their wounds, the juwaldaz to further hurt them, and finally the mirror to create a sea between them and their pursuers. From the other side of the sea, his family asks how they can cross the water, and Shah Sultan Mar convinces them to place some stones on them and wade through. Some of them obey his orders and sink to the bottom of the sea, while others survive. Free at last, Shah Sultan Mar lives in happiness with the princess.

Persian ATU 425B

• Shammas, Saeid; Shammass, Shaunie (2018). My Mother's Persian Stories: Folk tales for all ages in English and Farsi. Kotarim International Publishing. pp. 18-22 (Tale nr. 2, "GreenRobe"). ISBN 9789657238301.

• Haghroosta, Maryam; Pedrosa, José Manuel (2010). Los príncipes convertidos en piedra y otros cuentos tradicionales persas. Guadalajara (España): Palabras del Candil. pp. 63-74 (Tale nr. 8, "Bibi Negar, la Amada Buena, y Heydar Mar, el marido serpiente"). ISBN 9788493756932. OCLC 868814669.

• L'endormi mélanquolique (= Khasta Khumar?). In: Faqiri, Abolqâssem. Oessehä-ye mardom-e Fars [Les contes du Fars]. éd. Sepehr, Téhéran, 1970. p. 113ff.

• "جلد مار" = snakeskin
• "گله گاو" = flock of cows
• "گله شتر" = flock of camels
• "گله ⁧اسب⁩" = herd of horse(s)
• "بشور" + "سفید" + "سیاه" = wash (imp.) white into black

Shafi Guli Zard (Fars province)

In an Iranian tale collected in Fars province with the title "شفی گلی زرد" ("Shafi Guli Zard"), a snake appears to an old man in the desert and demands one of the man's daughters in marriage. The man returns home and asks his daughters which will go to the snake: the elder five refuse, but the youngest, suspecting somehing more about the snake agrees. Thus, the girl is prepared and dressed in fine garments and given to the snake, while the snake repays him a hefty dowry in jewels and gold, and the man departs. The girl keeps suspecting the snake is more than it appears, they enter the snake's abode through a crevice, and she finds a lush garden inside with a large mansion in the distance. The snake comes out of the snakeskin to show his true form as a handsome human youth, and, despite some initial reluctance, reveals his origins: he is Shafi Guli Zard, son of the Shah of the Paris, who an ugly black woman wants to betroth to her even uglier daughter. He alternates between both places so they will not suspect anything, and asks his human wife to keep the secret; if not, he will depart and she has to wear out seven pairs of iron shoes in search for him. Some time later, she begins to miss her family, and pays them a visit in her parents' house, adorning herself with garments and jewels and joined by her husband, who camps outside the house in a tent. Her mother is surprised at her presence, but her elder sisters mock her for being a snake's wife that has come to poison them. Fed up with their mockery, she shows then jewels and ornaments her husband gave her, questions how her spouse can be a snake if he can talk, and finally reveals her husband is Shafi Guli Zard, son of the Shah of the Paris. On hearing this, Shafi Guli Zard shows himself and abandons his wife.

The girl puts on seven pairs of iron shoes and goes after him, passing by mountains and deserts. She meets a shepherd on the journey, then wanders off until she finds an old woman who takes her. However, the old woman begins to force her on hard tasks as her servant. One day, the old woman gives her a black cloth and orders her to wash it white in the water. When doing the task, Shafi Guli Zard appears and asks why she went after him. The girl says she would never break her promise, but her sisters made her do it, and Shafi Guli Zard explains the old woman is Elala Zangi, who betrothed her daughter to him. He also chants a spell and turns the black cloth white. Days later, Elala Zangi orders the girl to go to her sister's house and fetch from there a pair of self-cutting and self-sewing scissors. Shafi Guli Zard intercepts her and advises her how to proceed: she is to compliment a hedge of thorns and say it is a needle, compliment a pool of sewage and say it contains water like honey and oil, exchange the fodder between two animals (bone for a dog, straw for a camel), open a closed door and close an open one, get the scissors from the ledge and flee. Following his instructions, she reaches the old woman's sister's house, gets the scissors and rushes back. The old woman commands the door, the animals and the scenery to stop her, but they stay their hand. After this success, Elala Zangi still forces her on more hard tasks, which are done with Shafi Guli Zard's help.

Next, she is to clean up the yard for his upcoming wedding, which is done by Shafi Guli Zard summoning a raincloud after praying to God. Finally, the girl is placed on a platform and forced to hold ten candles on her fingers to illuminate Shafi Guli Zard's wedding to Elala Zangi's daughter. During the ceremony, the candles are melting in her hands, and she complains her hands are burning, while Shafi Guli Zard says it is his life that is. At midnight, Shafi Guli Zard takes the candles from his human wife's hands and escapes with her.

Sabzeh Qoba (Mazandaran)

In an Iranian tale collected from an 87-year-old teller from Noor, Mazandaran, with the title "سبزه قبا" or "سبزه‏قبا" ("Green Cloak"), translated as The Man in Green Robe,

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A magical person named Sabzeh Qoba marries a human maiden, and asks her to keep his identity a secret to her sisters, lest the garden they live in turns back to ruins, and she has to seek him out on a long journey in seven pairs of iron shoes and with an iron cane, until the iron is worn out and the cane is but a stick in her hands. Still, he gives her his ring and advises her to drop it inside a jug when she reaches her destination, and he will know she is nearby. Despite his warnings, the girl blabs his secret to her sisters, and, just as he predicted, his possessions disappear, the garden returning to its previous ruined state.

Sabzeh Qoba's mother gives the girl a letter to be delivered to her sister, with a command to kill the human, since she wants to replace Sabzeh Qoba's cousin as his bride. The girl begins to walk there, when the man intercepts her, reads the letter and tears it, then produces another missive with a request for a pair of scissors that cut and sew. He also advises her to exchange the fodder between two animals (grass for a cow, bones for a dog), deliver the letter to his aunt, get the scissors and escape, and not worry that his aunt will try to catch her and command the animals to stop her, but they will deny her order. She does as advised and brings back the scissors. His mother is furious she survived and writes another letter to her sister, with another command to kill her. Before his human wife goes to his aunt again, Sabzeh Qoba intercepts her, rips apart the letter and gives her another letter with a simple request for a tambourine that sings and dances. The girl makes the same path to his aunt's house to fetch the instrument and rushes back to his mother's house. Sabzeh Qoba's mother failing in another attempt against her son's human wife.

As his wedding approaches, Sabzeh Qoba tells his human wife to leave the compound and place ten candles on her hands to light the way and wait for him. She does as instructed and waits for him. Back to him, Sabzeh Qoba goes through with the wedding and, that same night, beheads his cousin, saddles two horses (one of the cloud race and the other of the wind race), and goes to meet his human wife in the wilderness. The pair mount the horses and escape through the sky.

Back to his peri family, Sabzeh Qoba's mother and aunt discover the bride's corpse in the morning, and ride their own pair of horses to chase after the couple. Sabzeh Qoba and his human wife notice his family are trailing behind them, they land, and, upon reciting some verses, turns himself into a dragon ("اژدهایی") and his human wife into a tree. His female relatives pass by the tree and dragon and, not seeing anyone, continue their chase. After the creatures leave,

The king's other two sons-in-law ride around the wilderness to hunt some deers, and reach Sabzeh Qoba's lands. He invites them in and learns of their mission. Sabzeh Qoba agrees to give some of the deers at his garden to his brothers-in-law, in exchange for branding the feet of both men with a brand of ownership. The deal is made, and both men return to the palace with the meat, which is cooked and given to the king. The monarch eats the dish and his health improves a bit. Sabzeh Qoba sends his own dish to his father-in-law on a silver platter, which he eats and his health is restored. Sabzeh Qoba then sends an invite to the king and his court to come to his palace, and welcomes them. The king is then guided to another room, where his youngest daughter, in fine clothes and jewelry, meets him. Father and daughter embrace in a tearful reunion. Sabzeh Qoba then enters the room and announces the king has two of Sabzeh's slaves in his court: his two sons-in-law. The king notices that there is a brandmark on the sons-in-law's feet, while the elder sisters are humiliated by the situation. He then recognizes Sabzeh Qoba as a worthy son-in-law and a worthy husband to his daughter, and nominates him as his successor, and his other sons-in-law as his ministers.

Author Behzad Sohrabi published the tale The Man in Green Robe, retold from an "ancient fairy tale of Iran", with similar plot points. In this tale, the king prepares a suitor selection test with his daughters: each is to take a trained falcon and release it; wherever it lands, if there is a suitor nearby, she is to marry him. Princess Golnar, the third and youngest daughter of the king, releases hers and it flies beyond the castle's walls, to a desolate place. She releases it twice again and it still lands in the same place. She eventually marries a mysterious "Man in Green Robe". After the wedding, he warns her against a prohibition imposed on him. She disobeys, he disappears and she has to find him in a distant city, by wearing down seven pairs of iron shoes and carrying an iron cane. When she reaches her destination, she meets her mother-in-law, and begs her to promise not to harm her on her son's name. Her husband, the Man in Green Robe, is set to be married to his cousin, and her mother-in-law forces her to do some chores for her, including bearing a letter to his aunt with a command to kill the princess. Before Golnar visits the woman, her husband intercepts her and exchanges the letter for another with a request for a pair of "scissors that cut and sew by themselves". Having failed the first time, the mother sends her again with another letter, and again the Man in Green Robe replaces the command with a simple request for a musical instrument ("the tambourine that sings and dances"). As his wedding ceremony approaches, the Man in Green Robe dispatches his human wife to the wilderness and instructs her to wait for him with ten candles on her fingers, while he deals with the false bride. After ruining his wedding, he meets Golnar and they escape from his parents by transforming into different things. After the dust settles, they regain human form and create a kingdom for themselves with his magic powers. Some time later, his father-in-law visits them and names Golnar's husband as his successor.

Bibi Negar and Heydar Mar

In an Iranian tale collected by researcher Hamidreza Khaza'ei from Khorasan with the title "حیدر مار و بی بی نگار" ("Bibi Negar and Heydar Mar"),

Heydar Mar warns his wife against burning his snakeskin, lest she will have to look for him with a metal cane.

She puts on iron shoes and walks with a steel cane for days, passing by people threshing grains, a flock of sheep, a herd of camels, and - all belonging to Heydar Mar as a gift for her.

She reaches the house of her parents-in-law.

Bibi Negar asks for the maidservant for some water to drink, and drops her ring inside the jug. The maidservant then brings the jug for her master, Heydar Mar, and he notices his wife's ring, which he last saw seven years ago. The maidservant tells Heydar Mar about the stranger at the fountain, and he bids her to bring her in. Heydar Mar is set to be married to his cousin, and his grandmother and aunt will bring the bride the following day. The creatures talk to each other about the girl next to Heydar Mar, and the aunt tells her to send the girl to fetch scissors from her house, where she will devour the human girl. The next day, Heydar Mar's mother orders Bibi Negar to go to her sister's house and fetch some scissors.

Heydar Mar intercepts his human wife and advises her on how to proceed: she is to exchange the fodder between two animals (bones for a dog, straw for a camel), drink from a pond of bitter water and say it is sweet water, rest by a broken wall and compliment the shade it provides, enter his aunt's house, steal the scissors from behind the door and escape, since the creature will be sharpening her teeth to devour Bibi Negar. The girl follows his instructions to the letter, takes the scissors, and runs back. Heydar Mar's aunt walks to the roof to spy on the escaping girl and orders the wall, the pond and the animals to stop her, to no avail.

Bibi Negar returns with the scissors. Earlier on the wedding date, due to her success, Heydar Mar's female relatives prepare their next trap: they will burn Bibi Negar's hands until she dies that same night. Heydar Mar overhears their plan, then goes to his human wife, recites a prayer and kisses her hands. During the wedding ceremony, Bibi Negar carries lit candles on her hands ahead of the wedding procession and complains her hands are burning, while Heydar Mar says his heart and soul are burning. Bibi Nagar's hands keep burning during the bride's henna session, then the couple retires to the Hajla. At midnight, Heydar Mar kills his cousin, then hangs her body from the roof of the house, with a basin of water underneath it, then fetches some jewelers, some salt, a bar of soap and a bucket of water and escapes with his human wife Bibi Nagar.

Bibi Nagar and Agha Shahryar

In an Iranian tale collected by researcher Hamidreza Khaza'ei from Khorasan province with the title "بي بي نگار و آقا شهريا" or "بي بي نگار و آقا شهريار" ("Bibi Nagar and Agha Shahryar"),

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Bibi Nagar marries Agha Shahryar, who lives in a snakeskin. One day, her sisters visit her to talk about their cadette's marriage to a snake. Bibi Nagar answers her husband is no snake, but a youth that lives inside the reptile skin. The sisters then suggest they burn the snake covering and place it inside the oven, but the fire does nothing to it. Thus, the sisters convince Mehrnagar to ask her husband that same night how to destroy his disguise. The girl does as asked, but he backhands her for the question. Mehrnagar cries, and Agha Shahryar answers: with garlic, but warns her that, if she does that, he will turn into a pigeon and fly away, and she will have to search for him for seven years in iron shoes, until they are worn out.

Mehrnagar tells her sisters the answer, but they dismiss his warning as a him trying to scare her. At any rate, she collects enough garlic and burns Agha Shahryar's snakeskin. As the the serpentine covering burns, the man turns into a pigeon, admonishes his wife for breaking his trust, then flies away. The girl cries for her loss,

then commissions from a blacksmith a pair of iron shoes and an iron cane, so she can begin her long journey. She walks for seven long years, until she stops by a spring near the castle of the Dibas (devs). The story then explains Agha Shahryar left his ring on Bibi Nagar's finger on their wedding night. The girl sees a maidservant is fetching water. Bibi Nagar asks for some water to drink, which the maidservant refuses, since it is for her master. Thus, Bibi curses the water to become blood when her master is to wash his hands on it.

Agha Shahryar finds Bibi Nagar again, and warns her he is to be married to his cousin. His mother learns of a human's arrival to their house, and tells her sister they must destroy her. The creature's sister says she cannot devour Bibi Nagar with her nephew present, and convinces her sister to send the girl to her house with a pair of scissors.

Agha Shahryar intercepts his wife and asks where she is going; she tells says she is going to his aunt's house to lend her the scissors to adjust the bride's hair. The man advises her how to proceed: she is to exchange fodder between two animals (bone for a dog, cotton seeds for a camel); then she will pass by a stream of dirty water which she is to say looks clear, throw a pebble inside it, repeat an prayer three times then move out; pass by a crooked wall and say it looks straight, enter his aunt's house, steal the scissors and flee. Bibi Nanar follows his instructions to the letter and reaches his aunt's house, where she asks for the scissors. The aunt asks her to wait a little, then retires to another room, to sharpen her teeth. While the creature is distracted, Bibi Nagar steals the scissors and rushes back through the same path. The aunt sees that the girl, which the story at this part calls both "Bibi Mehr" ("بی بی مهر", in the original) and "Mehrnegar" ("مهر نگار", in the original), has escaped, and commands the wall, the water and the animals to stop her, to no avail.

Bibi Mehrnagar ("بی بی مهر نگار", in the original) returns to her mother-in-law's home, where a wedding is held at midnight between Agha Shariar and his female cousin. Agha Shahryar kills his bride, recites a verse and turns himself and his human wife into two pigeons, then fly away from the house. The next day, Agha Shahryar's aunt relizes her daughter is dead and wants her family to look for the pigeons, but the pair of birds have escaped to their own city.

<The pair of birds reach their city, where they transform into a bouquet of flowers, which a dervish finds and keeps singing in front of the palace's doors. The king tries to bribe him to leave with horse and gold, but he refuses the gifts twice.>

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Bibi Zarnagar (Qushan)

In an Iranian tale collected from a Qoshan source with the title "بی بی زرنگار" ("Bibi Zarnagar"), there is a legend about a marriage between Bibi Zarnagar and a person named Khoja Khast Khamar ("خوجه خست خماری", in the original). One day, she asks him how she can destroy his snakeskin, and he replies: with garlic and onion peels, but warns her that, if she does it, he will roll around the house, and she has to catch him; if not, she must find him with steel shoes and with a steel cane. For the next days, she collects enough garlic and onion peels and, when he is in the bathroom, burns his snakeskin. He senses the burning, rolls around the house, and cannot be caught by Bibi Zarnagar, then vanishes. She puts on steel shoes and walks with a steel cane, then passes by a flock of sheep, a vineyard (where she eats some grapes), a blue river with an endless stream and a bridge - all belonging to Khoja Khast Khamar as gift for his wife.

After some more walking, she notices her shoes are worn out, and the cane is but a stick in her hands. She then sees she is near a spring, where people are fetching water, and asks a passing servant for some to drink. The servant says her brother is waiting for the water, and ignores the stranger's pleas. When the servant goes to meet her brother, Khoja Khast Khamar, and pours water on his hands, it has become pus and blood. Khoja Khast Khamar suspects something, and the servant says a person asked her for some water, which she refused, and the person cursed the water to become pus and blood. Khoja Khast Khamar orders the servant to go back and fulfill the stranger's request, then bring another jug. The servant returns and shares the water with Bibi Zarnagar, who secretly drops her ring inside the jug. When the servant brings the jug to her master, the ring falls on his hands. Khoja Khast Khamar recognizes the ring and goes outside to meet his wife. He admonishes her for having burnt his snakeskin, but recites some verses, turns her into an object and brings her inside the house. He then meets with his mother and asks if she can welcome a human to their abode, then makes her promise not to devour any human. His mother makes a vow, and Khoja Khast Khamar shows his mother the humam Bibi Zarnagar. Khoja Khast Khamar tells his wife to come to him whenever his family wants something of her. It happens thus, and Bibi Zarnagar does whatever his mother orders of her, until one day, the woman orders her to go to her sister's house to fetch scissors to sew a dress for the upcoming wedding.

Khoja Khast Khamar intercepts his wife and advises her how to proceed: exchange the fodder for two animals (bone for a dog, straw for a camel), compliment a pool of pus and blood by saying it contains honey, compliment a crooked wall by saying it is straight, take the scissors behind the door of his aunt's house and escape. Bibi Zarnagar does as instructed, and goes to meet his husband's aunt, asking for the scissors. While the woman is distracted, Bibi Zarnagar steals the scissors behind the door and rushes back to the same path. The woman then orders her the animals and the broken wall to stop the girl, to no avail. then, she is to sweep the yard, the floors and the alleys before the ceremony - Khoja Khast Khamar summons the north wind to fulfill the task for her. Later, at night, they tie candles on Bibi Zarnagar's hands so that she illuminates the wedding procession by going ahead of them. Bibi Zarnagar complains to her husband her fingers are burning, while Khoja Khast Khamar states his heart and soul are burning. They enter the couple's chambers, and Khoja Khast Khamar requests a bed for the servant, in case he and his bride need anything. When his bride is asleep, Khoja Khast Khamar asks his human wife to trade places with her, for the demons will soon come. The demons devour the wrong person, thinking it is the human girl. Khoja Khast Khamar bids his wife to escape with him, before the demons realize they ate the wrong person. The couple saddle their horses, one with a bag of milk and juwaldaz, and another with salt, gold and a jug of water.

The next morning, the demons realize they devoured the wrong person and, vowing revenge against Bibi Zarnagar and her husband, go after them. Back to the couple, they notice the demons coming after them and throw the objects behind them to deter their pursuers: first, they throw the juwaldaz to hurt their feet, then the salt, which spreads everywhere to enter their wounds, and finally the jug of water, which creates a sea that drowns the pursuing demons.

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Sabze Qoba and Bira (Bakhtiari)

In a tale from Bakhtiari province with the title "سبز قبا و بی را" ("Sabze Qoba and Bira"), a magical person named Suzalqwa marries a human maiden named Bidel Hava ("بیدل هوا", in the original). She, however, burns his skin/disguise/jild and he vanishes. The maiden goes after him and meets him at the house of his female relatives, where she is made to perform tasks for. First, she is to wash a piece of black cloth white as cow's milk, but all she does is making it darker. Sabze Qoba summons the help of King Suleiman, and changes the colour of the cloth.

Next, his mother gives her a box and orders her to go to her sister and trade the box for a comb, scissors and a mirror. The girl does not know where to go, and Suzalqwa's mother admonishes her, then spits on the ground, telling the girl to do the task quickly before her spit has dried up. Helpless, Bidel burns one of her husband's hairs to summon him. He appears to her, complaining about the consequences for burning his skin, but advises her how to proceed: she is to compliment a pool of blood by saying it is a spring of honey, then compliment a pool of pus by saying it contains oil; compliment a crooked tree by saying it is towering, exchange the fodder between two animals (bones for a dog, straw for a horse), deliver her the box and ask in return for the comb scissors and mirror; she will take the box and go to a room in the back to sharpen her teeth; while his aunt is distracted, she is to get the objects from the stove and escape. Bidel Hawa does as instructed, delivers the box to his aunt. While the creature goes into a backroom, the girl steals the scissors, comb and mirror from a shelf above the stove and rushes back through the same path. Sabze Qoba's aunt then commands the animals, the tree and the pools to stop her, but they remain still due to her kind words and deeds.

"Bibi Zarnagar" (Jolgeh Sankhvast)

In a Khorasani tale from Jolgeh Sankhvast, Bibi Zarnagar loses her husband Hasan Khumar ("حســن خمــار") and goes after him on a long journey. She passes by herds of sheep and camels in a desert and their respective herders. The girl asks them to whom the herds belong, and they answer: they are Hasan Khumar's dowry for Bibi Zarnagar. She finally passes by a castle and a house, which she learns also belong to Hasan Khumar.

Shah Sultan Mar and Bibi Nagar

In a tale from Taybad, in Razavi Khorasan province, with the title "" ("Shah Sultan Mar and Bibi Nagar"),

Sultar Mar in Dari Behdini

"سلطان مار" in Dari Behdini "دَری بهدینی"

Zarnagar and Shah Sultan Serpent

In an Iranian tale titled "زرنگار و شاه سلطان‌مار" ("Zarnagar and Shah Sultan Serpent"), sourced from Khorasan province,

Arab ATU 425

Ursula Nowak "Beitrage zur Typologie des arabischen Volksmarchen". Ph.D. dissertation Freiburg. 1969. analysis of her Typ 94 (around p. 110); Typ 173 (around p. 177); Typ 244, Typ 245, Typ 250, and Typ 251 (around p. 236ff).

Spanish/Latin American 425B

• Añapa, Juan Bautista Añapa (2003). Chachi: Lala´ cha´kuinda, naa na chumu juhua ju´bain naa chaibain. Indio Hilfe. pp. 299-303 (Spanish translation). (Tale titled "Inecita (Inés)").

Ecuadorian tale in the Chachi language

Checking a preview of the book in googlebooks, the tale makes reference to motifs that appear in other Latin American variants of tale type ATU 425B, "Son of the Witch" ("The Witch's Tasks"), in regards to the heroine's tasks.

Calabrese?: Rossi, Pasquale. Le "rumanze" ed il folk-lore in Calabria. 1903 edition. pp. 102-106 (tale nr. 8), according to Walter Anderson Bibliography, Comments on "Il Cavolo".

Russian SUS 428

According to Jan-Öjvind Swahn, [ Slavonic tradition?] Russian tales of type Aa 428 involve a sequence named "The Girl as a Soldier" or "The Girl At War", wherein the heroine wears a male disguise, joins with a compatriot who tries to unmask her gender, and eventually marries him. The tale then segues into her mother-in-law's attempts to kill her by setting ludicrous tasks for her.

In a Russian tale from White Sea teller Matvei M. Korguev with the title "Бархат чаревич" ("Velvet Prince"), a merchant has three daughters. One day, when the man goes to buy goods, the elder daughters ask for clothes or scarves, and the youngest, named Vasilista requests a bed with four doves. Her merchant father grants her request and buys her the bed. However, Vasilista does not feed the birds and they bring her to Barkhat Tsarevich (the Velvet Prince), whom she marries. Vasilista also makes a vow of silence for three years. Velvet Prince's mother, intent on destroying her daughter-in-law, orders her on dangerous tasks: first, she is to shear their wonderful sheep (which are in fact wolves); next, she is to milk their cows (which are bears). Before each task, her husband, the Velvet Prince, explains the secret behind the task and gives her advice on how to succeed. Lastly, the man's mother-in-law orders her to go to a cabin in the woods. Before she goes there, the Velvet Prince intercepts her and advises her: she will pass by dogs who will tear her to pieces, gates that will smash her, and a cabbage soup that will scald her; she is to treat them a certain way in order to survive. At the end of the tale, Velvet Tsarevich's mother dies in the same trap she set for Vasilista.

Armenian ATU 425B

• Seklemian, A. G. Armenian folk-tales. The snake child. In: Armenia. New York, 1911. 4o. v. 5, pp. 15–19 (first part), 48–53 (second part).

In an Armenian tale published by author A. G. Seklemian with the title The Snake-Child, a poor old couple live in a certain city, the man gathers firewood to sell and earns their living like this. One day, he sees a duck fly out of a trunk and finds three eggs, which he takes home for his wife to cook. For two days, she cooks him the eggs. On the third day, however, a snake hatches out of the third egg. The couple think of getting rid of the reptile, but the snake begins to talk, declares himself to be the couple’s son and promises them great things. Then, the snake asks the old man to ask for the hand of princess Violet, King Aslan’s youngest daughter. The poor man sits on a stone reserved for suitors. Twice the king is offended, and orders his decapitation. It happens thus, but the snake restores the old man, who is sent a third time to court the princess on the snake's behalf.

After the third time, the king relents and orders the old man’s snake son to build a palace larger then the king’s. The old man reports to the snake-child, who advises him to go back to the trunk where he found the eggs and ask for a “little lady” that the “little master“ wants the palace. The old man does as instructed and finds a large palace in place of his humble hovel. Next, the king orders him to bring 40 camel-loads of diamonds, pearls, emeralds, topazes, sapphires, jaspers and other stones, driven by a man with the height of a span and a seven-span beard; thirdly, to have a park filled with rare trees and flowers (to which the man adds warbling birds); and lastly, for a unique wedding gown (to which the man adds an invisible band of musicians).

Seeing that the old man and his snake son filled the tasks, King Aslan agrees to a marriage between his daughter, beautiful princess Violet, and the snake-child. They marry in a church, then are guided to the new palace. On the wedding night, the snake-child asks for Violet to step on his tail with her right foot and push his head with her right head. It happens thus, and a handsome youth appears out of the snakeskin. The youth reveals the princess broke the spell, but he will alternate between snake shape in the morning and human at night, and Violet cannot say anything. She agrees to his terms, and marital life is a happy one, despite a suggestion from her sisters to kill the snake.

Weeks later, the king decides to hold a tournament, and invites his daughter. Each time, the snake husband tells Violet he will join in the games, but she cannot tell anything. Violet goes to the king's games, and is mocked by her sisters for her choice of husband. Meanwhile, a mysterious rider, who is the snake husband, takes part in the games: first, as a white rider on a gray horse; on the second day, as a red knight on a red horse, and on the third day, as a black rider on a horse.

The snake husband appreciates that Violet kept his secret, for the time of the breaking of the curse is almost at hand. During the third tournament, the black rider defeats the elder princesses’ husbands, feats that they admire, while mocking their cadette's husband. However, fed with their mocking, the princess tells them the three riders are one and the same: her husband, Snake-child. On hearing this, the rider flees from the competition.

Later, Violet asks her father where is her husband, and king Aslan tells her Snake-Child said for her to look for him in iron sandals and with a steel rod, and walk to the end of the world if she wants to find him again. Learning of her husband's whereabouts, Violet asks the blacksmith named Varbed-Markar for the metal garments, and begins a long quest as a monk. Her journey takes her through forests and deserts, plains and mountains, until she reaches a spring, where she notices her shoes are worn out, which means she is near. Suddenly, she sees three maidens come to fetch water by the spring. Violet asks for some water to drink, but the elder two refuse and enter a nearby house. The youngest maiden is more helpful and gives her some water, then explains they are fetching water for their cousin Snake-child, who is “burning with love” for his human lover, the princess who betrayed him.

Secretly, Violet drops her ring inside the jug, and the third maiden brings the water to her cousin. As the water washes his body, the ring falls from the jug, which Snake-child recognizes and says he is cured from his fever. His aunt, a witch, orders the monk to be brought inside, and she recognizes him as Violet, the one responsible for Snake-child’s torment for the past three years.

Snake-child tries to intervene on his wife’s behalf, and his aunt, out of love for him, decides to impose a task on her: while she and her daughters are out in the fields picking vegetables, Violet is to fill a churn with her tears. As the women depart, Violet tries to fill the churn with her weeping, and Snake-child advises her to fill the churn with water and drop some salt in it.

The aunt sees that the task is fulfilled, and orders the princess to go to the aunt’s sister, who lives in a cave, to fetch a sieve for baking bread. Snake-child tells his aunt’s sister is an ogress, and gives instructions on how to proceed: drink some water from a dirty stream and compliment it, smell the thorns and thistles of a brush thicket and say they are flowers; exchange the fodder for two animals (hay for the ram, a leg of mutton for the wolf); open a closed door and close an open one, greet the ogress, take the sieve and run back. Violet does as instructed and takes the sieve to the witch, as the ogress commands her servants to stop her, to no avail.

At last, Snake-child’s aunt, enraged, takes her daughters to fetch wood for burning the princess in a pyre, but Snake-child takes the princess on his gray horse (which he alternates with the others during the escape) and both escape in a Magic Flight sequence by metamorphosing into objects to trick their pursuers: first, they change into a basket of White grapes (the gray horse), a basket of red grapes (the princess) and a grape seller (Snake-child); two millstones (the gray horse and the princess) and a miller (Snake-child); a watermelon (his bay horse), a muskmelon (the princess) and a seller (Snake-child); lastly, a black bush (his black horse), a rose-shoot (the princess) and a serpente coiled Around the shoot (Snake-Child). At last, his aunt appears to their last transformation with a hatchet and menaces them both, wanting Snake-child to surrender the princess to her. Snake-child refuses to do so and keeps protecting his human wife. Realizing she may hurt one or the other, she ceases her threat, gives her blessings to the pair and leaves them be.

Snake-child and the princess go to the trunk and enter a gate opened by Little Lady, who tells them that an enemy army, led by King Arzuman, invaded the country and besieged King Aslan’s cities, save for one. Snake-child then rides into battle to save his father-in-law’s kingdom, cures his brothers-in-law, and goes to live with his adoptive parents and his wife, princess Violet.

Armenian ATU 433/446

Tamar Harapeytian (pp. 110-111)

Greek ATU 425B (425A in the Greek Catalogue)

MacGillivray Dawkins also provided the summary of a Pontic Greek variant from Trebizond. In this tale, a frog is adopted by an old man, who courts the princess on his behalf, but the king demands he fulfills some suitor's tasks first. The frog does and marries the princess, then reveals he is a youth named Melezíris, but his wife must not reveal his name nor destroy his frogskin. The princess does that, loses her husband and goes to search for him in iron shoes, until she finds him again, at his withc mother's house. During their time of separation, Melezíris's mother prepared his wedding to another witch's daughter, and now that the princess is there, she is forced to fulfill tasks for the upcoming ceremony: first, to fill bolsters with feathers; next, to fill seven jars with tears; thirdly, to wash and not to wash; to sweep and not sweep the house. Lastly, the witch mother orders the princess to go to her sister and fetch from there a sieve. At last, Melezíris marries the false bride, but he gets rid of her and returns to his true wife, the human princess.

Dawkins provided the summary of another Pontic variant from Tripoli: the supernatural husband is a shapeshifting person and takes the form of a snake. He is adopted by an old woman, and marries the princess. The princess betrays him, he turns into a bird and she goes after him in iron shoes, until she reaches the house of her parents-in-law. The snake husband's mother forces the heroine to perform difficult tasks: first, to fill pillows with feathers; next, to fill jars with her tears. Finally, she is to go to the mother-in-law's sister's house and fetch from there a tambourine. The princess's husband offers her advice to treat his aunt's servants on the way there and get the tambourine, then rush back. The princess does as instructed and steals the tambourine, the aunt chasing after her. At the end of the tale, the supernatural husband takes his wife back to her parents, and faces his own mother in a transformation battle.

Greek ATU 425B (Faure / Sitias)

French philologist Paul Faure collected a tale from a 70-year-old informant in Khokhlakes (Sitias). In his tale, a girl wants to marry a Triomate [Cyclops?], but the Triomate warns his mother, a Triomatissa, may devour her. Still, she decides to face the future mother-in-law, who orders her on three difficult tasks: to clean the house, but sweep and not sweep; fill the house with everything that can and cannot be cooked, and separate sesame grains mixed with sand. The girl summons the help of the "fairies" (Moiras, in the original text), then her personal fairy godmother, and finally a colony of ants to fulfill each task for her. Satisfied, the Triomatissa consents to the girl's marriage to her son.

Greek ATU 425B (Crete)

In a Cretan tale collected from a source in Afrata, Xania, and translated as The Mayflower, a couple have five daughters, the elder four hate the youngest and beat her. The girl then decides to leave home and search for a job elsewhere. She walks until she reaches a deep, dark forest, and sees a light in the distance. She follows the light to its source, a hut, and knocks on the door. A man appears at the door and warns he is the son of a witch, who might kill her. The girl explains her situation and the man lets her in, advising her that his mother does the housework for him and his forty brothers while they are away hunting, and she does everything by half; thus, the girl, is to do only half of what his mother commands her to do. He also gives her a hair from his head with a command to call upon "Mayflower", and he will come to her aid. The man's mother appears to them and notices the new girl at home, whom her son explains he brought in since she has nowhere else to go. The witch agrees to his terms, but wants to get rid of the girl. First, she orders her to sweep the house, then to wash the dishes, and wash the clothes. The girl fulfills every task by half, which the witch suspects her son taught her to do. Some time later, she hatches a new plan: she orders the girl to go to the Pipiros forest to an ogre's cave and fetch from there his set of keys. Without knowing where to go, the girl summons the witch's son by calling upon Mayflower, and he appears to advise her: drink from a pool of dirty water and filled with worms, brush spider-webs aside with her hands, enter the cave if the ogre is asleep (with his eyes open, awake if his eyes are shut), fetch the keys under the pillow and a box, which she must not open it. The girl does as instructed and flees with the box and the keys, as the ogre commands the spiders and the dirty pool to stop her, to no avail. At a distance, the girl decides to take a peek into the box, and accidentally releases musical instruments, drums, laughs and chuckles, which the ogre locked inside the box. Unable to draw them back into the box, for they are spread in all directions, the girl uses the hair to summon Mayflower to help her lock everything back into the box: he appears and waves a wand. The girl returns with the key and the box, surprising the witch, who declares that the girl is a witch herself or Mayflower taught her his secrets. Later, the witch talks to her son Mayflower and admits the girl is special, and agrees to marry her to her son. Thus Mayflower marries the human girl.

Italic ATU 425B

Mariuzza (425E + 425B?)

Letterio Di Francia collected a Calabrese tale titled Mariuzza: a man has a daughter named Mariuzza, who is advised by her female teacher to kill her mother when she is occupied fetching figs from a box. It happens thus, and Mariuzza's teacher marries the girl's father, despite the latter's warnings about the woman. Mariuzza's former teacher begins to pester and hate her stepdaughter, and sends her to work for the king and queen, who have for a long time wished for a child. The girl goes to church and cries on her mother's grave. Her mother's spirit appears to her and tells her what to do: she is to spread some types of cereals on their bed, and they shall have a son who will be named Marcavallu, whom they will wish to marry to Mariuzza. It happens thus: a prince named Marvallu is born to the royal couple, and he alternates between equine shape at night and horse shape by night. At night, Marcavallu asks the girl what time it is; she, instructed by her mother's spirit, gives the correct answer and dines with him, her eating only a portion. In time, Mariuzza becomes pregnant, but a draga "pulls by his feet" Marcavallu. He comes at night and sings a song to Mariuzza. The king's prisoners also listen to the prince's song and report to the king, who promises to set them free if they capture the horse. The prisoners catch Marcavallu one night, and he reveals the way to disenchant him: they are to place all of the chickens and roosters inside a cauldron and let them boil for three days and three nights. The king carries out the orders, but an old woman hides her rooster in a chest. Losing one of the roosters, the king places Marcavallu inside the cauldron. However, after three days and three nights, the old woman's rooster crows, and Marcavallu disappears from the cauldron. Mariuzza, however, hears his voice in the distance, teling her to wear down eight pairs of steel shoes and eight hats if she wants to see him again. Mariuzza follows his orders and wanders off until she wears down every last pair of steel shoes until she arrives at a house in the woods. Marcavallu sights his wife and brings her in, but the house belongs to a draga, who he makes promise not to eat his human wife. The draga swears not to eat her, but only in pretense, and forces the girl to become her servant. Marcavallu helps his human wife in all of the chores. Eventually, the draga sends Mariuzza to the draga's sister to get a thing, but this is a trap so she can be devoured by the draga's sister. Mariuzza walks the path to the house, and tells a loose gate she would fix it with hammer and nails, drinks water from a river filled with mud and blood and compliments it; gives bread to two birds, and reaches the draga's sister's house. The girl is told to hold the draga's baby nephew, but she tosses the baby in the furnace and escapes back to the draga's house. When the draga sees that the girl is back safe and sound, she makes the same road she did, but the gates block her, until they let her pass, and she drowns in the dirty river. Marcavallu's curse is lifted and he becomes fully human.

Boncavallu (ATU 425B)

In an Italian tale collected from Reggio Calabria with the title Boncavallu, or La maga e Buoncavallo ("The Sorceress and Buoncavallo"), king and queen have a son that is cursed to be a horse by day and human by night. One day, he tells his parents he wants to be married, and his mother arranges him a beautiful bride from a family. That night, the horse prince kills the girl for he did not like her. His mother finds him another bride, whom he also kills. The queen finds him a third bride from a noble family and brings her to the prince. At midnight, the prince changes from horse to man and explains his situation to his third bride: his curse is the doing of a sorceress (maga), and the girl must wear down seven pairs of iron shoes in pursuit of him, then disappears. The girl puts on the seven pairs and begins to wear down one by one, until she reaches the house of the maga. Boncavallu (the prince's name) sights the girl, Rosina, and tells the sorceress he wants to marry her. The sorceress consents, and, days later, noticing their connection, orders the girl to bring bundles of golden firewood. Boncavallu (whom the sorceress calls her son Peppinu) offers his help for a kiss, but Rosina refuses it, saying she would rather be devoured by the sorceress. Despite her refusal, Boncavallu helps her: with a wand and a spell, he provides the golden firewood, and warns Rosina to deny she had any help. It happens thus. Next, the sorceress orders her to separate two tomoli of chickpeas and beans into two separate baskets. Once again, Rosina refuses Boncavallu's help, but he fulfills it for her with the wand and a magical command. Third, Rosina is ordered to wash, dry and iron two basketfuls of clothes in under five minutes. Fourth, the sorceress orders the girl to wash six mattresses and fill them with bird feathers. For both tasks, Boncavallu uses the same wand of command to help her. Lastly, the sorceress decidest to send Rosina to her sister with a scatula ('box') with a letter and a opium bottle inside that would make her sleep if she opened the box. Boncavallu intercepts Rosina, warns her that this task is a trap, for the maga's sister will devour Rosina, and advises her on how to proceed: she is not to open the box; she will pass by two trees on the path, one that gushes fire, to which she must say she would warm herself with it, another that throws worm-filled apples, to which she is to say she would eat its fruits; and finally by a river of dirty water to which she is to say she would drink its water; at last, she is to give the box to the sorceress's sister and flees back home. Rosina follows Boncavallu's advice to the letter and reaches the maga's sister's house. The other sorceress welcomes her and goes to another room to sharpen her teeth, but Rosina leaves there the box and rushes back. The girl returns safely to the sorceress's house, and the maga complains to her son Peppinu that she sent the girl to her sister to be devoured, and Peppinu's interference saved her. The maga's son pretends to drop dead and falls to the ground, and his mother, on seeing it, dies of a fulminant heartbreak. Peppinu, or Boncavallu, takes the sorceress's body and throws it down the river in a box, then lives happily with Rosina. In a review of Swedish scholar Jan-Öjvind Swahn's work of Cupid and Psyche and related "animal bridegroom" tales, folklorist Walter Anderson followed Swahn's classification and indexed the tale as subtype A of type AaTh 425.

Bellubeldomine e Donna Dubbana Manna (ATU 425B)

In a Sardinian tale titled Bellubeldomine e Donna Dubbana Manna, Bellubeldomine is the son of Donna Dubbana Manna, a rich woman who is "half-sorceress, half-witch". One day, a girl named Mariedda comes into her service, and Donna Dubbana Manna gives her a basket of clothes and orders her to wash them with no water and dry them without sunlight. The girl then meets Bellubeldomine, who offers his help in exchange for a kiss. Mariedda refuses his kiss, but he helps her at any rate: they sit for a picnic, she falls asleep, and he fulfills the task for her. The youth warns her that, if his mother suspects something, Mariedda is to answer she never saw him. The girl brings the basket to Donna, who, just as her son predicted, suspects her servant had help, but Mariedda pretends she never saw Bellubeldomine. The story then explains Bellubeldomine is set to be married to another girl in the upcoming days. Thus, Donna Dubbana Manna orders the girl to go to the garden and fill a mattress and two pillows with bird feathers. Mariedda complains that such a task would take a month, but her employer wants it done by morning. The girl goes to the garden to try and catch some birds, but they fly away. Bellubeldomine approaches her with the same help offer. She refuses his advances, but he helps her: they sit for a picnic, and he tells her she has to pretend he is dead and shout that Bellubeldomine is dead, for all the birds in the world will come and give their feathers. It happens thus.

Mariedda marries Bellubeldomine, but his mother places her hand on her womb, cursing her not to give birth to her grandson. In order to help his wife, Bellubeldomine convinces a group of boys to cause a ruckus shouting that his mother's palace is on fire. The boys do as instructed and, in the confusion, Donna Dubbana Manna unclasps her hands, allowing her daughter-in-law to finally give birth. Realizing she has been tricked, she returns to her palace and dies in a fit of rage. Mariedda and Bellubeldomine are free to live their lives.

Cristina e Il Mostro

In an Italian tale first collected by Ciro Marzocchi in 1879 with the title Cristina e il Mostro,

Albanian 425B

"Gjarpri, vajza dhe kuçedra" - The Snake, the girl and the Kulshedra [37]

An old man goes to the woods to fetch some firewood and hears a voice asking if he can come with him. The man pays no heed to it. Later, he asks his wife to fetch more firewood. She goes to the forest to gather some, and hears the voice making the same request. She then returns home and talks to her husband about it. The old man reveals he also heard the voice, and tells her to let him in. The old woman exits their house and bids the owner of the voice to come out to them: a snake. The old couple welcome the snake into their house, who becomes human at night and remains a snake during the day. Some time later, the snake tells the old couple he wants a bride, and the old couple marries him to a girl. The girl burns the snakeskin, and the youth complains that, by burning his snakeskin, she burnt his "buzën", which she should not have done, for now she will have to go after him with an iron cane and wearing a pair of iron shoes, then departs. The girl asks the old man for the iron instruments, and departs after her husband. She walks down a road and reaches a house, asking for the lord of the house ('zot i shpisë') if there is a guest there. Her husband, the (now human) snake youth appears to her and they reunite, but he warns the girl that his mother is a kuçedra, with one lip reaching the sky and the other touching the earth, so he will protect his human wife against her. After hiding his wife, his kuçedra mother appears, and tells him she can sense a human smell. The snake youth makes his mother promise not to eat them by swearing an oath on his head, then shows the kuçedra the girl. Later, the kuçedra conspires with her sister to send the girl to be devoured by her, since she did not make the same oath, so she orders the girl to go to her husband's aunt's house and fetch from there a "satace". The human snake youth asks his wife about his mother's task, and advises the girl how to proceed: exchange the correct fodder for animals (bone for a dog, straw for an ox), drink some water from a fountain filled with pus and compliment it, greet his aunt, who will ask her to sit down for a while, take the box and run away. She follows the instructions to the letter and goes to his aunt's house, greets her and asks her to sit down first, takes the "satacen" and escapes. The kuçedra's sister commands the animals and the fountain to stop the girl, to no avail, and she brings the "satacen" to the kuçedra.

(Tale nr. 30, Gjarpri, vajza dhe kuçedra ["The Snake, the girl and the Kulshedra"].

Hungarian ATU 425

• Sebestyen, Adam (1981). Bukovinai Szekely nepmesek [Szekely folktales from the Bukovina]. Vol. 2. (Annotated by Agnes Kovacs.) Szekszard: Tolnamegyei Tanacs V. B. Konyvtara. pp. 9-16 (Kégyókirályfi); 267-270 (Kégyó kirájfi); 395ff (Jegyzetek/Notes on the cited tales).

The pages refer to tales told by a Hungarian/Székely couple that lived in Bukovina. Hungarian-American scholar Linda Dégh noted that their tales, while referring to a serpent husband, contain the "hostility of the husband's fairy family" and the Magic Flight episode (Dégh, Linda. Narratives in Society. A Performer-Centered Study of Narration. Folklore Fellows Vol. 255. Helsinki: Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, 1995. pp. 143, 146). Based on Dégh's brief descriptions, I suspect these tales are more closely related to type ATU 425B (Cupid and Psyche).

Both tales belong to the the cycle of the Animal as Bridegroom (tale type 425A and correlates, to which belongs Cupid and Psyche), although they also conclude with an episode of tale type 313A, "The Magic Flight".

Hungarian folklorist Ágnes Kovács suggested that both tales derived from the Székely tradition in Bukovina.

Snake Prince 2 (ATU 425B)

A poor man has a wife. One day, while he is gathering wood, a snake appears and asks the man to bring it home. The man agrees to its terms and brings it home, where the animal grows larger with time. Some time later, the snake asks its adoptive mother to go to the neighbouring king and court of the princesses for him. Despite some reservation, the woman goes to meet with the king. The poor woman says her son wants to marry the princess, and the king agrees, so long as the suitor builds a golden bridge between both houses, with water and golden fishes underneath it, and birds perch along it. The old woman reports to the snake, who tells her to go to sleep and not to worry. When the old couple wakes up the next morning, their humble hut has turned into a beautiful palace overnight, with the golden bridge linking their house to the king's palace, with fishes and birds along the path. The poor couple cross the bridge to the king's palace after a long time, and marry their adopted snake son to the princess. The newlyweds are happy for a while, until one day the serpent son goes on a hunt and leave his snakeskin home. His parents-in-law and his own mother notice that the princess's husband comes out of the snake skin from time to time, and decide to destroy it permanently by throwing it in a fire. The snake prince, without his snake disguise, asks his adoptive mother why she did that, for now the palace will disappear and he will have to return to Fairyland, to his mother, and spend ten years there until he regains his strength. He says farewell to his wife, and returns to his home, in Fairyland. The princess waits for his return, but, after some waiting, she decides to go after him. On her journey, she passes by the Sun, which tells her to keep walking on the same path, and sends some friends to accompany her. When she finally reaches the end of the country of humans, her companions say she is near the place where the fairies live, but she presses forward. She finds her husband near the water and goes to embrace him. The human snake prince is surprised to see her there, for his mother and his brothers will try to destroy her. The princess, in response, opts to stay with him, despite the danger. The snake introduces his wife to his mother as the daughter of the Green King, and leaves her at home. After he goes back to the water, the princess's mother-in-law orders her to fill a large barrel with water, then leaves. As much as the princess tries, she cannot fill it, until her husband comes back home and fulfills the task for her. Next, her mother-in-law orders her to prepare bread for her, but to bake and not bake it. The snake prince's brothers come home, and the snake prince after them, and he finds his wife crying. In order to help her, he advises her to place the loaves in the oven, then take them out. Thirdly, the snake prince's mother places some keys next door and orders the princess to fetch them, but there are tigers that will devour her. Her husband then advises her to throw a ring to distract them, while she gets the keys. With this she fulfills the task, but her husband convinces her to flee, for his family will not leave them alone. While they are on the road, his mother sends his brothers after them, and the prince changs himself and the princess into other people to trick them: first, a priest and a church; next, into a miller and a mill. Finally, his mother herself chases after them, and the snake prince turns himself into a lagoon and the princess into a lake. The mother tries to draw the duck to her, but the bird wades away, so she tries to drink the lake and bursts. At last, the princess and her husband returns safely to her land.

Hungarian ATU 425A (Zsuszannah Palkó)

In a dialectal Hungarian tale collected from Kaskadi teller Józscfné Palkó, with the title Kégyókirályfi or Kígyókirályfi ("The King's Snake Son"),

Israeli 425D

Professor Rafael Talmon reports a tale in a dialectal Galilean Arabic tale titled Rās li-Ḥmār (Hebrew: "ראש החמור", English: "The Donkey's Head"), registered in the IFA Archives under nr. 19.507, told by one Ğubrān Ğubrān. In this tale, a talking donkey's head lives with an old woman as his adoptive mother, and turns into a youth at sunset. The donkey's head provides the old woman with food and a palace, and eventually asks her to ask for the princess's hand. The donkey's head sends the old woman to the market, who buys gems and gifts them to the the king and queen. The princess and the donkey's head marry and she discovers he becomes a youth. The donkey's head warns the old lady, first, then the princess, about not revealing his secret. Later, the human donkey's head fights in a war to protect his father-in-law's kingdom as a mysterious knight, first in white, then in red, lastly in green garments. The human donkey's head is injured in the hand and the princess betrays his secret. In return, he says she will never find him, and disappears. Some time later, an old woman pays a visit to the princess and tells her that a hen and a cock invite people to come to the land of the jinn. Thus, the princess journeys to the "land of the jinn" (or land of demons), where she sees birds turning into youths. She sights her husband and he takes her to his wedding ceremony to a female ginn (or demoness). The princess is told to dance at the ceremony, but burns the demons and escapes to her father's kingdom with her husband's help.

Israeli ATU 425D + 425B

In an Israeli tale archived in the Israeli Folktale Archives (IFA) with the number 12744 with the title הגמל שהפך לבחור - נסיך ("The Camel That Became a Boy - a Prince"), translated as The Camel Prince, a camel appears to a poor woman, who discovers the animal produces gold and silver. One day, the camel begins to talk and asks the woman to court the king's youngest daughter on its behalf. The old woman goes there and tells about the camel's proposal, which the princess agrees. On the wedding night, the camel reveals he is a handsome youth under the camel skin, and lives with the princess. This happens every night. Some time later, war breaks out, and the camel prince joins in the fray, obtaining victories. The youngest princess's elder sister mock her endlessly for her marriage to the camel, and she reveals her husband's identity: the camel is the knight. Betrayed, the camel prince disappears. The princess then sets up a bathhouse, where people can take a bath in exchange for telling stories. One day, a woman comes to the bathhouse and tells the princess about a most strange situation she witnessed one night: noblemen, ladies and princess prepare a table for a feast and they make merry; a despondent prince appears and is told to forget about a lover, then everything disappears. The princess asks the woman to be taken there to the location of the event. The camel prince appears in human form, and his wife, the princess, shows herself. The camel prince tells his wife he is living in the "land of wizards", and takes her there. One she reaches the sorceress's house, the witch forces the girl on tasks: first, she is to go to another house and bring a sieve; then, she is to go back there and get a music box containing an orchestra. On the second task, the princess opens up the box and the musicians escape from it, but the camel prince locks them back into the box. Lastly, the princess is to dance holding candles during the camel prince's wedding to another bride, but she throws the candles at the false bride and escapes with her husband in a Magic Flight sequence: first, they shapeshift into a plow and groud, then into an oven and a baker, and lastly into a minaret and a muezzin. The sorceress chases after them and, failing to catch them, explodes in defeat. The princess and the camel prince return safely to her parents.

Middle Eastern 425D

[38]

Author Fadwa K. Naser wrote down a tale she heard from her childhood titled The Rooster: a kind and pious king named Jarir has a daughter named Joy, and a prize stallion hidden in a certain room in a castle he built in the woods. He is interested in jousting against other kings, and trusts in his horse. One day, when he has to go on a pilgrimage for 30 days, and asks his daughter to busy herself in his absence by opening the doors to the rooms in their castle, save for the 30th one. After he leaves, the princess opens every door, seeing great thing inside everyone, and saves the 30th door for last. She opens the door and finds the horse. Surprisingly, the horse turns his head to see the princess, lets out a neigh and falls on the ground near a pool. Princess Joy is scared at the scene, and waits for her father to return. King Jarir returns from the pilgrimage and goes to check on the horse, and finds him downtrodden, realizing his daughter disobeyed him. He also noted that the horse fell in love with the princess, and asks her to repeat her actions she did the first time. After the king defeats his opponents, he places his daughter inside the horse's room; after a while, the horse shakes his body and becomes a human youth he introduces himself as Prince Amer, and asked her not to spill the secret. The next day, King Jarir rides the horse to the tournament, and princess Joy is endlessly mocked for her husband. While her father is on the horse, she tells the mocking women the horse is a human prince. Suddenly, Jarir falls off the horse and it disappears. After the horse's disappearance, Joy puts on some clothes and begins her wanderings looking for information on the horse prince, to no avail. Losing faith, she is taken in by an old lady who owns an inn, and she promises to pay a nice reward to anyone with information on his whereabouts. Meanwhile, an old woman and her grandson buy a rooster they intend to give princess Joy. On the road, the grandson has to pee and takes the rooster with him. However, the rooster is let loose and runs away, the boy goes after him. His grandmother follows him and they enter into an old building through a hole in the fence. Inside, they see a coffee table and twelve chairs, the prince on a large chair and twelve companions. The old woman and the boy leave their rooster there, and goes to the inn to tell the princess about their findings. The princess asks to be taken there to the building. Inside, they see the twelve men and prince Robin (the horse's name) having a meal. After the twelve men leave, Robin prepares to join them, but the princess nudges his feet, and he sees her. The princess and prince reunite.

Danish AaTh 428

In a manuscript tale collected by Svend Grundtvig in 1877 with the title Pigen, der skulde hente 'Ildkar' i Helvede ("The Girl who went to Hell to get a ildkar"), a man works for some trolls. Some time later, they hire another servant, a girl. The girl is forced by the troll employers to card white wool black, then to white again. The trolls' male servant helps her in both tasks. Next, the girl is ordered to go to Hell and fetch from there an "ildkar" (a brazier, in Swahn's translation). The man gives her advice on how to proceed: she is to lift a door back to its hinge (otherwise it would squeeze her), give some pork meat to a guard dog and help people she meets in the way (a "Skoldkage" to people next to an oven, a sewing ring to sewing people). Lastly, when she reaches the house of "Oldemo'r", she starts to feel hot, and adjusts a cap she put on her head to create a cool breeze; further ahead she turns the cap to create a warm sensation. She meets the Oldemo'r, who welcomes her and gives her some sausage as food. Following the male servant's advice, the girl throws the sausage under a bench to avoid eating it. The Oldemo'r asks where the sausage is, the food answers, and she places it back on the girl's plate. After she leaves again, the girl hides the food in her clothes next to her belly to trick the Oldemo'r. She gets the "ildkar"/"ilden", then hurries out of Hell. The Oldemo'r orders her lackeys to stop her, but they refuse. Back to her troll masters, the girl shows them the brazier. On seeing the girl's success, the troll master explodes in anger and create flints. The male servant kills the remaining trolls and marries the girl.

Lebanon ATU 432

In a Lebanese tale titled Ward und starker Pfeffer ("Rose and Strong Pepper") or Lady Rose and Hot Pepper,

Sudanese ATU 432

In a Sudanese tale translated into German with the title Achdar Azaz im Glas ("Achdar Azaz in the Glass"), Fatima is a beautiful girl that lives with her father and stepfamily. Whenever her father goes on trips, her stepsisters alway ask for gifts, while she does not and wishes for his safe return. One day, her stepsisters, suspecting their father dotes on Fatima, talk to her about asking him to bring "Achdar Azaz in the Glass", which she does not know anything about. Still, the next time her father goes on a journey, the girl asks her father to bring Achdar Azaz in the Glass. The man goes on a journey and cannot find Achdar Azaz, until he meets an old woman by a tree and tells her he is looking for this item. The old woman explains that Achdar Azaz is an Emir, son of seven man-eating mother named Silah; if he wants to meet hi, he has to avoid them. Fatima's father goes to meet Achdar Azaz and tells him about going to meet his beautiful daughter Fatima, which he cannot do, but gives the man a package and summons a magic horse named Dervish to take the man home. It happens thus and the man teleports home. He gives a servant the package, with orders to be delivered to Fatima. The servant, curious, opens the package and finds a mirror which reflects Achdad Azaz from the other side. The Emir summons Fatima's father again and asks him about the person in the mirror, which the man says is a servant, not his daughter. Achdar Azaz goes with the man to meet Fatima and marvels with her beauty. The pair spend time together and he gives her a golden necklace before leaving. One day, one day Fatima's stepsister, who always makes her bed, finds the necklace and shows it to her mother, and the women steals the golden presents whenever she makes the bed. Achdar Azaz tells Fatima about the gifts he leaves and asks her to make her bed herself, thus she keeps his gifts. Her stepfamily begins to plan to ruin her happiness and suggests she asks the prince how he can be hurt. Achdar Azaz explains that his seven mothers are Silah, but he is not supernatural, and they all be hurt by shards of glass in their bed. The next time Achdar Azaz lies on the bed, his body is badly hurt by the glass and, believing Fatima did this to hurt him, vows to kill her and returns to his mothers. Meanwhile, Fatima dons male garments and flees from home, while also looking for her lover around the world. At one time, she stops to rest by a tree and overhears the conversation between two birds which talk about Achdar Azaz's injuries and the way to cure him: the livers of both birds. Fatima stones the birds to death and takes their livers, then keeps walking until she meets the same old woman her father met. The old woman warns her about the seven man-eating Silah mothers, and their son's situation: it was prophecized that Achdar Azaz was to be hurt by glass, and only the livers of the magical djinn birds Abu Najir and Abu Najira can cure him, but these birds are only released from their cages once every hundred years. Fatima, disguised as a fakir, says she has the cure, then goes to meet the seven Silah, who want the fakir to cure their son, unless he is devoured. Fatima applies the lotion she produced from the birds' livers on Achdar Azaz's body and heals his injuries. In return, she makes the Silahs promise not to devour any more people, and asks for Achdar Azaz's amulet and sword as payment, and makes him promise not to hurt the person who shouts "in the name of the Fakir that cured him". Fatima then teleports back home and places his amulet and sword on the wall. Achdar Azaz appears to kill her, but sees his belongings on the wall, and asks if the fakir was there. Fatima then shouts to be spared "in the name of the fakir that cured him", and still Achdar Azaz does not realize anything. Fatima reveals the whole story, and the Emir summons his horse to turn his step-relatives-in-law to dust. Fatima's father appears and accepts the fate of his wife and stepsister, but is happy for his daughter.

Spanish literary ATU 432 (Luís Coloma)

In a Spanish literary tale written by Luis Coloma and translated as Green Bird,

Hausa ATU 432

In a Hausa tale translated by missionary Adam Mischlich into German as Der Königssohn Nasamu ("Prince Nasamu"), the heroine asks for her father to buy "Nasamu" for her. Her father discovers "Nasamu" is the name of a prince, who meets the man and says he will visit his daughter by Friday by alighting on their roof. Nasamu visits his beloved at night, and leaves by morning, spitting some gold from his mouth in an empty pot. This goes on for some time, until the heroine's stepmother discovers the hidden coins and buys some needles to be placed on the roof. The next time Nasamu flies in, he is hurt badly by the needles, and hurries back to his home. As for the heroine, sensing her lover's disappearance, she leaves home in male's garments and carrying a calabash, and stops to rest by a tree. Suddenly, she begins to hear the conversation between many man-eating birds about Nasamu's injuries and the way to cure them: their excrement mixed with some water. The heroine fetches the birds' excrement, dowses it in water, and goes to Nasamu's kingdom to cure him. Posing as a doctor, she applies the cure on his body and asks for his ring as payment. She then returns home and waits for Nasamu. The prince flies in again, intent on killing his lover, thinking she betrayed him, but she shows him the ring. They reconcile, and Nasamu marries his saviour.

Mexican ATU 425E

In a Mexican tale adapted by author Emilio Carballido with the title Los Zapatos de Hierro ("The Iron Shoes'), a poor couple lives with his three daughters, the youngest named María, and they send the girls to fetch herbs for their soups. One day, while the elder is taking a bath in the river, she sights a little lettuce floating in the river which she tries to grab, but fails. The middle daughter tries the same and also fails. María goes herself and fetches the little lettuce, which becomes a prince. The youth explains he was cursed to become a lettuce, but, since the girl disenchanted him, she must go with him to his country, and not tell her family about it. María accompanies the prince to his realm and live in luxury, while she knits the clothes for her unborn baby. However, one day, she has a dream about her family and wishes to see them again. She is told her family is dead, save for her mother, and she must not cry over them, since the prince's curse is still occurring. She visits her family's graves and mourns for them, then returns home to the prince, who has turned back into a lettuce and floated down the river. Now alone, she decides to have the baby alone. One night, the prince returns in human form to rock his son, and sings a song about he could stay with the baby if the roosters did not crow, the dogs did not bark, and the bells did not ring midnight. He disappears by morning light, but returns in the next two nights. The king overhears the prince's verses, then orders the killing of the roosters and dogs, and the silencing of the bells, allowing the prince to stay with them. After a period of happiness, María notices the prince has a thin belt on his waist, which he never removes. The girl comments about it with the prince, who, annoyed, orders her never to mention it again. Despite the warning, María loosens his belt at night and finds a world inside an opening on her husband's body: houses, forests and people. The prince wakes up, admonishes María and tells her he will go to the castle of Irás Y No Volverás, and must seek him out in iron shoes. The prince disappears and María goes after him in iron shoes, passing by the houses of Brisa (the Breeze), the South Wind and the North Wind and their mothers, but they do not know of its location. She finally reaches a beach where the Pajarero (the Birdkeeper) lives with several species of birds and birdcages. An old vulture appears last and says it can carry María there.

Hausa ATU 425(B?) (A in Swahn)

In a Hausa tale translated by missionary Adam Mischlich into German as Das verwandelte Pferd ("The Transformed Horse"), a prince is changed into a horse and rides to another town. A man finds his equine form and brings it home to his two daughters. When he is ready to leave, the man orders his two daughters to give water and food to the horse: the elder refuses, but the youngest obeys, and the horse, in gratitude, provides golden coins in a calabash. The man then decides to marry one of his daughters to the horse: the elder refuses, but the youngest agrees, and the horse changes back into a prince. The now human horse prince suggests they visit the prince's homeland, and his wife agrees to join him. On the way there, the prince warns the girl his mother is a man-eating witch, and this is why he shapeshifted into a horse: so he could escape his mother's grasp and marry. The girl meets her mother-in-law, who gives her a single rice grain for her to cook. The girl asks her husband how she can cook a whole meal with it, and the prince says she just has to place it in the pot. The girl prepares the meal for themselves and makes a dish for the mother-in-law. The prince then tells his wife how they can destroy his mother and be left in peace: while he fetches some firewood, the girl is to bring the food to his mother. The girl sets the food before her and returns to the house, and the mother-in-law goes after her. Meanwhile, the prince has set a fire and his mother falls into it, burning to death. Freed from his mother, the prince and his wife live in happiness and wealth. Later, the girl's elder sister learns of her cadette's situation, and decides to pay her a visit. However, the prince warns his wife that, when he was in the form of a horse, she mistreated him, so he will expel his sister-in-law. When the elder sister-in-law actually arrives, the prince abandons his wife, leaving her with her sister. After a while, the pair grow bored and return to their father's homeland, but the younger sister, missing her husband, looks for him and finds him in a city. They go back home and the tale ends.

Khmer ATU 425 (Reach Kol/Rajá Kul)

Réach Kol = Rājakul. also page 170.

Abbey J. Guesdon translated a Khmer poem named Reach Kol. In this work, a king named Préaş bat réachéa and his queen, Chăn méaléa, in the kingdom of Kosể, have three daughters, Réach kshatrei, Srei kshatra, and Pou. In the same kingdom, a poor couple, Tûphi and Mihn Tûphot, are childless and live in misery, save for two sleng. The poor couple decide to invest their meagre economies in rice seeds, so they can have a plantation. Up in Heaven, god Indra watches the poor couple's diligence, and marvels at their effort. Indra goes to the kingdom of Kélassa, to talk to the roayl family, king Utŏmpor, queen Suvan méaléa, and their son, prince Réach Kol. Indra convinces Réach Kol to go down to earth as another stage in his path to Buddhahood. The prince says his goodbyes to his parents, then assumes an equine shape and destroys the old couple's rice harvest. The couple is at first distraught, but, on seeing the fine horse, decide to take it to their hut. News of the fine beast spread among the populace, who gossip that the couple stole it, and the couple themselves suppose the horse belongs to their king. Thus, they take the horse to the king's palace, the monarch buys the animal and gives a hefty sum to the couple. The poor couple return home and live in happiness, since their rice crops have been restored. Back to the king, he summons the royal astrologers, who divine the horse's name, Réach Kol, and the fact that it wants a bride. The king tries to arrange a mating between the horse and one of the mares, but the horse wants one of the princesses. The king then asks his daughters which one will accept the proposal: the elder two refuse, save for Pou. The youngest princess marries Réach Kol, but her elder sister, driven by rage at her cadette marrying a horse, tries to poison it, but her mother, the queen, dissuades her, for fear of retaliation on the king's part. Meanwhile, Réach Kol takes off the equine disguise and goes to sleep next to Pou in human form, and dons the skin in the morning. For the next two nights, Réach Kol takes off the skin to sleep at night, and is discovered on the third night. The king's court learns of this and Pou's father decides to hold an event to celebrate, and embraces Réach Kol, in human form, as his son-in-law. Later, Réach Kol begins to miss his parents, and Indra allows for a visit: Indra himself descends to Earth and blesses the couple, and Pusnaka, the celestial architect, orders the "angels" to create a palace connecting both palaces. Pou's elder sisters begin to nurture jealousy towards her cadette, and the elder tries to flirt with her brother-in-law, who does not respond to her advances. Then, Réach kshatrei gives Pou a resin that is fit for a heavenly being (in reality, a poisonous one) for her to anoint Réach Kol's body. The oil does not kill Réach Kol, but paints him with a gold countenance and perfumes his body. Eventually, Réach Kol begins to distrust his wife, and decides to return to heaven, but gives her a ring as remainder. Pou awakes, and cannot find her husband, so decides to go after him: she goes to Hembaupean and meets the king of the lions, the king of the tigers, the king of the elephants, and the king of the rhinos, through which Réach Kol has passed. Then, Pou passes by the yêak and the kénâ, then by the dead and the revenants, through a scorching desert, a land of perpetual snow, until she reaches an untraversable sea. A crocodile and a snake help her to cross the water bodies, and finally an eagle takes the princess up Mount Kélassa in a caravanserai. Meanwhile, Réach Kol's father rejoices in having his son back, and arranges a wedding between him and another heavenly being. A servant goes to the caravanserai to fetch water to Réach Kol's ablutions, and Pou secretly drops her ring in a jug. The servant takes the jug to Réach Kol, who recognizes the ring and faints, but regains his bearings and asks for the servant to bring Pou in. Reach Kol's father and the heavenly kingdom are irritated due to the presence of a mortal, and the king hatches a plan: he gives a soporific drink to everyone, making them fall asleep, and orders some servants to kidnap Pou and take her to a distant cave.

In his analysis, Guesdon stated that the tale was extracted from a Pali source, and the tale was very popular, especially in north Cambodia. According to Guesdon, the story of Réach Kol mirrors other Satras wherein a heavenly being on way to Buddhahood incarnates on Earth in the shape of an animal, marries a princess, regains human form, both go through a period of separation and later reunite.

The tale was also translated as Der Pferdeprinz by Hans Nevermann. In a review of the book, Heinz Wilhelm Haase classified the tale as belonging to tale type ATU 425, "The Search for the Lost Husband".

Judith M. Jacobs dated the tale to 18th-19th centuries, by an author named Varapañña.

Romanian 425B?

Romanian folklorist Atanasie Marian Marienescu published a tale in newspaper Federaţiunea with the title Psiche. In this tale, Psiche is a princess, the youngest of three sisters. One day, men come to court her and her sisters, who find suitable husbands, save for her. The king then consults with a sage that divines the girl's future: she is to be taken atop a mountain for her future husband, a dragon (balaur), otherwise the dragon will come to destroy his kingdom. Fearing for the safety of his kingdom, the king delivers his daughter to the top of the mountain for her to meet her husband. The princess sleeps on the mountain and wakes up in a beautiful castle where she is waited on by invisible servants that call her "empress", the wife of their master. At night, Psiche goes to sleep on a bed and senses someone beside her, whom the tale refers as "imperatulu dîneloru". For three nights, she talks to him and, little by little, loses her fear of him. On the third night, she asks him to allow her sisters to pay her a visit, to which he agrees: they must plunge from the cliff so his servants may take them to his palace. Psiche's sisters convince her to spy on her husband at night with a lamp and a knife, to kill him if he is indeed a dragon. Following their advice, she brings a lamp to her bedroom and discovers a handsome youth on her bed, but accidentally drops a wax on his body. He wakes up, opens the windows, grabs Psiche and flies away with her, dropping her on the way. The princess begins to wander off in search of the imperatulu dîneloru, and passes by harvesters in a field of silver, and a field of gold, none of them knowing where he went. Suddenly, the imperatulu's mother appears to Psiche and drags the girl to her house, where she orders the girl on tasks. First, Psiche is to get her a bit of "apa négra" ('black water'). Psiche walks near the shore and finds a flopping fish, which she throws back in the water. She then reaches the place of the apa négra, and sees a serpent poised to attack an eagle's nest. She kills the serpent and the eagle, in gratitude, brings her some of the black water. Next, the imperatulu's mother orders Psiche to bring her some tufts of golden wool from golden sheep. On the way to the sheep, she meets a man (who was the fish she saved earlier), who advises her that the herd could only be reached by midday, neither before, nor after, for it is the time the sheep bleet and the rams rest. Following the man's advice, she takes some of the golden wool and brings it back. Lastly, the emperor's mother orders her to go the world below ("lumea de desuptu", in the original) and get some "beauty" in a vase to heal the emperor. Psiche begins her journey to the world below and stops to rest at the edge of a forest, when she has a dream. In it, a voice tells it will help her: she is to pass down the mountains and valleys, by people asking for help in carrying firewood iron, or unloading their carts, but she is to pay no heed to them, for they will take her to their world; she is to go ahead until she meets the empress of the world below; she will embark on a boat and sail across a river where people will beg for help; then, she will reach the empress's doors, where there are 12 lions instead of dogs, to which she is to give some bread; at last, she is to meet the empress and deliver her the vase to be filled with beauty. She follows the voice's orders and gets a vase filled with beauty and returns to the place where she had the vision. Then, she decides to open the vase to use some of the beauty, and a bee ("albina", in the original) comes out of it and goes for Psiche's neck, making it bleed. She drops on the ground, as if dead, and her husband, the imperatulu comes to her rescue, heals the wound and locks the bee inside the vase, and, although chastising his wife, makes her more beautiful than before, then flies away with her to their palace.

Bashkir people ATU 425 (A?)

In a Bashkir tale titled "Ҡотлобикә һәм Ҡотлояр" and translated into Russian as "Кутлубика и Кутлуяр" ("Kutlubika and Kutluyar"), a widowed man has three daughters and goes to the forest to fetch firewood for his house, and finds a cat on the way. One day, he tells his daughters about the cat and they ask their father to bring it home. The next time he goes to the forest, he finds the cat and pets it in his arms. The cat suddenly begins to talk and asks the man if he is willing to forfeit his life or surrender one of his daughters. The cat then turns into a handsome human eget. The man answers he has three daughters, and says will go home and ask them. The man summons his three daugthers and explains the situation; the elder, Yanbika, and the middle one, Gulnisa, refuse to marry the cat, but the youngest, named Kutlubika, agrees to be the cat'a wife. The cat comes the next day and takes Kutlubika with him. They live together as man and wife, and the story explains the cat is truly a man named Kutluyar, son of Kutlubay, cursed into feline form by his stepmother. One year later, Kutlubika's sisters come to visit, but see her happiness and wish to do her harm: they place a pin in Kutluyar's seat. He goes to seat and prickles his skin. He blames his wife for this, turns into a snake, and slithers away. Time passes, and Kutlubika decides to go after him. On the way, she meets three old women who give her shining apples and tell her her husband, Kutluyar, is at the mercy of an evil woman. Kutlubika reaches Kutluyar's house where he lives with his new wife and she sings her lament for him to hear. The evil woman notices has and locks her up in a dark bathhouse, but, due to the light of the apples, Kutlubika casts a light to comfort herself. The evil woman notices a bright light shining from the bath house and goes to check on Kutlubika. She notices the shining apple in her hands and asks for a piece. Kutlubika agrees to cut her a piece, but trades for a visit to Kutluyar's chambers. She goes to his room and, despite not being able to wake him up, puts a ring on his finger and wraps a handkerchief around his arm. The evil woman takes Kutlubika out of the room. Kutluyar wakes up and asks his new wife if there was anyone in the room with him, but she denies. Kutluyar then presses forth and shows her the ring and the handkerhief. Kutlubika comes in and Kutluyar embraces her.

Tatar ATU 425

In a Tatar tale titled Cilançay, a poor old man sighs that he has no son to care for him and his wife in their old age, and leaves for a while. Back home, his old wife begins to feel she is pregnant, and she gives birth to a snake as her son. In time, the snake grows large enough to circle the whole house. The old man comes home, sees the snake and tries to stone the snake, but the snake son promises his father he can improve their situation if the man goes to court a certain sultan's daughter. The man goes to talk to sultan, who, feeling insulted, kills the man and sends the body back home. The snake revives his father and sends him again. The second time, the sultan relents and marries his daughter to the snake. On the wedding night, the snake bridegroom appears before her and she simply tells him she knows he is more than a snake. She begs him and he takes off the snakeskin to become a handsome youth, then give her the snakeskin for safekeeping, warning her not to let it fall in the water, lest he disappears and she has to seek him out with iron shoes. One day, however, she dives in the water and accidentally lets the snakeskin touch the bottom of the pond. When the princess returns home, she cannot find her husband, and commissions iron shoes to go after him. She passes by the houses of three old woman married to multiheaded dev-peris (the first six- headed, the second nine-headed, and the third twelve-headed): the first two dev-peris do not know his whereabout, and send the princess to their elder brother. The twelve-headed dev-peri tells the princess Cilançay is on the other side of a sea of fire, which can only be traversed at midnight, when the fire diminishes a little. The dev-peri's wife also lends the princess a magic horse and a magic whip, and gives her a comb, a whetting stone and a mirror. The princess reaches the sea of fire, and waits until near midnight to cross it to reach her beloved. She walks to an island and finds Cilançay asleep. She hits him with the magic whip and wakes him up, and both make their way to escape the island in the middle of the sea of fire: they mount the horse, as the flames erupt and the demons that live in the island wake up and chase after them. The princess throws behind the objects she gained to deter them, and the couple reach the sultan's realm. Safe at last, the princess's father names his son-in-law as his successor.

Zaonezh'ya ATU 425 (A?)

In a tale from Zaonezh'ya titled by the compiler as "Чудесный супруг" ("The Enchanted Husband"), three orphan brothers rock their little sister on her cradle, the elder promising to buy her a hat, the middle one a feresok, and the youngest that she will marry a person named Polka. Years later, when she is a young woman, she asks her brothers to fulfill their promises. About the youngest's, a man named Polka appears by their house and demands the girl as his wife. After three days of their refusal, the brothers relent and surrender their sister to Polka. Polka takes the girl with him to a large house where they both live. When night comes, Polka gives the girl a sleeping potion and she falls asleep, never able to see his true face. On the third night, the girl lights a match in the room and finally sees his countenance: arms of gold, legs of silver and pearls in his hair. A spark falls on his hair and burns it; he vanishes to parts unknown. The girl waits some days to see if he returns, but he does not. The girl then goes to a hut in the back of the garden to talk to an old woman. The old woman tells the girl Polka has vanished to another kingdom and married the daughter of witch named Gigibibikha; she gives the girl a silver loom, a silver fuse and a golden ball, the latter she is to throw and follow it to the old woman's sister's house. The girl casts the golden ball and reaches another hut on chicken legs; she is welcomed by an old woman that says she is Polka's aunt, and gives her a golden spindle with a silver thread, and sends her to her elder sister. The elder sister, another of Polka's aunts, is sewing on a golden circle with a silver needle, and tells the girl to go to Gigibibikha and sell the golden objects for one night with Polka, one object for each night. The girl goes to Gigibibikha and trades the objects for three nights: she tries to wake Polka on the first two, but fails, due to Polka being given a sleeping draught by the witch's daughter. Polka wakes up on the third night and arranges with his human wife a way to get rid of the witch and her daughter for good. Polka gives her a basket with a bar, a comb, some fishes, resin, some ribbons, and meat, and advises her to give the meat to the dogs, the fishes to the cat, smear the resin on the door latches, and tie a ribbon around the birch trees, and escape. The girl follows Polka's intructions and leaves the cat to pretend to weave on a loom to distract Gigibibikha, while the pair makes their escape. Gigibibikha notices the ruse and commands the cat, the dogs, the doors and the birches to stop them, to no avail. She then rushes after them, but Polka and his wife throw objects to delay her: a comb turns into a wasteland, a whetstone becomes a rocky road, and a silk scarf becomes a river of fire that burns Gigibibikha. Polka punishes the witch's daughter and lives with his wife.

Ukraine 425

In a Transcarpathian Ukrainian tale titled "Заклітий Василь і царівна Юліна" ("Cursed Vasil and princess Yulina"), an old woman is washing her clothes in the river when a snake crawls towards her. She feels frightened at first, but the snake assuages her fears and asks her to adopt him. She takes the snake with him and they live like mother and son. Ten years later, the snake asks his mother to go to the king and ask for the princess's hand in marriage. The old woman goes to the king, who accepts the marriage proposal, but in turn she snake has to build a diamond bridge connecting the castle to the old woman's hut, pine trees alongside the road and a nest on each tree, so that the king is awakened by the cuckoo's cry. The old woman reports back to the snake, who fulfills the task overnight. The next morning, the king, seeing that the snake fulfilled his order and it is crawling on the road to his castle, tells his daughter, princess Yulina, to go with the animal. The snake guides Yulina through valleys and mountains until they reach an open field. Yulina lies down on the grass and, when she wakes up, she finds herself in a large court. She lives in this court with the snake inside a barrel, until one evening, a golden-haired youth appears to her. The youth explains he is Vasil, who was cursed by his mother to be a snake for the past ten years, and now, the time of the curse is almost over, and shows her the snakeskin. Some time later, Yulina tells Vasil she wants to visit her family; the snake gives her a magical chair that can transport her back, and advises her not to listen to her mother. Yulina goes back home; she tells her mother, the queen, about Vasil and his snakeskin, and she advises her to take it and burn it, but the king warns her against it. At any rate, Yulina returns to the snake's court and burns the snakeskin. Vasil sees her deed and can only lament, and tells her she will have to hurt her feet if she wants to look for him. The next morning, Vasil and the court have disappeared, and Yulina is all alone in the same open field. She wanders for three years, and still no sign of him, until she sights a raven. She questions the raven about her husband, and the raven tells her it saw her husband drying his tears behind nine mountains. Yulina asks the raven to take her beyond nine mountains, to her husband. The story explains Vasil was working for a witch for three years, and stops by a well to rest, when he sees Yulina coming to him. They return to her father's castle and celebrate a new wedding.

Flanders ATU 425A

In a Flemish tale published in 1895 with the title De Koopman en zijne drie Dochters ("The Merchant and his three daughters"), a merchant prepares to go on a journey, and asks his daughters what presents he can bring on his return: the elder wants a sun-coloured dress, the middle one a moon-coloured dress and the youngest a single rose. The merchant buys the dresses, but cannot find the rose. He reaches a castle and spends the night there, a bodiless voice inviting him in. The next morning, the merchant goes to the castle's garden and plucks a rose. Suddenly, a serpent appears to him with a menacing voice and demands the merchant's youngest daughter in exchange. The merchant agrees to the deal and convinces his third daughter to go with the serpent. The animal assuages the girl's fears and reveals he is an enchanted prince, and must live with a maiden for a determinate amount of time in order to break his curse: they shall talk for an hour every day for the first month, and so on and so forth, until they talk for 12 hours for every day of the the twelfth month. The girl agrees to live with him and they eventually break his curse, the only leftover the snakeskin. They celebrate their victory, but the prince warns her that they must live peacefully for another seven years and seven months, as the last condition of his curse. The prince, now human, and the girl go to visit her family. Seeing their cadette's luck, the envious elder sisters burn the prince's leftover snakeskin and he disappears. The girl, then, fashions seven pairs of iron shoes, seven pairs of leather shoes, and seven pairs of glass shoes, and goes to look for him. After a long and strenuous journey, she wears out the iron shoes, breaks the glass shoes and walks in the leather pairs. She stops to rest near a river, where old ladies are talking. The girl tells the old women the reason for her journey, and they reveal the prince is living in a nearby castle with another spouse, and give her three boxes, for her to use should the need arise. The girl employs herself as a maid in the false bride's castle, and opens the boxes: splendid dresses come out, the first of silver, the second of gold and the third made of encrusted gems. The merchant's daughter uses the dresses to bribe the false bride for three nights with her husband. Belgian folklorist Maurits De Meyer, in his Flemish Folktale Catalogue, classified the tale as type 425C, La fille épouse de l'ours (lion) ("The Bear (Lion)'s Wife").

Asiatic Animal Bridegroom + ATU 403 (heroine's reincarnation)

"Contes javanais" par G. A. J. Hazeu (1902) - pp. 22-24: "repandue" in Java; a widow wishes for a son, even if he is an animal (Djaka Deleg; iguana, Djaka Selira; lizard Kadal kentjana; dongeng, Kloentoeng Waloeh) or an object, like a rice cooker, Djaka kendil, or a gourd, Kloentoeng waloeh. He then asks his mother to court a king's daughters: elders refuse, youngest agrees; before, he has to provide grandiose wedding gifts requested by the king, which he does with the help of the bidadaris or from the gods; the animal son marries the princess. Later, there is a tournament in town, which the animal prince attends without his disguise; the princess discovers the disguise, destroys it, and introduces her husband as a fine youth. The elder princesses, on seeing their handsome brother-in-law, lament the fact they rejected him.

In a tale collected by Antony Landes from "Tjames" (Champa, or Cham people), Noix de Coco ("The Coconut"), also translated into Russian as "Царский зять Кокосовый Орех" ("The King's Son-in-Law, The Coconut)", the heroine marries a man in coconut shell, breaks his plant disguise and reveals he is a handsome man underneath it. Her elder sisters, envious of her cadette's lucky marriage, have a row with her on a boat and accidentally throw her overboard, then return home to cry crocodile tears to their brother-in-law. Meanwhile, the heroine survives and turns into a clam shell that is found by a poor couple, and acts as their mysterious housekeeper, coming out of the shell then returning to it. [Was compared to Thai/Tai tale "История Кокхо" ("The Tale of the Head"): a widow gives brith to a bodiless head named Kokhko, who has magical powers. When he is older, he wants to marry, and the widow courts one of the princesses on his behalf. He marries the youngest/seventh daughter, who knows the truth of his identity. Later, the king has a dream about Sakiya ordering him to go to his land. The seventh princess asks her husband to go there in order to spare her father, and he returns, not as a head, but as a handsome man. The elder princesses notice his beauty, but their cadette mocks them for refusing to marry him when he showed himself as a single head.]

In a tale from the Toto people translated as The Sweet Pumpkin and the Princess (Toto language: Pagrusheko Mengchaei or Pāgruśeko Meṅgchei), the youngest princess marries a person in pumpkin form, who cracks open his pumpkin husk and becomes a handsome man. The elder princess, jealous of her cadette's fortune, tosses her in the river and puts on her clothes to deceive her brother-in-law and nephew.

Central Asian tale

Author Amina Shah published a Central Asian tale titled The Princess and the Donkey. In this tale, a king in Ispahan has a beautiful daughter named Noor-Chusham. Despite her comfortable station, she feels unhappy, for she wants something she is not allowed to have: a donkey as a pet. The king does not allow her to have one, so she begs to her aunt, Lady Lalla-Ruk, to see if she convinces the king. After three days, princess Noor-Chusham goes to see her, adn finds her in the middle of preparing a spell. The story then explains Lady Lalla-Ruk is a female Div who has marries the king's brother, and likes humans, but still connections to the Divs. She summons one and orders him to let hordes of animals loos in the palace: mice in the harems, bats in the throne room, wild cats near the windows, and parrots by the king's ears. It happens thus, and the palace falls into a ruckus. The king meets his sister-in-law and suspects the situation was the product of magic, and Lady Lalla-Ruk promises to investigate the matter, and she shall deliver the answer in three hours' time. Lady Lalla-Ruk goes to the bazaar, buys a donkey, and brings it to the palace with her. Later, the king assembles his court, and Lady Lalla-Ruk presents princess Noor-Chesham mounted on the donkey. Lady Lalla-Ruk explains the girl should have the donkey, and the animal problems in the palace shall vanish. Just as she says this, the animals disappear. Suddenly, the donkey begins to bray loudly, until it stops and falls to the ground, inert. The princess goes to cry over the downed animal, then a young prince rises out of the donkey's skin. The prince then explains the princess delivered him from a spell that cursed him into that form.

Seychellois ATU 425A?

In a Seychellois tale titled Krab Lor ("The Golden Crab"),

Heroine on the fatal swing (King Iguana)

Puteri Rambang Rambunut (= Indonesian King Iguana)

In a Malaysian tale from Sabah titled Puteri Rambang Rambunut, in the kingdom of Dundangan, a king has seven daughters, the seventh and youngest the most beautiful and their father's most loved, to the others' jealousy. One day, a prince comes to court princesses, and lets the king have the last say in the matter. Each of the princess makes the case for themselves, save for Puteri Bongsu. On seeing the sisters' reaction, the king rejects his courtship to avoid more conflicts between the girls. Some time later, the girls go to take a bath in a river to calm down, when they spot a large rambunut fruit floating nearby. The fruit floats nearby each of the princess, who throws it to the next one out of fear of touching it, save for the last, Puteri Bongsu, who is brave enough to fetch it. For this, her sisters give her the mocking name "Puteri Rambang Rambunut".

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Goldener ATU 530/532/314

Claude Lévi-Strauss, in his book The Story of the Lynx, stated that a local Amerindian narrative named "The Story of Lynx" already existed in the continent by the 16th century, and showed immense parallels to the European/Old World tale of "Le Teigneux", a hero of lowly apperance that belies a noble countenance. However, he rejected the idea that the Amerindian tale is an European borrowing, and argued as a parallel an Aztec tale supposedly borrowed from the Toltec people: the deity Tezcatlipoca wants to destroy the Toltec, so he takes on a human disguise (Titlacauan) with a lowly appearance and dresses in rags, then goes to sell peppers in the marketplace; the daughter of the Toltec king, Huemac, spots Titlacauan's endowment under the rags, and falls in love with him.

Birth of Prince and Foal (mythological undercurrent of the Goldener Tale?)

p. 75 by Georg Hüsing

Wendy Doniger indicates that the simultaneous birth of prince by the queen and colt by the (royal) mare is a motif of an Indo-European mythological narrative. In an earlier book, Doniger supposes that, in the Urtext of the story, there is a single mother (both human and mare), and "the boy and a single colt must have been twins.".

Similarly, according to Bulgarian scholar Ivan Marazov, "This reveals the importance of the horse in the mythology and epos of the Indo-European peoples: the stallion usually represents the hypomorphous half of the gemini, he is born simultaneously with the hero whom he is to serve later. ... Horse and rider form an invincible whole and the heroic deeds are performed by both of them. ... the hero ... is born simultaneously with the horse with which he is to perform heroic deeds marking his initiation trials."

According to Bulgarian folklorist Lyubomira Parpulova, in Bulgarian tales, a tree in the garden has a magical fruit that is eaten by a woman and a mare, and both, respectively, give birth to a son and a foal at the same time.

Non-Iranian incidence of birth of horse and foal

A Southeast Asian story of Buddhist origin has the birth of a prince and a winged horse: queen Kesani eats a jujube and gives birth to prince Sudhana/Suthana (or Sattadhanu), while a mare eats the stone of the fruit and foal a horse named Manikakkha ('Jewel Eyes'). Prince and horse develops a friendship and, later, decide to fly off to another kingdom.

Linguist Samuel Ethan Fox published a tale in the Jilu dialect of Neo-Aramaic. In this tale, a king and queen has no children. One day, magicians visit his kingdom and offer a solution: one produces two apples, one to be eaten by the royal couple and another to be given to his horse and mare. They follow the magicians' instructions and, nine months later, a son is born to the queen and a foal to the mare. The king banishes any references to hunting in the palace. Despite this, years later, the prince is being tutored by a teacher, who shows him the picture of a gazelle. This piques his curiosity, and later the prince rides his horse in the wilderness until they come across a gazelle. The prince chases after the animal, but loses his way.

German linguist Bernard Schmidt collected a Greek tale from Zakynthos with the title Τὸ φίδι τὸ ᾽φτακέφαλο, which he translated as Die siebenköpfige Schlange ("The Seven-Headed Serpent"). In this tale, a kingdom is menaced by a large seven-headed serpent, to which youths are delivered as sacrifice. This goes on for years, until one day the local king is old enough and sighs that he has no son, and so does the queen. Suddenly, an old woman appears to her with an apple, which she says was an inheritance from her mother. The old woman says the fruit can grant the royal couple their wish. The queen buys it from the old woman, eats it and throws away the peels. A mare passes by the garden and eats the peels. Nine months later, the queen gives birth to a son, while the mare foals a colt. The boy and the little horse grow up together and love each other "like brothers". When the prince is 19 years old, after the queen and the king dies, the horse begins to talk and tells him they should go to the underground monastery the old woman belongs to, if he wishes to save his country from the serpent.

Apperance of the horse

According to scholar David Hunt, a "recurring motif" from North Caucasus, in their legends and fairy tales, is the hero finding his horse companion from the sea.

Turkologist Ignác Kúnos noted the existence of helpful magical horses in Turkish folklore: the Kamer Tay (Камӓр Таі) and the Sea-Horse (аіҕыр). The Kamar Tay is born from the same apple a Dervish gives to a childless padishah, when a mare eats the apple peels. As for the Sea-Horse, it lives in water, but can emerge and return to it; it comes at night to the surface to drink water and can be tamed if one places iron soles on its hooves. Sometimes the Sea-Horses are identified as children of a Wind Dev. The magical horse drinks rosewater and eats almonds.

"King Vikramaditya and his Wife" - Indian ATU 314 (lacks horse, has svayamvara and gardener part)

"Padişahın Oğlu ile Atı" (The Son of the Padishah and the Horse) - Turkish ATU 314

According to Annemarie Schimmel, the Meer-Pferd, or samūnḑī gbōrā (ghoṛā? Horse in Urdu), appears in "these types of [Pakistani?] tales": it lives near the seashore, and can only be tamed by a hero.

In a tale from the Assyrian people published by Russo-Assyrian author Konstantin P. (Bar-Mattai) Matveev with the title "Сын бедняка" ("The Poor Man's Son"), a poor man named Gzirai has a wife, who gives birth to a son. The woman sews him a fine garment that can protect him from evil, and keeps it in a chest until her son is 17 years old. Time passes, the boy grows up in leaps and bounds, and wears the fine garments on one occasion. One day, he tells his mother he wishes to leave home and return when he is stronger. He says his goodbyes, and walks near the shore. Suddenly, the waves crash at the beach: a sea horse comes to the shore, gives birth to a foal, then goes back into the water. The newborn foal is defenseless against a nearby ant colony, which wish to kill and devour the animal in retaliation for its mother destroying their anthills. Gzirai's son rushes to the foal's aid and carries it to the water, so it can be washed and gain strength. After doing so, the ants disperse and the sea horse appears again. The animal thanks the youth for saving its colt and allows him to have it as a companion, then teachs him to breath on the foal to turn it into a needle, allowing Gzirai's son to carry it anywhere. After the sea horse departs, Gzirai's son does as instructed and the foal, whom he names Ispert, turns into a needle he pins on his clothes. The youth then reaches a kingdom where he finds work as a gooseherd, and lives in a shabby hut. Some time later, the local king's daughters come of age and the monarch summons a gathering of suitors, for the princesses to choose their husbands by throwing an apple to them from the palace balcony. The next day, suitors assemble in the maidan in front of the palace, and Gzirai's son herds his geese nearby. The elder princesses throw their apples to the sons of the royal viziers. The youngest princess throws her apples and it hits the gooseherd's head. The king thinks his daughter made a mistake, then orders the gooseherd to be driven away from the maidan, while the princess retries twice. On the second attempt, the princess's apple hits Gzirai's son yet again. The princess resigns to her fate, while the king banishes her to live in poverty with the gooseherd. Some time later, the king convenes with his Majlis, and asks them how the realm can sell their products, since the mountains surround them like a kingdom. The viziers and elders suggest the king sends his sons-in-law to scurry the mountains for an alternate trade route, which the king does. The gooseherd learns of this and decides to join them: he blows on the needle and summons his foal Ispert, then rides to a random place in the mountains. He lets Ispert graze nearby, while the youth goes to open up a path by moving some rocks out of the way. A second sea horse appears to help Gzirai's son, and both clear the way for caravans to pass through. The sea horse then advises the youth to put on his fine garments, and says the coming caravan is bringing a gift for his wife.

Next, the king laments that the realm lies on infertile soil of sand and stone, and orders them to turn it into fertile land for harvest.

The Svayamvara

"ترنـج زریـن" - golden bergamot indicated princess's choice of husband

In a 1948 article, Waldemar Liungman traced the appearance of "The Goldener" narrative to the period of 700 a.C.-300 a.C., more specifically, the golden apple motif, a mark of the princess's self-choice of husband. Lastly, the story existed in both Macedonia and in Persia, and in the latter molded into the "Goldener" tale. In a 1961 book, he traced the Goldener story back to Persia, and noted its popularity among the Arabs.

Author Amina Shah published a Central Asian tale titled Gushtasp and the Princess of Roum: Iranian prince Gushtasp goes to the land of Roum, and falls in love with its princess, Katayun. The princess wants to be married, and the king holds an assembly, as it was custom in that land, for the princesses to choose husbands by giving them bouquets of flowers, indicating their choices. In the gathering of suitors, princess Katayun circles around the men, sights Gushtasp, gives him her bouquet, then leaves with her sisters.

The Embroidered Ball Tossing in China

Professor Michael Saso writes thus about the practice in China: "The 7/7 festival is also the day on which a woman can propose to a man. In traditional China women climbed atop a tower in the evening and threw an embroidered ball to the man they loved".

John Macgowan: "It may here be explained that it was a custom in the early days of the history of China to allow any young maiden who was reluctant to have her husband chosen for her by her parents, to make use of what was called "The throwing of the embroidered ball" in order to discover the man whom the gods intended her to marry. This ball was made of some soft material, wrapped round with a piece of red silk which was covered with variegated figures, worked by the damsel's own hands and emblematic of the love by which the hearts of husband and wife are bound indissolubly to each other. It was firmly believed by every maiden of this romantic type that the man who was struck by the ball from her fair hands was the one whom Heaven had selected as her husband; and no parent would ever dream of refusing to accept a choice made in this way."

"In a poem entitled "Kuan Ku Fan so-ts'ang Sung ssu chin-shih ssu-pien ko", Kao Ch'i (1336-1374) describes, among other things, an embroidered ball falling from a high gate-tower, indicating that this is a scene in which a husband is being chosen. [...] Ku (pp. 113-114) is more certain that the theme of the tossing of the embroidered ball in drama was an adaptation from the custom of the minority tribes in south-western China. § Whatever the case may be, the more immediate source of the episode of Meng-cheng's marriage probably comes from a yuan-pen, "P'ao hsiu-ch'iu". [...] In any case, the tossing of an embroidered ball from a ts'ai-lou as a means to choose a husband had become by the Yuan a very popular theme since it was built into the plot of quite a few tsa-chü plays."

Native American ATU 314

According to Stith Thompson, tale type ATU 314, "Goldener", is reported in more than 15 variants among Native American populations.

In a tale collected from a Maliseet source titled Louis and the Grey Horse,

Wotjak ATU 314

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Volksbräuche und Volksdichtung der Wotjaken. = Mémoires de la Société Finno-Ougrienne 102 by D. R. Fuchs, Bernhard Munkácsi. Suomalais-ugrilainen Seura, 1952. pp. 215-219 (tale nr. 87)

Azeri ATU 314 (= Iranian "The Black Colt")

A fekete ló ("The Black Horse")

Fiú a fehér lovon ("The Boy and the White Horse")

Azerbaijani scholarship indexes a similar tale type in Azerbaijan, titled 532, "Ağ atlı oğlan" ("The Boy on the White Horse"). In the Azeri type, the hero's stepmother feigns illness and wants to kill the horse; the hero asks for a last ride on the horse and both escape to another kingdom; on the road, the hero helps some animals and gains their help; in the distant kingdom, the hero defeats an entire army and is recognized by his dressed wound.

Estonian SUS 532 (?) / ATU 314

Estonian folklorist Ello Kirss Säärits from Seto teller Ul'ga Ridala with the Seto title Valgõtsirk, translated to Estonian with the title Valge lind ("White Bird"), a couple has no children, and the man goes to the town and meets a person who gives him an apple, to be sliced in half, each half to be given to his wife and their horse. It happens thus and a son is born to the couple and a foal to the horse. Years later, the boy is made to look after his father's shop while he goes on a journey, and his mother takes up a lover. The woman tries to kill her son: for the first two days, she tries to poison his food, but the horse shows the boy its bloodied hooves and warns the boy not to touch the food; on the third day, the woman dips the plates in poison, which will kill the boy if he but touches it, and again the foal warns him to avoid touching them. The woman discovers who has been protecting her son, and calls him for dinner again, but the boy goes to meet the foal. The foal tells the boy to jump on its back, for their killers are at the stable doors. The horse gallops away and takes the boy to another kingdom, near a king's apple orchard. The boy dimisses the horse and goes to sleep near the orchard. Many people come to wake up the boy, and the king even whips him to make him utter a sound, to no avail. The monarch moves him out to a nearby hut, and sends the princesses to deliver him food. The boy does not interact with the elder two princesses, but reveals his name is "Valge lind" ("White Bird") to the youngest. Some time later, the king sends his daughters to be sacrificed to the monsters near the beach. Each time, the princess says she has to say goodbye to White Bird in the gardens, then goes to the beach. White Bird summons his horse and goes to the beach, as an one-headed monster comes out of the water. The White Bird tosses some powder inside the monster's mouth and saves the princess, who invites her saviour to eat some salty bread in her father's castle. He denies her request, saying his name is Ivan Kaupmees, and is already full of the king's three whippings. The middle princess goes to the beach as the next sacrifice, and White Bird, under the Ivan Kaupmees's identity, kills the two-headed monster and saves the princess. The third time, the youngest princess is promised as a sacrifice, and a three-headed monster rises out of the sea to devour her. White Bird rides his loyal horse to the beach and, after a hard battle, defeats the monster, but is injured in his hand. The youngest princess wraps her handkerchief around the knight's hand, and he departs. Back to the kingdom, the monarch wishes to learn the true identity of their saviour and summons everyone in the kingdom, but no one has the handkerchief. The youngest princess remembers the boy White Bird in the gardens, and goes to bring him in. White Bird is shown as their saviour, and he marries the youngest princess. At the end of the tale, White Bird summons his horse to return to his homeland and meets his father herding pigs at home. The man does not recognize his son, and tells him his wife has transformed into a devil. White Bird kills his mother, then takes his father to his wife's kingdom to live with them.

Lithuanian AaTh 314A

In a Lithuanian tale collected from an Ožkabaliai source in 1896 and titled Apė vieną karalių ir jo sūnų ("About the king and his son"), an old king wishes to remarry, and chooses a young lady as his wife, who marries the old king out of familial duty. They marry and she has a son with him, but the young queen hates her husband, and consorts with another monarch. The young queen conspires with her lover to get rid of the old husband, and he cuts off his head in the forest during a travel. The lovers marry, and the old king's son visits his father's grave. The prince's father's spirit appears and gives him a silver saddle, with which the young prince can summon a silver horse equipped with silver armour. The prince visits his father's grave for two more nights, gaining a golden saddle to summon a golden horse with golden armour, and a diamond saddle that can summon a diamond horse with diamond armour. Back to the new royal couple, when the prince is fourteen years old, the new king has a dream where he cut off his stepson's head, and in the morning the queen, on hearing this, joins with her husband in trying to kill her son by poisoning him. Thus, the king orders a maidservant to bake a cake with poison in it and give it to the prince. The maidservant, in tears, brings the poisoned food to the prince, and he asks her the reason for her tears: she reveals the food is poisoned, the prince gives it to the cat and decides to flee to another kingdom. The young prince then finds work as a squire in the next kingdom, but one of the king's daughters notice him and suggests he should be hired as the gardener's assistant. Some time later, when people are at church, the young prince, in his lowly disguise as the gardener's assistant, summons each of the horses with the saddles for a ride around the garden - events witnessed by the princess, who was left at home. When the king returns from church, the princess tells her father she wants to marry the gardener's assistant; the king agrees to her decision, but in retaliation, orders her to leave his sight. The princess marries him, and she goes to live with him in a humble house. Some time later, war breaks out, and the king decides to get rid of his lowborn son-in-law, by giving him a lame mount and sending him to be killed in the battlefield. However, out of sight, the prince summons the silver horse, defeats the enemies, then returns to his gardener's assistant's disguise. War breaks out twice more, and the prince summons the golden horse to battle in the second conflict, and the diamond horse to fight in the third one. During the third war, the prince is injured in the leg, which the king bandages with a kerchief. The prince then returns to his humble home to rest. After the wars, the king marries one of the other princesses, and is convinced to invite his disgraced daughter and her husband to the celebration. The prince, still in his lowly appearance, attends the feast and pretends to be drunk, and positions himself so as to keep his leg injury visible. When the king sights him, he notices the injury and the bandage, thus confirming the gardener's assistant was the knight at the battlefield. The king apologizes for his treatment and names him as his successor.

Lithuanian ATU 314

In a Lithuanian tale collected from a Gražiškiai source with the title Apė vienturtį karaliaus sūnų ir jojo žirgą ("About the son of the king and his horse"), a queen is barren, and an old woman advises the king to catch a certain fish in a lagoon, cook it and serve it to the queen. The fishermen catch the fish, the cook prepare it and serve it to the queen. The fish's guts are thrown out, and a mare and a she-dog eat it and each give birth to a golden-maned foal and a golden-furred puppy, while the queen gives birth to a son with the sun on the front and the moon on the back of his head. The young prince plays with the animals and travels alongside his father, the king, which causes the queen, his mother, to feel envy towards her own son. One day, the prince goes to meet the foal, which warns him that they will bake him cakes laced with poison, and he should give them to the puppy. Following the foal's warning, the prince gets the cakes and throws it to his puppy, which eats it and dies. The prince soon suspects his mother of doing so, but she apologizes and the matter is settled. However, on another occasion, the queen sees her son riding around with the king's sword and spins a story the prince wants to kill his own father. The king belives his wife's false story and decrees the prince is to die in three days' time. The prince confides in his horse, which plans with the boy a means to escape: he is to ask the king for money, and the horse will provide him a bagpipe. On the appointed time, the prince is guided to his execution, but asks for a ride on his pet foal. The king grants his last wish, but soldiers surround him. He blows on the bagpipe and the soldiers fall to the ground, allowing the boy to escape to another kingdom. On the road, the prince trades clothes with a beggar, and finds work as a pigkeeper to a king, while he hides his horse in the garden. One day, the third and youngest princess spies on him out of his beggar disguise, and falls in love with him. She then announces she wishes to marry the pigkeeper, to which the king agrees, but moves her out to a humble hut. Later, war breaks out, and the prince joins in the battle to protect his father-in-law's kingdom. He summons his horse, rides into the battlefield as a knight (whom the king does not recognize) and blows on the bagpipe, killing the enemy army and their king. As a reward, his father-in-law presents him with the royal sword, and he rides back to the humble hut. After the war, the king hold a celebratory feast, and invites his daughter and her husband. The king goes to their hut and finds the royal sword in his possession, then kneels in front of the pigkeeper. The pigkeeper doffs his disguise, summons his loyal horse and rides around as the prince he is. On seeing the prince's true appearance, the king gives him the kingdom.

Alfred Cammann/West Prussian ATU 314 (?)

Professor Alfred Cammann collected a West Prussian tale titled Prinz Jochen ("Prince Jochen"). In this tale, prince Johann's father marries another woman, who has her own son. She begins to hate her stepson for being the first heir, and wishes to make her son the king's heir, so she resorts to trying to get rid of Johann: she poisons his favourite dish, but a female friend of Johann warns him. After he gives the currants to a dog to calm him down, the animal eats it and dies, thus warning Johann of the danger. He decides to escape in the dark of the night and wanders to another kingdom, where he finds work as a stable boy and takes care of the local princess's untamed brown horse.

Hausa ATU 314 (= Iranian "Black Colt")

In a Hausa tale translated by missionary Adam Mischlich into German as Der Wunderpferd ("The Wonderful Horse"),

Iranian ATU 314 (= Iranian "Black Colt")

• Chanom, Maschdi Galin; Elwell-Sutton, Laurence Paul; Marzolph, Ulrich; Amirhosseini-Nithammer, Azar (1994). Die Erzählungen der Mašdi Galin Ḫānom: Text. Reichert. ISBN 9783882266214. Tales nr. 1 and 2.

• Chanom, Maschdi Galin; Elwell-Sutton, Laurence Paul; Marzolph, Ulrich; Amirhosseini-Nithammer, Azar (1994). Die Erzählungen der Mašdi Galin Ḫānom: Text. Vol. 2. Reichert. p. 48 (tales nr. 1 and 2). ISBN 9783882266276.

Del Del (= Iranian "Black Colt")

In an Iranian tale collected from a Qoshan source with the title "دل دل" ("Del Del"), the prince finds a mare, which the Al-khun explains can give birth to a "Dil Dil", but everytime she foals she throws her colt in the sea. The Al-khun tells the prince to help his restrain the mare the next time it gives birth, so he can have the foal. It happens thus, and the mare gives birth to a foal, which the prince Abdullah is instructed to feed on raisins for six months before he can ride the animal. His brothers, who ride around on their own horses, invite Abdullah to join them, but the youth's mount is not yet ready. His brothers realize the foal is of rare stock, from Del Del, and they wish to kill him and have the animal for themselves. One day, he meets up with Del Del and finds it crying; the foal alerts him his brothers have dug up a hole for him to fall in, but he can simply jump over it. He does that. Realizing they cannot have the foal, their mother rubs saffron on her face, feigns illness and asks for the meat of the foal. Abdullah meets with Del Del again, this time the horse warns they plan to kill it. Prince Abdullah meets his father and complains that his brothers ride their horses every day, so he should ride Del Del at least once. The king indulges his son, and both the prince and escape into the desert, away from the kingdom. They climb up a mountain, then stop to rest and eat. Del Del advises the prince to wash his hair in a waterfall of golden water, which gild his hair, then they make their way to a flock of sheep. The prince buys a sheep's stomach to wear as a cap, Del Del gives him some of its hairs, to be burnt in case he needs its help, and the part ways. Abdullah makes way to a city where he finds work with an old man, who is the royal gardener. The gardener prepares bouquets for the king's three daughters every day, and one day Abdullah asks him about it. The man answers him. Abdullah takes the chance to tease a sheep to distract the gardener, while he ties a strand of his golden hair in one of the bouquets. The three princesses are given the bouquets, but the third princess notices the golden strand and keeps the one that has it for herself. Some time later, she goes to the roof of the palace and spies on the gardener's assistant without his cap, and swoons at the sight. Her maidservants go to help her. Some days later, the princesses send melons to their father as analogy to their marriageability, which they explains to the king. The monarch then gathers all eligible suitors for the princesses to choose their husbands from by grabbing their hands: the elder chooses the minister's son and the middle one the attorney's son, while the youngest remains still. The king then orders everyone to be brought to the ceremony; the soldiers find Abdullah in the desert and bring him. The third princess holds his hand, to her father and sisters' horror. The king gives palaces for his elder daughters, and banishes the cadette to the stables. Later the king's sons-in-law go on a hunt, and so does Abdullah: the prince summons Del Del by burning its hair, and they set up a tent atop a mountain, where the many animals flock to them. The brothers-in-law sight the tent and go up the mountain, meeting Abdullah, whom they do not recognize. They complain to the stranger they could not find any game, and Abdullah offers them some under one condition: to be branded with a burning coin on their feet. A deal is made, and the brothers-in-law take some sheep for their wives to cook for the king. The elder princesses' dishes are tasteless, causing the king to expel both from the palace, while the youngest's meal, made with heads and hooves, is tasty to the monarch and his wife. Later, a foreing king sends a letter demanding one of the princesses in marriage to his son, and, on being refused, declares war. The conflict lasts for three days, and Abdullah, on the third day, joins in the fray, killing the enemy army, then returning to his wife, who wraps up a strip of her clothes around his wound. The king, his father-in-law, realizes Abdullah is his son-in-law and nominates him as his successor, but he has first to choose a minister and an attorney. Abdullah says he has already done it, and the other two sons-in-law show their branded soles. Abdullah makes his brothers- and sisters-in-law as his servant.

Malek Jamshid and the Wind Colt

Iranian author Ahmad Shamlou published an Iranian tale in his work The Book of Alley. In this tale, titled "ملک جمشید و کره بادی" ("Malek Jamshid and the Wind Colt"), prince Malek Jamshid has a magical horse as his companion, the titular Wind Colt. His stepmother, the second queen, hates him and tries to kill him, but the Wind Colt warns him everytime. Finally, the stepmother decides to kill the horse itself, but Malek Jamshid mounts on the horse and both fly away to another kingdom. Once they land, the Wind Colt gives him some of its hairs to be summoned. The horse also helps its human companion to get married to the princess of this kingdom.

Iranian/Bakhtiari ATU 314 (= "The Black Colt")

In an Iranian tale from Bakhtiari, the soldiers capture a black colt and bring it to the prince, Ali Mishza (علی میشه زا; English: "Ali Sheep-Born") or Alimishehza (علیمیشهزا), as a gift. He becomes friends with the colt, and goes to the stables to feed him chickpeas and raisins whenever he comes back from school. The shah remarries and spends time with his son, then goes to meet his wife, to the latter's great jealousy. Thus, she decides to kill her stepson: first, she bakes a shirmal bread with poison and places it on a platter. When Ali Misheza comes back from school, the black colt begins to talk to him from its stall and warns him about the poisoned bread.

in the stables, but one day, the colt's life is at stake when the queen demands its blood to cure her.

Iranian/Khorasan ATU 314 (= "The Black Colt")

In a Khorasani tale from Jolgeh Sankhvast, titled "شــاهزاده ابراهیــم" ("Shahzadeh Ebrahim" or "Prince Ebrahim"), the king's three daughters send three melons of varying ripeness to their father, the king, as analogy to their marriageability. The king interprets this daughters' intention correctly: it is past time they were married.

Iranian Qaradaghi ATU 314 (= Iranian "Black Colt")

In an Iranian tale collected in Qaradagh, East Azerbaijan, with the title "داستان پادشاه ذشوار و ابراهیم" ("King Deshwar and Prince Ibrahim"), King Deshwar has a son named Ibrahim. One day, while walking on the beach, king and prince find some aquatic horses coming out of the sea with their black-coated foal in tow. Prince Ibrahim spots the black foal and wants to have it, to which the king consents. Ibrahim and the black foal become good friends, and they grow up together. The king is also a widower, and married a second queen that hates her stepson. Her grudge grows in time, until she tells the king she wants the prince killed. The king disagrees with the idea, but the queen says she will do the deed herself. First, she digs up a well near the entrance to the palace and covers it with a carpet, as a trap for the prince to fall into. When the prince returns from school, he goes to meet the black foal, which warns him about the well. Thus, Ibrahim escapes by jumping over the carpet. The queen orders the hole to be filled with earth, and moves to another attempt: poisoning his food. The black horse warns the prince again: the prince feeds a pet cat with some of the food and avoids eating the dish.

The king and queen set their sights on the black horse. The next day, prince Ibrahim meets his equine friend and finds him in tears, since, this time, it is its life that is at stake.

Ibrahim flees his home kingdom and goes to another country. Some time later, war erupts, and he summons his loyal horse, requesting the animal to provide him with a powerful blade, then rides to the battlefield.

The Green Horse Colt (Hormozgan)

In an Iranian tale from Hormozgan titled "کره اسب سبز" ("The Green Horse Colt"), a boy is friends with a colt of green colour, which can speak. The animal warns him of the boy's stepmother's plans to kill him, and both escape when she sets her sights on the horse. Boy and horse flee to another kingdom, where a king lives with his seven daughters. The colt gives some of its hairs for the boy to summon it. The king's daughters throw oranges to their suitors of choice.

ATU 314 and Magic Flight

Hilda-Gudrun (Friedrich Panzer)

The Magical Flight on Goldener Marchentype by Antti Aarne

Webster, Wentworth. Basque legends. London: Griffith and Farran. 1879. pp. 111ff --> "Ezkabi-Fidel" - Basque ATU 314: boy works with Devil in disguise for almost seven years, which he feels as almost seven months; white mare alerts him and they flee, the mare creating the obstacles by trotting the ground; boy works as gardener with a cap on head; third princess marries gardener; war sequence, quest for remedy for the king (brothers-in-law trade golden apples as payment).

Irish ATU 314

In an Irish tale published by author Seumas MacManus with the title Hookedy-Crookedy, Jack, son of a king and a queen, decides to travel the world to earn his own fortune. On the road, he meets a gray-bearded old man who directs him to a giant named Giant of the Hundred Hills, who has been looking for a servant. Jack meets the Giant, who takes him in and instructs the prince to look after the place, for the Giant leaves every day to battle another giant at the end of the world. The Giant also warns Jack not to open the door to the stables. The next day, the Giant leaves Jack alone at home, and opens every door, save for the stables. He decides to check what is inside it, and spins a ring on the pivot: inside, he finds a mare and a bear with the incorrect fodder (meat for the mare, hay for the bear). Jack inverts the fodder's positions, then exits the stables, but sticks his finger in the ring. Afraid of the Giant's fury, Jack cuts off his own finger. The Giant comes home and spots Jack's injured hands, but forgives the trespass for their family's history, and leaves it be. The next day, Jack disobeys the Giant again, feeds the animals with the correct fodder, and sticks another finger in the ring, having to cut it off. The Giant comes home and chastises Jack for this. On the third day, Jack goes to feed the mare and the bear, when the mare begins talk, warning the prince the Giant will surely kill him, and he must escape. The bear joins them in their flight. As the Giant chases after them, the mare asks Jack to fetch something from its ears to hinder the pursuit: a chestnut from the left ear (which creates a chestnut wood) and a drop of water from the right ear (which creates a lough). After fleeing from the Giant, they take refufe in a forest near the Scotland border; the mare gives Jack a wishing-cap and, breathing over the boy, changes him to a hookedy-crooked shape. Jack, under the new disguise, goes to the castle of the King of Scotland in order to find a job, but a female servant that was scouring knives informed that the King employed no man. After the maidservant leaves to report to the king, Jack uses the wishing-cap and the cutlery is done by the time the servant comes back with the king. The monarch is convinced to hire Jack for his ugliness, and places him on the garden. Some time later, war breaks out with the King of the East; the King of Scotland is advised by his Grand Adviser to send for nobles to marry his daughters, so he can find allies. Thus, the eldest princess if married to the son of the King of Spain and the middle one to the son of the King of France. As for the youngest, named Yellow Rose, she refuses any suitors, to her father's concern, and goes to the garden to console herself in the gardener's presence. Hookedy-Crookedy and Yellow Rose eventually fall in love with each other. Later, per the Grand Adviser's words, the King will send his new sons-in-law to the Well at the World's End to fill bottles of loca for the upcoming battle. Hookedy-Crookedy is told of this by the youngest princess and consults with the mare. The animal advises him on how to proceed: Jack is to join the princes in their quest on a lame horse; when the trio go their separate ways at the crossroads, Jack is to summon two bottles of loca with the wishing-cap, then convene with the others. It happens as the mare predicts: Jack, whom the brothers-in-law do not recognize, meets the princes en route and offers them the bottles of loca in exchange for their golden balls (which the elder princesses gave them as token of betrothal) and to allow Jack to write something on their backs. The princes agree to a deal, and bring back the loca to the king. The next day, the king of Scotland, the princes and the army go to war; Jack goes to meet the mare, which provides him with a gallant armour, and he goes to battle with the mare and the bear. Three times Jack defeats the enemies on the King of Scotland's behalf, and is given a reward by the king after each battle (a magical tablecloth that provides food in the first, an inexhaustible purse that provides money in the second, and a magical comb in the third). The king also invites the knight to a meal for three days, which Jack attends in the gallant armours he wore to battle. During the three days, Jack, posing as the knight, tries to woo Yellow Rose and belittles the crooked gardener, but Yellow Rose will have none of that. Still, Jack gives her the magicl objects the king gave him, and, on the third day, unmasks the princes' treachery by revealing the inscriptions on their backs. Lastly, Yellow Rose goes to meet with Hookedy-Crookedy, and uses the comb on him, turning him into Jack. The princess and Jack marry. At the end of the tale, a woman appears to Jack and the princess and says she was the mare, and the bear her brother, now finally released from their enchantment.

Flemish ATU 314

In a Flemish tale collected by Alfons de Cock and Pol de Mont with the title Van Schaapsvel ("About Sheep's Head"), a youth named Jan is very lazy, to his father's concern. Jan tries to find work, but gets many rejections to his face, until one day he enters the woods and knocks on the door of a house. An old woman greets him and he asks if she needs a servant. The old woman agrees to take him in and gives him orders to groom and feed three black horses and beat up a white one, and fobids him to open a certain door while she is way, lest she punishes him. After a while, Jan's curiosity gets the better of him and he opens the forbidden door. Inside, there is nothing there, save for a deep well he tries to peer into, but cannot see anything inside, so he locks the door and goes to feed the white horse. The horse begins to talk and tells Jan to look into the mirror. Jan is surprised at the horse's words, but obeys nonetheless: his hair has gained a golden colour. The horse then explains it is a princess turned into a horse by Jan's mistress, a sorceress, and bids him put on a sheepskin on his head to hide the golden hair, take a mirror, a comb and a hammer, so that they may escape. It happens thus, and the sorceress trails behind Jan and the white horse. The youth then throws the objects to hinder her pursuit: the mirror creates a vast sea, the hammer a mountain, and the comb a wall of fire. Jan and the horse safely flee from the sorceress, then explains the three black horses are also enchanted princes, and, should the boy need any help, he has but to think and she will appear to him. She also givs him a knife to kill the witch with and release the three princes, which he does. Some time later, Jan, or Sheep's Head, goes to Spain and finds work as the royal gardener's assistant. One day, the king of Spain's three daughters wish to have three beautiful bouquets, and Jan thinks about getting the white horse's help. Suddenly, the animal appears to him with a bouquet, which the gardener delivers. On the occasion of the third princess (Anna)'s birthday, Jan delivers her a beautiful bouquet furnished by the white horse, and the princess begins to fall in love with him. One day, she spies on him without his sheep's skin cap and spots his golden hair, then decides to marry him. Despite her father's wishes, she chooses the lowly gardener, and is given a decrepit castle as wedding gift. Later, war breaks out between Spain and Russia, and Jan is awaiing at home. He thinks about the white horse, and it appears with a regiment of soldiers to aid his father-in-law in battle. Jan appears to turn the tide of battle against the Russians; his cowardly brothers-in-law try to achieve any victory, but finds the enemy armies have retreated. Jan sends two of the soldiers of his regiment ahead of him to greet the king of Spain, and appears soon after. The king marvels at the mysterious knight, who reveals himself to be Jan. With the white horse's help, he changes back to his garddener disguise, then back to the knightly armour. The king embraces him as his son-in-law and holds a grand feast.

Connections

"Népmese-tanulmány" - http://real-j.mtak.hu/17292/ (277-286). Solymossy argues that Cinderella (510A), Allerleirauh (510B), Nemtudonka/Goldener (314, 502, 532) and Hamupipöke/Ashlad (530) are four variations of the same cycle.

He argues that Nemtudonka is spread over three tale types: after he pretends to be a silly person, he works in the garden and wins the affections of the princess by showing his golden hair, or by giving her gifts. They marry and are still despised, but he gains the upper hand on his brothers-in-law during a hunt; or takes part in a war and is recognized by a battle wound. (p. 278).

Solymossy suggested that the supposed Nemtodunka original archetype has the humiliation of the brothers-in-law (by exchanging a betrothal gift, branding their backs or cutting off their little fingers) and/or the earning the father-in-law's favour by taking part in the war. This, to him, is evidence that Tuhkimo's archetype does not continue as neither, ending at the knight's recognition after the Glass Mountain challenge.(pp. 284-285).

Ralston explictly says: [41]: The tales of Goldenlocks and of Cinderella - Catskin'are evidently twin forms of the same narrative , brother and sister developments of the same historical or mythological germ

[42] [43] = [44] [45] [46] = [47]

[48]

[49] Horse in Serbian folktales

[50] pp. 7-10 (ATU 314 Croatian according to Maja Boskovich-Stulli) [51] plus 36, 37 - Croatian Neznanko - 532

[52][53] - Czech 314 by Bozena Nemcova (lacks stepmother's persecution, horse is hero's mother's returned, main gardener part intact)

Poland ATU 314

According to philologist and folklorist Julian Krzyżanowski, establisher of the Polish Folktale Catalogue according to the international index, the tale type ATU 314 is also reported in Poland, index as 314, Zaczarowany koń ("Enchanted Horse"). In the Polish type, the hero works for the Devil (either hired by him or sold by his parents), and opens a forbidden room; his hair turns gold and he finds a talking horse that bids him escape from his employer; the horse and the hero throw behind objects to deter the Devil and they reach another kingdom; once there, the hero hides his golden hair under a scarf, and works as a cook or a gardener; the princess falls in love with the lowly servant, marries him and is banished from the palace to a pigsty; the hero takes off the disguise and practice heroic deeds (fighting in a war; finding a remedy for the king, etc.); lastly, the lowly servant is recognized as the brave knight.

Finland ATU 314

Tale type 314 is known in Finland as Pako pirun luota (Kultapää) ("Flight from Devil (Kultapää)"), according to the Finnish Folktale Catalogue, established by scholar Pirkko-Liisa Rausmaa. In the Finnish type, the hero escapes on a horse or bull by throwing magic objects behind him, then works as gardener to a human king.

In a Finnish tale titled Pechmütze ("Pitch-Cap"?), a poor boy named Pechmütze goes to look for a job, but he meets on the road three one-eyed witches. The boy threatens each of the witches with death and gains from each one a metallic armour: copper from the first, silver from the second and golden from the third one. Later, he finds work as a cowherd for the local king, and herds the cows in a place named Devil's Meadow. One night, the Devil himself appears to Pitch-Cap and enters a contest with him: the Devil smashes a rock as a show of power, and Pitch-Cap, with guile, crushes a piece of cheese to trick the foolish Devil. After paying some coins to Pitch-Cap, the Devil takes the boy to his house as his new servant, where he is to look after the Devil's animal, a bear and a horse, feeding them, respectively, oats and coal, and to look after a cauldron of boiling blood and not open it. One day, after the Devil leaves for a while, Pitch-Cap disobeys his instructions: he look into the cauldron, and feeds coals to the bear and oats to the horse. Fearing for his life, the boy remembers his employer's threat, when the horse begins to talk and bids the boy fetch a whip, a bottle of water and a spruce branch, for they best escape. The horse takes the boy with him, and the Devil, after going home, is told of the boy's flight on the horse, and goes after him on the bear. En route, the horse advises the boy to throw behind them the whip, the branch (which creates a forest), and finally the water (which creates a vast river). The Devil and the bear try to drink up river and burst, while the boy returns to the king's service, although no one recognizes him, since much time has passed. The king's three daughters, the princesses, are already engaged to three suitors, who were each given a ring ornated with a precious stone. One day, Pitch-Cap wants to join the suitors in a hunt, but is given a lame rifle. However, Pitch-Cap does manage to shoot some birds, unlike the princesses' suitors, who wish to buy the birds, with one of them offering his engagement ring in exchange. Pitch-Cap makes a deal, then shoots a single sparrow just for show. The next day, Pitch-Cap kills the birds and agrees to sell them to the suitors, after he receives the second suitor's ring as payment. On the second day, he kills a deer for show. On the third day, he sells the birds he hunted for the third suitor's ring, and returns to the palace empty-handed. Some time later, war breaks out, and the princesses' suitors ride into battle. Meanwhile, Pitch-Cap goes back the horse companion he found at the Devil's house, joins the fray in the metallic armours he pilfered from the witches, and defeats the king's enemies. After each battle, Pitch-Cap goes back to the Devil's Meadow and unburies something, then goes to the king's court to present himself as the king's champion. The king and the court do not believe him, until he leaves and comes back in the same armours he wore in the battlefield, and shows the king his own wound which the king dressed with a scarf with the royal insignia. He also shows the king the suitors' rings as proof of the suitors' lies about the hunt. Enraged, the king orders the execution of the lying suitors, and gives one of the princesses to Pitch-Cap for wife.

Hungary ATU 314

The Hungarian Folktale Catalogue (MNK) registers type ATU 314 in Hungary with the title Az aranyhajú kertészbojtár ("The Golden-Haired Gardener"): the hero works for the Devil (either promised by his parents or hired as his servant); he opens a forbidden room and his hair becomes gold; he is ordered by the devil not to feed a horse (described as a táltos horse) in the devil's stables, but does so and escapes on the horse to another kingdom, throwing objects behind him to create obstacles to hinder the Devil's pursuit; at another kigdom, he puts on a disguise on hir golden hair and finds work as the king's gardener; the youngest princess marries him and they move out to a pigsty; he proves his worth to his father-in-law by doing heroic deeds (e.g., achieving victories in war; defeating a dragon; finding a cure for the king).

Sámi ATU 314

Sami: Jetanas ja bardnekus, Norwegian: Jætten og Veslegutten; German: Der Riese und der kleine Junge - ATU 314 from Hammerfest: boy works as giant's servant; finds horse and both escape in a magic flight sequence; boy hides hair under cap and falls in love with princess, later sent to hunt partridges for the king and humiliates brothers-in-law; beheads horse, which becomes princess's brother.

In a Sámi tale collected by Just Qvigstad from a source in Lyngen and titled Gutten i tjeneste hos Risen, flykter med en hest, blir kongens svigersonn (English: "A boy in the service of a Giant, escapes with a horse and becomes a king's son-in-law"), a giant hires a boy in the woods to work with him in the forest. They have a small contest: the giant cuts down a tree, while the boy simply ties a rope to the top of the tree; the giant gives two buckets (which are barrels) to the boy to fetch water, and the latter says he wishes to fetch the nearby river itself, but the giant opposes. The giant then takes the boy to his farm to look after the horse, and forbids him to go to a certain house. One day, the horse tells the boy to enter the house, kill a heifer and hide its heart in his clothes. The boy does as ordered, then enters the giant's room and squeezes the heifer's heart, killing the giant. The horse then tells the boy to have a sip from a drinking horn so he could gain strength to lift a satchel. The boy does and steals the satchel, a saddle, a drinking horn and three suits (one like the stars, another like the moon and the third like the sun). The duo then traverse three forests (the first of copper, the second of silver and the third of gold), where they fight their multi-headed guardians. The boy then meets the father of the forest guardians and kills him with the end of a cane that can kill people. At last, the boy reaches a royal kingdom, where he leaves the talking in a blacksmith and goes to the king to offer his services. The king hires him as to pick up stones from meadows and fields. Later, the boy goes on a hunt with the husbands of two of the princesses, and takes his satchel to the hunt. He kills many grouses, and offers them to the princesses' husbands in exchange for the princesses' earrings. The boy himself shoots some crows and gives them to the third princess. Next, he also hunts some birds, which he gives to the princesses' husbands in exchange for their golden chains. The boy also hunts an eagle and gifts it to the third princess, along with the earrings and chains. Some time later, war breaks out, and the boy asks for a fine horse to fight in the war. The boy is mockingly given a bull to ride on, but he ditches the animal and goes to his horse; he puts on the suits of armor, then uses the human-killing cane to kill the enemy army. This happens three times. On the third battle, the boy is shot in the buttocks, then rushes to the king's lands to return to his lowly disguise. The king notices the servant boy is limping and sends for a doctor to check on him: the boy has a bullet with the king's name lodged in his buttocks, proving he was the knight at the battlefield. The third princess then marries the boy. At the end of the tale, the talking horse asks the boy to cut off its head. The boy does and the horse changes back into the king's son, who was taken by the giants during the war.

Dear Brother Piebald Horse

In a tale collected from Samara Region by folklorist Dmitry Sadovnikov with the title "Братецъ Пѣганушка" (Russian post-1918 reform: "Братец Пеганушка", English: "Dear Brother Piebald Horse"), a merchant is married to a woman, but has no son. His wife has a Jew as a lover. One day, the merchant learns that an apple tree that fruits that if eaten will allow his wife to give birth to twins. The merchant finds the tree and plucks one, then returns home to his wife, and goes to trade. His wife eats half of the apple and gives the other half for their mare to eat. In time, the woman gives birth to a boy named Vanyushka, and the mare to a foal named Peganushka ('pegan' a word to denote a piebald horse). Years later, he comes back from school and goes to talk to Peganushka. The horse says the Jew has prepared a trap for him in the bathhouse, so Vanyushka is to go to the bath house and put on a dirty shirt instead of a new one. Next, the horse says the Jew has prepared poisoned tea for him, which the boy is to spill and not drink. Vanyushka drops the teacup and avoids the danger. Later, his mother decides to kill the foal. Vanyushka goes to talk to Peganushka, which reveals that the boy's mother will kill it. Vanyushka retorts that they can simply kill another horse, but Peganushka tells him his mother has a Jew lover in a room, and that the boy is to ask for a saddle and a ride on Peganushka in front of the porch. The next day, Vanyushka meets his father, who is coming back home, and asks him to saddle the horse for him to ride. The merchant attends his son's request, and Vanyushka mounts on Peganushka in front of the porch. He then reveals to his father that his wife has her lover in her room, and gallops away, as the tale ends.

Goat Skin

In a tale collected from Samara Region by folklorist Dmitry Sadovnikov with the title "Козья Шкура" ("Goat Skin"), a king has a herd of horses, and a mare that strangely moves away to foal and returns without its child. The king's son offers to look into the reason for this. He follows the mare to a place of reeds and waits until it foals, then rushes to save grab the foal by its ears and push it to land. The prince goes back through the forest, rivers and swamps and meets three horses that give him some of their hairs to summon them, then vanish. The prince goes back with the foal and promises to take care of it, but the little horse says it will only eat walnut kernels. The prince's stepmother dislikes this arrangement, and later falls sick. The doctors are not able to discern the reason, and the prince's stepmother asks the horse to be killed and its heart to be given to her. The next day, the prince returns from school and goes to talk to the foal, which tells him his family plans to kill it, and says it will neigh to call out his attention so that he rushes home and stops the killing. It happens as the horse predicted: its neigh alerts the prince, who returns home and asks the king for a last ride on the animal through the yard. The king indulges his son, who takes the opportunity to gallop away to another kingdom. The prince then dismisses the horse, places a goat's skin on his head, and goes to the city. One day, the local king asks to be brought apples for him to eat, and the prince in goat's skin takes three apples of variable ripeness to the king. The king questions the meaning of the deed and consults with wise men, but the third princess interprets them correctly: their variable ripeness ara analogous to the princesses' marriagebility. Based on this, the king marries the elder princesses to high-ranking officials, and the youngest to the Goat Skin. The king refuses to have Goat Skin at his table, and the princess cries for her situation. Later, war breaks out, and the elder brothers-in-law ride into war. Goat Skin also wishes to take part in the battle, but is given a cart to carry supplies. At a distance, however, the prince summons one of the horses by burning the hair and defeats his father-in-law's enemies, to the latter's delight, who invites him for a feast. The prince refuses the invitation, returns to his lowly station, puts on the goat's skin again, and goes to sleep. His wife, the third princess, notices his kingly garments underneath his disguise, but keeps quiet about it. This happens a second time. On the third time, after defeating the enemies, he accepts his father-in-law's invitation and tells his wife he will appear in his kingly garments. Later, during the meal, the prince arrives and the princess goes to embrace him. Her father reprimands his daughter for her strange behaviour, but the princess explains the knight is her husband.

Bashkir SUS 532

In a Bashkir tale translated to Turkish as Neznayka (Bilmiyorum) ("I Don't Know"), a couple have a son they do not know how to name, so they confer with a mullah, who also does not know ("Bilmiyorum") either. Thus, he calls the boy "Bilmiyorum" and leaves. The couple does not agree to their son's name, and consult with a priest, who asks them how they should name the boy. The prist replies in Russian: "Neznay", thus the boy changes his name from Bashkir "Bilmeyin" to Russian "Neznayka". Neznayka grows up, but his mother dies and his father remarries. One day, Neznayka asks his father to buy him a horse. The boy's father buys him a lame-looking foal they bring home and place at the stables. The foal becomes a fine stallion with time. One day, Neznayka's stepmother becomes ill and asks for the horse to be sacrificed and given to her. The horse talks to Neznayka about it, and tells him to jump at its neck when the mullah comes to check on his stepmother. The next day, the mullah confers with the woman and she says she wants the horse's meat as remedy, so the horse is ready to be put down. Neznayka's father goes to cut the horse's neck with a knife, but the boy, in tears, jumps onto the horse's neck to stop the deed. Neznayka then licks some of the horse's blood and transforms into a fine knight with fine garments and a whip in hand, and so does the animal, with golden bridle and silver saddle. Neznayka then jumps onto the horse's back, says goodbye to his father and gallops away to another land. The boy lands at a crossroads, takes three hairs from his horse's tail and three from its tail, then buys some shabby garments from a shepherd. He finally reaches another city and sleeps next to the gates of the sultan's palace. He is found out by the sultan and can only answer "Neznayka". The sultan's three daughters each come to see the stranger: he replies "Neznayka" to the first two, but shows his fine garments to the youngest, who falls in love with him. Later, the sultan organizes a ceremony to marry his youngest, since the elder two are already married, respectively, to Karağoş and Karağol: he gathers a crowd, and the princess is to hit a ball and, whoever catches it, shall marry her. She hits it and no one catches it. The people then say Neznayka is not there with them, so he is brought to the assemblage. The princess throws the ball three times and it falls on Neznayka's head, to the sultan's concern. He agrees to marry his daughter to the poor youth, but gives them shabby accomodations. Some time later, the kingdom is menaced by three multiheaded "peris": a three-headed one, then a six-headed one, and lastly a twelve-headed one. For the first two, the sultan sends his sons-in-law Karağoş and Karağol to fight it. Neznayka wishes to join the fight, and is given a lame mount: a goat. When he is out of sight, Neznayka kills the goat and tosses it to the crows, then summons his horse by burning its hairs, goes to fight the peri and returns to his lame disguise. On the third time, the sultan says he will join Neznayka, since the latter lost his mount twice before. This time, Neznayka also kills his mount out of the sultan's view, dons the fine garments and goes to fight the twelve-headed peri. The fight is a difficult one, for the peri strikes Neznayka's wrist. The sultan address the knight's wound with his handkerchief, and the knight leaves. The sultan invites everyone to a grand feast to honor Karağoş and Karağol, and places Neznayka in a corner. The youth, however, begins to look pale and they check on him: he is losing blood due to the injury he suffered in the fight against the third peri. The sultan also notices his own handkerchief on Neznayka's body, and realizes he was the true saviour, not his other sons-in-law. The monarch punishes Karağoş and Karağol and Neznayka becomes sultan after him.

Bashkir ATU 314 (?)

In a Bashkir tale translated to Turkish with the title Akkuş Sütü ("White Bird's Milk"), a hunter goes to hunt in the forest, when a witch suddenly appears in front of him. The witch tell the man to lie his son on bed and smother him to death, for his hunting to improve. The hunter's mind is caught in a dilemma, when his purebred horse stomps its hoof on the ground to warn the hunter's son: his father plans to kill the boy, so he should ask for a ride around a lake, and they will escape. The hunter goes to talk to his son and the boy requests a ride on the horse, then gallops away from home. Wandering through the world, the boy reaches another land where he learns a sultan is arranging marriages for his three daughters. The boy plucks three hairs from his horse's tail, dismisses the animal and fetches an ox's hide from a tree to use as a garment. The boy goes to the sultan's kingdom, where a crowd is gathered to watch the suitor selection: the three princesses are to release falcons at random and they shall marry whoever the birds land on. The first princess's bird land on a lord, the middle one's on a vizier's son, and the youngest's on the man with the ox's hide. The princess releases her falcon again, and again it lands on the stranger with the ox's hide. The sultan marries his three daughters, and moves his cadette and her husband to a barn. Some time later, the sultan becomes ill, and only the milk of a white bird can cure him. The elder princesses's husbands journey to the wilderness to hunt the white bird, and so does the boy in the ox's hide: he summons his loyal horse by burning its hairs and rides to get the bird for his father-in-law. He helps a nest of wolf pups by removing thorns from their paws, and the wolf parents, in gratitude, gift him with two vials, one with poison, and the other with the white bird's milk. The youth rides back to the kingdom, when he meets his brothers-in-law en route, to whom he gives the vial with poison. The king drinks the vial his sons-in-law Hanbatır and Baybatır, but his health does not improve. When the cadette gives her father the vial with milk, his health is restored in full, and he treats his third son-in-law better from then on. The tale ends.

Belarusian SUS 532

In a Belarussian tale titled "Іван і кусюлька" ("Ivan and Kusyulka"), hero finds horse, horse warns about stepmother, both escape, on horse's words always answer "Zyalenaya, zyalenaya" ("green, green").

• Иван и кусюлька - horse protects hero, stepmother's persecution, hero to answer "зялёная, зялёная", works in garden.

Ukrainian SUS 532

In a Ukrainian tale collected from Chernihiv with the title "Зла маты та сынъ, що побывъ змійивъ" ("The Evil Mother, who loved a Zmei"),

Terek Cossacks SUS 532

In a tale from the Terek Cossacks titled "Незнайко" ("I Don't Know"), in a distant kingdom, king Mahommetan Mahommetanovich has 12 wives, but no son yet. The elders advise him to seek the Old Man Pirigrim. Pirigrim bids him send a scout to listen under people's windows for something at night. One night, the scout overhears the conversation between a poor man's 12 daughters, and they boast of the abilities, the youngest promising to bear 12 children to her husband. The king goes to the man's house to court the girl and after some years, they marry. However, the new queen does not bear any children, and she says Pirigrim can go to the market and buy some apples for them. The fruits are brought to the royal couple, who each eat half of an apple. In time, a son is born to them, named Mahommedan Mahommedanovich. The boy grows up, and one, day, the king has to depart on a mission, and leaves a general in charge of the realm. The general starts an affair with the queen in the king's absence, which the prince complains to his mother about. The general then conspires with the queen: he knows of a witch who can guide him on how to get rid of the prince. Meanwhile, the prince is told about his father's loyal horse, "Черный Вихорь" ("Chernyy Vikhor"), held in the basement of the castle for 30 years behind 12 locks and 12 iron doors. Back to the general, the witch advises him to kill the prince: first, they bake him a cake made of snake fat, which will poison the prince. The boy takes the dish and goes to meet Chernyy Vikhor, which warns him to toss the poisoned cake to the dogs, who eat it and die. Next, they brew him tea made of deadly leaves, which the horse advises him to drop. Thirdly, the witch gives the general a magic red shirt, to be delivered to the prince after he comes from the banya. The horse warns the prince the garment will turn him to cinders as soon as he puts it, and advises him to take a quick bath. Lastly, the witch divines on her magic book the boy is being helped by the horse, and advises the queen to rip her clothes and scream aloud, then tell her husband, after he returns, she had a vision in which she will only get better if she eats the heart and the liver of the king's horse. The king falls for her deception and prepares to sacrifice the horse. The prince goes to meet the horse and it warns him of the queen's deception, and asks the boy to save him by request a ride on it. As soon as he finishes, the soldiers appear and take the horse to be killed, but the prince begs his father for a single ride on his father's horse. The king allows it. After a 30 minute ride, the prince asks for a second, shorter ride, and the king indulges him. After a request for a last 10-minute ride, both prince and horse fly off to the thirtieth kingdom. The prince guides the horse with the reins, and finds shabby clothes on the road, which he pockets. After the stop, they ride to the kingdom of tsar Vareolomey, where the horse advises him to sprinkle a potion to attract some gnats to the king's room; this will draw the king's attention and he will see the prince, who is to always answer "ne znayu - tak i byli". It happens thus, and the tsar Vareolomey welcomes the boy, despite his strange mannerisms and getup. The stranger is placed in the kitchen as a helper, but he does not fit in, and is moved to the garden as an assistant. He tries to help in the garden, and ends up flaying a horse while trying to draw water. He is then moved to the orchard, where he excels at. Some time later, tsar Vareolomey is told about a forrign king who has declared war against him with an army larger than his own, but he only has six daughters. The youngest princess, however, notices that the gardener is more than it appears to be underneath the silly disguise, and advises her father to consult with him. The soldiers bring him to the king's presence, but he can only answer "ne znayu - tak i byli". Annoyed at the reply, the king orders him to be locked in the dungeons, and for his army to be ready for war. At the dungeons, the prince wishes he could have his horse by him, and Chernyy Vikhor appears just outside the dungeon. The prince breaks a wall, and talks to his horse about the upcoming conflict, then puts on his princely clothes and rides into war to help the kingdom. The prince appears at the battlefield, kills the enemies and goes to meet king Vareolomey, who thanks him for his bravery. The prince then rushes back to his dungeon cell and dismisses the horse, while he sleeps in his princely clothes. Back to the king, he holds a celebratory feast for three days in hopes of seeing the knight again. The youngest princess utters that the knight is their gardener, and for this, the king orders her to see their prisoner in the dungeons. Once there, she sees the knight, and informs the tsar. The monarch goes to check for himself and sees the knight, who is asleep. After a 12 days' rest, the prince wakes up and is guided to the feast in his honour. He fights some of the tsar's soldiers to prove he was the kingdom's saviour, and asks as a reward the youngest princess. The next day, the six princesses are dressed all alike, and the horse Chernyy Vikhor helps the prince to identify her, by shapeshifting into a fly and buzzing around her. Mahommedan Mahommedanovich marries the youngest princess.

Greek (Chionian) ATU 314 (AaTh 532)

In a Greek tale from Chios titled Ό Μπιλιμές (From Turkish bilimem, 'I don't know'), translated as The Ignoramus, a king and queen have no children, so they decide to pray to the moon to solve their problem. The moon tosses them an orange. The royal couple each eat a piece and throw the peels to a mare. In time, the queen gives birth to a son and the mare a foal. When the boy is twenty years old, after the death of the king, he receives his sword and a golden-studded armour, and, after school, goes to the stables to meet the foal, which can speak. The widowed queen begins to have an affair with a Jewish pedlar, and both conspire to kill the prince for fear of future reprisal: first, they cook two cakes laced with poison; next, they dig up a hole in front of the door and cover it with a carpet. The horse, whose stall lies just under the queen's window, overhears their conversation and warns the prince of the dangers. Due to this, he escapes both attempts. The queen and her lover discover the horse is helping the prince, she pretends to fall ill and demands the horse to be killed to please her. The prince, however, stalls the execution by requesting a ride on his pet horse, and both escape to another kingdom. The prince sights a shepherd's hut in the distance and trades clothes with him, then walks his horse up a mountain. The horse tells him to cut off some of its hairs from the tail, and leave him to graze in the moutains, while he goes to the nearby city. The prince, in the lowly disguise, enters the city and only utters "Ignoramus" to everything people tell him. Ignoramus is brought to the king and is hired as his gardener, activity which he excels at, for he makes the garden more beautiful than before. On a certain Sunday, when people is at church, he summons the horse, puts on the princely clothes for a ride in the garden, and gives the princess a bouquet of flowers, then dismisses the horse. The princess decides to marry the gardener, and is banished to a low station. Later, war breaks out with an inimical king named Charos, and the king and his army march to defend the kingdom. Ignoramus is given a lame mount that becomes stuck in the mud. While the soldiers are away, he summons his loyal horse, rides into war and saves his father-in-law in the nick of time by killing the enemy king, but being wounded in the fight. The king sees his injury which he dresses with his royal handkerchief, and the prince rushes back to his "Ignoramus" disguise. Later, the king holds a celebratory feast on Sunday and invites all the princes, in hopes of seeing his saviour again. Yet, he tarries for a while until the meal time, when he appears with the handkerchief and reveals he was the Ignoramus gardener and the knight who saved him. The princess also reveals she knew this already, and marries the prince.

In a Cretan tale collected from a source in Partira, Heraklion, and translated as The Little Horse and the Boy, a couple have no son, and a mare with no foal. Wanting to discover the reason for this situation, the husband begins a journey to find a sorcerer, but meets his Fate on the way. The Fate gives the man an apple, to be given to his wife and its peels to the mare. The man follows his Fate's instructions, and a boy is born to his wife and a colt to the mare. The boy and the colt grow up together, and he visits the animal in the barn. Years later, the boy's fathers dies and his widowed mother has a new lover, who decides to marry the woman if she kills her son. First, she tries to poison his food. The boy goes to meet the colt, which warns him about the woman's attempt on his life, so he avoids eating the food. Next, the woman tells her lover she will kill her son herself. This time, the colt tells him they must escape: the boy places cotton on the animal's horsehoes to silence their flight and they depart to the wilderness. When they reach a kingdom, the colt advises the boy to find work with the king while he lies low in the mountains, and gives him some of its hairs to be summoned should the need arise. The boy goes to talk to the king and is hired as a servant. Meanwhile, the local king has waged war against a neighbouring monarch for quite some time, and they decide to settle their conflict by setting up a horse riding contest: whoever wins the contest, also wins the war. Riders and knights assemble and gallop ahead. The boy tells the king he wishes to take part in the competition, and the king, begrudgingly, orders for his soldiers to give him a lame mount. At a distance outside the kingdom, the boy summons the colt by burning its hairs, and they ride off to beat the other contestants. The boy takes the golden scarf as proof of victory, and rides back to the lame mount to keep up appearances. The contest is finished, and the king looks for the victory scarf. The boy shows him the gold scarf as proof of his deed, marries the king's daughter, and brings the colt to live with him at the palace.

Belarus SUS 707

• Іван Іванавіч — царэвіч
• Баранчыкі-панічыкі
• Пра цудоўнага сына

Ural Cossacks SUS 532

Neznaika (tale nr. 191)

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Romani Kelderari SUS 532

Neznamka

Uyghur SUS 532?

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Russian SUS 532

In a Russian tale from White Sea teller Matvei M. Korguev with the title "Незнайко" ("I Don't Know"), .

Russian SUS 532 Volga

In a Russian tale from a Volga teller collected in 1970 and published by folklorist Vladimir N. Morokhin with the title "Братишка" ("Little Brother"), a merchant and his wife have a son named Ivan, at and the same time a foal is born in their stables. The merchant then orders the foal to be cared for until Ivan is old enough. Twelve years later, the merchant's wife dies and he remarries, while Ivan grows closer to the foal, which he names "Bratishka" and spends his days with him when he returns from school. One day, the Ivan's father travels abroad to trade in goods, and his new wife begins to have an affair. Afraid of Ivan revealing their illicit liason, the boy's stepmother conspires with her lover to kill him. The foal Bratishka warns Ivan of their attempts: first, they plan to give him a glass of poison, which he is to drop on the ground; next, they put poison on his bed, so he is to linger a bit in his studies. Ivan escapes both attempts, but the stepmother's lover realizes the horse is helping him, and they decide to kill the foal by having poison in its rations. The horse asks for Ivan's help, who places new food. After the merchant returns, the stepmother feigns illness and asks for the blood of Ivan's foal as remedy. Ivan goes to talk to Bratishka in the stables, and is told of the situation. The foal asks Ivan to save him, by having the boy ask his father for a last ride on the horse around the garden. The next day, the merchant invites everyone for a feast in honor of the foal before it is sacrificed, and Ivan requests a last ride on the horse. Their plan works, and they ride away to another country. Bratishka advises Ivan to get some rags from a beggar and always answer "Ne znayu" to everyone, while it stays on the meadows. Ivan does as instructed, enters a nearby city and begins to be called "Neznaika", for the only words he can utter. The local king locks Neznaika in a cage and orders his daughters to feed him: Neznaika rejects the elder princesses's offer of food and breaks their plates, while he accepts the youngest's. Later, matchmakers and suitors come to court the princesses: the elder two find their husband, but the youngest chooses Neznaika. For this, a war erupts against the kingdom, started by a spurned suitor. The youngest princess goes to Neznaika and releases him so that he can fight to protect the kingdom: he is given a horse, but his foal Bratishka appears to him, turns him into a gallant knight and both ride to the battlefield. Still on the first day, Ivan meets his brothers-in-law before they go to fight the enemy army's champions, and asks them for their index fingers in exchange for defeating the foes by himself. A soldier stabs Ivan with a lance, injuring his leg, which is bandaged by the princess, and he returns to his lowly disguise. The battle goes on for another day, and on the third day, Ivan rides Bratishka again. He meets his brothers-in-law and asks for stripes of flesh cut off from their backs in exchange for letting him defeat the remaining enemies. It happens thus, Ivan defeats the army, and returns to his cage as Neznaika. A feast is given to celebrate their victory, and the king's sons-in-law boast about their victory. The youngest princess brings Neznaika with her to the feast, and he says the elder princesses' husbands should lift their shirts and take off their gloves to show their missing body parts, to reveal they never took part in the battle. The king discovers their ruse and banishes them. A doctor tends to Ivan, and sees the princess's kerchief on his leg, thus proving he was the knight at the battlefield. At the end of the tale, Ivan rules after his father-in-law, and Bratishka, before it dies, shares its wisdom with Ivan.

Russian SUS 532 from Transbaikal

In a Russian tale collected from Transbaikal with the title "Незнаюшка" ("Neznayushka"), king Kartaus, who is childless strolls through the garden and plucks an apple from a tree. Suddenly, an old man with iron legs appears and threatens the king into giving what he does not know at home. The king agrees to his deal and returns home, only to discovers his son has been born in the meantime. Seventeen years later, prince Ivan takes is sitting by the window, when a piece of paper flies in through the window: it is a message from the old man with iron legs. The prince asks his father about it and he explains about the deal he made years ago. The prince then takes a horse and walks the path to meet the old man. A crow perched on a branch warns Ivan and advises him the old man will take him through many gates: in the first, a golden dust will fall on the boy, which he is to feign ignorance and say it is only yellow sand; in the next, a white powder will fall on him, which he is describe as white sand; finally, the old man will take Ivan next to a cauldron filled with worms, toads and snakes, which the boy is to say it contains dark earth, then shove the old man by the legs into the cauldron. Prince Ivan greets the old man up the mountain and does as the crow instructed. He then takes a

[56] - SUS 532 + 300

Latvian SUS 532

In a Latvian tale titled "Конь-помощник" ("Horse-helper"), a king orders his three sons to stand guard on their hay meadows, since every night something comes and steals the hay. The first two princes, each on a night, fall asleep and fail on their watch. The third prince, considered a fool, offers to hold a vigil on the third night, and decides to sleep in the hay mound to surprise the thief. They soon appear: a mare with two foals, which begin to eat the hay. The prince wakes up, jumps on the mare and gallops with it for many miles, until it declares the prince tamed it. The mare then declares to be given to the first prince, the first foal to the middle prince, and he should keep the youngest foal with a bridle. The elder princes sell their horses, while the third prince keeps his in the stables. Some time later, a witch that lives near the palace goes to talk to the queen, bidding her to kill the foolish prince before he ruins them, and gives her some poison to put in his food. The third prince goes to meet the foal in the stables and notices its sadness, which then reveals the queen plan to give him some poisoned brew that he is give to a cat and pretend to have eaten. It happens thus. The next time, the witch returns and gives another potion to the queen, which she places in some meat. Again, the foal warns the third prince: he dips a corner of the tablecloth into the food and it burns with a blue flame. The third time, the witch warns the queen that horse is protecting the boy, and she should orders the prince to kill the foal and tear out its heart. The prince consults with the foal on what to do next: the foal advises him to ask for a last ride on it, place the mare's bridle on it, and take three rides around the courtyard. The foal's plan is carried out, and both it and the prince fly away to another land. After they land, the foal advises the prince to shake the bridle and wish for a coat over his garments, then enter the city and only answer "Ne znayu". He enters the city with the coarse clothing and, due to his strange answer, he is brought to the king's presence, where he repeats the expression. The king decides to place him as an assistant to the royal gardener.

Ukrainian ATU 314

In a Ukrainian tale collected by folklorist Mykola Zinchuk with the title "Про чарівного коника і трирічну покуту"

Russian SUS 532 from Bashkortorstan

In a Russian tale collected in Bashkortostan with the title "Про юношу-богатыря и его мать-злодейку" ("About the young bogatyr and his evil mother"), a knyaz has a lame son who cannot walk, not move his legs and arms. One day, he says he has to pay a visit to the king, and leaves on a long horse ride. While is away, his wife and a janitor begin an affair and decide to kill the boy by locking him in his room and letting him starve. However, a black cat enters the boy's window, turns into an old man and helps the boy regain his movements. The eight-year-old boy begins to walk, to his mother's astonishment. He then finds a bay horse in a meadow and brings it home to groom and feed it. The boy's mother still wants to kill her son, and gives him some porridge laced with poison. The horse whinnies in the stables and the boy goes to check on it, only to find the animal bleeding. The horse warns the boy his mother prepared some food with poison, and he is not to eat it. The boy throws it out the window, some dogs eat it and die. The next time, the woman gives him some cakes with poison, which the horse warns him about. The boy throws the cakes to some cats, which eat it and die. The janitor spies on the exchange and alerts his lover, and the knyaz's wife waits for her husband to come back. The boy visits the horse in the stable and finds it bleeding again: this time, the animal warns that the knyaz will want to sacrifice it, but the boy is to ask his father to prepare his grandfather's armour and let him take a last ride on the horse, for they will seize the opportunity to escape. The knyaz come home and finds his son doing good, and his wife in a sorry state. The woman asks her husband to find a witch who will prescribe the best remedy. After he leaves, he meets a witch (who is his wife in disguise), who advises him the meat of the boy's horse is the best remedy. The next year, the witch advises the same thing, and so does in the third year. Thus, the knyaz decides to sacrifice the horse for his wife's sake. The boy learns of this and asks his father for one last ride on the horse. The knyaz agrees: his son takes the horse for three rides around the yard, then gallops away. They reach the lands of a man named Pavel-Bogatyr, which the horse advises the boy to defeat, but spare Pavel's mount. The boy fights Pavel, who, unfortunately, decapitates his horse. Pavel's horse, however, begins to talk and says it has been waiting for the knyaz's son. The animal then advises the boy to bury Pavel's head under an oak tree, and the remaining parts in three other places. While living in Pavel's house, he meets a kind old woman who gives him two orioles and a whistle. One day, he returns home and finds his mother was banished by the knyaz. Feeling sorry for her, he takes her to Pavel's house, and goes to live in another kingdom as a poor shoemaker.

Other tales

• Невнавушко or [57]- SUS 532 Russian
• Лысенькiй-плѣшивенькiй - 331-340; hero repeats expression on horse's advice
• Конь-Лось, from Krasnoyarsk Krai (Siberia) - [58] horse bought by Vanya's father, stepmother hates Vanya and tries to kill him, horse protects, escape, assumes identity of "Мало - рожоно".

African 314?

The Horse With the Golden Horn

Saami ATU 425

• Anderson, Walter. Kleinere Arbeiten zur Volkskunde. Chinese Association for Folklore, 1973 pp. 13-27 (chapter "Eine neue monographie über Amor und Psyche").

[270,%22panX%22:0.444,%22panY%22:0.789,%22view%22:%22thumbnails%22,%22zoom%22:1.03}] Bibliography [163,%22panX%22:0.503,%22panY%22:1.156,%22view%22:%22thumbnails%22,%22zoom%22:1.03}] Variants for Croatian type 425

Swedish 428

Liungman - det spelande skrinet eller uppdraget hos häxans syster (pp. 84)

[59]

[60]

ATU 408

[61] [62]

[63]

Iranian ATU 408, Daughter of Naranj and Toronj = "دختر" "نارنج⁩" "ترنج⁩"

Kiranmala / Kironmala Bengali/Indian ATU 707

http://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/11515 [64]

[65] Georgian folktales

Slovak ATU 707

[66]

African (Senegal) 425M?

• Diop, Birago. Les Contes d'Amadou Koumba (in French). Khary-Gaye - serpentine prince de la Grand Fleuve curses wife and sons to become dove, snake and spurge-tree.

Paiwan AaTh 433F (Princess Balem)

Die Häuptlingstochter <<Balem>> heiratet eine Schlange ("The Chief's Daughter Balem marries a Snake")

Chinese/Asian 433D (Ting)

[67]

(South)East Asian variant of Chinese 433D

In a tale titled Snake Brother, a man is forced to deliver his youngest daughter, Fahm, to a being named Snake Brother. The youngest daughter, Fahm, is given to Snake Brother as its bride, then they begin to walk towards a river. The girl sees in the river a golden powder, which is actually her husband's snakeskin he doffed to become a handsome youth. The youth takes his wife on his back to their home. He tells her to close her eyes, for they will pass by a big wave. They pass by three waves, until they reach his land, where his snake family (in serpentine form) surrounds them. Snake brother asks his family to turn into humans so as to not terrify his wife, and Fahm enters their house.

To her relief, the Snake Brother becomes a man. In time, they have a son. Nai, Fahm's elder sister, seeing her cadette's life of luxury, decides to get rid of her: while they walk back home, Nai convinces Fahm to climb a tree to pick fruits, and leaves her son with Nai. After Fahm climbs up the tree, Nai pinches the baby and says the boy wants his mother's earrings and garments. Fahm gives her sisters her clothes, and is shoved down the tree in the river. Then, Nai puts on Fahm's clothes and takes her place as Snake Brother's wife. When they go to sleep, Snake Brother notices that his wife's hair no longer acts as his pillow. As for Fahm, she comes back as a songbird that sings a mocking song in her sister's ear.

Fahm regains human form and returns home, more beautiful than ever, which Nai notices. Nai then asks now her cadette has become so beautiful, and Fahm replies she was cooked over. Nai wants to try the procedure: Fahm tells her to prepare boiling rice water, wait in the bathtub and close her eyes. Nai goes through with it and Fahm pours the scalding water on her sister's head. Nai dies and becomes a brown sparrow, while Fahm is free to live with her husband, snake brother, and their son in peace.

Taungyo people AaTh 433C?

In a tale from the Taungyo people translated into Russian with the title "Заколдованный принц" ("Enchanted Prince"), a widow goes to fetch mangoes for her seven daughters, when she finds a boa snake in the tree.

ATU 567 Khmer

Varavaṅs Sūravaṅs: two hens that, eaten, make one a king in seven years and teh other a king in seven months.

Azeri ATU 550

In an Azeri tale titled "Соловей Хазарандастана" (Azeri: "һазарандастан бұлбүлү", "Hazarandastan bülbülü"; English: "The Nightingale of Khazarandastan"), a padishah has a beautiful garden. One day, however, some visitors compliment the garden, but say it lacks Bili-Bilgeis Khanum, a rose of Khazarandastan and the nightingale of Khazarandastan, and the horse Suleimani-ereb. Hearing their conversation, the padishah decides to send his three sons to quest for the objects. The elder princes fail and end up in heavy debts in two cities, while the youngest prince finds the rose and the nightingale, tames the horse by uttering the name of prophet Solomon, and defeats Bili-Bilgeis Khanum in battle to win her over. The young prince takes the four objects with him and pays his brothers' debts. In gratitude, the elder brothers do not want to deal with their father, since they failed the quest, and decide to steal the credit: they tie his brother's feet and arms and throw him in a well, then take the rose, the nightingale and the Khanum with them, and leave the horse behind, since it recognizes the younger brother as its master.

The King's Son and Messeria

The King's Son and Messeria (Swedish: Konunga-Sonen och Messeria; German: Der Königssohn und Messeria) is a Swedish folktale collected by folklorists Hylten and Cavallius in the mid-19th century, from South Smaland.

It is classified in the international Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index as type ATU 313, "The Magic Flight", to which also belongs the Norwegian tale The Master Maid.

Summary

A king and queen are childless. One day, the queen is sailing on a boat, when her vessel is stopped dead on its journey. A voice in the sea then demands whatever the queen is under her girth, but promises to return the boat to normal. The queen throws a set of keys she has on her belt in the sea and the boat regains its motion.

Later, the queen discovers she is pregnant, to the king's contentment and her consternation, since she fears she promised their unborn child to the Mermaid, but the king assures the creature will not have the prince. The boy is born and, when he is twelve years old, the king's brother and two nephews come for a visit. The royal cousins play together and ride near the beach. When the prince's horse but touches the sea, it runs off into the sea, carrying its rider with him underwater. The royal couple mourn for their missing child.

Back to the prince, he notices he is under the ocean, and rides a green path to a large underwater palace that belongs to the Mermaid, ruler of the waves and the winds. He arrives at her palace and is greeted by the creature, who introduces herself as his new mistress.

One day, the Mermaid sends for him for his first task: she gives the prince a yarn of black wool he must wash white and a white yarn he must wash black. After the Mermaid leaves, the prince tries to perform the task, to no avail, when a fair damsel appears to him and promises to help him if he makes a vow to be faithful to her. He agrees to her terms, and the maiden, a princess named Messeria, summons a troop of creatures named Pysslings, in name of "her Lady Mother". The pysslings appear and perform the task for him.

The Mermaid questions the prince if he got in touch with any of her daughters, but he feigns ignorance. Next, the woman orders him to separate a mixed heap of barley and wheat. After separating but a small portion, Messeria appears to him and makes the same offer. The prince reiterates his words and the damsel summons the Pysslings to fulfill the task for him.

Thirdly, the Mermaid points him to her stalls that house her oxen and have not been cleaned in 20 years, which must be done by morning. Messeria and the prince exchange vows of faithfulness towards each other, and the girl again summons the pysslings to fulfill the task. After doing so, she explains the Mermaid will set a test for him:

The Mermaid orders the prince to go to her sister and fetch a box. Before he goes, Messeria intercepts the prince, since her powers cannot reach him once he is there, but she can give him help in another way: she gives the prince some grease (to smear on the hinges of a door), two iron axes (to be given to two woodcutters who are using wooden axes), two flails (to be given to two people threshing grains), and pieces of meat (to be thrown to two eagles). The prince journeys to the house of the Mermaid's sisters and applies the advice Messeria taught him. At last, he arrives at the latter's house and steals the box, then runs away. The Mermaid's sister commands her servants to stop him, but they remain still.

Now at a distance, the prince decides to open the box and a cascade of sparkles escapes from it. The prince then uses a magic spell to summon a troop of pyskilings, Messeria's helpers, which bring the sparkles back into the box.

Analysis

Tale type

The tale is classified in the international Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index as type ATU 313, "The Magical Flight": a father promises his son, the hero, to a supernatural being; years later, the hero, old enough, is brought or willingly goes to the supernatural being's lair and works for him, performing difficult tasks which he accomplishes with the help of the being's female servant or their daughter. At the end of the tale, the hero, helped by his female companion, escapes from the being by shapeshifting into objects to trick their pursuers.

In the second revision of the international index, published in 1961, American folklorist Stith Thompson separated tale type 313, then titled "The Girl as Helper in the Hero's Flight", into three subtypes: AaTh 313A; AaTh 313B, differing in the "Forbidden Box" introduction; and AaTh 313C, concluding with the episode of "The Forgotten Fiancée". However, German folklorist Hans-Jörg Uther, in his revision of the index, published in 2004, subsumed the three subtypes under a new one, indexed as ATU 313, "The Magic Flight", establishing as its main parts the "Magic Flight" and "The Forgotten Fiancée" episodes.

Motifs

The motif of the journey to the second witch and her offer of food (in this case, a sausage) appears in Scandinavian variants of another tale type, AaTh 428, "The Wolf", related to the myth of Cupid and Psyche, which is classified as tale type ATU 425B, "Son of the Witch".

According to Walter Puchner, in The Forgotten Fiancée subtype, the heroine uses the pair of birds (hen and rooster) to jog the prince's memory in Scandinavian variants.

The heroine's name

Swedish literary historian Axel Ahlström noted that in some Swedish variants of the same tale, the heroine may be named Miserimej, Anesidej, Anne Diver, Mester Mimer (which would be comparable to Norwegian "Mestermo"), Singorra, Santaura, and Santara. Swedish scholar Waldemar Liungman suggested that the heroine's name in some Swedish variants, like "Messeria" and "Singorra", derives from an Italian written source, since Messeria would correspond to Italian messére ('master') and Singorra to signora ('lady').

The heroes' magic flight

In the international index, tale type ATU 313 is characterized by the heroes' escape from the antagonist's lair in a "Magical Flight" sequence: the pair shapeshifts into objects or other persons to fool their pursuers. They may also escape by throwing objects behind them to create magic obstacles ("obstacle flight"). According to Swedish scholar Jan-Öjvind Swahn, in Nordic variants of tale type ATU 313, "The Magic Flight", it is a "rule" for the hero and the heroine to elude their pursuers by shapeshifting into other objects ("transformation flight").

Variants

The King's Son and Princess Singorra

In this tale from Skane, a king makes a deal with a marine entity named Mermaid: the first thing he meets when he comes ashore in exchange for his ship regaining movement in the sea. The king then goes home and meets his beloved son, the fifteen-year-old prince. The king tries to trick the Mermaid by setting his sights on a log and a goose and delivering them to the creature, but the sea returns his "offerings", and the Mermaid herself comes to the surface to fetch the prince for herself while the boy is playing with some children. Down in the underwater palace, the king's son meets a princess named Singorra, one of the Mermaid's attendants, with whom he falls in love. The Mermaid notices the closeness between Singorra and her latest captive, and agrees to marry them to each other, but he first has to perform three tasks for her (one after the other): to mow a meadow of sea-grass, then plant each blade of grass again, by evening at sunset; next, to clean up her horse stables, which have not been cleaned "within the memory of men", and finally to the clean a mountain of filth in her pigsty. After the mermaid retires each time, the prince tries to perform the task, but it is impossible to do so, until Singorra appears to him and offers her help, if he promises to always stay true to her. The prince makes a vow to Singorra, and the girl helps him with her magic powers. After his successes, which enrages his captor, the Mermaid agrees to marry the prince to Singorra, but after he visits the Mermaid's sister with a box and get from there necessaries for his wedding. Before he goes to the Mermaid's sister, Singorra intercepts him and gives him two iron knives, two iron axes, two wollen caps, two cakes, and a cushion, then explains he is to use them on the road there, and warns him to only sit on the black chair at the other's house, and to place the cushion under a serpent at the sister's house, and to not eat anything there. The prince follows Singorra's instructions to the letter: on the road, he sees two men cutting and carving, each with a single wooden knife, and gives them the iron knives; next, he meets two woodcutters, to whom he gives the iron axes, and finally two men by a mill to whom he gives the wollen caps, then tosses the cakes to a bear and a wolf at the Troll-queen's gates, then goes to greet her. Following Singorra's instructions, he sits only on the black chair. The Troll-queen also gives him a sausage to eat, and orders her serpent to watch him. After she retires, the prince places the cushion under the serpent and tosses the food away twice to avoid eating it, then hides it in his clothes to trick the Troll-queen. Finally, she comes back and gives him the box filled with the wedding preparations, seeing him out. The sausage under the prince's clothes transforms into a flying dragon, and the prince makes a run back to Singorra. To deter him, the Troll-queen commands her servants and the animals to attack him, but they refuse to to so. The prince returns with the box to the Mermaid's house and, later, Singorra warns they must escape: they take a pair of black horses in the stables, while she places three dolls to answers for them in her room. It happens thus: the next morning, the Mermaid goes to check on Singorra and falls for the dolls' trick, but returns later and notices she has fled with the prince. The Mermaid then sends a servant after the pair, but they metamorphose into a pair of rats, then a pair of birds, and lastly into a pair of rootless trees to fool the servant.

At last, they reach the boundary of the Mermaid's realm and escape her domains back to land, then make their way to the prince's kingdom. The prince tells Singorra he wishes to see his parents, and, Singorra, with her powers, foresees his decision will lead to trouble, so she asks him to avoid talking to anyone at his father's castle. The prince promises and returns to his father's castle, to his family's surprise and relief. He remains silent, still, as part of the promise he made to Singorra, but, one time, the royal dogs jump on him and he tries to shoo them away, uttering a command to them. Thus, he forgets his adventure with Singorra.

Back to Singorra, she is standing by the fountain, waiting for the prince, but he does not come. She cries for her fears were realized, when a girl comes with a pitcher to fetch water at the fountain, sees Singorra's reflection in the water. Mistaking the other's visage for her own, she utters she will no longer serve her own blind father, and runs off. Singorra sees the pitcher and goes to the blind man's hut to live with him as his daughter.

Some time later, people beign to notice Singorra's beauty and some courtiers decide to court her. A man goes to the blind man's house oe night, and Singorra, to dissuade him, tricks him into shutting the roof shutter-bar for her and utters a magic spell to force him on the task for the whole night. The second night, another man tries to court her, and Singorra forces him to hold a door for the whole night. Lastly, a third man comes to woo her, and the maiden asks him to shut the calf in. The man goes to fulfill her request, and Singorra commands the man to attach himself to the calf, and the calf to run onver hill and dale for the whole night.

Back to the prince, he is engaged to be married to a foreign princess. One day, the prince is riding on a carriage with the princess and the three courtiers, when they pass by the blind man's hut where Singorra lived, and the horses bolt from the carriage, breaking the pole. The three courtiers realize where they are and decide to ask Singorra for help in fixing the broken carriage parts. Singorra lends then the shutter-bar, the door and calf, but asks to be invited to the prince's wedding as payment. They accept her terms, and returns to the palace.

On the wedding day, Singorra wears a splendid dress and attends the ceremony. During the feast, she draws out a box with three little birds and three grains of corn. She opens the lid and the birds fly to the prince's table to eat the grains: two of them hold the grains in their beaks, but not the third. The two birds then say the third bird forgot to eat, just like the prince forgot about Singorra. On hearing this, the prince regains his memories of Singorra and marries her, and sends the foreign princess to her father.

Prince Wilhelm

The tale is classified as type ATU 313, "The Magical Flight", under subtype AaTh 313C, "The Forgotten Fiancée". Commenting on the tale, Swedish scholar Jan-Öjvind Swahn noted that the last episode, the heroine's bargaining for three nights, appears in tale type ATU 425A, "The Animal (Monster) as Bridegroom". According to Swahn, this is the only Swedish variant that borrows this sequence into tale type ATU 313.

Other tales

In a tale from South Småland, a king and a queen have no children. The king then consults with a fortune-teller that predicts any son of his is destined to the Mermaid, but the queen is indeed pregnant, so the boy is to be kept away from any water before he is twelve years old. The king follows the fortune-teller's instructions to protect the prince, called Anesidei, but the boy is indeed captured by the mermaid when he is twelve years old and brought to her domain. There he meets the Mermaid's servant, Meserimei, who helps him in the Mermaid's tasks, which also including going to the Mermaid's sister and fetch from there things for the wedding. Later, Meserimei and Anesidei flee from the Mermaid. The Mermaid goes after them and changes the land before her into sea, but Meserimei changes it back to land and they reach land, to the prince's kingdom. Eventually, the girl is forgotten by the prince, until she goes to the prince's wedding to another princess and restores his memory of her.

See also

• Lady Featherflight
• King Kojata
• Nix Nought Nothing
• Prunella (fairy tale)
• The Battle of the Birds
• The Grateful Prince
• The Master Maid
• The Sea Tsar and Vasilisa the Wise

Muchie-Lal

Source

Mary Frere collected the tale from her Indian maid Anna Liberata de Souza, and published it originally in 1868. Stith Thompson and Jonas Balys's Oral Tales of India sourced the tale from Mysore.

Publications

The tale was republished as The Fish Prince, and into German.

Analysis

Tale type

The tale is part of the cycle of the Animal as Bridegroom, wherein the heroine marries a wild animal that she disenchants into human form. Stith Thompson and Warren Roberts approximated the Indian tale to tale type AaTh 433B, "King Lindworm", of the international Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index.

Motifs

The tale contains the motif B603, "Marriage to fish (whale)".

Variants

"ಏಡಿಕುಮಾರ" - Kannada Crab Prince

• The Fish Prince (same as above?)
• India - Little Ruby Fish
• East India - The Fish Prince (Athon-Rajah)

In a tale from the Betta Kurumba language, translated as The Fish Prince, there live a prince and a minister, the minister with a child and the prince childless. The prince worries for his lineage, and his wife cries for not having children. One time, she drinks water directly from a tank, and becomes pregnant, although she only senses her pregnancy as it approaches labour. She gives birth to a fish as her son, which was granted by Narayan (the Betta Kurumba word for 'God'). The fish son grows up and lives in a water tank, having to change tanks as it grows older, until his parents place him in a separate house. One day, the fish prince asks his parents to find him a wife, although the royal parents worry that no maiden will want to marry one. Their concerns are founded, as they search high and low in many cities for a bride, and are told by families they will not give their daughters for a fish. Eventually, they find a stepmother with two stepdaughters, one thin, which they bring to the fish. The girl is groomed and bathed before going to meet her husband, and cries. Narayan (Shiva) and his wife pass by and ask the girl what is the matter. The girl confides in the divine couple she will become the fish prince's bride, and Narayan gives her three pills to be thrown at the fish: one at the mouth, the second at the body, and the third at the tail. The girl gets the pills and goes to meet the fish. However, she is swallowed overnight by the fish. The next day, the fish prince asks his parents to find him another bride, and they go to the stepmother to fetch the younger sister. The younger sister goes near the river, and Narayan appears to her. The deity gives her three pills to throw at the fish prince's body after she wakes up. The second girl is brought to the fish as his bride and they both go to sleep. Some time during the night, the girl wakes up and finds the prince near her, so she takes the pills and tosses them at the prince: the first in his mouth, the second at his back, and the third at his tail. A blinding flash of light appears in the room, as the fish prince becomes a prince in human form, so dazzling is his countenance. The now human prince controls his powers and reveals his human form to the bride. The girl and the prince marry.

See also

• King Lindworm (ATU 433B)
• The Dragon-Prince and the Stepmother (ATU 433B)
• Champavati (AaTh 433C)
• Animal as Bridegroom

The Pomegranate Fairy / Belbati Princess

"The Seventh Prince", tale from Panjab (published in Chandamama) - seventh prince searches for Anarkali, the Pomegranate Princess, who is shoved into a well and goes through a cycle of reincarnations ("beautiful flower", then pomegranate tree)

At least one variant of the tale type has been collected in Kashmir.

• Overhearing as a motif in Indian tales = hero overhears the birds born out of the heroine's remains and discovers the truth.

The Story of Belabati

According to scholar Kunja Behari Dash, in a Orissan tale titled The Story of Belabati (Belabati katha), a king finds the Belabati maiden and notices her dazzling beauty. Another woman shoves Belabati down a well and replaces her, marrying the king. As for the true Belabati, she turns into a pair of lotus flowers in the well which the king brings to the queen. The queen requests the flowers to be torn down, which the king does. A bael tree with two fruits sprouts where they fell. A gardener plucks one of the fruit and opens it: from it comes a little girl, which he raises. The false queen realizes the Belabati girl is still alive and orders her death. Belabati dies again, and from her grave a temple to the Mahadeb rises. The same gardener says his prayers in the temple and overhears two parrots talking about the story of Belabati. The king kneels before the temple and Belabati reappears to him.

= The Girl inside the Bel Fruit (Hindi: बेलवती कन्या, 'Belavati Kanyā')?

"Belavati/ī Kanyā", from Champaran district (ATU 408 in Bihar?)

• The Crab-Apple Girl and the Parrot [Nepali] (408?)
• Das Granatapfelmädchen (The Pomegranate Girl) Vorwort (5-17), Quellenverzeichnis (479ff) - source for "Pomegranate Girl"

Belavati Kanya

In a Nepalese/Nepali tale translated to Hindi with the title "बेलवती कन्या" ("The Belavati Girl"),

The Three Golden Children ATU 707

Galician ATU 707

In a Galician tale titled Santa Dora, a king passes by a house where Santa Dora lives with her sisters and overhears their conversation: the elder boasts she can sew a seamless shirt, the middle one that she can sew a stichless shirt, and Santa Dora promises to bear two children with golden stars on their foreheads. The king decides to marry Santa Dora to have beautiful children, and proposes to Santa Dora. Some time later, he leaves on war, and his wife, Santa Dora, gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl. However, her envious elder sisters cover the twins' star birthmarks and cast them in the water in a box, then replace them for black cats. The king returns and punishes Santa Dora with immurement, so she starves to death, but the Virgin Mary provides her with bread and water. As for the children, a miller rescues the box and raises the twins with his wife. In time, the miller sends the children to school with his own biological son, where they excel at, to their adoptive brother's jealousy. The miller's son mocks them for being foundlings, which the miller and his wife confirm. The twins decide to leave home, and the miller gives them seven pesos and some provisions for the road. On the road, they pay a dead man's debt with their money, and make their way to the kingdom where the king lives, eventually establishing themselves in a house near the palace. The children's aunts realize the twins are alive and send a witch to get rid of them. The witch pays them a visit and convinces them to send on quests: first, for harmonious music, which is located in the Castle of Irás Y Non Volverás. The male twin goes to the castle, but meets the dead man's spirit on the road, who advises the boy to fetch the correct music (the more sad sounding one), otherwise he will be locked inside the castle. Next, the witch sends the male twin for a "precious fountain", also located in the same castle, and finally for the bird that speaks all. The dead man's spirit advises him to fetch the dirtiest-looking water and the shabby-looking bird. The boy brings back the correct fountain, but fetches the wrong bird and drops dead, becoming a victim to the magical castle. The female twin notices her brother is in danger by looking at a piece of bread that darkened, then goes to the castle of Irás Y No Volverás to save him. She meets the dead man's spirit on the road and, guided by his advice, captures the right bird. She forces the bird to revive her brother, and the animal tells her to sprinkle some water on him. Both return home and embellish their garden with the music, the fountain and the speaking bird, which knows all and answers all questions. In time, the king, their father, learns of the marvellous garden and pays them a visit. The king questions the bird and the animal answers the queen, Santa Dora, is suffering a heinous injustice. It explains the whole story and bids the king burns the sisters-in-law as punishment, then urges the monarch to release the queen, for she is the only one that can remove the twins' coverings on their foreheads. The monarch suspects his wife is dead, but the bird assures she is alive, for she is a holy woman. Santa Dora is rescued safe and sound from the wall and reunites with her children, then removes their coverings to reveal their astral birthmarks. The queen then asks her husband to forgive her sisters, but he burns them at the stake.

Romanian ATU 707

The Three of Heaven etc.

In a Romanian tale collected by Ionel Oprisan with the title Pomu raiului, puiu cântător, bobul mărgăritar ("The Tree of Heaven, the Singing Hen, and the Pearly Grain"), a king forbids lighting any light source at night. However, three poor sisters disobey the ban and keep spinning by candlelight. That same night, the emperor's son goes to check on them and eavesdrops on their conversation: the elder wants to have better meals, the middle one wants a better financial situation, and the youngest wants to marry the emperor's son, promising to bear him three golden-haired children with a star on the front, the moon on the chest, the Sun on their backs and a "hyperion" on their shoulders. The emperor's son marries the third sister, and she bears her promised children in three consecutive pregnancies. However, the emperor's wife, wanting to get rid of her daughter-in-law, replaces the children for puppies and orders a black manservant to throw the children in the sea. Instead of drowing them, the black manservant merely abandons the babies near the shore, where they are found by another Black person and nursed by a wild doe. When they are a bit older, the children see their reflections in the water and realize their specialness, and God gives the siblings directions to their father's palace. During the journey, they rest by a golden forest and crack some golden branches they sell to make money. With the money, they buy clothes for themselves and build a house near the emperor's palace. The brothers go to school and learn the language they teach to their sister, and keep in touch with the black manservant. Meanwhile, the emperor's mother discovers her grandchildren are alive and goes to their palace to send them on a quest for the tree of Heaven, the bird and the pearl. With the help of the black manservant, who loans his horse, the elder brother, called Ionica, fetches the tree. Later, the emperor's mother sends the siblings on a quest for the wild stallion with five fetters, which Ionica also brings home. The children's teacher reveals the truth to the trio and warn them not to eat the food the emperor's mother will give them. Finally, the emperor learns the truth, reinstates his wife and children, rewards the black couple that raised them, and punishes his mother.

The Evil Mother-in-Law

Linguist Gustav Weigand collected an Aromanian tale from an Aromanian source that lived in Pljasa, Albania. In this tale, titled Die böse Schwiegermutter ("The Evil Mother-in-Law"), a king who is single travels around the world. One night, he stops to rest on a rock near a house where three sisters live. Inside, they are talking: the elder wants to marry the royal cook, the middle one the royal coach, and the youngest the king himself, for she promises to bear him two boys with the Morning Star on the front and a girl with the moon. The king overhears their conversation and decides to marry the youngest. While the king is away at war, the queen gives birth to three children in three consecutive pregnancies, but the king's mother, his two sisters-in-law and the midwife replace them for animals (a kitten, a dog and a goose) and cast them in the water. The queen is then banished to a chicken coop to be spat on. As for the children, they survive and fifteen years later they are playing the forest when the king meets them during a hunt. When he invites the siblings to hunt with him, the monarch recognizes the Morning Star on one of the children's foreheads, and decides to enroll them at school. When the king's mother discovers the children are alive, a witch goes to visit the sister and convinces her to search for a Singvogel (singing bird) that belongs to the "Erdschöne" ("The Beauty of the Earth"). The elder brother journeys to seek the bird and meets an old man on the road. The old man teaches him how to get the bird from the Beauty of the Earth: cross through a garden full of guardian animals, but have no fear, climb up a set of stairs and fetch the wooden cage, not the golden one, and leave. The elder brother goes to the garden and grabs the wooden cage, but he fells paralyzes with fear and fails. The middle brother also goes to fetch the bird and fails. After two months, their sister puts on male's clothes and meets the same old man, who teaches her how to steal the bird, while keeping her ears shut. The girl enters the Beauty of the Earth's room, steals the wooden cage with the bird, and exits through the garden. Suddenly, the voice of the Beauty of the Earth echoes: she asks the girl to wait, for she will accompany her. The Beauty of the Earth restores the girl's elder brothers from their marble state along with several others, and the group take the old man home with them. The old man tells the siblings their mother is in the chicken coop and they have to retrieve her. They do and everyone goes to have dinner with the king, but the king's mother has poisoned the food. The old man warns the children not to touch the food, and for the king's mother, the queen's sisters and the midwife to be present at the meal. The quartet come to the meal and say they know nothing of the queen's children, save that she bore animals. The old man shows the astral birthmarks on the children, and the king orders the conspirators to eat the poisoned food, then executes them. The queen is restore to her place, and the Beauty of the Earth marries the eldest brother.

Variants exist where the youngest sister of the siblings is the heroine who rescues her elder brothers, or tales wherein there are only male children born, and the youngest brother rescues the elder.

Singvogel.

The Stellar nature of the children in ATU 707

British scholar Arthur Bernard Cook, in his book Zeus, a Study in Ancient Religion (1925), concluded on a stellar nature of the children, based on their names and astral birthmarks.

Bochra Charnay and Thierry Charnay notice that the children may either have astral marks on their bodies, or their names, like Sun, Moon or Star, indicate methonymically their nature. Thus, following Greimas, they argue that the luminous reference, either with gold or with stars, indicate their exceptionality and celestial origin.

Prato, Stanislao. Sun, Moon and Star as symbols of beauty in fairy tales and folksongs

Caucasian ATU 707

Kabardian ATU 707

In a Kabardian tale translated to Russian with the title "Три дочери старика" ("Old Man's Three Daughters"), a poor old man worries about not earning enough to sustain his family. One day, he goes to the woods, plucks some apples and returns home. He asks his three daughters if each worries if he is starving: the elder two say no, but the youngest gives a kind answer and is given the apples, which she shares with her sisters on the latter's request. The man tells his daughters he will take them to pluck some fruits with him. The next day, he goes to the apple tree, digs up a hole and places a carpet on top of it, and draws his daughters next to the tree. The girls walk over the carpet and fall in the hole, the man closes off the hole and goes back home. Inside the hole, the elder sister prays to God for an opening to appear in the covering, and the middle one for the hole to be uncovered, so they can escape it. It happens thus, and they climb out of the hole. The youngest then prays to God for a dish of lybzha (cooked meat) to appear before them, which they eat, then make their way up the apple tree. A khan is passing by with his retinue and sights the girls up the tree. He brings them down and inquires about their abilites: the sister say they are Adyge; the elder boasts she can weave clothes for a hundred knights, the middle one that she can do it for fifty knights, and the youngest promises to bear twin children, a boy and a girl, each with half of white gold and half of yellow gold. The khan chooses the third sister, and marries the other two to companions. Some time later, the khan goes on a journey, and his wife gives birth to her promised twins. The jealous elder sisters throw the babies in the water in a box and replace them for puppies. The children are rescued by a lady of the waters ("Псыхо-Гоаша", "Psykho-Goasha").

Mingrelian ATU 707

In a tale collected from the Mingrelian people with the Russian title "Золотыя дѣти царя Кучи" ("The Golden Sons of Tsar Kucha"), in a kingdom, a king named Djiki has three daughters. He hires the best tutors for them, but eventually dies. The princess spend all of his wealth and become poor, then wander the world, until they reach the palace of the son of the king, Kuchi. Kuchi sights the girls and inquires them about their abilities: the elder boasts she can weave silk garments with a single skein of silk, the middle one that she can sew clothes for the entire kingdom with a single tuft of wool, and the yougest promises to bear him golden children. Kuchi marries the youngest and takes the other two as his servants. After a while, he is summoned to war and departs, while his wife gives birth to a golden son. The elder sisters replace the boy with a blind puppy and hide the boy in a well. The next year, Kucha is summoned again to war, and his wife gives birth to a golden girl. The elder sisters replace the girl for a kitten and toss the babies in a locked box in the river. Kuchi punishes his wife by having her buried up to her neck in lime near a church and for people to light poke her head with a piece of wood. Back to the children, the box washes ashore near the beach where an old couple lives, and they find the children. When the old woman bathes the children, the bathwater turns to gold. The poor couple raise the boy, named Alexey, and the girl, named Magdana. They become rich and the man teaches the boy how to hunt. After some years, the siblings leave home and go to their biological father's kingdom. Magdana waves a handkerchief and a large fortified palace appears to house them. King Kuchi, on seeing the strange palace, promises to give half of the kingdom to whoever can enter it. An old woman offers to go to the new palace: after the brother, Alexey, leaves at night, the old woman creeps in and meets Magdana. The old woman says Alexey could find himself the most beautiful princess in the world as wife: princess Changuri, daughter of king Changi, in the kingdom of Changet, between the red and white seas; Changuri is hanging suspended on a golden cage and will be given as wife to whoever can jump high enough over a giant wall. After the old woman leaves, Magdana tells her brother about the princess and bids him find her as a wife. Alexey mounts his horse and rides to Changet, and nearly beats the challenge, but the princess Changuri slowly petrifies him. Back at their home palace, Magdana senses her brother is in danger and rides to Changet to save him. An old man on the road advises her to grab the princess by the hair and force her to restore her brother and the rest of her victims, then begs her to see him before she leaves the kingdom. Magdana goes to the princess and does as the old man instructed, rescuing her brother and many others. Alexey and Changuri are betrothed to each other and they pass by the old man on the road: it is king Changi, who gives the couple his blessings and a magic box. Back at king Kuchi's realm, the king is worried about the strange fortress and its inhabitants, and a council of seven kings advise him to invite its occupantes for a meal on a certain day, after church service. Alexey accompanies king Kuchi to church, where people notice his beauty. When he leaves, he sees the woman buried in lime and sighs deeply, then goes to king Kuchi's palace for a meal. The boy's aunts poison his food, but Alexey throws the dish to a dog, which eats it and die. Two days later, Alexey invites the king and the court to his palace for a meal. During the meal, Alexey reveals the whole truth to king Kuchi. The king digs his wife out of the lime and punishes his sisters-in-law.

Svan ATU 707

In a Svan language tale titled "Касар" ("Gesar", "Tsar" or "King"), a king has three daughters and remarries. His new wife hates her stepdaughters and orders her husband to get rid of them. The king then goes to the steppes, finds an apple tree and brings some apples to his daughters. The princesses ask her father to take them to the tree. The king digs up a hole near the tree, covers with a carpet, and tells his daughters to go get some fruits near the tree. The princesses fall into the trap, the king covers the hole with a rock and leaves them there. Inside the hole, the elder princesses eat their apples, but the youngest spares hers for a later time. After the provisions are eaten, the elder princess wants to kill the youngest to sate their hunger, but the third princess prays to God for her hands to become a shovel and a pickaxe. They dig out their way out of the hole and reach an iron stall where magic horses of another king are. The girls eat their wheat, so much so the horses start to look emaciated. The king orders some servants to feed the animals, they fail for the girls keep stealing their fodder, and are beheaded. A second group of servants meet the same fate. The third time, a healer and a card reader position four guards in the stalls, and they capture the girls and bring then to the king. Since the king is looking for a bride for his son, the prince, the monarch asks the girls what they can do: the elder princess boasts she can weave a carpet that can function as bed and quilt for the king and his subjects; the middle one that she can give a single wine cup to the entire people, and the youngest promises she will bear him twins, a boy and a girl with their upper and lowers halves made of gold. The prince marries the third sister, to the elders' jealousy. The elder sisters throw the babies in the water, and replace them for puppies. The prince ties his wife to a wooden board near a crossroads and orders people to spit on her. Back to the children, they are rescued by a priest that lives by a mill, who raises them.

The jealous sisters convince her to look for a golden apple tree that grows on the Elbrus Mountain, then for a golden mirror on Elbrus Mountain, and finally for a wife for himself, one of the daughters of the Western Sovereign.

Indic ATU 707

Indian ATU 707

In an Indian tale collected by John W. Spellman with the title The King's True Children, a king has six wives, and yet no children. One day, he finds himself a beautiful princess whom he makes his seventh wife. When the seventh queen is pregnant, they become jealous of her, and, after the king leaves on a hunt, the queen's first child, a son, is taken from her, cast in the river in a basket and replaced by a stone. The baby prince is rescued by an old fisherman, who takes the boy to raise with his wife. The next year, the seventh queen gives birth to a girl, who is also cast in the river by the jealous co-queens and replaced by another stone. Tricked by his co-wives, the king demotes his seventh spouse to shoo away crows in the garden. As for the children, the fisherman couple raises them until, on day, the boy has a dream about a yogi beckoning him on a pilgrimage towards a sacred stream. Deciding to chase the vision from his dream, the elder sibling departs and journeys beyond mountains until he finds the yogi near the sacred stream. The holy man gives him a catamaran, two water pots, and warns the boy to always look ahead while on the river, and to not look back. The boy follows the yogi's warnings and sails to the source of the river, deep into a cave, but demons in the deep darkness of the cave frighten and grab at his clothes, he turns his head to glance behind. Back at the fisherman's cottage, the female sibling realizes her elder brother is in danger and follows the same trail to the yogi. She meets the holy man and is given the same instructions: the girl sails on the catamaran and always looks straight ahead, until she reaches the source of the stream and fills the water pots with the liquid. The cave suddenly illuminates and she finds the unmoving figures of pilgrims and sprinkles the water on them, reverting their immobile state. She reunites with her elder brother and they return home. Later, the king learns of the girl's deed and pays the fisherman's cottage a visit with his six co-queens, the seventh their servant and fanning them. The fisherman tells the story of how he found the children floating in the river, and the seventh queen realizes the pair are her children. The king hears the queen's story, proving the injustice done to her, then banishes the elder co-queens to wander the forest, and reinstates his children and their mother.

In an Orissan tale titled Sunā Jharanā ('The Golden Shower'), collected in 1918 from a source in Nilgiri, near Balasore, a king has three children, two boys and a girl. Their mother dies, and the king remarries. At first, the stepmother likes the children, but after some time she begins to nurture hatred towards them. One day, she orders a maid to kill the children in the forest, while the king is told a lie that the siblings have travelled to visit their mother's people. The maid spares the children and only abandons them in the forest, while she reports to the queen she killed them. Back to the children, a rishi finds them and provides some magical help: he gives them a golden deer that can grant them anything they wish for, and a magical ring that signals whenever the elder brothers are in danger. Later, a foret ranger discovers the children and tells the queen. The queen then hires a witch to get rid of the children. The witch goes to the siblings' forest house and convinces them to search for a golden spring atop a mountain. The elder brother goes and meets a wise man on the path, who warns them the spring is inside a temple guarded by serpents and a bird that can petrify anyone that responds to it. Despite the warning, the elder brother fails. The younger brother goes to fetch himself the water and also fails. The sister, seeing the diamond ring has changed colour, goes to the temple and douses herself in the golden spring, all the while ignoring the bird. Soon after, the bird advises her to pluck a feather of its tail and touch the petrified brothers. They are restored and return home. At the end of the tale, the king, their father, finds his children in their forest house and bring them home, then executes his second wife.

In a tale collected from a source in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, with the title The Jealous Queens, a king has six wives, but no child. He marries a seventh one, and she becomes pregnant. Jealous of the newcomer, the six other queen try to trick her: first, they blindfold her, saying that is custom for a woman to give birth thus; next, when she is given a bell to ring for the king, they trick her into ringing it, annoying the monarch. Finally, the queen gives birth to a boy, but the queens replace the child for a pile of stones and put in him a potter's kiln, then lie to the king she gave birth to a stone. The king banishes her. Back to the child, the potter finds the boy inside the kiln, and cannot extinguish the fire. In desperation, he promises half of his wealth to anyone that can put out the kiln. The people cannot do so, even the king and the six queens, save for the seventh queen, who approaches the kiln and a stream of milk jets from her breast to extinguish the fire. Inside the kiln, the pots have turned to gold and the boy is in the hands of a goddess named Mother Asai. The goddess reveals the truth to the king and promises to deliver the prince, but first the king has to punish the co-wives and reinstate the boy's mother by sending a palanquin to get her. Her request is carried out, and the king regains his seventh wife and son.

According to Kunja Behari Dash, in an Orissan tale (Sarbajana Chadhei?; Ominiscient Bird / All-Knowing Bird), a queen gives birth to her three children (two boys and a girl), who are replaces by a monkey, a dog and a cat. The children are cast in the water by the queen's jealous sisters (co-wives in "All-knowing"), but they are saved by the gardener. The gardener adopts and raises them. Years later, the siblings are sents on a quest for the bird, and they plant a basil in their garden to serve as token of life, warning the other siblings whenever the first is in danger. the princess goes in search of the "ominiscient bird" and captures it. With a magic wand, she restores hundreds of men turned to stone. She takes the bird with her to her brothers. Some time later, the king goes on a hunt and meets the children. The siblings invite the king for a meal and he compliments the girl's curry. The bird then talks to the king that the curry of pearls prepared in Ceylon is even better. The king notices the absurdity of eating a meal out of an inedible material (pearls), and the bird retorts that the same impossibility about a human woman giving birth to animals.

In another Odishan tale, Chakulia panda, the queen's evil sisters take her son and cast him in the water, then replace him for a puppy. The boy and his siblings are raised by Mother Ganga. As for the queen, she is downgraded and forces to work as the cleaner of the cowshed. Years later, the children go to play in front of king by trying to give water to their wooden horse.

Author Jnanadabhiram Barua collected an Assamese tale titled Mekuri Jiyekar Sadhu, translated as The Tale of the Cat's Daughter. In this tale, a farmer has a pregnant wife and a pussy that is about to have kittens. One day, the farmer's cat develops a craving for fish and asks its owner to find her one. The farmer asks the cat to get him fish first, then he can give it some. The cat does as requested, but the farmer's wife eats fish every day and leaves only bones to the animal. For this, the cat curses the farmer's wife to bear the kittens the pussy is carrying, and vice-versa. Thus, two kittens are born to the farmer's wife, and two humans girls to the cat. The animal feeds the human girls with fish and milk and raises them. Years later, the girls ask their cat mother how they can ascertain if it is in trouble or not; the cat places a tulasi plant and a bowl of milk, then explains that the plant will wither and the milk will blacken, indicating that something has befallen it. Some time later, the tulasi withers and the milk blackens, and the girls leave home to search for their cat mother. On the road, the elder tries to fetch some water for themselves, when the river-god appears and offers water in exchange for the elder girl's ring. She gives him the ring and brings water to her younger. The younger sister then sends the elder back to the river to retrieve the ring, but the elder sister is carried by the river-god and vanishes. As for the younger sister, a sailing merchant passes by the bank of the river, spots the younger sister and brings her with him to be his third wife, since he has already two wives. Jealous of the new spouse, since their co-husband loves her more, they plot to humiliate her: just as the third wife is ready to give birth, they take her children (two boys, in consecutive pregnancies), cast them in the water and replace them for a flail of rice and a pumpkin, respectively. The merchant falls for his co-wives' trick and banishes the younger sister to a hut near a dunghill. As for the children, their aunt takes her nephews and raises them, explaining their family's story to the pair. Some time later, the merchant is sailing on a boat, when the river-god stops him in his tracks and makes him promise to call for a gathering of people, then asks him to throw his areca-nut carrier and a stick in the water as proof of obedience. The merchant does so, and the river-god lets him pass. At the assemblage, the brothers pay a visit to their mother's hut, get some food and drink and tell her the whole story, then make their way to the gathering. The siblings tell the people the whole story fo their lives, and, to prove their claims, show them the areca-nut carrier and stick that belonged to their father, the merchant. Realizing the whole truth, he cuts off the ears and noses of his co-wives, banishes them, and reinstates his younger wife and two sons.

In a tale from Uttarakhand titled Goreel,

In a tale from [Orissa?], a queen gives birth to seven children, six sons and a daughter, whom are thrown in the water by the co-queens and replaced for puppies. Goddess Ganga rescues them from the river and changes the boys into six Arjun trees and the girl into a Patali tree (Stereospermum chelonoides), whose flowers only their mother, the scorned queen, can pluck.

Tibetan (?) ATU 707

In a Tibetan tale titled The Three Children Who Were Saved from the Water, a king in the East has three daughters, and a king in the West was a widower, whose ministers press him to marry again. The minister meets an old woman who gives matrimonial advice, and she takes a journey to the kingdom in the East to investigate prospective brides. One night, when the king of the East's daughters are standing on the terrace of their palace and converse about their marriage wishes: the elder boasts she can sew clothes for a thousand officers with a cubit of fabric, the elder that she can cook meal for a thousand warriors with a single measure, and the youngest promises to bear triplets. The old woman reports to the king of the West, and he marries all three, despite their father warning him against doing so. The elder sisters, now co-wives to the king of the West, do not deliver the deeds they boasted, while the youngest does become pregnant and gives birth to two boys and a girl. The elder sisters take the children, cast them in the river in clay pots and replace them for puppies. The king falls for their trick and imprisons the third wife, while the children wash down the river to a holy man that was taking a bath. The holy man rescues the children and raises them in the Religion. Back to their mother, the king decides to spare her life by keeping her in prison, despite his ministers pronouncing she should be executed. After twelve years, the children grow up and the holy man gives them a flower named Drolma Metog that indicated he is still alive while he is secluded in a cave for meditation. The lama also explains that, when the flower withers, it means he has died, but he has reincarnated into a bird named Chapo Karabshog, which will lead the children to their parents. Later, the flower withers, and the boys leave home to the kingdom of the West in horses the lama gave them. Riding on their horses, they win many competitions, and draws the attention of the king of the West, who inquires them about their parentage. The elder sisters suspect the boys are their nephews, and decide to kill then: they try to give them poisoned food three times, but each time a little kitten eats teh fatal meal in the siblings' place, alerting them of the danger. As for the king, their father, he keeps wondering about the mysterious twins and, consulting with a magician, decides to search for the Chapo Karabshog, which can reveal the truth of their parentage. Back to the siblings, they notice that the Drolma Metog has blossomed again, which means their adoptive father, the lama, has reincarnated into the bird. The eldest boy goes in search of the bird and meets with an old woman who directs him to a cace filled with birds. Without recognizing the real bird, he turns to stone. The same thing happens with the middle brother. Finally, after three more years, the sister makes the same path and reaches the cave full of birds. She says a prayer for the real bird to fly down the sandalwood tree and circle around her. It happens thus. The bird perches on the stones and restores her brothers and several others to life. The children bring the bird with them down to the hermitage where they lived with the lama, and they make a kingdom there. The king of the West learns the queen of the valley has the bird and wages war agains them, but loses. The bird explains to the siblings the king of the West is their father and their mother is prison. After being rescued from prison, the queen is restored to full health by the bird's powers.

Nepalese ATU 707

In a Nepalese tale titled From the Mango Tree, a king has seven wives, but none have given birth to a son yet. He laments the fact to a sanyasi, a religious old man, who gives him a magic stick and advises him to beat it against a certain mango tree on a certain place, pluck the fruits that will fall and give them to his queens. The king beats the stick against the mango and gathers six mangoes. He brings the fruits home and gives them to his eldest queen, with a request to share the fruits with the other co-wives. The eldest queen summons five of their co-queens, save for the youngest and seventh, and the sextet eat the fruits, leaving nothing for the seventh queen, out of jealousy for the king's attention on her. The seventh queen learns of the king's quest, and goes to eat the mango pits and whatever was left of fruit. In time, the youngest queen becomes pregnant and gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl, whom the other queens throw through the window into some bushes and place a musli (a pestle) and a broom next to the queen. The king falls for the trick and reduces the seventh queen to being a servant to the others. As for the children, a poor water-carrier woman finds the twins in the bushes and takes them to raise. Years later, when the twins are playing next to a well, one of the other queens sights the pair and asks about their parentage. This motivates the twins to ask their adoptive mother, who reveals they are not her children. The queens learns the children are alive and conspire to eliminate them: they dig up a hole in the garden, shove the twins in and bury them. However, two trees sprout bearing blossoms. Later, each of the queens try to pluck a flower from the trees, but their branches move away.

Palestinian Jrefiyye ATU 707

In a Palestinian Jrefiyye titled __ ("___"), translated to Spanish as El ruiseñor cantarín ("The Singing Nightingale"), people pray for rains at night, then each goes back to their houses. The sons of a person named Umm Aḥmad walk home singing loud songs,

Turkish ATU 707

In a Turkish tale collected by folklorist Muhsine Helimoğlu with the title Yedi Çingene ("Seven Gypsies"), a sultan rules two countries and has a son in search of a wife. In the same land, seven gypsy girls set up their tents with their families, the first girl ugly and the seventh the most beautiful of the group. The girls learn the sultan's son is looking for a bride, and they comment what they will do if they marry him (pour water on his hands, bring him his shoes, etc.), and the youngest promises to bear him two golden children. The sultan's son, who was listening to their conversation, decides to marry each of them, and each of them fail to fulfill their wishes, since they simply wanted a husband, save for the youngest, who does bear him the twin gold children. The six gypsies take the seventh to give birth next to a chimney, through which the children fall. The gypsies cast the twins in the water and replace them for puppies to fool the sultan's son. The six gypsies suggest the seventh girl is to be left in at seven crossroads and for people to beat her with a piece of wood. As for the children, a poor fishing couple finds the children in the water and rescues them. Whenever water is poured over them, gold appears. The fisherman couple dies and leaves the twins all by themselves, the boy going on hunts and the girl staying at home. One day, the boy fails to hunt some partridges and complains it to a man, who is his true father and gives him some. The man returns home and tells the gypsies he met a "golden boy" on the road whom he considers as his son. The gypsies realize the children are alive; one of the gypsies disguises herself as an old woman on a pilgrimage, pays the female twin a visit and says their house is missing a nightingale. The male twin goes in search of the nightingale and meets a man on the road, who advises him to go to a certain hut and call out for the bird, but take care to not be petrified. Despite the man's warnings, the male twin becomes stone. The female twin senses something wrong with her brother and goes to the nightingale's hut. She cries for her brother's fate and the bird restores him and other stones back to life. The twins take the bird with them to their house. At the end of the tale, the nightingale suggests the twins invite people to a meal and place rocks to feed the guests' horses. The twins notice the strangeness of the request, and the bird explains the whole story to them. The twins then restore their mother and look for their father, who learns the truth and punishes the six gypsies.

Kazakh ATU 707

In a Kazakh tale titled Ақбілек Қыз - Түрғын Бала (Turkish: Akbilek Kız-Turğın Bala, English: "Girl Akbilek and Boy Turgin"), Bögen takes for wife a woman named Akborik, who becomes pregnant, drawing the ire of his other co-wives Kanikey and Tinikey, daughters of Nogay Khan. Forty batyrs come from Crimea to congratulate Bögen, and take him for a celebratory hunt. While he is away, the co-wives hire a witch named Mistan Kempir to get rid of the unborn children. Akborik gives birth to twins, a boy named Turgin and a girl named Akbilek. The co-wives make Akborik faint, replace the twins for puppies and give the babies for Mistan Kempir to kill them. The witch dons iron garments and walks very far, until she reaches a desert and drops them down a well. Back to Bögen, a letter is sent to him telling the false birth, and he orders his wife to be banished to the island of Kula Su with the puppies. As for the children, a monarch and his large caravan pass by the same desert the well is in, and he goes to draw water from the well. He notices the twin children, who sing a song that they have been protected by Allah and lived in the well, and wish to be given cattle. The Hodja takes the boy with him, but the members of the caravan complain to their leader. Turgin, being of "heroic lineage", steals a herd of cattle and a herd of horses and brings them with him to his sister. He spends the days hunting while she stays home. Back to Bögen, the forty batyrs convince him to join them for another hunt, and he releases his falcon ("Shahin") to guide the hunt. The falcon reaches the well where the children are, and perches on the girl Akbilek's arm. Bögen asks the girl to return the bird, and she wants to be given the bird for her brother. Bögen takes back the falcon and returns home, and his co-wives Kanikey and Tinikey learn the children are alive. Thus, they bribe Mistan Kempir to go there and get rid of them. Mistan Kempir walks back to the well, but finds a tent nearby, and goes to talk to Akbilek, passing herself as a wandering beggar lady. Mistan tells the girl her brother needs to find a wife for himself, and suggests Täpeltes, daughter of the Kalmyk khan who lives in the Kipchak Mountain. Turgin goes to the mountains and meets a kempir (old woman), whose breasts he suckles. The kempir says Täpeltes is her daughter, and marries them to each other. Next, Mistan Kempir convinces the girl to have a drink from the "sieve of white water". For this next quest, Turgin kills two snakes to protect the nest from the Samurik (Simurgh) bird, and their father, in gratitude, warns him there is an personal enemy driving him to death. Turgin heeds the warning, fights the Kalmyks for ten days, gets the white water and returns home. Back home, the twins learn the truth of their predicament, and Turgin captures Jalmavız Kempir. The twins also make their way to Bögen's tent, where the twins reconcile with their father. Bögen also orders his wife to be retrieved from the island, and the family is reunited again. The co-wives' deceit is brought to light and they are publicly exposed.

Tatar ATU 707

In a Tatar tale translated to Turkish with the title Mustan Başlik, a widower has three daughters and remarries. One day, the woman orders the man to get rid of the girls by abandoning them in the woods. The man takes his daughters to the forest on the false pretense of picking strawberries, and pretends to be cutting wood. The girls think the father is there with them, but cannot find them, and reach a hut deep in the woods where an old woman lives. The woman - a witch - takes them in, and the youngest, in a smart move, says she prefer to sleep by the chimney. While her sisters are fast asleep and the witch is preparing the stove for cooking and whetting a knife, the cadette drops a bit of salt from the inside the chimney to put out the fire. The next day, while the witch has gone fishing, the girls drown the witch's daughter and flee the woods. The witch returns home and, discovering her dead daughter, she chases after the girls, who drop objects to deter her: a whetting stone becomes a high mountain, a comb becomes a thick forest, and a mirror becomes a deep sea. The witch asks the girl how crossed the sea and they lie that they put some heavy stones on them and waded through. The witch dies and sinks, then the girls make their way to a nearby city. Soon enough, a king and his vizier, both on a hunt, spot the girls and ask them about their abilities: the elder boasts she can sew clothes for the whole city with a meter of fabric; the middle one that she can feed the whole city with a single dead bull, and the youngest promises to bear twins, a boy and a girl, with silk hair, teeth of pearl and silver body. The sultan's son marries the youngest who becomes pregnant as the elder two fail to deliver their boasts. After nine months, a boy just like she described is born to her, whom the elder sister sell to a fisherman on the other side of the Irtysh river, and place a puppy in his place. The next year, a girl is born to her, and the baby is also sold to the old fisherman, while a puppy is placed next to the sultan's son's wife. The sultan's son returns and, falling for the deception, orders his viziers to blind her and to place her next to the stairs where people are to spit on her. Some time later, the sultan's son is rowing down the river, and finds two children with silken hair, teeth of pearl and silver body playing by the fisherman's hut. The fisherman tells him the whole truth, that the children were sold to him by the elder sister. The king buys the children back and gains a magic leaf to restore his wife's health. The old sultan then orders the execution of the elder sisters.

In a Tatar tale translated to Turkish as Ateş Akordeonu ("Fire Acordeon"), an old man has an only daughter and remarries. His second wife dislikes her stepdaughter, and orders her husband to get rid of her. Saddened at the idea, the man takes his teenage daughter to the forest and abandons her there. After a while, another man passes by the girl and rescues her to his house. He buys her clothes and decides to marry her. He was already married to a previous wife. One day, he has to leave on a journey and asks his two wives what they can provide him when he returns: the first wife promises to sew him a unique shirt, while the youngest says she will bear twins, a boy and a girl. A witch brings the dress to the first wife, and becomes the midwife to the second wife to help in the twins' delivery. Nudged by the first wife, the witch takes the twins as soon as they are born, casts them in the water in a box and places two puppies in their place. A fisherman and his wife find the twins and raise them, while the man returns home and banishes his second wife to a house, where people are beat her. Back to the children, the male twin becomes a hunter and, one day, helps his father - unbeknownst to him - from a wolves' attack. The witch-midwife and the man's first wife realize the twins are alive, and the witch pays them a visit, who are living alone since the death of their adoptive parents. The witch convinces the female twin to send her brother to search for a wife: a maiden that lives in the water and combs her hair by the lake. With the help of his horse, the male twin captures the water maiden in her underwater abode and brings her home as his bride. During a second hunt, the male twin rescues his father again from another wolf attack, and again the witch sends them on a quest: for a lake of milk to help them graze cattle. The water maiden warns the female twin the witch is trying to kill the male twin. Regardless, the male twin rides his talking horse to the milk sea, hits a birch tree with a whip and plucks one of its leaves, then returns home with: the milk lake appears for them in their house. Thirdly, the witch sends them for the self-playing gramophone: with the aid of three elderly women, the youth gets the gramophone from inside an egg, inside a duck, inside a box, atop an oak tree. Lastly, the witch sends the twins for a magical instrument: the fire accordion. The male twin enters a mountain of fire and fetches the accordion from three sisters, then steals magic objects from a trio of old men: a stick that kills people and a saddlecloth that revives them. After all these quests, the male twin rescues his father for the third time from wolves after he uses the stick to kill the animals, and the man invites the youth for a meal with him. The male twin thanks, but brings his twin and his wife with him. When they reach the man's house, the male twin passes by the house where his mother was banished to, when the water maiden stops him from beating her. The man's guards inform their master the youth did not hit the woman, and the water maiden reveals the whole truth. The man then punishes his first wife and the witch-midwife, and restores the mother of the twins as his wife.

Bashkir ATU 707

In a Bashkir tale translated to Turkish with the title Dokus OĞlan ("Nine Sons"), a sultan's unmarried son overhears three girls talking:

The Dragon-Prince and the Stepmother (Turkish ATU 433B)

• Yılan Damat

In an Jewish-Iranian tale titled "בת הדייג" ("The Fisherman's Daughter"), [68]

Spanish ATU 433B (King Lindworm) + 425A (Animal/Monster as Bridegroom)

Analysis

Tale type

The tale is classified in the international Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index as type ATU 425A, "The Animal (Monster) as Bridegroom". In this tale type, the heroine is a human maiden who marries a prince who is cursed to become an animal of some sort. She betrays his trust and he disappears, prompting a quest for him.

According to Hans-Jörg Uther, the main feature of tale type ATU 425A is "bribing the false bride for three nights with the husband". In fact, when he developed his revision of Aarne-Thompson's system, Uther remarked that an "essential" trait of the tale type ATU 425A was the "wife's quest and gifts" and "nights bought".

Motifs

It is "frequent" in Spanish variants that the heroine, in her quest, reaches the house of the Sol ('Sun'), Luna ('Moon') and Aire ('Air' or 'Wind').

The animal husband

According to scholarship, the form of the animal husband may vary between Spanish and Hispano-American tradition, but the lizard as his enchanted form is "common" to both continents.

Variants

In a Spanish variant collected in Cuenca by Aurélio M. Espinosa with the title El lagarto de las siete camisas ("The Lizard with Seven Skins"), a queen longs for a child, even if it is a lizard. God grants her wish and she gives birth to a lizard. Whenever a wet nurse tries to feed the child, the lizard bites off the wet nurse's breast. The royal couple finds a girl named Mariquita, who suckles the prince with a pair of iron breasts filled with milk. The lizard prince grows up and wants to marry. Mariquita's sisters are given to him: he expects his wife to stay awake and wait for him on their bed; they fail and he kills them. However, Mariquita stays awake and sees that the lizard is a prince underneath the animal skin. He puts the seven lizard skins on a couch and warns his wife not to touch them. Mariquita tells the queen about her son's secret and they decide to burn the lizard skins. They do and the prince disappears, which prompts a quest for him. This tale is classified as both ATU 433B and ATU 425A, "the Search for the Lost Husband".

In a tale collected from a Leonese source with the title Las hijas del sastre ("The Tailor's Daughters"), a gypsy woman knocks on every door for alms. One day, she knocks on a king's doors and begs for some, but the king denies her request. Thus, the gypsy woman curses the pregnant king's wife so that her unborn child becomes a lizard. In time, a lizard is indeed born to the queen, but acts like a human being: eats at the table and walks with then. However, the lizard is indeed human underneath the lizard skin, for he removes it whenever he goes to sleep, without his mother knowing. Some time later, the lizard son asks his mother to find him a bride, and he chooses the tailor's youngest daughter. The queen asks the tailor for the hand of his youngest daughter on the prince's behalf, and he delivers his youngest to the royal couple. On the weddign night, the tailor's daughter pushes the lizard suitor away whenever he tries to climb on the marital bed, and, for this affront, his strangles her. Next, the prince asks for the hand of the tailor's middle daughter, whom the queen brings as his second bride. Just as the first one, the lizard prince kills the second bride. Lastly, the queen brings the tailor's elder daughter, who marries the lizard prince and goes to sleep on the same bed as the reptile. The prince takes off the animal skin and embraces his human wife. The queen notices the girl is strangely happy and suspects something, but her daughter-in-law reveals the prince is a handsome youth underneath the lizard skin, so the queen plots with her to burn his animal disguise. In another night, while the prince and his wife are asleep, the queen steals the lizard skin and burns it with the king's help in a large fire. The next morning, the prince cannot find the reptile skin, and says his wife will have to search for him at the Castillos de Irás y No Volverás, by wearing down iron shoes. The girl buys the iron shoes and begins a journey towards the Castillos. She passes by the houses of the Moon and his mother, the Sun and his mother and the Averroz and his mother. The Averroz knows the location of the Castillos, and gives the girl a woolen "manelita", a spool of thread and a tuft of cotton, then takes her to the Castillos. Once there, she passes herself off as a poor girl and takes out the gifts from Averroz: the first produces a golden hen with chicks, which she trades with the local bride who is celebrating her marriage to the human lizard prince. The girl cannot wake him up on the first night, so she trades a skein of silk for a second night. During her encounter with the sleeping lizard prince, her lament is overheard by a servant, who later informs his master about the stranger. The third night, the girl trades her last valuable thing for one last night with him, and the human lizard prince recognizes her, after not drinking a sleeping potion. The prince then arranges a new wedding, and invites the poor girl (his true wife) to eat with them. The prince then asks his guests about a lost key he previously had for a chest, bought others, but found the first one, so which one should he keep? The guests say he should keep the first one; thus, the prince chooses to be with his first wife, and they settle in the Castillos de Irás y No Volverás for a time, before they return to his parents' kingdom.

In a tale collected from a Leonese source and published by scholar Julio Camarena with the title El Rey Lagarto ("The Lizard King"), a king and queen are childless, so they pray for the Virgin Mary and to God for a son, even if he is a lizard. Thus, a lizard is born to them, with head of a blue colour and the rest of a green shade. Years later, the lizard son asks his mother to find him a bride, lest he kills the queen. The queen finds a house with three single ladies, and brings the first one as Rey Lagarto's bride. On the wedding night, the lizard prince creeps on the girl's body, she shrieks and tosses him away, and he kills her for it. Later, the lizard prince asks his mother for another bride, and his second bride also rejects him on the wedding night after letting out a shriek of horror, and the lizard prince kills her for it. Lastly, the queen brings the youngest sister as the lizard prince's bride. On the wedding night, the girl does not reject him; he accepts her and tells her he is cursed into that form, and he must travel to the Castillos de África to reverse the curse, then disappears. The girl decides to to go after him and buys a pair of shoes, beginning a journey towards the Castillos de África. After a long journey, the girl reaches the house of the Moon and his mother, who do not know where is such a place. Still, the mother of the Moon gives the girl some little golden apples, and she continues on her journey. Next, the girl reaches the house of the Sun and his mother, who also do not know of the location of the Castillos. Still, the Sun's mother gives her some golden pears, and she continues her travels. At last, the girl reaches the house of the Aire and his mother, who do know the location of the Castillos: in a valley, in a thick forest. The Aire's mother gives the girl a golden spinning wheel and golden fuse, and she is carried by the Aire to the wooded valley, where she lands. The girl then knocks on a nearby hut to check her destination, and its female occupant confirms it is the Castillos de África. The lizard prince's wife takes out the golden objects and draws the attention of the female owner of the house, who wishes to buy the golden items. The girl trades them for a night with Rey Lagarto: the golden spinning wheel and fuse on the first night, the golden apples on the second, and the golden pears on the third. For the first two nights, the girl sings some verses to wake Rey Lagarto up, but he does not budge, since he drank a sleeping potion given by the owner of the house. On the third night, Rey Lagarto pretends to be asleep, and listens to his wife's lament, then wakes up, takes his wife, and goes back to his homeland where his parents live.

Spanish ATU 425B (Son of the Witch)

• 1. Campos, Camiño Noia (2021). Catalogue of Galician Folktales. Folklore Fellows Communications. Vol. 322. Helsinki: Kalevala Society. ISBN 978-952-9534-01-2.

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• 2. Oriol, Carme; Josep M. Pujol (2008). Index of Catalan Folktales. Folklore Fellows’ Communications 294. Helsinki: Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia. pp. __. ISBN 978-951-41-1014-6

Murcia

Spanish academic Ángel Hernandez Fernandez abstracted the common traits from a tale from Jumilla and another from Cartagena (both located in the Region of Murcia), and developed a tale type from the region with the same typing, ATU 425B. In his system of Murcian folktales, type 425B, El pájaro ayudante ("The helpful bird"), the heroine leaves home to escape mistreatment from her step-family and finds employment in a castle. There, the queen, based on false claims by the other servants, forces the heroine on difficult tasks, which she accomplishes with the help of a bird (that may be changed into a prince at the end of the story).

In a tale from Jumilla collected by researcher Pascuala Morote Magán with the title Pajarito Verde ("Little Green Bird"), a girl finds a bird who gives her a mantilla and a teja (a tile), and she leaves home from her step-family to work in the king's castle. One day, the queen gives her a bottle to fill with birds' tears. The girl summons the little green bird to help her, and he orders all birds to come and cry over the bottle. Next, the queen asks her to find a ring she lost in the sea: the bird summons the fishes, one speckled, the second white, and the third green, and she brings the queen's ring. Thirdly, the queen orders her to go to the castle of Irás y No Volverás. The little green bird advises her how to reach it: she will find an ox eating meat and a wolf eating hay, which she is to place for the right animal; then, she will find a woman cleaning an oven with a boja (a sort of stone), whom she is to give a stick to help her; lastly, she is to enter the castle only when a woman is sleeping with her eyes open, get the caja de los caudales, and escape. The girl takes the box and its keeper wakes up, ordering the woman at the oven and the animals to stop her, but they remain still. On the way back, she enters the church where the king's son was asleep with candles on his toes and crashes into the altar.

In a Murcian tale collected in Sierra de Mazarrón with the title La Tierra de Ifre ("The Land of Ifre"), a girl named María lives with her widowed father. She goes to school and passes by the house of a widow who has her own daughter, and insists María convinces her father to join their families, for she will give "sopa de miel" to María. The girl tells her father about it, but he warns her new stepmother will soon give her "sopa de hiel". Time passes, and eventually María's father marries the widow. The man leaves on business trips, and also brings gifts to his stepdaughter. One day, he asks María if she wants something, but she wants for nothing. One night, however, the Virgin Mary appears to María in her dreams and tells the girl she should ask for three roses a giant guards: a white one, a green one, and a yellow one. The next day, María tells her father to bring her the flowers described in her dream. Before the man returns, the Virgin Mary appears to María again and tells her she should light each of the flowers on fire and talk to whatever appears in the flames. María's father brings her the roses, she goes to her room and burns the white rose that same night: a gentleman in white appears and begs her to talk to him, but he vanishes before she can utter a word. The next night, she burns the green rose, and the same gentleman appears to her in green garments, and still María is silent. The third night, she burns the yellow flower, and the gentleman appears in yellow clothes. Before he vanishes, he tells María to seek him in "la tierra de ifre" ("the land of ifre"). María decides to seek the land of ifre, by asking the harvesters in the village about it. A pair of peasants, an old man and his daughter, say they hail from there, and María decides to join them the next time they return to their homeland. The trio journey on mules until they reach the sea which blocks their path. Suddenly, a large bird appears in the air and bids María talk to him. María remains silent, but jumps on the bird and it takes her to the land of Ifre across the sea. The girl then hires herself as a servant to the local queen. In time, the other maidservants begin to gossip about María, jealous of her beauty, and lie to the queen the girl boasted she could wash, dry and iron all the clothes in the castle. María receives piles and piles of clothes, to be done lest she is executed, and cries next to the river. The same bird that carried her over the sea (which the tale says is a green bird) appears to María and bids her talk to him. She keeps her peace, but the bird teaches her a magic command then leaves. María repeats the bird's words and the work is done for her. Next, the castle's maidservants lie that María boasted she could restore the queen's sight. María goes to cry in next to the river, the green bird appears, gives her a small flask and teaches her a spell to summon all bird for them to offer their tears. María does as instructed and fills a flask with birds' tears, curing the queen's eyesight. Now with her vision restored, the queen decides to hold a ball for the "reyes encantados" ("enchanted kings"). Every girl attends the ball with a candle in hand as part of a procession. The tale was also classified as type Aa-Th 425B, Las labores difíciles.

Extremadura

Folklorist Sérgio Hernandez de Soto collected a tale from Zafra, Badajoz, with the title Los Tres Claveles ("The Three Carnations"). In this tale, a poor laborer has a daughter. One day, he finds in the fields three carnations and brings them to his daughter. The girl is cooking, and one of the carnations falls in the fire, and a prince appears to her. The youth tries to talk to her, but she does not answer, and he tells her she will have to seek him in the "piedras de toito el mundo" ("the rocks of all the world"). The second and the third claveles also fall in the fire, and summon a second and a third princes. María, the girl, falls in love with the third prince and decides to look for the rocks of all the world. María climbs a large rock and begins to cry. Suddenly, a rock cracks open and the third prince appears to comfort her. As she still will not talk, the prince directs her to a house in the valley, where she can find work as a maidservant. María goes there and is hired as a servant. She earns her employer's trust and the jealousy of the other servants, who lie to their mistress that María can wash all the clothes in the house. María takes the clothe piles to the river and goes to the rocks to cry. The third prince appears again and advises her to summon all birds of the world to help her. Next, the story explains that the mistress of the house lost her three sons, and cried to much her sight has deteriorated. So, the servants lie that María can find her a cure for her sight. The third prince advises her to summon all the birds again, and every one of them will carry a drop in their feathers to fill the flask. Finally, the other maidservants lie that María promises to disenchant the mistress's three sons. María is advised by the third prince to summon all the maidens from the neighbouring villages, have each carry a lit candle, and they must form a procession around the rocks, and must not let any candle be put out. María follows his orders and a procession circles the rocks, but a gust of wind snuffs out María's candle and she shouts. The three rocks disappear and the three princes are back to normal. The third prince explains that the one who burned the carnation should talk to him, in order to break the spell. María marries the third prince. Writer Elsie Spicer Eells translated the tale as The Carnation Youth, in her book Tales of Enchantment from Spain, albeit making the third prince an only son. Swahn classified Los Tres Claveles ("The Three Carnations") as his type A (see above). The tale was classified as type 425B, Las Labores Difíciles ("The Difficult Tasks").

In an Extremaduran tale titled El príncipe encantado ("The Enchanted Prince"), collected from an informant named Filomena Moreno Pozo, from Zalamea de la Serena, a traveller marries a merchant's daughter, who asks for three dresses as gifts: a white one, a "colorado", and a black one. In time, the couple have a daughter with the same colours as the dresses, and the woman dies, buy advises her husband to remain single if he decides to be, and to remarry if their daughter agrees to it. Time passes, and his daughter grows up. In the same village, she meets a widow with two daughters, who convinces the girl about marrying her father. It happens thus. Some time later, the traveller always bring gifts for his daughter and stepdaughters. One day, his own daughter asks for a three-leaf carnation. The man travels far and cannot find it, but is advised to look for the flower in a magic castle just outside the village. The man returns with the carnation and gives it to his daughter, who places it in her hair. Later, a king passes by with his retinue through the village, and he sights the girl with the carnation on her hair. He falls in love with her, she gives out a scream and says she wants to see him again, but he tells she can meet him in the castle of the Lions ("castillo de los Leones"). With this, he disappears, and his retinue do not know where he went. They know he is in the castle of the Lions, but those that enter it cannot leave. Meanwhile, the girl decides to pluck one of the carnation's petals; she does it and a voice asks the girl, María, to talk to them. María faints, and is helped by her stepfamily. María plucks the next two petals, and believes it to be her mother's voice. The stepmother admonishes her for her deed, and she leaves home. María goes to look for a job in a castle, and is hired as a maidservant. She works in the garden and teaches sewing to the two princesses. She also notices that the queen keeps muttering about her lost son, and one night, in bed, she realizes the prince has been enchanted into the carnation. Suddenly, the prince's voice talks to her, and tells her he can disenchant him: first, she is to ask the queen for every cloth, which she is to wash in a single day. Her orders are carried out, and María, following the prince's voice, simply rests for a bit, and the clothes are washed, ironed and folded. Next, the queen tells María she can feel happier if someone could bring her her husband's ring, lost at sea. María offers to get the ring, and follows the prince's instructions: she is to guide some soldiers to the sea, then enter the water on a horse, and raise her sword. María puts on a man's disguise ("jinete"), rides the horse into the sea, and brings back the queen's ring. Lastly, the queen sighs that she could be with her son again, and María offers to bring him back. The prince's voice advises her how to rescue him: she is to gather bones and bring two brushes with herself to the castle of the Lions; she is to give the brushes to two people cleaning up an oven and the bones to two lions; she will then meet a witch who will say the girl dropped a kerchief, whom she is to shove into the ground. María does as instructed and meets the prince in a pavilion just past the witch. The prince embraces María and both escape through a backdoor, while the castle of the Lions becomes filled with smoke. The pair returns to the castle, and the queen thanks María for saving her son. María and the prince marry. The tale was classified as type 425B, Las Labores Difíciles ("The Difficult Tasks").

Cádiz

In a variant from Cádiz, collected from teller Carmen Pérez Galván, from Chiclana de la Frontera with the title Rosa, a young woman named Rosa lives with her travelling father. Their neighbour, a widow with two daughters, tells Rosa to convince her father to marry her. She does, and, as time passes, their neighbour, now her stepmother, mistreats the girl and favours her two biological daughters. The last straw is when the stepmother tells Rosa to seek employment somewhere else, since Rosa draws any suitor's attention away from the step-sisters. Rosa leaves home and meets an old lady on the way, who directs her to a castle, to work for the lady of the castle, the queen, as her hairdresser. Eventually, the castle's servants, jealous of Rosa's talents and kindness, lie to the queen that she boasted she could do impossible things. The queen summons Rosa to her presence, and comments about the false boasts: that she can find the queen's missing son, and that she can clean all the palace overnight. Rosa goes to her bedroom and cries about the task, when a knight knocks on the door and tells her not to worry, for everything will be done the next morning. The next day, the whole palace is clean, from top to bottom. The other servants spread another rumour: that Rosa can wash and iron all the clothes of the palace's inhabitants. The same knight knocks on the door and tells her not to worry. By the next morning, the clothes are washed and ironed. Lastly, the queen reminds Rosa about the boast that she can locate her son, who has been missing for 20 years. The knight instructs Rosa to escape by a castle backdoor into an alleyway, carrying a sack of straw, a bag of bones, a comb, a piece of bread and a satchel of tobacco. The girl must go on until she finds two bulls (to which she must give the straw), two dogs (to which she must give the bones) and a long-bearded old man cleaning an oven with his long fingernails (to whom she must give the comb, the bread and the tobacco). At the end of the journey, she must ring a doorbell, and a witch will let her in. Inside, she will find a box surrounded by four candles. The girl is to put out the candles, take the box, and return to the castle by the backdoor. The girl follows the knight's instructions to the letter, and brings the box to the queen. The queen opens the box and her son comes out of it. The prince and Rosa marry. The tale was also classified as type 425B.

In a tale from Cádiz titled La bolsa de los peines,

Galicia

Galician ethnographer Lois Carré Alvarellos published a tale collected from Campamento, in San Xurxo de Iñás, with the title A Filla do Rei, which researcher Marisa Rey-Henningsen translated as The King's Daughter. In this tale, a king locks his only daughter in a high tower to protect her from the world. However, when she is old enough, she peers outside the tower and marvels at the moonlight. Some days later, she decides to leave the tower and wander the world. One day, she cries in the middle of the road, when a ram appears to her. The animal asks for a kiss; she refuses, but it agrees to accompany her. Later, the ram guides her to a house where she finds work for a mother and her daughter, who are secretly a pair of witches (Galician: meigas). The witches order the girl to get them the "caixa de demachiños" ('the little box of demachiños'; 'goblin casket', in Marisa Rey-Henningsen's translation). The girl does not know where to find it, so she wanders off until she finds a donkey whom she feeds with grass instead of straw, a bull she gives bread instead of grass, and a rooster she gives wheat instead of corn. The animals guide her to the place where she can find the box, and the princess enters the house and steals the box. Suddenly, a very old, very ugly woman comes out of the kitchen and wrestles with her for the box, the princess is stronger and flees; the old woman orders the animals to stop her, but they refuse due to the girl's kindness. On the road, she opens the box to see what lies inside, but it is apparently empty. She delivers the box to the witches, but they realize the box is empty, so they send the girl for another box. The princess gets a second box which she does not open, and gives it to the pair. Later, the witch duo forces the girl to gather piles of clothes, wash, dry, mend and iron them before noon. The girl cries over the task, when the ram comes to her and summons an army of rams to fulfill the task. Finally, the princess goes back to her father in the company of the ram and introduces the animal as her saviour. She washes it in a fountain and kisses it; a handsome prince appears before her. The princess then marries the disenchanted prince.

In a Galician tale collected by J. A. Saco y Arce with the title Aladina, a beautiful and kind girl named Aladina finds work with the local king. The monarch likes her, to the envy of the other maidservants. Thus the girl is forced to perform difficult tasks: first, they deliver her a large pile of clothes to be washed and ironed in the same day. Cow-driven carts loaded with the piles take the clothes to the river, and Aladina begins to cry. Suddenly, a bird flies out of the water, asks what is wrong, and advises her: ask the cows to wash the clothes with their horns and iron it with their paws. Aladina does as the bird instructed and the task is done for her. Next, the maidservants order Aladina to steal the bed from the giants that live under the palace. The girl goes to cry on the riverbank, when the bird appears again and advises her: take a sack filled with beetles and fleas, release them in their cell when the giant pair go out at eleven o' clock for some fresh air, and hide behind a door. Aladina follows the bird's instructions, throws the bugs on the giants' bed; when they lie down to sleep, the bugs bite them all over their bodies and they place the bed behind the door, which the girl takes up to the castle. For the third task, the maidservants order her to find a ring lost in the sea to disenchant the prince. Aladina meets the bird again, who asks her to cut it in pieces with a razor, catch the blood in a flask and drop it in the sea, and not lose any drop of its blood. Aladina refuses it at first, but the bird assures it will be safe. The girl slices the bird and catches its blood, but lets a single drop fall on the ground; she throws the flask in the sea, and it emerges with the ring. Still, the prince is nowhere to be found. At last, the maidservants order Aladina to steal a box from an old magician. The bird, back to life, advises Aladina how to proceed: fetch a broom, some meat and a jug of water, throw the meat to some lions, give the water to some tigers, meet the magician and ask him for some bread; while he is distracted, use the broom to sweep some dust and cobwebs from a chest, get the box from inside the chest and rush back. Aladina follows the bird's instructions to the letter and flees with the box, and the magician commands the chest and the animals to stop her, to no avail. Aladina brings the box to the king, who opens it and removes little boxes until there is a small container. The container is opened and out flies the same little bird, who turns into the prince. The prince explains he was the bird, thanks Aladina for rescuing him, and marries her.

Other regions

In a Spanish tale from Salamanca published by Hispanists Julio Camarena and Maxime Chevalier with the title El Príncipe Enamorado ("The Enamoured Prince"), a merchant has a daughter named Elena to whom he brings roses whenever he comes back from the market. One day, however, the man forgets about it, then meets another man to whom he explains he brings roses to his daughter Elena. The second man goes to Elena's house and calls for her from under the balcony, but she does not answer. The man goes back the following mornings, and still she does not answer. One day, Elena decides she wants to leave home to be a servant elsewhere. Her parents agree with her decision and she departs. The girl eventually knocks on the house of the man who tried to talk to her under her balcony and offers her services; the man's mother denies her at first, for they have other maidservants, but the man vouches for Elena and the girl is hired. In time, the other four maidservants notice their employer only has eyes for Elena, and begin to spread gossip about her: first, that she can wash every mattress in the palace. The woman (the queen) arranges for a cart loaded with mattresses to be delivered to Elena. On the road, the prince appears and tries to talk to her, but she remains silent. Still, he gives her a wand of virtue and teaches her a spell to go to the riverbank and summon the birds to help her wash and dry them. It happens thus. The next time, the maidservant lie to the queen that Elena boasted she could fill every mattress in the palace with bird feathers. Elena takes a new cart loaded with mattresses and meets the prince, who advises her to go to the sea and summon the birds for them to offer their feather and fill the mattresses. After doing the second task, the prince's grandmother dies, and falls under a spell, and there is a little box guarded by animals and an old man sitting on the box that is holding the prince's grandmother. The maidservants then tell the queen Elena can fetch them the box. Elena cries for the task; the prince appears to her and bids her talk to him, and still she remaisn silent. Despite this, the prince gives her a house key, some meat for wolves and some milk for some snakes. Elena steals the box and rushes back to the palace, the old man commanding the animals to stop her, to no avail. Elena delivers the box to the queen, who, pleased with the girl's success, wishes to marry her to her son. The next day, the queen arranges for her son's wedding and places Elena on his right, while the prince's bride on his left. The maidservants hold candles, while Elena holds a melted "cirio". The prince takes notice of the sad-looking candle in Elena's hand and she tells him that sadder still is the person holding it. The prince then announces he will marry Elena instead of his bride.

In a tale collected in Guadalix de la Sierra with the title Los hermanos convertidos en piedras ("The Brothers Turned to Stone"), a ploughman has a beautiful daughter. One day, he finds three carnations on the road which he brings her. Some years later, the man dies, and the girl's carnations are as fresh as the first day she gained them. Now all alone, she plans to leave and find work elsewhere. She then throws a carnation in the fire, which makes a youth appears to her. The prince asks if she needs something, she remains silent, and the youth tells her to seek him in the "piedras de las tres hermanas". After the youth disappears, she suspects something about the flowers, and throws the other two in the fire, with two other youths appearing before her and telling her to seek them in the same location. After exhausting the three flowers, the girl decides to go to the "piedras de las tres hermanas", and stops by the rocks. The third youth appears to her, to whom she explains she is looking for a job. The youth then points her to a house in a valley, where they are looking for a maidservant. Following the youth's directions, the girl knocks on the house's door and is welcomed as a servant. One of the house's servants gives the newcomer a huge pile of clothes to be washed. The girl goes near the rocks; the eldest of the three brothers comes out of the rock, is told about the task, and advises her to go near the riverbank and summon the birds to help her. It happens thus. Some time later, the other servant lies to the lady of the house the newcomer can find her a remedy for her eyesight. The girl goes to the rocks; one of the youth appears and directs the girl to a bramble where the birds will give her their tears to fill a flask, and she is to pluck a feather from the last bird to use it on the lady's eyes. The third time, the servants lie to their employer the girl can disenchant the lady's missing three sons. The girl returns to the rocks and meets a youth, who instructs her to gather a hundred maidens from the village, have each carry a candle and circle around the rocks, and they will be disenchanted. The girl arranges for the hundred maiden retinue, each holding a candle. They circle around the rocks and restore the youths to human form. The girl marries the lady's elder son.

According to scholars Johannes Bolte and Jiri Polívka, Spanish writer Agustín Durán, in his work Romancero General, reported a tale from his childhood: the hero is a Black man named "Gafitas de la Luz"; the heroine, his beloved one, is persecuted by his parents, who force her on tasks; in one of her tasks she is helped by the birds, which cry over the clothes to wash them and iron them with their beaks. Catalan scholar Josep M. Pujol noted that this tale could refer to type 425B.

México

In a tale collected by Stanley Robe from a source in Los Altos with the title Marcia y Marimonia ("Marcia and Marimonia"), a king and queen have a daughter named Marcia. One day, the queen falls ill and dies, and the king remarries. Marcia does not like her stepmother and cries over it. Some time later, the new queen tells Marcia that the king said the princess can cook food for the entire world. Marcia cries for the impossibiliy, when a little bird appears to help her: it summons women to fulfill the task for her, and by nine o'clock the food is prepared. The next time, the stepmother says the girl can wash and iron clothes for the entire world. Again, the little bird appears to help her: he gives her three apples which the princess is to cast in the fire for an army of women to appear to help her. The third time, the new queen asks the princess to find the king's wedding ring he lost at sea, his childhood's toys and his cradle. The little bird appears again and fetches the ring from the sea, then advises Marcia where to find the remaining objects: she will walk until she reaches a house where an old woman lives; she is rocking the cradle with a box inside; Marcia is to trick the old woman to fetch a drink of water and, while she is distracted, she is to steal the cradle and the box and escape. Marcia walks towards the old woman's house, finds her rocking a cradle and asks for a drink of water. The old woman cannot leave the cradle unattended, but the princess says she can replace her. The old woman exits the room, then Marcia absconds with the cradle and the little box. After she flees, she meets the bird, whicih tells her to return home and not open the box. En route to the palace, Marcia's curiosity gets the better of her and she opens the box, releasing monkeys that leap all over the meadow. The little bird appears to her and locks the monkeys inside the box. Marcia returns home with her father's belongings. The king finds his daughter in tatters, then has her change clothes and introduces her to society.

Las barbas de plata / Iberian "Horse Lurja"

Catalan-speaking area

In a Catalan language tale titled La Dent D'or, collected by Joan Amades,

Finnic ATU 425, "Search for the Lost Husband"

Estonian ATU 425B

In Estonian variants, the heroine's father promises her to an animal husband (a dog, a wolf, a bear), or she is destined by fate to be his bride. Either way, the heroine marries the animal, who discards his animal disguise at night. She breaks the taboo on him and he vanishes. The heroine follows her husband into hell, where she is made to perform tasks to the devil, including going for the devil's sister. Estonian scholarship, however, indexes this narrative sequence under type ATU 425A, Koer peigmeheks ("The Dog as Bridegroom").

<Commentary to Estonian tale type ATU 425A (which is A/three nights + B/tasks)>

Must pini/Must koer ("Black Dog") - from Setomaa (Hindrik Prants?)

Estonian ATU 425A (Bear + 3 nights)

According to the Estonian Folktale Catalogue, in tale type ATU 425A, Koer peigmeheks ("The Dog as Bridegroom"), the heroine's father promises her to an animal husband (a dog, a wolf, a bear), or she is destined by fate to be his bride. Either way, the heroine marries the animal, who discards his animal disguise at night. She breaks the taboo on him and he vanishes. In the alternate redaction of the Estonian type, the heroine journeys after him wearing iron shoes and meets on the way her husband's sisters, who gift her precious objects and guide her to her husband. At last, the heroine reaches her husband's location and trades the precious gifts for three nights with him.

Oskar Kallas provided a summary of a Lutsi Estonian tale titled Karuks nöiutud mees (German: Der in einen Bären verwandelte Mann; English: "A man cursed to be a bear"): a girl marries a person that becomes a bear by day and human at night. One night, she burns her husband's bearskin, causing him to vanish. She goes after him: using three iron brooms to clear up the path from snakes, eating three iron apples, and walking with three pairs of iron shoes. On the journey, the girl passes by her three sisters-in-law: the first gives her a silver bunkel and a golden bobbin; the second silver groats and golden chicks; and the third a golden spinning apple. Finally, the girl reaches her husband's location, and uses the wonderful gifts to bribe a second wife for the right with three nights with her husband. After the events, the bear husband, in human form, returns to his first wife.

In a tale collected by Oskar Loorits and translated to German with the title Die Frau auf der Suche nach ihrem Gatten ("The Woman in Search of her Husband"), a woman has one daughter whom she asks to bake two cakes for her. On the road, the woman is approached, respectively, by a hare, then a fox, thirdly a wolf, and finally a bear. The woman is looking for a son-in-law, and the first three animals invite themselves to be her best men. The woman gives some portions of the cakes to the hare (so it will stop eating her cabbages), the fox (so it will stop eating her chickens) and the wolf (so it will stop eating her cattle). Finally, the bear asks the woman to take her as her son-in-law and husband to her daughter. The bear threatens to eat the woman, she relents and agrees to take the animal into her house. The bear spends the night with the girl in her room, and she tries to push him away, then there is only silence in her room. The next day, the woman's daughter exits the room in one piece. The girl, her mother and the bear fall into a routine, and the girl tells her mother the bear only wears a bearskin which he takes off at night. The woman consults with a sorcerer how to destroy the bearskin: dig up a hole, fill it with coals, then push the bearskin into the hole to burn it. The woman does as intructed and, that same night, the man in the bearskin smells something burning, which human wife dismisses as some pigs roasting in the fire. The man then goes to search for his bearskin and, finding it burning, decides to depart, leaving only a handkerchief in his wife's hands. The pair of women consult with the sorcerer again, and he advises the girl to don iron shoes, an iron cane and an iron cake, then begin a journey. The girl passes by the spinning houses of three women working on a loom, who each gift her a copper apple, a silver apple, and golden apple, and other iron garments for her to continue her journey. At last, the third old woman tells the girl her husband is at a certain estate, and advises her to sit by a well, take out the metallic apples and draw out her husband's second wife, then trade the apples for one night with him. The girl follows the old woman's instructions, sits by the well and takes out each apple on each day, which she trades for three nights with her husband, who was the man in bearskin. On the third night, the man lies by his first wife's side, and tells her he would have burnt the bearskin if she had only waited three more nights, thus he fled to another land. Still, the man and his wife return home.

Estonian ATU 425A (Snake + 3 Nights)

In a tale from the Lutsi Estonians collected by linguist Oskar Kallas the title Ussiks nöiutud mees (German: Der in eine Schlange verwandelte Mann, English: "The Man Changed into a Snake"), a poor couple finds a Wurmlein (a little wyrm or snake) and adopt it. The Würmlein (little snake) becomes a man in the evening and a snake by day. One day, he asks the old man to go to the king and ask for the hand of the princess. The king listens to the old man's request, and gives him a riddle: to come neither clothed, nor naked. The snake son gives the correct answer. Then, the king orders the snake son to fulfill two tasks: first, to roll a red carpet between the king's castle and the old couple's house, with gold and silver apple trees on either side; second, to build a church made of white wax where people can pray and the candles light up by themselves. The snake son fulfills the requests and marries the princess. The princess's sisters take the snake husband's covering and burn it, and the princess is forced to search for him in three pairs of iron shoes, three iron hats and three iron apples. She passes by houses that spin on chicken legs and belong to her sisters-in-law, and gains a golden spindle and silver bobbin from the first; a handkerchief from the second and an expensive cloth from the third one. The third sister-in-law also gives the princess a ball of yarn, for her to throw and follow to where her husband is. The princess does and finds him at the mercy of another woman. She uses the objects she gained from her sisters-in-law to trade for three nights with her husband, who she manages to wake up on the third night. The now human snake husband kills the second woman with an iron rod, takes her gold and silver and his wife's gifts, and goes back to his sisters, who they find dead. The snake husband resurrects them with "wine of death" and "wine of life".

Karelia ATU 425A

According to Karelian scholarship, in Karelian variants of the tale type, the enchanted bridegroom appears as a bear, a head or a sheaf of straw. The tale begins with his conception or adoption by an old couple, and the enchanted husband has to perform tasks for the king in order to marry the heroine.

In a Karelian tale collected in 1879 with the title Käärmesulhanen ("The Snake Bridegroom"), an old couple live with their beautiful daughter. One day, the old woman finds a louse in his hair, fattens it until it is large enough, then kill it to make a pair of shoes out of its leather, and as part of a suitor riddle: whoever guesses it right, shall marry the couple's daughter. After two days, no one appears to guess, but on the third day, a voice is heard from the forest saying the right answer: a large snake. Despite the snake's menacing appearance, a promise is a promise, and the man agrees to deliver his daughter to the animal.

The heroine tries to wake her husband, Ivan Tsarovitṧ, but the false bride, daughter to the witch Syöjätär, pricks his body with needles and makes him fall asleep to hinder the heroine's objectives.

In a Karelian tale from South Karelia with the Karelian title Kondii-poigu (Russian: "Сын-медведь"; English: "The Bear Son"), an old couple suffers for not having children, so the old husband goes to the woods to finds one. He meets a bear on the road that offers to be his son. Despite some fear on the man's part, he agrees to take him in. The old wife faints at seeing the bear in their house, but wakes up and warms to their ursine son. Some time later, the couple realizes their son might want to get married, and the bear suggests the tsar's daughter for wife. Despite some reluctance, the old man agrees to court her on his son's behalf. The old man goes to the tsar's court and explains his bear son wishes to get married. The tsar accepts the bear's courtship, but everytime sets a task first: first, a house larger than the tsar's must be built; next, a new church for the couple to marry in, served by nine priests; thirdly, a bridge over a river, on marble pillars encrusted with gems and with a nightingale on each pillar; lastly, to build a carriage that can ride on both land and water. To accomplish the tasks, the bear makes a bow to the north, to the sunrise and to the noon, and a cadre of 12 young men appear to serve him, whom they address as Ivan Mikhailovich. After fulfilling the tsar's tasks, the bear and the princess marry and move out to another house. On the wedding night, the bear takes off the bearskin to become a man, to the princess's delight, but wears it again in the morning. This goes on for some time until, one day, the princess inquires her husband about his enchanted nature: the bear is a prince, cursed into ursine form by a witch named Syuvätteri, for not marrying her daughter, he has to live like a bear for three years, and there is a still a month before the spell is lifted. The princess promises to keep this a secret between them, but, later, they are visited by the royal couple. The queen asks her daughter how she can bear to live with a husband like him, and the princess tells her about the bearskin. That same night, while the bear, in human form, is asleep, the queen takes the bearskin and burns it. Ivan Mikhailovich wakes up and, not finding his animal disguise, admonishes his wife and swears she will not find him again, then departs. After a period of grief, the princess decides to look for him. She passes by the houses of three witches that spin on chicken legs, and each one directs her to the next. After arriving at the third witch's house, the eldest of the three, the witch says Ivan Mikhailovich went by nine years before, but the princess can see him again, so the witch gives her silk ribbons for thread warps, and she is to find work with a widow down in a nearby village; next to the widow's house, Syuvätteri's daughters will come to a nearby well to fetch water. The princess follows the witch's instructions, and, when she sees Syuvätteri's daughters by the well, throws a shuttle through the window to draw their attention. Syuvätteri's daughters return the shuttle to the princess and notice the dress she is weaving, and wishes to have it. The princess sells it for a night with Ivan Mikhalovich. A deal is made, and the princess goes to talk to him, but Ivan is fast asleep for having sleeping needles on his bed. The princess fails the first night, and gives more dresses for two more nights, where she also fails. Before she is removed from the room, she soaks her husband's shirt with her tears, places a ring with her name on it and ties a ribbon to his waist. Ivan Mikhailovich wakes up and notices the shirt, the ring and the ribbon, and Syuvätteri convinces him to arrange a feast. It happens thus: a feast is prepared and everyone is invited, the rich, the poor, the gypsies, and the princess. During the ceremony, Ivan Mikhailovich asks the guests if a second wedding is better than the first; the rich and the poor agree, but the gypsies say that the first wedding is better. With this, Ivan Mikhailovich executes Syuvättari and takes his true wife back.

Indic "Animal as Bridegroom"

• Medhi, Mrinal (2015). Assamese Folktales: A Structural Analysis. Mysore: Central Institute of Indian Languages. pp. 341-349 ("Index of tales"). ISBN 9788173431555.
• Schmidt, Ruth Laila (2006). "A Naga-Prince Tale in Kohistan". Acta Orientalia. 67: 159–188.
• [69]

Indic ATU 425

• A Serpent Legend: It is written about a legend "in Madura district" about a certain water tank, and the story of a Raja who married a princess from a distand land who did not want to leave her homeland. In time, she begins to suspect something about her husband, and tells him she will not leave her land until he reveals his lineage to her. She insists so much he takes her to the water tank and Madura and enters the water, then questions the princess if she still wants to know the answer to her inquiry. The further he dives, he keeps asking her, and warns that she must not fear what she is about to see. He dives one last time, then comes back as a Naga. The princess shrieks at the sight and the Naga turns into stone.

• 375. The Tale of Thakur and the Barber - tales within a tale; similar to Shovona Devi's The Wax Prince.
• Sarakumar (Orissa) - according to Kunja Behari Dash, the heroine journeys to the land of snakes in search of her husband, and some frogs help her down there, warning her about the dangers that try to take her life. = Sarukumar and the Land of Cobras (Hindi: [अरबो कुमार Arabi Kumar / अरबी कुमार Arabo Kumar] और नाग नागिन)?

• Tale Python (= "Princess and Python"?)
• The Old Woman and the Python (AaTh 433C?)
• The Python Man (433C?)

• Nagakumar ("Naga Prince")
• Red Gem and Princess Sona (= Lal and Sona?), sourced to the Magahi language

Indic 433C (Champavati)

According to Praphulladatta Goswami, there are at least three published versions of Champavati:

• Praphulladatta Goswami. Asam Deshar Sadhu. 1962, Calcutta, 9-12.
• Lakshminath Bezbarua. Burhi-air Sadhu. Gauhati, 1950. pp. 128-139.
• Sri Atul Chandra Barua. Sandhiyar Sadhu. 1963, Shillong, pp. 21-25.

Indic ATU 433

In a Ladakh tale titled The Snake-Prince,

In a tale from the Panchatantra translated as The Enchanted Brahmin's Son or The Girl who Married a Snake,

[70]

Champavati (Chandra Barua's version)

Author Sri Atul Chandra Barua published another version of Champavati in his work Sandhiyar Sadhu. In his version,

Himal Nagrai

[71] [72] [73] [74]

A line of scholarship calls Himal and Nagiray a love story of "an Aryan girl for a Naga prince", suggesting "a fusion of Naga and Aryan cultures".

The Horse of Gold

In a tale collected from a source in Mirzapur with the title The Horse of Gold, three fishermen fish a horse of gold from a riverbank and give it to the king, who hides it in the stables with a covering. One day, the princess, the king's daughter, wants to see the animal, and orders the horse groom to show her. On seeing the princess, the horse stops eating and the monarch punishes the groom, who reveals the princess saw the horse. The king consults with his pandits, who sugget the princess shall be banished with the horse to the jungle. It happens thus. However, "by the grace of Bhagwan", a palace and a city appear in the jungle to house them. The princess and the golden horse begin to live there. The tale then explains the golden horse is in fact the son of Sesá Nága, lord of the serpents and trapped in equine form by the works of a witch. The prince's mother sends spies all through the land, and one day one of her spies, in the guise of bangle seller Maniharin, meets the princess. The Maniharin reveals to the princess the golden horse is a man under the equine skin, and she should burn it the next time he takes it off to bathe in the river. The princess follows through with the suggestion and burns the horseskin, turning him into a man. Meanwhile, the Serpent Ráni, the prince's mother, sends another spy to the princess's palace, this time as a milk seller. The second spy convinces the princess to eat from the same dish as her lover. The princess does as suggested, but her lover does not allow her to do it. The princess then questions him about his caste, and he takes her to the riverbank. The man dives into the water until only his left remains visible and asks if the princess wishes to know his caste. The princess insists to know the answer, but the prince dons his snake hood and submerges out of view. The princess cries for her loss, when the "seven goddesses of the river" hear her plight and take her to Nágaloka. The princess enters Nágaloka, filled with snake citizens, and goes to search for the prince. At one time, she reaches a well and climbs a tree. Suddenly, her lover, the prince, is bathing in the same well and some snake subjects move in to kill the human, but the prince intercedes on her behalf and brings her to his mother's palace, offering her a maidservant to his mother. The snake queen places her to take care of the young snakes in the morning, which the princess performs with impressive care she gains the serpent queen's favour. Next, the serpent queen gives the princess a letter to be delivered to the house of another snake. The snake prince intercepts her and "places his mark on her body" to protect her from other snakes in their kingdom. Later, the snake prince admits to his mother he wishes to marry the human princess, who showed her devotion in braving the dangers to reach him, but his mother refuses. Thus, the snake prince takes the princess with him to the surface world and both return to their palace in the jungle. The tale was provided by an informant named Saligram, Mahapatra, of Karmi.

The Button Prince

In a Kohistani tale collected from a Shina teller and translated as The Button Prince, a poor man goes to the forest to chop wood and a snake appears to him, begging to be hidden. The man hides the snake in a shawl, then returns home. The man's wife finds a shining button in the man's shawl, which he sells to the king for a hefty sum. The king gives the button to his daughter, who lives in a distant bungalow. the button turns into a young child at the princess's house, and the princess decides to raise him. The king learns of the mysterious child and decides to banish his daughter for having a child born out of wedlock, and she leaves with the child to her fiancé's house. The princess's fiancé, on seeing the duo, refuses to take them in, and the princess builds a home for herself and the Button Prince, whom she raises. When the Button Prince comes of age, the princess marries him, but complains that her new husband has nothing on his name. Since her kingdom knows she married a prince she raised herself, the princess decides to go with her husband to another kingdom to search for fortune. However, the Button Prince is turned into a ram by a witch, and loses sight of the princess. As for the princess, she dons a male disguise and is set to marry the local king's daughter and the minister's daughter. The vizier tries to unmask her, but she earns the trust of the other girls to hide her secret. In time, the princess arranges a tournament between every ram of the city, which draws the witch and the transformed prince. The witch is brought before the princess, who threatens her to reverse the Button Prince's transformation. The Button Prince is restored to human form, kills the witch, and takes part in a wrestling competition against the local males. The Button Prince marries the princess, the king's daughter and the vizier's daughter, and they live together. One day, the minister's daughter makes a remark about the Button Prince, who turns back into a snake, then slithers off. After losing her husband, the princess who raised him goes to a crossroads and pays ashrafis for people to share stories, in hopes of locating the Button Prince. At one time, an old man and his son wish to meet the princess at the crossroads, but finds a gathering of snakes dancing in a meadow, then go to report to the princess. The princess notices the duo's story gives her the whereabouts of the Button Prince, and she goes there. In the meadow, a little snake, who is the Button Prince, recognizes the princess, turns her into a needle, and takes her back to the place of snakes, Snake Town, a lacustrine and rainy underworld. The Button Prince's serpent mother notices the human smell and discovers her daughter-in-law, but decides to protect her by disguising her as a needle for weeks on end, whenever her other snake sons sense a human smell nearby.

Later, the woman advises the Button Prince and his human wife how they can escape from their kingdom (in a "Magic Flight" sequence), while she holds his brothers off.

Lal and Hira

In a tale titled Lal and Hira, collected from a Buxa source, a couple has no children, so the wife asks her husband to go to a Mahatma and pray for one. The man goes to a Baba, who meditates to Bhagwan, who directs him to Raja Wasak to provide the couple with a child. Raja Wasak, however, who distributes babies, is lacking a human one at the moment, so, after much insistence on the couple's part, decides to provide them with a cobra baby, with the consent of its cobra parents. Raja Wasak gives a cardamon to the Baba, who gives it to the man, for his wife to eat. Nine months later, a human baby is born to the couple. He grows up and is married to a young woman. The woman wants to show her devotion to her husband and tries to eat his leftovers from his plate, but he eats the whole dish and does not allow her to do so. Still, she insists to eat as proof of her devotion, and one day he allows her to eat his leftovers, then bids her accompany him to the river. By the river bank, the woman, named Hira, eats his thali, while he jumps into the river. After she finishes the meal, she turns to look at her husband and finds a cobra in his place. Still, Hira jumps after the cobra, who is her husband Lal, into the river-bed, where Lal's cobra family leaves. Lal discovers that his human wife is there and warns her that his cobra family may devour her, but she insists to be with him. Thus, Lal hatches up a plan to protect her: he introduces Hira to his cobra mother as his human wife. The cobra mother takes an instant dislike to her and orders her to find a broom and sweep the place. Hira tries to sweep the place, but there are snakes everywhere hissing at her. Fortunately, Hira utters that she is under Lal's protection, and fulfills the task unharmed. The cobra mother-in-law thus blesses Lal's marriage to the human Hira.

The Story of Halahal Kumar or The Snake-Prince

In an Orissan tale collected by author Upendra Narayan Dutta Gupta with the title The Story of Halahal Kumar or The Snake-Prince, a beggar that belongs to the Chakulia-Pandas order is childless. His wife also sighs over not having a child. Meanwhile, Halahal Kumar, the prince of the Nether-world where Vasuki lives, goes to the human world as a little snake, wanting to learn the ways of mankind. He slithers in a river next to the place where the beggar was drawing water in a pot, and is brought home with him. When the beggar goes to fetch the water, he finds a newborn human baby, who is the transformed snake-prince. Years pass, the baby, named Abhimanyu, grows up and goes to school with Sasisena, the king's daughter. They begin to develop an interest in each other, and Abhimanyu suggests they elope to another country. The pair take some horses and depart from her father's kingdom until the reach the cottage of an Asuruni with many sons. The Asurani, a man-eating giantess, welcomes the couple into her abode, and Sasisena, suspecting something, overhears her conspiring with her children to devour her and Abhimanyu. Sasisena and Abhimanyu gather some tools and objects from the jungle and trick the giantess's sons by pretending to be her Swasura (father-in-law). Fooling the monsters, the pair take their horses and flee from the Asurani. The Asurani orders her children to pursue the escaping pair, by following a trail of mustard seeds she tied to their horses. On the road, Sasisena and Abhimanyu realize they are being chased, and the youth throws behind some rattan seeds (which become a forest of thick vines), some coals (which create a conflagration) and finally he lets out some breaths behind him to create a mist. The magical obstacles do not deter their pursuers, so Abhimanyu brandishes his sword and kills six of the seven Asurani's sons, save for the youngest, named Tima, whom they spare and make their servant. After a while, they stop to rest: Sasisena prepares their food, while Abhimanyu goes for a swim in a pond. Tima, pretending to help him, kills him with a sword, then puts on his clothes and goes to eat Sasisena's food. The princess notices that the vocacity of her companion was strange, and ordered Tima to lead her to Abhimanyu. Tima guides her to his corpse, and is promptly beheaded for his treason. Sasisena cries over the body of her fallen lover, which Durga and Siva hear and come to her aid: Siva sprinkles his body with flower and water, and revives Abhimanyu. Later, the duo go to another city, where Abhimanyu is transformed into a ram by the workd of a Maluni girl, and Sasisena, pretending to be a man, kills a rampaging Gayal (Gandagayal) and wins the hand of the local king's daughter. Still in male disguise, Sasisena says she made a vow not to consumate the marriage until after twelve months, while she tries to buy time to search for Abhimanyu: she tells the king a story that Siva decided that people from nearby regions should come to his shrine on Baruni-day for purification, a lie that the Raja believes. This eventually leads to Sasisena rescuing Abhimanyu and the killing of the Maluni witch-girl. Abhimanyu then marries the two princesses and the live together. However, after some time, one of his serpent-wives, from the Nether-world, missing her husband, changes shape to that of a Savari woman who has come to sell Amama fruits to the princess's household. The false Savari says the fruits can grant immortality, but their husband is already immortal - a thing they should ask Abhimanyu themselves. The princesses ask Abhimanyu to tell them truth, and he takes them to the riverbank. He warns them not to question the truth of his name, but they insist and press on the matter. Thus, he goes near the water, says his name is Halahal Kumar from Patala, and vanishes into the water as a snake. The princesses cry for him and, noticing they ate the Amara fruits, swim after him and reach the Nether-world, the domain of king Vasuki. Down below, they realize they must earn Vasuki's favour, and do so by ingraining into their court with their dancing prowess. They do a dance number before Vasuki and his court, which greatly impresses the monarch he proposes to reward both women. Sasisena then asks for the prince as reward. Vasuki agrees, but sets a condition: Halahal Kumar shall alternate between his human wives and serpent spouses six months each. His terms are agreed upon, and the human princesses depart Patala with Abhimanyu. The princesses' kingdoms are united as one, and the girls look forward to spending six months with their co-husband.

Pakistani ATU 425

Prince Lal and Princess Hira (Sindhi)

In a Sindhi tale published by Sindhologist Nabi Bakhsh Baloch with the title "Prince Lal and Princess Hira" (Sindhi: "لعل بادشاھ ۽ هيرا راڻي"), a poor woodcutter is walking home, when he is attacked by a snake. He throws a bundle of wood at it to kill it, and his wife finds a ruby necklace under the wood, which they sell to the king the next morning. The king, Gharib Kathir, gives the necklace to his wife to wear, which she keeps in a golden purse. One day, the king asks his wife to see the necklace, and the queen goes to retrieve it, but finds a human baby in its place. They decide to adopt the baby whom they name 'Lal' (ruby) Shahzad and raise him.

Years later, Prince Lal grows up a handsome youth, and decides to marry one as beautiful as himself, but rejects many prospective brides. A princess named Hira, in another land, beautiful as she is, also rejects her suitors, and learns of Prince Lal, who is himself in a similar situation. Princess Hira is introduced to Lal, both develop a fondness for each other and are eventually married. However, their happiness is short-lived, for an one-eyed girl named Kani, spurned by Prince Lal, plans to hinder their lives: she knows Lal's true origin as a snake, and pays Hira a visit. She then convinces the princess to ask Lal about his caste.

Princess Hira asks her husband Lal about his caste, but he dismisses the question, knowing it will only bring her misfortune. Still, she continues to ask him about his origins, and he decides to tell her. He brings her next to a river and bids her to drop her inquiries, but jumps into the water, turns into a snake, and slithers away. Princess Hira cries for her vanishing husband, and her grief is heard by an overflying Noor Pari. The fairy descends to comfort Hira and says she will search for clues about Prince Lal's whereabouts.

Some days later, Noor Pari flies back to Princess Hira and reveals the intel she has gatheres: Lal is the son of the king of snakes who has fled home to the human world in a human shape, and the king of the snakes, in human form, goes to a certain place in order to enjoy dance and music. Hira can rescue her husband by doing a number in front of the human king of the snakes and asking for Lal as reward. The fairy then walks Princess Hira to the place where the snake husband and his retinue gather, and they watch the scenes unfold before the monarch. Hira walks into the event and asks the snake if she can perform a song and dance for him. The snake king consents and the princess performs with such talent it moves the snake king, so much so he asks Hira what she wants as a reward. Hira dismisses the request for the time.

The snake king appears with his retinue for a second event on a later day, Hira dances for him again, and the snake king asks her again. Some time later, the snake king appears for the third time to watch Hira's dance, and finally Hira answers truthfully. The snake king then takes the human princess to his palace to show her Prince Lal, lying on a bed. Lal and Hira reunite, and the snake king sends them back to the human realm for good.

• "لال بادشاہ اور ہیرا رانی"
• "لعل شہزادہ" = Lal Shahzad (Ruby Prince)
• "ہیرا رانی" = Hera Rani (Princess Diamond)

Prince Lal Maluk (Sindhi)

In a Sindhi tale published by Sindhologist Nabi Bakhsh Baloch with the title "Prince Lal Maluk" (Sindhi: "شهزادو لال ملوڪ"), Iin a certain land, a woodcutter earns his living by selling wood and herding cattle, and is endlessly hounded by his nagging wife about their poor situation. One day, some people from his village are leaving to seek new jobs elsewhere, and the woodcutter's wife forces him to accompany the others. At a point in the journey, the group stops to rest. The next morning, the woodcutter wakes up and notices a snake crawled into his satchel, and he decides to return to the village and use the snake to mercy kill his wife and children. He goes back home and places the snake inside a pot of flour, then leaves not to watch the deed. His wife goes to fetch some flour and finds a shiny necklace inside it, instead of the snake. The woman takes the necklace to a jeweler, and is paid handsomely for it. The woodcutter, meanwhile, is waiting for news of his wife's death, but, instead, he is visited by his children, who are trying to call him for dinner. After the children come and go, he decides to check for himself if his wife is dead, and finds his house furnished with food, clothes and tools. Suspecting some cheating on her part at first, the woodcutter is told of the necklace his wife sold to the jeweler, and goes to talk to him. He lies to the the jeweler the necklace was to be a gift for the king, and threatens to tell the king about it. The jeweler pays for his silence and himself goes to give the necklace to the king.

The king gives the necklace to his queen, which she uses and puts it away. Days later, she orders for a servant to fetch the necklace, and the servant tells the queen the necklace is gone, and a baby boy is in its place. The queen goes to check for herself and cradles the baby. The kinh appears soon after and sees the baby for himself. The royal couple decide to adopt the baby and name him Lal Maluk. Years later, the king sends his ministers to arrange a marriage to a prospective bride on behalf of the prince, but the king dies while the minister is on the road. Lal Manuk assumes the throne and is warned by a fakir that his minister has traitorous intentions and wants to usurp marry Lal Maluk's fiancée. Lal Maluk rushes to his fiancée's side and shows him a letter with his picture, while the traitorous minister tries to arrange a marriage between his own son and the princess who is to be Lal Manuk's wife. Lal Manuk and the princess saddle some horses and flee the kingdom.

The couple make way to another city and Lal Manuk advises his fiancée to put on male attire, while he goes to buys provisions for the road. He enters a shop to buy some food, when the shopkeeper does something to him. Back to the princess, she senses something wrong happened to Lal Maluk and enters the city disguised as man. She soon learns there is an archery contest for the hand of the local princess. Lal Manuk's fiancée wins at the archery contest and marries the princess, introducing himself as "Prince Lal Maluk". Husband and wife live together, but cannot consumate the marriage. The she-prince goes to buy a parrot in the market to keep her company in the palace, as suspicions of her true gender start to mount, due to the minister poisoning the king's ear with suspicions. The minister tries to unmask her gender by setting tests (choosing a flower, preferring sweet food to salted one, undressing to take a bath in the river, and patrolling the streets near the shops of women's wares), which she passes with the help of the parrot. Deafeated, the minister betrothes his own daughter to "him".

The she-prince buys a lamb which she finds in a store, and undoes the magic on the real Lal Maluk by pulling a thread from the lamb's neck. They trade places, and Lal Maluk goes to marry the local princess and the local minister's daughter as his co-wives, who, after being told of the whole event, decide to keep a secret between them. Life goes on, until one day, while Lal Maluk is away, an old woman appears at the palace - Lal Maluk's snake mother in human disguise - and convinces them to ask Lal Maluk's caste. After the woman leaves, the princess asks Lal Maluk his caste. He deflects the question in an anger. The next day, she repeats the question, and Lal Maluk takes both girls to the riverbank, and questions the girls' insistence to know his caste. He dips his feet in the water and warns them that what they will see is him: he turns into a snake and swims away. The palace tries to cover the fact by saying that Lal Maluk is on a hunt, and try to capture his snake shape, while the princesses mourn for the loss of their husband.

Later, Lal Maluk's first wife learns that on a certain night, in a certain day, some music begins to sound underneath a tree, and decides to see it for herself. She goes to the tree and finds a little snake. The reptile turns into Lal Maluk, and explains his spiritual guide is preventing him from escaping, but she can save him: she is to come to the place on the fourteenth day of the month, when his spiritual guide comes with his retinue, clean up the path and serve sweet milk, and beat the drum ("tabla", in the original) in front of his spiritual guide; in gratitude, his spiritual guide will be pleased and ask her for a reward, to which she is to ask for Lal Maluk. The princess does as Lal Maluk has asked: she waits for the 14th day, prepares the place for the coming of the retinue, and joins the others musicians in the presentation they make for the "spiritual guide" (who is described as a jinn in the text). The princess goes to fill in for the previous drummer and does a number in front of the spirit, who is delighted and pleased by the music and allows the princess to ask for a reward. She asks for the hand of Lal Maluk, which is agreed upon: the prince resumes his human form and departs with his human wife.

Reunited with his three co-wives, Lal Maluk misses his mother and plans to return with his fathers-in-law's armies to his home kingdom. He sets up a tent on the outskirts of town and inquires the citizes about the minister's rule; they answer they want their rightful king. Lal Maluk threaten to make war with the minister lest he surrenders the throne. The minister renounces and flees the city with his son, while Lal Maluk regains his kingdom and reunites with his mother.

Seychellois ATU 425D

Saint Passaway

In a Seychellois tale titled Sen Disparet ("The Disappearing Saint"), collected from teller Edméa Crispin, from Grand'Anse Praslin, and translated by folklorist Lee Haring as Saint Passaway, a couple live together. One day, the wife asks her husband, a hunter, if he can find them a son. The man agrees, meets a snake in the woods and brings it home on a leaf which he hids under a basket. The man then tells his wife to look into the basket for his gift, but she finds a beautiful pearl necklace instead of a reptile. The man is astonished at this, and thinks the necklace must have come from the princess, who lost it in the river. The hunter says they, husband and wife, argue a lot, so they place the necklace on the bed between them. When the woman rolls around on bed, she reaches not for her husband, but for a baby boy who has appeared. The couple raise the boy, and he says his name is Prens Kolyé (Prince Necklace). Years later, Prince Kolye marries a human woman and they move out to another house, him becoming a hunter just like his adoptive father. One day, he warns his wife not to hire anyone while he is away from the house. After he leaves on a hunt, an old woman comes to their house and asks for a job and a place to stay. Prince Kolye's wife takes her in out of pity. Kolye returns and, on seeing the stranger, admonishes his wife, saying she will bring then misfortune.

Some days later, the old woman tells Prince Kolye's wife he has another name which he has never revealed to her. The girl confronts Prince Kolye about this information; at first he deflects the question, but promises to tell her by eight o'clock in morning. The next morning, his wife insists to know his true name, which he warns will cause them to separate and she will never see him again. Still, he gives her his ring, and says he will become a large snake. He then says his name is Sen Disparet (Saint Passaway, in Haring's translation), he turns into a large serpent and snakes back to the forest. His wife stays with their two sons in their house, sends a "lazeneral" ('alarm call') and promises to pay a large sum of money to anyone that can tell news of her husband.

People flock to her place and are given food and drinks, but none can tell anything of her husband's location. Elsewhere, a Malbar ('Indian') is cutting haygrass when he sights a cow and a goat. Suddenly, the animals utter a command, and an opening appears on the ground, through which the cow and goats enter. The Malbar trails behind the animals and reaches a subterranean room, where a table is being set by a pair of hands, a man appears and opens a newspaper, then asks a candlestick and a bouquet about his wife and sons; the objects answer they are doing well, but his wife is spending money to locate him. The man then eats his meal and prepares to leave, when a voice asks if he, Sen Disparet, is ready. Sen Disparet answers positively, then four girls appear to carry him away. The Malbar leaves the underground room and goes straight to Prince Kolye's wife to tell her he found him. Prince Kolye's wife asks to be taken there, and the Malbar explains they will follow the animals as soon as they enter the underground chamber. It happens thus and the girl finds her husband down there, but the Malbar tells her to wait.

The scene repeats and Sen Disparet asks the candlestick and the bouquet about his wife, and they reply she is fine, but the chamber now has seven people inside it. After the meal, his wife goes to talk to him, but he still blames her for causing their separation. Still, he advises her on how to rescue him: four angels will come to take him, so his wife should grab onto him; they will reach another place, where he will play the violin and do a dance to entertain the angels while his wife hides behind a gate, until the song stops and she will reveal herself; the angels will cry out in despair about a living being in the land of the dead, which will alert God Himself, Whom she is to tell she is looking for her husband.

Soon enough, four angels come to take Sen Disparet by his feet and his arms, and his wife holds onto his body. The angels notice their passenger is heavier, which he dismisses as having eaten too much. They fly to the land of the angels, and his wife hides behind a gate, while he plays the violin, then dances to entertain the angels. After he finishes playing, his human wife comes out of hiding, to the angels' despair, who cry out that a living being is there in the realm of the dead. God Himself appears and asks who is the living one; the girl introduces herself and says she is looking for Sen Disparet. God chastises the woman for disobeying her husband. The couple stands before God, Who slaps both of them so they fall asleep. When they wake up, they find themselves on bed, reunited at last. Back to the Malbar, God withdraws his belongings from the cave where Sen Disparet was, and the Malbar dies without getting his reward.

Sen Disparet

In a Seychellois tale collected from teller Jeanne Lemiel with the title Sen Disparet, a poor malbar ('Indian') earns his living by chopping trees in the forest and selling them to make charcoal. One time, he cuts down a tree and finds a box inside it, which holds a necklace. The malbar sells the ring to the king, who gives it to his daughter, the princess. She wears it during the day and takes it off at night. One night, she lies on her bed with the necklace still around her neck, and suddenly a youth appears besides her. The princess questions the presence of the youth, and he mentions the necklace. The girl cannot find the necklace neither around her neck nor in the box, and the youth explains he is the necklace, which the king bought her.

The princess falls in love with the youth, and in time she gives birth to three children: two sons and a daughter in three consecutive pregnancies. The queen realizes her daughter gave birth to her grandchildren, but she has not married anyone. She notices some children playing ball in the royal gardens and inquires whence they come from. A boy points to the princess, who is nursing another of her children. The princess tells her mother the king and queen brought him there, for they bough the necklace for the princess. The monarchs learn of the whole story and marry the princess to the mysterious boy, who asks his parents-in-law never to ask for his real name. The royla couple agree to his terms.

The princess marries the mysterious boy. Time passes, the queen begins to pester her daughter to ask her husband's name. She even supposes he must be hiding his name due to something he did in his past. Eventually, the princess decides to ask her husband his true name, since everyone has a birth name. The princess's husband warns him that she may never see him again if she insists to know this piece of information about him. Still, he relents and tells her: his name is Sen Disparet ("Disappearing Saint"). On saying this, he vanishes in front of his family. The princess cries for the loss of her husband, and the king makes an announcement: whoever bring news of the princess's husband shall gain half of his riches. However, in time no one knows of his whereabouts.

Back to the poor malbar, while he is in the forest, he spots a cow and a goat eating grass, when the animals begin to walk down an underground path underneath a stone. The malbar trails behind the animals until they all reach an underground room. The stone closes the entrance to the room, and the malbar is locked inside. He hides in a corner, and, by nightfall, Sen Disparet comes in the room and asks a candlestick about his wife and three children. The candlestick replies she is crying for him, and there are five people in the room, instead of four, as usual. Sen Disparet dimisses the last information as some animal that followed his cow and goat, while the malbar escapes the room the following morning.

The malbar goes straight to the princess and tells her he found her husband, Sen Disparet, and takes her to his location. They wait until the animals appear, then the goat and cow go the underground room, followed by the malbar and the princess. Down there, she finds her husband. Sen Disparet makes his prayers, then asks his chandelier about his wife and family. The candlestick answers that his family is fine, and his wife is happier still, for she is closer than ever, and that, tonight, there are six people in the room. Sen Disparet repeats the question to the candlestick, whose reply is the same.

The princess comes out of hiding and goes to meet her husband. Sen Disparet asks her what is she doing there and says he will depart the following day back to Heaven; an fiery <armchair> will appear, which he will sit on; his wife is to grab onto the armchair and be carried up to Heaven, where the angels will hold a feast to celebrate his return; she is to hide under the armchair and wait until they dance a waltz, when she is to finally appear and dance with him.

Ro-sgrung Vs. Vetala

According to Tímea Windhoffer, the introduction of the compilation into Tibet is attributed to Atisa, a Buddhist monk that lived in the 11th century. Its versions from Inner Asia differ in the quantity of chapters: one with twenty-one, the other with thirteen tales, and both differing from the original Vetala from India. Windhoffer argues that the discrepancies between the Indian original and the Central Asian ones are due to differences in religious background. The 21-tale version is "only known" in Tibet, while the 13-tale version is common in Central Asia. <More general subject>

[75]

Khampui Flowers / The Python (Tripuri folktale)

Raima Saima Khumpui Python

Summary

In a Tripuran tale from the Kalai people with the title Meislesani Kereng Koktwoma, translated as Story of Python, a man named Sardeng Singh, also called Sardeng Achai, has two daughters. They live in a tong and work in their jhum fields. Since he cannot pay the rit, the rain dripped through their roof during rainy season. One day, his elder daughter promises to marry anyone who can fix their tong house. The next morning, they find the roof repaired, and discover the one that did it was a python. The elder sister fulfills the vow and marries the python, and asks her younger sister to invite the snake for a feast. This goes on for some time, until one day the elder sister, the python's human lover, is working at another jhum field, and Sardeng learns from his youngest his elder's dalliance with the animal, and goes to the jhum field to kill it. He orders his youngest to call for her brother-in-law (kumui): the python appears to them and he cuts off its head. The head rolls over to a lunga (a type of valley), while Sardeng takes the body to his house for his daughter to cook it. After they feast on the snake, they save some for the elder daughter, who comes home with a strange feeling of grief. The pair of sisters returns to the jhum field and the younger calls on the python, but it does not answer. The elder sister begins to call for him with a melancholy voice, and tries frantically to search for her lover. She finds a stream filled with many khumpui flowers, where her father threw the python's head. The elder sister plucks a flower and places it in her ear, then begins to sing a song and gradually sinks into the river, believing that her husband is in the water. The younger sister cries for her elder abandoning her, but the girl says the cadette can find a six-branched banyan tree on the road where she can find shelter, which she is to climb and say she is beautiful and fit to be queen, then a king will marry her. The cadette does as instructed, while the elder sinks into the river and finds a palace there with her husband. Back to the cadette, she climbs the tree and is found by a passing bindias (royal hill force). The king takes the youngest sister and marries her. Months later, she becomes pregnant, to the jealousy of the king's other queens. While the king is away on a hunt, the co-queens blindfold her with seven folds and arrange her labour near a stream. Helpless to do anything, the new queen gives birth to six sons and a daughter, who the co-queens replace for woods and stones and throw in the river. After the king returns, the co-queens trick him into believing his new queen is a witch, orders for her nose and ear to be cut off and banishes her from the palace to take care of goats in the jungle. As for the children, their aunt, who is living with her husband down in the river, rescues her nephews and niece and raises them. Years later, the girls from a nearby village come to fetch water from the stream, when they discover their earthen pots are broken. They inform the king, who sets up a boat racing contest in the stream. The river-aunt tells her nephews of the event and the siblings attend the contest. The king is there also, notices the children and goes to touch them. The children rebuff him, and say they are princes and a princess. The king takes the septet to the palace and bids them identify their mother. The children say their mother is the one grazing the goats. The king brings her back, and the children tell their whole story. The king learns of the co-queens' conspiracy and punishes them, then restores the children's mother as his wife. The king divides the kingdom into seven parts, each for one of his children. The tale explains this land is ancient Tripura, the Gumati river the place where the elder sister lives with her python husband, and the Dombur a sacred shrine.

Also translated as Sacred River.

Analysis

Tale type

Choudhury, Kamal Narayan (2009). Tribal Culture of the North-East. Punthi-Pustak. pp. 114–115. [76]

According to folklorists Stith Thompson and Warren Roberts's Types of Indic Oral Tales, in some variants of type 707, there are two girls lost in the jungle: a king finds one and marries her, and the other becomes the children's rescuer later in the story.

• Jason, Heda [in German] (1989). Types of Indic Oral Tales: Supplement. Academia Scientiarum Fennica. ISBN 9789514105968.

functions as an etiological tale for the origin of the Tripura state.

Motifs

• N 711.1. Prince finds maiden in woods and marries her
• S 451. Outcast wife united with husband and children

Variants (Tripura) (Khumpoi)

Khumpai Bāruru

In a tale from Tripura with the title The Khumpai flower (Khumpai Bāruru), in a village in Tripura, an Acai, a priest (or Achāiung, in another translation), has two daughters. Both daughters go to the jum field and eat food at noon. One day, the sky becomes overcast with storm clouds. Fearing for their lives, the elder sister promises to marry whoever helps them. A snake appears and builds them a shelter, then vanishes into the jungle. The two sisters take shelter and wait for the storm to pass, then return home. The next day, the elder sister chooses to remain true to her word, and her younger sister invites the snake to share their food. This goes on for some time, until their parents notice the girls looking slimmer and discover the incident. The father goes with the younger sister and kills the snake. The next time both sisters go to meet the snake, the elder finds out that the snake was killed and follows its usual path to a precipice. She finds the head of the dead snake and a Khumpai flower nearby. As she stands near the flower, a gush of water begins to flood a waterfall and drowns the elder sister - forming the Gomati river. As the elder sister drowns, she tells her younger sister not to cry over her, since the snake was a god; and she advises her to wander to a crossing of seven paths, climb a banyan tree with a loom on top, and proclaims she will become queen. The younger sister goes to the seven paths, finds a golden loom inside and earns her living by spinning, weaving and selling her exquisite designs. One day, Raja Subrai of Tripura announces he will marry the girl whose clothe will be judged excellent. Many candidates try, but in the end the king chooses the "lady of the tree" (the younger sister) as his new queen. The girl cries tears of joy and creates the Haora river. Raja Subrai is already married to other queens. When the newest queen gives birth to their children (in seven consecutive pregnancies), the co-queens replace the children for animals (the first son for a toad) and cast them in the Gomati river. Raja Subrai, tricked by the jealous queens, exiles her from the palace. As for the children, the seven brothers are rescued by their aunt and raised in the river. After some time, the seven brothers decide to take revenge on the queens: they go to a ghàt and break the jars of the queens' maidservants. As soon as he situation escalates, the king and a crowd assemble to solve the altercation. The exiled queen is brought to them and the seven brothers leave the river castle to embrace their parents, and the co-queens are executed.

Chibuksane (The Snake)

In another tale sourced from the Rupinis of Tripura with the title Chibuksane (The Snake), an ojha (witch-doctor) has many houses and two daughters that work in the jhum fields. On one hot day, the elder sister wants to have a protection from the sun (a tong ghar) and will marry anyone that can make it, even a snake. While the younger sister goes to make water and returns, she sees a snake next to her sister and despairs, but the elder sister explains the animal is her kumoi (brother-in-law) who made her the tong ghar. The younger sister goes back home and tells her father about the marriage with the snake. The ojha goes to meet the snake son-in-law, kills it with a dao and throws the remains in a cherra (streamlet). The elder sister goes to look for her snake husband, when a little bird sings that Kumoi is dead. She follows the bird to the streamlet and finds a bed of khumpoi flowers nearby, whose root she pulls up and discovers the snake's remains. In her grief, she wishes for the streamlet to become a lake and the flowers spread as a tribute to the snake. It happens thus, and the elder sister drowns. Back to the younger sister, the girl discovers her elder dies and mourns for her loss, when the elder sister's voice tells her to climb up a tree with seven branches where seven roads meet; up there she will find a Charkha (spinning wheel), which she is to use for she will marry the king, she predicts. The younger sister follows her elder's instructions, climbs up the tree and spins on the wheel, while singing that she wants to marry the king and bear him seven boys. The king learns of this and takes the ojha's younger daughter as his wife. In time, she becomes pregnant with seven boys, and, while the king is away, she cannot find a place to give birth to her children. Eventually, she goes to the edge of the lake and gives birth to her seven children. The boys fall in the water and are saved by their aunt, who is living in the lake with her husband. The girl returns to the palace and places stones in her children's place to trick the king, but he discovers he ruse and punishes his wife. Back to the children, they are alive and grow up in the lake. One day, they sail boats to their father's ghat to sing verses about their mother, then dive back into the lake. The king is told about the event and goes to confront the seven boys, asking them about their mother. The boys reply they will tell him after the king brings them their mother. Every woman is brought to the lake, but none is their mother. Finally, their mother appears and drops seven drops of her breastmilk on the water. On this, the boys come out of the water.

Khumphoibarukma

In a Tripuri tale sourced to the Riang people with the title Khumphoibarukma or Khumphoibarukma Riang Krinkoutma Payha, two sisters work in their jhum fields, the elder marries a snake after the animal brings them a bit of fire to warm them. The girls' father discovers the illicit affair and kills the snake while the elder daughter is away from the jhum fields. Some time later, the elder girl goes to meet her snale husband on their designated spot, and, noticing his tardiness, asks her younger sister if she brought him his meal. The younger sister knows the snake is dead, however. Suddenly, a dog barks and points to a bed of blood coloured khumphoi flowers near to some water that is flowing from underground. The elder sister calls for her husband in tears, as the water flow increases to the point it washes her away with the strong stream. The younger sister watches the whole scene from afar and cries for her vanishes elder sister. After a long while, some of the king's troops on a ferry boat spot her near the river and take her with them to be their king's newest wife, since the king wanted a son and none of his six co-queens had any luck. The king marries the girl as his seventh co-wife and dotes on her, to the jealousy of the other six. In time, she becomes pregnant, and the king leaves the palace to buy a Rangjak Oiyen ('cradle made of gold') for his first child, despite the pregnant queen's fears about the others. After the king leaves, the queens give their newest member a yastyam (a magic ring) that can summon the king from wherever he is. To test the ring's powers, she throws it on the ground and the king appears. She does it again twice more, and the king says he will not appear any longer. Some time later, when the king is buying the cradle, the pregnant queen begins to feel labour pains and tries to summon the king to her side, to no avail. Plotting to get rid of their rival, since she would be the king's favourite, the co-queens trick her, put a blindfold in her eyes and order the maidservants to beat drums to silence the baby's cries, pretending this is customary in their kingdom. The queen gives birth to six boys and a girl, whom the co-queens slay and replace for bamboo shoots, then mock her for the delivery. The king comes back with the golden cradle, learns of the "birth" of the bamboo shoots and orders his queen to be banished, after having her ears, nose, hair and breasts cut off. The babies' remains are thrown in the Gomati river, while the disgraced queen, renamed Takhambeingyamo ('a woman that looks after the ducks') moves out to a hut in the forest to look after the ducks. As for the babies, their remains are retrieved by their aunt, Khumphoibarukma, who raises them in the river and feeds them with milk. Seven months later, the king's sentries, on a hunt in the forest, begin to listen to some voices coming from a tree, and find six boys up a tree and a girl singing about making turbans to her brothers. The sentries return to the palace to inform their king, and the monarch sends other group to confirm the story. The third time, the king himself decides to see the children by himself, and he goes to the jungle, but the children hide from him. The king, not finding the children, decides to wait under the tree in some sort of ascetic mood (not eating, no talking, and remaining still), causing the children to feel sorry for their father. A boy appears and tells the king to bring them their mother. The king agrees to do it, but cannot know who is the mysterious children's mother, thus he brings the six co-queens, whom the children deny, then summons for every woman in the land, who all have the same luck. Finally, the king orders his noseless, hairless former queen to be brought there. It is done so, and the children recognize their mother, but reproach the forceful way she has been brought. The king orders his soldiers to treat her gently, and the children, hiding in the tree, rejoice that their mother is with them. A golden ladder appears before the tree and the queen climbs it to be with her children, her body restored to full health. The king then asks how he can regain his family, and the children request him to kill the six co-queens, explaining they were the ones responsible for their misfortune. The children's request is carried out, the king takes a bath in the river, and the children and their mother appear at the foot of the tree. The royal family is reunited at last, and the king learns the river Gomati is his sister-in-law, and he should respect a "rule of avoidance" on it - which the Tripuri kings follow to this day.

See also

• The Boy with the Moon on his Forehead
• The Story of Lalpila (Indian folktale)
• Saat Bhai Champa
• Kiranmala

References

Category:Asian fairy tales Category:Indian fairy tales Category:Indian literature Category:Indian folklore Category:Indian legends Category:Tripuri culture Category:ATU 700-749

Sọ Dừa (Vietnamese folktale)

Sọ Dừa (English: "Coconut Skull" or "Coconut Shell Boy") is a Vietnamese folktale attributed to the Kinh people. It is a form of the international cycle of the Animal as Bridegroom that exists in Vietnam.

Coconut Skull (Vietnamese folktale)

Summary

A poor couple lives in a village and works for a local rich lord. On one hot day, the wife goes into the forest to gather firewood, she becomes thirsty. Unable to find any water source, she notices a human skull filled with water which she drinks from. In time, she becomes pregnant, despite her old age, and her husband dies. While pregnant, she does the heavy lifting in the lord's house, and nine months later gives birth to a round, bodiless creature with a face. She tries to destroy whatever she gave birth to, wraps it in a cloth and goes to a river to drown it, but the creature pleads to be spared, since he is her son. The old woman brings the round boy home and raises him. Still, her employer banishes her and her son to a hut in the forest, since he believes the boy's birth was the work of evil spirits.

Despite his strange appearance, the spherical, bodiless son, named Sho Zya (which means 'coconut'), is intelligent. One day, his mother asks him to stay home, while she brings them some food and rice to eat. After she leaves, So Dua changes his appearance from a round coconut to that of a normal human youth, and does the chores at home, then returns to his coconut shape. His mother notices all chores are done by the time she comes back, but does not suspect anything. Later, after hearing his mother sighing about the local children herding buffalo and goat cattles in the village and the local lord offers similar job opportunities, So Dua offers to be the lord's shepherd to bring food home. Despite some reservations, his mother talks to the local lord of her son's decision, and So Dua is soon hired to the position: he is to take the cattle to graze in the mountains and return at night.

So Dua herds the goat cattle, come rain, come sunshine. The tale then explains that the lord's three daughters are tasked with bringing food to their goatherd during harvest time, while the servants are busy elsewhere. One day, the youngest daughter, kind and beautiful, unlike her elder sisters, goes to bring food to So Dua, and hears a sweet melody played on a flute. She looks for its source, and finds a handsome youth lying on a hammock and playing the tune. The girl is struck by the melody and the youth's beauty, and accidentally snaps a twing. Suddenly, the stranger stops playing and turns back to the round, bodiless So Dua.

The girl is glad to have discovered his secret, and looks forward to her turns to bring him food.

Some time later, So Dua senses it is time to get married, and asks his mother to propose on his behalf to one of the lord's daughters.

Translations

The tale was also translated to Russian as "Человек, круглый, как кокосовый орех" ("A man round as a coconut"), wherein the coconut husband's name is given as Sho Zua.

Online paper Saigoneer: a poor couple has a deformed boy in the shape of a coconut; the coconut boy grows up and marries the local lord's third daughter, and reveals himself to be a handsome man. One day, he has to go on a journey, and gives two eggs to his wife, then departs. The girl's jealous elder sister try to get rid of her by tossing her in the sea, but she survives and floats to an island. The eggs hatch and out come a rooster and a hen. Some time later, her husband's ships are sailing nearby, and the rooster crows to warn the human Coconut Skull to come rescue his wife.

Analysis

Heroine gets rooster's egg; jealous sisters throw her overboard (= cycle of Indonesian King Iguana)

Birth of abnormal being with uncanny appearance, but becomes a normal human person in the course of the story.

See also

• Animal as Bridegroom
• King Iguana

Bibliography

• Nguyen, Xuan Thuy (2015). "Disability and Institutional Policy in Vietnam". The Journey to Inclusion. Studies in Inclusive Education. Rotterdam: SensePublishers. pp. 23–48. doi:10.1007/978-94-6300-304-9_2. ISBN 978-94-6300-304-9.
• Tran Quynh Ngoc Bui (2012). "Subjectivity and Ethnicity in Vietnamese Folktales with Metamorphosed Heroes". In John Stephens (ed.). Subjectivity in Asian Children's Literature and Film. Routledge. pp. 151–162. ISBN 9780203098646.

Category:Vietnamese fairy tales Category:Fiction about shapeshifting

Other tales

Chinese 707

[77] Chinese scholars trace back the "Prince Golden Calf" tale in Chinese literary history

• Idema, Wilt L.; Olof, Allard M. The Legend of Prince Golden Calf in China and Korea. Cambria Press, 2021. pp. xiff (Introduction); pp. 175-210 (Chapter 5: Folktales of type "Calf Takes a Wife"); pp. 229-242 (Appendix 2: Summaries of Some Examples of ATU 707 (The Three Golden Sons) outside China and Korea).ISBN 9781621967019.

Further sources

1. * Anderson, Graham. "Forms of the Marvelous: Prodigies and Wonders in Antiquity". In: A Cultural History of Fairy Tales in Antiquity. Vol. 1 – Antiquity (500 BCE to 800 CE. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2021 (Chapter 1).

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2. * Lelli, Emanuele. "Adaptations: Transmission, Translation, and Diffusion of Ancient Tales". In: A Cultural History of Fairy Tales in Antiquity. Vol. 1 – Antiquity (500 BCE to 800 CE. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2021 (Chapter 2).

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3. * Young, Serinity. "Gender and Sexuality: Reading Females, Males and Other in Asian Folktales." In: A Cultural History of Fairy Tales in Antiquity. Vol. 1 – Antiquity (500 BCE to 800 CE. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2021 (Chapter 3).

Swan maiden as beneficial partner: [78]

Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould collected an English variant titled The Golden Bull: a princess is forced by her father to wed a prince from a remote country for political reasons. Disagreeing with the marriage, she asks her father for three dresses (the first depicting the night sky "besprent with stars"; the second one a sky with clouds and the third "embroidered all over with birds") and for a hollowed out metallic golden bull, which she intends to use as a hiding spot.

Analysis

Tale type

The tale is classified in the international Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index as type ATU 707, "The Three Golden Children". According to folklore scholar Stith Thompson, the Latin American variants represent one of three traditions of tale type 707 that occur in America, the others being the Portuguese and Franco-Canadian.

Variants

Americas

North America

United States

Professor and folktale collector Genevieve Massignon collected the tale titled Les Trois Sœurs abandonnées, part of a collection of 77 stories obtained from fieldwork from Madawaska, Maine.

A few versions have been collected from Mexican-American populations living in U.S. states, such as California and New Mexico, and in the Southwest.

In a variant collected around Los Angeles area, there are two sons, one golden-haired and the other silver-haired, and a girl with a star on her forehead, while a second variant mixes type ATU 425A ("Search for The Lost Husband") with type ATU 707.

A variant was collected from a Spanish-descent fifteen-year-old named Philomene Gonzalez, from Delacroix Island, Louisiana, in 1941. In this variant, titled Golden Star, a maiden wishes to marry the prince and to have a boy with white and golden hair and with a star on the forehead. She gives birth to this boy and a girl with the same traits the following year. An old woman replaces the children for puppies and throws them in the river, but God rescues them. This version lacks the quest for the items, and concludes when God sends them to a feast with the king.

New Mexico

A second version from New Mexico was collected by Professor R. D. Jameson, titled The Talking Bird, The Singing Tree, and the Water of Life, first heard by the raconteur in his childhood. In a second version by R. D. Jameson, the princess promises to give birth to twin boys: one golden-haired and one silver-haired.

Mexico

A variant was collected from Tepecano people in the state of Jalisco (Mexico) by J. Alden Mason (Spanish: Los niños coronados; English: "The crowned children") and also published in the Journal of American Folklore. A version from Mitla, Oaxaca, in Mexico (The Envious Sisters), was collected by Elsie Clews Parsons and published in the Journal of American Folklore: the siblings quest for "the crystalline water, the tree that sings, and the bird that talks".

In a Yucatec Maya variant, Ooxtuul kiktsilo'ob or El Rey y Las Tres Hermanas ("The King and the Three Sisters"), the king marries the youngest sister and the elder ones replace the children for dead animals.

Central America

The tale type is also present in the folklore of Puerto Rico (amounting to 9 local versions), and of Panama.

Anthropologist Elsie Clews Parsons recorded a tale from Martinica (L'arbre qui chante, l'oiseau qui parle, l'eau qui dort; English: "The singing tree, the talking bird, the sleeping water"), Guadalupe (De l'eau qui dort, l'oiseau dite la vérité; English: "About the water that sleeps, the bird that tells the truth") and Haiti (Poupée caca la: Trois sé [soeurs] la). The version from Guadalupe begins like Snow White (ATU 709), a mother's envy of her daughter's beauty, and continues as ATU 707.

A version from Jamaica was collected by Pamela Colman Smith, titled De Golden Water, De Singin' Tree and De Talkin' Bird.

Douglas Taylor collected a tale from British Honduras (modern day Belize), in the Island Carib language, translated as Tale of a woman's three children, Hero is the eldest sister's name, Juana the intermediate one, Jessie the youngest,-three girls. In this tale, the king's son, the baker's son and the butcher's son pass by the girls' verandah, and the three sisters express their wishes for a husband: Jessie the king's son, Juana the baker's son and Hero the butcher's son. Their mother, Mrs. Willy, goes to the king, who arranges their marriages. Jessie marries the king's son and he becomes king. He announces during an assembly of the people that he shall have three children, two boys and a girl, thet girl with a star on the forehead, one of the boys with a moon and the other with a sun. The elder sisters deliver the children, cast them in the water and replace them for a cat, a goat and a dog. The children are saved by a poor couple that lived by the river. After his adoptive father dies, the youngest son dreams that his father told him to seek the world's riches. The youngest goes and fails, his elder brother goes as well and fails, both turning to stone. The elder sibling, the girl, goes after them and captures a talking bird. The bird tells her to get a golden water, a branch of a singing tree and to sprinkle a bit of the water to restore her brothers.

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The Three Golden Children

The story is the prototypical example of Aarne–Thompson–Uther tale-type 707, to which it gives its name. Alternate names for the tale type are The Three Golden Sons, The Three Golden Children, The Bird of Truth, Portuguese: Os meninos com uma estrelinha na testa, lit. 'The boys with little stars on their foreheads', Russian: Чудесные дети, romanized: Chudesnyye deti, lit. 'The Wonderful or Miraculous Children', or Hungarian: Az aranyhajú ikrek, lit. 'The Golden-Haired Twins'.

According to folklorist Stith Thompson, the tale is "one of the eight or ten best known plots in the world".

Variations

Folklore scholar Christine Goldberg identifies three main forms of the tale type: a variation found "throughout Europe", with the quest for the items; "an East Slavic form", where mother and son are cast in a barrel and later the sons build a palace (The Tale of Tsar Saltan and variants); and a third one, where the sons are buried and go through a transformation sequence, from trees to animals to humans again (The Boys with the Golden Stars and variants).

Russian folklorist Lev Barag also noted two different formats to the tale type: the first one, "legs of gold up the knee, arms of silver up to the elbow", and the second one, "the singing tree and the talking bird".

The Brother Quests for a Bride

In some regional variants, the children are sent for some magical objects, like a mirror, and for a woman of renowned beauty and great powers. This character becomes the male sibling's wife at the end of the story. For instance, in the Typen Turkischer Volksmärchen ("Types of Turkish Foltkales"), by folklorists Wolfram Eberhard and Pertev Naili Boratav. Type 707 is known in Turkey as Die Schöne or Güzel ("The Beautiful"). The title refers to the maiden of supernatural beauty that is sought after by the male sibling.

In an extended version from a Breton source, called L'Oiseau de Vérité, the youngest triplet, a king's son, listens to the helper (an old woman), who reveals herself to be a princess enchanted by her godmother. In a surprise appearance by said godmother, she prophecises her goddaughter shall marry the hero of the tale (the youngest prince), after a war with another country.

Another motif that appears in these variants (specially in Middle East and Turkey) is suckling an ogress's breastmilk by the hero.

Alternate Source for the Truth to the King (Father)

In the description of the tale type in the international index, the bird the children seek is the one to tell the king the sisters' deceit and to reunite the family. However, in some regional variants, the supernatural maiden whom the brother and the sister seek is responsible for revealing the truth of their birth to the king and to restore the queen to her rightful place.

Very rarely, it is one of the children themselves that reveal the aunts' treachery to their father, as seen in the Armenian variants The Twins and Theodore, le Danseur. In a specific Persian version, from Kamani, the Prince (King's son) investigates the mystery of the twins and questions the midwife who helped in the delivery of his children.

Distribution

Late 19th-century and early 20th-century scholars (Joseph Jacobs, Teófilo Braga, Francis Hindes Groome) had noted that the story was widespread across Europe, the Middle East and India. Portuguese writer Braga noticed its prevalence in Italy, France, Germany, Spain and in Russian and Slavic sources, while Groome listed its incidence in the Caucasus, Egypt, Syria and Brazil.

Russian comparative mythologist Yuri Berezkin (ru) pointed out that the tale type can be found "from Ireland and Maghreb, to India and Mongolia", in Africa and Siberia.

Europe

Iberian Peninsula

There are also variants in Romance languages: a Spanish version called Los siete infantes, where there are seven children with stars on their foreheads, and a Portuguese one, As cunhadas do rei (The King's sisters-in-law). Both replace the fantastical elements with Christian imagery: the devil and the Virgin Mary.

Portuguese writer, lawyer and teacher Álvaro Rodrigues de Azevedo published a versified variant from the Madeira Archipelago with the title Los Encantamentos da Grande Fada Maria. Portuguese folklorist Teófilo Braga cited the Madeiran tale as a variant of the Portuguese tales he collected.

Folklore researcher Elsie Spicer Eells published a variant from Azores with the title The Listening King: a king likes to disguise himself and go through the streets at night to listen to his subjects' talk. He overhears the three sisters' talk, the youngest wanting to marry him. They do and she gives birth to twin boys with a gold star on the forehead. They are cast in the sea in a basket and found by a miller and his wife. Years later, they find a parrot with green and gold feathers in the royal gardens.

Portugal

Brazilian folklorist Luís da Câmara Cascudo suggested that the tale type migrated to Portugal brought by the Arabs.

Portuguese folklorist Teófilo Braga published a Portuguese tale from Airão-Minho with the title As cunhadas do rei ("The King's sisters-in-law"): the king, his cook and his butler walk through the streets in disguise to listen to the thoughts of the people. They pass by a verandah where three sisters are standing. The three women notice the men and the elder recognizes the cook, wanting to marry him to eat the best fricassees; the middle one sees the butler and wants to marry him to get to drink the best liquors; the youngest sister wants to marry the king and bear him three boys with a golden star on the front. The youngest sister marries the king and bears him twin boys with the golden stars, and the next year a little girl with a golden star on the front. They are replaced for animals and cast in the water, but are saved by a miller. Years later, their aunts send them for a parrot from a garden, for the tree that drips blood and the "water of a thousand springs". The Virgin Mary appears to instruct the sister on how to get a branch from tree and a jug of the water, and how to rescue her brothers from petrification.

United Kingdom and Ireland

According to Daniel J. Crowley, British sources point to 92 variants of the tale type. However, he specified that most variants were found in the Irish Folklore Archives, plus some "scattered Scottish and English references".

Scottish folklorist John Francis Campbell mentioned the existence of "a Gaelic version" of the French tale Princesse Belle-Étoile, itself a literary variant of type ATU 707. He also remarked that "[the] French story agree[d] with Gaelic stories", since they shared common elements: the wonder children, the three treasures, etc.

Ireland

Scholarship points to the existence of many variants in Irish folklore. In fact, the tale type shows "wide distribution" in Ireland. However, according to researcher Maxim Fomin, this diffusion is perhaps attributed to a printed edition of The Arabian Nights.

One version was published in journal Béaloideas with the title An Triúr Páiste Agus A Dtrí Réalta: a king wants to marry a girl who can jump the highest; the youngest of three sisters fulfills the task and becomes queen. When she gives birth to three royal children, their aunts replace them with animals (a young pig, a cat and a crow). The queen is cast into a river, but survives, and the king marries one of her sisters. The children are found and reared by a sow. When the foster mother is threatened to be killed on orders of the second queen, she gives the royal children three stars, a towel that grants unlimited food and a magical book that reveals the truth of their origin.

Another variant has been recorded by Irish folklorist Sean O'Suilleabhain in Folktales of Ireland, under the name The Speckled Bull. In this variant, a prince marries the youngest of two sisters. Her elder sisters replaces the prince's children (two boys), lies that the princess gave birth to animals and casts the boys in a box into the sea, one year after the other. The second child is saved by a fisherman and grows strong. The queen's sister learns of the boy's survival and tries to convince his foster father's wife that the child is a changeling. She kills the boy and buries his body in the garden, from where a tree sprouts. Some time later, the prince's cattle grazed near the tree and a cow eats its fruit. The cow gives birth to a speckled calf that becomes a mighty bull. The queen's sister suspects the bull is the boy and feigns illness to have it killed. The bull escapes by flying to a distant kingdom in the east. The princess of this realm, under a geasa to always wear a veil outdoors lest she marries the first man she sets eyes on, sees the bull and notices it is a king's son. They marry, and the speckled bull, under a geas, chooses to be a bull by day and man by night. The bull regains human form and rescues his mother.

In Types of the Irish Folktale (1963), by the same author, he listed a variant titled Uisce an Óir, Crann an Cheoil agus Éan na Scéalaíochta.

Scotland

As a parallel to the Irish tale An Triúr Páiste Agus A Dtrí Réalta, published in Béaloideas, J. G McKay commented that the motif of the replacement of the newborns for animals occurs "in innumerable Scottish tales.".

Research Sheila Douglas collected from teller John Stewart, from Perthshire, two variants: The Speaking Bird of Paradise and Cats, Dogs, and Blocks. In both of them, a king and a queen have three children (two boys and a girl), in three consecutive pregnancies, who are taken from them by the housekeeper and abandoned in the woods. Years later, a helpful kind woman tells them about their royal heritage, and advises them to seek the Speaking Bird of Paradise, which will help them reveal the truth to their parents.

Wales

In a Welsh-Romani variant, Ī Tārnī Čikalī ("The Little Slut"), the protagonist is a Cinderella-like character who is humiliated by her sisters, but triumphs in the end. However, in the second part of the story, she gives birth to three children (a girl first, and two boys later) "girt with golden belts". They children are replaced for animals and taken to the forest. Their mother is accused of imaginary crimes and sentenced to be killed, but the old woman helper (who gave her the slippers) turns her into a sow, and tells her she may be killed and her liver taken by the hunters, by she will prevail in the end. The sow meets the children in the forest. The sow is killed, but, as the old woman prophecizes, her liver gained magical powers and her children use it to suit their needs. A neighbouring king wants the golden belts, but once they are taken from the boys, they become swans in the river. Their sister goes to the liver and wishes for their return to human form, as well as to get her mother back. The magical powers of the liver grant her wishes.

Mediterranean Area

Malta

German linguist Hans Stumme collected a Maltese variant he translated as Sonne und Mond ("Sun and Moon"), in Maltesische Märchen (1904). This tale begins with the ATU 707 (twins born with astronomical motifs/aspects), but the story continues under the ATU 706 tale-type (The Maiden without hands): mother has her hands chopped off and abandoned with her children in the forest.

Bertha Ilg-Kössler published another Maltese tale titled Sonne und Mond, das tanzende Wasser und der singende Vogel ("Sun and Moon, the dancing water and the singing bird"). In this version, the third sister gives birth to a girl named Sun, and a boy named Moon.

Cyprus

At least one variant from Cyprus has been published, from the "Folklore Archive of the Cyprus Research Centre".

Western and Central Europe

In a variant collected in Austria, by Ignaz and Joseph Zingerle (Der Vogel Phönix, das Wasser des Lebens und die Wunderblume, or "The Phoenix Bird, the Water of Life and the Most beautiful Flower"), the tale acquires complex features, mixing with motifs of ATU "the Fox as helper" and "The Grateful Dead": The twins take refuge in their (unbeknownst to them) father's house, it's their aunt herself who asks for the items, and the fox who helps the hero is his mother. The fox animal is present in stories of the Puss in Boots type, or in the quest for The Golden Bird/Firebird (ATU 550 – Bird, Horse and Princess) or The Water of Life (ATU 551 – The Water of Life), where the fox replaces a wolf who helps the hero/prince.

A variant from Buchelsdorf, when it was still part of Austrian Silesia (Der klingende Baum), has the twins raised as the gardener's sons and the quest for the water-tree-bird happens to improve the king's garden.

In a Lovari Romani variant, the king meets the third sister during a dance at the village, who promised to give birth to a golden boy. They marry. Whenever a child is born to her (two golden boys and a golden girl, in three consecutive births), they are replaced for an animal and cast into the water. The king banishes his wife and orders her to be walled up, her eyes to be put on her forehead and to be spat on by passersby. An elderly fisherman and his wife rescue the children and name them Ējfēlke (Midnight), Hajnalka (Dawn) - for the time of day when the boys were saved - and Julishka for the girl. They discover they are adopted and their foster parents suggest they climb a "cut-glass mountain" for a bird that knows many things, and may reveal the origin of the parentage. At the end of their quest, young Julishka fetches the bird, of a "rusty old" appearance, and brings it home. With the bird's feathers, she and her brothers restore their mother to perfect health and disenchant the bird to human form. Julishka marries the now human bird.

Germany

Portuguese folklorist Teófilo Braga, in his annotations, commented that the tale can be found in many Germanic sources, mostly in the works of contemporary folklorists and tale collectors: The Three Little Birds (De drei Vügelkens), by the Brothers Grimm in their Kinder- und Hausmärchen (number 96); Springendes Wasser, sprechender Vogel, singender Baum ("Leaping Water, Speaking Bird and Singing Tree"), written down by Heinrich Pröhle in Kinder- und Völksmärchen, Die Drei Königskinder, by Johann Wilhelm Wolf (1845); Der Prinz mit den 7 Sternen ("The Prince with 7 stars"), collected in Waldeck by Louis Curtze, Drei Königskinder ("Three King's Children"), a variant from Hanover collected by Wilhelm Busch; and Der wahrredende Vogel ("The truth-speaking bird"), an even earlier written source, by Justus Heinrich Saal, in 1767. A peculiar tale from Germany, Die grüne Junfer ("The Green Virgin"), by August Ey, mixes the ATU 710 tale type ("Mary's Child"), with the motif of the wonder children: three sons, one born with golden hair, other with a golden star on his chest and the third born with a golden stag on his chest.

In a Sorbian/Wendish (Lausitz) variant, Der Sternprinz ("The Star Prince"), three discharged soldier brothers gather at a tavern to talk about their dreams. The first two dreamt of extraordinary objects: a large magical chain and an inexhaustible purse. The third soldier says he dreamt that if he marries the princess, they will have a son with a golden star on the forehead ("słoćanu gwězdu na cole"). The three men go to the king and the third marries the princess, who gives birth to the promised boy. However, the child is replaced by a dog and thrown in the water, but he is saved by a fisherman. Years later, on a hunt, the Star Prince tries to shoot a white hind, but it says it is the enchanted Queen of Rosenthal. She alerts that his father and uncles are in the dungeon and his mother is to marry another person. She also warns that he must promise not reveal her name. He stops the wedding and releases his uncles. They celebrate their family reunion, during which the Star Prince reveals the Queen's name. She departs and he must go on a quest after her (tale type ATU 400, "The Quest for the Lost Wife").

Belgium

Professor Maurits de Meyere listed three variants under the banner "L'oiseau qui parle, l'arbre qui chante et l'eau merveilleuse", attested in Flanders fairy tale collections, in Belgium, all with contamination from other tale types (two with ATU 303, "The Twins or Blood Brothers", and one with tale type ATU 304, "The Dangerous Night-Watch").

A variant titled La fille du marchand was collected by Emile Dantinne from the Huy region ("Vallée du Hoyoux"), in Wallonia.

Switzerland

In a version collected from Graubünden with the title Igl utschi, che di la verdat or Vom Vöglein, das die Wahrheit erzählt ("The little bird that told the truth"), the tale begins in media res, with the box with the children being found by the miller and his wife. When the siblings grow up, they seek the bird of truth to learn their origins, and discover their uncle had tried to get rid of them.

Swiss author Johannes Jegerlehner published a variant from Oberwallis (canton of Valais) with the title Die Sternkinder. In this tale, the police knock at a illumniated house and aks its occupants why the lights are on. One of the residents, a spinning girl, explains that she dreamt of having two children, one with a golden star on the chest, the other with a silver one. The police take her to the king and she marries the king's son.

In a variant from Surselva, Ils treis lufts or Die drei Köhler ("The Three Charcoal-Burners"), three men meet in a pub to talk about their dreams. The first dreamt that he found seven gold coins under his pillow, and it came true. The second, that he found a golden chain, which also came true. The third, that he had a son with a golden star on the forehead. The king learns of their dreams and is gifted the golden chain. He marries his daughter to the third charcoal burner and she gives birth to the boy with a golden star. However, the queen replaces her grandson with a puppy and throws the child in the river.

Karelia

See also: The Tale of Tsar Saltan § Karelia

In a Karelian tale, "Девять золотых сыновей" ("Nine Golden Sons"), the third sister promises to give birth to "three times three" children, their arms of gold up to the elbow, the legs of silver up to the knees, a moon on the temples, a sun on the front and stars in their hair. The king overhears their conversation and takes the woman as his wife. On their way, they meet a woman named Syöjätär, who insists to be the future queen's midwife. She gives birth to triplets in three consecutive pregnancies, but Syöjätär replaces them for rats, crows and puppies. The queen saves one of her children and is cast into a sea in a barrel. The remaining son asks his mother to bake bread with her breastmilk to rescue his brothers.

Zaonezh'ya

See also: The Tale of Tsar Saltan § Zaonezh'ya

Veps people

See also: The Tale of Tsar Saltan § Veps people

Baltic Region

Latvia

The work of Latvian folklorist Peteris Šmidts, beginning with Latviešu pasakas un teikas ("Latvian folktales and fables") (1925–1937), records 33 variants of the tale type. Its name in Latvian sources is Trīs brīnuma dēli or Brīnuma dēli.

According to the Latvian Folktale Catalogue, tale type 707, "The Three Golden Children", is known in Latvia as Brīnuma bērni ("Wonderful Children"), comprising 4 different redactions. Its second redaction is the one that follows the siblings' quest for the treasures (a tree that plays music, a bird that speaks and the water of life).

Estonia

See also: The Tale of Tsar Saltan § Estonia

Lithuania

The tale type is known in Lithuanian compilations as Trys nepaprasti kūdikiai, Nepaprasti vaikai or Trys auksiniai sûnûs.

Lithuanian folklorist Jonas Balys (lt) published in 1936 an analysis of Lithuanian folktales, citing 65 variants available until then. In his tabulation, he noted that the third sister promised children with astronomical birthmarks, and, years later, her children seek a talking bird, a singing tree and the water of life.

According to professor Bronislava Kerbelyte, the tale type is reported to register 244 (two hundred and forty-four) Lithuanian variants, under the banner Three Extraordinary Babies, with and without contamination from other tale types. However, only 34 variants in Lithuania contain the quest for the bird that talks and reveals the truth, alongside a singing tree.

Jonas Basanavicius collected a few variants in Lithuanian compilations, including the formats The Boys with the Golden Stars and Tale of Tsar Saltan.

German professor Karl Plenzat (de) tabulated and classified two Lithuanian variants, originally collected in German: Goldhärchen und Goldsternchen ("Little Golden-Hair and Little Golden Star"). In both stories, the queen replaces her twin grandchildren (a boy and a girl) for animals. When she learns they survived, she sends them after magical items from a garden of wonders: little bells, a little fish and the bird of truth.

In a variant published by Fr. Richter in Zeitschrift für Volkskunde with the title Die drei Wünsche ("The Three Wishes"), three sisters spend an evening talking and weaving, the youngest saying she would like to have a son, bravest of all and loyal to the king. The king appears, takes the sisters and marries the youngest. Her son is born and grows up exceptionally fast, to the king's surprise. One day, he goes to war and sends a letter to his wife to send their son to the battlefield. The queen's jealous sisters intercept the letter and send him a frog dresses in fine clothes. The king is enraged and sends a written order to cast his wife in the water. The sisters throw her in the sea in a barrel with her son, but they wash ashore in an island. The prince saves a hare from a fox. The prince asks the hare about recent events. Later, the hare is disenchanted into a princess with golden eyes and silver hair, who marries the prince.

Romania

Professor Moses Gaster collected and published a Romani tale from Romania, titled Ăl Rakle Summakune ("The Golden Children"). In this tale, the prince is looking for a wife, and sees three sisters on his father's courtyard. The youngest promises to give birth to "two golden children, with silver teeth and golden hair, and two apples in their hands all golden". The sisters beg the midwife to substitute the twins, a boy and a girl, for puppies and throw them in the water. Years later, the midwife sends them for the "Snake's crown", the fairy maiden Ileana Simziana, the Talking Bird and the Singing Tree. The collector noted that the fairy maiden Ileana was the one to rescue the Brother, instead of the Sister.

In another Romanian variant, A két aranyhajú gyermek ("The Two Children With Golden Hair"), the youngest sister promises the king to give birth to a boy and a girl of unparalleled beauty. Her sisters, seething with envy, conspire with the king's gypsy servant, take the children and bury them in the garden. After the twins are reborn as trees, they twist their branches to make shade for the king when he passes, and to hit their aunts when they pass. After they go through the rebirth cycle, the Sun, stunned at their beauty, clothes them and gives the boy a flute.

Russia and Eastern Europe

Slavicist Karel Horálek published an article with an overall analysis of the ATU 707 type in Slavic sources. Further scholarship established subtypes of the AT 707 tale type in the Slavic-speaking world: AT 707A*, AT 707B* and AT 707C*.

Russia

See also: The Tale of Tsar Saltan § Russia

Belarus

See also: The Tale of Tsar Saltan § Belarus

Ukraine

See also: The Tale of Tsar Saltan § Ukraine

Bulgaria

The tale type 707 is attested in the Bulgarian Folktale Catalogue, by Liliana Daskalova, with at least 23 variants registered. Some of the tales show the character of the wise maiden (named Dunya Guzeli) that replaces the bird as the teller of truth.

Bosnia

In a Bosnian version, Die Goldkindern ("The Gold-Children"), the youngest sister promises to give birth to a daughter with golden hair, golden hands and teeth of pearl, and a son with one golden hand, prophecizing her son will become the greatest hero that ever was. Years later, the emperor's first wife tries to get rid of the brother by telling him to kill some Moors that were threatening the realm; by sending him to tame a wild horse, Avgar, which lives in the mountains; to fetch an enchanted flowery wreath from the Jordan River; and to find an all-knowing young maiden whom "hundreds of princes have courted".

In a Bosnian-Romani tale, E Hangjuzela, Jal e Devlehki Manušni ("Hangjuzela, or the Heavenly Woman"), collected by professor Rade Uhlik from an 80-year-old woman named Seferovic Celebija, two sisters are washing their clothes in the river. The younger one says she wants to marry the king and bear a golden-toothed son and a golden-haired girl. She marries him and gives birth to the twins, who are replaced for puppies and thrown in the water. They are rescued by a fisherman. They grow up and sent on a quest for self-playing instruments (mandolins) from the giants and for Hangjuzela, the Heavenly Woman.

North Macedonia

In a tale collected by Bulgarian folklorist Kuzman Shapkarev from Ohrid, modern day North Macedonia, "Три сестри прельки, най-малата - царица или "праината и невинността секога надвиват, а злобата опропастяват", the youngest of three sisters promises that, if she marries the tsar's son, she will give birth to a boy with a star on his forehead and a girl with a moon on her neck. The tsar's son marries her and she gives birth to the boy and to the girl the next year, but her sisters replace the children for a puppy and a kitten. They put the siblings in a casket and throw them in the river. The box washes up at a mill and the miller rescues and raises both. Their foster father advises him to cover his astral birthmark, and thus the boy becomes known as "Kelesh". After a fracas between the boy and some children, the king takes notice of the star mark and begins investigating into the matter.

Bashkir people

According to Russian scholarship, the tale type is also "well-known" in the Bashkir tale corpus.

In a Bashkir tale, Санай-батыр ("Sanai Batyr"), Ulmes-Bey Batyr, an old hunter, falls ill during a hunt. His son, Kusun-batyr, journey through the whole "white world" for a cure for his father. He comes near a tree where a nest of vipers is attacking a wolf den. For three nights, Kusun Batyr kills the serpents with his sword and the wolf, as a token of gratitude, leads the youth to three birch trees, where three maidens are weaving with birch leaves and with a bird claw. From these claws three remedies will spring: kumis, spider silk and honey. The wolf explains that a mixture of these three substances will heal his ailing father. The youth also learns that the three maidens wish to marry Kusun Batyr: the first, daughter of Toygonbeya-batyr, promises to make him the most delicious kumis; the second, daughter of Targynbea-batyr, promises to weave very light outfits of a white colour, and the third, daughter of a wise aksaqal (a village elder), promises to give birth to a son stronger that his father (Sanai Batyr). Kusun Batyr gets the remedies, saves his father and marries all three, designing tasks for them: the first wife shall cook, the second shall weave and the third shall bear him the fabled son. The first two wives, jealous of the third, conspire with a wtich midwife to replace the boy with a dog and abandon him in the woods. The boy, Sanai Batyr, is rescued by the wolf who helped his father and grandfather and grows to be a fine youth. He goes to the mountains, sees a duck become a maiden and captures her, making her his wife. Despondent, Sanai Batyr wishes to travel and see the whole world, and the wolf gives him the ability to become a wasp. In wasp form, he travels to his father's lands to listen to a caravan of travellers narrate the wondrous sights they have seen. Inspired by the fantastical stories, Sanai Batyr decides to have them in his own yurt.

In another Bashkir tale, "Черный щенок" ("The Little Black Dog"), a man named Bai has four wives. He tells them he will go on a long journey and asks them what they will give him when he returns. The first says she will hunt 40 partridges to feed his 100 servants; the second - she will weave boots made of sand; the third will sew gloves made of louse skin, and the fourth says she will give birth to two sons with golden heads, teeth of pearls and silver hair. All four wives fulfill their promises, but the first three wives at first try to kill the children by placing them under cow and horse hooves to be trampled, but they are left unscathed. They decide to cast them into the water and replace them with a little black dog. When Bai returns, he banishes the fourth wife with the little dog to a windowless hut in the woods. In exile, the little dog acquires human speech and helps his "mother", by fetching the wonderful things a traveller tells Bai. At the end of the tale, the little black dog rescues the human children by using four cookies baked with their mother's milk.

Gagauz people

In a variant collected from the Gagauz people by Moshkov, "Три сестры: дѣвушка обѣщавшая царевичу, если онъ возметъ ее замужъ принести сына съ солнцемъ во лбу, а дочь съ мѣсяцемь" ("Three Sisters: the youngest said that, if she were to marry the prince, she would give birth to a son with the sun on the forehead, and a girl with a moon"), the youngest sister gives birth to her promised wonder children, but an evil old witch casts them in the river. The son of the king orders her to be interred to the chest and for everyone who passes by to spit on her. The children, raised by a miller, pass by their mother, who recognizes them. This tale was translated into English as Three Sisters by Charles Fillingham Coxwell.

Kalmyk people

See also: The Rich Khan Badma § Kalmyk people

Crimean Tatars

According to scholarship, at least 4 variants have been collected from Crimean Tatar sources: Uch Kyz ("Three Girls"), Ak Kavak Kyz or Akkavak Kyz ("The Maid of the Eternal Tree"), Ay man Yildiz and Tuvarchynyn Uch Kyz (Crimean Tatar: "Туварджынынъ уч къызы"; Russian: Три дочери скотника, romanized: Tri docheri skotnika, lit. 'The Cattleman's Three Daughters'). In Uch Kyz, the third sister promises twins with uncommon hair color; in Akkavak Kyz, she promises twins, a boy and a girl, more beautiful than the Sun and the moon; in Ay man Yildiz, the male twin is born with a moon on the front and the female one with a star on the forehead; lastly, in Tuvarchynyn Uch Kyz, she gives birth to twins, the boy named Сырма ("Syrma"), and the girl Сырлы ("Syrly").

Kazan Tatars

In a tale from the Kazan Tatars, translated into Hungarian with the title Aranyfejű, ezüstkezű ("Golden Heads, Silver Hands"), a padishah's golden bird lands in a garden. Three maidens find the bird and will only return it if the padishah marries all three of them. First, however, he asks them about their skills: the first two focus on skills on weaving and sewing, but the third maiden promises to bear twin boys with golden hair and silver hands. The padishah marries all three; the first two do not deliver on their promises, while the third bears the twins. The boys are taken from her and cast into the water in a box that is found by a poor couple. Years later, one of the twins decides to travel the world and reaches another kingdom. The tale continues as tale type ATU 303, "The Twins or Blood Brothers", with the dragonslaying episode of type ATU 300, "The Dragonslayer". Finally, the tale concludes when the twins return to their father's court and reveal their life story.

Dagestan

See also: The Children with the Golden Locks (Georgian folktale) § Dagestan

Ossetia

See also: The Children with the Golden Locks (Georgian folktale) § Ossetia

Dargin people

At least two variants are reported to have been collected from Dargin sources: "Шах и бедная девушка" ("The Shah and the Poor Girl") and "Арц-Издаг" ("Silver Izdag"). In the first tale, the girl bears twins, a son with golden hair and a daughter with silver hair, and the hero is sent for a magic tree and a magical woman. In the second, only a golden-haired boy is born, and he has to seek a cat playing zurna, a tree with honey sap and a beautiful woman named Arts-Izdag, who can petrify her suitors.

Caucasus Mountains

A variant in Avar language is attested in Awarische Texte, by Anton Schiefner. In this tale, Die schöne Jesensulchar ("The Beautiful Jesensulchar"), three sisters talk what they would do if the king chose one of them as his queen, the third promising to give birth to a boy with pearly teeth and a girl with golden locks. They are replaced by a puppy and a kitten and thrown in the water. Years later, they are set on a quest for an apple tree that talks with itself and dances when applauded, and a maiden named Jesensulchar as a friend for the Sister.

Armenia

See also: Silver Hair and Golden Curls

Georgia

See also: The Children with the Golden Locks (Georgian folktale)

Adyghe people

See also: The Children with the Golden Locks (Georgian folktale) § Adyghe people

Azerbaijan

See also: The Children with the Golden Locks (Georgian folktale) § Azerbaijan

Ingush people

See also: The Children with the Golden Locks (Georgian folktale) § Ingush people

Abaza people

See also: The Children with the Golden Locks (Georgian folktale) § Abaza people

Abkhazian people

In a tale from the Abkhazians titled "Младшая дочь князя" ("The Youngest Daughter of the Knyaz"), a knyaz has three daughters and an apple tree with reddened fruits in his garden. He sets a challenge for his daughters' suitors: whoever shoots the apples with an arrow may marry one of his daughters. The son of a neighbouring king tries his luck and shoots an apple. The youngest daughter picks it up from the ground. The prince tries his luck again and shoots the other two fruits. All three sisters introduce themselves to him, who asks them about their skills: the elder two claim to be masters at any skill, while the youngest promises to give birth to a son whose half is of gold and another of silver. The prince marries the youngest. Some time later, he departs to fight in a war and leaves his wife in her sisters' care. Her son is born, but the jealous sisters take the boy and replace him for a puppy, cook him in a cauldron and pour out the liquids in the garden. The prince returns and, seeing the puppy, banishes his wife to the stables. Meanwhile, an aspen tree sprouts on the spot where they poured out the cauldron. The prince fells it down and uses it as beam in his house. His wife gets some splinters of the aspen to make a fire to warm herself. A coal jumps out of the fire and turns into a gold coin. She takes the gold coin and puts it into a chest. Some time later, she hears a voice coming from the chest: it is her son, half of silver and half of gold, now reborn. Mother and son return to the prince to reveal the truth, and he banishes his sisters-in-law.

In another Abkhazian tale titled "Как украли детей Багдажва" ("How Bagdazhva's children were stolen"), a man named Bagdazhv likes to travel the world. One day, he hears a mournful song being played in an instrument and follows the sound to its source: three women playing and mourning. Bagdazhv asks the girls what they are doing there; the three girls answer that they are orphans who only have each other. Bagdazhv brings the girls with him to a friend's house. Some time later, Bagdazhv asks the sisters about their skills: the eldest claims she can weave clothes for 10 people with sheep's wool; the second claims she can make a meal with bread and a bottle of vodka; the youngest promises to bear twins, a child of gold and a child of silver. Bagdazhv marries the elder sisters to friends and makes the youngest his wife. While he is away at war, the jealous sisters and a midwife replace the children for animals and cast them in the water. The twins are found by an old shepherd when he is grazing his she-goat, while their mother is banished to a seven-way crossroad. Years later, they grow up "different from anyone in the village". The midwife goes to the twins and persuades the brother to find as his wife the daughter of a prince who can petrify people. He passes the prince's test and marries his daughter. His sister also marries a prince and gives birth to a son. The brother's wife, a woman with all-knowing powers, sends the youth to rescue his mother from the crossroads. Bagdazhv then welcomes the twins and their spouses to a feast and the youth reveals the whole truth.

Kabardian people

In a tale from the Kabardian people titled "Чудесная гармошка" ("The Magical Garmon"), three brothers hunt in the forest at night and see a light in the distance coming from a cave. They reach the cave and see inside three women. The women explain that they are three sisters from a nearby village who were kidnapped by a man and taken to the cave, but now their captor has died and since then they have lived in the cave. The three brothers decide to marry the three women: the eldest promises to her husband that she will bear twins, a boy and a girl; the middle sister promises her spouse that she will bear a girl with half of her hair made of white gold and the other of red gold; and the youngest sister promises her man that she will bear a son to him, a Nart. Only the eldest gives birth to her promised children, who are "of extraordinary beauty", to the jealousy of her younger sisters. The two sisters take the children and cast them in the water in a box. The box is found by an old couple, while their mother is exiled in the barn. The old couple raises the twins and names the girl Babukh and the boy Cherim. The boy becomes a fine and skilled hunter and the girl grows up to be a beautiful woman. Cherim kills a deer, to the amazement of the hunters (his father and uncles). Cherim is brought to the hunters' house and his mother, from the barn, notices him. The father discovers the truth and punishes the sisters-in-law. Later, a witch, sister to the punished sisters-in-law, goes to the twins' house and tells Babukh about a magical and golden garmon between two rocks, and about a magical apple tree that blooms during the day and yields fruit at night, tended by a maid, sister of seven brothers. Cherim obtains the magical garmon, but is captured by the maid's brothers when he tries to get the apple tree. Cherim's "альп" ("alp") returns to their house and advises Babukh to take the garmon with her and ride to the house of the seven brothers to save Cherim.

Chechnya

In a tale from Chechnya titled "Зависть" ("Envy") or "Золотой мальчик и золотая девочка" ("Golden Boy and Golden Girl"), a mullah and two knyaz live in a village. The first knyaz has three daughters, and the second knyaz wants to marry one of them, so he inquires them about their skills: the elder sister says she can sew garments for 63 people with only a quarter of soft leather (maroquin); the middle one that she can make bread for 63 men with a single dish of flour; and the youngest that she will bear him a golden son and a golden daughter. The second knyaz marries the third sister, to the envy of the elders. After the knyaz leaves, his wife gives birth to a golden son and a golden daughter. The mullah, who feared that the knyaz would become even richer, advises the envious aunts to take the children and replace them for puppie, then to put the twins in a box and cast them in the water. The envious sisters carry out the mullah's plan, but the twins are found by a childless couple. The children grow up and leave their adoptive parents' house. They build a hut for themselves: the boy grazes the sheep in the forest and the girl stays home and prepares the food. The father, the second knyaz, sees the boy, which alerts the envious sisters. They confabulate with the mullah about a plan to get rid of them. The mullah goes to the twins' hut and convinces the sister to seek a golden goat that dances and grazes beyond seven mountains, a wonderful apple tree that never loses its golden apples, and a maiden named Малха-Азани (Malkha-Azani), who lives beyond nine mountains, as wife for her brother. The golden boy goes to Malkha-Azani on his horse and forces her to restore the petrified men near her palace, which she does by taking out her enchanted mirror. Malkha-Azani becomes the male twin's wife and lives with them. One day, the knyaz, their father, tells the two sisters that he will invite the twins for a feast, but he will dig up a hole in the forest and cover it with a carpet. Malkha-Azani warns the twins of the danger and they go to the knyaz's palace through another path. Malkha-Azani and the twins arrive at the palace, but she tells the knyaz they won't join them until the knyaz brings the woman he expelled. Malkha-Azani then explains that the golden twins are his sons.

Asia

Turkey

See also: The Golden-Haired Children (Turkish fairy tale)

Israel

According to an early analysis by Israeli folklorist Dov Noy (de), the Israel Folktale Archive (IFA) contained at first two variants of the tale type, one from a Yemeni source, and another from a Turkish source. A later study by scholar Heda Jason showed 7 variants in the Jewish Oriental tale corpus.

Middle East

The tale type appears in fairy tale collections of Middle Eastern and Arab folklore. Scholar Hasan El-Shamy lists 72 variants of the tale type across Middle Eastern and North African sources. He also stated that variants were collected "in the Eastern part of the Arab culture area", namely, in Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq.

A second variant connected to the Arabian Nights compilation is Abú Niyyan and Abú Niyyatayn, part of the frame story The Tale of the Sultan of Yemen and his three sons (The Tale of the King of al-Yaman and his three sons). The tale is divided into two parts: the tale of the father's generation falls under the ATU 613 tale type (Truth and Falsehood), and the sons' generation follows the ATU 707. A third version present in The Arabian Nights is "The Tale of the Sultan and his sons and the Enchanting Bird", a fragmentary version that focuses on the quest for the bird with petrifying powers.

In an Arab variant, "Царевич и три девушки" ("The Emperor and the Three Girls"), three poor weaving sisters work late at night by candlelight, when the prince comes and spies on them. He overhears the oldest boasting that she would weave a carpet for the entire army to sit, the middle one that she would cook enough food to feed his army, and the youngest that she would bear "a bar of gold and a bar of silver". The prince summons them to his presence, and the youngest explains she meant a son (gold) and a daughter (silver). Her sisters replace them for puppies, and she is banished from the palace. The twins are found by a fisherman. In this version, the prince simply meets the twins while walking through the city, and remarries his own wife, without knowing it at first.

Lebanon

In a Lebanese variant, Die Prinz and seine drei Frauen ("The Prince and his three Wives"), a farmer's three daughters wish to marry the prince, the youngest promising to give birth to a girl with golden hair and a boy with silver hair. The prince marries all three, and the elder sisters replace the children for a cat and a dog. They are saved by a fisherman and his wife, who sell the children's metal-coated hair in the market. They become rich, their parents die and they move out to a palace in the prince's city. Their aunts send them on a quest for a tree with drums and music and a bride for his brother. The bride, with her omniscient knowledge, narrates the twins' story to the king during a dinner.

Syria

In a Syrian variant from Tur Abdin, collected by Eugen Prym and Albert Socin, Ssa'îd, the king of grasshoppers, has three wives, but no children yet. The third wife, also the youngest, gives birth to a boy and a girl, who are replaced for cats and thrown in the water. They are rescued by a fisherman and his wife, and whenever they are bathed, gold and silver appear in the bathwater. One day, when the brother is insulted for not knowing his true parentage, he leaves his adoptive parents with his sister. They then move to a hut near the king's residence, which they demolish and build a palace. The brother is the one to reveal the whole truth to his father, the king.

In a Syrian tale collected by Uwe Kuhr with the title Die drei Schwestern ("The Three Sisters"), one night, three sisters confess their innermost desires: the eldest wants to marry the king's cook to eat the best dishes; the middle one the king's pastrymaker to eat the finest sweets; and the youngest the king himself, for she wants to bear him a brave and clever son. The king overhears their talk and summons them the next morning to his palace. The king marries the youngest, to the sisters' jealousy. When their sister gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl, they cast the children in a box in the river and tell the king the babies were stillborn. The box is saved by a childless sheik, who adopts the twins and names them Jamil (the boy) and Jamila (the girl). Years later, when the sheik dies, their jealous aunts send them for the silver water, the golden tree and the truth-telling peacock, located in the Mountain of Wonders.

Palestine

Scholars Ibrahim Muhawi and Sharif Kanaana collected a Palestinian Arab variant titled Little Nightingale the Crier (blebl is-sayyah). In this tale, the third and youngest sister promises to give birth to three children, 'Aladdin, Bahaddin and Šamsizzha, who, if she smiles, the sun will shine when it is raining, and if she cries, it will rain when it is sunny. The children are replaced for animals by their jealous aunts to humiliate their mother. Year laters, the children build a palace for them, and an old crone tells them that their garden is missing a bird called Little Nightingale the Crier.

In a Palestinian version from Birzeit, Die ausgesetzten Zwillingskinder ("The abandoned twin children"), the third and youngest sister promises to give birth to twins, a boy and a girl with silver and golden hair, but the girl shall have three teeth: one to quench the thirsty, the second to satiate the hungry and the third to feed the tired. The twins are still set on a quest for a bird that flaps its wings and sings.

Iraq

Novelist and ethnologist E. S. Drower collected an Iraqi tale titled The King and the Three Maidens, or the Doll of Patience. This tale focuses on the mother's plight: the youngest sister promises children born with hair of gold on one side and silver on the other, but, as soon as they are born, the children are cast into the water by the envious older sisters. She is told she must never reveal the truth to her husband, the king, so she buys a doll to confide in (akin to The Young Slave and ATU 894, "The Stone of Pity").

In a dialectal variant collected in Baghdad with the title The Nightingale, a sultan's son camps out with his army near the grand vizier's three daughters. Each of the girls announce their wishes to marry the sultan's son by performing grand feats: the oldest by baking a loaf of bread to feed the sultan's son and the army, the middle by weaving a carpet large enough for everyone to seat, and the youngest by bearing twins, a boy with gold locks and a girl with silver locks. The sultan's son marries the elder girl first, but when she states she cannot bake a loaf of bread as she described, she is downgraded to the kitchen. The same happens to the second sister. When the third sister does bear her twins, her sisters replace the children for puppies and throw them in the river. The twins are saved by a fisherman and his wife; whenever they bathe the twins, a bar of gold and a bar of silver appear. His aunts send them after the clapping apples, the ululating pomegranates, and the singing nightingale.

Assyrian people

In a tale from the Assyrian people, "Царь Шах-Аббас и три девушки" ("Tsar Shah-Abbas and the Three Girls"), Emperor Shah Abbas spies on three sisters talking, the youngest promising to bear male twins with curls of pearl. After their birth, the sisters replace them for puppies and puts them in the water in a box. Both boys are saved by a miller. When they are nine years old, they wreck their adoptive father's mill and decide to leave home. They settle in a house in the wood that belong to their biological father, Shah-Abbas. One of his messengers scolds the boys and orders them to appear at the king's presence. They pass by a woman and do not spit on her. The twins wonder why she is in a sorry state, and a jet of milk from her breasts enters their mouths. The guards send them to the king, who asks about their life story, and summons his disgraced wife, who confirms the twins' narration.

Saudi Arabia

As part of fieldwork in Jizan region, researcher Waleed Ahmed Himli collected in 2008 a tale from 88-year-old teller Nema Amshanaq. In her tale, titled El-Bolbol El-Saiyyah ("The Singing Nightingale" or "The Warbler Nightingale"), a king is going to the hajj, and tells his mother to look after his pregnant wife. The wife gives birth to "beautiful" twins, a boy and a girl, who are taken from her by the queen mother and cast in the water in a box. The twins are saved by a fisherman and his wife, who give the boy a magical ring. Years later, the queen mother visits the twins and convinces the girl to ask her brother for a flowing river beside their palace, fragrant roses and a singing nightingale - which the brother obtains by using the magic ring to wish for them. Lastly, the boy searches for the "China China Girl" as his bride, and goes on a journey to find her. Himli also indicates that the tale type is "widely reported ... [from] various parts of Saudi Arabia".

Kurdish people

In a Kurdish tale, Мирза-Мамуд и Хезаран-Больболь ("Mirza-Mamud and Khezaran-Bolbol"), the padishah marries three sisters, the yougest promising to give birth to golden-haired twins, a boy and a girl. Her envious sisters replace the children for animals and cast them in the sea in a box. The box is rescued by a miller, who saves the twins and names them Mirza-Mamud (the boy) and Golizar (the girl). Years later, they move to a new house and the boy meets his father, the Padishah, in a deer hunt. The queen's sisters despair and send an old woman to convince Golizar and Mirza-Mamud to go on a dangerous quest for a maiden named Зардухубар (Zardukhubar). Mirza-Mamud rescues Zardukhubar and they escape from an ogress (tale type ATU 313H*, connected to The Magical Flight or The Devil's Daughter). Zardukhubar becomes Golizar's house companion. Later, the old woman tells the siblings about a magical bird named Khezaran-Bolbol. Mirza-Mamud fails the quest and is petrified. Noticing his long absence, Golizar and Zardukhubar seek him out. They meet an old hermit on the way who tells them how to safely capture the bird. Both women rescue the youth and a whole garden of petrified people. On their way back, the hermit asks them for a prayer, which the trio do and disenchant him into a handsome young man. The quartet is invited to a feast with the king, but the bird warns them their food is poisoned. As instructed by the bird, the siblings invite their father, the padishah, to their house, where the whole truth is revealed.

In another Kurdish tale, "Златокудрые" ("Golden-Curls"), collected in 1976 from informant Osei Shababa, a padishah forbids lighting up a source of light in any house at night, but one house's residents break the prohibition. The padishah and his vizir visit the house and overhear the conversation of three spinning sisters: the eldest promises to make a grand meal for the padishah if he takes her for wife; the middle one promises to weave a unique and singular carpet and the youngest promises to bear him a boy and a girl with golden curls. The padishah marries the youngest and goes to war; a wtich takes the children, replaces them for puppies and casts them in a box in the sea. The box with the children washes ashore; a deer sees the twins and nurses them. Years later, the boy, named Hussein, and the girl, named Gulizar, build a house for them and make garments made of gazelle skin. One day, the padisah hunts some gazelles and is led to the twins' house. He admires the boy's golden curls and imagines what his son could have been. The sisters-in-law send the witch to the twins' house. The witch passes herself as a devotee on a hajj and sends them, first, after a magical tablecloth that produces food with a magical wand, and, later, for a maiden named Шарихубар (Sharikhubar). When Hussein goes for her, her powers petrify him, so his sister Gulizar is the one to rescue him and get Sharikhubar back home. At last, Sharikhubar helps them reveal the truth of their origin.

Researcher Sara Belelli collected and published a Kurdish variant in the Laki language from Kermanshah, with the title Mā(h) pīšānī ("Moon-forehead") (tale types ATU 480 and ATU 707): a girl meets by the riverbank an old ugly woman and compliments her head. When the river water becomes yellow, the old woman throws the girl in the river and she comes out with a moon and a star on her forehead. When the girl's stepsister meets the old woman, she insult her and becomes ugly. The tale then focuses on a prince, who meets Māh pīšānī and her two elder sisters: the elder promises to cook a man of rice to feed 500 people; the middle one that she can weave a carpet large enough for a thousand people, and Māh pīšānī promises to bear him a boy who can cry tears of pearl and a girl whose laughter produces flowers.

Pamir Mountains

In a tale from the Pamir Mountains, from the collection of Ivan Zarubin, "Три сестры" ("Three Sisters"), the royal vizier overhears the three sisters' talk while they are getting water, the youngest promising to bear a golden-haired boy and a beautiful girl if she marries the king. The vizir reports his findings to the king and he marries the third sister. When the twins are born, they are replaced by two puppies, but are found by the gardener. Years later, they are sent after a dress made by the claws of a fox, a magic mirror that can see the whole world and the talking parrot. The parrot stops an accidental marriage between the king and his daughter, and the gardener tells the twins the truth of their adoption in a banquet with the monarch.

Iran

Professor Ulrich Marzolph, in his catalogue of Persian folktales, listed 10 variants of the tale type across Persian sources, which he classified as Die gerechtfertigte verleumdete Frau ("The calumniated girl is vindicated"). These stories vary between the quest for the usual treasures and the Fairy Maiden.

Regional tales

In a variant titled The Story of the Jealous Sisters, collected by Emily Lorimer and David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer, from Kermani, a father abandons his three daughters in the woods. A prince finds them and marries the youngest sister. After she becomes his wife, she gives birth to twins: "a son with a tuft of golden hair and a daughter with a face as beautiful as the moon". Her jealous sisters throw them in the stream. The prince condemns his wife to be trapped in a lime pillar and for stones to be thrown at her. Years later, when the brother passes by her, the youth throws a rose leaf at her, which prompts the king to summon his sisters-in-law.

In a tale collected from a teller in Isfahan and published by professor Mahomed-Nuri Osmanovich Osmanov (ru) with the title "Мельник с золотыми кудрями" ("The Boy with Golden Curls"), three sisters are talking through the night, and the youngest says she will give birth to a boy with golden curls she will name Kazolzari: when he cries, diamonds and pearls will appear; when he laughs, roses will fall from his mouth, and with every step he takes, he leaves behind a trail of bars of gold and silver. The shah listens to their conversation and brings them all to his presence; he marries the sisters off to the vizier and a courtier, and the youngest becomes his queen. The queen's jealous sisters replace the boy for a puppy, and throws him in the water. The boy is saved by an elderly couple who owns a bathhouse. His aunts feign illness and send him to a get milk from a lioness, a mare that gave birth to 40 foals, and a self-swinging cradle. At the end of the tale, Kazolzari takes a wooden horse to eat hay in front of the king, who notices the absurdity of the situation. The youth answers that it is no more absurd with a human woman giving birth to a puppy.

In a variant from Bushehr Province, published in 2003 with the title شاه و هفت زن (English: "The Shah and the Seven Women"), a childless king hasn't fathered a son, despite being married to six co-wives. During a hunt, he sights a beautiful peasant maiden and asks her father for her hand in marriage. She becomes the seventh queen and gives birth to a boy and a girl. The other six wives, jealous of her, bribe the midwife to get rid of the babies in a wooden box and to replace them for puppies. The wooden box with the twins is cast in the sea, but they are rescued by an old woman. Years later, they move out of the old woman's house to another home in the woods, where the king sees them. He tells the other queens about the encounter and the six women, fearing the king might discover the truth, send the midwife to convince the twins to seek Manni Chen (a magical harp that sings) and a shining scarf from the ghouls.

India

See also: The Boy with the Moon on his Forehead

Bangladesh

At least one variant of tale type 707 is attested in the academic literature of Bangladesh.

Lapcha people

In a tale collected from the Lapcha people in Sikhim, The Golden Knife and the Silver Knife, King Lyang-bar-ung-bar-pono goes on a hunt with his two dogs. The dogs follow two stags. The animals turn into she-devils and kill the dogs. The king discovers their corpses and follow a trail into a second realm, Lung-da. He goes to the king's palace and meets two fairies: Se-lamen and Tung-lamen. Se-lamen spends a night with the king and promises to feed the entire palace with a grain of rice. Tung-lamen spends the next night with him and promises that she can clothe the king down to the poorest person with only one roll of cloth. The king Lyang-bar meets Ramit-pandi, the daughter of the king of Lung-da, who promises to give birth to a golden knife and a silver knife. They marry and Ramit-pandi gives birth to twins, who are replaced for puppies by the fairies. The evil fairies put the twins in an earthen pot and bury it deep in the ground at a crossroads. The twins' mother is killed, but her corpse floats upstream. The boys are found by a poor old couple. Years later, king Lyang-bar summons the twins to his presence to inquire them about their origins, and the evil fairies convince the king to send them after the golden and silver flutes of the demon Chenchhyo-byung-pono. The twins steal the flute and a pair of tusks and make peace with the demon, returning soon after to their father's kingdom to reveal the whole truth and to resuscitate their mother.

In another tale, The King of Lyang-bar and the two witch nurses, the queen of the king of Lyang-bar has two nurses who are witches in disguise. While bathing in the sea Jam-chi-chume-der, they fill their wooden bowls with flowers, while the queen plays with her golden plate. It was all a ruse to make the queen flee her home once she sets the golden plate on the water and loses it. The trio journeys to another realm, the Sachak-lat land, whose king dreamt his future wife was coming to him. He finds the three women and tests their abilities, by asking them to wash his head and brush his hair. The two witches act in a forceful manner, but the queen does it gently. They marry and she is expecting three sons. The children are born and put in a box in the water. The three children, a girl and two boys, are saved by an old fisherman and his wife. One day, they carve a wooden horse and ride it to the fountain where the queen and the witches were bathing, and taunt them that a wooden horse drinking water is the same absurd notion that a human woman gave birth to animals. Enraged, the witches feign illness and try to convince the king to kill the children and take their livers as remedy. The assassination plot is averted by the children, who each go their separate ways. Then, the elder brother tries to find their siblings, but only finds their remains. He builds a pyre to burn it, but falls in the flames, perishing also. After three days, a fir-tree springs out of the ashes with the reborn three siblings. The king's syce finds the fir-tree and reports to the king, who goes to the tree with the queen to convince the children to climb down the tree. The children agree, after their parents promise to punish the two witches.

Tibet

Two other Asian versions were recorded by M. Potanine (Grigory Potanin): one from Amdo, in northeast Tibet, from an old "Tangoute" that hailed from Lan-tcheou (in Kan-sou); and a second one that he heard in Ourga (ancient French language name for the city of Ulaanbaatar). The Amdo/Tangut story begins largely the same: two princesses, Ngulyggun ("silver queen") and Kserlyg gun ("golden queen") play the basin game with the king's maid, Yog-tamu-nzo. The princesses lose a silver and a golden basin, the maid returns to the king to inform him, and goes back to the princess with the false story about them being expelled from the kingdom. The maid forces the princesses to exchange places on their way to another realm. They meet a prince; he shoots three arrows to choose his cook and they fall near Kserlyg. On their way to the prince's palace, the maiden Yog-tamu pushes Kserlyg into a lake to drown, forces Ngulyggun into menial service and becomes queen. Ngulyggun, while taking the sheep to graze, receives the visit of her sister's spirit, who gives her bread and food. Yog-tamu discovers this situation and kills Kserlyg's spirit. Ngulyggun gives birth to a half-silver, half-golden child, and Yog-tamu orders the baby to be trampled by sheep, but they scatter. She orders to be trampled by cows and horses, but the baby is spared. Then she orders the baby to be buried in a hole and for it to be filled with manure. A flower sprouts. A sheep eats it and gives birth to a piebald sheep, who talks to its human mother, Ngulyggun. The false queen orders the sheep to be slaughtered and its bones gathered by Ngulyggun. The maiden takes the bones to a cave and, for three times, the bones become a lama. The lama asks his mother to summon the false queen to the cave, where the whole truth is revealed.

Northern Asia

Mansi people

In a tale from the Vogul (Mansi people) published and translated by Finno-Ugricist János Gulya (de) with the title A legkisebb nővér fiacskája ("The Little Son of the Youngest Sister"), each one of three sisters leave home and are forced to marry the same man, an old man who lived in a hut in the woods. One day, before he goes on a hunt, he asks his three wives what they will give him when he returns. The oldest answers she will weave a great linen for him with 100 fathoms, the second that she will weave a heavy 100-pound net, and the third that she will bear him a son with silver arms, golden legs, a sun on the front and the moon on the back of the neck. The boy is born, but cast in the sea and replaced for a little dog. The husband is furious with the third wife, breaks her arms and throws her in the sea with the little dog. They wash ashore on a beach, she heals herself with dew and lives with the little dog in a small cave. The petit animal rescues the little boy with wooden bowls of her breastmilk and takes him to his mother, who confirms their relationship by jets of her breastmilk. The boy grows up in days and builds a house for them on the beach. Sailors come to visit the house and report to the old man their findings. The old man's two wives try to dismiss the sailors' story by telling about even more extravagant sights: a bull with a sauna between its horns, and a birch tree with a cuckoo that produces silver when it sings. The man's son learns of this by a looking glass and commands his servants to have these things on his house.

Khanty people

In a tale collected by Serafim Keropowitsch Patkanov (de) from the Ostyak (Khanty people) with the title The Story of a Wise Maiden, three princes seek wives for themselves. When walking through a city in the dark of night, they see a light in the distance coming from a house. They get a ladder and peer into the illuminated room. Three sister are talking: the eldest wants to marry the elder prince and bear him two daughters, the middle one the middle prince and bear him a daughter and a son; and the youngest wants to marry the youngest prince, and she shall bear him a daughter and two sons, each of them with shining heavenly stars on the crown on their heads, the sun on the forehead, a moon on the back on the neck, and the youngest son shall have the joints of his right hand and right foot in a golden color. She marries the younger prince and bears the three children. Each time, her sisters take the baby to be eaten by "an upper and a lower shade", but, failing that, replace them for puppies. Their mother is nailed to the church door, while the children are reared in a moos. The sisters learn of this and throw the babies in the water to die, but they are saved by a poor fishing couple. Years later, the siblings, now adults, talk to coming traders, and the girl gives them a dog (the younger brother). When the traders depart and reach another town, the brother-as-dog overhears their conversation about wondrous things: a birch tree with small bells and tambourines that when shaken produces silver, a reindeer stag whose antlers hold tinkling silver bells, and a girl with heavenly stars on the crown of her head, a sun on the forehead and the moon on the back of her neck that lives in an iron house at the end of the world. The two brothers get the first two objects and decide to make the woman the bride of one or the other. The brothers fail to get the maiden from the iron house, but their sister visits her and convinces her to resurrect her brothers. The four return to their adoptive parents' house. Some time later, the girl from the iron house tells them about their birth mother, and goes with the sibling to a dinner with the king. The mother is taken off the church door, clothed and bathed and presented to the dinner. The girl from the iron house tells her to squeeze her breasts, so that her breastmilk flows into the mouths of the siblings, proving their relationship.

Yukaghir people

In a tale collected by ethnographer Vladimir Jochelson from the Yukaghir people with the title "Сказка о стучащей ягодъ девушки" ("The Tale about the Berry-Picking Women"), a man has two wives. When he goes to a hunt, his elder wife promises to give him new clothes when he returns, while the younger wife promises to give birth to a son with the sun on the forehead, the star on the top of his head, and a moon on the neck.

Buryat people

See also: The Rich Khan Badma

Torghut people

In a tale from the Torghut of Karasahr, colllected by Adam Benningsen with the title "Сказка о Буджин-Дава-хан" ("The Tale of Budjin-Dava-Khan"), Budjin-Dava-Khan has 500 wives, but no son yet. He has a hound named Khasar, which he sets lose one day and follow its trail. He reaches a large house; inside, a mother and her three daughters. He spies on their conversation: the elder sister promises that, if she marries Budjin-Dava-Khan, she will prepare a 9 course meal for 500 people with a single egg; the middle sister that, with the wool of a single she-goat, she can weave a carpet large enough for the Khan and his retinue, and the youngest promises to bear him a son of gold and a girl of silver. The Khan decides to marry all three women. The elder sisters fulfill their boasts and become co-wives of the khan and conspire with the other 500 wives to replace the khan's children with puppies. They seek the services of Цок-Тырыл тушмыла (Tsok-Tyryl tushmyla), who places the twins in a golden box, in a silver box, in a copper box, in an iron box, in a wooden box and wraps it in a leather bag. The boxes float downstream and are found by a fishing couple. After 11 years, the fisherman dies, but asks the golden boy to visit his grave one night. The boy goes and gains a mighty gray horse, equipped wih weapons and armor. He eventually meets Budjin-Dava-Khan, who notices the boy's extraordinariness. The eldest khatun, named Mani-Dara, goes to the twins' house and convices the silver girl to seek a branch of the tree saikhan-saglar (guarded by three many-headed Mangyt-khais) and a maiden named Saikhan-Sarane, daughter of Zandan-tengir, as a wife for her brother. Saikhan-Sarane restores petrified people to life, and resurrects the twins' mother.

Central Asia

Folklorist Erika Taube stated that the tale type was "widespread" in Turkic-Mongolian traditions. The tales may vary in the number of the khan's wives (none, at first, or 1, 2, 3, 12 and even 108); the number of children (a son, two sons, a son and daughter pair or three sons), all born with special attributes (golden chest, silver backside, or legs of gold or silver).

Following professor Marat Nurmukhamedov's study on Pushkin's verse fairy tale, professor Karl Reichl argues that the dastan (a type of Central Asian oral epic poetry) titled Šaryar, from the Turkic Karakalpaks, is "closely related" to the tale type of the Calumniated Wife, and more specifically to The Tale of Tsar Saltan.

In a Kyrgyz tale, A kán fia ("The children of the khan"), a khan has 40 other wives, but marries a maiden he meets in his travel who promises to give birth to twins, a boy and a girl with golden chest and silver back. They are born, replaced by puppies and adopted by a man named Akmat. The brother searches for a white apple tree that always bears fruit, a talking parrot and a woman of great beauty named Kulanda.

Kazakhstan

Kazakh literary critic and folklorist Seyt Kaskabasov stated that type 707 is among the 15 tale types of the international index that are present in both Kazakhstan and elsewhere. Type 707 is reported to register 8 or 9 variants, and Kaskabasov supposes that, apart from tale "Алтын Айдар" ("Altyn Aidar"), at least 6 variants derive from qissa (ru) (Kazakh epic oral poetry) "Мунлык-Зарлык" ("Munlyk-Zarlyk").

In a Kazakh tale, "Три сестры" ("Three Sisters"), a prince, the khan's son, is looking for a bride, when he stops by a tent, where he hears three womanly voices talking about their marriage wishes: the oldest sister says she will weave a golden carpet for his throne; the middle, that she will cook a feast for everyone with only an egg, and he youngest that she will bear the khan's son a boy with golden head and a girl with silver head. The prince decides to marry all three women, the first two accomplishing their promised feats. When it is time for the youngest queen to bear the fabled twins, her elder sisters convince a witch to throw the twins in the sea as soon as they are born and to replace them for animals. It just so happens and the twins are cast in a box that is saved by a poor old couple. They raise the twins and name the boy Kudaibergen ("given by God") and the girl Kunslu ("solar beauty"). Twelve years pass, the old man dies. The boy finds a powerful horse and begins to hunt, when he meets the king during a hunt. The sisters notice and send the witch to convince Kunslu to send her brother on dangerous quests: to get a self-playing dombra, a mirror that can see the whole "white world", and to seek Toshilar's daughter, Aislu ("lunar beauty") as his zhenge (the older brother's wife in the Kazakh familial system). Kudaibergen is advised by a helpful witch named Zhalmauyz Kempir, who, in regards to the second object (the mirror), tells the youth to seek the aid of the bird Samruk. When the boy tries to court Tolishar's daughter, her father shouts a magic spell to slowly petrify the youth. The prince, now khan himself, after seeing in the mirror his wife, tending to two dogs in the desert, orders his viziers to bring her back and learns of the whole plot.

Tajikistan

In a Tajik tale, A beszélö pagagáj ("The Talking Parrot"), the padishah marries the youngest sister, who promised to give birth to a boy and a girl with hair bright like fire, faces bright as the sun and with a beauty mark on their brow. The padishah's other three wives bribe an old nurse to dispose of the children. The old nurse, however, takes them to a shepherd to raise. Years later, they are sent on a quest for a magical mirror that can see the whole world and a talking parrot.

Russian scholar I. M. Oranksij collected a variant in the Parya language from kolhoznik Ašur Kamolov in 1961, in Hissar district. In his tale, a padishah with two wives goes in search of a third one. He meets three women talking: the daughter of the vizir, the daughter of the bey and the daughter of the shepherd. The daughter of the shepherd says that she will bear a boy and a girl "as have never existed in the (whole) world". They marry. After the birth of the twins, they are replaced by the other co-wives by puppies and abandoned in the steppes, but a gazelle nurses the babies. Years later, they are sent for a talking nightingale.

Tuva

Russian ethnologist Grigory Potanin recorded a variant from Uryankhay Krai, modern day Tuva, with the title "Мынг хонгор атту Тюмендей и его сынъ Ерь Сару". In the first part of the tale, a being named Tyumendey, under the guise of a Dzhelbag, forces an old man to surrender his three daughters in exchange for his freedom. The old man and his wife convince the girls to fetch fruits in the woods. They return to the yurt and see Dzhelbag. The girls escape by using objects to create magical obstacles to their pursuer. They meet a beaver near a river that carries them across the water. The beaver tells the girl to toss some stones in the river; Dzhelbag drowns. The animal advises them to climb up three fir trees and wait there. In the second part of the story, as the three sisters are sitting on treetops and playing musical instruments, three hunters pass by the trees when water pours down on them. Thinking it rain, they look up and see the maidens. The three sisters marry the three hunters. One day, the third hunter goes away with his brothers-in-law, and asks his wife what she will do for him when he gets back: she will bear a boy with silver neck and golden head. Her sisters become envious, replace the boy for an animal and throw him in the lake. The hunter returns and, seeing the animal, maims, blinds and abandons his wife. The woman regains her limbs and sight by use of a magical herb. She then prepares to rescue her son from the lake. She tries three times, and is successful on the third occasion. She feeds the boy her milk and rubs her tears on his eyes. He recognizes him as his mother and calls himself Er-Saru (Ер-сару).

Folklorist Erika Taube collected another Tuvan tale from a 69-year-old informant in 1969. In this tale, titled "Он ийи гадынныг хаан" or "Хан с двенадцатью женами" (The Khan with Twelve Wives), a khan has 12 wives, but laments that none has given birth to any son. He goes on a journey and finds at first a woman, which he thinks is ugly. He returns to his travels and finds three sisters talking inside a hut, the youngest wishing for a husband that has looked for her, travelled all over the world and suffered all travails. He marries the third sister and she gives birth to twin boys. The other co-wives replace the boys for animals and cast them in the water. The khan returns and, seeing the animals, banishes the thirteenth wife to an island. The boys are found by a childless couple. Years later, the khan sends his eagle to the skies and, when it does not return, he rides on his horse to the island and meets a deep-wrinkled old lady. The old lady says she is a "lady or ruler of fate" and sets the khan on a quest to redeem himself and restore his family. Taube argued that the old lady character as the ruler of fate was "an ancient element" present in this tale, and compared it to similar motifs and figures of Central Asian faiths.

Tofalar people

In a tale from the Tofalars titled "Три мальчика" ("Three Boys"), an old god wanders the Earth and seek a woman to marry. He finds three women and inquires about their skills: the first tells she can bake bread for 300 people and there will still be some bread left; the second that she can plant 99 aspens to make skis for the people, and the third that she can bear three sons, the first two will have golden chest and the third a normal human chest. The god marries the third woman and has to go on a hunt. His wife gives birth to a boy with golden chest, who is replaced for a puppy by an evil midwife. The next year, the same happens to her second son. On the third year, she gives birth to a normal human boy, and the god, seeing that his wife failed in her promise, orders her and the son to be sewn inside a cow's hide and thrown in the sea. The cow's hide lands on a island. Mother and son live in the island, and the woman sews the boy a nice hat. The boy gives his hat to a man on the island and gains an ax, an iron stick and a bag. He reads in a book about a rich man who lives with two sons with golden chest. He recognizes that the boys are his elder brothres and goes to save them.

Uzbekistan

Similarities have also been noted between the tale type and the Uzbek tale of Хасан и Зухра (Hasan and Zuhra). In this tale, despite being married to 40 wives, the shah still hasn't fathered a son. In his wanderings, he finds three sisters, daughters of a shepherd, talking among themselves: Nasiba, Gulbahor and Sulfiya. The youngest, Sulfiya, promises to give birth to twins, a boy named Hasan and a girl named Zuhra, both beautiful and smart. The midwife replaces them with two goats, puts the twins in a bag and abandons it on the road. Thankfully, they are saved by a coming caravan. Twelve years pass, and Hasan, now a youth, meets his father, the shah, during a hunt. The shah convenes with a wise old woman, who discusses with the monarch the truth of what happened to his twin children.

In another Uzbek tale with the title "Блестящая глиняная чаша" ("A Shining Pottery Bowl"), a tsar has 40 wives, but no son yet. His viziers suggest he take another wife. He does and she is expecting a son. The other 40 wives feel threatened by the newcomer and bribe the midwife to get rid of the child as son as they are born. The midwife takes the royal children, a boy and a girl, replaces them for puppies and abandons both in the wilderness to die. The youngest queen is banished to the steppe with the puppies, while her children are raised by a she-bear in a cave. The midwife sends them for a shining pottery bowl and a magic mirror. To get the second item, the boy saves a nest of Simurgh birdlings and takes a journey to another kingdom on its back.

In the tale "Золотая косичка" ("The Golden-Braided [Boy]"), a padishah and his viziers sight a giant red rose, where three peri women are weaving. The peris are asked about their abilities, the youngest promises to bear the padishah a golden-braided boy. The padishah marries the third peri woman, and the viziers the other two. The padishah's other co-wives bribe a midwife to get rid of the boy and replace him for puppies. The midwife throws the boy into the steppe, but he is found and suckled by a hart. The boy returns to his father's palace and the co-wives take the boy, lock him up in a chest and cast him in the sea. He survives this second attempt and is found by a fisherman. Years later, the co-wives and the midwife send the boy for a flower gulikakhkakh, forty magical cauldrons and a magic mirror.

A fourth Uzbek tale was collected in 1999 from local teller, Dr. Ibodulla Iliasov, professor of German studies, in Bulungur, Samarqand, with the title Die goldhaarigen Zwillingskinder ("The Twin Children with Golden Hair").

East Asia

Japan

Folklorist D. L. Ashliman, in his 1987 study of folktales, lists The Golden Eggplant (黄金の茄子 <<Kin no nasu>>) as a Japanese variant of the tale. Other variants of this tale were listed by Japanese scholar Kunio Yanagita.

Scholar Seki Keigo remarked that the Japanese story "show[ed] much similarity" to the tale type, albeit lacking the usual reason for the wife's banishment. He also reported 8 variants, found "chiefly in the southern part of Japan", and cited a local Okinawan legend with similar events. In the Okinawan tale, the lord's wife is cast with her child in a boat because she was accused of breaking wind in public.

Hiroko Ikeda, in his own index of Japanese tales, classified the story as type 707, with the name "The Gold Bearing Plant" (Japanese: Kin no Nasu, Kane no Naru Ki) and listed 25 variants of the story.

Russian scholar Khemlet Tat'yana argues that The Golden Eggplant is an example of the phenomenon where the more fantastical variants of the tale type give way to more realistic stories that treat the extraordinary elements as unreal or a factual impossibility: in the story, the lord's son returns to his father's court with seeds of a gold- and silver-producing tree, which can only be watered by a woman who has never broken wind.

China

See also: The Pretty Little Calf

Chinese folklorist and scholar Ting Nai-tung (zh) established a second typological classification of Chinese folktales (the first was by Wolfram Eberhard in the 1930s). In his new system, tale type 707, "The Three Golden Sons", shows the rivalry between the king's other wives; the number of children vary between stories, and the animal that replaces the children "is often a dead cat". One of the variants of his selected bibliography shows the quest for a magical tree and a girl, and in another for a bird of happiness.

A famous Chinese story that follows the replacement of the child for a cat is Limao huan taizi (English: "Cat in Exchange for a Prince"; "Exchanging a Leopard Cat for a Prince"), attested in the literary work The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants. In this story, a consort, jealous of the other, replaces the latter's son for a cat and gives the child for a eunuch to drown. Out of pity, the eunuch smuggles the child out of the palace, to the residence of another prince. The child is then raised by this second prince, unaware of his true origins.

In a tale collected from a Chinese-American source from California, titled The Long Lost Mother, a king is childless, but his queen promises him a boy. When his son is born, a guard who hates the royal couple replaces the boy for a slain cat. The queen is accused of infidelity and banished from the palace. She ends up in poverty and finds a lonely child in a small house. She decides to adopt the baby as her son. Despite its origin as literary tale, Chinese scholar Ting Nai-Tung acknowledged that its oral variants "clearly belong[ed]" to tale type ATU 707.

Korea

See also: The Pretty Little Calf § Korea

Korean scholarship reports a Korean tale similar to Japanese "The Golden Eggplant". In the Korean tale, titled "아침에 심어 저녁에 따먹는 오이" (Cucumber Planted in the Morning and Harvested in the Evening), a son is trying to find his father, because he abandoned his mother for passing wind on their wedding night. The boy walks around with a bunch of cucumber seeds that can be planted in the morning and harvested in the evening, and that can only be harvested by people who do not break wind (a physical impossibility).

Mongolia

See also: The Pretty Little Calf § Mongolia

See also: The Rich Khan Badma § Mongolia

Southeast Asia

Indonesia

French scholar Gédeon Huet noted the tale "entered into Indonesia". One example is the story Die Schwester der neun und neuzig Brüder ("The Sister of the Ninety-Nine Brothers"), from the Celebes Islands. In this tale, the youngest daughter promises to give birth to 99 boys and a girl, which draws the attention of the prince. When the children are born, the sisters replace the children for inanimate and "worthless" objects. The 100 siblings are rescued by "benevolent spirits", who also give the girl a wooden horse.

In another Indonesian variant from Aceh, Hikayat gumba' Meuïh, Gumba' Meuin, Gumbak Meuih, or Gombak Emas ("The Tale of Goldenhead"), King Hamsöykasa is married to three wives, but hasn't fathered a son by the first two, named Ratna Diwi and Keuncan Ansari. The third wife, Cah Keubandi, of humble origin, gives birth to 100 children in one day: 99 brothers and 1 sister, each of them with hair of gold and diamonds. The first two wives cast the siblings in the water encased in a box and replace them for creatures. The 100 are saved by a gògasi (gěrgasi) couple. The youngest child, the girl, named Gumba' Meuïh (Goldenhead), is told of her royal origins by a "celestial bird", reaches their father's kingdom and reveals the whole truth. The tale continues with the adventures of princess Goldenhead with celestial (adara) prince Lila Bangguna. Like her mother before her, she is also persecuted by the prince's sister and his second wife, but reclaims her right with the help of her 99 brothers. Her son, Mira' Diwangga, marries a princess of Atrah named Cheureupu Intan ("Diamond Sandal"), and fathers a daughter called Gènggöng Intan, who later marries prince Kaharölah of Silan (Ceylon). The hikayat is reported to exist in 4 (quite similar) manuscript versions in the archives of the Library of Leiden University, and contains the episode of petrification of the 99 brothers and their elephant retinue, as they make their way to their father's kingdom.

Myanmar

In a Burmese tale, The Hundred and One Lobsters, a woman eats 101 magical lobsters, said to give the ability to bear wonderful children, and is made queen. She gives birth to 101 children, 100 sons and a daughter, but the king's second queen replaces them for puppies. The 101 children are saved by the king's pet animals (a sow, a cow, a buffalo and an elephant), which are killed by a ploy of the second queen. At last, they are taken in by a fisherman couple and, some time later, take part in a cock fighting contest against their own father, the king.

In a Burmese tale from the Palaung people, "История Схумо" ("The Story of Schumo"), an elderly couple lives in poverty with their daughter. The king, who had many wives, but no son, marries the girl and she gives birth to a son she names Schumo. The jealous co-wives of the king replace the boy for a puppy, to disgrace their rival. The young queen is expelled and returns to her parents' house with the puppy, while her son survives. The son visits his grandparents' home and sees his mother playing with the dog. She confirms her relationship with the boy by using a jet of her breast milk. Russian scholarship classified the tale as type 707, following Thompson and Roberts' Types of Indic Oral Tales.

Philippines

Author Dean Fansler collected a story titled The Wicked Woman's Reward, from one Gregorio Frondoso, a Bicol from Camarines. This tale shows the rivalry between two concubines of the king: one substitutes the other's son for a cat.

Professor Damiana Eugenio listed Thai tale The Four Champa Trees and Chinese tale Cat in Exchange for a Prince as "foreign analogues" to Filipino versions of the story of the king's wife banished from the palace due to the concubine's intrigue and accusations of giving birth to animals.

In a Tagalog version of Cinderella (ATU 510A), after the princess marries the king and is pregnant with seven boys, her step-family replace the boys for puppies and throw the septuplets in the sea in a box. The boys are saved by a hunter and word of the good deed reaches the ears of the princess' step-family. The women bring the boys poisoned maruya, they eat and die. The hunter places the bodies inside a cave, but an oracle's voice tells him to seek the mother of the Sun, who lives in a distant place, for a remedy. He passes by three places where people ask him the solution for their problems, and the hunter promises them he will bring the answers after visiting the house of the sun (akin to tale type ATU 461, "Three Hairs of the Devil"). He resurrects the princes, now young men, and the youngest of them fetches a tree branch of silver and gold, with which a helping enchanter makes clothes and equipment for them.

In another Filipino variant of Cinderella, collected in 1903 from a sixty-year-old woman in Pola, Mindoro, as the continuation of the story, after the marriage, the Cinderella-like character, named Maria, gives birth to seven princes, who are replaced by seven puppies and exposed in the mountains. However, they are saved by a "mother of the day" or "mother of the sun" (ina nang arao) and become seven young men. One day, they pass by their mother, suffering the king's punishment.

Dean Fansler, in another article, summarized a metrical romance published in the archipelago, The Story of the Life of Maria in the Kingdom of Hungary, and showed that it was a combination of Cinderella and Constance. However, the tale contains the punishment of the mother, now disgraced, and the lives of her sons, abandoned in the mountains and saved by a shepherd. He also published another (lesser-known) metrical romance, and a folktale, Amelia ("current in the province of Laguna"), which largely follow the same plot structure: marriage, birth of child or children, replacement by animals, severe punishment of the mother, rescue of children, meeting with parents later in life.

In a tale published by Yukihiro Yamada and collected in 1987, from teller Quintina Cabal Gutierrez (Itbayat), papito so pipatoran (The Seven Kingdoms), three sisters, Magdalena, Rosalina and Maria, express their wishes for a husband: the elder two want to marry rich and powerful men, unlike the youngest, Maria. One day, a bachelor named Juan passes by their house and becomes enchanted with Maria. They marry, and the girl says she prays to God to give her a pair of children, one with golden hair, the other with silver hair. After their birth, her jealous sisters replace the children for puppies and her husband sentences her to be buried up to the torso near the sink.

Africa

Researcher Daniel Crowley pointed that a preliminary study by researcher May Augusta Klipple, in 1938, indicated the existence of 10 variants from Africa, without specifying their region. However, analysing Klipple's study, Hasan El-Shamy identified that she pointed to 11 variants in the following ethnic groups: 9 among Venda, Larusa, Kamba and Masai (East Africa); one from the Sotho (southern Africa), and one from the Hausa (west Africa).

El-Shamy also noted that variants from Subsaharan Africa focus on the rivalry between co-wives and the bond between male twins.

North Africa

See also: The Story of Arab-Zandiq § North Africa

Tunisia

See also: The Story of Arab-Zandiq § Tunisia

Algeria

See also: The Story of Arab-Zandiq § Algeria

Egypt

See also: The Story of Arab-Zandiq

Morocco

See also: The Story of Arab-Zandiq § Morocco

Sudan

In a Sudanese variant published by S. Hillelson, The Talking Parrot, a sister, with the ability to make rain fall when she cries, to produce pearls and coral when she laughs, is convinced by an old woman to send her brother to seek a talking parrot.

West Africa

In a West African tale, local chief Nyame marries other four women, who later move to his house. There, they need to follow the rules of the head-wife, who asks the women what each would give to their husband. The youngest one answers she would bear him a "child of gold" (or "gold-child"), but eventually gives birth to a twin of silver and a twin of gold. The boys are replaced by two frogs, but the whole truth is discovered with a little help from Anansi, the Spider.

A variant of The child born with a moon on his breast is mentioned by Édouard Jacouttet as hailing from "Gold Coast", an old name for a region on the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa: a king named Miga has many wives, who had not born any children. A witch doctor gives a remedy for the wives: all of them give birth to animals, except one, who mothers a son "with a peculiar sign on his forehead", just like his father. This tale was first recorded in 1902 by G. Härtter, from the Ewe people in Togo.

In a Senegalese tale, The child with a star on the forehead, originally collected in French by Lilyan Kesteloot and Bassirou Dieng with the title L'enfant qui avait une étoile sur le front, the jealous co-wives replace the chief's son for a bottle, but the boy is rescued by a helpful old woman. She raises him and directs him to meet his father.

In a Southern Nigerian tale, The Woman with two Skins, king Eyamba I of Calabar has 200 wives, but no son. He is persuaded to marry one of the spider's daughters, but she is so ugly. In fact, this woman, named Adiaha, takes off the ugly skin at night and becomes a beautiful young woman. The king's head wife discovers this and buys a potion form the "Ju Ju man" in order to make the king forget about Adiaha. She succeeds, and the spider's daughter returns home. Adiaha's father contacts another Ju Ju man to prepare an antidote for his daughter to use on her husband. Adiaha returns to king Eyamba, still with her ugly skin disguise, and gives birth to a son, to the jealousy of the head wife. She prepares another potion to make the king fall ill and forget his son. Due to his poor health, he is convinced by the head wife to cast his son in the water, but the boy is saved by a Water Ju Ju. Once again, Adiaha counters the head wife's plot, returns to her husband Eyamba and mothers a daughter. The girl suffers the same fate as her older brother, but is saved by the same Water Ju Ju. Now a young man, the Water Ju Ju advises the king's son to hold a wrestling match to draw the attention of the king. The youth wins every match and is invited to a dinner with the king. The Water Ju Ju advises the youth to summon the people and present his case in front of the king. There, the whole truth is revealed about the head wife's deception. Soon, the king's children and Adiaha are reinstated to their proper place. Folklorist Andrew Lang, on his notes, recalled similar tales of "European folk-lore" wherein the king is deceived and throws his children in the water because he thought his wife gave birth to puppies.

In a tale from the Ndowe people of Equatorial Guinea, El cerco de los leones, two sisters confide in each other that they will bear handsome children. The younger, however, confesses that she will bear a boy with a star on the forehead and another on the chest. After the boy's birth, the elder sister replaces her nephew for a piece of wood and throws him into a den of lions.

In a tale from the Dahomey people, collected by Melville J. Herskovits with the title Slandering co-wife: Why there are several attendants at childbirth, a girl named Agenu (or Tohwesi), daughter of King Abiliba Numayago, becomes the second wife to a king called Beu. She becomes heavy with child and when it is time to give birth, she is blindfolded by her husband's other wife. Agenu gives birth to a boy, but the second wife hides the boy in a calabash and replace him for a stone. An old woman who was nearby gets the calabash to raise the boy, while his mother locked in a hut to be insulted by the other wives. Years later, the old woman requests an audience with the king, the prime minister and the second minister. The king gathers the people and the boy is asked to appoint his mother. The old woman reveals the treachery to the king.

Hausa language

Hermann Gundert Harris published a variant in the Hausa dialect of Kano, with the title Story of a Poor Girl and the Rival Wives. The tale contains barren co-wives, a poor girl giving birth to twins, the replacement for animals, and the children meeting the father.

Another tale from the "Haoussa" (Hausa) was collected by François-Victor Équilbecq from Fatimata Oazi, in Bogandé, in 1911. In this tale, titled Les trois femmes du sartyi ("The sartyi's three wives"), three women, near a marigot (fr), comment among themselves their wishes. The first one says she will give birth to twins with navels of pure gold if she marries the sartyi (a ruler, a king). The other two also promise extraordinary things. The sartyi marries all three. The sartyi's favorite wife takes the twin boys as soon as they are born, throws them "en dehors du tata" and replaces them for margouillats (lizards). An old woman that was looking for herbs finds the boys and takes them. When they grow up, the twins often provoke the other co-wives when they are taking a bath in the marigot. A griot tells the sartyi of this incident, noting that both boys resembled the king. The sartyi orders that all of his wives shall prepare a meal for the twins, so that they may identify their true mother. Équilbecq noted its similar motifs with European fairy tales and the story from the Arabian Nights: the intrigue of the co-wives and the extraordinary promises of the women.

Cape Verde

Anthropologist Elsie Clews Parsons collected some variants from Cape Verde Islands, grouped under the banner of The Envious Sisters. The wonder children appear in four of them. In one, collected in San Anton (sic), the third sister promises three children with gold stars on the forehead; in the second from the same island, a servant of the king gives birth to triplets with gold stars on the forehead. In the main text, provided by Antonio da Graça of San Nicolao (sic), the third sister gives birth to two boys and a girl with a gold star on the forehead, in three consecutive births. In the fourth, collected from Fogo, the boy has a gold star on the forehead, and the girl a golden apple on her hand.

In a second set of Cape Verdean variants, the children are replaced for animals and saved by the Old-Woman-of-the-Sea. These tales also lack the quest for the items.

East Africa

Scholars have attested the presence of the tale type in African sources. For instance, researcher E. Ojo Arewa indexed some tales from northern East Africa cattle area under number 3743 (which corresponds to type ATU 707 in his system). In these tales (one from the Kamba, one from the Larusa, one from the Maasai), the childless wife tries to get rid of the twins born from the other co-wife.

In one tale from the Maasai people, titled 'L-omon loo-'ñgorōyok are oo 'l-mao ("The story of the two wives and the twins") - tabulated by Arewa -, a man is married to two women. The first hasn't born any sons, but the second gives birth to twin boys. The co-wife cuts the boys' fingers and smears their mother's mouth to accuse her of cannibalism. She puts the twins into a drum and casts it in the water. The drum is washed ashore in another country. This version was translated by Carl Meinhof into German.

Southern Africa

In a Khoekhoe tale collected by Leonhard Schultze-Jena, Ariba gye iiguibahe kχoësa or Die Frau, der ein Hund untergeschoben wird, a woman's son is replaced for a dog by jealous women, but he is saved by an aigamuxa. This tale was listed by Elsie Clews Parsons as a parallel to the Cape Verdean tales she collected, and classified as type 707 by Sigrid Schmidt.

Réunion

In the island of Réunion, a variant was collected from local male storyteller Germain Elizabeth, born in 1895, with the title Kat fler d-roz ("Four Rose Blossoms"). In this variant, three orphan girls express their wishes to marry the king's cook, the king's baker, and the king himself. The king marries the youngest, and, she is to give birth, she is to ring a golden bell for a son, and a silver bell for a girl. She gives birth to two boys and a girl in three consecutive births, but the children are replaces for two puppies and a kitten. An old fairy rescues and raises the children as their foster mother, and she helps them to obtain the treasures: e dancing apple, the singing water, and the bird of truth from the garden of a woman named Four Rose Blossoms lives. Professor Lee Haring also noted that his tale was a "descendant" from Galland's Two Sisters and Grimm's Three Little Birds and, like those tales, also classified as type 707.

Mayotte

A Maorais variant was collected from teller Afiatu Sufu of Mtsapere in the Shimaore language. In this tale, titled Vovoo mutseha na Rambuu mulagua or La Noix d'Arec qui rit et la Feuille de Bétel qui parle ("The Laughing Areca nut and the Speaking Betel leaf"), a poor girl grows up and becomes ill. Whenever the king passes by her village, she shouts at him to cure her, and in return she will give him seven children, six boys and a girl. The girl pleads him so insistently he cures her. Some months later, the girl loses her grandparents, but marries the king, who already has a previous wife. When she is in labour, the first wife and an old woman act as midwife to the second queen in the delivery, replacing the children for stones. The seven siblings are found by a poor old couple. Years later, the old midwife convinces the youngest sister to send her brothers for the lioness's milk, the laughing Areca nut and the speaking betel leaf.

Americas

North America

United States

Professor and folktale collector Genevieve Massignon collected the tale titled Les Trois Sœurs abandonnées, part of a collection of 77 stories obtained from fieldwork from Madawaska, Maine.

A few versions have been collected from Mexican-American populations living in U.S. states, such as California and New Mexico, and in the Southwest.

In a variant collected around Los Angeles area, there are two sons, one golden-haired and the other silver-haired, and a girl with a star on her forehead, while a second variant mixes type ATU 425A ("Search for The Lost Husband") with type ATU 707.

A variant was collected from a Spanish-descent fifteen-year-old named Philomene Gonzalez, from Delacroix Island, Louisiana, in 1941. In this variant, titled Golden Star, a maiden wishes to marry the prince and to have a boy with white and golden hair and with a star on the forehead. She gives birth to this boy and a girl with the same traits the following year. An old woman replaces the children for puppies and throws them in the river, but God rescues them. This version lacks the quest for the items, and concludes when God sends them to a feast with the king.

Native Americans

In a Chippewa tale collected in 1942 from Delia Oshogay, in Court Oreilles, Oshkikwe's Children, Oshkikwe is the youngest sister who marries the king because she promised to give birth to three children: two boys, and the last a girl with golden hair and a star on her forehead. Her two sisters, the elder named Matchikwewis, become jealous and enraged that they married lowly men and devise a plan: cast the children into the river and replace them for animals, causing the queen to be imprisoned by her husband. The children are rescued and raised by an old couple, then go on a quest for the "golden bird that talked".

Anthropologist James Teit collected a tale from the Upper Thompson River Indians titled Spiṓla. A white woman is exiled from home, but meets a lodge where her four brothers lived. She helps them and is blessed with the ability to produce gold with her mouth. A chief's son marries her and she is pregnant. When the husband is called away to a meeting, her step-mother and step-sister help in the delivery. However, they make a hole in the floor, let the her sons fall through it and put a cat and a snake in their place. Seeing the animals, the chief's son condemns her to be drowned in the river, but her brothers rescue her. Meanwhile, the boys have been rescued by the woman's favourite dog named Spiṓla. The dog protects and feeds the children. One day, the woman's step-mother gives some poisoned food to the boys and they die. The dog Spiṓla decides to go to the house of the Sun to seek help, and on his way is questioned by three people to find answers to their problems (a la "Three Hairs from the Devil's Beard"). When the dog resurrects the boys, one boy has a shining sun on the forehead, and the other a bright moon. Lastly, Spiṓla decides to find the wise Bird, who "talked all languages, knew the future, and never told a lie". Stith Thompson related this tale to the cycle of "The Bird of Truth".

New Mexico

A variant from Northern New Mexico was collected by José Manuel Espinosa in the 1930s from a twelve-year-old María del Carmen González, who lived in San Ildefonso. The tale was republished by Joe Hayes in 1998 with the title El pájaro que contaba verdades ("The Bird that spoke the Truth"). In this tale, originally titled Los niños perseguidos, a couple have three children: two boys with golden hair and a girl with a star on the forehead. They are kidnapped by an evil witch and left in the canyon to die. The objects they seek are a bird with green feathers, a bottle of holy water and a whistle.

A second version from New Mexico was collected by Professor R. D. Jameson, titled The Talking Bird, The Singing Tree, and the Water of Life, first heard by the raconteur in his childhood. In a second version by R. D. Jameson, the princess promises to give birth to twin boys: one golden-haired and one silver-haired.

In another variant, first collected in 1930 by Arthur L. Campa in his thesis (El Pájaro Verde; English: "The Green Bird"), the quest is prompted by the siblings's foster mother, in order to ensure a life-long happiness for them.

In another variant, titled The Three Treasures, the youngest sister wants to marry the prince and promises to give birth to golden-haired children. She gets her wish and gives birth first to a girl, then to two boys in the following years. Her sisters cast the siblings in the water, but they are saved by the gardener.

Canada

See also: Les Princes et la Princesse de Marinca

Mexico

A variant was collected from Tepecano people in the state of Jalisco (Mexico) by J. Alden Mason (Spanish: Los niños coronados; English: "The crowned children") and also published in the Journal of American Folklore. A version from Mitla, Oaxaca, in Mexico (The Envious Sisters), was collected by Elsie Clews Parsons and published in the Journal of American Folklore: the siblings quest for "the crystalline water, the tree that sings, and the bird that talks".

In a Yucatec Maya variant, Ooxtuul kiktsilo'ob or El Rey y Las Tres Hermanas ("The King and the Three Sisters"), the king marries the youngest sister and the elder ones replace the children for dead animals.

Central America

Four variants have been collected by Manuel José Andrade, obtained from sources in the Dominican Republic. The tales contain male children as the heroes who perform the quest to learn the truth of their birth. A later study by Hansen listed 12 Dominican variants.

The tale type is also present in the folklore of Puerto Rico (amounting to 9 local versions), and of Panama.

Anthropologist Elsie Clews Parsons recorded a tale from Martinica (L'arbre qui chante, l'oiseau qui parle, l'eau qui dort; English: "The singing tree, the talking bird, the sleeping water"), Guadalupe (De l'eau qui dort, l'oiseau dite la vérité; English: "About the water that sleeps, the bird that tells the truth") and Haiti (Poupée caca la: Trois sé [soeurs] la). The version from Guadalupe begins like Snow White (ATU 709), a mother's envy of her daughter's beauty, and continues as ATU 707.

A version from Jamaica was collected by Pamela Colman Smith, titled De Golden Water, De Singin' Tree and De Talkin' Bird.

Douglas Taylor collected a tale from British Honduras (modern day Belize), in the Island Carib language, translated as Tale of a woman's three children, Hero is the eldest sister's name, Juana the intermediate one, Jessie the youngest,-three girls. In this tale, the king's son, the baker's son and the butcher's son pass by the girls' verandah, and the three sisters express their wishes for a husband: Jessie the king's son, Juana the baker's son and Hero the butcher's son. Their mother, Mrs. Willy, goes to the king, who arranges their marriages. Jessie marries the king's son and he becomes king. He announces during an assembly of the people that he shall have three children, two boys and a girl, thet girl with a star on the forehead, one of the boys with a moon and the other with a sun. The elder sisters deliver the children, cast them in the water and replace them for a cat, a goat and a dog. The children are saved by a poor couple that lived by the river. After his adoptive father dies, the youngest son dreams that his father told him to seek the world's riches. The youngest goes and fails, his elder brother goes as well and fails, both turning to stone. The elder sibling, the girl, goes after them and captures a talking bird. The bird tells her to get a golden water, a branch of a singing tree and to sprinkle a bit of the water to restore her brothers.

South America

Brazil

Brazilian folklorist Luís da Câmara Cascudo stated that the tale type was brought to Brazil by Portuguese colonization. He also collected a variant from a woman named Benvenuta de Araújo, from Rio Grande do Norte. In this variant, titled A Rainha e as Irmãs ("The Queen and her Sisters"), the youngest marries the king and gives birth to two boys and a girl, all with a golden star. Her sisters replace them with frogs and a servant abandons them under a tree in the forest, but they are saved by a hunter. The siblings quest for the Água-da-Vida ("The Water of Life"). During a supper with the hunter, they invite a poor woman to join them, and she reveals she is the servant. The siblings forgive her and later reconcile with their father.

Another Brazilian version was collected by Brazilian literary critic, lawyer and philosopher Silvio Romero, from his native state of Sergipe and published as Os três coroados ("The three crowned ones") in his Contos Populares do Brazil (1894). In this version, the siblings are born each with a little crown on their heads, and their adoptive mother is the heroine.

Author Elsie Spicer Eells recorded a very similar Brazilian variant titled The Stone Twins: the queen gives birth to twins, but the queen's jealous sisters cast them in the river. They are saved by a poor fishing couple. Years later, the sisters meet the boys again and give them flowers and fruits that petrify them. The boys' foster mother is advised to seek the abode of the Sun, because he knows many things. The story continues as tale type ATU 461, Three Hairs from the Devil's Beard, wherein the hero or heroine gets asked three questions and the Devil (or the Sun, or Father Know-All in Slavic variants) is wise enough to know the answers.

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References

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Russian folklorist Nikolai V. Morokhin collected a tale from Nizhny Novgorod with the title "О золотых детях" ("About the Golden Children"). In this tale, three sisters are daughters of a merchant family. Every night, they go to a room to sing songs and talk while they are spinning. One day, the tsar's three sons visit their house, and, as they are not there, decide to hide and listen to the conversation of the three sisters. The girls come and say they want to marry the tsar's youngest son: the elder promises to give a dowry of a thousand for him; the middle one that she can weave a cloth for the entire world; and the youngest that she will bear him two golden children, with golden stars in their hair and a golden moon on the forehead.

Further reading

Category:Female characters in fairy tales Category:Fictional kings Category:Fictional queens Category:Twins in fiction Category:Fictional twins Category:Child abandonment Category:Adoption forms and related practices Category:Adoption, fostering, orphan care and displacement Category:Birds in culture Category:Fictional birds