A String of Pearls Twined with Golden Flowers facts for kids

A String of Pearls Twined with Golden Flowers, also known as The Golden Twins or Pearls, Thread Yourselves, is a classic Romanian fairy tale. In Romanian, its name is Înşiră-te mărgăritari. This story was collected by Petre Ispirescu and published in his book Legende sau basmele românilor. It tells a magical tale of a royal family, envy, and the power of truth.

The King's Search for a Queen

Once upon a time, there was a young and handsome king. He loved to travel and explore the world when he wasn't busy with his royal duties. One day, he passed by a grand castle. It belonged to an emperor who had three daughters.

The Sisters' Wishes

The king overheard the three princesses talking. They were discussing their hopes and dreams about marrying him.

• The oldest sister said she would keep his house perfectly clean.
• The second sister wished she could make his home as beautiful as two golden apples.
• The third sister, the youngest, wished to bear him golden twins.

The king was most impressed by the third sister's wish. He decided to marry her, and she became his queen. Soon after, the queen became pregnant.

A Jealous Plot

The king had an old favorite, a gypsy slave, who grew very jealous of the new queen. This slave began to plot against the queen.

The King Goes to War

When the queen was close to giving birth, the king had to leave for a war. While he was away, the queen gave birth to two beautiful golden babies. But the jealous gypsy slave quickly took them away. She cruelly killed the golden babies and buried them in the royal vineyard.

A Deceitful Welcome

When the king returned from the war, he was met with a terrible lie. The gypsy slave told him that the queen had given birth to two puppies, not children. Believing this lie, the king was very angry. He made his true queen a slave and made the gypsy girl his new queen.

The Golden Firs

From the graves of the golden babies, two tall fir trees grew in the vineyard. These were no ordinary trees.

Magical Nights

Every night, the two fir trees would magically transform. They would become children again. They would then go to their mother, the queen, and nurse from her. This secret visit brought the queen much comfort and hope.

The Gypsy's Envy Continues

The king liked the beautiful fir trees. But the gypsy queen hated them. She felt a strange dislike for them and insisted that the king cut them down. The king, not knowing their true nature, agreed.

The Talking Beds

After the fir trees were cut down, the king had two beds made from their wood.

A Secret Revealed

During the night, a strange thing happened. The two beds began to talk to each other. The bed where the gypsy queen slept did not like the talking. But the bed where the king slept seemed to enjoy it. The gypsy queen heard the beds talking. She grew even more suspicious and angry. She then demanded that the king burn the beds.

New Beginnings

The beds were burned, but two sparks flew from the fire. These sparks landed in some bran, which was then eaten by a ewe (a female sheep). The ewe later gave birth to two lambs. These lambs had beautiful golden fleeces. The king saw these golden lambs and loved them right away.

The Entrails and the Crow

The gypsy queen, still filled with hatred, had the golden lambs killed. She then gave the queen the difficult task of washing their entrails (internal organs).

A Helpful Crow

While the queen was washing the entrails, a crow flew down and snatched some of them. The crow refused to give them back without some cornmeal. The queen went to a miller, but he wouldn't give her cornmeal without a chicken. She went to a hen, but it wouldn't give her a chick without corn.

Finally, a kind farmer gave the queen some corn.

• The hen then gave her a chick.
• The miller then gave her cornmeal.
• And the crow finally gave back the piece of entrail.

However, while the queen was doing all this, more of the entrails had washed away in the water. She could not get them back.

The Children Return

The remaining entrails caught on a snag in the water. When the water level went down, a miracle happened. The entrails transformed into a beautiful girl and a handsome boy.

Life by the River

The boy used his hatchet to cut osiers (willow branches). The girl spun thread on her distaff. People from all around came to admire their beauty and skill. The king was so delighted by them that he took them home to live in his palace. The gypsy queen did not dare to harm them.

The Broken Necklace

One day, the gypsy queen's pearl necklace broke. The pearls scattered everywhere. No one could pick them up and rethread them. The king asked the two children if they could do it. They easily managed to rethread the pearls.

The Truth Revealed

As they rethreaded the pearls, the boy began to tell the king the story of their lives. He repeated the phrase, "o, a string of pearls twined with golden flowers," as he told their amazing tale. The king finally understood the gypsy queen's evil deeds. He had the gypsy girl punished for her actions and restored his true queen to her rightful place.