Biancabella and the Snake facts for kids

Biancabella and the Snake is an old Italian fairy tale. It was written by Giovanni Francesco Straparola and can be found in his book called The Facetious Nights of Straparola.

The Story of Biancabella

Once upon a time, a noble marquis and his wife wished for a child. One day, the marquis's wife was sleeping in her garden. A grass snake quietly moved close to her. Soon after, she became pregnant. She gave birth to a baby girl who had a snake gently wrapped around her neck. The people helping with the birth were scared. But the snake simply slid away into the garden without hurting anyone.

The baby girl was named Biancabella. When she turned ten years old, the snake spoke to her in the garden. The snake told Biancabella that she was her sister, named Samaritana. Samaritana said that if Biancabella listened to her, she would be happy. But if she didn't, she would be sad. The snake then asked Biancabella to bring two buckets. One bucket needed to be filled with milk, and the other with rosewater.

When Biancabella went back to the house, she looked upset. Her mother asked her what was wrong. Biancabella asked for the buckets, and her mother gave them to her. Biancabella carried them back to the garden. The snake then told Biancabella to bathe in the buckets. After her bath, Biancabella became even more beautiful. When her hair was combed, jewels would fall out. And when her hands were washed, flowers would appear.

Because of her amazing beauty and gifts, many young men wanted to marry Biancabella. Finally, her father agreed for her to marry Ferrandino, who was the King of Naples. After the wedding, Biancabella tried to call for Samaritana. But the snake did not come to her. Biancabella realized she must have done something wrong and felt sad about the snake. Still, she left with her new husband.

Ferrandino had a stepmother who was very angry. She wanted Ferrandino to marry one of her own daughters, who were not pretty. Some time later, Ferrandino had to go away to war. While he was gone, his stepmother told her helpers to take Biancabella away and harm her badly. She wanted them to bring back proof that Biancabella was gone. The helpers took Biancabella away. They did not kill her, but they hurt her eyes so she could not see and cut off her hands. The stepmother then spread a false story. She said her own daughters had died, and that the queen (Biancabella) had lost her baby and was sick. Then, she put her own daughter in Biancabella's bed. When Ferrandino returned, he was very sad.

Biancabella, now hurt and alone, called for Samaritana again. But the snake still did not come. An old man found Biancabella and brought her to his home. His wife was not happy, thinking Biancabella might have been punished for a bad deed. But the old man insisted on helping her. Biancabella asked one of their three daughters to comb her hair. The old woman didn't want her daughter to be a servant, but the girl obeyed. And as she combed, jewels fell from Biancabella's hair! The family was very happy because this helped them escape poverty.

After some time, Biancabella asked the old man to take her back to where he had found her. There, she called for Samaritana once more. This time, Samaritana appeared! Biancabella asked for forgiveness. Samaritana then magically gave Biancabella back her eyes and hands. After that, Samaritana herself changed into a beautiful woman.

Later, the two sisters, the old man and woman, and their daughters traveled to Naples. Samaritana magically built them a house there. King Ferrandino saw the women. They told him they had been sent away from their home and had come to Naples to live. Ferrandino invited the women of the court, including his stepmother, to the castle. There, Samaritana asked a helper to sing Biancabella's story, but without using any names. Then she asked what a fair punishment would be for someone who did such terrible things. The stepmother, trying to seem innocent, said that person should be thrown into a very hot furnace. Samaritana then told the king the whole truth. Ferrandino ordered his stepmother to be thrown into the furnace. He made sure the old man's three daughters were married well. And he and Biancabella lived happily ever after until he passed away, and their son became king.

Another Version of the Snake Story

In a different version of this tale, called "The Snake," the main character is a peasant girl. She is the youngest of three sisters. The snake protects her because she is the only one who isn't scared when she sees it. The snake gives her special gifts: she would cry pearls and silver, laugh pomegranate seeds, and when she washed her hands, fish would appear. This last gift saved her family from hunger.

Her older sister was jealous and locked her in the attic. But the girl saw the prince from there and laughed. A pomegranate tree grew from one of the seeds she laughed out. Only she could pick the pomegranates, so the prince decided to marry her.

Her sisters tried to trick the prince, just like the stepmother in Biancabella's story. The oldest sister married the prince instead. The snake had to trick the sisters to get the girl's eyes and hands back. It demanded them as payment for figs and peaches that the pregnant oldest sister really wanted. The oldest sister gave birth to a scorpion. The king still held a party, and the youngest sister went and told everyone the truth.

See also

In Spanish: Blancabella y la serpiente (cuento) para niños