Fairer-than-a-Fairy (Mailly) facts for kids

Fairer-than-a-Fairy (which means "more beautiful than a fairy") is a classic fairy tale from France. Its original French title is Le Prince Arc-en-ciel, meaning "The Rainbow Prince". This story first appeared in a collection of new fairy tales in 1718. No one knew who wrote it at first, but it is now believed to be by a writer known as the Chevalier de Mailly. Later, a famous collector of fairy tales, Andrew Lang, included this story in his popular book, The Yellow Fairy Book.

The Story of Fairer-than-a-Fairy

A Princess is Born

For many years, a king and queen wished for a child. Finally, they had a daughter who was so incredibly beautiful that they named her "Fairer-than-a-Fairy". This made the powerful fairies very angry, perhaps because they felt no one could be more beautiful than them. They decided to kidnap the princess.

Kidnapped by Lagrée

The fairies chose their oldest member, Lagrée, to do the kidnapping. Lagrée was a very old fairy with only one eye and one tooth left. She had to soak them in a special liquid every night to keep them. When the princess was seven years old, Lagrée took her away. The princess's loyal cat and dog followed her. Lagrée brought Fairer-than-a-Fairy to a hidden castle. The princess had a nice room there, but she was given two important tasks: she had to keep a fire burning always and take care of two glass bottles.

Meeting the Rainbow Prince

One day, while exploring the castle garden, Fairer-than-a-Fairy saw sunlight hit a fountain. Suddenly, she heard a voice! It was a prince, trapped in the castle. He told her he had fallen in love with her. He could only speak to her when sunlight created a rainbow in the fountain. They started talking whenever they could.

A Dangerous Mistake

One day, while talking to the prince, Fairer-than-a-Fairy accidentally let the fire go out. Lagrée was secretly happy about this. She ordered the princess to get new fire from a scary monster named Locrinos. Locrinos was known for being cruel and harming anyone he found, especially young girls.

Help on the Journey

On her way to Locrinos's house, a helpful bird told Fairer-than-a-Fairy to pick up a shiny pebble. She did. When she reached Locrinos's house, only his wife was home. The wife was impressed by the princess's good manners and beauty. She was even more amazed by the shiny stone the princess had. So, Locrinos's wife gave her the fire and another special stone.

A New Way to Meet

With the fire back, the princess could meet her rainbow prince again. They came up with a clever plan: they put a crystal bowl on her windowsill. This allowed them to meet and talk more easily.

The Prince's Danger

One day, the prince appeared very sad. He had just learned that his prison was going to be moved. The next day was cloudy almost all day. In her hurry to talk to him before he was gone, Fairer-than-a-Fairy accidentally knocked over the crystal bowl. To avoid losing her chance to speak with him, she quickly filled the bowl with the liquid from the two special bottles Lagrée had told her to guard.

Escape and Pursuit

Fairer-than-a-Fairy then decided to escape. She took her dog and cat, a small sprig of myrtle, and the stone Locrinos's wife had given her. Lagrée soon realized the princess was gone and followed her. When Fairer-than-a-Fairy slept inside a shelter created by the magic stone, Lagrée caught up. But the princess's dog bit Lagrée, making her fall and break her last tooth. While the fairy was angry and helpless, Fairer-than-a-Fairy escaped again.

She continued her journey and slept under a myrtle tree that grew from the sprig she carried. When Lagrée finally reached her again, the princess's cat scratched out Lagrée's last eye. Now, the old fairy was completely helpless against Fairer-than-a-Fairy.

Gifts for the Journey

For three nights, Fairer-than-a-Fairy found a green and white house. Each night, a woman dressed in green and white gave her a special gift: first a nut, then a golden pomegranate, and finally a crystal smelling-bottle. She was told to open these gifts only when she needed them most.

Finding the Silver Castle

After these encounters, she arrived at a strange silver castle. It had no doors or windows and hung from trees by silver chains. She wanted to get inside and remembered her gifts. She cracked the nut. Inside, she found a tiny hall porter with a key! She climbed one of the silver chains, and the tiny porter let her in through a secret door.

Waking the Prince

Inside the castle, she found the Rainbow Prince, asleep. She tried to wake him by telling her story loudly, over and over, but he didn't stir. Then, she opened the golden pomegranate. Tiny violins flew out of its seeds and began to play beautiful music. This woke the prince a little, but not completely. Finally, Fairer-than-a-Fairy opened the crystal bottle. A beautiful siren flew out and sang the princess's story to the prince. This fully woke him up!

A Happy Ending

As the prince awoke, the castle walls opened up. A royal court gathered around them, including the prince's mother. She told him that his father had passed away, and he was now the king! The three green and white ladies also appeared. They revealed that Fairer-than-a-Fairy was actually a princess by birth. The prince and Fairer-than-a-Fairy then married and lived happily ever after.

Images for kids

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  Princess Fairer-than-a-Fairy summons the rainbow. Illustration from The Yellow Fairy Book (1894).