Little Wildrose facts for kids
Little Wildrose is a classic fairy tale from Romania. It was collected by Andrew Lang and featured in his famous book, The Crimson Fairy Book. This story is full of magic, adventure, and unexpected twists!
What is Little Wildrose About?
The story begins with an old man who wanted a child to share his home and inherit his belongings. He went searching in a dark, magical forest. There, he met a hermit who gave him a special apple. The hermit told him to eat half and give the other half to his wife.
On his way home, the old man became very thirsty. He couldn't find any water, so he ate the entire apple himself. Soon after, he discovered a beautiful baby girl. He carried her home, placing her in a pail near his house to call his wife.
Suddenly, an eagle swooped down and carried the baby away! The eagle took her to its nest, planning for its young eaglets to eat her. But instead, the eaglets snuggled up to the baby girl. A large, dragon-like creature then came to attack them, but something mysterious killed it. The eagle decided to raise the little girl alongside its own eaglets.
How Little Wildrose Met the Prince
Years later, the girl, now known as Little Wildrose, was living high in the tree with the eagles. One day, an emperor's son saw her. He was immediately captivated by her beauty and wanted to meet her. He tried to get her to come down, but she wouldn't. He fell deeply in love and became very sad because he couldn't reach her.
His father, the emperor, noticed his son's sadness and asked what was wrong. When he heard about the mysterious maiden in the tree, he sent out a message, asking for someone to help bring her down.
An old woman came forward, promising to get the girl for the prince. She went to the tree and tried to build a fire beneath it, but she did everything wrong. Little Wildrose, from her perch in the tree, tried to tell the old woman how to do it correctly. But the old woman kept making mistakes.
Finally, Little Wildrose came down from the tree to show her how to build the fire properly. As soon as she was on the ground, the old woman quickly grabbed her and carried her away! The emperor's son was overjoyed and soon married Little Wildrose.
