The Benevolent Frog facts for kids

The Benevolent Frog, also known as The Frog and the Lion Fairy, is a classic French fairy tale. It was written by a famous author named Madame d'Aulnoy. Later, a well-known collector of fairy tales, Andrew Lang, included it in his book The Orange Fairy Book. He gave it the title The Frog and the Lion Fairy.

The Queen's Escape and a Strange Encounter

Once upon a time, a king's city was under attack. To keep her safe, the king sent his queen away. However, the queen found her new location very boring. She decided to return to her husband, even though her guards disagreed.

She secretly had a carriage made for herself. One day, when everyone was distracted, she escaped. But her horses ran wild, and she couldn't control them. The queen was thrown from the carriage and got hurt.

When she woke up, a huge woman was standing nearby. This woman was wearing a lion skin. She introduced herself as the Fairy Lioness. The Lioness invited the queen to her home. It was a scary cave filled with ravens and owls. There was also a lake with strange monsters. The food was scarce and not very good.

Life with the Lion Fairy

The Lioness told the queen to build her own house in the cave. The queen begged her for mercy. The fairy said the only way to make her happy was to make "fly pasties." The queen had no idea how to make them. She felt sad, thinking her husband would never know what happened to her.

Suddenly, she saw a raven trying to eat a frog. The queen quickly rescued the frog. The frog thanked her and explained something amazing. All the creatures in the lake were once humans. They had been turned into animals because they were very mean. The frog also shared a secret: she was a demi-fairy. Her special powers came from a hood of roses. She had taken it off when the raven caught her.

The frog and her frog friends helped the queen. They caught many flies, and the queen made a fly pasty for the Lion Fairy. Then, the queen started to build her hut. It was very hard work. The frog told her to rest and built the hut for her. The Lion Fairy wondered who had helped the queen. She then demanded a bouquet of rare flowers. The frog asked a friendly bat to gather them. The frog also told the queen that she would not escape soon. But she would have a beautiful daughter.

The King's Search and the Princess's Birth

Meanwhile, the king found his wife's broken carriage. He sadly believed she was dead.

Later, the queen gave birth to a beautiful princess. The Lion Fairy wanted to eat the baby. But the queen convinced her to let her raise the child. One day, when the princess was six years old, the frog decided to find the king. It took her seven long years to reach him. During this time, the Lion Fairy took the queen and princess hunting. This made the fairy a little less cruel, as they helped her catch prey.

The frog arrived just as the king was about to marry someone else. The letter she carried proved that the queen was still alive. With a special ring from the frog, the king set out to rescue his family. In the forest, he saw the Lion Fairy. She was in the shape of a lioness, carrying the queen and princess on her back. The Lion Fairy then trapped the queen and princess in a castle on the lake. She told all the lake monsters, who had fallen in love with the princess, that the king would take her away.

Rescue and a New Challenge

The king fought and defeated the Lion Fairy. But she tricked him by pointing to the castle and then disappeared. After three years, a dragon offered to rescue the queen and princess. The dragon asked the king to give him a special food whenever he asked for it. The king agreed, and the dragon defeated the other monsters. Soon, they found themselves back in the king's city.

A prince fell in love with the princess and wanted to marry her. He went to make plans for their wedding.

Then, the dragon sent a giant messenger. The dragon demanded the princess for his dinner! After some time, the dragon offered to spare her if she married his nephew instead. The princess refused. She said she had promised to marry the prince and could not marry anyone else.

The Final Battle and Happy Ending

The frog went to the prince. She gave him a wonderful horse to reach the dragon. The prince bravely fought and killed the dragon. Inside the dragon's body, he found another prince who had been held prisoner. The prince and princess were finally able to marry and live happily ever after.

About the Story

This fairy tale was one of many written by Madame d'Aulnoy. It was even turned into a play by James Planché. He called his play The Queen of the Frogs.

The story has also been translated into English by different people. Laura Valentine called her version The Beneficent Frog. Another translation, mistakenly thought to be by Charles Perrault, was titled The Friendly Frog.