The Boys with the Golden Stars facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Boys with the Golden Stars |
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The boys with the golden stars, by Ford, H. J., in Andrew Lang's The Violet Fairy Book (1901).
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| Folk tale | |
| Name | The Boys with the Golden Stars |
| Also known as | Doi feți cu stea în frunte The Twins with the Golden Star |
| Data | |
| Aarne–Thompson grouping | ATU 707 (The Dancing Water, the Singing Apple, and the Speaking Bird; The Bird of Truth, or The Three Golden Children, or The Three Golden Sons) |
| Region | Romania, Eastern Europe |
| Related | The Dancing Water, the Singing Apple, and the Speaking Bird; Ancilotto, King of Provino; Princess Belle-Étoile and Prince Chéri; The Tale of Tsar Saltan; A String of Pearls Twined with Golden Flowers |
The Boys with the Golden Stars (in Romanian: Doi feți cu stea în frunte) is a popular fairy tale from Romania. It was first collected in a book called Rumänische Märchen. Later, the famous author Andrew Lang included this story in his book The Violet Fairy Book. Sometimes, you might hear this tale called The Twins with the Golden Star.
Contents
What Happens in the Story?
The story begins with a herdsman who had three daughters. The youngest daughter was the most beautiful of them all. One day, the emperor was riding by with his helpers.
- The oldest daughter said that if the emperor married her, she would bake him a special bread. This bread would make him young and brave forever!
- The second daughter promised to make him a magical shirt. This shirt would protect him in any fight, even against a dragon. It would also keep him safe from extreme heat or water.
- The youngest daughter made the most amazing promise. She said she would give birth to twin sons. These boys would have shining stars right on their foreheads!
The emperor was very impressed by the youngest daughter's promise. He decided to marry her. His two friends then married the other two sisters.
The Stepmother's Plan
The emperor had a stepmother who was not happy about his marriage. She wanted him to marry her own daughter instead. Because of this, she hated the new empress. The stepmother convinced her brother to start a war. This was a trick to get the emperor away from his new wife.
While the emperor was away fighting, the empress gave birth to her twin sons. Just as she had promised, the boys had stars on their foreheads. But the evil stepmother quickly took the babies. She hid them in the garden and put puppies in their place. When the emperor returned, he was very upset. He believed his wife had tricked him. So, he treated her very harshly to show what happens to those who deceive an emperor.
The Twins' Return
From the spot where the twins were hidden, two aspen trees began to grow. These trees grew incredibly fast, gaining years of growth in just a few hours! The stepmother wanted to cut them down, but the emperor said no. Finally, she convinced him, but only if beds were made from the wood. One bed was for him, and one was for her.
During the night, the beds started talking to each other! The stepmother was scared. She had two new beds made and burned the talking ones. As the beds burned, two bright sparks flew out. They landed in the river and turned into two golden fish.
Fishermen later caught these golden fish. They wanted to take them alive to the emperor. But the fish spoke to them! They asked the fishermen to let them swim in dew (morning moisture) instead. Then, they asked to be dried in the sun. When the fishermen did this, the fish turned back into babies. These babies grew into young boys very quickly, maturing in just a few days.
The Truth Revealed
The two boys wore special lambskin caps. These caps covered their hair and the stars on their foreheads. They went to their father's castle and managed to get inside. Even though they refused to take off their caps at first, the emperor listened to their amazing story. Only then did they remove their caps, revealing the stars.
The emperor realized the truth. He punished his stepmother for her evil deeds and brought his wife back.
Different Versions of the Tale
The story of "The Boys with the Golden Stars" is very popular in Eastern Europe. You can find versions of it in countries like Romania, Belarus, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Poland, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.
- One Romanian version, collected in the Wallachia region, has a bad maid who harms the children. However, in this story, the father sends the maid away instead of executing her.
- Another Romanian story, called Sirte-Margarita, was published way back in 1854.
- In a different Romanian version, A két aranyhajú gyermek ("The Two Children With Golden Hair"), the youngest sister promises the king a beautiful boy and girl. Her jealous sisters work with a gypsy servant. They hide the children in the garden. When the twins are reborn as trees, they cleverly twist their branches. They make shade for the king but hit their aunts when they pass by! After they go through another change, the Sun is amazed by their beauty. The Sun gives them clothes and a flute for the boy.
Hungarian Tales
In Hungary, stories like this are often called "The Golden-Haired Twins" (in Hungarian: Az aranyhajú ikrek).
- In a Hungarian tale called A mosolygó alma ("The Smiling Apple"), a king's helper goes to pick special apples. He meets an old man with three daughters. The third daughter wishes to marry the king and have two golden-haired children. One child would have a "comet star" and the other a sun on their forehead. The rest of this story is very similar to "The Boys with the Golden Star."
- Another Hungarian version is called Die zwei goldhaarigen Kinder ("The Two Children with Golden Hair").
The Story on TV!
A Hungarian version of this fairy tale was made into an episode of a Hungarian television series. The show is called Magyar népmesék ("Hungarian Folk Tales"). The episode featuring this story is titled A két aranyhajú fiú ("The Two Sons With Golden Hair").
