The Enchanted Snake facts for kids

The Enchanted Snake is a classic Italian fairy tale. It's also known simply as The Snake. This magical story was first written down by Giambattista Basile in his famous book, Pentamerone. Later, Andrew Lang shared a version of it in his popular collection, The Green Fairy Book.

This tale is about a brave princess who goes on an amazing journey. She searches for her lost husband, who is under a powerful spell. It's a story filled with magic, challenges, and true love.

The Enchanted Snake Story

A Strange Adoption

Once, there was a poor woman who really wanted to have a child. One day, she was walking in the forest and saw a small snake. She sighed, thinking how even snakes had little ones. To her surprise, the little snake spoke! It offered to be her child.

The woman and her husband were kind. They took the snake home and raised it with love. As the snake grew bigger, it had a special wish. It wanted to marry, not another snake, but the king's own daughter!

The King's Challenges

The snake's father bravely went to the king to ask for his daughter's hand. The king was surprised but said yes, but only if the snake could do some impossible tasks. First, the king demanded that all the fruit in his orchard turn into gold.

The snake told his father to collect every fruit pit he could find. He told him to plant them in the orchard. When the pits grew, every single fruit on the trees was made of pure gold!

Next, the king demanded that the walls and paths of his palace turn into sparkling precious stones. The snake told his father to gather broken pottery pieces. He then told him to throw them at the walls and paths. Instantly, they changed, glittering with many colorful gems.

Finally, the king wanted his entire castle to turn to gold. The snake instructed his father to rub the castle walls with a special herb. As he did, the castle instantly transformed into shining gold.

A Royal Wedding

The king told his daughter, Princess Grannonia, that he had tried to stop this suitor, but he couldn't. Grannonia was a good daughter and said she would obey her father.

The snake arrived for the wedding in a magnificent car made of gold. It was pulled by strong elephants. Everyone else ran away in fear, but Princess Grannonia stood her ground bravely. The snake led her into a private room. There, it shed its snake skin and became a handsome young man!

The Prince's Escape

The king was worried about his daughter. He feared the snake might harm her. He peeked through the keyhole and saw the amazing transformation. Without thinking, he grabbed the snake skin and quickly burned it.

The young man cried out that the king was foolish! He instantly turned into a white dove and flew away through the window. Princess Grannonia was heartbroken.

Grannonia's Quest

Grannonia knew she had to find her lost husband. She bravely set out on a long journey to search for him. Along the way, she met a clever fox. The fox decided to travel with her.

One morning, the princess admired the beautiful bird songs. The fox told her the songs would be even better if she knew what the birds were saying. The birds were talking about a prince who had been cursed to live as a snake for seven years. They said he had fallen in love and married a princess near the end of his curse. But his snake skin had been burned, and he had hit his head while escaping. Now, he was being cared for by doctors.

A Clever Cure

The fox then told Grannonia that the blood of these birds would cure the prince. He helped her catch them. Then, the fox said his own blood was also needed for the cure. Grannonia was sad, but she persuaded him to come with her. She then had to kill the fox to get his blood.

Grannonia finally reached the home of her husband's father, the prince's father. She promised to cure the prince if he would marry her. The king agreed, and Grannonia used the special blood to heal the prince.

Happy Ever After

The prince was cured, but he refused to marry Grannonia. He said he had already promised himself to another woman. Princess Grannonia was secretly pleased. She then revealed that she was that very woman, his wife! The prince was overjoyed. They were finally reunited and lived happily ever after.