The Goat-Faced Girl facts for kids

The Goat-faced Girl is a classic fairy tale from Italy. It's a story about a young woman who learns an important lesson about gratitude. The famous Italian writer Giambattista Basile included a version of this tale in his collection called Pentamerone between 1634 and 1636. Later, Andrew Lang also shared a version in his book, The Grey Fairy Book, published in 1900. Even the well-known Brothers Grimm noticed how similar this story was to their own tale, Mary's Child.

The Story of the Goat-faced Girl

This magical tale begins with a very poor farmer. He had twelve daughters, born one year after another. It was very hard for him to feed such a large family.

Renzolla's New Home

One day, a huge lizard appeared and made an unusual offer. The lizard said it would take the farmer's youngest daughter, Renzolla, and raise her. The lizard warned that refusing the offer would bring trouble. The farmer's wife convinced him that the lizard might mean well. So, the farmer brought Renzolla to the lizard.

The lizard then gave the farmer great riches. This wealth helped him arrange marriages for his other eleven daughters. Meanwhile, Renzolla grew up living in a grand palace with the lizard.

A Royal Visit and a Wedding

One day, a king was passing by and knocked on the palace door. The lizard, using its magic, instantly changed into a beautiful woman. She welcomed the king inside. The king soon met Renzolla and quickly fell in love with her.

The lizard agreed to their marriage. It even gave Renzolla a very large gift of money and goods for her wedding. However, Renzolla was so excited that she left without thanking the lizard for everything it had done.

The Goat's Head and a Hard Lesson

The lizard was very angry that Renzolla had been so ungrateful. In its anger, the lizard used its magic again. It turned Renzolla's beautiful head into a goat's head!

The king was horrified by this change. He put Renzolla to work with a maid, asking them to prepare flax for spinning. The maid worked hard, but Renzolla, still upset, threw her flax out the window. When she saw the maid's finished work, Renzolla realized her mistake. She quickly asked the lizard for help. The lizard, despite its anger, gave her perfectly spun flax.

Next, the king gave both Renzolla and the maid puppies to raise. The maid cared for her puppy very well. But Renzolla, still not fully understanding, threw her puppy out the window, and it died.

Asking for Forgiveness

When the king sent someone to check on the puppies, Renzolla rushed to find the lizard. On her way, she met an old man. He showed her a reflection in a mirror, revealing what had happened to her. He told her she must apologize to the lizard.

Renzolla listened to the old man's advice. She went to the lizard and sincerely begged for its forgiveness. Seeing her true regret, the lizard used its magic one last time. It changed Renzolla's head back to normal!

A Happy Ending

The king was thrilled to see Renzolla's beautiful face again. He fell in love with her all over again, and they finally had their wedding. They lived happily ever after, and Renzolla never forgot the importance of gratitude.