The King Who Would Have a Beautiful Wife facts for kids

The King Who Wanted a Beautiful Wife is a classic Italian fairy tale. It was first collected by Laura Gonzenbach in her book Sicilianische Märchen. Later, Thomas Crane included it in his Italian Popular Tales. The famous storyteller Andrew Lang also featured it in The Pink Fairy Book.

A different version of this story, called The Three Crones, was collected by Italo Calvino from Venice. He included it in his well-known book Italian Folktales.

About the Story

This fairy tale tells the exciting and magical journey of a king. He is determined to find a wife who is not only kind but also very beautiful. The story explores themes of appearance, deception, and the power of magic.

The King's Search for a Queen

Once upon a time, there was a king who really wanted to find a beautiful wife. He looked everywhere himself, searching far and wide for the perfect person. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find the woman he dreamed of marrying.

So, the king decided to send his most trusted servant to help him. The servant traveled to many places, looking for a suitable queen.

A Surprising Discovery

One day, the servant passed a very small cottage. Inside, he saw two elderly sisters. One was eighty years old, and the other was ninety. What caught his eye were their hands. They were small, delicate, and very soft from spinning thread.

The servant thought that such beautiful hands must belong to a very beautiful young woman. He quickly returned to the king and told him about his discovery. The king was very curious and sent his servant back to try and see this mysterious woman.

The Queen's Magical Change

When the servant returned, one of the sisters told a fib. She claimed she was only fifteen years old, and her sister was twenty. The king, believing this, decided he would marry her. She then told the king that she had never seen sunlight and that touching her would make her skin turn dark. Because of this, she asked the king to send a covered carriage for her.

The king did as she asked. She traveled to the palace, hidden behind a thick veil. They were married right away. On their wedding night, the king finally saw his new wife without her veil. He was shocked to see an old woman. In his surprise, he sent her out of the window, where she accidentally caught on a hook.

At that moment, four fairies saw her hanging there. They decided to play a trick and used their magic. They gave her youth, beauty, great wisdom, and a kind heart. The next morning, the king saw her again. He thought he must have been mistaken before and quickly had her rescued.

The Sister's Unfortunate End

Soon after, the queen's sister came to visit her. She kept asking how the queen had become young and beautiful again. The queen, wanting to stop her sister's pestering, told her a made-up story. She said that she had her head cut off, or in some versions, that she had her skin removed. She claimed a new, young head or skin grew in its place.

The sister believed this strange tale. She immediately went to a barber, hoping to get the same treatment. Sadly, she did not have the same magical luck as her sister and died.