The Merchant (fairy tale) facts for kids

The Merchant is an exciting Italian fairy tale from the 1600s. It was written by Giambattista Basile and appeared in his famous book, the Pentamerone, published in 1634. This story follows the adventures of a brave young man named Cienzo.

The Start of Cienzo's Journey

Cienzo, the son of a wealthy merchant, was playing with the King of Naples' son. During their game, Cienzo accidentally hurt the prince's head. His father became very worried about what might happen. To protect Cienzo, his father sent him away from home. He gave Cienzo some money, a magical horse, and a special dog to help him on his travels.

A Mysterious Tower and Hidden Treasure

As evening came, Cienzo found a tall tower next to an old, ruined house. The tower's owner was afraid of thieves and would not let Cienzo inside. So, Cienzo decided to stay in the ruined house instead.

That night, Cienzo discovered the house was visited by three ghosts. They were very sad because they had lost their treasure. Cienzo felt sad with them. The next morning, the ghosts gave Cienzo their treasure and told him to guard it carefully. Cienzo couldn't find a way to reach the treasure, so he called for help. The house owner came with a ladder, and they found the treasure. Cienzo, being honest, refused to take any of it and continued his journey.

Helping a Fairy

Later, Cienzo crossed a river and saw a fairy being attacked by thieves. He quickly helped her and saved her from danger. The fairy offered to reward him at her palace, but Cienzo politely declined. He preferred to continue his adventures without seeking payment.

Cienzo and the Dragon

Cienzo arrived in a town where a terrible seven-headed dragon caused great fear. Every day, the dragon would eat a young woman from the town. Now, it was the princess, Menechella's, turn to be sacrificed to the beast.

The Brave Fight

Cienzo bravely decided to fight the dragon. He discovered that whenever he cut off one of the dragon's heads, it would grow back! But Cienzo was clever. With one powerful blow, he managed to cut off all seven heads at once. To make sure they couldn't grow back, he cut out their tongues. Then, he threw the heads far away across the countryside, so they could not reattach.

The True Hero Revealed

The king announced that whoever had killed the fearsome dragon would marry his daughter, Princess Menechella. A countryman gathered all the dragon heads and falsely claimed he was the hero. He tried to trick the king and marry the princess.

Proof of Bravery

Cienzo knew the truth. He wrote a letter to the princess and sent his loyal dog to deliver it. The king, curious, had the dog followed back to Cienzo. Cienzo then revealed the truth: the dragon heads the countryman had brought were missing their tongues. Cienzo showed the king the tongues he had taken, proving he was the real hero.

The king was very pleased and married his daughter to Cienzo. He also sent for Cienzo's father, so they could all be reunited and celebrate.