The Pigeon and the Dove facts for kids

"The Pigeon and the Dove" (called Le Pigeon et la Colombe in French) is a classic French fairy tale. It was written by Marie Catherine d'Aulnoy. She published it in her book New Tales, or Fairies in Fashion in 1698.

The Story of Constancia

A Princess in Hiding

Long ago, a king and queen had many children. Sadly, all but one daughter, Princess Constancia, passed away. After the king died, the queen was very sad. She knew she would not live much longer. She asked a powerful fairy to look after Constancia. The fairy agreed but warned that the princess would face many challenges.

The queen soon passed away. The fairy learned that a giant threatened Constancia. If the princess could stay safe until she was sixteen, she would be free from danger. But if she saw the giant before then, her life would be very difficult. To protect Constancia, the fairy took her to a peaceful land called Arcadia. There, Constancia grew up as a simple shepherdess.

Ruson the Sheep

Constancia had a special sheep named Ruson. She loved Ruson very much. Ruson could understand her commands. One day, a wolf tried to carry Ruson away. Constancia chased after them. This chase led her right to the giant. The giant instantly fell in love with her. He grabbed Constancia, Ruson, the wolf, and other creatures. He put them all into his large bag.

The creatures made so much noise that the giant hung his bag on a tree. He wanted some quiet. Constancia quickly cut the bag open. She and all the animals, except the wolf, escaped. She found herself lost in a dark forest. The animals helped her find her way. Eventually, she reached a river, alone with Ruson.

Meeting Prince Constancio

A young prince named Constancio found her by the river. Constancia asked him for a job as a shepherdess. Prince Constancio's mother, the queen, was not happy with her old shepherdess. So, Constancio got the job for Constancia.

Prince Constancio soon fell in love with Constancia. But he was worried because she was a shepherdess, and he was a prince. He heard her singing about love but she would not tell him who she sang about. This made him feel jealous. He asked his servant, Mirtain, to watch her. Mirtain told him Constancia was not in love with any shepherd, but the prince did not believe him.

Challenges and Dangers

Prince Constancio became very ill. Mirtain begged Constancia to come to the castle and help him. She did not want to go. But Mirtain told the queen, who ordered Constancia to come. The queen even threatened to harm her if the prince died. Constancia went and told the prince she was not a great healer, but he still recovered.

Constancia then became a gardener at the castle. The king had a dream that Constancia would marry their son. He ordered her to go back to being a shepherdess. This annoyed the queen. Instead, the queen decided to find out how her son felt about Constancia. She learned they were in love. The queen then ordered Constancio to visit her brother. They had planned for him to marry a princess there. Constancio said he should not let his feelings get in the way of a royal marriage. The queen ordered him to go, or she would harm Constancia.

The Queen's Tricks

Constancio found Constancia and told her he would go. He planned to try and convince his uncle and the princess that he was not a good match. He left. His mother secretly read his letters. She found out he was trusting Mirtain. The queen immediately put Mirtain in prison with a false accusation.

One day, Constancia found the garden full of dangerous creatures. A special ring the prince had given her protected her. When the ring's magic faded, the queen sent Constancia on a dangerous task. She had to get a magical belt from a fairy. The fairy's home was hard to reach because of giant elephants in the forest. But Constancia had heard that elephants become gentle when they see a lamb. She also knew the belt would burn up when she left, so she should tie it to trees.

Constancia set out with Ruson. The elephants were gentle. The fairy gave her the belt. When Constancia left, she tied it around a tree. The belt burned up the tree instead of her. She brought it to the queen. The queen asked why she had not put it on. Constancia said it was not right for her. The queen insisted, but the belt had already used up its magic. The queen then sold Constancia as a slave to a merchant who was about to sail away.

A Prince's Search and Transformation

Constancio had been very rude to the princess he was supposed to marry. When he heard that Constancia was ill, he rushed back. When he arrived, he was told she had died. He became very sick. He told his mother that Constancia was actually of royal birth. The queen then told him the truth to save his life. Mirtain, now free, confirmed it was true.

Constancio set out to find Constancia. He asked some giants for help, but they did not answer. Then, Cupid, the god of love, appeared. Cupid told him he must help. Cupid said if Constancio threw himself into a fire, he could reach Constancia. But if his love was not true, he would die. Constancio bravely jumped into the fire.

He found himself in a beautiful garden. He had been changed into a pigeon! He remembered another fairy tale called "The Blue Bird." He heard that Constancia was held prisoner in a tall tower. He was captured and brought to the fairy who had first looked after Constancia. She told him that the ship had taken Constancia into the giant's power. The fairy gave him a ring that would turn Constancia into a dove. He took the ring to Constancia. They flew off together. The giant was so sad that he drowned himself. The fairy and Cupid gave the couple a secret home where they could live happily ever after.