The Ram (fairy tale) facts for kids

The Ram (in French: Le Mouton) is a classic French fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy. It's a magical story about a princess and a special ram.

Other Names for the Story

This fairy tale has been known by a few different names in English. Sometimes it's called The Royal Ram. You might also find it as Miranda and the Royal Ram or The Royal Ram, or, The Wishes.

A famous collector of fairy tales, Andrew Lang, included this story in his book The Blue Fairy Book. He called it The Wonderful Sheep.

The Story of The Ram

A King and His Daughters

Once upon a time, a king had three daughters. The youngest princess was the most beautiful and everyone loved her very much.

When the king returned home after winning a war, his daughters welcomed him. He asked each of them why their dresses were a certain color. The older two said their dresses showed their happiness. But the youngest princess said her dress looked best on her, and she wore it to please him.

The king thought she was being a bit vain. Then he asked about their dreams. The older sisters dreamed he brought them gifts. The youngest dreamed he held a special water jug for her to wash her hands.

A Cruel Order

The king was very angry with his youngest daughter, especially because of her dream. He ordered his captain of the guards to take her into the woods, kill her, and bring back her heart and tongue.

The captain led the princess into the deep woods. Her loyal servants, a dog, and a monkey followed them. When the captain told the princess about the king's cruel order, her servants, the dog, and the monkey all offered to die in her place. They even argued about who should sacrifice themselves!

The monkey's heart and tongue were too small to trick the king. The servant's tongue was the wrong color. Finally, the captain sadly killed the dog. He took its heart and tongue to show the king. The princess buried her loyal friends and continued her journey alone.

The Magical Ram's Home

As the princess walked, she heard the sound of sheep. She hoped to find a safe place. Instead, she found a magnificent ram, covered in sparkling jewels, holding court like a king! The ram welcomed her kindly.

The ram's home was grand but also a bit scary. It seemed to be filled with other sheep and even ghosts. The ram explained that he was actually a prince. An old, ugly fairy had captured him and tried to make him love her. But he had shown interest in a beautiful slave the fairy brought.

Because of this, the fairy had killed the slave and turned the prince into a sheep. The other sheep and ghosts in the castle were also victims of this same fairy. They had chosen the prince, now a ram, as their king. The princess missed her lost servants, so the ram sent someone to bring their spirits to the castle. They lived there with her.

Return to the Kingdom

The princess stayed with the ram for a long time. Then she heard that her oldest sister was getting married. She decided to attend the wedding. She dressed in beautiful clothes and left a box of treasures for the bride. As soon as the ceremony ended, she quickly returned to the ram. No one recognized her because she was so richly dressed. The king wondered who the mysterious guest was.

Later, she heard her second sister was also getting married. The ram was very upset, saying he would die if she left him. The princess promised she would only stay for a short time, just like before. But this time, the king had all the doors shut to keep her from leaving. He even brought her a water jug, just like in her dream, for her to wash her hands.

The princess finally told her father the truth about who she was. Everyone rejoiced! But she became so happy that she lost track of time. The ram, worried and sad, came to the town to see her. He was not allowed to enter and died of grief. When the princess saw him dead, her heart broke.