The Snake Prince facts for kids
The Snake Prince is a fascinating Indian fairy tale that comes from the Punjab region. It was first written down by Major Campbell in a place called Firozpur. Later, a famous collector of fairy tales, Andrew Lang, included this story in his book The Olive Fairy Book in 1907. It's a magical story about a prince who can change his shape!
The Story of the Snake Prince
Once upon a time, there was a very poor woman who had almost nothing to eat. One day, she went to the river to bathe. When she was done, she found a snake inside her pot! She took the snake home with her.
When she opened the pot, she was amazed to find a beautiful, sparkling necklace instead of the snake. She decided to sell this valuable necklace to the king. The king was very happy with the necklace and put it safely in a special chest.
A little while later, the king wanted to show the necklace to his queen. But when he opened the chest, he didn't find the necklace. Instead, there was a tiny baby boy inside! The king and queen were overjoyed. They decided to raise the baby as their own son, and the poor woman became his nurse. She sometimes hinted at the strange way the boy had arrived.
The Prince's Secret
As the prince grew up, he became a handsome young man. His father, the king, arranged for him to marry the daughter of a nearby king. When the princess arrived for the wedding, her mother had given her a special warning. She told her to ask the prince about any magic or secrets he might have.
The princess was brave and decided to follow her mother's advice. She refused to speak to the prince until he told her his secret. Finally, the prince shared his amazing story. He explained that he was actually a prince from a faraway land who had been turned into a snake by a powerful spell. As he finished telling his tale, he suddenly changed back into a snake!
Winning Back Her Husband
The princess was very sad and worried when her husband vanished and became a snake again. She mourned for him in the place where he had disappeared. After a while, the snake came back to her. He told her exactly what she needed to do to break the spell.
He explained that she should place bowls of milk and sugar in the four corners of their room. This would attract many snakes, and they would be led by the Queen of the Snakes. The prince told her that if she was brave enough to stand in the Queen's way, she could ask for her husband back. But if she got scared and didn't do it, she would never have him back.
The princess was determined. She did exactly as the snake prince told her. She was very brave and faced the Queen of the Snakes. Because of her courage, she was able to win her husband back, and he returned to his human form forever.
