The Sprig of Rosemary facts for kids

The Sprig of Rosemary is a magical fairy tale from Spain. It was first written down by Dr. D. Francisco de S. Maspons y Labros in his book Cuentos Populars Catalans. Later, a famous writer named Andrew Lang included it in his popular collection, The Pink Fairy Book. This story is known as an Aarne-Thompson type 425A tale. This means it belongs to a group of stories where a character searches for a lost husband or wife.

What is This Story About?

This fairy tale tells the story of a young girl. Her father made her work very hard every day. One day, after finishing her chores, her father sent her to gather firewood. She went into the forest to find the wood.

The Girl's Journey Begins

While searching for wood, the girl also picked a small branch of rosemary. Suddenly, a handsome young man appeared. He asked her why she was stealing his firewood. She explained that her father had sent her. The young man then led her to a grand castle. He told her he was a powerful lord and wanted to marry her. The girl agreed, and they were married.

A Castle and a Secret

While living in the castle, the girl met an old woman. This woman looked after the castle. She gave the girl a set of keys. However, the old woman warned her not to use one specific key. She said if that key was used, the entire castle would fall apart.

After some time, the girl became very curious. She couldn't resist using the forbidden key. She opened a door and found a snakeskin inside. Her husband was a magician. He used this snakeskin to change his shape. Because she had used the forbidden key, the castle immediately fell into pieces.

The Search for Her Husband

The girl was very sad and cried. She broke off a sprig of rosemary from a plant nearby. Then, she began a long journey to find her lost husband. She eventually found a small house made of straw. The people living there took her in and gave her work.

However, the girl grew sadder each day. Her mistress noticed this and asked why she was so unhappy. The girl told her the whole story. Her mistress then advised her to seek help from the Sun, the Moon, and the Wind.

Clever Trades and a Happy Ending

First, the girl went to the Sun. The Sun could not help her directly. But the Sun gave her a nut and sent her to the Moon. The Moon also could not help her. However, the Moon gave her an almond and sent her to the Wind.

The Wind did not know where her husband was at first. But he promised to look for him. The Wind soon learned that her husband was hidden in a king's palace. He was going to marry the king's daughter the very next day!

The girl begged the Wind to delay the wedding if he could. The Wind gave her a walnut. Then, he blew strongly on the tailors who were sewing for the wedding. The Wind destroyed all their work, delaying the wedding.

The girl arrived at the palace. She cracked open the nut and found a beautiful mantle (a type of cloak). She sold it to the princess for a lot of gold. Next, she cracked the almond. Inside were lovely petticoats, which she also sold to the princess. Finally, she cracked the walnut. This time, she found a gorgeous gown. For this gown, she demanded to see the bridegroom.

The princess finally agreed. When the girl went in, she touched her husband with the sprig of rosemary. This brought back all his memories. They then returned to their home together, happy once more.

Where Else Can You Find This Story?

The story of The Sprig of Rosemary also appears in Hadaway's book, Fairy Tales.