The Three Crowns facts for kids

The Three Crowns is an Italian fairy tale. It was written by Giambattista Basile and published in his book Pentamerone in 1634. This story is about a princess who faces many challenges and disguises herself to find her true path.

The Princess and the Ogress

Once upon a time, a king who had no children heard a mysterious voice. The voice asked him if he would rather have a daughter who would run away or a son who would cause trouble for him. After talking to his wise advisors, the king decided that a daughter would be less harmful. He told the voice he wanted a daughter.

Soon, a daughter was born, and the king named her Marchetta. He tried to keep her safe in a castle. But when Marchetta turned fifteen, her father arranged for her to marry. As she was leaving to meet her husband, a strong whirlwind suddenly carried her away.

The wind dropped Marchetta at the house of an ogress in a magical forest. An old woman living there warned Marchetta about the ogress. She said the ogress hadn't eaten her only because she needed a servant. The old woman gave Marchetta keys and told her to clean the house perfectly. This was Marchetta's only chance to survive.

Life with the Ogress

Marchetta worked hard and cleaned the house perfectly. When the ogress returned, the old woman hid Marchetta and took credit for the cleaning. The next time the ogress left, the old woman fed Marchetta. She also told Marchetta to prepare a very nice dinner to impress the ogress. The old woman warned Marchetta that the ogress could not be trusted if she swore by the "seven heavens." Only an oath sworn by her "three crowns" was true.

The ogress loved the dinner and made many promises to Marchetta. But Marchetta only came out when the ogress swore by her three crowns. The ogress admitted that Marchetta had outsmarted her. She said Marchetta could live in the castle as if it were her own. The ogress gave Marchetta all the keys but warned her not to open one specific door.

One day, Marchetta's curiosity got the best of her, and she opened the forbidden door. Inside, she found three women dressed in gold, sitting on thrones and sleeping. These were the ogress's daughters. The ogress kept them hidden because they would be in danger if not woken by a king's daughter. Marchetta woke them up and fed each of them an egg.

When the ogress returned, she was very angry and slapped Marchetta. The ogress then tried to make up with Marchetta, but Marchetta insisted on leaving. The ogress gave her a suit of men's clothes and a magic ring. Marchetta was told to wear the ring with the stone turned inward. If she was ever in great danger and heard the ogress's name like an echo, she should look at the stone, but not before then.

Marchetta's Disguise and Return

Marchetta dressed in the men's clothes and went to a king's palace. She pretended to be a merchant's son who had been driven away by his mean stepmother. She then became a page, a young servant, for the king.

The queen, believing Marchetta was a man, wanted Marchetta to be her boyfriend. Marchetta did not want to reveal she was a woman. She told the queen that she could not believe the queen would try to be unfaithful to the king.

The queen then lied to the king, saying that the page had tried to make her cheat on him. The king immediately ordered Marchetta to be put to death. Marchetta was very sad about her fate and wondered who would help her. An echo answered, "The ogress!" Marchetta remembered the magic ring and looked at the stone.

A voice then announced that she was a woman, which shocked her guards. The king demanded to know her true story, and Marchetta told him everything. The king had his wife thrown into the sea. He then invited Marchetta's parents to his court and married Marchetta.

Other Versions of the Story

The idea of a woman dressing as a man is also found in other old stories. For example, Giovanni Francesco Straparola wrote a similar story called Costanza / Costanzo. Later, a French version called Belle-Belle ou Le Chevalier Fortuné was written by Madame d'Aulnoy.

This theme also appears in folk fairy tales like Vasilisa The Priest’s Daughter and The Lute Player.