The Three Enchanted Princes facts for kids

The Three Enchanted Princes is a classic fairy tale written by Giambattista Basile in 1634. It's also known as The Three Animal Kings. This story is about princesses who marry princes who have been turned into animals. Later, their younger brother helps to break the spell and defeat a dragon. It's a popular tale found in many different cultures around the world.

Story Summary

Once upon a time, there was a king who lived in a place called Green Bank. He had three very beautiful daughters. Nearby, in Fair Meadows, lived another king with three sons. But these sons had been magically turned into animals: one was a falcon, one a stag, and one a dolphin.

The animal princes fell in love with the three daughters. However, the king of Green Bank did not want his daughters to marry animals. So, the three animal princes gathered all the animals of their kind and started a war. The king of Green Bank finally agreed to the marriages. After the wedding, the queen gave each of her daughters a special ring so they could always recognize each other.

Later, the queen gave birth to a son named Tittone. One day, she felt sad because she didn't know what had happened to her daughters. Young Tittone decided to go find them.

He first found his oldest sister, who was married to the falcon. She hid him and convinced her husband to let Tittone visit. After a while, when Tittone left, the falcon gave him a magical feather. Next, Tittone found his second sister, married to the stag. The stag welcomed him, and when Tittone left, he gave him some of his hair. Finally, Tittone found his third sister, whose husband was the dolphin. The dolphin also welcomed him and gave him some scales when he departed.

On his way back home, Tittone saw a maiden trapped in a tall tower. A huge dragon was sleeping nearby, and a lake surrounded the tower. The maiden begged Tittone to save her. Tittone then used the magical gifts from his brothers-in-law: he threw down the feather, the hair, and the scales. Instantly, his three animal brothers-in-law appeared!

The falcon called for griffins to carry the maiden to safety. When the dragon woke up, the stag summoned lions, bears, and other wild animals to tear the dragon to pieces. The dolphin made huge waves engulf the tower, destroying it completely. This amazing rescue broke the spell on the three princes, turning them back into their human forms. They returned with their wives to their own parents, and Tittone went back to his parents with the maiden he had saved, who became his bride.

Story Changes and Origins

Over time, this fairy tale has been told in many different ways. Sometimes, the girls' father is the one who gives them away to the animals. In other versions, the brother is born at the same time as his sisters, and he is the one who arranges their marriages to the animals.

The animal husbands also change. Usually, there are three: one from the land, one from the air, and one from the water. For example, in some stories, they are a bear, a falcon, and a giant fish. In the famous Russian tale Marya Morevna, the husbands are a falcon, an eagle, and a raven. In a Czech fairy tale movie, The Prince and the Evening Star, the prince's sisters marry the Sun, the Moon, and the Wind, who are all powerful kings.

Some experts believe that the eagle, falcon, and raven in Slavic versions of the story are linked to weather, like storms, rain, and wind.

The story might have come from an older tale where animals help the hero, but over time, these helpful animals became the hero's brothers-in-law.

Different Versions Around the World

This tale is very popular across Europe and even in other parts of the world.

Europe

Italy

Besides Basile's original story, many other versions have been collected in Italy. For example, in one version, the sisters marry the "Great Wind," the sirocco (a type of wind), and the sun. In another, they marry the king of ravens, the king of wild animals, and the king of birds.

Russia

The most famous Russian version is Marya Morevna. In this story, a prince named Ivan Tsarevich marries his sisters to powerful beings like the wind, the hail, and the thunder. In one variant, Ivan Tsarevich finds his sisters captured by three whirlwinds, who later turn into a raven, an eagle, and a falcon.

Germany

The Brothers Grimm collected a version called The Three Sisters where the maidens are given to a bear, an eagle, and a fish because their father lost a bet. This version was later removed from their famous collection. Other German versions feature sisters named after the animals they marry, like "Bärenheid" (Bear-Heid), "Adelheid" (Eagle-Heid), and "Wallfild" (Whale-Fild).

Czech Republic

In a Czech tale, a count loses all his money and has to marry his daughters to a bear, an eagle, and a fish. Years later, their brother visits them and gets magical items from the animals to help defeat a magician who cursed them. Another well-known Czech version, O Slunečníku, Měsíčníku a Větrníku, has the prince's sisters marrying the Sun, the Moon, and the Wind.

Hungary

In a Hungarian story, The Raven, The Bear, and the Fish's Brother-in-Law, the animal husbands are a raven, a bear, and a fish. In another, The Wind Devil, a dying king asks his sons to marry their sisters to the first people who pass by. The youngest prince marries his sisters to a beggar, a wolf, a serpent, and a gerbil.

Slovakia

A Slovak version, The Three Cursed Princes, tells of a king who gives his daughters to a bear, an eagle, and a fish. Years later, his son is born and decides to visit his sisters. He learns that his brothers-in-law are cursed princes and sets out to save their sister, who is trapped by the devil.

Serbia

In a Serbian story, Bash Tchelik, or Real Steel, the prince accidentally frees a powerful being who kidnaps his wife. He then visits his sisters, who are married to the king of dragons, the king of eagles, and the king of falcons. They help him get his wife back.

Greece

In a Greek version, the animal husbands are a lion, a tiger, and an eagle. Another variant from Crete features the king of tigers and lions, and the king of birds as the brothers-in-law.

Romania

In the Romanian tale Crincu, the Forest Hunter, the hero's brothers marry their sisters to an eagle, a kestrel, and a wolf. These animals are described as táltos, which means they have magical powers. They help Crincu fight a creature that kidnaps his bride.

America

United States

Some versions of the story have been found among Armenian communities in Detroit, where the sisters marry three dwarves. In another American version, the sisters marry a bear, a lion, and an eagle. A story from the Micmac people, The Magical Coat, Shoes, and Sword, features brothers-in-law who are a whale, a giant sheep, and a gray tame duck. They help the hero fight a magician.

Brazil

A Brazilian version, The Beast Slayer, features animal brothers-in-law called the King of Fishes, the King of Rams, and the King of Pigeons.

Africa

Cape Verde

In a Cape Verdean variant, The Three Brothers-in-Law: his life in the egg, the hero receives a feather, a scale, and a horn to call on animals for help.

West Africa

In a Hausa story, four daughters disappear and are later found married to a bull, a ram, a dog, and a hawk. Each animal gives the younger brother a piece of hair or a feather to call them for help.

Asia

Turkey

In a Turkish version, The Storm Fiend, an evil wind spirit takes away the hero's sisters. They later marry a lion, a tiger, and the "Padishah of the Peris" (a type of fairy), who is an emerald anka (a mythical bird).