The Three Sisters (fairy tale) facts for kids
The Three Sisters is an old Italian fairy tale written by Giambattista Basile. It was first published in his famous collection of stories called Pentamerone in 1634. This book is one of the earliest and most important collections of European fairy tales.
Contents
What is The Three Sisters About?
This fairy tale tells the story of three sisters and their very different luck. It shows how kindness and cleverness can win, even against jealousy.
Nella's Secret Marriage
Once, there was a woman who had three daughters. The two older daughters always seemed to have bad luck. But the youngest daughter, named Nella, was very fortunate and lucky. A prince fell in love with Nella and decided to marry her.
To keep Nella safe from his wicked mother, the prince hid her away. He would visit her in secret. Nella had a special way to call him: she would throw a magical powder into a fire. When she did this, a crystal road would appear, and the prince would travel on it to reach her.
A Dangerous Trick
Nella's older sisters soon found out about her secret and the magical crystal road. They were very jealous of Nella's good fortune. In their envy, they decided to break the crystal road. When the prince tried to come to Nella, the broken road caused him to fall and get badly hurt.
The prince became very ill and was close to dying. His father, the king, was desperate. He announced that whoever could cure his son would either marry him (if they were a woman) or receive half of the kingdom (if they were a man).
Nella's Brave Quest
Nella heard about the prince's terrible illness and the king's promise. She knew she had to help him. She set out on a journey to find a cure. One day, she hid in a tree and listened to an ogre talking to his wife. The ogre explained that the only way to cure the prince was with the special fat from their own bodies.
Nella bravely climbed down from the tree. She pretended to be a poor beggar at the ogre's door. The ogre, who was very greedy, thought Nella looked plump and wanted to eat her. He convinced his wife to let Nella stay with them.
The Cure and the Truth
When the ogre and his wife were asleep, Nella acted quickly. She managed to get the special fat from them. She then took the fat to the king and used it to cure the prince. The prince quickly got better!
However, the prince said he couldn't marry Nella because he was already married. Nella then asked him if he wanted to be married to the person who was truly responsible for his injury. The prince, still not recognizing her, blamed Nella's sisters for breaking the road. At that moment, Nella revealed herself as his true wife. The prince was overjoyed to see her. As for the jealous sisters, they faced a harsh punishment for their wicked actions.
Images for kids
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Illustration by Alexander Zick
