“First Night, First Fable.” The Nights of Straparola, Straparola, Giovanni Francesco, translated by Waters, W.G. (William George), London: Lawrence and Bullen, 1894, pp. 11-20.
Tale Summary
A wealthy Genoese by the name of Rainaldo Scaglia dies after leaving his beloved son Salardo all of his possessions, begging him to abide by 3 precepts: Never trust his wife with an important secret, nor adopt another man’s son, nor live in a state with unchecked powers. He marries a woman of noble birth, Theodora, and ignores the given advice to adopt a son, Postumius, before moving to Montferrat and gaining the favor of the prince. Salardo decides to lastly divulge a secret to his wife, and so pretend to kill the prince’s favorite falcon (switching it for another) and asks her to keep the knowledge of it to herself, and to cook the bird. Although she agrees, he strikes her on the face when she will not feast on it with him, and repays him by alerting the prince of his secret. Salardo is to be hanged, with a third of his possessions going to Theodora, a third to Postumius, and a third to the hangman. Postumius takes the position of hangman in order to secure the rest of the fortune, and Salardo is led to his execution after giving approval to his wicked son. Meanwhile, his friend Francesco succeeds in persuading the prince to listen to Salardo’s story. He is called forth, and upon learning his falcon is still alive and seeing the filial love shown by Salardo, he begs for his forgiveness for the mistake he made. Postumius is condemned to keep the rope he would have hanged Salardo with in place of his fortune (neither forgiven nor sentenced to death as is suggested by the prince), and Theodora flees to a convent and dies. Salardo gives away a large amount of his wealth and lives happily in Genoa.
Fairy Tale Title
First Night, First Fable
Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)
Giovanni Francesco Straparola
Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)
None listed
Common Tale Type
Tale Classification
Page Range of Tale
pp. 11-20
Full Citation of Tale
“First Night, First Fable.” The Nights of Straparola, Straparola, Giovanni Francesco, translated by Waters, W.G. (William George), London: Lawrence and Bullen, 1894, pp. 11-20.
Original Source of the Tale
Giovanni Francesco Straparola
Tale Notes
The frame tale has Lauretta narrating the story, announcing first that she wished a more well-spoken lady had been chosen, although the audience is moved to tears by her story. She begins with stressing the import of a child loving their father. After finishing the tale, she gives her enigma:
“In a prison pent forlorn,
A tiny son to me was born.
Ah, cruel fate! The savage elf,
Scarce bigger than a mite himself,
Devoured me in his ravenous lust,
And changed me into sordid dust.
A mother fond I was of late,
Now worse e’en than a slave’s my fate.”
Lauretta’s explanation of the riddle is that it concerns the fate of a bean consumed by a small worm.
Research and Curation
Kaeli Waggener, 2022
Book Title
The Nights of Straparola
Book Author/Editor(s)
Giovanni Francesco Straparola
Illustrator(s)
Edward Robert Hughes
Publisher
Lawrence and Bullen
Date Published
1894
Decade Published
1890-1899
Publisher City
London
Publisher Country
United Kingdom
Language
English
Rights
Public Domain
Digital Copy
Book Notes
This book is a collection of stories that are structured under a ‘frame tale,’ or overarching narrative. After the departure of Milan’s ruler amongst unrest, a party is held on the Island of Murano, with his daughter and her 10 court ladies taking turns to tell stories over the course of 13 nights. Each night 5 ladies will sing before narrating a tale on an agreed-upon theme, offering a pastime and a way to stimulate the wit.
Notes on narrators
Lodovica; admired for her beautiful eyes
Vicenza; possessing beauty and good manners
Lionora; kindly and courteous despite her haughty appearance
Alteria; devoted in service
Lauretta; disdainful and seductive
Eritrea; petite and beautiful
Cateruzza (surnamed Brunetta); graceful, loving, alluring
Arianna; young but grave, virtuous, and well-spoken
Isabella; highly gifted and witty
Fiordiana; Intelligent and willing