Stories from the Pentamerone

“The Serpent." Stories from the Pentamerone, by Giambattista Basile; selected and edited by E.F. Strange, London: Macmillan; 1911, pp. 110-121.

Anonymous — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 23:58:43 +0000

“The Serpent." Stories from the Pentamerone, by Giambattista Basile; selected and edited by E.F. Strange, London: Macmillan; 1911, pp. 110-121. Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 03/08/2023 - 16:58

Giambattista Basile

Tale Summary

Once upon a time, there was a poor gardener’s wife named Sapatella who longed for a son. When her husband, named Cola Matteo, one day brought home a bundle of sticks and they found a little snake inside, she despaired that even snakes had children, but not her. The snake spoke, telling her to take him as her child, and she did. When he grew older, he wanted to marry the princess, and told his father to go to the King to ask for her hand. Cola Matteo did this, delivered his message and said:

“The messenger should not be beaten more

Than are the sands upon the shore!”

The King laughed, and promised his permission if the snake could turn all the fruit in his orchard into gold. The serpent, upon hearing this, told his father to gather all of the fruit stones he could find and plant them overnight in the orchard. He did this, and immediately they sprung up into golden fruit trees. The King, pleased, said that the snake must also make the ground and walls of the orchard into precious stones. Cola Matteo collected as much broken crockery as he could find, under the orders of the snake, and threw them into the orchard, where they magically completed the task. The King, again pleased, said that the serpent must turn the castle into gold, and so the snake instructed his father to gather herbs and rub them on the base of the palace. The castle turned into gold, and the king was forced to give up Grannonia, his daughter. When the serpent arrived, everyone except the princess ran and hid out of fear. He took her in his arms, kissed her, and brought her into a room where he shed his snake skin to reveal a handsome youth. The King saw this through the keyhole, and broke in to burn the skin in the fire. The young man then turned into a dove, cutting himself on the window glass as he made an escape. Distraught, the princess snuck out that night to search for him when she came across a fox who offered his company. They slept together in the forest, and when they woke, listened to birdsong. The fox told Grannonia they were talking about what had happened to the King’s son who had been cursed by an ogress to spend seven years as a serpent until he fell in love with a King’s daughter, but also spoke of his head-wound, which was severe. The fox told the girl the only cure was to anoint it with the blood of these birds, and so they waited together for nightfall and the fox then killed them all and put the blood in a bottle. He then told Grannonia the blood was useless unless mixed with his own, and made to run away, but Grannonia lured him back with flattery. She then beat him with a stick and took his blood. When she reached the King of that land, he agreed to give her his son as a husband if he succeeded in curing her. After the blood anointment, the prince was fully healed, and his father said that he had promised him to the maiden who had cured him. The serpent refused, saying that he was already in love, and would never break his devotion to the fair maiden whom he was taken with. Grannonia stepped out of the shadows, and both were joyous. They invited her parents and threw a grand wedding, during which they all made fun of the fox.

Fairy Tale Title

The Serpent

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Selected and translated by Guy Daniels

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Warwick Goble

Common Tale Type

The Search for the Lost Husband/The Animal as Bridegroom

Tale Classification

ATU 425/ATU 425A

Page Range of Tale

pp. 110-121

Full Citation of Tale

“The Serpent." Stories from the Pentamerone, by Giambattista Basile; selected and edited by E.F. Strange, London: Macmillan; 1911, pp. 110-121.

Original Source of the Tale

Giambattista Basile

Tale Notes

The story ends with this rhyme:

"Pain doth indeed a seasoning prove,

Unto the joys of constant love."

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

Stories from the Pentamerone

Book Author/Editor(s)

Giambattista Basile; selected and edited by E.F. Strange

Illustrator(s)

Warwick Goble

Publisher

Macmillan

Date Published

1911

Decade Published

1910-1919

Publisher City

London

Publisher Country

United Kingdom

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

Traditional

White

“The Myrtle." Stories from the Pentamerone, by Giambattista Basile; selected and edited by E.F. Strange, London: Macmillan; 1911, pp. 11-21.

Anonymous — Sun, 26 Feb 2023 19:34:09 +0000

“The Myrtle." Stories from the Pentamerone, by Giambattista Basile; selected and edited by E.F. Strange, London: Macmillan; 1911, pp. 11-21. Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 02/26/2023 - 12:34

Giambattista Basile

Tale Summary

There was once a couple living in Miano who desperately wanted a child. The woman often said out loud that she would not even care if the child was a sprig of myrtle, and eventually she wore down the heavens and her wish was granted. She planted the sprig in a pot and took good care of it, and one day the King’s son was passing by and took a fancy to it, and convinced the woman to give it to him, and afterwards placed it in his bedchamber and treated it with care. One night after he had gone to bed, a young woman slipped in beside him, and realizing she was a fairy, he felt affection for her. She left before the sun rose, and after seven days like this he burned with desire to see her. So, he tied one of her tresses to his arm, and called one of his chamberlains to light a candle, and found her to be very beautiful. Out loud he expressed his amazement and woke her to confess his love, to which she replied she was his servant and would do anything to please him. He promised to marry her, and after several days of affection, he was called away to hunt a terrible wild boar. Fearful of what might happen in his absence, and feeling jealousy, he orders the fairy to hide back inside the myrtle pot. She asked only that he tie a piece of silk with a bell to the top of the myrtle, and to ring it when he arrived back home so that she could come back out. The prince did this and told his chamberlain to make the bed every day, and to water the myrtle, too. Seven wicked women who knew the prince had a secret passage dug to his chamber, and entered when he left. They came across the myrtle and plucked leaves from it, but the youngest took the whole top, and jingled the bell as she did it. The fairy, who thought the prince was back home, lept out. Jealous of her, the wicked women tore her to shreds (the youngest did not partake) and then left. The chamberlain went to tend to the room, found a bloody mess of body parts, which he placed in the pot. He watered it, made the bed, and ran off in fear. When the prince came home to this, he was distraught, and stopped eating and drinking. The myrtle regrew from what was planted in the pot, and the fairy came out to comfort her love. She told him everything, and the prince called back the blameless chamberlain, and was married to the fairy. All were invited, including the seven wicked women, and he asked everyone what they thought was proper punishment for whoever it was that hurt his wife. When it came to the seven women’s turn to speak, they said whoever did it deserved to be buried alive in the dungeon. The prince obliged, and that is what became of them. The youngest, who did not injure the fairy, was married to the chamberlain, and the prince gave the myrtle’s parents a good sum of money. He lived with the fairy happily.

Fairy Tale Title

The Myrtle

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Selected and translated by Guy Daniels

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Warwick Goble

Common Tale Type

The Girl as Flower, The Prince Whose Wishes Always Come True

Tale Classification

ATU 407, ATU 652

Page Range of Tale

pp. 11-21

Full Citation of Tale

“The Myrtle." Stories from the Pentamerone, by Giambattista Basile; selected and edited by E.F. Strange, London: Macmillan; 1911, pp. 11-21.

Original Source of the Tale

Giambattista Basile

Tale Notes

There are some racial undertones to this tale, such as "with the heart of a negro" being used as a derogatory phrase to further vilify the antagonists. The story also ends with this rhyme:

"The lame goat will hop

If he meets with no stop"

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

Stories from the Pentamerone

Book Author/Editor(s)

Giambattista Basile; selected and edited by E.F. Strange

Illustrator(s)

Warwick Goble

Publisher

Macmillan

Date Published

1911

Decade Published

1910-1919

Publisher City

London

Publisher Country

United Kingdom

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

Traditional

White