A Fada Oriana Portuguese

Portuguese language

Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...

 for The Fairy Oriana

Oriana

Oriana is primarily a female given name, widespread, even if not very common, in European languages.-Possible roots of the name:Its etymological origins are probably mixed...

, is one of the most emblematic children's book

Children's literature

Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...

 of Portuguese literature

Portuguese literature

This is a survey of Portuguese literature.The Portuguese language was developed gradually from the Vulgar language spoken in the countries which formed part of the Roman Empire and, both in morphology and syntax, it represents an organic transformation of Latin without the direct intervention of...

, written in 1958 by Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen

Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen

Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen was an award-winning Portuguese poet and writer.Sophia, as she is often referred to in Portugal, was born in Porto to a wealthy aristocratic family. She inherited the surname 'Andresen' from her paternal grandfather, a Danish merchant...

.

The main character is a fairy

Fairy

A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...

 who was given the responsibility of ensuring the well-being of a forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

and its inhabitants, the animals and plants. After a while, Oriana befriends a nefarious fish, and while contemplating her image reflected in the river, Oriana is mesmerized by the fish. Deceived by the words of this fish, Oriana ends up neglecting and abandoning the forest, with serious consequences for its denizens. Deprived of her powers as punishment for this failure, Oriana begins a journey of self-consciousness to repair the evils caused by her omission.