Nourie Hadig
Encyclopedia
Nourie Hadig is an Armenian fairy tale
collected by Susie Hoogasian-Villa in 100 Armenian Tales. Her informant was Mrs. Akabi Mooradian, an Armenian living in Detroit.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 709. Other tales of this type include Snow White
, Bella Venezia
, Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree
, Myrsina
, and The Young Slave
.
It also includes an episode in the middle from Aarne-Thompson type 425G, similar to The Sleeping Prince
and the frame story of the Pentamerone
. The heroine's plight is revealed in the same manner in many more tales, such as The Maiden with the Rose on her Forehead
, The Goose Girl
, or The Lord of Lorn.
Nourie Hadig found a house and when she entered it, the door closed behind her. She found rooms full of treasure and a sleeping prince. A voice told her to cook food for the prince for seven years, leaving it beside his bed.
At the next new moon, the moon told Nourie Hadig's mother her daughter was still more beautiful. The wife realized that her daughter had not been killed and was determined to find and murder her. The husband admitted that he had not killed Nourie Hadig but did not know where she was; the wife set out to find her. Every new moon, she asked the moon again about her daughter and heard every time that her daughter was more beautiful.
After four years, gypsies came by the house where Nourie Hadig was. She bought a girl from them, and they both served the prince. At the end of the seven years, the prince woke and because the gypsy girl was tending him, he thought she had served him all seven years, so he decided to marry her
. While wedding arrangements were going on, the prince went to town and told Nourie Hadig that since she must have helped some, he would buy her something. She asked for the Stone of Patience. He went to buy it. The stonecutter told him that if one's troubles were great, the stone would swell until it burst from sorrow on hearing them, but if the person made much of a little, the person would swell and burst, and so he must watch and ensure that the servant who asked for it did not burst. He gave Nourie Hadig the stone, and she told it her story. It swelled and was about to burst when the prince broke in and insisted on marrying her rather than the gypsy.
The next new moon, the moon said that the princess of Adana was more beautiful, so the mother knew where her daughter was. She had a beautiful ring made that would make the wearer fall asleep and had a witch bring it to her daughter, pleading that she had been out of her mind when she ordered her death. The gypsy girl persuaded the daughter to wear the ring, and she fell down dead. The prince refused to bury his wife; he would tend her as she had tended him. Many doctors were unable to heal her, but one tried to steal the ring. She started to come awake; he slid it back on and got the prince to promise him rewards for healing his wife. Then he took the ring off, which restored Nourie Hadig to life.
While the ring was on Nourie Hadig's finger, the moon had told the wife that she was the most beautiful one. After the ring was removed, though, it said that Nourie Hadig was. The wife became so angry that she died.
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
collected by Susie Hoogasian-Villa in 100 Armenian Tales. Her informant was Mrs. Akabi Mooradian, an Armenian living in Detroit.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 709. Other tales of this type include Snow White
Snow White
"Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm...
, Bella Venezia
Bella Venezia
Bella Venezia is an Italian fairy tale collected by Italo Calvino in his Italian Folktales. Calvino selected this variant, where the heroine meets robbers, rather than others that contain dwarfs, because he believed the dwarfs were probably an importation from Germany.It is Aarne-Thompson type...
, Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree
Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree
Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree is a Scottish fairy tale collected by Joseph Jacobs in his Celtic Fairy Tales. It is Aarne-Thompson type 709, Snow White. Others of this type include Bella Venezia, Nourie Hadig, and Myrsina.-Synopsis:...
, Myrsina
Myrsina
Myrsina or Myrtle is a Greek fairy tale collected by Georgios A. Megas in Folktales of Greece. Other variants were collected by Anna Angelopoulou....
, and The Young Slave
The Young Slave
The Young Slave is an Italian literary fairy tale written by Giambattista Basile in his 1634 work, the Pentamerone.It is Aarne-Thompson type 410, Sleeping Beauty; other variants include The Glass Coffin and Sun, Moon, and Talia.-Synopsis:...
.
It also includes an episode in the middle from Aarne-Thompson type 425G, similar to The Sleeping Prince
The Sleeping Prince (fairy tale)
The Sleeping Prince is a Greek fairy tale collected by Georgios A. Megas in Folktales of Greece.It is Aarne-Thompson 425G: False Bride takes the heroine's place as she tries to stay awake; recognition when heroine tells her story...
and the frame story of the Pentamerone
Pentamerone
The Pentamerone is a seventeenth-century fairy tale collection by Italian poet and courtier Giambattista Basile.-Background:...
. The heroine's plight is revealed in the same manner in many more tales, such as The Maiden with the Rose on her Forehead
The Maiden with the Rose on her Forehead
The Maiden with the Rose on her Forehead is a Portuguese fairy tale collected byConsiglieri Pedroso in Portuguese Folk-Tales.-Synopsis:A prince had a garden, which he allowed no one to tend but himself. One day, he had to go to war; his sister promised to look after it. She remained in the garden...
, The Goose Girl
The Goose Girl
The Goose Girl is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. Since the second edition published in 1819, The Goose Girl has been recorded as Tale no. 89....
, or The Lord of Lorn.
Synopsis
A rich man had a beautiful wife and a beautiful daughter, Nourie Hadig. Every month, Nourie Hadig's mother asked the new moon if she was the most beautiful. Finally, however, the moon said her daughter was more beautiful. She took to her bed and told the man that he must get rid of her daughter and bring her bloody shirt as proof. Instead of killing the girl, though, the father abandoned Nourie Hadig in the woods.Nourie Hadig found a house and when she entered it, the door closed behind her. She found rooms full of treasure and a sleeping prince. A voice told her to cook food for the prince for seven years, leaving it beside his bed.
At the next new moon, the moon told Nourie Hadig's mother her daughter was still more beautiful. The wife realized that her daughter had not been killed and was determined to find and murder her. The husband admitted that he had not killed Nourie Hadig but did not know where she was; the wife set out to find her. Every new moon, she asked the moon again about her daughter and heard every time that her daughter was more beautiful.
After four years, gypsies came by the house where Nourie Hadig was. She bought a girl from them, and they both served the prince. At the end of the seven years, the prince woke and because the gypsy girl was tending him, he thought she had served him all seven years, so he decided to marry her
False hero
The false hero is a stock character in fairy tales, and sometimes also in ballads. The character appears near the end of a story in order to claim to be the hero or heroine and is, therefore, always of the same sex as the hero or heroine. The false hero presents some claim to the position. By...
. While wedding arrangements were going on, the prince went to town and told Nourie Hadig that since she must have helped some, he would buy her something. She asked for the Stone of Patience. He went to buy it. The stonecutter told him that if one's troubles were great, the stone would swell until it burst from sorrow on hearing them, but if the person made much of a little, the person would swell and burst, and so he must watch and ensure that the servant who asked for it did not burst. He gave Nourie Hadig the stone, and she told it her story. It swelled and was about to burst when the prince broke in and insisted on marrying her rather than the gypsy.
The next new moon, the moon said that the princess of Adana was more beautiful, so the mother knew where her daughter was. She had a beautiful ring made that would make the wearer fall asleep and had a witch bring it to her daughter, pleading that she had been out of her mind when she ordered her death. The gypsy girl persuaded the daughter to wear the ring, and she fell down dead. The prince refused to bury his wife; he would tend her as she had tended him. Many doctors were unable to heal her, but one tried to steal the ring. She started to come awake; he slid it back on and got the prince to promise him rewards for healing his wife. Then he took the ring off, which restored Nourie Hadig to life.
While the ring was on Nourie Hadig's finger, the moon had told the wife that she was the most beautiful one. After the ring was removed, though, it said that Nourie Hadig was. The wife became so angry that she died.