The Water of Life (Spanish fairy tale)
Encyclopedia
The Water of Life is a Catalan
fairy tale
collected by D. Francisco de S. Maspous y Labros, in Cuentos Populars Catalans. Andrew Lang
included it in The Pink Fairy Book.
He met with a giant
who told him he had to walk past stones that would mock him; if he did not turn, he could gain what he was after, but if he did, he would turn to stone as well. He went to the mountain, but the stones jeered at him so loudly he turned to throw a rock at them, and turned to stone
.
Warned by the knife that something had happened, his two brothers followed him, and suffered the same fate.
Their sister followed, but did not turn. At the top, she found a pool, and the bird perched on a branch of the tree. She took them all, but was tired, and let spill a few drops, which turned the people back to life. She sprinkled the water on all the stones and restored them all to life. At home, she planted the tree and watered it, and it grew, and the bird perched in its boughs.
A prince came to see the wonders, and married the sister in the church they had built.
and Princess Belle-Etoile
, and in some variants just the bird, as in The Three Little Birds
and The Bird of Truth
, but this fairy tale lacks the usual motive: the children are not sent after it by a jealous soul who is trying to hide that they are a king's children.
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
fairy tale
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 D. Francisco de S. Maspous y Labros, in Cuentos Populars Catalans. Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang was a Scots poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University of St Andrews are named after him.- Biography :Lang was born in Selkirk...
included it in The Pink Fairy Book.
Synopsis
Three brothers and a sister worked very hard, became rich, and built a palace. It was much admired, but an old woman told them it needed a church. They built a church. It was even more admired, but an old man told them it needed a pitcher of the water of life, a branch where the smell of the flowers gave eternal beauty, and the talking bird. The oldest brother decided to set out after it. They asked the old man how they could know he was safe, and the man gave them a knife: as long as it was bright, he was well, but when it was bloody, evil had happened to him.He met with a giant
Giant (mythology)
The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
who told him he had to walk past stones that would mock him; if he did not turn, he could gain what he was after, but if he did, he would turn to stone as well. He went to the mountain, but the stones jeered at him so loudly he turned to throw a rock at them, and turned to stone
Petrifaction in mythology and fiction
Petrifaction, as definied as turning people to stone, is also a common theme in folklore and mythology, as well as in some works of modern fiction.-Historical:...
.
Warned by the knife that something had happened, his two brothers followed him, and suffered the same fate.
Their sister followed, but did not turn. At the top, she found a pool, and the bird perched on a branch of the tree. She took them all, but was tired, and let spill a few drops, which turned the people back to life. She sprinkled the water on all the stones and restored them all to life. At home, she planted the tree and watered it, and it grew, and the bird perched in its boughs.
A prince came to see the wonders, and married the sister in the church they had built.
See also
The quest to find a branch, a magical water, and a talking bird is found also in The Dancing Water, the Singing Apple, and the Speaking BirdThe Dancing Water, the Singing Apple, and the Speaking Bird
The Dancing Water, the Singing Apple, and the Speaking Bird is an Italian fairy tale collected by Thomas Frederick Crane in Italian Popular Tales...
and Princess Belle-Etoile
Princess Belle-Etoile
Princess Belle-Etoile is a French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy. Her source for the tale was Ancilotto, King of Provino, by Giovanni Francesco Straparola....
, and in some variants just the bird, as in The Three Little Birds
The Three Little Birds
The Three Little Birds is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 96. The story is originally written in Low German.It is Aarne-Thompson type 707, the dancing water, the singing apple, and the speaking bird....
and The Bird of Truth
The Bird of Truth
The Bird of Truth is a Spanish fairy tale collected by Cecilia Böhl de Faber in her Cuentos de encantamiento. Andrew Lang included it in The Orange Fairy Book.-Synopsis:...
, but this fairy tale lacks the usual motive: the children are not sent after it by a jealous soul who is trying to hide that they are a king's children.