This is a Folk tale from Brazil. Brazil is the largest country in South America. Brazil is very well-known for its culture and the game ‘Football’. The world biggest river Amazon and the Amazon Rain-forest is here. This Brazilian folk tale is collected from the folk tale story book named, “Tales of Giants from Brazil”. This book was written by- Elsie Spicer Eells, published- 1918.
Long ago there was a king who was very ill. He wanted a hare killed to make him some soup. His only son, the prince, set out to find one a hare. As the prince walked along the path to the forest a pretty little hare ran out of the hedge and crossed his path. He at once started in following. The hare was a very swift runner. The prince followed the hare into the deep forest. Suddenly the hare ran into a hole in the ground. The prince kept in sight of her and soon found to his fear that he was in a big cave. At the very rear of the cave there was the most enormous giant he had ever seen in his life.
The prince was terribly frightened. “Oh, ho!” said the giant in such a deep savage voice that the cave echoed and re-echoed with his words. “You thought you will catch my little hare, did you? Well, I have caught you instead!”
The giant seized the prince in one of his huge hands and tossed him lightly into a box at one end of the cave. He put the cover on the box and locked it down with a big key. The prince could get only a tiny bit of air through a little hole in the top, and he thought that he never could live. Hours passed, sometimes the prince slept, but more often he lay there thinking about his sick father and what he could ever do to get out of the box and back once more to his father’s side.
Suddenly the prince heard the key turn in the lock. The cover was lifted, and he saw standing before him the most beautiful maiden he had ever seen or dreamed of. “I am the hare you followed into the cave,” said she with a smile. “I am a spell-bound princess and, though I have to take the form of a hare in the daytime, and at night I am free to resume my own shape. You got into this trouble following me into the cave and I am so sorry for you that I am going to let you out.”
“You are so beautiful that I could stay here for ever and gaze into your lovely eyes,” said the prince.
“You would see only a hare in the daytime,” replied the princess. “It is not always night. Besides, the giant may return at any moment. He just went out on a hunting trip because the giant thought that you would not make a sufficiently big supper for him. Don’t be foolish. I’ll show you the way out of the cave and then you must hurry home as fast as possible.”
The prince thanked her for all her great kindness to him and acted upon her advice. He went home by the nearest path, but when he reached the palace his father was already dead. The palace was embraced in mourning.
Dressed as a poor fisherman the prince wandered from one kingdom to another. He caught fish for his food, and he soon recognized the fact that the net which the fisherman had given him as part of his outfit was a most wonderful net. The biggest fish in the sea could not break through. “This net must have the special blessing of 'Nossa Senhora' upon it,” said the prince.
In the course of his wanderings the prince arrived at a city where a great party was being held. The palace was decorated with gay banners. Every afternoon the messenger of the king rode up and down the city streets declaring, “The princess of our kingdom is the most beautiful princess in the entire world.”
The prince remembered the beautiful princess who had let him out of the giant’s cave. “Surely this princess cannot be as beautiful as she,” said the prince. “I am going to see this princess with my own eyes and find out.”
“This princess is not by any means the most beautiful one in the world,” said the prince dressed as a fisherman. “I know where there is a princess who is much more beautiful.”
The people standing by heard him. His words were at once reported to the royal guards. They seized him roughly and took him to the king.
“So you are the fisherman who says that my daughter is not the most beautiful princess in the world?” said the king with anger. “You say, I hear, that you know a princess who is much more beautiful. I am a just king or else I should order that you be put to death immediately. As it is, I’ll give you the chance to prove what you say. If you are unable to fulfill your word and show me that princess who in the opinion of my court is more beautiful than my daughter, you shall lose your life. Remember that you will have to bring her here to my court to have her beauty proven.”
“Thanks, your majesty,” said the prince. “If you will allow me two weeks to fulfill the contract, and if you’ll prepare a party for the night two weeks afterwards, I’ll try to present the most beautiful princess in the world to your assembled court.”
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| The Most Beautiful Princes |
The Most Beautiful Princess - Part 1
- A Folk Tale from Brazil
Long ago there was a king who was very ill. He wanted a hare killed to make him some soup. His only son, the prince, set out to find one a hare. As the prince walked along the path to the forest a pretty little hare ran out of the hedge and crossed his path. He at once started in following. The hare was a very swift runner. The prince followed the hare into the deep forest. Suddenly the hare ran into a hole in the ground. The prince kept in sight of her and soon found to his fear that he was in a big cave. At the very rear of the cave there was the most enormous giant he had ever seen in his life.
The prince was terribly frightened. “Oh, ho!” said the giant in such a deep savage voice that the cave echoed and re-echoed with his words. “You thought you will catch my little hare, did you? Well, I have caught you instead!”
The giant seized the prince in one of his huge hands and tossed him lightly into a box at one end of the cave. He put the cover on the box and locked it down with a big key. The prince could get only a tiny bit of air through a little hole in the top, and he thought that he never could live. Hours passed, sometimes the prince slept, but more often he lay there thinking about his sick father and what he could ever do to get out of the box and back once more to his father’s side.
“You are so beautiful that I could stay here for ever and gaze into your lovely eyes,” said the prince.
“You would see only a hare in the daytime,” replied the princess. “It is not always night. Besides, the giant may return at any moment. He just went out on a hunting trip because the giant thought that you would not make a sufficiently big supper for him. Don’t be foolish. I’ll show you the way out of the cave and then you must hurry home as fast as possible.”
The prince thanked her for all her great kindness to him and acted upon her advice. He went home by the nearest path, but when he reached the palace his father was already dead. The palace was embraced in mourning.
The prince was so overcome with grief that he felt that he could not keep on living in the palace. After his father’s funeral he went away as a wanderer. He changed clothes with a poor fisherman whom he met by the river, for he did not wish to be recognized as the prince.
Dressed as a poor fisherman the prince wandered from one kingdom to another. He caught fish for his food, and he soon recognized the fact that the net which the fisherman had given him as part of his outfit was a most wonderful net. The biggest fish in the sea could not break through. “This net must have the special blessing of 'Nossa Senhora' upon it,” said the prince.
In the course of his wanderings the prince arrived at a city where a great party was being held. The palace was decorated with gay banners. Every afternoon the messenger of the king rode up and down the city streets declaring, “The princess of our kingdom is the most beautiful princess in the entire world.”
The prince remembered the beautiful princess who had let him out of the giant’s cave. “Surely this princess cannot be as beautiful as she,” said the prince. “I am going to see this princess with my own eyes and find out.”
Accordingly the prince went to the palace gate to watch for the princess. Soon the princess came to the balcony and leaned over the railing. She was very beautiful, but her nose was just a tiny bit crooked. She did not compare at all with the princess of the cave.
“This princess is not by any means the most beautiful one in the world,” said the prince dressed as a fisherman. “I know where there is a princess who is much more beautiful.”
The people standing by heard him. His words were at once reported to the royal guards. They seized him roughly and took him to the king.
 |
| The Most Beautiful Princess |
“So you are the fisherman who says that my daughter is not the most beautiful princess in the world?” said the king with anger. “You say, I hear, that you know a princess who is much more beautiful. I am a just king or else I should order that you be put to death immediately. As it is, I’ll give you the chance to prove what you say. If you are unable to fulfill your word and show me that princess who in the opinion of my court is more beautiful than my daughter, you shall lose your life. Remember that you will have to bring her here to my court to have her beauty proven.”
“Thanks, your majesty,” said the prince. “If you will allow me two weeks to fulfill the contract, and if you’ll prepare a party for the night two weeks afterwards, I’ll try to present the most beautiful princess in the world to your assembled court.”
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