This is a Folk tale story 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 story is collected from the folk tale story book named, “Tales of Giants from Brazil”. This book was written by- Elsie Spicer Eells, published- 1918.
Then the prince hurried home and once more walked toward the forest by the same path he had gone the day he went in search of the hare for his father’s hare soup. He soon found the place where the hare had crossed his path, and he did his best to remember the way they had followed as he pursued her into the forest.
In the forest he saw evidences of what looked like a flood. The water had washed away every trace of the entrance of the cave. He dug and dug at the place where he thought it would to be. He found nothing which seemed like the cave’s entrance.
Soon the door was opened a tiny bit and the face of a little old woman looked out. “I am the nurse of the princess,” she said. “I think you are the prince she was expecting to return to deliver her from all the terrible misfortunes which have befallen her.”
“What has happened to my beautiful princess who saved my life?” asked the prince. “I am indeed the prince, but I am surprised that you should recognize me in my fisherman’s dress.”
“The princess told me that I would know you by the smile in your eyes,” replied the old nurse. “I did not look at your clothes at all. I looked at your eyes. You have the smile in them though your face is sad. Come into the cave, and I will tell you all that has happened.”
When the prince was inside the cave the old nurse quickly barred the door and said, “When the giant returned he was terribly angry at the princess because she had let you escape. He seized her roughly and put her into the box in your place, but the giant could not lock her into that box. The princess had thrown away the key of the box when she let you out. So, the giant was unable to find the key again anywhere. That made him even angrier than before. All day he sits on the top of the chest when the princess is in the form of the hare. At night when he goes away he causes a great river to flow around the entrance to the cave. He has placed a huge fish as guard to the entrance. This fish swims up and down before our door and calls out such evil names at the princess. When the princess is in her own form, she stays in the box and stuffs cotton in her ears. You got here just as the giant had left. The water must have risen as soon as you were inside our door. I hear the fish now.”
“How will you ever swim past this terrible fish?” asked the old nurse.
“Do not fear,” replied the prince. “I have with me a net which is so strong that the biggest, ferocious fish in the world cannot break it. I will catch the fish in it. Just wait and you will see. In the meantime take the cotton out of the ears of the princess and tell her that I am here. Quiet her fears and stay in the box for a few moments.”
The box had floated up to the surface of the water as the prince had said it would. The prince threw his net over it and drew it to land. The old nurse and the beautiful princess stepped out. The princess was so lovely that the prince fell upon his knees before her. The sight of her great beauty almost blinded his eyes.
“I knew all the time that you would come back again,” said the princess. “I knew that you would deliver me from my troubles, but you have been a long time getting here.”
“I’ll gladly go to the party with you,” said the princess. “It is fortunate that it is held at night.”
The Princess and her old nurse traveled quickly with the prince to the kingdom which claimed to possess the most beautiful princess in the world. It was already the night of the appointed party when they arrived. The king’s army was drawn up to kill the prince. No one dreamed that the poor fisherman would be able to bring any princess at all with him, much less a beautiful one. The prince hid the princess in the box which the old nurse carried on top of her head.
When the poor fisherman stood before the king with an old nurse standing by his side, a great laugh ran through the king’s court. “We knew that the fisherman would never be able to bring a princess more beautiful than our own lovely princess,” said the courtiers one to another. “But see what he has brought in her place!” Then they laughed and laughed until they could hardly stand.
The king’s soldiers stepped forward to seize the fisherman to put him to death. “Grant me just one moment more of life,” begged the prince.
The king nodded his head and the prince put his hand into the pocket of his fisherman’s coat. He pulled out a handful of silver scales. The most beautiful silvery cloud filled the room.
“Just a moment more,” begged the prince. Then he pulled a handful of golden scales from out his pocket. The most beautiful golden cloud filled the room.
“Please just another little moment,” asked the prince and he pulled out a handful of jeweled scales from his pocket. The most wonderful sparkling cloud of jewels fell about them. As the cloud cleared away there stood the most beautiful princess any one had ever seen or dreamed of between the old nurse and the prince in the fisherman clothes.
The soldiers drew back. The king looked at the floor and so did all the courtiers. “You have won your wager,” said the king when he could find his voice. “Our daughter is not the most beautiful princess in the whole world. I see myself that her nose is a tiny bit crooked.”
The prince and princess and the old nurse went back to the prince’s own kingdom where the wedding of the prince and princess was celebrated with a great feast. From the moment that the fish scales fell upon the princess her spell-bound was broken and she never became a hare again. She and the prince lived together happily in the prince’s palace, and the giant never troubled them again, though they were always careful to keep away from the forest.
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| The Most Beautiful Princess |
The Most Beautiful Princess (Part-2)
- A Folk tale story from Brazil
The king was astonished at the fisherman’s words, for he had not thought that a poor fisherman like him knew many princesses. However, he allowed him to depart in search of the princess.
Then the prince hurried home and once more walked toward the forest by the same path he had gone the day he went in search of the hare for his father’s hare soup. He soon found the place where the hare had crossed his path, and he did his best to remember the way they had followed as he pursued her into the forest.
In the forest he saw evidences of what looked like a flood. The water had washed away every trace of the entrance of the cave. He dug and dug at the place where he thought it would to be. He found nothing which seemed like the cave’s entrance.
The prince dug and dug at a new place near by and soon he found his way shut by a massive door. The entrance to the cave was securely shut by it. The prince knocked at the door with all his might.
Soon the door was opened a tiny bit and the face of a little old woman looked out. “I am the nurse of the princess,” she said. “I think you are the prince she was expecting to return to deliver her from all the terrible misfortunes which have befallen her.”
“The princess told me that I would know you by the smile in your eyes,” replied the old nurse. “I did not look at your clothes at all. I looked at your eyes. You have the smile in them though your face is sad. Come into the cave, and I will tell you all that has happened.”
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| The Most Beautiful Princess |
When the prince was inside the cave the old nurse quickly barred the door and said, “When the giant returned he was terribly angry at the princess because she had let you escape. He seized her roughly and put her into the box in your place, but the giant could not lock her into that box. The princess had thrown away the key of the box when she let you out. So, the giant was unable to find the key again anywhere. That made him even angrier than before. All day he sits on the top of the chest when the princess is in the form of the hare. At night when he goes away he causes a great river to flow around the entrance to the cave. He has placed a huge fish as guard to the entrance. This fish swims up and down before our door and calls out such evil names at the princess. When the princess is in her own form, she stays in the box and stuffs cotton in her ears. You got here just as the giant had left. The water must have risen as soon as you were inside our door. I hear the fish now.”
Even as she spoke the prince heard the voice of the fish. It said such terrible words that the prince was glad that the princess was in the box with cotton in ears. “You get into the box with the princess,” he said to the old nurse. “I am a good swimmer and I am going to open the door and swim out. The box is made of wood that will float; so, inside of it, you and the princess will float out to safety.”
“How will you ever swim past this terrible fish?” asked the old nurse.
“Do not fear,” replied the prince. “I have with me a net which is so strong that the biggest, ferocious fish in the world cannot break it. I will catch the fish in it. Just wait and you will see. In the meantime take the cotton out of the ears of the princess and tell her that I am here. Quiet her fears and stay in the box for a few moments.”
The old nurse got into the box as the prince had commanded. Then he unbarred the great door. The fish swam at him furiously, but the prince quickly caught it in his strong net. Holding it fast in the net, the prince swam up to the surface of the water and was soon on the bank of the raging river. Then he killed the fish and scaled it and put the scales in his pocket.
The box had floated up to the surface of the water as the prince had said it would. The prince threw his net over it and drew it to land. The old nurse and the beautiful princess stepped out. The princess was so lovely that the prince fell upon his knees before her. The sight of her great beauty almost blinded his eyes.
“I knew all the time that you would come back again,” said the princess. “I knew that you would deliver me from my troubles, but you have been a long time getting here.”
The prince told the princess all that had happened to him. “You saved my life from the giant,” said he. “I am very glad to have had an opportunity to save your life for you. Now I must ask you to again save my life.” Then he told about the party at which he must display the most beautiful princess in the world or forfeit his life.
“I’ll gladly go to the party with you,” said the princess. “It is fortunate that it is held at night.”
The Princess and her old nurse traveled quickly with the prince to the kingdom which claimed to possess the most beautiful princess in the world. It was already the night of the appointed party when they arrived. The king’s army was drawn up to kill the prince. No one dreamed that the poor fisherman would be able to bring any princess at all with him, much less a beautiful one. The prince hid the princess in the box which the old nurse carried on top of her head.
When the poor fisherman stood before the king with an old nurse standing by his side, a great laugh ran through the king’s court. “We knew that the fisherman would never be able to bring a princess more beautiful than our own lovely princess,” said the courtiers one to another. “But see what he has brought in her place!” Then they laughed and laughed until they could hardly stand.
 |
| The Most Beautiful Princess |
The king’s soldiers stepped forward to seize the fisherman to put him to death. “Grant me just one moment more of life,” begged the prince.
The king nodded his head and the prince put his hand into the pocket of his fisherman’s coat. He pulled out a handful of silver scales. The most beautiful silvery cloud filled the room.
“Just a moment more,” begged the prince. Then he pulled a handful of golden scales from out his pocket. The most beautiful golden cloud filled the room.
“Please just another little moment,” asked the prince and he pulled out a handful of jeweled scales from his pocket. The most wonderful sparkling cloud of jewels fell about them. As the cloud cleared away there stood the most beautiful princess any one had ever seen or dreamed of between the old nurse and the prince in the fisherman clothes.
The soldiers drew back. The king looked at the floor and so did all the courtiers. “You have won your wager,” said the king when he could find his voice. “Our daughter is not the most beautiful princess in the whole world. I see myself that her nose is a tiny bit crooked.”
The prince and princess and the old nurse went back to the prince’s own kingdom where the wedding of the prince and princess was celebrated with a great feast. From the moment that the fish scales fell upon the princess her spell-bound was broken and she never became a hare again. She and the prince lived together happily in the prince’s palace, and the giant never troubled them again, though they were always careful to keep away from the forest.
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