to fit under the bed, so it went away. Before leaving, however, it bestowed three charms on the girl: weeping, she would shed tears of pearl and silver; laughing, she would see golden pomegranate seeds fall from her head; and washing her hands, she would produce fish of every kind.
That day there was nothing in the house to eat, and her father and sisters were weak from hunger, so what did she do but wash her hands and see the basin fill up with fish! Her sisters became envious and convinced their father that there was something strange behind all this and that he would be wise to lock the girl up in the attic.
From the attic window the girl looked into the kingâs garden, where the kingâs son was playing ball. Running after the ball, he slipped and fell, sending the girl into peals of laughter. As she laughed, gold pomegranate seeds rained from her head on the garden. The kingâs son had no idea where they came from, for the girl had slammed the window.
Returning to the garden next day to play ball, the kingâs son noticed that a pomegranate tree had sprung up. It was already quite tall and laden with fruit. He went to pick the pomegranates, but the tree grew taller right before his eyes, and all he had to do was reach for a pomegranate and the branches would rise a foot beyond his grasp. Since nobody managed to pluck so much as one leaf of the tree, the king assembled the wise men to explain the magic spell. The oldest of them all said that only one maiden would be able to pick the fruit and that she would become the bride of the kingâs son.
So the king issued a proclamation for all marriageable girls to come to the garden, under pain of death, to try to pick the pomegranates. Girls of every race and station showed up, but no ladders were ever long enough for them to reach the fruit. Among the contestants were the farmerâs two older daughters, but they fell off the ladder and landed flat on their backs. The king had the houses searched and found other girls, including the one locked up in the attic. As soon as they took her to the tree, the branches bent down and placed the pomegranates right in her hands. Everyone cheered, âThatâs the bride, thatâs the bride!â with the kingâs son shouting loudest of all.
Preparations were made for the wedding, to which the sisters, as envious as ever, were invited. They all three rode in the same carriage, which drew to a halt in the middle of a forest. The older girls ordered the younger one out of the carriage, cut off her hands, gouged out her eyes, and left her lying unconscious in the bushes. Then the oldest girl dressed in the wedding gown and went to the kingâs son. He couldnât understand why sheâd become so ugly, but since she faintly resembled the other girl, he decided heâd been mistaken all along about her original beauty.
Eyeless and handless, the maiden remained in the forest weeping. A carter came by and had pity on her. He seated her on his mule and took her to his house. She told him to look down: the ground was strewn with silver and pearls, which were none other than the girlâs tears. The carter took them and sold them for more than a thousand crowns. How glad he was to have taken the poor girl in, even if she was unable to work and help the family.
One day the girl felt a snake wrap around her leg: it was the snake she had once befriended. âDid you know your sister married the kingâs son and became queen, since the old king died? Now sheâs expecting a baby and wants figs.â
The girl said to the carter, âLoad a mule with figs and take them to the queen.â
âWhere am I going to get figs this time of year?â asked the carter. It happened to be winter.
But the next morning he went into the garden and found the fig tree laden with fruit, even though there wasnât a leaf on the tree. He filled up two baskets and loaded them onto his donkey.
âHow
That day there was nothing in the house to eat, and her father and sisters were weak from hunger, so what did she do but wash her hands and see the basin fill up with fish! Her sisters became envious and convinced their father that there was something strange behind all this and that he would be wise to lock the girl up in the attic.
From the attic window the girl looked into the kingâs garden, where the kingâs son was playing ball. Running after the ball, he slipped and fell, sending the girl into peals of laughter. As she laughed, gold pomegranate seeds rained from her head on the garden. The kingâs son had no idea where they came from, for the girl had slammed the window.
Returning to the garden next day to play ball, the kingâs son noticed that a pomegranate tree had sprung up. It was already quite tall and laden with fruit. He went to pick the pomegranates, but the tree grew taller right before his eyes, and all he had to do was reach for a pomegranate and the branches would rise a foot beyond his grasp. Since nobody managed to pluck so much as one leaf of the tree, the king assembled the wise men to explain the magic spell. The oldest of them all said that only one maiden would be able to pick the fruit and that she would become the bride of the kingâs son.
So the king issued a proclamation for all marriageable girls to come to the garden, under pain of death, to try to pick the pomegranates. Girls of every race and station showed up, but no ladders were ever long enough for them to reach the fruit. Among the contestants were the farmerâs two older daughters, but they fell off the ladder and landed flat on their backs. The king had the houses searched and found other girls, including the one locked up in the attic. As soon as they took her to the tree, the branches bent down and placed the pomegranates right in her hands. Everyone cheered, âThatâs the bride, thatâs the bride!â with the kingâs son shouting loudest of all.
Preparations were made for the wedding, to which the sisters, as envious as ever, were invited. They all three rode in the same carriage, which drew to a halt in the middle of a forest. The older girls ordered the younger one out of the carriage, cut off her hands, gouged out her eyes, and left her lying unconscious in the bushes. Then the oldest girl dressed in the wedding gown and went to the kingâs son. He couldnât understand why sheâd become so ugly, but since she faintly resembled the other girl, he decided heâd been mistaken all along about her original beauty.
Eyeless and handless, the maiden remained in the forest weeping. A carter came by and had pity on her. He seated her on his mule and took her to his house. She told him to look down: the ground was strewn with silver and pearls, which were none other than the girlâs tears. The carter took them and sold them for more than a thousand crowns. How glad he was to have taken the poor girl in, even if she was unable to work and help the family.
One day the girl felt a snake wrap around her leg: it was the snake she had once befriended. âDid you know your sister married the kingâs son and became queen, since the old king died? Now sheâs expecting a baby and wants figs.â
The girl said to the carter, âLoad a mule with figs and take them to the queen.â
âWhere am I going to get figs this time of year?â asked the carter. It happened to be winter.
But the next morning he went into the garden and found the fig tree laden with fruit, even though there wasnât a leaf on the tree. He filled up two baskets and loaded them onto his donkey.
âHow
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