ATU 300

"The Eight-headed Serpent.” Japanese fairy tales, Teresa Peirce Williston, Chicago: Rand, McNally & Co, 1904, pp. 35-41.

Anonymous — Sat, 06 Apr 2024 13:16:19 +0000

"The Eight-headed Serpent.” Japanese fairy tales, Teresa Peirce Williston, Chicago: Rand, McNally & Co, 1904, pp. 35-41. Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 04/06/2024 - 07:16

Teresa Peirce Williston

Tale Summary

For five days, the god Susano walked by the river Hi. When he went to sleep he had an unusual dream of a beautiful maiden floating down the river whom he saved from a monster. The next day, he was exploring the area and found a chop-stick floating downstream, and so set out to find whoever was living nearby. He met an old woman, her husband, and their young daughter by the edge of the water, and all were weeping. Susano asked the family what the trouble was, and the old woman told him that there was a great serpent which was two miles long and had eight heads, and that he would come and carry away their daughter. He recognized the girl as the maiden in his dream, and learned that her seven sisters had been taken by the beast over the previous seven years. Susano sat all day and the next by the river bank until he came up with a plan, which they set to work on the next morning. The old woman prepared a delicious soup in eight large kettles while Susano and the old man made a great wall with eight gates in it. Before each gate they set a kettle of soup, which Susano seasoned to be very fragrant. Soon, the serpent arrived and was hungry for the soup, and so stuck his eight heads through the eight gates and began to eat. Susano took his sword and began to cut off each head, and the serpent stayed because it could not bear the thought of not finishing the soup. He cut off the final head when the serpent lunged at him and the beast was killed. The maiden and Susano went to the Land of the Smiling Heaven, where they lived together and looked upon earth to help troubled people.

Fairy Tale Title

The Eight-headed Serpent

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Teresa Peirce Williston

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Sanchi O Gawa

Common Tale Type

The Dragonslayer

Tale Classification

ATU 300

Page Range of Tale

pp. 35-41

Full Citation of Tale

"The Eight-headed Serpent.” Japanese fairy tales, Teresa Peirce Williston, Chicago: Rand, McNally & Co, 1904, pp. 35-41.

Original Source of the Tale

Also known as Yamata no Orochi, this legend is originally recorded in two ancient texts about Japanese mythology and history, from 712 AD and 720 AD.

Tale Notes

The character Susano is the Shinto storm god.

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2024

Book Title

Japanese fairy tales

Book Author/Editor(s)

Teresa Peirce Williston

Illustrator(s)

Sanchi O Gawa

Publisher

Rand, McNally & Co

Date Published

1904

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

Chicago

Publisher Country

United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

Traditional

White

“The Lambton Worm.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 8-12.

Anonymous — Sun, 22 Jan 2023 22:39:21 +0000

“The Lambton Worm.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 8-12. Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 01/22/2023 - 15:39

Ernest Rhys

Tale Summary

Once upon a time, there was a young heir of Lambton Castle, who lived a very careless life. One Sunday morning he was fishing, and after cursing for a time after having no bites, caught a worm, which he tossed into a nearby well (still known as the Worm Well). A venerable looking stranger saw and asked what he had caught, and the boy showed him the worm in the well; he had never seen anything like it and thought it a bad omen. The worm soon outgrew the well, and then began to outgrow the hill it lived on (known as Worm Hill), and became a terror to the town, just about a mile and a half away from old Lambton Hall. The household assembled in council, and an old wise man said that a large trough in the courtyard must be filled with milk. This they did, and it appeased the worm enough to keep it at bay. Many knights over the years traveled to fight the creature, but none succeeded, because the worm had the ability to rejoin itself if it were cut. After seven years, the heir of Lambton returned, and after seeing the damage the worm had done, took counsel from a wise-woman. She instructed him to get a good suit of armor, stud it with spear-heads, and stand in the river to meet the worm after taking a certain vow. This vow would allow him to slay the first living thing he encountered on his way homewards, but if he did not succeed, no lord of Lambton for nine generations would die in his bed. He prepared himself, taking the vow and putting on the armor, and met the worm in the water. The worm squeezed him tightly, but the harder it squeezed, the more the spear-heads hurt it, until the heir was able to chop the worm up and let the pieces be carried away with the current, unable to be rejoined. He had promised his father to blow a bugle to alert him of his success and safety, and so that the lord could let loose his favorite dog to meet him as the victim of his vow. When he blew the bugle, his father was overcome with happiness that his son was still alive, and forgot all about the vow, and ran out to see him. The heir, in a panic, blew the bugle again, and the dog ran in front of the lord and was slain. But, it was too late, and the vow was broken, because he did not kill the one he saw first, and the wise-woman’s curse lay upon the Lambton’s for nine generations.

Fairy Tale Title

The Lambton Worm

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Common Tale Type

The Dragon-Slayer

Tale Classification

ATU 300

Page Range of Tale

pp. 8-12

Full Citation of Tale

“The Lambton Worm.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 8-12.

Original Source of the Tale

Based on a legend from North East England, which became a popular ballad in the 19th century.

Tale Notes

The tale mentions a modern ballad, which describes the battle with the worm:

“The Worm shot down the middle stream

Like a flash of living light,

And the waters kindled round his path

In rainbow colours bright.

But when he saw the armed knight

He gathered all his pride,

And, coiled in many a radiant spire,

Rode boutant o’er the tide.

When he darted at length his dragon strength

An earthquake shook the rock;

The fireflakes bright fell round the knight

But unmoved he met the shock.

Though his heart was stout it quailed no doubt,

His very life-blood ran cold,

As round and round the wild Worm wound

In many a grappling fold.”

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys

Book Author/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Illustrator(s)

None listed

Publisher

J.M. Dent & Co., E.P. Dutton & co.

Date Published

1907

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

London, New York

Publisher Country

United Kingdom, United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

A collection of stories split up into three categories: "Fairy Tales and Romances," "Mother Jack's Fairy Book," and "Later Fairy Tales and Rhymes"

Traditional

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Yamata No Orochi. Takejiro, Hasegawa. Translated by Basil Hall Chamberlain, Kobunsha, 1886.

Anonymous — Sun, 18 Dec 2022 18:57:14 +0000

Yamata No Orochi. Takejiro, Hasegawa. Translated by Basil Hall Chamberlain, Kobunsha, 1886. Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 12/18/2022 - 11:57

Hasegawa Takejiro

Tale Summary

The world was ruled by a fairy who had three children named Susano, Ama, and Moon-boy. Susano was given the sea, Ama was given the sun, and Moon-boy had the moon. However, Susano got tired of living in the cold sea and burst into the sun to see his sister, Ama. Susano in anger ruined and stomped over Ama and her maiden’s weaving projects of silver and gold dresses, which caused Ama’s maidens to die of fright. Ama ran away into a cave which put the world into darkness. The other fairies tried many plans to draw her out but the one that worked was when the other fairies started dancing. The fairies told the peeking Ama that there was another fairy more beautiful than her. Ama came out to see this fairy which was a mirror that showed Ama her reflection and while she was out, the cave was quickly blocked with rocks. As punishment for driving Ama away, Susano was beaten and expelled by the others. While traveling in exile, Susano came across a crying couple embracing their daughter. They explained that once a year an eight-headed serpent ate one of their daughters and now has a single daughter left. Susano decided to help the couple by brewing beer and making a fence with eight stands. The beer was placed upon each stand and when the serpent came down, each head smelled and drank every drop of the eight beers. Each head fell asleep and while asleep Susano cut up each head along with the body. However, his blade snapped upon the tail and out of the remains of the tail, he pulled out a beautiful sword. He married the couple’s daughter and built a palace for them all to live in. As time passed the sword was passed down and now belongs to the emperor of Japan.

Fairy Tale Title

The Serpent with Eight Heads

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Hasegawa Takejiro

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Eitaku Sensei

Common Tale Type

Dragon slayers

Tale Classification

ATU 300

Page Range of Tale

Whole book

Full Citation of Tale

Yamata No Orochi. Takejiro, Hasegawa. Translated by Basil Hall Chamberlain, Kobunsha, 1886.

Original Source of the Tale

This tale is derived from Japanese mythology.

Tale Notes

The tale is based on Japanese mythology. The gods are replaced by fairies and heaven is referred to as Fairyland. Susanoo is a storm god and is Susano in the tale. Amaterasu is a sun goddess and is Ama in the tale. In one version of the myth, Amaterasu was lured out by an immodest dance and the other gods laughing. The sword is known as Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi and is one of the three imperial regalias of Japan. The sword was given to Amaterasu as a gift from Susanoo (so she would forgive him).

Research and Curation

Nathaniel Montano, 2022

Book Title

Yamata No Orochi

Book Author/Editor(s)

Hasegawa Takejiro

Illustrator(s)

Eitaku Sensei

Publisher

Kobunsha

Date Published

1886

Decade Published

1880-1889

Publisher City

Tokyo

Publisher Country

Japan

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

Plain paper folded in sheets, No spine covers, 26 pages, colored title page, muted colored illustrations

Traditional

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"The Seven-Headed Serpent.” The Yellow Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1906, pp. 60-63.

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 19:58:06 +0000

"The Seven-Headed Serpent.” The Yellow Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1906, pp. 60-63. Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 02/18/2022 - 12:58

Andrew Lang

Tale Summary

A king and his men set sail and discover a bountiful island. On this island there was a large population of lions who attacked the king’s men. The men were able to defeat the lions but at a great cost and the majority of them perished. They set about exploring the island, stumbling upon three rivers flowing with silver, gold and pearls. After filling their knapsacks full of the precious commodities, a nearby lake told them of the King Serpent who ruled the land and how they must please him in order to be spared. The men placed their clothes down, so the serpent had a soft ground to move on. Upon seeing them, he orders that every year they must bring 12 maidens and 12 young men as a sacrifice. The king obliged and so did his people. The queen, in the meantime, childless, eats an apple that gives her a son and throws the rind out the window where a horse eats it and also gains a son. These two grew up together and decided to fight the serpent. They went to a nun who explained to them that they have to sneak into the serpent’s room, clog the bells with cotton that are suspended above the serpent’s bed, and only use the sword that hangs above the bed to slay the beast. The prince then slayed the beast and freed his country.

Fairy Tale Title

The Seven-Headed Serpent

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Henry Justice Ford

Common Tale Type

Dragon Slayers

Tale Classification

Page Range of Tale

pp. 60-63

Full Citation of Tale

"The Seven-Headed Serpent.” The Yellow Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1906, pp. 60-63.

Original Source of the Tale

Originally a Greek fairy tale, this version is from Bernhard Schmidt’s “Die Siebenkopfige Schlange,” Griechische Märchen (Leipzig, 1877).

Tale Notes

This tale is a new version of the old Greek story written by Andrew Lang. The plot also recalls the Greek myth of King Minos who sacrificed young men and women from Athens to the Minotaur he kept in his labyrinth. One black and white illustration depicts the serpent threatening a group of men on their knees.

Research and Curation

Anonymous ITAL 4600 student

Book Title

The Yellow Fairy Book

Book Author/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Illustrator(s)

Henry Justice Ford

Publisher

Longmans, Green, And Co.

Date Published

1906

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

London

Publisher Country

United Kingdom

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

None

Traditional

White

“The Dragon and the Prince.” The Crimson Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1903, pp. 80-92.

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 19:28:04 +0000

“The Dragon and the Prince.” The Crimson Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1903, pp. 80-92. Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 02/18/2022 - 12:28

Andrew Lang

Tale Summary

Once upon a time, there were three princes, sons of the emperor, who all loved hunting. In quick succession, the first and then the second sons both tried to hunt a hare that lured them to a mill where it turned into a dragon and ate them both. The third, youngest son then searched for his brothers. He resisted hunting the hare and asked an old woman in chains at the mill to help him discover the dragon’s weakness. She tricks the dragon into revealing that it lives in a lake in a faraway kingdom and that its power lay inside of the dragon’s body which also contained that of a boar, a hare, a pigeon, and a sparrow. The prince traveled to the kingdom, became the emperor’s shepherd, and took the flock to graze by the lake without allowing the dragon to eat the sheep, as had happened in the past. After two encounters with the dragon, the prince fought the dragon for a third time, and after the princess kissed him on the forehead, he tossed the dragon into the sky. Falling to the ground, the dragon smashed into pieces which became different animals. The prince first used his dogs to catch the boar and the hare that was inside the boar and then used his hawk to catch the pigeon. Inside the pigeon, he found the sparrow. He spared the sparrow’s life in exchange for information on where he could find his brothers. He then marries the emperor’s daughter and frees a village’s-worth of people from the dragon’s cellar in the mill, including his brothers.

Fairy Tale Title

The Dragon and the Prince

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Henry Justice Ford

Common Tale Type

Dragon Slayers

Tale Classification

Page Range of Tale

pp. 80-92

Full Citation of Tale

“The Dragon and the Prince.” The Crimson Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1903, pp. 80-92.

Original Source of the Tale

From Vuk Stefanovic Karadzic’s Volksmärchen der Serben [Serbian Folktales] (Berlin, 1854).

Tale Notes

In this tale, the dragon slayer is of noble birth. Defeating the monster not only gains him a princess for a wife, but also leads to the release of his two brothers and villagers who had been imprisoned by the beast. The dragon is a shapeshifter that encloses within his body, like nested boxes, a series of other animals. In order to be victorious, the slayer must defeat the dragon, a boar, a hare, a pigeon, and finally a sparrow that reveals where the dragon has been keeping its captives. The slayer does not act alone but receives help from an old woman who is being held prisoner by the dragon and from a princess whose kiss enables him to finally defeat it. Two black and white illustrations accompany the tale: the first depicts one of the princes being caught by the dragon; the second depicts the dragon slayer receiving a kiss from the king’s daughter before he slays the dragon.

Research and Curation

Grant Nelson, 2020

Book Title

The Crimson Fairy Book

Book Author/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Illustrator(s)

Henry Justice Ford

Publisher

Longmans, Green, and Co.

Date Published

1903

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

London ; New York

Publisher Country

England ; United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available on the Internet Archive

Book Notes

None

Traditional

White

“The Dragon of the North.” The Yellow Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London, New York, Bombay: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1906, pp. 9-20.

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 16:59:16 +0000

“The Dragon of the North.” The Yellow Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London, New York, Bombay: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1906, pp. 9-20. Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 12/06/2021 - 09:59

Andrew Lang

Tale Summary

With help from a good magician, an evil witch, and a magic ring, the Youth of the tale is able to kill the dragon and marry the princess. However, the evil witch soon seeks revenge for the wrong the Youth did to her by stealing her magic ring. After being captured by the evil witch, the Youth is eventually rescued by the good magician. Then the Youth and the princess lived happily ever after as King and Queen.

Fairy Tale Title

The Dragon of the North

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Henry Justice Ford

Common Tale Type

Dragon Slayers

Tale Classification

Page Range of Tale

pp. 9-20

Full Citation of Tale

“The Dragon of the North.” The Yellow Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London, New York, Bombay: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1906, pp. 9-20.

Original Source of the Tale

Tale Notes

A sparsely illustrated edition of a Dragon Slayer tale poses a question at the end pointed at the reader asking what they would do if they were in the Prince’s shoes. In the three illustrations for this tale, the illustrator chose to show the scenes when the Youth encounters the evil characters (i.e. the witch and dragon).

Research and Curation

Dana Trethaway, 2020

Book Title

The Yellow Fairy Book

Book Author/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Illustrator(s)

Henry Justice Ford

Publisher

Longmans, Green, and Co.

Date Published

1906

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

London
New York
Bombay

Publisher Country

United Kingdom
United States
India

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

Though this book is written in prose with more difficult language than other books of fairy tales in the collection, the Preface says this book is written for children.

Traditional

White

“The Knights of the Fish.” The Brown Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1914, pp. 343-350.

Anonymous — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 18:53:29 +0000

“The Knights of the Fish.” The Brown Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1914, pp. 343-350. Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/22/2021 - 11:53

Andrew Lang

Tale Summary

An apathetic, talking fish befriends a hungry cobbler who allows the cobbler to eat him and bury part of his flesh in a garden. The garden grows larger and spits out two twin babies that eventually become men. They decide to leave home one day after being tired of mistaken for each other and vow to return home if anything noteworthy happens. The twin who took off toward the East encountered a solemn city with every citizen weeping because this year their princess was the beautiful girl chosen to be sacrificed to the dragon. The eastern twin saves the princess by tricking the dragon with its own reflection. When the dragon fights the mirror that tricked him, the eastern twin slays the dragon and saves the princess. The eastern Knight of the Fish takes the princess’ hand in marriage as a token of the King’s gratitude for saving his daughter. The eastern Knight of the Fish sees the enchanted Castle of Albatroz in the distance and rides off to see it in the morning. The echoes of the castle awake an ugly old woman who resides there. She gives him a tour of the enchanted castle and leads him into a dark room where he falls through a trap door. Meanwhile, the western-riding Knight of the Fish stumbles upon the village of his twin brother’s princess and is curious as to why everyone thinks they recognize him. The princess is happy to see him and asks what the enchanted castle has, but he says he has to return before he can tell her. The western Knight of the Fish confronts the old lady and she is fearful of him. She gives him a task of bringing her back to life with some ingredients from the garden before she lets him know where his brother resides. The old lady shows him his brother and those who fell before, and they come back to life with the same magic potion constructed. The western Knight of the Fish also found a cavern of all the bodies of the girls who had been sacrificed to the dragon and also brought them back to life. The castle fell as the old lady died at the rage of her captives escaping.

Fairy Tale Title

The Knights of the Fish

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Henry Justice Ford

Common Tale Type

The Dragon-Slayer

Tale Classification

ATU 300

Page Range of Tale

343-350

Full Citation of Tale

“The Knights of the Fish,” The Brown Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1914, pp. 343-350.

Original Source of the Tale

Fernan Caballaro (Spain)

Tale Notes

This tale is almost two tales in one. It also includes the unusual fact that the previously slain men and the women who were sacrificed come back to life at the end. There is one color illustration for this tale.

Research and Curation

Montana Thompson, 2020

Book Title

The Brown Fairy Book

Book Author/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Illustrator(s)

Henry Justice Ford

Publisher

Longmans, Green, and Co.

Date Published

1914

Decade Published

1910-1919

Publisher City

New York
London
Bombay
Calcutta

Publisher Country

United States
United Kingdom

India

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

None

Traditional

White