"The Seven-Headed Serpent.” The Yellow Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1906, pp. 60-63.
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
Book Notes
None