The Serpent Prince (Hungarian Folk Tale)

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The Serpent Prince or The Snake Prince is a Hungarian folk tale collected by Hungarian-American scholar Linda Dégh. It is classified in the international Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index as ATU 425A, "Animal as Bridegroom".

Sources[]

Dégh collected the tale in the 1950s from Hungarian teller Zsuzsanna Pálkó.[1]

Summary[]

Pálkó's narration begins thus: a king complains to his wife that she has not born him any child. The queen questions why God has not given her children, and asks for a snake son, so that they may finally have offspring. Just as she says it, a snake son appears. The king declares they must hide the animal from prying eyes, so that no one may know they have a snake son.

They hide the animal son in a room and he grows up there. Years later, when he has grown very large, he begins to whistle so loud it shakes the castle. His mother pays him a visit to question what is the reson for the whistling. He explains he has come of age and desires a mate, and suggests the princess of a neighbouring kingdom shall be the perfect candidate.

So his mother summons the princess and she comes to the castle to find out more about her prospective husband. The queen leads the princess into the prince's quarters. When she sees the giant snake, she screams and faints. The queen sprinkles some water on her, who comes to, and explains the prince is the snake, albeit a harmless one. The princess refuses to marry the snake prince and tries to escape te room, whose windows are barred with iron. The queen and the king lock her up with the snake prince and leave them be.

This situation goes for a week: the princess tries to think of a way out, but everywhere she looks the windows and the doors are barred. She does not even touch her food, choosing to wither away slowly than marrying the snake. Despite his bride's grievances, the snake prince tries to convince the girl he means no harm to her. He then begins to crawl into their bridal bed, to the princess's horror. For two nights, she tries to sneak away from him, somewhat successfully.

The third night, after a quick rest, she wakes up to a handsome man beside her. She wakes the man up and question his presence there: he tells her he is the snake, but wears a snakeskin at night "because he has too", since it is his "cloak". The princess feels more at ease and they live as husband and wife, she becoming pregnant some time later.

Despite the revelation, the prince does not show his parents his human form, which annoys the princess. She visits a sorceress nearby and tells her her situation. The sorceress advises her to take the snakeskin and burn it in the stove.

That night, when the snake prince is asleep, the princess wakes up, takes the snakeskin off of him. She creeps into the kitchen, lights up the stove and tosses the skin in. She returns to her chambers to a awakened prince, who asks her about the smell of burning. She lies that it is only some tufts of her hair burning, but he knows she is lying. The prince then explains that he was to wear the cloak for one more month, and curses her not to bear their children until he embraces her again; and that a ring on her finger shall stay there until he puts his finger on her. He then gives her a dry hazel-rod she must water with her tears until it bears fruit, and a grain of wheat she must plant and with the harvest bake a bread; then she can go after him. Then he vanishes.

The princess tells her parents-in-law that the snake prince has disappeared, and goes to water the dry hazel-rod and the grain of wheat. After a long time, she takes the rod and the bread and starts a journey. In a forest, she sees a light in the distance - an old woman (the mother of the Moon)'s house, where she takes shelter for the night. Her son comes home and is inquired about the whereabouts of the Serpent Prince. The old woman directs the princess to her aunt, and gives her a gold bobbin.

The situation repeats twice in the next two houses (of the Sun and of the Winds), and she gains a golden reel and a golden spool and ball of thread; only on the third house she finally learns where her husband is: the Hurricane Wind tells her he went to his castle and he can take her there.

The princess arrives at the castle and wanders about with the gold bobbin. A maidservant appears and guides the girl to the queen, who is interested in the golden item and wishes to buy it. The princess offers it in exchange for a night in the king's chambers. She enters the chambers and begs her husband to awake and see her. She fails and weeps bitterly until dawn, when the queen expels her from the room. The second night goes much the same.

On the third day, the king's valet tells him that a woman has come to his chambers and wept at his bedside, but he could not respond. The king surmises he was drugged with a sleeping potion, and asks his valet to pour any drink he receives out in the bath. The princess sells her the golden thread, hoping she can wake him up. She enters the room and begs her husband to wake up and touch her breast. He does and she gives birth to their children: two golden-haired boys.

The queen enters the room, intending to expel the woman, but the king orders the guards to seize her and lock her up in a cell. The king summons his advisers, who counsel him that a wedded woman is better that an unwed one. He stays with the princess and his two sons, and punishes the queen.[2]

Analysis[]

Tale type[]

The tale is classified in the Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index as type ATU 425A, "The Animal (Monster) as Bridegroom".[3][4] In this tale type, the princess burns the husband's animal skin and she must seek him out, even paying a visiting to the Sun, the Moon and the Wind and gaining their help.[5] In Balkanic variants of the tale type, the supernatural husband curses his wife not to give birth to their child for a long period of time until she finds him again.[6]

In tale type ATU 425A, the heroine journeys far and wide to encounter her husband, and finds him at the mercy of a second spouse. The supernatural husband, now human, is put to sleep by the magic potion of the second spouse, so that the heroine has no chance of rescuing him.[7]

Others of this type include The Black Bull of Norroway, The Brown Bear of Norway, The Daughter of the Skies, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, The Tale of the Hoodie, The Sprig of Rosemary, and White-Bear-King-Valemon.

Motifs[]

Linda Dégh also saw a sexual component in the character of the snake bridegroom in the Hungarian variants.[8] In the same vein, researcher Donald Ward observed an erotic element "in almost every variant" of the tale type: the defloration of a virgin by a phallic-shaped monster.[9]

Dégh also remarked that these tales refer to a patriarchal peasant order: the preference for a male firstborn; the arranged marriage for women; the double marriage of the male character.[10]

Variants[]

Hungary[]

According to Hungarian scholarship, ethnographer Janos Berze Nágy (hu) dubbed type AaTh 425A in Hungary as Kígyóvőlegény ("The Serpent Bridegroom"), due to the serpent appearing in 12 of 26 variants available in his lifetime.[11]

Dégh stated that she analysed some 40 Hungarian variants of type ATU 425A and concluded that the "Hungarian ethnic redaction" of the type "always" featured the snake as the supernatural husband.[12] In a later study, Dégh claimed that the Hungarian ethnic redaction was "remarkably consistent": the snake is the animal bridegroom "in all cases", barring a few variants wherein the supernatural bridegroom is a pig or a dog.[13]

Dégh located the first recorded variant in Hungary in 1822.[14]

In a tale published by Gyorgy Gaal with the title A kigyó-királyfi ("The Serpent-Prince"), a childless royal couple longs to have a child of their own. One day, an old woman brings a bouquet of flowers that the queen smells. She becomes pregnant and gives birth to a snake. They decide to keep it alive instead of killing it. Years later, the snake whistles from a tree. The king wonders why, but the old woman explains the snake wants to be married. The royal couple finds him a princess that he soon kills. They find later him a poor peasant girl from that town whom he marries and treats kindly. The girl notices her husband takes off the snakeskin at night and becomes a handsome prince. The queen mother learns of this through her daughter-in-law steals the snakeskin and burns it in the oven. The snake prince wakes up, realizes the situation and curses his wife not to give birth until he puts his hand on her. He vanishes to the Fairy Realm and marries the Fairy Queen. Meanwhile, his human wife decides to go after him. She passes by the King of the Winds, the Castle of Moon and the Castle of the Day, and gains a golden spindle, a golden spinning wheel and a third golden instrument. She reaches the palace of the Fairy Queen and trades the golden objects for three nights with her husband. The human wife begs for her husband to let her give birth to their golden-haired child.[15]

In Hungarian variant A kigyóbör (Die Schlangenhaut or "The Snakeskin"), collected by László Merényi and translated by Elisabeth Rona-Sklárek, a poor woman prays to God for a son, even if it is a half-man, half-snake child. Thus she bears a son as she described. Eighteen years pass, the snake son grows and talks to his mother that he want to marry the local king's daughter, she who is famed for her beauty. His mother goes to the king to tell him of her son's proposal, and the king wants as a wedding gift a basket of gem-made flowers and golden apples. The poor mother returns to her poor hut and tells her son about it. The son asks his mother to wait outside, takes off his snakeskin and shakes it seven times: magical servants appear to get the requested items. The mother delivers the basket to the princess and her father asks for a golden bridge to be built overnight between both their houses - which is also accomplished. That night, the princess dreams of a handsome man on her bed, and, when she wakes up, she finds a strand of golden hair and a golden scale on her bed. The king consents to their marriage, but they have to wait three days. The snake son uses this time to summon his magical servants to prepare the couple's castle, a wedding retinue for his bride, a magnificent bride's dress and a splendid carriage. After they marry, the snake husband takes off his skin, becomes a man and tells his human bride his secret: he truly is a human man underneath the snakeskin. Some time later, the princess is pregnant and tells her mother his secret, and the queen convinces her to burn the snakeskin. She follows through with the instructions and tosses the snakeskin into the oven. As the snakeskin burns, the magical servants also burn with it, and sing a lament before disappearing. The snake husband notices the loss of the snakeskin and curses his wife not to give birth until he embraces her again. In return, she curses him that three drops of her spilled blood, staining his white shirt, will not be washed save by her own hands. The husbands then vanishes in a puff of smoke. Seven years, seven monts, seven days pass, and the princess goes on a quest for her husband: she passes by the houses of the Mother of the Moon, the Mother of the Sun, the Mother of the Wind, and gains two goldfishes, a golden cup and two golden spindles, and lastly a golden yarn. The princess takes a ride on the back of the Wind and goes to the palace of the false bride. The princess washes her husband's bloodied shirt in the lake. Her husband puts his hand on her breast and she gives birth to their children: a pair of golden-haired twins, a boy and a girl, one with the sun, the other with a star on the front.[16][17]

In a Yugoslavian-Hungarian variant titled A kígyó-vőlegény ("The Snake-Groom"), a poor couple wishes for a son and a snake is born. Time passes, and the snake whistles for his mother. The woman talks to her son and he says he wishes to be married. He sets his eyes on a neighbouring girls. They invite the first girl: she enters the bedroom, sees the snake and screams; the snake coils around her neck and strangles her. The same thing happens to a second girl. When it is time for a third candidate, the girl caresses the snake and survives the ordeal. She discovers the snake is a handsome man at night and wears the snakeskin during the day. her mother-in-law convinces the girl to burn the skin. She prepares the oven with some hot coals and throws the skin in the fire. The snake son wakes up and admonishes his wife, and curses her to not give birth and for her ring to stick to her finger until she has found him in a black castle in the north. He vanishes and shes goes after him, passing by the house of three old women and gaining golden objects. In the third house, the old woman, the mother of the whirlwind, asks her son to help the girl reach the black castle up north in no time. At last she arrives at the castle and trades the golden objects for three nights with her husband. She sits by his bedside and begs him to wake up and touch her. He does on her third attempt and she gives birth to their child.[18]

Romania[]

According to Hungarian folklorist Ágnes Kovács, Romanian tales of the "Snake Bridegroom" may show two versions (or redactions): either the mother-in-law burns the man's snakeskin, but he stays with his human bride, or the snakeskin is burnt and the husband disappears. The latter sequence prompts the husband's curse of the long pregnancy and the wife's quest for her husband.[19]

Writer and folklorist Cristea Sandu Timoc collected a Romanian variant from teller Lăpădat Maria and published it with the title Dinu Făt-Frumos. In this tale, a childless couple suffers for having no son. Out of desperation, they agree to take the first creature they find as their son. The old man finds a snake and brings it home. The couple raises the snake son until he grows up, and, one day, he tells them he wants to marry the princess. He asks his mother to go to the king's court and propose to her in his name. The king scoffs at the proposal and tells her that her son must perform some tasks first: to pave the way with gold and silver overnight and to build a place more splendid that the king's. The snake son does and he marries the princess. At night, the snake son takes off his snakeskin and becomes a man, to the princess's delight, but slithers back into the snakeskin at dawn. This goes on for some time, until, one night, the princess heats off the oven to burn her husband's snakeskin. He wakes up, scolds her and beats her nose, drawing three drops of blood. He then curses her: the three drops of blood shall remain so, and she cannot give birth to their child until he returns to her in nine years' time, and vanishes. Time passes, and her belly grows so large with each passing year, she attaches an iron ring around it, one for each year. She decides to go after him and asks the Sun and the Wind for directions. God takes pity on her and gives her three golden items: a golden hen with five golden chicks, a golden spinning wheel and a golden yarn. The Wind carries her to the palace of the Fairy Empress. The Fairy Empress sees the three golden objects and wants them, but the princess exchanges each one for one night with her husband. On the first two nights, the man does not wake up, but she insists and he wakes up. The man puts his hand on her belly and their child is born.[20]

Slavic[]

In a South Slavic tale collected by Friedrich Salomo Krauss with the title Die entzauberte Schlange ("The Enchanted Snake"), a childless couple longs to have a son. The wife declares she wants a son, even if it is a snake, so a snake is born. The husband tries to convince the wife to kill it, but the snake tells them he will live out his days in the forest. The snake works as a swineherd. A king passes by the snake's herds and feels impressed by his efforts. The snake marries the princess, who rejects him at first until she sees his true human form at night. The princess tells her mother-in-law her discovery and she suggests to burn the snakeskin, which she does. The snake husband curses his wife to not give birth to their child until he embraces her, and for her ring to stay on her finger. The husband disappears; the princess gets the help of the Wind to take to where her husband is. Despite being classified as type 425A, this tale lacks the three nights bribe of the second spouse.[21]

Serbia[]

Serbian philologist Vuk Karadžić collected and published a Serbian variant titled Opet zmija mladoženja ("Again, the Snake Bridegroom"). In this tale, a childless queen prays to God for a child, even if it is a snake. God answers her prayers and a snake child is born . They raise the child for years and finally the snake talks to its parents: he wants a bride. His parents arrange a marriage for him with a peasant girl and they marry. Some time later, the girl appears pregnant and the queen questions how that is possible if her son is a snake. The girl reveals her husband takes off the snake skin at night and becomes a handsome man. The queen delights at this information and tells her daughter-in-law she should burn the snakeskin to keep him in human form for good. That night, the girl does as asked. Her husband awakes and curses his wife to walk with iron shoes and to not give birth until she finds him again and he places his hand on her body, and vanishes. The girl goes after him and passes by the Mother of the Sun, the Mother of the Moon and the Mother of the Winds, and each gives her a golden object. The Wind directs her to another kingdom, where her husband has married another empress. She walks a bit more and reaches the kingdom. She positions herself by the Empress's castle doors, and takes out the golden object she received to draw the Empress's attention. She trades the objects for three nights with her husband: on the first two, he does not respond to her plea, because he has drunk a sleeping potion, but on the third night, he listens to her plight and touches her belly. Their child is born (a golden-haired, golden-armed boy), and they return home.[22][23]

See also[]

Tales about serpent husbands:

References[]

  1. ^ Dégh, Linda. Hungarian Folktales: The Art of Zsuzsanna Palkó. Routledge, 2014. p. 77. ISBN 9781317946670.
  2. ^ Dégh, Linda. Hungarian Folktales: The Art of Zsuzsanna Palkó. Routledge, 2014. pp. 78-92. ISBN 9781317946670.
  3. ^ Dégh, Linda. Hungarian Folktales: The Art of Zsuzsanna Palkó. Routledge, 2014. p. 77. ISBN 9781317946670.
  4. ^ Dégh, Linda. Folktales and Society: Story-telling in a Hungarian Peasant Community: Expanded Edition with a New Afterword. Indiana University Press, 1989. p. 325. ISBN 9780253316790.
  5. ^ Vernaleken, Theodor. In the Land of Marvels: Folk-tales From Austria And Bohemia. London: W. S. Sonnenschein & co., 1884. pp. 359-360.
  6. ^ Wright, James R. G. "Folk-Tale and Literary Technique in Cupid and Psyche". In: The Classical Quarterly 21, no. 1 (1971): 276. http://www.jstor.org/stable/637841.
  7. ^ Bálint Peter. Kedvenc Népmeséim (My Favourite Folk Tales): A hangok sokfélesége (The Multiplicity of Voices) - meseszöveg-gyűjtemény és tanulmányok (a collection of tales and studies). Hajdúböszörmény, 2010. p. 225. ISBN 978-963-89167-0-9.
  8. ^ Dégh, Linda. Hungarian Folktales: The Art of Zsuzsanna Palkó. Routledge, 2014. p. 77. ISBN 9781317946670.
  9. ^ Ward, Donald. "'Beauty and the Beast': Fact and Fancy, Past and Present". In: Midwestern Folklore Vol. 15, Number 2, Fall 1989, pp. 120-121.
  10. ^ Dégh, Linda. Narratives in Society. A Performer-Centered Study of Narration. Folklore Fellows Vol. 255. Helsinki: Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, 1995. pp. 141-142.
  11. ^ Sándor Erdész. Kígyókultusz a magyar néphagyományban. Kossuth Lajos Tudományegyetem Néprajzi Tanszéke, 1984. p. 33. ISBN 9789634713319
  12. ^ Dégh, Linda. Hungarian Folktales: The Art of Zsuzsanna Palkó. Routledge, 2014. p. 77. ISBN 9781317946670.
  13. ^ Dégh, Linda. Narratives in Society. A Performer-Centered Study of Narration. Folklore Fellows Vol. 255. Helsinki: Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, 1995. pp. 139, 141.
  14. ^ Dégh, Linda. Narratives in Society. A Performer-Centered Study of Narration. Folklore Fellows Vol. 255. Helsinki: Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, 1995. p. 139.
  15. ^ György Gaal. Gaal György magyar népmese-gyujteménye (3. kötet). Pest: Emich Gusztáv könyvnyomdája, 1959. pp. 86-93
  16. ^ Merényi László. Eredeti népmesék (1. rész). Pest: Kiadja Heckenast Gusztáv, 1861. pp. 3-39.
  17. ^ Sklarek, Elisabet. Ungarische Volksmärchen. Einl. A. Schullerus. Leipzig: Dieterich, 1901. pp. 41-68, 288-289.
  18. ^ Bálint Peter. Kedvenc Népmeséim (My Favourite Folk Tales): A hangok sokfélesége (The Multiplicity of Voices) - meseszöveg-gyűjtemény és tanulmányok (a collection of tales and studies). Hajdúböszörmény, 2010. pp. 160-164. ISBN 978-963-89167-0-9.
  19. ^ Bálint Peter. Kedvenc Népmeséim (My Favourite Folk Tales): A hangok sokfélesége (The Multiplicity of Voices) - meseszöveg-gyűjtemény és tanulmányok (a collection of tales and studies). Hajdúböszörmény, 2010. p. 142 (footnote nr. 1). ISBN 978-963-89167-0-9.
  20. ^ Sandu Timoc, Cristea. Poveşti populare româneşti. Bucharest: Editura Minerva, 1988. pp. 75-77, 406.
  21. ^ Krauss, Friedrich Salomo; Volkserzählungen der Südslaven: Märchen und Sagen, Schwänke, Schnurren und erbauliche Geschichten. Burt, Raymond I. and Puchner, Walter (eds). Böhlau Verlag Wien. 2002. pp. 79-83, 613. ISBN 9783205994572.
  22. ^ Karadžić, V. S. Srpske narodne pripovijetke, drugo umnoženo izdanje. Beč, u nakladi Ane, udovice V.S. Karadžića. 1870. pp. 54–60.
  23. ^ Vučković, Dijana & Bratic, Vesna (2020). "Propp Revisited: A Structural Analysis of Vuk Karadžić’s Collection Serbian Folk Fairy Tales". In: Zeitschrift für Slawistik 65: 358-359 (version 2). 10.1515/slaw-2020-0017.
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