Thursday, March 31, 2011

The Humiliated Princess

Zipes, Jack.  "The Humiliated Princess."  Beautiful Angola:  The Great Treasury of Sicilian Folk and Fairy Tales.  New York: Routledge, 2004. Print

Once there was a king that had a very beautiful daughter, but she was moody and proud.  The king sent for many suitors and princess was never satisfied with any of them.  She would laugh at them and the suitors would leave ashamed.  Even with the king's reproach the princess did not listen and continued her behavior.  Finally, no more suitors came to the castle.  The king decided to send the princess' picture to foreign countries where she was not known.  The princess agreed to meet one young king.  However when he arrived she humiliated him as she had done with the others.  The young king went back to his country and the princess was banished from the castle by her father.  She meets the young king again, who has never forgotten about her, and he is posing as a pedlar.  He asks to marry her takes her through a series of humiliating tasks before revealing his identity. 

Cultural Origin:

This tale has Sicilian origins, and was first published in German.

Audience:

I think this story would be enjoyed most by upper elementary school and older students and adults in school and public library settings.

Adaptations:

This is a fun story that works well with the details that presented in the current story.  I would not make any changes when telling this story.

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