The prince of VeniceA folk tale from Cyprus

Collected and translated in Modern Greek and English by Costas ProussisIllustrated and published by Hambis Tsangaris

Once upon a time, long long ago, there was in Paphos a king and he decided to take a trip abroad. And he asked his daughters what presents they wanted him to bring back to them. First the eldest daughter, who was very good-natured, answered and told him:

“My father, I wish you the very best. When you go and come back in good health and joy, I want you to bring me a gown painted with the sky and the stars”.

And the middle daughter, who had arching eyebrows, asked him for a dress painted with the sea and its fish.

And the third, the smartest and most beautiful of them, who always was giving her father grief and sorrows, remained silent and she was not talking.

“My dear girl, you, too, tell me what you want me to bring to you”.

“My good father, let me think about it and I’ll tell you tomorrow”, she says.

All through the night she was pondering what to ask for. Suddenly came to her mind the old lame woman in the neighborhood, who has not her match in slyness. The princess arose in the morning before dawn, hastily she put on her clothes, and in an unwashed and disheveled state rushed to the old lady, who knew the pathways beneath the earth and the spring with the water of life. And as soon as the princess walked in, she greeted her humbly and bent down and kissed her feet and said to her:

“My good old lady, may I have your blessing? I need a favor from you today. My father has decided to go abroad far away, towards Venice, and he asked us what presents we want him to get for us. My sisters asked for dresses all silk, painted with the sky and the sea. But I wasn’t tricked to tell him anything before I ask you. So I came running to you to advise me, because you know more than anybody else”.

And then the cunning old woman was very pleased that a famous princess had come to ask for her advice.

“My good girl, you are smart and you have my blessing. The esteem that you show me will benefit you very much. Listen what you should tell him”, she says. “My dear father, when you go, God willing, towards Venice, I am only asking you for one favor, if you want to do it for me. I want you to bring me three golden hairs from the head of the prince of Venice”.

“And what will I do with three hairs from the head of the king’s son?”, the princess asks the very cunning old woman.

“That is not your concern”, the old woman tells her. “When he brings them to you, come here and I’ll instruct you. And now go on with my blessing”.

And the girl pleased went running to her father. And after she greeted him, she told him what she wanted him to bring her.

“And my daughter”, he says, “Venice is very famous for its gold jewelry. Why don’t you ask me to bring you all gold beds and dresses, and you ask me to bring you golden hairs from the golden head of the prince of Venice?”

“Because that’s what I want”, she says, “and if you don’t bring me the golden hairs, I wish that on the return voyage your ship will be unable to come home, but sail further and further away”.

Finally, to make a long story short, the king said farewell to his daughters and all his relatives, got into the ship and happily set out to go on his far far away trip. After travelling for many days he reached Venice. First of all he went to pay his respects to the king of Venice and gave him many gifts from Cyprus.

The king of Venice liked favorably upon him and the king of Paphos was very pleased with his good manners in return. The king of Paphos, after staying for a long time in beautiful Venice, which is built in the sea like a beautiful island, and entertained himself in the company of so many good and rich people, and walked around those beautiful places, and after he bought the gowns and other presents for his daughters and his relatives, then he started back for his country, his kingdom. He had completely forgotten the promise he gave to his youngest daughter, because most of all it seemed to him that it was pretty silly anyway. And he bought for her other beautiful and expensive things, like silk dresses and gold jewelry. But, because his daughter cursed him if he does not bring the prince’s hairs to her, his boat should go further and further back away and never come home – so, he could not come back to his country. After he fought against the sea for many days and could not get back home, he remembered his daughter’s curse: because he didn’t get for her the golden fairs of the prince of Venice. So the king of Paphos, willy nilly, was forced to turn back to Venice, and try to find the Prince and perhaps he might find some way through some friend to get three hairs from his head in order to take back to his daughter who cursed him.

Once he came back for his matter he sat down and was pondering how he could achieve it. Finally, an inspiration from God came to him. He thought that he had to find out who is the prince’s barber. When he learned who his barber was, he was going there himself to be shaved. He was always paying the barber generously giving him many presents, so he and the barber became friends. The king of Paphos obliged the barber so much, that the barber wanted to do some favor for the king in order to repay some of his obligations. So, one day when he shaved the king and the king had given him a golden ring as a present, the barber says to him:

“You obliged me a lot, my lord the king, and I would like to do a favor for you too, if I could. But I am a poor man and I am sorry that I do not have anything to offer you”.

Then the king, who had been waiting for this opportunity, immediately said him:

“Master, it is easy to do the biggest favor in the world for me, if you want to”.

When the barber heard that he also could do something good for the king, he got plenty of courage and joy, and promised to do whatever he asked of him.

“Since you are willing to do something good for me, I want to ask you a favor, and if you do it for me you will see a big benefit from me. So, listen to me, barber, my friend”, the king told him. “I learned that the king’s son comes here every day to be shaved. Is that true?”

“Yes, that is true”, says the barber.

“Well, do whatever you can and cut from the prince’s head three golden hairs and bring them to me because I need them. Without fail, if you can, bring them to me tomorrow afternoon”.

After thinking about this request for a little while, the barber promised the king to do it. From that moment on, the barber was thinking and thinking how to accomplish that task. The prince was always accompanied by two young swordmen, who were looking after him. The barber had to figure out how he could get a chance to cut three golden hairs from the prince’s head without his men noticing him. The long contemplation was driving him crazy. Suddenly, while he was deliberating, an idea came to him. He had a young apprentice, very clever, a shrewed chap. He summoned him right away and said to him:

“I have to do this and that. You have to help me somewhat, and if we succeed we are going to get a big benefit. And while I was thinking I got this idea: Tomorrow morning when the prince comes here to be shaved, you stay downstairs, get some old papers in the cellar and set them on fire. And then you should start screaming so that the men who look after the prince run downstairs and so I’ll get the chance to do my work. You do what I tell you and I’ll give you five old coins as a reward”.

“Very well, boss”, said the young apprentice, “don’t worry, I understand what I am going to do”.

Next morning, when the sun had hardly risen one pike in the sky, there comes the prince with his men to be shaved. The barber prepared quickly to shave him. As soon as he had made the lather and started shaving the prince, you could hear the young apprentice yelling and screaming:

“Help!... Fire!... Help!... for God’s sake, we are going to be burned!...”

The prince immediately ordered his men to see what was happening downstairs and help extinguish the blaze. So the barber did not lose any time, cut three golden hairs from the head of the prince and hid them. The barber was so glad that he had succeeded to do what he wanted, the he could not sit still. The king of Paphos came to the barber that afternoon laden with presents. When the barber saw him, he ran joyfully to the king to welcome him.

“My lord the king”, said the barber, “I got what you wanted. Thank God! Here they are! I am holding them. Here they are!”

And he gave the king the three golden hairs from the head of the prince of Venice. When the king got the hairs, he was overjoyed and gave the barber a very big reward. He bade the barber farewell and left. Right away he went to his ship where his companions were waiting for him. They got into the boat, unfurled the sails and a gentle wind began to blow and within a few days, without any difficulty, they arrived to their country where all their relatives were waiting for them.

As soon as the boat dropped anchor, a message was proclaimed to the entire kingdom, and everybody came to welcome them. First of all there were all the king’s relatives. Second the officials of the kingdom and then many other people. The army of the kingdom had a big demonstration. And all the people were glad that the king returned safe and well.

When the king went home and rested for a while, he gave to his daughters and to all the relatives the presents that he had bought them. He called also his youngest daughter, the very smart and befooled one,

and gave her in a small box the three golden hairs from the prince, for which he had spent big amounts of money.

“Take the hairs that you wanted. You have always given me pains and sorrows since I brought you to this world”.

All his daughters were very pleased and glad that their father had safely returned and brought them whatever they requested. The youngest one did not waste any time, she got the hairs and went to the sly old woman.

“Come, old lady, and see that my dear father returned and brought me the three golden hairs from the head of the prince of Venice. Now, tell me and instruct me what to do and how these hairs will be of use to me”.

“Oh, my dear child, these hairs are going to make you queen of Venice and the noble lady of the whole world. With these hairs the prince, who is renowned in the whole world, is going to become your husband”, the old woman says to her. “Now, listen to me carefully what you are going to do. Tomorrow morning, Monday, get up very before sunrise, and gather all the fragrant flowers you can find and fill up a clean basin. Use only the petals and thorn less leaves of the flowers. Then fill another clean basin with all the perfumes and rose water. Put both basins, which you filled with perfumes and all kinds of flowers and roses, in your bedroom. Decorate your bedroom like a bridal chamber and make your bed with silk sheets. When night falls and it is nearly midnight, you should have burning charcoal in a golden incense burner, then carefully take a hair from the small box and place it on the coals. After you burn the hair get into your bed right away, because before long the prince will arrive as a golden eagle, through the sky-light of your room (you will leave, on purpose, the sky-light open). As soon as he arrives he will shed his golden wings and golden clothes and get first into the basin with the rose water to bathe, then he will get into the basin with the rose and flower petals to dry himself up, and then he is going to lie down next to you and he will place his golden sword in between you and him so that he may not touch you. At dawn he will arise, get dressed, put on his wings and become a golden eagle again and fly to his country. This ritual will be repeated carefully for three nights in a row. But on the third night, before he lies down next to you, he will ask you who you are and tell you to call your family to get priests and best men so that he might marry you. Now you understand what you have to do”, the old woman said to the princess. “Run along, now, with my blessing and may God help you”.

The princess thanked the old woman and gave her a generous gift the she had brought with her. She bade her farewell and departed.

The next day she arose in the morning and did what the old lady had told her to do. That evening she bathed and anointed herself in perfumes, dressed like a bride, and waited for midnight in order to singe her hair. When it was time she took the prince’s hair, put it on the coals and got into bed. Not long after a big roar was heard like it was thundering at the Petra tou Limniti, and lo and behold, a golden eagle flew into her room through the sky-light, and did exactly like the old woman had told her.

The next day the princess did the same thing again, and the same happened with the prince, as we said before. But the second day her sisters suspected something, and they lay in wait for her all day and night and saw what was going on, and they almost burst out with

envy until the next morning. Then the older sisters said to themselves: “We should do whatever we can to ruin the plans of our very shrewd sister”. And they set out to ruin her plans next day.

When day broke they let her prepare everything again. They found a lot of glass and old bottles, they broke them into pieces, filled up a bushel basket and hid it in their rooms. They took aside their maid, a filthy lass, and said to her: “Do you see this broken glass? This afternoon we are going to take our sister to the bath-house to bathe. We will leave the combs home, on purpose, and we will blame you that you forgot to bring them, and so we shall send you back to fetch them. And when you come back, take this key to our sister’s room, open the door, take this bushel which is full with broken glass and pour the glass into the two basins that she has in her room. Mix the glass in well and put everything in order so that nobody will notice anything. You heard us”, they said, “do as we tell you and we shall give you a big reward”.

“With pleasure, my ladies,” says the maid, “I will do as you tell me. Besides, I also have noticed that your sister is taking the wrong path, because twice I saw her going to the house of that lame, sly woman, who turns one’s head”.

After they instructed her well, in the afternoon they called their sister and asked her to go with them to the bath-house to bathe.

“All right, my dear sisters,” says the youngest sister, and she was all joy because that was the third night that the prince was going to come, and, as the lame woman told her, he would marry her and he would be her husband with honors. To cut a long story short, the three sisters and their maid started out for the bath-house. When they had gone far enough, the oldest sister says to her maid:

“Oh, did you bring the combs?”

“No, my ladies, forgive me”, said the maid.

“You fool, crazy girl”, they said. “Where is your head?” And the oldest sister slapped her. “Run back and fetch them”, they tell her.

And so immediately she ran back to bring the combs to the bath-house.

“Well”, they all said, “by the time we go there and take our bath, she will be back. Why should we wait here?”

With arms around each other, the three sisters continued on. The maid went back, did what they had instructed her to do, came back running and brought them the combs to the bath-house. After they had their bath, they returned home. They took a stroll in their garden, until dinner time, sat down and ate and then each one went to her own room. The poor little sister how could she suspect that her sisters would do something so mean to her! She dressed herself as a royal bride and was waiting for the right time to singe the last hair that was left, so that her sweetheart would come, whom she was anxiously expecting. And she was dancing of joy.

When it was close to midnight, she put the last hair on the charcoal and went to bed. Half an hour later, the prince came in. He shook himself and his wings fell off, undressed hastily and cheerfully and got into the basin with the perfumes. But the poor and pitiful prince was cut all over by the glass and he was bleeding. He got out of the perfume basin and stepped into the other basin

with the roses and the flowers, hoping to get some relief from his wounds. But in vain; it was worse. He got out of that basin too and began insulting the princess and drew his sword to behead her. But right away, when she saw him in such bad and wretched condition, she fell at his feet weeping bitter tears and tugging at her hair and begged him to have pity on her, not to kill her, because it wasn’t she who had done this wicked thing to him: some other women did it, who envied her. It seems that he realized that too, so he felt pity for her and did not kill her. He dressed quickly, put on his wings and moaning because of his wounds left and went to his country.

Now the princess, grief-stricken, was crying and lamenting so mournfully, that even the trees withered because they felt sorry for her. Only her wicked sisters were glad because they succeeded in doing her such a big wrong. Her father learned about it and was very saddened. She got up early in the morning, went to her father and explained everything to him. Her father said to her:

“My daughter, do not worry and do not cry. Cyprus has many handsome young men who come first in dancing and first in throwing the javelin, first in the war, in running and in stone throwing”.

And his daughter says to him:

“My father if you love me, I do not want anybody else, I want the prince, he is the only one for me.I am only asking you a favor, if you want to do it:Put a thousand gold Venetian coins in my pocket, And give me a man’s suit to wear, And your blessing, my lord, and let me go away”.

And where are you going, my daughter?” he says to her.

“I am going to take a road and wherever God and my good luck take me”, she said to him. “I am going to travel all over the world until I find the prince, see him and try to cure him”.

Her father tried hard to change her mind, but to no avail. He then felt obliged to let her go and give her whatever she asked of him.

So she bade farewell to her father, who gave her his blessing, and with God’s guidance, she left home and started out wherever her destiny might take her. After she got dressed like a man, got loaded with gold coins, put in her belt a gold knife with three nails, she left the city and found a boat. She got in the boat and agreed to be let off near Venice. She paid the captain for her fare, and told him that she was a merchant on a shopping expedition.

After travelling for a few days, they arrived in the vicinity of Venice and the captain of the ship let her off. When the princess got off the boat, she took a rad and started walking and walking, and by the evening she arrived to a forest. In that forest there were wild beasts and she was afraid they might eat her, so she preferred to spend the night on a big tree. After midnight a strong wind was heard, like it was thundering. Not long after that, many women gathered under the tree where the princess was hiding. They didn’t quite look like ordinary women, and she thought that they were Good-Women (fairies). Among those fairies there was an old woman, who was their leader, and she was telling them her own story, the story of the princess and the prince, and she was proud that it was she who had gotten into the minds of the princess’s sisters and made them secretly do the wrong that they had done to her. (Because the fairies are ‘devilish’, and make people do wrong to one another.)

“But”, the old fairy was telling them, “if the king finds an old woman like me and slaughters her and puts her body in a boiling caldron and let her boil well until her juice is reduced to one kilo, and then if he takes that juice and puts it in a bottle and takes it to anoint the prince with that for three times –once every morning- the prince will be cured at once and be better than before”.

The princess heard the whole story and the healing process of the old woman and she was encouraged that there was a way for her sweetheart to be cured. She was very sorry that she would have to kill another person in order to cure him, but for his sake she decided to become a murderess. The dawn, before sunrise, all the fairies arose and went away and left only the old woman still sleeping. That tree was the place where the fairies used to come under it to took,

eat and sleep. When they had gone, the princess saw that the old woman was alone, so she at once got down from the tree, drew her gold three nailed knife, put it on the old woman’s throat and killed her. Close by there was a caldron. She cut up the old fairy into pieces, put her in the caldron, lit the fire under it and let her boil well until she was done. When the boiled liquid was reduced to one kilo, she took a bottle that she was using for drinking water, filled it up with the liquid, closed it tight and started walking fast and left that place and walked seven to eight miles away from there.

After she had walked a couple of days, she saw in the distance by the seashore a beautiful city. She met some shepherds and asked them for some bread and water, which they gave her, and she gave them a gold coin as a present. And she says to them:

“What city is that over there?”

They told her:

“It is Venice. But our king is very sad because his son is very sick and about to die. Doctors have come from all over the world, but it was impossible to cure him. Yesterday we learned that he had only two or three more days to live”.

When the princess heard that he is still alive, she was delighted and hoped to see him alive and become his doctor. After resting there two or three hours, she got up and walked all day and towards evening she arrived at that beautiful city, Venice. The night she went and stayed at an inn. In the morning she went to the bath-house and bathed, then she bought a new suit and shoes, put them on, dressed up and there was nobody to match her in beauty. She looked like a charming young man. Whoever saw her would thing she was the prince’s brother.

She went and sat in a casino and gave a gold Venetian coin to someone who was going around the city announcing that a famous doctor had arrived to Venice. She also sent somebody to the king and gave him notice that a famous doctor has come, and he bet his head that he can cure the prince. As soon as the king heard that he is such a good doctor, he sent for him. The king says to him:

“Are you the doctor who is proclaiming that he will cure my son?”

“Yes”, replied the doctor (the princess). “I can cure him completely in three days. And if I don’t cure him, you may gut off my head”.

The king, who would even have sought help for his son from a poisonous viper, asked the doctor to come in. The doctor ordered everyone out of the room, even the king and the queen. He only requested some bread and water and his little case where he kept his medicines. He locked himself in alone with the prince, and told him not to come close to the room unless he summons them.

As soon as the princess was alone with the prince, she bent down, kissed him and burst into tears. Then she took out her knife and cut three other golden hairs from the prince’s head and hid them in her wallet. Then she took out of the box the bottle with the medicine, the liquid of the old fairy, and smeared it well, carefully all over the prince’s body. As soon as she anointed him with the medicine, the shards of imbedded glass began to crackle and fly out of the prince’s body. The next day she anointed him again and his body was completely clean and all the wounds healed. On the third and last day, he was entirely healed and was talking with the doctor. And when she put the medicine on him again, by the evening, before sunset, he was completely healed and he got up and walked. He was well again, like before and even better now.

Then she opened the doors and called the king and the queen to see their son who was completely cured as he was before. The king and the queen were elated with joy. Immediately they ordered big celebrations and feastings in the city because their son, who was the pride of Venice was well again. They thanked the doctor profusely, and tried to give him a big reward, but he did not accept anything. He accepted only a ring from the king’s son. That ring was very valuable and he gave it to the doctor as a souvenir. The king provided a ship to take the doctor back to Cyprus, his country.

When the princess arrived to her country, she went home and found her father very sad. And her sisters were also sad, because they had repented for the harm they had done to her. But now they all were glad because they were together again and all were well. the next day she got up, put her room in order, decorated it like a bridal room with gold ornaments, and filled up the basins with rose water and perfumes and all kinds of rose petals and flowers. She also decorated her bed with “all gold, all silk royal ornaments”. But she sat down there and guarded them, for she did not trust to go away and leave them.

When night proceeded well, she put a hair from the prince’s head, one of those that she brought back with her, on the charcoal which she had in a gold incense burner. She dressed up royally with the most expensive bridal gown and she was beautiful and charming and shone like the sun. Then she lay down on her golden bridal bed. After a while

A whirlwind was heard, like a hurricaneAnd lo and behold! A golden eagle flew through the sky-lightInto the room of the willowy and very famous princess.

As soon as he got in, he drew his sword to kill her and said to her:

“Don’t you fear God, you wench, bad woman? And you brought me here in order to kill me again? But now I will kill you first, so that may get rid of you”.

“Stop, my angel,” she says to him, “and see what I am holding. You gave it to me the day that I healed you”.

And she showed him the ring that he had given to her. When he looked and saw the ring, at once he put down his sword. Then the princess got up and told him her story as it happened and as I have told you,

from the beginning to the end. Then the prince forgave her and they embraced and kissed each other. And the prince says to her:

“By the time I bathe and dress, you notify your parents and ask them to bring priests and best men so that we may be married. Then I shall take you to Venice, to my father, and you will become a queen because you deserve to be”.

At once she rang the bell and her attendants came in, and she sent them to ask her father to come. When she told him what had happened he was delighted. He consented with pleasure to the marriage, and summoned the priests, the nobles and ladies of the kingdom; he got best men and bridesmaids and married them. The couple stayed for three days in the kingdom where they were many celebrations and banquets.

After three days the prince put on his uniform and his wings and became a golden eagle again, embraced the princess, now his wife, and flying he took her to his father’s royal palace. When he told his parents that his wife, dressed like a man, was the doctor who cured him, their joy was boundless, it had no end or beginning. And they thanked God for giving them such a beautiful and good daughter-in-law, who was also from a good family.

The king ordered that Venice celebrate for forty days and forty nights with feasts and banquets and cheers, and the entire city reveled for the joyful wedding of their children. He also abdicated and gave the throne to his son who became the new king and the smart princess became the queen of the Venice.

I happened to be close by, and had a good time with them. Then I returned to Cyprus where I found all of you well and safe. End of the tale and goodnight to you.