The frog and the snake

Here is the story of the frog and the snake.

The frog and the snake

Once upon a time there was a couple who had no children. One day the wife got angry and said to her husband:

• How I would like to have children! Even if they had to be transformed into a frog or a grass snake as soon as they were born.

A year after making such an extravagant wish, the woman actually gave birth to a frog and a grass snake. This one went towards the sea from its birth. On the other hand, the frog was raised by his parents with great tenderness.

One day when the frog was hopping around the house, his mother said to him:

• What a pity! You see me busy lighting the oven to bake the bread and you can't give me a hand; you are not even able to bring his meal to your father who works in the mountains, with an empty stomach!
• Do you think I can't bring my dad his meal? Put it in a basket and you'll see how I'll go!

On the way back, the frog, happy to have made himself useful by bringing the meal to his father, kept singing. His singing was a marvel.

A hunter fell in love with her voice and followed the frog home.

The mother thought the hunter was following her daughter to make fun of her, and she went out brandishing the bread shovel to drive her away, saying:

• I won't let anyone make fun of my frog girl!

The hunter came back to see the frog every day and even ended up getting engaged to her. He was the son of a king and he had a twin brother.

The king was concerned, as it was impossible for him to decide which of his two sons would inherit the throne; indeed, when they were born, no one had thought to note who was born first.

One fine day, the king summoned his two sons and said to them:

• You know that it is impossible for me to know which of you two is the heir to the throne. To resolve this conflict, I have decided to make you undergo three trials that you will have to complete with the help of your fiancées. Whoever brings me the three most beautiful objects will be my heir. The first test will be to bring me a unique vase in the world. Go find him.

The one who courted the frog said to himself:

“My brother is engaged to the daughter of the king's goldsmith, he will surely find a vase more beautiful than me; my poor frog, how can she help me in this matter? I'm going to go tell him what's happening to me. »

After listening to him, the frog said to him:

• Saddle the rooster!

As soon as the rooster was saddled, she mounted it, galloped to the edge of the sea and began to call:

• Snake of my heart!
• Who's calling me ?
• Your sister the frog.
• What do you want ?
• A vase so beautiful that nothing equals it in the world; my fiancé asked me for the king his father.
• I'm going to give you the vase that serves as a drinking trough for my hens.

The snake slipped between the waves and handed her sister a beautiful vase. She straddled her rooster and came back to her fiancé at full speed.

• Now, said the king to his sons, after they had delivered the vases to him, bring me a silk carpet embroidered with gold.

They immediately set off in search.

My brother, thinks the frog's betrothed, will bring a finer rug than I, because the goldsmith's daughter embroiders wonderfully and her father has enough gold thread for an entire rug. I'll go ask the frog for advice. »

He went to find her and explained to her the difficulties he foresaw in satisfying the king's wish.

The frog immediately said to him:

• Do not worry. Saddle the rooster!

As soon as he was saddled, she straddled him, galloped to the edge of the sea where she began to call:

• Snake of my heart!
• Who's calling me ?
• Your sister, the frog.
• What do you want ?
• A silk carpet embroidered with gold, so beautiful that nothing equals it in the world. My fiancé asked me for the king his father.
• I'll give you the rag to clean my oil lamps.

The snake tore a piece of wave and turned it into a beautiful carpet; in the center, a shield reproduced the profile of the king. The frog immediately brought it back to her fiancé, who immediately handed it over to his father.

The king then said to his sons:

• We come to the last test. Both of you bring your fiancées to the palace so that I can designate the most beautiful.

At the news of this ordeal, the fiancé of the goldsmith's daughter no longer felt joy, for he was sure that his fiancée was the most beautiful. While the frog's friend says to himself:

• I will never dare to introduce my bride to the palace; but I am sure that she will find a solution to this affair as to the two preceding ones.

So he told the frog:

• The third test imposed by my father is that we bring our brides to the palace so that he can compare the beauty of the two young girls.
• So you don't love me.
• If I love you.
• To the point of marrying me?
• Absolutely.
• Well, saddle my rooster, and follow me to the seaside.

As soon as they got there, the frog began to call:

• Snake of my heart!
• Who's calling me ?
• Your sister the frog.
• What do you want ?
• A carriage drawn by four horses, so beautiful that nothing equals it in the world. I need it to accompany my fiancé to the palace of the king his father. You will come with us.

Immediately four white horses, harnessed in gold, came out of the sea, pulling an ivory carriage. The frog and the snake settled there. The king's son climbed into the coachman's seat, took the reins, and drove the carriage to the palace.

Along the way, the frog intentionally dropped his handkerchief on the street. Her fiance stopped the horses and jumped out of the car to pick him up. As he handed it to the frog, looking up, he saw with amazement, seated in his place in the carriage, a young girl of magnificent beauty.

• Don't be scared, she told him. I was turned into a frog when I was born because of a curse pronounced by my mother, and I could not escape this fate until I had met a man who would like to marry me. Thanks to you, I have become myself again. I wish to be baptized with the name of Mary. Now my sister can go back to the sea.

When the king saw such a beautiful carriage arrive at his palace and get out of it such a pretty young girl, he ordered the assembly of the Court to judge the result of the three trials accomplished by his sons.

Before the verdict, all took part in a banquet. As he sat down to table, the fiancé of the goldsmith's daughter recommended to him:

• Do whatever my brother's bride will do.

Marie reserved on her knees a spoonful of each dish that was served to them.

The goldsmith's daughter did the same. At the end of the banquet, Mary took a handful of the food, which turned into flowers as she threw it at the king and his guests.

The goldsmith's daughter wanted to imitate Marie; and she began to throw handfuls of food at the king and the other guests…and stained all their clothes!

The king then presented to the Court the three pledges which each of his sons had brought him, and all agreed that the finest were those of Marie's betrothed. By virtue of this choice, he was named heir to the throne and married his beautiful the next day.

One of the princes invited to the wedding declared that he wanted to marry the snake. He immediately went to the seaside with Marie, who began to call:

• Snake of my heart!
• Who's calling me ?
• The queen, your sister.
• What do you want ?
• Take you out of the sea forever; this prince wants to marry you.

The snake came out of the water and said to the prince:

• Do you really love me ?
• But yes !
• Look, I'm nothing but a snake.
• I do not care ; I love you as you are.
• Thanks ! Thanks to you, I escape my mother's curse.

At these words, the snake transformed into a young girl as beautiful as her sister and she married the prince.

All lived very happily.