The Enchanted Maiden

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The Enchanted Maiden is a Portuguese fairy tale collected by Consiglieri Pedroso in Portuguese Folk-Tales.^[1]

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

A man had three daughters. To announce that the first one was ready to marry, he hung up a golden ball; every man passing by thought it too rich for him, until a prince came. The same thing happened to the second, but when it was the turn of the youngest, he could not afford a golden ball. He hung up a silver one instead; a prince passed by as it was too poor for him, and another man came to marry her. Her sisters refused to associate with her. One day, she was giving birth, and fairies asked for shelter; she tried to plead that she was not well, but the fairies also plead, and she let them stay. When she gave birth to a daughter, the fairies blessed the baby with beauty, riches, and having flowers fall from her mouth when she spoke. This reconciled the sisters who married princes with their sister.

When the enchanted maiden had grown up, a prince who was betrothed to a daughter of her aunt fell in love with her and had nothing to do with his betrothed. He fell ill, and his physicians ordered him to travel. The enchanted maiden climbed a tower to watch him go, and the betrothed maiden put out her eyes with a stick. A man gave her shelter, but when the prince returned, his betrothed claimed to be the enchanted maiden, who could not go to him because she was blind. She told the betrothed that she would give her flowers for her wedding in return for her eyes, and the betrothed girl sent her her eyes. She put them back and went to the wedding to ask the prince not to marry the betrothed girl. The prince asked his guests whether having lost something, bought another, and found the original, whether he should use the new or the old. They recommended the old, and he married the enchanted maiden.