Once upon a time there lived a king and a queen, and they had a daughter. The king rejoiced, the queen rejoiced, but their happiness did not last long. An old witch came to the palace and turned the little princess into a cobra, casting a spell on her: only then would her human form return to her when she touched the body of a newborn child. A golden snake slid out of the cradle and disappeared. And in those places there lived a poor peasant with his daughter. Every day the girl went to the meadow to graze sheep. And then one day she saw a golden snake in the grass, and so cute! The girl bent over her and caressed her. And the little cobra says to her in a human voice:
- Take me to live with you, I will thank you. Just don't show me to anyone.
This is what the shepherdess did: she took the snake home, hid it and fed it milk morning and evening, quietly from her father and mother. Time passed, the girl grew, and the cobra grew. Here’s how the snake once said to his girlfriend: ask your father to go to the city and buy a chest and put together outfits. The peasant loved his daughter and was glad to please her in everything, and therefore the next day he went to the city and bought a large chest. I returned home, opened it, and lo and behold, it was full of gold and precious stones. The peasant was delighted, bought land, built a large beautiful palace, and they began to live in prosperity, and his daughter, who by that time had become a lovely girl, no longer had to tend her father’s flock. All day long she played with her beloved snake, which she placed in a new chest. One evening the cobra says:
“Prepare yourself the most beautiful dress for tomorrow, because in the morning the royal hunt will begin in these places and the prince will pass by your house.”
And so it happened. In the morning the prince went hunting with his retinue and was very surprised when he saw a magnificent palace in front of him. The prince drove closer, looked out the window, and there was a girl, slender and beautiful. Then the prince fell in love with her. The girl’s father came out to him, invited him into the house and received everyone with honors and refreshments. The prince stayed in the palace and went home, but he lost peace because he fell in love with a beautiful girl with all his soul. And the cobra says:
-Wait, girlfriend: in three days the king will arrive here to marry you to his son.
And again it turned out as the snake said. On the third day, the king arrived with his entire court - he wanted to look at the master's daughter. And he liked her so much that he immediately asked her to be his son’s wife. The girl’s father happily agreed, and they set a wedding day. On the eve of the wedding, the cobra says to the bride:
“Tomorrow they will take you to the city in the royal carriage.” Put me in a glass casket and take me with you.
That's what the girl did. And the prince saw a casket with a golden snake in the carriage and let’s play with it. The snake in the casket spins and dances, and the prince admires it. There was only a short way to the royal palace when the cobra began to spin around in the casket and let it grow, grow, the glass cracked and the casket shattered into small fragments. Before the prince had time to come to his senses, a cobra slid onto the bride’s chest and whispered to her:
-Goodbye, girlfriend! When the time comes for your child to be born, open the window wide to the garden and don’t be afraid of anything. - With these words, the cobra slipped out of the carriage and disappeared. The prince rushed to the bride and asked if the terrible cobra had bitten her.
“No, your highness,” the girl smiled. — The snake has been living in my house for a long time and has never caused me harm.
Meanwhile, they reached the royal palace. On the same day they played a cheerful wedding, and the young people lived very happily. The window in the room of the prince and princess looked out onto the garden. Often in the evenings they sat by the open window and waited for the golden snake to appear, but it did not appear. And then the day came when the princess’s baby was born. At the same moment, a hiss was heard and a huge cobra crawled into the open window. Everyone who was in the room - both the doctors and the maids - rushed out in fear. And the cobra slid towards the princess, who was holding a child in her arms. An alarmed prince ran into the room, and what did he see? His wife smiles cheerfully, and a pretty girl stands next to her and holds a newborn boy in her arms. Then the king and queen came. The girl says:
“The evil spell fell off me, I became human again.” Now I wish I could find my parents. The evil witch separated me from them and turned me into a terrible cobra.
The king and queen were delighted and began to hug the prince and princess. And then there was a big celebration in the palace. And I was there, but I just didn’t eat or drink.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru