Folk Tale

The Blue Lily

Translated From

El lirio azul

AuthorFernán Caballero
LanguageSpanish
AuthorAmanda Cibulka
Book Titleibid
Publication Date2017
ATU780
LanguageEnglish
OriginSpain

(Valencian version)

Long, long ago, there was a King who had three sons. He told them that he would give the crown to whichever of them brought him the blue lily.

They set out, each on his own course, to search the world for it.

The youngest found the flower and very happily tucked it into his hose, so that if he encountered his brothers, they would not see it. In the middle of a dry river bed they found him, and realizing that he was carrying the flower, one said to the other:

"What will we do to take it from him and win the crown?"

The other responded:

"Kill him."

And so they did, and buried him in the sand.

Being two, and with just the one flower, they drew lots to see who would get it, and the elder brother won. He went home very happily, and when he arrived and gave his father the flower, the King declared him heir to the throne.

A shepherd passed the place where the youngest brother was buried, and saw a white cane sticking up from the ground, which he pulled out and made into a flute. He played it, and it said:

Play, play, good shepherd, and do not turn back, by the blue lily flower, I have died in the river of sand.

He was playing this when he passed by the King's palace, and the King, hearing the flute, came out and called to the shepherd, saying:

"Come up and play the flute for me, I want to heart it."

The shepherd entered and played the flute, and it repeated its song. The King sent for his sons, and told the shepherd to tell him where he had gotten the flute. The shepherd took them to the place where had found the flute, and the King said to his sons:

"Is it you who have killed your brother?"

But they said no.

Their father ordered them to dig up the sand in that place, and they found the boy alive and healthy, only missing one finger that had remained above ground while he was buried, and which had served to make the flute, and the father gave the crown to the boy and punished his brothers.

He lived and reigned many years, but always without a finger.

The tale is told, now it has finished, and gone through the chimney to the roof.


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