At that minute nine peahens flew towards the tree, and eight of them settled on its branches, but the ninth alighted near him and turned instantly into a beautiful girl – so beautiful, indeed, that the whole kingdom could not produce one who could in any way compare with her. After many travels he came one day to a lake. XXXVIII.--THE GOLDEN APPLES AND THE NINE PEAHENS. This went on for two nights, until his brothers spied on him and saw how it happened. The empress bribed his servant to blow a whistle when the nine peahens approached. Undaunted, the dragon set off anyway and, during the pursuit, the dragon's horse complained to the prince's of the effort involved in trying to catch him. The prince returned to the castle and had the empress ask the dragon where he got the horse. The servant repeated this to the prince. Now, before the king’s palace grew a golden apple tree, which in one and the same night blossomed, bore fruit, and lost all its fruit, though no one could tell who took the apples. When it was near midnight the nine peahens flew up as before, and eight of them settled on the branches and the ninth stood by his bed, and turned into a most beautiful girl. This went on for two nights, until his brothers spied on him and saw how it happened. It burst, and a dragon sprang out to fly off and capture the empress. They made a bargain with a witch, and the next night she leapt up and cut off a lock of the maiden's hair. Arise, my soul”. She told the servant they would come on the next day and never again. Now by the lake stood a large and beautiful palace. Grieving, the prince set out in search of his beloved. Did they not come?” The servant told him they had been there, and that eight of them had bathed, but the ninth had sat by him on his horse, and caressed and tried to awaken him. Before midnight he awoke and looked up at the tree, and saw how the apples ripened, and how the whole palace was lit up by their shining. When he went in, a cask with iron bands about it asked him for water. Once upon a time there lived a king who had three sons. When the dragon saw this, he asked his horse whether he had time to eat and drink before setting off in pursuit, but the horse said he would not catch the fugitives, regardless of whether he ate first or set off straight away. Next morning he ordered her to be tied to a horse’s tail, and so torn to pieces. She talked with him. When he leaves to search for her he takes one of his servants who prevents him from seeing the maiden, whereas in the Serbian version the old empress sends her servant to go with him. The next day, the servant put him to sleep again, and the maiden told him that if the prince wanted to find her, he should roll the under peg on the upper. Folklore, Fantasy, Legend, Brothers Grimm, Sleeping Beauty, Latin, Prayer, Magic (paranormal), Spell (paranormal), Shamanism, Charles Dickens, Latin, Olympic Games, William Shakespeare, Writing, Mngwa, Fairy tale, Andrew Lang, The Violet Fairy Book, Aarne-Thompson, Bukovina, Fairy tale, Andrew Lang, The Yellow Fairy Book, Dragon, Brothers Grimm, Fairy tale, Aarne-Thompson, Rule of three (writing), Giant (mythology), Slavic languages, Germans, Balaur, Dacian language, Russians,
