The Three Snake-Leaves

Once upon a time there was a poor man who could no longer support his only son. So the son said, 'Dear father, things are so bad with us that I am a burden to you. I would rather go away and see how I can earn my bread.' Then the father gave him his blessing and sadly said goodbye.

At that time the king of a great empire was at war, and the young man joined his army and went out to fight. When he faced the enemy, a battle raged with great danger. Shots fell like rain, and his comrades fell all around.

When even their leader was killed, those who were left wanted to flee. But the young man stepped forward, spoke bravely to them, and cried, 'We will not let our fatherland be ruined!' Then the others followed him, and he pressed on and defeated the enemy.

When the king heard that he alone had won the victory, he raised him above all others, gave him great treasures, and made him the first in the kingdom.

The king had a daughter who was very beautiful, but also very strange. She had vowed to marry only a man who promised to be buried alive with her if she died first. 'If he loves me with all his heart,' she said, 'what good will life be to him after I am gone?' She would do the same for him: if he died first, she would go down to the grave with him.

This strange oath had scared away all suitors, but the young man was so charmed by her beauty that he didn't care about the danger and asked the king for her hand. 'Do you know what you must promise?' said the king.

'I must be buried with her if I outlive her,' he replied, 'but my love is so great that I am not afraid.' Then the king agreed, and the wedding was celebrated with great splendor.

They lived happily together for a while, but then the young queen became very ill, and no doctor could save her. When she lay dead, the young king remembered his promise and was terrified at the thought of being buried alive. But there was no escape. The king had placed guards at all the gates, so he could not avoid his fate. On the day of the burial, he was led down into the royal vault with the coffin, and the door was shut and bolted.

Near the coffin stood a table with four candles, four loaves of bread, and four bottles of wine. When this food ran out, he would die of hunger. He sat there full of pain and grief, eating only a little bread each day and drinking only a mouthful of wine, and he saw death drawing nearer.

As he stared ahead, he saw a snake crawl out of a corner and approach the dead body. Thinking it would gnaw at her, he drew his sword and said, 'As long as I live, you shall not touch her!' and cut the snake into three pieces.

After a while, a second snake came out of the hole. When it saw the other lying dead and cut to pieces, it went back, but soon returned with three green leaves in its mouth.

Then it took the three pieces of the snake, laid them together as they should be, and placed one leaf on each wound. Immediately the pieces joined together, the snake moved and became alive again, and both snakes hurried away together. The leaves were left lying on the ground.

The unhappy man who had watched all this wondered if the leaves that had brought the snake back to life could also help a human. So he picked up the leaves and placed one on his dead wife's mouth and the other two on her eyes.

As soon as he did this, the blood stirred in her veins, rose into her pale face, and colored it again. She drew breath, opened her eyes, and said, 'Ah, God, where am I?' 'You are with me, dear wife,' he answered, and told her how everything had happened and how he had brought her back to life.

Then he gave her some wine and bread, and when she had regained her strength, he helped her up. They went to the door and knocked and called so loudly that the guards heard them and told the king.

The king himself came down and opened the door, and found them both healthy and strong. He rejoiced with them that all sorrow was over. The young king, however, took the three snake-leaves and gave them to a servant, saying, 'Keep them carefully and carry them with you at all times.

Who knows what trouble they might save us from in the future?'

But a change had come over his wife. After she had been brought back to life, it seemed as if all love for her husband had left her heart. Some time later, when the young king wanted to sail across the sea to visit his old father, they boarded a ship.

The queen forgot the great love and loyalty her husband had shown her by rescuing her from death, and she became wicked. She developed a liking for the ship's captain. One day, while the young king lay asleep, she called the captain.

She seized the sleeping king by the head, and the captain took him by the feet, and they threw him into the sea. When the shameful deed was done, she said, 'Now let us return home and say that he died on the way.

I will praise you so much to my father that he will marry me to you and make you heir to his crown.' But the faithful servant had seen everything they did, unseen by them.

He untied a small boat from the ship, got in, and rowed after his master, letting the traitors go on their way. He fished up the dead body, and with the help of the three snake-leaves that he always carried with him, he placed them on the king's eyes and mouth and fortunately brought him back to life.

They both rowed with all their strength day and night, and their little boat flew so swiftly that they reached the old king before the others did. He was astonished to see them come alone and asked what had happened.

When he learned of his daughter's wickedness, he said, 'I cannot believe she has behaved so badly, but the truth will soon come to light.' He told them both to go into a secret chamber and hide from everyone.

Soon afterward, the great ship sailed in, and the godless woman appeared before her father with a troubled face. He said, 'Why do you come back alone? Where is your husband?' 'Ah, dear father,' she replied, 'I have come home in great grief.

During the voyage, my husband suddenly fell ill and died. If the good captain had not helped me, I would have been in great trouble. He was present at his death and can tell you everything.' The king said, 'I will make the dead alive again.' He opened the chamber and told the two to come out.

When the woman saw her husband, she was thunderstruck, fell on her knees, and begged for mercy. The king said, 'There is no mercy. He was ready to die with you and restored you to life, but you murdered him in his sleep.

You shall receive the reward you deserve.' Then she and her accomplice were placed in a ship that had holes bored in it and were sent out to sea, where they soon sank amid the waves.