THE SERPENT-WIFE
by Unknown · from Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales
Adapted Version
Once, a man worked hard. He was in the forest. He was often alone. One day, The Man walked. He saw a very big serpent. The serpent moved close. The Man felt surprised.
The big serpent spoke. "Do what I say," it said. "Go home now. Ask The Boss for one corn sheaf. Take no money. Burn this sheaf. A pretty lady will come. Marry her." The Man listened.
The Man went home. He worked for The Boss. He asked for one sheaf. The Boss gave it. The Man burned the sheaf. A beautiful woman came out. She was The Magic Woman. The Man married her. She helped build a good home. Their home was nice. The Man was happy.
One day, The Man saw his corn. It was still in the field. He was upset. He spoke unkind words. He called his wife a serpent. The Magic Woman heard him. She was very sad. She told him before. "Do not call me that."
The Man went inside. He saw a big serpent. It was on his bed. The Magic Woman was gone. His words changed her. She was a serpent again. He felt very sad. He made a mistake.
The serpent spoke. "Your corn is safe," she said. "I put it in your barn. I did all the work. Now I must leave. I go to the forest. This is where you found me."
The serpent moved away. The Man followed her. He felt very sad. His heart was heavy. They went to the forest. They came to a bush.
The serpent spoke. "Kiss me three times," she said. The Man kissed her once. He knew many things. He kissed her again. He understood all words. He kissed her a third time. He knew all secrets. She made him wise.
"Remember me," she said. "I must go now." She went into the bushes. She was a serpent again. The Man was sad.
The Man was sad. The Magic Woman had to go. He learned a big lesson. He remembered to be kind. He remembered to be thankful.
Original Story
THE SERPENT-WIFE
THE SERPENT-WIFE
There was once a gentleman who had a labourer who never went about in company. His fellow-servants did all they could to make him come with them, and now and then enticed him into the tavern, but they could never get him to stay there long, and he always wandered away by himself through the woods. One day he went strolling about in the forest as usual, far from any village and the haunts of men, when he came upon a huge Serpent, which wriggled straight up to him and said, “I am going to eat thee on the spot!” But the labourer, who was used to the loneliness of the forest, replied, “Very well, eat me if thou hast a mind to!”––Then the Serpent said, “Nay! I will not eat thee; only do what I tell thee!” And the Serpent began to tell the man what he had to do. “Turn back home,” it said, “and thou wilt find thy master angry because thou hast tarried so long, and there was none to work for him, so that his corn has to remain standing in the field. Then he will send thee to bring in his sheaves, and I’ll help thee. Load the wagon well, but don’t take quite all the sheaves from the field. Leave one little sheaf behind; more than that thou needst not leave, but that thou must leave. Then beg thy master to let thee have this little sheaf by way of wages. Take no money from him, but that one little sheaf only. Then, when thy master has given thee this sheaf, burn it, and a fair lady will leap out of it; take her to wife!”
The labourer obeyed, and went and worked for his master as the Serpent had told him. He went out into the field to bring home his master’s corn, and marvellously he managed it. He did all the carrying himself, and loaded the wagon so heavily that it creaked beneath its burden. Then when he had brought home all his master’s corn, he begged that he might have the remaining little sheaf for himself. He refused to be rewarded for his smart labour, he would take no money; he wanted nothing for himself, he said, but the little sheaf he had left in the field. So his master let him have the sheaf. Then he went out by himself into the field, burnt the sheaf, just as the Serpent had told him, and immediately a lovely lady leapt out of it. The labourer forthwith took and married her; and now he began to look out for a place to build him a hut upon. His master gave him a place where he might build his hut, and his wife helped him so much with the building of it that it seemed to him as if he himself never laid a hand to it. His hut grew up as quick as thought, and it contained everything that they wanted. The man could not understand it; he could only walk about and wonder at it. Wherever he looked there was everything quite spick and span and ready for use: none in the whole village had a better house than he.
And so he might have lived in all peace and prosperity to the end of his days had not his desires outstripped his deserts. He had three fields of standing corn, and when he came home one day his labourers said to him, “Thy corn is not gathered in yet, though it is standing all ripe on its stalks.” Now the season was getting on, and for all the care and labour of his wife, the corn was still standing in the field. “Why, what’s the meaning of this?” thought he. Then in his anger he cried, “I see how it is. Once a serpent, always a serpent!” He was quite beside himself all the way home, and was very wrath with his wife because of the corn.
When he got home he went straight to his chamber to lie down on his pillow. There was no sign of his wife, but a huge serpent was just coiling itself round and round and settling down in the middle of the pillow. Then he called to mind how, once, his wife had said to him, “Beware, for Heaven’s sake, of ever calling me a serpent. I will not suffer thee to call me by that name, and if thou dost thou shalt lose thy wife.” He called this to mind now, but it was already too late; what he had said could not be unsaid. Then he reflected what a good wife he had had, and how she herself had sought him out, and how she had waited upon him continually and done him boundless good, and yet he had not been able to refrain his tongue, so that now, maybe, he would be without a wife for the rest of his days. His heart grew heavy within him as he thought of all this, and he wept bitterly at the harm he had done to himself. Then the Serpent said to him, “Weep no more. What is to be, must be. Is it thy standing corn thou art grieved about? Go up to thy barn, and there thou wilt find all thy corn lying, to the very last little grain. Have I not brought it all home and threshed it for thee, and set everything in order? And now I must depart to the place where thou didst first find me.” Then she crept off, and the man followed her, weeping and mourning all the time as for one already dead. When they reached the forest she stopped and coiled herself round and round beneath a hazel-nut bush. Then she said to the man, “Now kiss me once, but see to it that I do not bite thee!”––Then he kissed her once, and she wound herself round a branch of a tree and asked him, “What dost thou feel within thee?”––He answered, “At the moment when I kissed thee it seemed to me as if I knew everything that was going on in the world!”––Then she said to him again, “Kiss me a second time!”––“And what dost thou feel now?” she asked when he had kissed her again.––“Now,” said he, “I understand all languages which are spoken among men.”––Then she said to him, “And now kiss me a third time, but this will be for the last time.” Then he kissed the Serpent for the last time, and she said to him, “What dost thou feel now?”––“Now,” said he, “I know all that is going on under the earth.”––“Go now,” said she, “to the Tsar, and he will give thee his daughter for the knowledge thou hast. But pray to God for poor me, for now I must be and remain a serpent for ever.” And with that the Serpent uncoiled herself and disappeared among the bushes, but the man went away and wedded the Tsar’s daughter.
Story DNA
Moral
Be grateful for what you have and choose your words carefully, as unkindness can lead to irreversible loss.
Plot Summary
A solitary labourer encounters a serpent who instructs him to marry a woman who emerges from a burnt sheaf of corn. He follows the instructions, and his new wife, who is secretly the serpent, brings him great prosperity through her magic. However, when he becomes angry and calls her a 'serpent', she transforms back and prepares to leave him forever. Before her final departure, she grants him three kisses, each imparting him with universal knowledge, then disappears, leaving him with profound regret but also newfound wisdom, which he uses to marry a Tsar's daughter.
Themes
Emotional Arc
wonder to anger to profound regret to acceptance
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
The story reflects common folk tale motifs of magical wives, forbidden words, and the consequences of human ingratitude or broken promises.
Plot Beats (10)
- A solitary labourer encounters a large serpent in the forest who threatens to eat him.
- The serpent instead gives the labourer detailed instructions: to ask for a single sheaf of corn as wages, burn it, and marry the lady who emerges.
- The labourer follows the instructions, marries the beautiful woman, and she miraculously helps him build a perfect home and achieve prosperity.
- One day, seeing his corn unharvested, the labourer angrily calls his wife a 'serpent', despite her previous warning.
- He finds a huge serpent on his pillow, realizing his wife has transformed back and his words have sealed her fate.
- The serpent reveals she has already harvested and threshed all his corn, then prepares to depart to the forest where they first met.
- The man follows her, weeping, to the hazel-nut bush where she first appeared.
- The serpent asks him to kiss her three times, each kiss imparting him with a new form of knowledge: all that goes on in the world, all human languages, and all that goes on under the earth.
- After the third kiss, the serpent tells him to go to the Tsar, who will give him his daughter for his knowledge, and asks him to pray for her, as she must remain a serpent forever.
- The serpent disappears, and the man goes on to marry the Tsar's daughter, but lives with the knowledge of his loss.
Characters
The Labourer
A man of average height and build, accustomed to physical work but not overly robust, with a somewhat solitary and contemplative demeanor. His features are likely plain, reflecting a life of labor rather than luxury.
Attire: Simple, durable peasant clothing typical of a laborer in a rural European setting: a coarse linen or wool tunic, sturdy trousers, and practical leather boots. Colors would be muted, like browns, grays, or undyed linen.
Wants: Initially, to simply exist and follow instructions. Later, to have a comfortable life, and eventually, to gain knowledge and status.
Flaw: Lack of self-control, particularly his tongue; he is quick to anger and speaks without thinking, leading to the loss of his wife. He also takes his good fortune for granted.
Transforms from a solitary, simple labourer into a man of great knowledge and status, but at the cost of his unique wife and happiness. He learns the bitter lesson of ingratitude and the power of words.
Obedient, solitary, somewhat naive, prone to anger, regretful, and ultimately ambitious. He follows instructions well but lacks foresight and control over his emotions.
The Serpent-Wife
As a serpent: a huge, powerful snake, likely with scales that shimmer or have a distinctive pattern. As a woman: a fair and lovely lady, possessing an ethereal beauty and grace that suggests her non-human origin.
Attire: As a woman: simple yet elegant clothing, perhaps a flowing gown of a natural fabric like silk or fine linen, in colors that evoke nature, such as deep greens, blues, or earth tones, without excessive adornment, emphasizing her natural grace.
Wants: To find a human husband who will respect her true nature, to experience human life, and to impart wisdom, even if it means her own sacrifice.
Flaw: Her vulnerability to being called a 'serpent' by her husband, which breaks the enchantment and forces her to return to her true form and fate.
Transforms from a powerful serpent into a human wife, brings immense prosperity and knowledge to her husband, and then, due to his transgression, returns to her serpent form, sacrificing her human existence to grant him ultimate wisdom.
Mysterious, powerful, wise, generous, patient (initially), but also firm and unforgiving when her boundaries are crossed. She is a bringer of fortune and knowledge.
The Master
A gentleman of some means, likely well-fed and dressed, reflecting his status as a landowner. He would be of average height and build, perhaps a bit portly from a comfortable life.
Attire: Respectable, practical clothing for a landowner in a rural European setting: a sturdy wool coat, a linen shirt, breeches, and polished leather boots. Colors would be muted but of good quality, like dark blues, greens, or browns.
Wants: To manage his estate and ensure his crops are harvested.
Flaw: Impatience and quickness to anger when his work is delayed.
Remains largely static, serving as a catalyst for the labourer's initial actions.
Initially angry and impatient, but ultimately fair and generous, as he grants the labourer the sheaf and a place to build his hut.
The Tsar's Daughter
A princess of royal lineage, possessing beauty and grace befitting her status. Her appearance would be refined and delicate.
Attire: Luxurious court attire appropriate for a Russian princess: a richly embroidered sarafan or a flowing gown made of silk or brocade, adorned with jewels, perhaps a kokoshnik or other elaborate headwear.
Wants: To marry a man of suitable status or knowledge, as dictated by her father, the Tsar.
Flaw: Not applicable, as she is not developed as a character.
Remains static, serving as the ultimate reward for the Labourer's acquired knowledge.
Implied to be a suitable royal bride, but her personality is not explored in the story.
Locations
Deep Forest
A dense, secluded forest, far from human settlements, characterized by its profound loneliness and the presence of ancient, winding trees and undergrowth. The ground is likely covered with fallen leaves and natural debris.
Mood: Solitary, mysterious, initially foreboding, later imbued with a sense of profound magic and sorrow.
The labourer first encounters the Serpent, receives instructions, and later returns for the final, sorrowful farewell and transformation.
Master's Cornfield
A field of ripe, standing corn, ready for harvest. The stalks are tall and golden, indicating a bountiful yield, but initially ungathered.
Mood: Initially neglected and urgent, later transformed into a scene of miraculous efficiency and abundance.
The labourer miraculously harvests the corn with the Serpent's help, leaving one special sheaf behind, which he later burns to reveal his wife.
Labourer's Hut
A quickly built, surprisingly well-appointed hut, far exceeding the typical dwelling of a labourer. It is clean, organized, and contains everything needed, suggesting magical construction.
Mood: Initially wondrous and prosperous, later becoming a place of domestic conflict and sorrow.
The labourer and his wife live in prosperity; later, the wife transforms back into a serpent on the pillow after the husband's outburst.