THE WONDERFUL HAIR
by Unknown · from Folk Tales Every Child Should Know
Adapted Version
Once upon a time, there was a Kind Father. He had many children. They were very, very poor. The Kind Father felt very sad. He had no food for them. His children were hungry. He worried much about them.
One night, the Kind Father slept. A Little Angel came to him. It was a dream. The angel spoke soft words. "You will find three things. Then go to a secret spring."
"A Magical Lady lives there. Do not talk to her. She will ask you things. Look at her hair. Find one red hair. Pull it out fast. Then run away. Use the three things to escape."
The Kind Father woke up. He looked under his pillow. He saw a shiny mirror. He saw a red scarf. He saw a pretty handkerchief.
The Kind Father went to the spring. He saw the Magical Lady. She was sewing with shiny threads. She asked him many things. "Who are you?" she said. He did not speak. He stayed quiet.
She told him to sit. He sat near her. He looked at her hair. He found the red hair. He pulled it out. He jumped up and ran.
The Magical Lady ran after him. The Kind Father threw the pretty handkerchief. She stopped. She looked at it. He ran far away.
She ran after him again. He threw the red scarf. She stopped. She looked at it. He ran more.
She ran very fast now. The Kind Father threw the shiny mirror. The lady saw herself. She did not know it was her. She looked at the face. He ran far away.
The Kind Father went home. He showed the red hair. The Mother was surprised. He told his story. The Kind Father went to town. He showed the red hair. The King heard about it. The King wanted the red hair. He gave the Kind Father gold. The King looked at the red hair. He saw tiny, secret pictures. He saw old, amazing stories inside. The King was very happy. The Kind Father was rich now. He bought food for his children. They were never hungry again. They were very happy. The Little Angel helped them. The angel showed them a wonderful secret. Being kind and brave made good things happen.
Original Story
THE WONDERFUL HAIR
There was a man who was very poor, but so well supplied with children that he was utterly unable to maintain them, and one morning more than once prepared to kill them, in order not to see their misery in dying of hunger, but his wife prevented him. One night a child came to him in his sleep, and said to him: "Man! I see that you are making up your mind to destroy and to kill your poor little children, and I know that you are distressed there at; but in the morning you will find under your pillow a mirror, a red kerchief, and an embroidered pocket-handkerchief; take all three secretly and tell nobody; then go to such a hill; by it you will find a stream; go along it till you come to its fountain-head; there you will find a damsel as bright as the sun, with her hair hanging down over her back. Be on your guard, that the ferocious she-dragon do not coil round you; do not converse with her if she speaks; for if you converse with her, she will poison you, and turn you into a fish or something else, and will then devour you but if she bids you examine her head, examine it, and as you turn over her hair, look, and you will find one hair as red as blood; pull it out and run back again; then, if she suspects and begins to run after you, throw her first the embroidered pocket-handkerchief, then the kerchief, and, lastly, the mirror; then she will find occupation for herself. And sell that hair to some rich man; but don't let them cheat you, for that hair is worth countless wealth; and you will thus enrich yourself and maintain your children."
When the poor man awoke, he found everything under his pillow, just as the child had told him in his sleep; and then he went to the hill. When there, he found the stream, went on and on alongside of it, till he came to the fountain-head. Having looked about him to see where the damsel was, he espied her above a piece of water, like sunbeams threaded on a needle, and she was embroidering at a frame on stuff, the threads of which were young men's hair. As soon as he saw her, he made a reverence to her, and she stood on her feet and questioned him: "Whence are you, unknown young man?" But he held his tongue. She questioned him again: "Who are you? Why have you come?" and much else of all sorts; but he was as mute as a stone, making signs with his hands, as if he were deaf and wanted help. Then she told him to sit down on her skirt. He did not wait for any more orders, but sat down, and she bent down her head to him, that he might examine it. Turning over the hair of her head, as if to examine it, he was not long in finding that red hair, and separated it from the other hair, pulled it out, jumped off her skirt and ran away back as he best could. She noticed it, and ran at his heels full speed after him. He looked round, and seeing that she was about to overtake him, threw, as he was told, the embroidered pocket-handkerchief on the way, and when she saw the pocket-handkerchief she stooped and began to overhaul it in every direction, admiring the embroidery, till he had got a good way off. Then the damsel placed the pocket-handkerchief in her bosom, and ran after him again. When he saw that she was about to overtake him, he threw the red kerchief, and she again occupied herself, admiring and gazing, till the poor man had again got a good way off. Then the damsel became exasperated, and threw both the pocket-handkerchief and the kerchief on the way, and ran after him in pursuit. Again, when he saw that she was about to overtake him, he threw the mirror. When the damsel came to the mirror, the like of which she had never seen before, she lifted it up, and when she saw herself in it, not knowing that it was herself, but thinking that it was somebody else, she, as it were, fell in love with herself in the mirror, and the man got so far off that she was no longer able to overtake him. When she saw that she could not catch him, she turned back, and the man reached his home safe and sound. After arriving at his home, he showed his wife the hair, and told her all that had happened to him, but she began to jeer and laugh at him. But he paid no attention to her, and went to a town to sell the hair. A crowd of all sorts of people and merchants collected round him; one offered a sequin, another two, and so on, higher and higher, till they came to a hundred gold sequins. Just then the emperor heard of the hair, summoned the man into his presence, and said to him that he would give him a thousand sequins for it, and he sold it to him. What was the hair? The emperor split it in two from top to bottom, and found registered in it in writing many remarkable things, which happened in the olden time since the beginning of the world. Thus the man became rich and lived on with his wife and children. And that child, that came to him in his sleep, was an angel sent by the Lord God, whose will it was to aid the poor man, and to reveal secrets which had not been revealed till then.
XIV
Story DNA
Moral
Obedience to divine guidance can lead to unexpected wealth and the revelation of profound truths.
Plot Summary
A desperately poor man, on the verge of killing his children due to hunger, receives divine instructions in a dream. He is told to find magical items, journey to a stream's source, and extract a special red hair from a dangerous damsel, using the items to escape her pursuit. Following the angel's precise guidance, he successfully obtains the hair and sells it to the emperor, who discovers it contains ancient, remarkable knowledge. The man becomes rich, providing for his family, and the story concludes by revealing the divine purpose behind the angel's intervention.
Themes
Emotional Arc
desperation to triumph
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Reflects a pre-industrial society where poverty could be extreme and survival precarious, and where belief in supernatural aid was common.
Plot Beats (13)
- A very poor man with many children is so desperate he considers killing them.
- An angelic child appears to him in a dream, instructing him to find specific items and then journey to a stream's fountain-head.
- The dream-child warns him about a she-dragon damsel, instructing him not to speak to her but to examine her head for a red hair, and how to escape using the items.
- The man awakens to find the mirror, red kerchief, and embroidered pocket-handkerchief under his pillow.
- He follows the instructions, finds the damsel, who is embroidering with young men's hair, and remains silent despite her questions.
- He sits on her skirt, finds the red hair, pulls it out, and flees.
- As the damsel pursues him, he throws the embroidered pocket-handkerchief, distracting her.
- He then throws the red kerchief, distracting her again.
- Finally, he throws the mirror, and the damsel becomes captivated by her reflection, allowing him to escape.
- He returns home, tells his wife, who scoffs, but he goes to town to sell the hair.
- Merchants bid for the hair, and eventually, the emperor buys it for a thousand sequins.
- The emperor splits the hair and discovers it contains written records of ancient, remarkable events.
- The man becomes rich, supports his family, and it is revealed that the child was an angel sent by God to help him and reveal secrets.
Characters
The Poor Man
A man of average height and build, likely gaunt from poverty and stress, with a weary demeanor. His skin would be weathered from outdoor work, and his hands calloused.
Attire: Simple, worn peasant clothing, likely made of coarse, undyed linen or wool. Perhaps a tunic, trousers, and worn leather sandals or boots, all patched and faded.
Wants: To provide for his numerous children and alleviate their suffering from poverty and hunger.
Flaw: His initial despair, which almost led him to infanticide. He is also somewhat easily swayed by his wife's initial mockery.
Transforms from a desperate, suicidal man into a wealthy, successful provider for his family, learning to trust divine guidance and his own resourcefulness.
Desperate, obedient, resourceful, determined, loving (towards his children), initially despairing.
The Wife
A woman of average height and build, likely also showing signs of poverty, perhaps thin from lack of food and weary from child-rearing. Her hands would be rough from household chores.
Attire: Simple, practical peasant dress made of coarse, undyed fabric, perhaps a long skirt and a bodice, with an apron. All would be well-worn and mended.
Wants: To protect her children and survive, though she initially doubts her husband's strange story.
Flaw: Her skepticism and tendency to mock, which could have discouraged her husband.
Initially skeptical, she eventually benefits from her husband's success, implying a shift in her outlook.
Practical, initially skeptical, protective (of her children), somewhat mocking.
The Angel/Child
Appears as a radiant, ethereal child, glowing with an inner light. Its form would be perfect and unblemished, suggesting divine origin.
Attire: Simple, flowing, white or light-colored garments that seem to be made of light itself, without specific earthly fabric details, suggesting purity and divinity.
Wants: To aid the poor man and reveal ancient secrets, fulfilling the will of the Lord God.
Flaw: None, as it is a divine being.
Serves as a divine messenger, initiating the protagonist's journey and revealing the true nature of the 'wonderful hair'.
Wise, benevolent, guiding, compassionate, omniscient.
The Damsel
A strikingly beautiful woman, described as 'bright as the sun', with an alluring yet dangerous aura. Her skin would be flawless and luminous, perhaps with an unnatural pallor or glow.
Attire: Elegant, perhaps ancient, garments that suggest her magical nature and wealth, but also her connection to the natural world. Possibly flowing robes of deep green or blue, adorned with subtle, intricate embroidery that mimics natural patterns, made of fine silk or a shimmering, unknown fabric. She is seen embroidering, so perhaps a simple, yet refined, dress suitable for such an activity.
Wants: To guard her secrets and her magical hair, to ensnare intruders, and to maintain her solitary existence.
Flaw: Her vanity and curiosity, which make her susceptible to the distractions of the mirror and embroidered items.
Remains unchanged, serving as an obstacle for the protagonist. Her vanity is her undoing in this encounter.
Alluring, deceptive, possessive, easily distracted, vain, ferocious (when angered).
The Emperor
A man of authority, likely well-fed and robust, reflecting his status. His appearance would be meticulously groomed.
Attire: Rich, elaborate imperial robes made of fine silk or brocade, in deep, regal colors like purple or gold, possibly embroidered with symbols of power. He would wear a crown or an elaborate headpiece.
Wants: To acquire rare and valuable items, especially those with mysterious properties or historical significance.
Flaw: None explicitly shown, but perhaps a thirst for knowledge or unique possessions.
A static character who serves to validate the hair's value and reveal its true nature.
Curious, powerful, discerning, wealthy.
Locations
Poor Man's Home
A humble, likely small and sparsely furnished dwelling, reflecting the extreme poverty of the family. It's where the man contemplates desperate acts and where he receives the miraculous items.
Mood: Desperate, sorrowful, then hopeful and eventually joyful
The man receives the angelic vision and finds the magical items; he later returns rich.
Stream's Fountain-Head
The source of a stream, located by a hill, where a radiant damsel (she-dragon) resides. It's a secluded, natural setting, likely lush with vegetation.
Mood: Mysterious, dangerous, enchanting, serene yet perilous
The man confronts the damsel, extracts the red hair, and begins his escape.
Escape Path
The winding path leading away from the fountain-head, through the natural landscape, where the man is pursued by the enraged damsel.
Mood: Tense, urgent, perilous, exhilarating
The man strategically throws the magical items to distract the pursuing damsel and escape.
Town Market
A bustling marketplace in a town, where merchants and people gather to trade goods. It's a vibrant, noisy environment.
Mood: Lively, bustling, curious, commercial
The man attempts to sell the wonderful hair, attracting a large crowd and eventually the emperor's attention.