Reading Notes, Czech Folktales, Part A: The Three Roses

A Basilisk by F.J.J. Bertuch

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Once upon a time there was a mother who had three daughters. There was going to be a market in the next town and she would go to it after asking if the girls needed anything from it. Two of her daughters asked for many things and the third daughter didn't ask for anything besides three roses. the mother went to the market and got all of the gifts and on the way back, she came across a large garden of roses and remembered that her daughter wanted some so she took three. After she picked them, a basilisk came and demanded her daughter in exchange for the roses.

Out of fear, the mother was going to throw the flowers away, but the basilisk said that it would be of not use so she ran home and gave the three roses to her daughter and said, "Here are the roses, but I had to pay dearly for them. You have to go to the castle as payment for them and I don't even know if you'll ever come back."

Mary understood and so she went to the castle with her mother and the basilisk appeared and told Mary that she had to nurse him in her lap for three hours every day. She had to do it so she nursed him for three hours for a couple of days and then one day he brought a sword and told Mary to cut his head off.

She said she couldn't but he said that he would kill her if she didn't.
So, she cut his head off and as it rolled on the ground a long serpent came out of its body and it asked Mary to cut off its head and she did. The serpent held the keys of the palace in his mouth and it was immediately changed into a beautiful prince and he said, "This castle is mine and because you helped me change into my natural form, you must marry me."

Part of the Czech Folktales unit. Story source: The Key of Gold by Josef Baudis (1922). The Three Roses.