“The Sunchild.” The Grey Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1905, pp. 275-279.

Tale Summary

There was once a woman with no children, who wanted one so badly that she went to the Sunball to promise that if he gave her a little girl, she would return her once she reached twelve years old. He granted her wish, and the child was named Letiko. Shortly after she reached her twelfth year, while she was out gathering herbs, Letiko was visited by the Sunball. He asked her to remind her mother of her promise, and after she relayed the message, her mother boarded up the house to protect the girl. The Sunball came in through the keyhole and took the girl, who was heartbroken. Each time the Sunball sent her away for chores, she dallied while thinking about how her mother must miss her, and each time she made an excuse. She said that her shoes were too big, her petticoat was too long, and her hood was too big, and even though the Sunball fixed all of these, Letiko still moved slowly and sadly. The Sunball decided to send her back home to her mother after he followed the girl and heard her laments, and asked two foxes if they would help her on her way. They agreed, but when the Sunball asked what they would do if they became hungry and thirsty, they replied that they would eat the girl’s flesh and drink her blood. He asked instead two hares to escort her, who said they would eat grass and drink from streamlets. On their way to Letiko’s home, they became hungry and stopped to eat grass and asked the girl to hide in a tree in the meantime. It was not long before a lamia appeared and tried to entice the girl down, but Letiko stalled her. First, the lamia told her to come look at her beautiful shoes, but to hurry because she was in a rush to get her house clean. Letiko told her that her own shoes were more beautiful, and that the lamia should go to sweep her house and come back after. Then, the lamia told her to look at her beautiful apron, but to hurry because she was in a rush to go feed her children, but again Letiko was not impressed and told her to go feed her children. While the lamia was away, the girl took off with the hares as fast as possible towards home. The lamia searched for her, asking some people along the way if they had seen the girl, but they would only reply that they were planting beans. As Letiko approached her mother’s house, her dog, cat, and rooster recognized her and announced her arrival, but her mother was so melancholy that she told them to stop giving her false hope. The lamia caught up with Letiko and the hares, and just as one of them slipped through the door, the lamia snatched its tail off. Letiko’s mother was delighted and silvered the hare’s tail, and lived happily with her daughter the rest of her life.