“The Fairy of the Dawn.” The Violet Fairy Book, Lang, Andrew, New York, London, Bombay: Longmans, Green and Co, 1906, pp. 165-198.

Tale Summary

An emperor with a vast kingdom has three sons. One day, the youngest son, Petru, asks why the emperor has a right eye that laughs and a left eye that weeps. He gets an angry reply but notices that the crying eye cries less. Therefore, he asks over and over why this happens until the emperor has two laughing eyes. Happy that his son figured out the solution, the emperor asks his sons to bring him the water that pools in the spring of the Fairy of the Dawn. If his sons can complete such a task, the emperor's eyes will forever laugh knowing that the vast kingdom is in courageous hands. The eldest brother goes off to retrieve the water, but he encounters a dragon along the way with three heads and runs off. The second brother follows his path, only to encounter a dragon with seven heads and so he runs away as well. Finally, Petru sets out and encounters the dragon with seven heads who start to breathe fire. Instead of running away, he unsheathes his sword and attempts to fight the dragon but his horse gets too scared. By the advice of his nursemaid, he gathers bits of his father’s deceased horse and resurrects the horse of the emperor’s youth. This horse tells Petru that they will fight together, and while seated the youngest son finds he is stronger and faster and now able to defeat the dragon who now has twelve heads. After passing the dragon, he continues on to a desert with a forest made of copper trees.

Each passing tree and flower beckons to him, but the horse warns that by doing so, Petru will have to fight the goblin of the woods, Welwa. Unable to resist, the youngest son is pulled in and must fight her. Welwa has sort of a head and sort of doesn’t, with body parts derived from many different animals. The two tussle for days, and don’t stop for rest until the Welwa is too tired and is defeated. She becomes the brother horse of the youngest son’s horse, now freed from the enchantment of a curse. Petru, along with both horses then encounters a silver wood with the same curse. As before, he picks a flower and must fight the second Welwa and in doing so moves on to the gold forest. The Welwa of this forest is the mightiest yet but after a time is defeated. The four horses Welwa are reunited and the last one blesses Petru so that he will find a beautiful wife. 

Finally, the four horses and Petru encounter a wintery world. This is the abode of the goddess Mittwoch, who is the feminine version of Mercury. By resisting the warmth of the bonfires in this world, he gains the praise of the Goddess, who gives him some advice and lets him hear what is going on back home. His older brothers are failing at ruling, and need his courageous heart. However, Petru must undergo more tests. Journeying further, he must undergo the iron-melting heat of the kingdom of the Goddess of Thunder. Resisting the call of the beautiful maidens that rest along his warm journey, he makes it to the Goddess’s house, who gives him further advice. Finally, he must meet the Goddess Venus and sweet talk her. After managing to do so, she tells him a story and gives him a task. He must bring back some of that water for her as well, but she gives him a flute that puts the listener into a slumber that cannot be awakened and directions on how to retrieve the water. The Fairy of the Dawn must not be looked at at any cost, because she is powerful and hideous. On his journey to her home, he finds he needs the assistance of a giant and uses the flute to fight the giant until he acquiesces to taking Petru over the obstacles in his path. Finally, he makes it to the Fairy of the Dawn’s well! Petru becomes bewitched under her enchantment but uses the flute twice to ensure she goes to sleep so he can take the water and leave. 

He brings some to the Goddess Venus, and visits the Goddess of Thunder who warns of deceit in his future. Making his way back home, Petru arrives back only to witness his father having gone totally blind and his brothers attempting to take the credit for his journey. When the brothers realize he is not so easy to manipulate, they attempt to murder him for the water. Petru avoids their trap and returns home to bathe his father’s eyes in the water to heal him. The brothers vanish never to be heard from again.