The Ruby Prince is a South Asian folktale, first published in the late 19th century by author Flora Annie Steel. The tale is a local form of the cycle of the Animal as Bridegroom or The Search for the Lost Husband, in that a woman marries a man of supernatural origin, loses him and must regain him.
Sources The tale was originally printed in the late 19th century and identified as a Punjabi tale. Later publications sourced it as from Pakistan. According to Richard Carnac Temple, the tale was collected by author Flora Annie Steel from a Jaṭṭ boy of Dobuldan in Rohtak district.
Translation The tale was also translated to Russian with the title "Сын змеиного царя" ("Son of the King of the Snakes").
Summary While walking on the road, a Brahman finds a shining red Ruby on the ground. He picks it up and pockets it into his garments. Feeling hungry, the Brahman enters a corn-merchant's shop and offers the ruby as payment for the food. The corn-merchant is stunned at the sight of the ruby, clearly worth more than anything in his store, and suggests the Brahman takes it to the king. The Brahman sells the ruby to the king for a lakh of rupees and goes on his merry way. The king then gives the ruby to the queen for safekeeping, and she hides it in a locked trunk. Twelve years later, the king decides to open up the casket to see his ruby, but a youth comes out of it. The king questions the youth about his appearance and the fate of the ruby. The youth answers he is the Ruby Prince, and that is the only answer he can give. The king then orders him to be exiled from the kingdom from this perceived affront. In his wanderings, the Ruby Prince reaches a town, and sees an old woman crying. The woman explains that their realm is menaced by an Ogre, and this time her son is next to be sacrificed to the monster. The Ruby Prince decides to save the old woman's son and vanquish the ogre, and asks the old woman to lodge there for some time. The next day, he rides his horse to the ogre's meeting spot, kills him, and impales the ogre's head on a spike to show the town the monster is dead. He then returns to the old woman's house to sleep some more. The townspeople see the ogre's head and notify the king, who goes to the old woman's house, since it was her son who was supposed to be the ogre's next victim. The old woman tells the king that their saviour is sleeping in her house. The king enters the house and sees that the sleeping youth is the one he drove forth from the palace. He consults with his ministers, who advise him to give his daughter to the youth as a reward for killing the ogre. The Ruby Prince and the king's daughter marry in a grand ceremony. Some time later, the princess keeps hearing the gossip of a female courtier about her having married a stranger from who knows where. Intrigued by her husband's origins, she asks the Ruby Prince about his past, his origins, but he refuses to divulge any information. One day, the princess and the Ruby Prince are near a riverside, and she is still questioning him about his previous life. The Ruby Prince steps in the water as the princess insists on knowing her husband's name. He slowly sinks into the water, until "a jewelled snake with a golden crown and ruby star" appears in the water, looks at the princess with a sorrowful expression, then disappears beneath the water. The princess despairs at her decision, and offers a bushel of gold to anyone who can bring her information about her husband. Time passes and, without news of her husband, she grows ill, until one day a dancing-woman comes to the court. The dancing-woman tells her about a strange occurrence: while she was gathering sticks, she rested for a bit near a tree, after she woke up, she saw a bright light, then a sweeper came out of a snake-hole, a water-carrier sprinkling water on the ground, and two carpet-bearers; music began to play, as a procession came out of the hole, a youth of majestic appearance at the front, and among his retinue a man with a red star on the forehead who began to dance before the king. The princess and the dancing-woman go to the tree and wait for the strange procession to come out of the snake-hole. The same servants come, prepare the way for the procession, and the king comes with his retinue. The princess recognizes her husband among the king's retinue by a red star he is wearing. The princess notices the Ruby Prince's wan aspect. The dancing-girl explains her plan to the princess to save her husband: since the Snake-King is delighted at the dances, the princess should learn to dance, dance before the Snake-King in a way he is to be so impressed that he will grant her anything. The princess is taught by the dancing-girl and surpasses her. Finally, the princess returns to the tree and waits for the Snake-King's retinue. After they come and the Snake-King forces the Ruby Prince to dance before him, the princess, wearing veiled garments and decorated with jewels, begins to dance before the King. So impressive are her dancing moves that the Snake King grants her a favor. The princess asks to be given the man for whom she danced. The Snake-King fumes at her answer and threatens to kill her, but remembers his promise and lets her take the Ruby Prince away.
Analysis
Tale type The tale was classified by scholar Heda Jason as type ATU 425, "The Search for the Lost Husband", according to the international Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index. The tale was also said to "much resemble" the Graeco-Roman myth of Cupid and Psyche. In Stith Thompson and Warren Robert's Types of Indic Oral Tales, the tale is classified under its own Indic type, 425D Ind, "Search for Serpent Husband": the heroine marries a man of mysterious origin; jealous women probe her into asking his name or origins; he reveals it and turns into a snake; after many hardships, she reunites with him.
Motifs R. C. Temple noted that the protagonist's name, in the original language, is written La’ljí, meaning either "ruby" or "beloved, cherished". According to Stith Thompson and Jonas Balys study of motifs of Indian literature and oral folklore, the tale contains the motif D432.3.1 "Transformation: ruby to person", B604.1, "Marriage to snake", and D391 "Transformation: serpent (snake) to person".
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