The Golden Snake: Folktale from India

Long ago, in a quiet village hemmed by thick forests and winding rivers, there lived a poor old woman who earned her living by collecting firewood. One day, as she cut branches in the forest, she stumbled upon a shimmering golden snake coiled beneath a banyan tree. Startled, she stepped back, but the snake raised its head and spoke in a gentle voice.

 

“Do not be afraid, Mother,” it said. “Take me home, and your days of suffering shall end.”

 

Confused but drawn by something unexplainable, the woman wrapped the snake carefully in a bundle and took it back to her hut. From that day on, strange fortunes began to fall upon her — coins in her rice jar, fresh milk in a dry pot, warmthin the coldest of nights. Villagers whispered of her sudden prosperity.

 

One day, the snake said, “Mother, I wish to marry a human maiden. Find a girl who will take me as I am.”

 

The woman, reluctant but grateful, set out to fulfill the snake’s wish. She was laughed at and turned away from many homes until she reached the house of a kind-hearted farmer with three daughters. The two elder daughters scoffed, but the youngest, gentle and soft-spoken, said, “If he is kind and speaks with honor, I shall marry him.”

 

The wedding was arranged quietly, and after the ceremony, the girl was led to the snake’s room. She sat trembling, unsure of what to expect. As night deepened, the golden snake slithered onto a silk cushion and shed his glistening skin — and before her stood a handsome prince, tall and radiant.

 

“I am under a curse,” he told her. “By day, I must remain in the form of a snake. Only the love of one who accepts me without fear can break it.”

 

The girl and the prince lived in secret happiness. Each night he returned to human form, and each morning he disappeared into the skin of the golden snake. But the old woman, tempted by curiosity and rumors, stole into their room one night and saw the transformation.

 

Frightened and foolish, she threw the snake’s golden skin into the fire, thinking it would end the curse. Instead, the prince cried out in anguish. “You have undone the magic before its time!”

 

With those words, he vanished.

 

The young wife was inconsolable. She wandered for years through forests, temples, and villages, seeking him. She faced trials, tricksters, and spirits in disguise. But her heart remained true. At last, she came upon a lake at the edge of the world where the moon touched the water. There she found the prince, half-serpent and fading.

 

“I have waited,” he said softly.

 

With a tear on her cheek, she embraced him — and with her unwavering love, the curse finally lifted. He became fully human, and they returned to the world not as villagers or outcasts, but as guardians of forgotten magic and quiet power.