The Son of Seven Queens

A white hind? Better chase it down obsessively.

This week's story is The Son of Seven Queens from somewhere in India. It is a bit long, with a few typos, but it is worth the read. Who doesn't love a tale where two women match wits?

Reading through this tale, it really is about women using their power over each other. The Seven Queens become victim of the White Hind queen. Then the White Hind queen and her mother become victims of the princess, who tricks them three times. The princess, eventually, points out to the King that he was being bamboozled. However, even after the King has the White Hind queen put to death, it's really an extension of the princess using her power. It's fortunate for the prince that the princess knew right away that he had seven moms. And also that she decided that she would only marry a man who had seven mothers.

It is interesting to note how marriages work in this story. Leaving aside the number of his wives, the King seems to be treating them pretty well at the beginning of this story. He apparently didn't value them enough to keep his promise not to hunt in the North, however. Once the White Hind queen got a hold of him, he didn't stand a chance. Further along in the story, it was noteworthy that the princess was able to choose her husband, even with such an impossible standard as a man who had seven mothers. What's more is that even after she set this standard, she was able to pick one random man after seeing him for the first time, and everyone was happy about it. It's nice that she was given such freedom, but a little worrisome that she could base her decision on so little information.

There is plenty to dig into here, but that might have to wait for another post. For now, I'll say the moral of the story is to listen to your wives. Failing that, make sure that one of them has a capable son who impresses the right lady.