In this Algerian Kabyle folktale, a young prince leaves his father’s palace to explore the world. His journey begins with an act of kindness and leads him to marriage, a remarkable city and a series of impossible demands. When his own father becomes jealous of his success, the prince must seek help from someone who has passed beyond the world of the living.
The Prince Leaves Home
Once, there was a king who raised his son with care. As the prince grew older, he began to long for a journey beyond the palace.
One day, he asked his father for permission to go out and see the world. The king agreed, and the young man set off.
During his travels, the prince came upon an olive tree that had caught fire. Concerned that the flames might spread, he called upon God for help in putting them out.
Rain soon fell, extinguishing the fire and allowing him to continue his journey safely.
A Marriage and a Remarkable City
The prince eventually reached a city governed by a powerful ruler. He approached the governor and asked for permission to speak.
When the governor gave him the opportunity, the prince made an unexpected request: he wished to marry the governor’s daughter.
The governor agreed. He explained that the prince’s effort to extinguish the burning tree had prevented a disaster that could have destroyed the city. In gratitude, he gave his daughter in marriage.
The prince and his wife then travelled together. During their journey, his wife made a prayer to God, asking that a city be placed where they were. In the extraordinary events of the tale, a city appeared at that very spot.
The couple now had a place of their own, and the prince’s fortunes had changed remarkably since he had left his father’s palace.
The King’s Jealousy
News of the new city eventually reached the prince’s father. From his place of prayer, a religious man had noticed the settlement and reported what he had seen.
The king sent a woman to investigate. She returned with surprising news: the city belonged to the king’s own son.
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Instead of celebrating the prince’s success, the king became jealous. He summoned his son and gave him a disturbing command.
“If you truly are the king’s son,” he told him, “go and visit your mother in the world beyond.”
The prince left his father’s presence in sorrow. He could not understand how he was supposed to fulfil such an impossible demand.
A Journey to His Mother
When the prince returned to his wife, she noticed his distress and asked what had happened.
He explained that his father had ordered him to visit his dead mother. His wife did not send him away helplessly. Instead, she instructed him to return to the king and ask for an old family book, passed down through the generations.
The king gave him the book, and the prince brought it to his wife. Following her instructions, he took it to his mother’s grave and placed it upon the tomb.
The grave opened, revealing a strange world beneath the earth. Inside, the prince encountered figures suffering different fates. One licked the earth, another consumed rust, while a third ate meat.
When the prince asked the last figure why he had received such food, the figure explained that he had done good during his life on earth.
The prince then asked where he could find his mother. The figure directed him towards her.
At last, the prince reached his mother and explained that his father had sent him to see her.
The Hidden Treasure
His mother gave him another instruction. She told him to return to his father and ask him to lift the beam above the hearth.
The prince carried the message back to the palace. When the king removed the beam, he discovered a treasure hidden beneath it.
The king had now received proof that his son could accomplish things beyond ordinary human ability. Yet the discovery did not end his demands.
He set the prince another challenge, asking him to bring a man who stood only one foot tall but had a beard two feet long.
Once again, the prince returned to his wife in despair. He explained the new task, unable to imagine where such a person could be found.
The Final Demand
His wife advised him to return to the king and ask for another ancient book, this time one said to have belonged to an ancestor far removed from the present generation.
The prince obtained the book and brought it to his wife. She then told him to take it to the community meeting place, where the people could gather.
When the book was brought there, the extraordinary little man appeared. But the arrival did not bring the relief the prince might have expected.
The figure took the book, went through the city and devoured its inhabitants.
The tale ends with this shocking event. The king’s repeated demands had driven the prince into increasingly strange situations, and the final challenge brought a terrible consequence for the city.
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Moral Lesson
The story warns against jealousy and the misuse of power. Rather than taking pride in his son’s achievements, the king repeatedly tests him with impossible demands. His behaviour shows how envy can turn a family relationship into a source of suffering. The tale also presents the prince’s wife as a resourceful figure whose advice helps him face challenges that he cannot solve alone.
Knowledge Check
1. Why did the prince leave his father’s palace?
He wanted to travel and explore the world.
2. What did the prince do when he encountered the burning olive tree?
He called upon God for help, and rain extinguished the fire.
3. Why did the governor agree to let the prince marry his daughter?
The governor believed the prince had prevented a disaster by helping to extinguish the fire.
4. Why did the king summon his son after hearing about the new city?
He became jealous after learning that his son had established a successful city.
5. How did the prince’s wife help him when the king gave him impossible tasks?
She advised him to ask for old family books and guided him through the strange challenges.
6. What happened when the mysterious little man appeared?
He took the book and devoured the inhabitants of the city.
Source
Adapted in original English from “Le roi et son fils,” recorded by Joseph Rivière in Recueil de contes populaires de la Kabylie du Djurdjura (Paris: E. Leroux, 1882), pages 57–60.
Explore More Algerian Folktales
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- The Lion and the Son of Woman
- The Raven and the Child: A Mysterious Kabyle Folktale
- The Two Hunters: An Algerian Folktale of Justice
- Mohamed ben Soltan: A Thrilling Kabyle Folktale
- Thizourith Imellah: A Powerful Tale of Jealousy
