The Woman Who Ate a Serpent’s Egg is a traditional Kabyle tale from Algeria about jealousy, deception, and an unexpected struggle for survival. Collected by Auguste Mouliéras in his work on the legends and wonder tales of Great Kabylia, the story follows a young woman whose life changes dramatically after she unknowingly eats serpent eggs.
As the consequences of the deception unfold, she faces suffering and abandonment before receiving help from an unexpected source. Her frightening experience reveals the harm that jealousy can cause and the importance of compassion and wisdom in overcoming adversity.
A Young Woman and Her Brother
A young woman lived with her beloved brother. They shared a close bond, and he cared deeply for her. Their life changed when he married.
At first, the household appeared peaceful. However, the new wife grew jealous of the affection the brother showed his sister. She resented the closeness between them and began looking for a way to drive the young woman away.
Rather than confront her openly, the wife devised a cruel plan.
The Serpent Eggs
One day, the two women went into the forest to gather wood. There, the brother’s wife found seven serpent eggs.
She took them home and prepared two omelettes. One contained the serpent eggs, while the other was made with ordinary hen’s eggs.
She served the omelette containing the serpent eggs to her sister in law and ate the ordinary one herself. The young woman had no reason to suspect that she had been deceived.
After some time, the eggs began to hatch inside the young woman’s body. The serpents grew, causing her great distress.
Her condition soon became difficult to explain. Her belly swelled, and her appearance changed. Her brother believed that she was pregnant, but he did not understand what had really happened.
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Abandoned in the Forest
The brother’s wife used the situation to turn him against his sister. The young woman’s condition brought shame and suspicion upon her, and her brother eventually took her into the forest and abandoned her.
Alone and frightened, she had little hope of finding her way out.
A passing horseman discovered her. Seeing that she was in distress, he took her with him and brought her to his home.
There, the young woman explained her misfortune. She told him about the serpent eggs, the changes in her body, and the events that had led to her abandonment.
The horseman listened carefully. He wanted to help her, but he did not know how to remove the serpents from her body.
The Advice of the Wise Elder
The horseman sought the help of an old and respected wise man.
After examining the situation, the elder explained that the young woman had serpents inside her because she had eaten their eggs. He then described a dangerous method intended to draw them out.
The young woman was to eat heavily salted meat. Because the meat would make her thirsty, she would crave water. The elder instructed the horseman to prepare a vessel of water beneath her and make the water move so that its sound would attract the serpents.
The horseman followed the instructions.
He prepared the salted meat and gave it to the young woman. When she had eaten her fill, he placed a large vessel of water beneath her and made the water ripple and splash.
The sound attracted the serpents, which began emerging one after another in search of water. As they came out, the horseman killed them.
Seven serpents emerged, corresponding to the seven eggs the woman had eaten.
When the last serpent had appeared, the young woman was finally free of them.
A Chance to Begin Again
After the ordeal, the young woman recovered. The danger that had threatened her life was over, and her appearance eventually returned to its former beauty.
The horseman had shown her compassion when she was helpless and had sought the knowledge needed to save her. Her experience had been painful, but she had survived the cruelty that had been directed against her.
The story closes with the young woman’s deliverance from the serpents and the end of the terrible condition brought about by the deception.
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Moral Lesson
Jealousy and deception can cause terrible suffering, while compassion and wise counsel can help people overcome seemingly impossible difficulties.
Knowledge Check
1. Who collected a version of the Kabyle tale about the woman who ate a serpent’s egg?
Auguste Mouliéras collected a version of the tale in his work on Kabyle legends and wonder tales.
2. Why did the brother’s wife want to harm the young woman?
She was jealous of the close relationship between the young woman and her brother.
3. What did the brother’s wife prepare for the young woman to eat?
She prepared an omelette containing seven serpent eggs.
4. What happened after the young woman ate the serpent eggs?
The eggs hatched inside her body, and the growing serpents caused her great distress.
5. Who found the young woman after she was abandoned in the forest?
A passing horseman found her and took her to his home.
6. How was the young woman freed from the serpents?
The horseman followed the advice of a wise elder, using salted meat and the sound of moving water to draw the serpents out.
Source
Auguste Mouliéras, Légendes et contes merveilleux de la Grande Kabylie, published by Ernest Leroux in Paris between 1893 and 1898.
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