The Witch and the Fountain
This story is a combination of the narratives 'Striga' and 'Fons'.
After a sheltered and protected childhood, a prince is at last allowed to go hunting, accompanied by one of his advisors. When they spot game, the advisory tells the prince to follow it himself, and the prince becomes lost; the advisor returns to court and reports that the prince was killed. Meanwhile, the prince encounters a weeping maiden, and he offers to help her return to civilisation. They ride together for a while, until they come to a ruin, and the maiden asks to go a refresh herself in private. After she has been gone a little while, the prince follows her, and spies her surrounded by wicked spirits - demons or witches - who greet her as one of them, and respond delightedly to the news that she has caught a man for them. Terrified, the prince hurries back to his horse, and when the woman returns, he cannot hide his shaking. She asks what is wrong, and he replies that he is afraid of someone powerful who wishes him harm. Thinking philosophically, the woman suggests that he use his power as the king's son - or the wealth that comes with that - to protect himself, but the prince replies such things will not help. Finally, the woman suggests that he pray to God for deliverance; loudly, the prince cries out to God for help, and the woman falls writhing to the ground and cannot rise, and the prince rides away safely.
As he rides, parched and fearful, he comes to a fountain and dismounts to drink. After he has drunk his fill, he discovers that he has been transformed into a woman. The prince laments, and is still weeping when he is aproached by a group of maidens. One of them asks what is wrong, and offers to cure him in return for marriage. He agrees, and she instructs him to drink from the fountain again. When he does, he is returned to his original form, and the two return to his father's home where they are married, and the advisor is punished.
| Note
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Found only in the Mishle Sendebar, this story is a combination of the narratives 'Striga' and 'Fons', though notably different from the 'Fons' narrative in many respects. See individual story pages for notes.
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| Striga and Fons appears in the following versions and secondary versions
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| Striga and Fons is narrated in the following occurrences
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| Striga and Fons appears in the following manuscripts
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