A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

After the wife of the Bonga Parganna proposes a spirit bride for a prince jailed over his refusal to marry, a beautiful bonga maiden is brought to his prison while he sleeps. He wakes to find her beside him, falls in love and exchanges rings with her. The warders report his acceptance, and the king releases them and celebrates their wedding. The bride has no stated personal name, transformation, animal form or later departure; the invisibility described earlier belongs to the visiting matchmakers, whereas the warders observe the marriage agreement.

Spirit maiden whose marriage ends a prince’s confinementSpecific Santal narrative witness
01

Origins & earliest records

Santal Parganas, eastern India; source-specific Santali storytelling

02

Records & interpretation

Complete relevant tale directly read with existing collection preface and narrator-chain record.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Folklore of the Santal Parganas

    Cecil Henry Bompas, translator; O. Bodding, collector; Sagram Murmu, principal Santali writer credited in preface · 1909

    C, The Prince Who Would Not Marry, pp. 298–300

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

Primary records and illustrations

Direct primary record

Cecil Henry Bompas, Folklore of the Santal Parganas (1909)

Part I, Santal folktales. C, The Prince Who Would Not Marry, pp. 298–300

Full tale read; Part I container directly checked. Invisible matchmakers distinguished from visible bride; crab song not assigned a bonga identity. Printed narrator chain retained without invented individual attribution.

Inspect the digitized plate · Source collection manifest

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Historical translation of collected narrativesBompas, Folklore of the Santal Parganas (1909), C, The Prince Who Would Not Marry, pp. 298–300Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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