A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
A woman washing alone at an old spring at midday is approached by another woman, identified as a fairy. She proposes friendship and a recurring exchange involving henna and perfumes at the fountain facing the qsar. On later visits she emerges and gives her friend coins. The human visitor returns every day and abruptly becomes wealthy. The source first names her Omm Halimah, then uses Omm Khalifah; these differing printed forms belong to the same narrated beneficiary rather than establishing two independent encounters.
Neighbors suspect that the money comes from a wealthy man, Mouley Ismaïl, and accuse the woman of being his mistress. She denies the allegation. They eventually follow her to the spring and witness the fairy meeting her and handing over money. The episode closes by saying that afterward she no longer went out. It records discovery and the cessation of outings, without narrating the fairy’s death, confiscation of the money or a marriage to the alleged human patron.
Origins & earliest records
René Basset, Contes populaires berbères (Paris, 1887), no. 25, complete pp. 53–54. Bou Semghoun narrative group supplied at Frenda in 1883 by the son of the former qaïd, interned with his father; Preface xiii.
Records & interpretation
Complete episode inspected in original facsimile DjVu pages 91–92, printed pp. 53–54. The spring benefactor and childbirth visitor are separately introduced in adjacent tales and are not silently equated. No unnamed narrator is given an invented personal name.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Contes populaires berbères
No. 25, complete pp. 53–54; Preface xiii gives Frenda 1883 collection and internment context.
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.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary collected narrative; original facsimile inspectedOriginal edition, fairy episode 25Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.