The restored ruby-blood maiden reaches the boat with the prince, Warwick Goble, 1912
The restored maiden and the prince reach their boat above the ocean, with rubies on the water and in the vessel. The image represents their escape in The Origin of Rubies; it does not show her earlier severed-head state or make her a fish-tailed being.
Overview
A prince traces enormous floating rubies to a palace beneath an ocean whirlpool. There Siva sits in meditation below a platform on which a beautiful young woman lies with her head severed. Blood from the head falls across the deity’s matted hair and enters the sea as rubies. The narrative attributes the gems to this flow without saying that every woman’s blood has such a property.
A golden rod accidentally touches her head when the prince lifts two rods lying nearby, and the head rejoins her body. She warns him that Siva will burn him with a glance when he finishes meditating; that warning is not enacted, because the pair escape together to the surface. She becomes the prince’s wife. The text gives her no name, explicit species or prior history explaining who severed her head.
Origins & earliest records
Bengali oral storytelling translated by Lal Behari Day
Records & interpretation
Complete relevant tale, attached notes,1883 preface and1912 edition credits directly read.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Folk-Tales of Bengal
XVII, The Origin of Rubies, pp.211–216; first edition1883, illustrationsWarwickGoble
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
Lal Behari Day, Folk-Tales of Bengal (Macmillan,1912; first edition1883)
XVII. XVII, The Origin of Rubies, pp.211–216
Complete tale and footnotes read, pluspreface andeditionhistory. Bengali oral informants described collectively, individual teller of this tale not identified. Original paraphrase; no source-image verification claimed.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical translated oral narrative and collector notesLal Behari Day, Folk-Tales of Bengal (1912), XVII, The Origin of Rubies, pp.211–216Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationThe restored ruby-blood maiden reaches the boat with the prince, Warwick Goble, 1912
The restored maiden and the prince reach their boat above the ocean, with rubies on the water and in the vessel. The image represents their escape in The Origin of Rubies; it does not show her earlier severed-head state or make her a fish-tailed being.
