The Green Bird in Lucinda de Alvarez’s Tale

Overview

María, the only daughter of a prince, rejects an ordinary admirer and thinks instead about a little green bird that sings from a tree outside her room each morning. While she combs her hair at the window, it takes a ribbon she has left there. On later visits it carries away her golden comb and diamond ring. Her father cannot catch it, and the narrator identifies the bird as a handsome enchanted young man. After he goes far away, María leaves home to find him. The moon and sun cannot tell her where he lives; the wind directs her to a being called Terror, who takes her to the house and hides her behind curtains.

At noon the bird returns and becomes a young man. He kisses the three objects and wishes he were kissing the princess herself. When she steps forward, he is displeased, washes his face in a basin of green water and becomes a bird again. A fairy explains that the proper time to end his enchantment has not yet come, gives María food and a bed near his room, and tells her to cry when he returns at midnight. Hearing her, he comes to her and kisses her. The final scene includes reconciliation, a ring and a marriage proposal; servants and carriages then take them to her parents’ house for the wedding. The ending supplies a human marriage, without explaining every rule of the transformation.

Origins & earliest records

Tale184, El pájaro verde, ends with Lucinda de Alvarez’s name and the label Puerto Plata. Andrade’s contributor list says she had lived there throughout her life, met him while visiting Monte Cristi and wrote her stories in his presence. His preface dates the collection to the summer of 1927. These are the circumstances of this printed version, not a claim that the plot originated exclusively in Puerto Plata.

Records & interpretation

Complete Spanish tale184, printed pp.238–239, including the transformation by green water, midnight reunion, wedding and contributor signature; contributor77 on p.5; complete preface and collection-method discussion on pp.24–27.

Selected bibliography

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

1. 01

   Folk-lore from the Dominican Republic

   Manuel J. Andrade, collector and editor; individual contributors identified with their tales · 1930

   Memoirs of the American Folk-Lore Society, XXIII. New York: American Folk-Lore Society; G. E. Stechert and Co., agents. Original Spanish narrative texts with English editorial 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.

1. Historical primary tale collection; selected Spanish texts read in the original editionAndrade1930 — original edition, selected narratives and collection contextResearch access: 2026-10-18

Image credits

The little green bird carrying María’s ribbon; species, plumage details and royal setting interpreted.

Original narrative illustration; visual particulars not specified in the tale remain imagined, not authenticated ethnography.