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Overview

In Laurentine’s Grateful Tartaro and Heren-Suge, the king’s youngest daughter expects to be eaten by a serpent. The grateful Tartaro equips Petit Yorge to defend her. On the first day Yorge opens the seven doors of her carriage with his sword. The serpent anticipates eating rider, horse and princess, but Yorge and the horse each remove one head. It asks for quarter until the next day. A second horse and a new disguise accompany the second encounter, when another two heads are lost.

The last confrontation adds a formidable dog and scented water supplied by Tartaro. The serpent says that a spark between its head and tail would let it burn the four opponents. This is a conditional threat, not a narrated fire-breathing attack. The princess applies the water at the agreed signal; man, horse and dog each remove one remaining head. Yorge keeps all seven tongues, while a charcoal-burner later finds the discarded heads and claims the reward. The tongues and pieces cut from the princess’s dresses expose the false claim and identify the actual rescuer at the ending.

Seven headsThree-day combatRequests for quarterHorse and dog helpersConditional burning threatTongues as recognition proof
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Origins & earliest records

Wentworth Webster, Basque Legends, second edition, London: Griffith and Farran, 1879, The Grateful Tartaro and the Heren-Suge, pp. 22–32. Laurentine

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Records & interpretation

Located historical collected narrative and its attribution preserve this specific version. Webster’s solar interpretations and proposed ethnic etymologies are not adopted as facts.

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    Basque Legends: The Grateful Tartaro and the Heren-Suge, pp. 22–32

    Wentworth Webster, collector and translator; Laurentine · 1879, second edition

    Title-page edition checked; complete selected account or explicitly identified summary read through its outcome.

Family & connections

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References

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  1. Primary historical collected narrativeWebster: Basque Legends, The Grateful Tartaro and the Heren-SugeResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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