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

Overview

In “The Padishah of the Forty Peris,” the forty Peris have abducted Bahtiyar Bey from his mortal mother at three days old and made him their ruler, allowing him only two hours of freedom in each day. The hidden palace first reveals three dove attendants who become beautiful damsels to sweep, lay the table and provide food, then resume their bird forms. Bahtiyar warns his human beloved that the forty Peris would kill her if they found her with him; the threatened killing does not occur.

After the couple have a child, Bahtiyar’s mother arranges for him to overstay his permitted visit and covers the cypress where the forty doves sometimes alight with venomous needles. They come to seek their overdue ruler, settle there and fall poisoned to the ground. His release closes the story with a family feast. These particular Peris’ captivity and vulnerability are source-specific; their separate identities, ancestry and reason for choosing the infant are not supplied.

Collective infant abductionDove and damsel formsRestriction of ruler’s freedomPoisoned-needle defeat
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Origins & earliest records

Turkish storytelling collected in Anatolia, through Hungarian and English publication

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Records & interpretation

Complete English tale and ending read, with its attached footnote where present.

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    Turkish Fairy Tales and Folk Tales

    Ignácz Kúnos (collector); R. Nisbet Bain (translator from Hungarian) · 1901

    “The Padishah of the Forty Peris,” pp.166–175. London:A.H.Bullen,1901; complete English account, no attached footnote.

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

Complete English narrative and ending read

Turkish Fairy Tales and Folk Tales

Ignácz Kúnos / R. Nisbet Bain; London: A. H. Bullen, 1901. The Padishah of the Forty Peris, pp.166–175

Complete cache kunos-bain-14.txt,12753characters, no footnote. Ring/bracelet/handkerchief thefts, bath frame and healed visitors, three dove servants, mortal origin, wife/child, mother’s poisoned-needle trap and final feast all read. Two hours of freedom versus remaining Peri service; no explicit removal of bird-changing faculty at ending.

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References

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

  1. Historical English folktale translation through HungarianKúnos/Bain1901, The Padishah of the Forty PerisResearch 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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