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Overview
Sidi Fadl secretly visits a princess at her invitation, entering the palace in women’s clothing among other princesses. A lost sword makes her father suspicious, but the young man obtains a replacement and initially denies knowledge of the found weapon. The king later displays a beautiful flower and asks his soldiers what resembles it. Sidi Fadl answers that only the princess matches its beauty. The king orders him killed and beheaded. Seeing the execution from the palace, the princess calls upon learned and holy people, then throws herself down and dies. The two are buried at opposite ends of the town.
Two palms sprout above their heads, grow skyward and meet over the settlement. The king has them cut down, but they grow again and reunite. He offers a reward to whoever can put an end to their love. A man cuts the palms and pours melted pitch into their graves. Instead of ending the connection, two springs issue from the graves, flow to the town’s middle and meet there. The narrator says that these remain to the present day, a statement within the tale rather than an independently located modern landmark. The vegetation and springs express the continuing union of this particular pair of dead lovers; the account does not show their bodies reviving or give the palms voices.
Origins & earliest records
Hans Stumme, Märchen der Schluḥ von Tázerwalt (Leipzig, 1895), tale 11, Die Geschichte von Sidi Fadl, der zur Zeit des Königs Muhammed lebte: complete German pp. 105–107. Dictating contributor Abdulla Ben Mhammed; recording Preface v–vi.
Records & interpretation
Complete German tale 11 read from the invitation/disguise through sword suspicion, flower comparison, both deaths, separated graves, regrowing palms and final joined springs. The hostile destruction attempt and its failed outcome are retained; no modern site identification is supplied.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Märchen der Schluḥ von Tázerwalt
Tale 11, whole German pp. 105–107; contributor/collection Preface v–vi.
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 Tashelhit transcription with German translationOriginal bilingual collection: Sidi FadlResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
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