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

Overview

The serpent shares a well with a one-eyed demon and a pigeon. During their nighttime conversation it says that the treasures of seven kings lie underneath it. Prince Half-a-son overhears, later returns while the serpent is away and removes the wealth on mules to prove his standing before the king. The story gives the serpent speech and a treasure-guarding position but describes neither a gem-bearing hood nor a human form.

Speaking serpent who guards the wealth of seven kingsSpecific collected narrative witness
01

Origins & earliest records

Punjabi storytelling collected and adapted in colonial British India

02

Records & interpretation

Complete named tale and Temple’s corresponding notes read; university-hosted 1894 text compared in full.

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    Tales of the Punjab, Told by the People

    Flora Annie Steel, collector/adapter; R. C. Temple, annotations · 1894

    Prince Half-a-son and corresponding Temple notes; illustrations J. Lockwood Kipling

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

Direct primary record

Flora Annie Steel, Tales of the Punjab, Told by the People (Macmillan, 1894); R. C. Temple notes

Prince Half-a-son. Complete tale and titled notes; Gutenberg id01482/id01911; UPenn punjab-41

Full narrative and corresponding short notes directly read; Gutenberg footer excluded from final note section. Whole 1894 UPenn narrative compared, over 98% token overlap, all residual differences inspected. No biological Snake-king parentage or bodily restoration inferred.

Inspect the digitized plate · Source collection manifest

References

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

  1. Historical collected folktaleSteel, Prince Half-a-son, complete narrativeResearch access: 2026-10-05
  2. Collector’s linguistic and comparative notesTemple, Notes to Prince Half-a-sonResearch access: 2026-10-05
  3. University-hosted historical primary textUniversity of Pennsylvania, 1894 edition transcriptionResearch 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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