Three Dove-Maidens of the Spell-bound Giant

Overview

The giant tells the abandoned youth to hide beside a tank before sunrise and catch the white dove among three birds. The first attempt leaves only feathers in his hand. He makes a snare for the next dawn; when he reaches for the caught bird it becomes a beautiful maiden. She is brought to the giant and receives attendants and costly robes, although the palace remains enchanted.

The grey and cinnamon-colored doves are released only at the story’s final resolution, after the magician’s death lifts the giant’s spell and raises the palace. They too become maidens and marry the two brothers; the white-dove woman marries the restored prince. The text does not call the women sisters, give them parents or name the birds’ natural species beyond doves. Their shared visit and matched colors are narrated features, while common parentage would be an unsupported inference.

Origins & earliest records

Consiglieri Pedroso, Portuguese Folk-Tales, translated from the original manuscript by Henriqueta Monteiro, London: Elliot Stock for the Folk-Lore Society, 1882; VIII, pp. 33–37. This selected tale does not name its narrator or local collecting site.

Records & interpretation

Complete tale VIII read through the giant’s disenchantment and the dove-maidens’ marriages. Collector’s introductory pp. 1–2 distinguish the selected thirty tales from his larger unpublished collection.

Selected bibliography

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

1. 01

   Portuguese Folk-Tales VIII: The Spell-bound Giant, pp. 33–37

   Collected by Consiglieri Pedroso; translated by Henriqueta Monteiro · 1882

   Complete tale VIII; giant’s release depends on the magician’s death, not merely on the dove capture.

Family, evolution & connections

References

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

1. Primary textPortuguese Folk-Tales, original 1882 edition scan/OCRResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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