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Overview

The serpent inhabits a city’s fountain, where people cannot draw water without it eating a woman. When a young stranger arrives, the chosen victim is the king’s daughter. The stranger’s preceding journey has been harsh: six older brothers left him in a well, a passing caravan rescued and sold him, and his buyer later freed him after he refused the buyer’s wife’s proposal to run away together. He reaches the fountain as the princess is weeping over her appointed death.

He offers to kill the serpent and lets the princess enter the fountain. As it rushes toward her and raises its head, he strikes with a stick, knocking the head away. He does the same to another head, continuing until the serpent dies; the tale does not give a total head count. People throughout the city can then draw water. The king summons the stranger, confirms his deed, gives him his daughter in marriage and appoints him lieutenant. The wedding lasts seven days, and the account ends there.

Fountain dwellingWoman demanded for water accessMultiple headsRushes at princessKilled with stickCity’s water restored
01

Origins & earliest records

René Basset, Contes populaires berbères (1887), no. 35, Les sept frères, headed Zouaoua, complete printed pp. 72–74. Preface xiii lists no. 35 among narratives drawn from Bibliothèque nationale Berber manuscript 17, associated with P. Rivière and other missionaries in Kabylia; no individual oral contributor is claimed.

02

Records & interpretation

Complete French tale inspected against original DjVu pages 110–112, printed pp. 72–74, including the human rescue, enslavement and release, serpent episode and final appointment and wedding. Original note 71, printed p. 177, independently confirms Bibliothèque nationale fonds berbère no. 17.

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    Contes populaires berbères

    René Basset, translator and editor; manuscript collection context stated separately · 1887

    No. 35, Les sept frères, complete pp. 72–74; preface xiii.

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.

  1. Primary collected narrative; original facsimile inspectedOriginal edition, complete narrative 35Research 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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