Reading Notes: The Three Lovers, Part A

For the fifth week I chose to look at the Twenty-Two Goblins unit. I really enjoyed all of these stories! My favorite was The Three Lovers who brought the Dead Girl to Life.  This came from the unit titled Twenty-Two Goblins, translated by Arthur W. Ryder, with illustrations by Perham W. Nahl.

I liked most everything about this story; However, I'm not a big fan of the ending. I think the man who was a monk and found the magic spell should be the one to end up with Coral. After all, he is the one who allowed her to come back to life. I do agree somewhat though, that the man who slept on her ashes reacted in a way that a husband would, so I see why the author chose him. If I were to rewrite the story I would have the monk specifically set out to look for a solution, rather than just stumbling upon the spell book. This way, it makes it seem as if he was the only one to do anything. He takes the initiative to save Coral, and the other two men will start fighting. They will blame each other for Coral's death, until the other man arrives with his solution.

When he brings her back to life, the men will all argue. Instead of her father choosing her husband, she will choose her own. He agrees to let her choose because he is overjoyed just to have her back alive.

To make it more interesting, I will change the way that she dies in the first place. The men start fighting over her love, and during the fight they disregard her safety. One will take her out to talk on the edge of a steep hill outside the castle. It's a romantic setting with the moonlight and stars out. The other men will arrive, and of course, they start to argue. She gets pushed over the edge accidentally, where she falls to her death.

Princess Coral 

Source: Wikimedia Commons