121. The Brahmin and his Snake-Son



A brahmin dreamed he would have a strong, handsome son, but his wife gave birth to a snake. They loved him nonetheless.
Time passed.
"He must marry!" said the mother, so the brahmin visited a distant relative.
"Marry your daughter to my strong and handsome son!" the brahmin proposed.
When the bride learned the groom was a snake, she said only, "Let fate bring what it may."
On their wedding night, the snake turned into a handsome man, shedding his skin as she watched. The bride's father threw the snakeskin in the fire, and the couple lived happily ever after.

Inspired byThe Panchatantra, translated by Arthur Ryder.
Notes: It is in Book 1, Story 26.

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