The Wizard King
Encyclopedia
The Wizard King is a French fairy tale
collected in Les fees illustres. Andrew Lang
included it in The Yellow Fairy Book. It is also a comic book trilogy by Wally Wood
.
, as soon as the baby was strong enough, because she had been warned that her husband was a wizard
, and wizards and fairies had long feuded. Her fairy godmother gave him the gift of pleasing everyone and of learning quickly. A few years later, the queen died, instructing her son to do nothing without consulting that fairy.
The king was grief-stricken. Finally, as his familiar settings continually reminded him of his queen, he set out to foreign lands, using his arts to shapeshift into animals and so move about freely. As an eagle, he saw a far country where the queen had a single daughter, astoundingly beautiful. He carried her off and pled with her to marry him. Although he installed her in a beautiful castle, with fine servants and a charming parrot for her pet, her capture had ensured that she would never be won over. He kept her from his court, but one day thought that she might have heard of the charms of his son. Fearing he was a rival, the king sent him on a journey.
The prince traveled until he came to the kingdom where the princess had been stolen from. He was deeply moved by the story and resolved to rescue her, and went to the fairy for aid. She declared that he could not reach the enchanted
castle where the princess was, and the only expedient she could think of was to capture her parrot. When the prince did this, the fairy turned the prince into an identical parrot. In his new form, the prince reached the princess and, after seeing that she disliked his father the king, told her why he was there.
The fairy created a chariot, drawn by eagles, and had the captive parrot direct it to the castle. There, the prince and princess escaped on it. The king followed them to her mother's country, but when he tried to cast a magical potion on them, the fairy threw it back on him. This allowed them to capture him and so strip him of his powers. The prince asked for the king to be pardoned, and it was so. As the king took to the skys he vowed never to forgive his son or the fairy.
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
collected in Les fees illustres. Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang was a Scots poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University of St Andrews are named after him.- Biography :Lang was born in Selkirk...
included it in The Yellow Fairy Book. It is also a comic book trilogy by Wally Wood
Wally Wood
Wallace Allan Wood was an American comic book writer, artist and independent publisher, best known for his work in EC Comics and Mad. He was one of Mads founding cartoonists in 1952. Although much of his early professional artwork is signed Wallace Wood, he became known as Wally Wood, a name he...
.
Synopsis
A king was lord over many lands and had mastered magical secrets. He married a princess, and they had a son. The queen set out to seek her fairy godmotherFairy godmother
In fairy tales, a fairy godmother is a fairy with magical powers who acts as a mentor or parent to someone, in the role that an actual godparent was expected to play in many societies...
, as soon as the baby was strong enough, because she had been warned that her husband was a wizard
Magician (fantasy)
A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...
, and wizards and fairies had long feuded. Her fairy godmother gave him the gift of pleasing everyone and of learning quickly. A few years later, the queen died, instructing her son to do nothing without consulting that fairy.
The king was grief-stricken. Finally, as his familiar settings continually reminded him of his queen, he set out to foreign lands, using his arts to shapeshift into animals and so move about freely. As an eagle, he saw a far country where the queen had a single daughter, astoundingly beautiful. He carried her off and pled with her to marry him. Although he installed her in a beautiful castle, with fine servants and a charming parrot for her pet, her capture had ensured that she would never be won over. He kept her from his court, but one day thought that she might have heard of the charms of his son. Fearing he was a rival, the king sent him on a journey.
The prince traveled until he came to the kingdom where the princess had been stolen from. He was deeply moved by the story and resolved to rescue her, and went to the fairy for aid. She declared that he could not reach the enchanted
Incantation
An incantation or enchantment is a charm or spell created using words. An incantation may take place during a ritual, either a hymn or prayer, and may invoke or praise a deity. In magic, occultism, witchcraft it may be used with the intention of casting a spell on an object or a person...
castle where the princess was, and the only expedient she could think of was to capture her parrot. When the prince did this, the fairy turned the prince into an identical parrot. In his new form, the prince reached the princess and, after seeing that she disliked his father the king, told her why he was there.
The fairy created a chariot, drawn by eagles, and had the captive parrot direct it to the castle. There, the prince and princess escaped on it. The king followed them to her mother's country, but when he tried to cast a magical potion on them, the fairy threw it back on him. This allowed them to capture him and so strip him of his powers. The prince asked for the king to be pardoned, and it was so. As the king took to the skys he vowed never to forgive his son or the fairy.