Story[]
A princess was bound to marry the crow king, but to her surprise the bird turned into an handsome man at night. He explained a sorcerer cursed him, but said curse would end soon if the princess remained patient. However, on her mother 's advice, the princess turned her husband permanently to human by burning his feathered skin, at night. This, unfortunately, gave the king into the full power of the sorcerer. The latter kidnapped him, and brought him at the end of the world.
The princess resolved to save him all by herself, and walk for so long to reach the end of the world that her shoes are worn-out. She ask for the help of the sun, the moon and the stars, but only the stars are helpful by giving advice and items to deliver the king.
She reaches the mountain where the king is chained up, and manage to put into slumber then kill the wolf that guard him. The princess use the key given by the stars to open the chains of her husband, they go back to their kingdom and live happily ever after.
Trivia[]
-This story have many variants, the husband can have the aspect of a pig or a hedgehog. The ways to save him can also differ; for instance the stars give an egg, a nut, and a key. The egg contain a giant eagle used to reach the island where the king is prisoner, the nut turn into a tree used to reach the window of the king, and the key to open it.
-The king can either be born of a queen or a peasant. His apparence result of a curse by the sorcerer (or a witch) or because his parents wished for any kind of child.
-Also, he can win the princess's hand after three trials: turning the princess's castle into silver in one night, building another identical castle made of gold in front of the first in another night, and during the third night building a diamond bridge between the two. The impossible tasks were often used to rebuff him, in vain. How the crow king managed to do all this is never explained.
-He can be chained to a mountain, or held prisoner in a tower.
-There are instances where the princess lose the key, and have to force the lock with her little finger.
-Whatever the version, the princess go and save the prince at the end, inverting the common cliché.