The Silent Princess

Ignác Kúnos (22 Oct 1860 – 12 Jan 1945) was a Hungarian linguist, turkologist, folklorist, mostly known for his works on Turkish folklore. The most significant his accomplishment was that he collected a great number of folk tales and anecdotes that were published in many other European languages.

The Silent Princess is a Turkish folk tale, collected by Ignác Kúnos and included in his Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales. The narrative follows a young boy, the only son of a Turkey pasha. The kid was adored by his father, he was always getting away with spending all his time in playing games, instead of education. And it did not play out well for the boy. One day, when he gave in the game with his favorite golden ball, he accidentally crashed an old woman’s pitcher. In anger, she cursed him to fall in love with a silent princess.