The Fair One with Golden Locks
A king's daughter, renowned for her extraordinary beauty and golden hair, captures the heart of a neighboring king who, enamored without meeting her, sends an ambassador to propose marriage. However, she declines, preferring her independence. Avenant, a favored young noble, is imprisoned by the king for a misunderstood boast about winning her affection. After being pardoned, Avenant is tasked with courting the princess. On his journey, he performs acts of kindness, saving a golden carp, a raven, and an owl, each promising to repay him. Upon reaching the princess, she challenges him to retrieve a lost ring from a river. The carp, grateful for Avenant's earlier help, returns the ring. The princess then demands the head of a giant, Galifron, which Avenant bravely obtains with the assistance of the raven. Yet, she later requests water from the Grotto of Darkness, guarded by dragons. The owl, grateful for Avenant's earlier kindness, retrieves the water for him. The princess agrees to marry the king but remains fond of Avenant. The king, consumed by jealousy, imprisons Avenant again, leading to his accidental death from a poisoned phial. The princess frees Avenant, crowns him king, and they marry, ruling happily ever after.
By Dinah Mulock · First published 1856 · Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Children's Literature · 4,380 words
First lines
There was once a king's daughter so beautiful that they named her the Fair One with Golden Locks. These golden locks were the most remarkable in the world, soft and fine, and falling in long waves down to her very feet. She wore them always thus, loose and flowing, surmounted with a wreath of flowers; and though such long hair was sometimes rather inconvenient, it was so exceedingly beautiful, shining in the sun like ripples of molten gold, that everybody agreed she fully deserved her name.
What this Textopian page supports
The Fair One with Golden Locks is listed on Textopian as a novella by Dinah Mulock, dated 1856 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novella
- Author: Dinah Mulock
- Date: 1856 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Children's Literature, Adventure
- Length: 4,380 words
- Structure: 1 section, 64 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Fair One with Golden Locks by Dinah Mulock
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters
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- Where does Fairy Tale first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
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- The Invisible Prince by Dinah Mulock
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- Beauty And The Beast by Dinah Mulock
- Heather And Snow by George Macdonald
- The Light Princess by George Macdonald
Genres
- Fairy Tale — The book is a retelling of a classic fairy tale, focusing on elements of magic, enchantment and a prince's quest for his true love.
- Fantasy — The plot involves mythical creatures, spells and magic which aligns with the fantasy genre.
- Children's Literature — The simple language, moral lessons and magical elements make it suitable for children's literature.
- Adventure — The storyline involves the journey of the prince, which can be categorised under the adventure genre.
Tags
fairy tale · fantasy · adventure · romance · magic · mythical creatures · heroine · quest · friendship · love · betrayal · courage