In a kingdom, a Raja's son is forbidden by his mother to hunt in a specific direction, as she fears he will seek out the beautiful Princess Labam. Despite her warning, curiosity leads him to the forbidden area, where he encounters talking parrots. One parrot, Hiraman, reveals the existence of Princess Labam but refuses to disclose her location. The prince becomes infatuated and, after a period of melancholy, decides to leave his parents to find her. Equipped with weapons, fine clothes, and sweetmeats from his mother, he embarks on his journey. Along the way, he helps a tiger with a thorn in its foot, earning the tiger's gratitude and a promise of assistance in times of trouble. He also encounters four fakirs quarreling over magical items, which he cleverly distributes among them before using a magical bed to travel to the princess's land. Upon arrival, he seeks shelter with an old woman who warns him of the king's strict rules against outsiders. The prince uses his magical bag to provide a lavish meal, impressing the old woman. That night, he witnesses the princess's beauty as she illuminates the night from her rooftop. He secretly leaves betel-leaf near her bed, which intrigues her. The prince continues to visit the princess nightly, leaving gifts until she expresses her desire to marry him. However, her father, the king, imposes impossible tasks on suitors, threatening death for failure. The prince learns he must extract oil from eighty pounds of mustard seed in one day. Remembering the Ant-Raja, he calls upon the ants, who complete the task overnight. The king, still unsatisfied, orders the prince to fight two demons. The tiger and his wife come to the prince's aid, defeating the demons. The king then demands the prince beat a kettledrum in the sky, which he accomplishes with the help of his magical bed. Finally, the king presents a seemingly insurmountable challenge: to cut a thick tree trunk with a wax hatchet. Despairing, the prince confides in the princess, who provides him with a hair from her head. Following her instructions, he uses the hair to successfully cut the trunk. Impressed, the king allows the prince to marry his daughter. The wedding is grand, and the couple receives gifts for their journey back to the prince's kingdom, where they live happily ever after, with the prince retaining his magical items for future needs.
By Joseph Jacobs · First published 1890 · Genre: Fairy Tale, Adventure, Fantasy