box and finds a green and winged horse in it.  The horse tells him how to get the golden apple from the forty guardian dragons.  They go and get it.  After this the old woman comes again and tells the sister that she must get the golden bough, on which all the birds in the world sing, and this also is procured by the help of the green and winged horse.  A third time the old trot comes and says to the girl, “You must get Tzitzinaena to explain the language of birds.”  The eldest brother starts off on the horse, and arriving at the dwelling of Tzitzinaena he calls her name, whereupon he, with the horse, is turned to stone up to the knees; and calling again on her they become marble to the waist.  Then the youth burns a hair he had got from the monk, who instantly appears, calls out “Tzitzinaena,” and she comes forth, and with the water of immortality the youth and horse are disenchanted.  After the youth has returned home with Tzitzinaena, the King sees the three children and thinks them like those his wife had promised to bear him.  He invites them to dinner, at which Tzitzinaena warns them of poisoned meats, some of which they give to a dog they had brought with them, and the animal dies on the spot.  They ask the King to dine at their house and he goes.  Tzitzinaena by clapping her hands thrice procures a royal feast for him; then, having induced the King to send for his wife, she tells the whole story of the mother-in-law’s evil doings, and shows the King that “Sun,” “Moon” and “Star” are his own children.  The King’s mother and the old woman are torn to pieces.

In Albania, as might be expected, our story is orally current in a form which resembles both the Greek version, as above, and the tale of Arab Zandyk, more especially the latter; and it may have been derived from the Turks, though I am not aware that the story has been found in Turkish.  This is an abstract of the second of M. Dozon’s “Comes Albanais” (Paris, 1881), a most entertaining collection: 

Albanianversion.

There was a King who had three daughters.  When he died, his successor proclaimed by the crier an order prohibiting the use of lights during the night of his accession.  Having made this announcement, the King disguised himself and went forth alone.  After walking about from place to place he came to the abode of the daughters of the late King, and going up close to it he overheard their conversation.  This is what the eldest was saying, “If the King took me for his wife, I would make him a carpet upon which the whole of his army could be seated and there would still be room to spare.”  Then said the second, “If the King would take me for his wife, I would make him a tent under which the whole army could be sheltered, and room would still remain.”  Lastly, the youngest said, “If the King should espouse me, I would bring him a son and a daughter with a star on their foreheads and a moon on their shoulders.”