In ancient times, in a majestic palace in the middle of Egypt, great sadness prevailed after the king lost his sight following an illness that afflicted him. The doctors failed in their attempt to restore his sight. The entire kingdom wished the king’s recovery. After several days, a boat settled in the water, and on it was the physician minister, who told the people that he was the private physician of a king on the other side of the sea and wished to take a look at the king of Egypt.
He said that the illness was severe, but treatment was not impossible. However, he needed a very special ointment. The son said to him, “I will bring you everything you need to make the ointment, but you must save my father.” He said, “I need an ointment made from the tears of the golden-headed fish. You will find it somewhere in the Great Sea. I will stay here for a hundred days. If you can bring the fish before this time, I will make the ointment for your father. But if you do not find it before the hundred days, I will have to leave.”
The prince set out immediately with his men. The Great Sea was miles away from the palace. The prince and his men did not leave a rock without searching under it for the golden-headed fish. Months passed, and they found no trace of the fish. But on the hundredth day, the prince said, “I will dive one last time.” That time, he was lucky and found the golden-headed fish. He took the fish out of the water and put it in a bowl. But before calling his men, he looked at the fish and could not move, for it was looking at him with two pitiful eyes. He said, “I learned from my parents not to harm any innocent being.”
The prince returned the fish to the sea and returned to the palace, fully aware that no one would understand his decision. But his father ordered his imprisonment, and everyone knew that if anyone entered the kingdom’s prison, they would never come out of it for the rest of their life. But the prince accepted his punishment calmly and departed. That night, the queen sneaked in to see her son and said to him, “Leave the kingdom immediately. I have prepared everything for you.” She guided the prince to a secret passage leading to the river, where a boat was waiting for him. He waved to the queen in farewell and began his journey. He sailed through the night, then stopped to rest. A young Arab stopped him.
He said to him, “I am poor and looking for work. Do you want a crew?” The prince said to him, “I may need someone to sail with me, but how will I pay you?” He said, “You can pay me whatever you want at the end of the year.” The prince felt happy to have someone to share his journey. He bought everything he needed and began his journey with his new companion. They sailed together for weeks until they reached a port of a kingdom that seemed small in size. His companion said to him, “We must settle until they find you if they need you in the kingdom.” The prince and the Arab descended together to the port and began to roam the kingdom. It was very beautiful. Then they found a hotel and talked with its owner. He told them that the king wanted to marry his beautiful daughter, and he began to speak of her kindness and generosity.
The companion noticed that the prince had fallen in love with that beautiful unknown girl. The prince said to him, “I will go to her tomorrow.” The prince headed the next day to the royal palace and walked proudly on the red carpet. He bowed to the king and said to him, “I have come to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage.” The king said immediately, “I will prepare the marriage ceremony.” The prince said to him, “Do you not want to know me?” He said, “It does not matter. You will not live after 12 hours of marriage. Did you not know this?” The prince said to him, “I somehow overlooked this important information. Have you explained the matter to me?”
He said, “My daughter has married 192 men so far, and none of them survived after 12 hours of their marriage. You can think again.” The prince thought for a moment, and without any hesitation, promised to return the next day for the marriage ceremony. He said to the hotel owner, “It seems the princess is in some trouble. She may be cursed, and I must save her.” The companion said, “I knew you would not back down. We will face the curse together.” The marriage celebration was unique in its kind. While the palace was decorated on one side, the prince’s grave was being dug on the other. After the marriage, 11 hours passed. The prince sat before his wife in a huge chair. The princess did not know that the Arab was in the same room in the closet. When the time came, slowly, a strong, shining snake came out of the princess’s sleeve. Despite the prince’s readiness to attack, something unexpected happened.
He heard music, and the prince saw the snake approaching him, but he and the princess were unable to do anything, for the music made anyone who heard it fall asleep. The companion did not lose his senses. He jumped from inside the closet, seized the snake by its neck, and the music suddenly stopped. The prince and the princess emerged from the state of sleep that had afflicted them. The companion put the snake in a large wooden bottle and closed it on him. He said to him, “Why are you not affected by the music?” The companion said to him, “It does not matter. What matters is that you have survived.” After several days, a messenger came to the kingdom asking about the prince and informing him of happy news. The messenger said to him, “Your father’s sight has returned, and the queen has informed him of your departure. He is waiting for your return.”
Preparations were made immediately, and the time came for the Arab companion to leave. The prince said to him, “You can stay. You are not my servant. You are my friend.” He said to him, “Your generosity, my master, is the beautiful thing that brought me to you. I am the same golden-headed fish that you saved, and now I have returned to your kingdom, and I must return to my kingdom. Ask your friend, oh prince, and I will always remain around you to protect you.”
Translated from: The Golden Headed Fish Story