Black Horse

The Little Soldier

In short: The Little Soldier goes down a well after a seven-headed serpent. The creature loses another head on each level.

The Little Soldier · The little soldier’s path FAIRY TALE ATLAS · № 77 The Little Soldier The Little Soldier goes down a well after a seven-headed serpent. Origin Chile Atlas record 1923 First appearance Exact date unknown SIGNATURE MOTIF The little soldier’s path Reach¹ 1/10 Suggested age² 8+ Member rating No votes yet 1 records · 1 countries or regions blackhorsestories.com

¹ Based on the number of Atlas countries, capped at 10. ² Editorial suggestion for reading this page. Discover Black Horse’s question

Origin and tradition

Chile

In Laval’s record, the soldier lays an iron bar across the well and is lowered on a rope tied at his waist. After each encounter the serpent retreats to a lower level and he follows. Its seven heads let the listener count how far he has travelled underground. On the last level the sound changes. After the noise of the serpent he hears the princess lamenting, somewhere out of sight.

Dated records and sources

  1. 1923 · Chile
    Ramón A. Laval · El Soldadillo · Cuentos populares en Chile · Published collection

Country pages

Origin
Black Horse. The Little Soldier. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-chilean-little-soldier/