Black Horse

The Magic Orange Tree

In short: A girl plants a seed from an orange she has eaten. As she sings, the tree grows and bears fruit.

The Magic Orange Tree · The growing orange tree FAIRY TALE ATLAS · № 78 The Magic Orange Tree A girl plants a seed from an orange she has eaten. Origin Haiti Atlas record 1978 First appearance Exact date unknown SIGNATURE MOTIF The growing orange tree 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

Haiti

In Wolkstein’s telling, the girl’s song moves the tree through its stages of growth. Once the fruit ripens, the song takes on another task as the girl uses it to control the tree’s height. Listeners recognise the melody while wondering what the next repetition will do. Wolkstein’s performance notes let readers follow that audible part of the story.

Dated records and sources

  1. 1978 · Haiti
    Diane Wolkstein · The Magic Orange Tree and Other Haitian Folktales · Published collection

Country pages

Origin
Black Horse. The Magic Orange Tree. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-magic-orange-tree/