Arany mesekönyv : A világ legszebb meséi

"Arany mesekönyv" by Elek Benedek is a collection of fairy tales written in the early 20th century. Drawing on renowned stories from around the world—here especially the Arabian Nights—it offers vivid, accessible retellings filled with wonder, peril, and moral turns. The opening centers on a witty porter, three veiled sisters, three one‑eyed adventurers, and a disguised caliph whose paths cross in a lavish, rule‑bound household. The opening of the book retells the Baghdadi tale in which a porter follows a beautiful stranger to the opulent home of three secluded sisters—Szobeida, Szafia, and Amina—where all guests must promise not to ask questions. After feasting, the sisters admit three one‑eyed adventurers and three “merchants” (the caliph and his companions in disguise). A strange rite ensues: Szobeida whips two black dogs, then weeps and kisses them; Amina sings of sorrow and, overcome, reveals a body marked by old scars. Curiosity breaks the house rule, armed slaves are summoned, and the men must save themselves by telling their life stories. The first adventurer, a dispossessed prince, recounts how secret burials, family tragedy, and usurpation led to the loss of his eye and his flight to Baghdad. The second tells of a learned prince who, after angering a jinn in an underground palace, is turned into a monkey, wins favor through exquisite calligraphy, is restored to human form by a sorceress‑princess who dies defeating the jinn, and loses an eye in the fiery struggle. The third begins a seafaring ordeal toward a deadly magnetic mountain; the excerpt breaks off as a bronze rider plunges into the sea. (This is an automatically generated summary.)