In the island kingdom of Chios, surrounded by the blue shimmer of the Aegean Sea, there lived a mighty king who had but one child, a daughter as radiant as the dawn. Her beauty was sung of in distant lands; her kindness was as fragrant as the lilies that bloomed in the royal gardens. Princes from every corner of Greece and beyond came to seek her hand, bearing jewels, silks, and promises of power. Yet the princess’s heart remained untouched. No noble face, no golden gift stirred her spirit.
One spring morning, she placed a small basil shoot into a clay pot by her window. She tended it with care, watering it not with ordinary water but with drops of rose-water from a crystal flask. Under her gentle hands, the basil grew strong and green, its scent fresh and sweet, filling her chamber with peace. Often she leaned toward it and whispered softly, “My pretty basil, you are my heart.”
But unknown to her, within the leaves of the basil plant dwelt a youth, imprisoned there by an old enchantress’s spell. The time of his freedom was bound to the growth of the plant, when it reached its full bloom, his captivity would end. And so, one night, when the basil had grown tall and its fragrance filled the air like music, the spell broke. From among its green leaves stepped forth a youth, handsome as sunlight upon the sea, his eyes bright as morning.
The princess started in wonder, but her heart knew him at once, as though she had always been waiting. He bowed low before her and said gently, “Lady, your care has given me life again.” From that moment, they loved one another deeply and secretly, bound by a love that bloomed as tenderly as the basil itself.
Each night, when the moonlight lay like silver upon the marble floor, the youth would step forth again from the basil and sing beneath her window. His voice was soft as the whisper of waves, and she would lean close to listen, her heart trembling with joy.
Yet happiness rarely hides for long. Among her attendants was a maid who grew jealous of her mistress’s joy. One night, she crept silently to the princess’s chamber and peered through the curtain. She saw the youth standing by the basil, singing to his beloved. Greedy for favour, she ran to the king and told him everything.
The king, furious at what he heard, stormed into his daughter’s room with his guards. The youth, startled, fled into the basil, vanishing among the leaves just as the soldiers entered. The princess cried out, “Father, have mercy!” But rage clouded the king’s heart. He seized the pot and hurled it from the window into the courtyard below. It shattered upon the stones, scattering earth and leaves into the moonlit night.
The princess gave a piercing cry and fell senseless to the floor. Servants carried her to her bed, but she neither spoke nor opened her eyes again. She lay still as marble, her breath faint as a sigh. Days passed, yet she did not awaken. Grief and regret filled the palace like a dark mist.
But from the spot where the basil had fallen, something miraculous occurred. From the broken soil grew a rose-tree and a myrtle, their roots entwined as though in embrace. As the days went by, the two plants grew taller, their stems curling together lovingly. Each morning, when the sun rose over Chios, the rose bent gently toward the myrtle, and the myrtle leaned toward the rose, as though sharing a secret kiss. Their fragrance drifted through the palace halls, soft and sorrowful, filling the air with remembrance.
When the king saw this wonder, his anger melted into grief. He knew in his heart that his daughter’s spirit was gone from him forever, that her love and the enchanted youth had become one with the rose and the myrtle. From then on, no one touched the plants. They were left to grow in peace beside the palace wall, symbols of love that even death could not destroy.
And every year, when the roses bloomed red and the myrtle leaves gleamed dark and green, the people of Chios whispered that the princess and her beloved lived still, together, in beauty everlasting.
Moral Lesson
Love, when pure and selfless, endures beyond loss and time. The heart’s devotion, though silenced by fate, can bloom again in nature’s eternal form.
Knowledge Check
1. Where does this folktale originate?
The story comes from the Greek island of Chios, in the Aegean Sea.
2. What did the princess plant by her window?
She planted a basil plant, which became the heart of the story’s magic.
3. Who was hidden within the basil plant?
An enchanted youth, imprisoned by a witch’s spell, who emerged when the plant matured.
4. What caused the tragedy in the story?
The princess’s maid betrayed her secret to the king, who in anger destroyed the basil plant.
5. What grew from the earth after the basil was destroyed?
A rose-tree and a myrtle, their stems entwined, symbolizing eternal love.
6. What moral does this Greek folktale teach?
That true love transcends life and death, and the heart’s devotion can transform sorrow into beauty.
Source
Adapted from the Greek folktale “The Basil-Plant and the King’s Daughter” in Greek Folk-Songs and Folk-Stories, collected by Lucy M. J. Garnett (1896), London: David Nutt.
Cultural Origin: Greece (Chios, Aegean Folklore)
