# πŸ§’ The Three Heads of the Well Live Reading Junior Classics Library #kids #books #publicdomain #traditional An episode of [Toddle Poddle](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1710389589), 10 Mar 2026, 15 min. Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/70522951/englishfairytales_23_steel_128kb.mp3 Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/toddle-poddle--5908781/support. πŸ‘‡πŸΌFREE KINDLE BOOKSπŸ‘‡πŸΌ https://amzn.to/474y2KX As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Apple Podcasts 🦊 🐞 πŸ‘Ά 🌈 πŸ¦‹ πŸ¦† 🐭 🐯 🦧 🍟 Rat Gang Crew Paperback Kids' Kindle Kids' Blog YOU TUBE 🦊 🐞 πŸ‘Ά 🌈 πŸ¦‹ πŸ¦† 🐭 🐯 🦧 🍟 ## Transcript [0:00] Speaker 1: Chapter twenty three of English fairy Tales. This is a [0:04] Speaker 1: LibriVox recording. All libervox recordings and a public domain. For [0:09] Speaker 1: more information author volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. According [0:16] Speaker 1: by Francisca Power, English fairy Tales by Flora Any Steele, [0:22] Speaker 1: The three heads of the will. Once upon a time [0:26] Speaker 1: they were in the King in Colchester valiant, strong wise [0:30] Speaker 1: famous as a good ruler. But in the midst of [0:33] Speaker 1: his glory, his dear queen died, leaving him with a [0:37] Speaker 1: daughter just touching woman's estate. And this maiden was renowned [0:42] Speaker 1: far and wide for beauty, kindness, grace. Now strange things happen, [0:47] Speaker 1: and the King of Colchester, hearing of a lady who [0:51] Speaker 1: had immense riches, had a mind to marry her. Though [0:55] Speaker 1: she was old, ugly, hook nosed, and ill tempered, and [0:59] Speaker 1: though she was furthermore possessed of a daughter as ugly [1:03] Speaker 1: as herself. None could give the reason why. But only [1:07] Speaker 1: a few weeks after the death of his dear queen, [1:10] Speaker 1: the king brought his loathly bride to court and married [1:14] Speaker 1: her with great pomp and festivities. Now, the very first [1:18] Speaker 1: thing she did was to poison the king's mind against [1:21] Speaker 1: his own, beautiful, kind, gracious daughter, of whom naturally the [1:25] Speaker 1: ugly queen and her ugly daughter were dreadfully jealous. Now, [1:29] Speaker 1: when the young princess had found that even her father [1:33] Speaker 1: had turned against her, she grew weary of court life [1:36] Speaker 1: and longed to get away from it. So one day, [1:40] Speaker 1: happening to meet the king alone in the garden, she [1:43] Speaker 1: went down on her knees and begged and prayed him [1:46] Speaker 1: to give her some help and let her go out [1:49] Speaker 1: into the world to seek her fortune. To this, the [1:52] Speaker 1: king agreed and told his concert to fit the girl [1:55] Speaker 1: out for her enterprise in proper fashion. But a jealous [1:59] Speaker 1: woman only gave gave her a canvas bag of brown [2:01] Speaker 1: bread and hard cheese with a bottle of small beer. [2:05] Speaker 1: Though this was but a pitiful dowry for a king's daughter, [2:09] Speaker 1: the princess was too proud to complain, so she took it, [2:13] Speaker 1: returned her thanks, and set off on her journey through [2:16] Speaker 1: woods and forests, by rivers and lakes, over mountains and valleys. [2:21] Speaker 1: At last she came to a cave at the mouth [2:24] Speaker 1: of which on a stone sat an old old man [2:28] Speaker 1: with a white beard, good moral, fair damsel, he said, [2:32] Speaker 1: with a way so fast. Reverend Father replied, she I [2:37] Speaker 1: got to seek my fortune, and what hast though for [2:42] Speaker 1: dowry fair damsel said. He in the bag and bottle, [2:47] Speaker 1: bread and cheese and small beer, Father says she, smiling. [2:52] Speaker 1: Will it please you to partake of either? With all [2:56] Speaker 1: my heart? Says he, And when she pulled out her provision, [3:00] Speaker 1: he ate them nearly all. But once again she made [3:03] Speaker 1: no complaint, but bade him eat what he needed and welcome. Now. [3:09] Speaker 1: When he had finished, he gave her many thanks and said, [3:13] Speaker 1: for your beauty and your kindness and your grace, take [3:16] Speaker 1: this want. There's a thick, thorny hedge before you which [3:20] Speaker 1: seems impassable, but striketh thrice with this wand saying each time, [3:25] Speaker 1: please hedge, let me through, and it will open a [3:28] Speaker 1: pathway for you. Then, when you come to a well, [3:32] Speaker 1: sit down on the brink of it, and do not [3:35] Speaker 1: be surprised at anything you may see. But whatever you [3:39] Speaker 1: are asked to do, dead do so, saying. The old [3:44] Speaker 1: man went into the cave, and she went on her way. [3:47] Speaker 1: After a while she came to a high, thick thorny hedge, [3:51] Speaker 1: But when she struck it three times with the wand [3:53] Speaker 1: saying please, hedge let me through. It opened a wide [3:57] Speaker 1: pathway for her. So she came to well on the [4:01] Speaker 1: brink of which she sate down. And no sooner had [4:04] Speaker 1: she done so than the golden head without anybody, came [4:08] Speaker 1: up through the water, singing as it came. Wash me [4:13] Speaker 1: and comb me, lay me on a bank to dry [4:17] Speaker 1: softly and prettily, to watch the passers by. Certainly, she said, [4:25] Speaker 1: pulling out her silver comb. Then placing the head on [4:28] Speaker 1: her lap, she began to comb the golden hair. When [4:32] Speaker 1: she had combed it, she lifted the golden head softly [4:35] Speaker 1: and laid it on a primrose bank to dry. No [4:39] Speaker 1: sooner had she done this than another golden head appeared, [4:43] Speaker 1: singing as it came. Wash me and comb me, lay [4:48] Speaker 1: me on a bank to dry softly and prettily, to [4:52] Speaker 1: watch the passers by. Certainly, said she, and, after combing [4:58] Speaker 1: the golden hair, placed the golden head softly on the [5:01] Speaker 1: primrose bank beside the first one. Then came his third [5:06] Speaker 1: head out of the well, and it said the same thing. [5:09] Speaker 1: Wash me and comb me, lay me on a bank [5:12] Speaker 1: to dry softly and prettily, to watch the passers by. [5:19] Speaker 1: With all my heart, said she graciously, And after taking [5:23] Speaker 1: the head on her lap and combing its golden hair [5:26] Speaker 1: with her silver comb. There were the three golden heads [5:29] Speaker 1: in a row on the primrose bank, and she sate [5:32] Speaker 1: down to rest herself and looked at them. They were [5:36] Speaker 1: so quaint and pretty. And as she rested, she cheerfully [5:40] Speaker 1: ate and drank the meager portion of the brown bread, [5:43] Speaker 1: hard cheese, and small beer, which the old man had [5:46] Speaker 1: left to her, For though she was a king's daughter, [5:50] Speaker 1: she was too proud to complain. Then the first head spoke, brothers, [5:56] Speaker 1: what shall we wear for this damsel who has been [5:59] Speaker 1: so great unto us? I wored her to be so [6:03] Speaker 1: beautiful that she shall charm every one she meets, and [6:08] Speaker 1: I said, the second head wearied her a voice that [6:11] Speaker 1: shall exceed the nightingales in sweetness, And I said, the [6:16] Speaker 1: third head weared her to be so fortunate that she [6:19] Speaker 1: shall marry the greatest king that reigns. Thank you with [6:23] Speaker 1: all my heart, says she, But don't you think I [6:26] Speaker 1: had better put you back in the well before I [6:28] Speaker 1: go on? Remember your golden and the passers by might [6:32] Speaker 1: steal you to this stale greed, so she put them back, [6:37] Speaker 1: and when they had thanked her for her kind thought [6:39] Speaker 1: and said good bye, she went on her journey. Now [6:44] Speaker 1: she had not traveled far before she came to a [6:47] Speaker 1: forest where the king of the country was hunting with [6:49] Speaker 1: his nobles, And as the gay cavalcade passed down the glade, [6:54] Speaker 1: she stood back to avoid them, But the king caught [6:57] Speaker 1: sight of her and drew up his horse fairly amazed [7:00] Speaker 1: at her beauty, fair maid, he said, who art thou, [7:05] Speaker 1: and whither go as do through the forest? Death alone? [7:09] Speaker 1: I am the King of Colchester's daughter, and I go [7:12] Speaker 1: to seek my fortune, said she, and her voice was [7:16] Speaker 1: sweeter than the nightingales. Then the king jumped from his horse, [7:20] Speaker 1: being so struck by her that he felt it would [7:22] Speaker 1: be impossible to live without her, and, falling on his knees, [7:26] Speaker 1: begged and prayed her to marry him without delay. And [7:30] Speaker 1: he begged and prayed so well that at last she consented, [7:34] Speaker 1: So with all the courtesy, he mounted her on his [7:37] Speaker 1: horse behind them, and commanding the hunt to follow, he [7:40] Speaker 1: returned to his palace, where the wedding festivities took place [7:44] Speaker 1: with all possible pomp and merriment. Then ordering out the [7:48] Speaker 1: royal chariot, the happy pair started to pay the King [7:52] Speaker 1: of Colchester a bridal visit. And you may imagine the [7:55] Speaker 1: surprise and delight with which, after so short an absence, [7:59] Speaker 1: the people of Colchester saw the beloved, beautiful, kind and [8:03] Speaker 1: gracious princess return in a chariot all jammed with gold, [8:07] Speaker 1: as the bride of the most powerful king in the world. [8:11] Speaker 1: The bells rang out, flags flew drum speed, the people josate, [8:17] Speaker 1: and all was gladness, save for the ugly Queen and [8:21] Speaker 1: her ugly daughter, who were ready to burst with envy [8:24] Speaker 1: and malice. For see you, the despised maiden was now [8:29] Speaker 1: above them both and went before them at every court ceremonial. So, [8:36] Speaker 1: after the visit was ended, and the young king and [8:39] Speaker 1: his bride had gone back to their own country, there [8:42] Speaker 1: to live happily ever after, the ugly, ill natured princess [8:46] Speaker 1: said to her mother, the ugly Queen, I also will [8:50] Speaker 1: go into the world and seek my fortune. If that [8:53] Speaker 1: drab of a girl with her mincing ways got so much, [8:57] Speaker 1: what may I not get? So her mother agreed and [9:02] Speaker 1: furnished her forth with silken dresses and furs, and gave [9:06] Speaker 1: her as provisions, sugar, almonds, and sweetness of every variety, [9:11] Speaker 1: besides a large flagon of malagasac, altogether a right royal dowry. [9:18] Speaker 1: Armed with these, she set forth, following the same road [9:22] Speaker 1: as her step sister. Thus she soon came upon the [9:26] Speaker 1: old man with a white beard, who was seated on [9:29] Speaker 1: a stone by the mouth of a cave. Good morrow, [9:32] Speaker 1: says he whither away so fast? What's that to you, [9:36] Speaker 1: old man, she replied rudely. And what hast thou for [9:41] Speaker 1: dowry and bag and bottle? He asked, quietly, Good things [9:46] Speaker 1: with which you shall not be troubled, she answered pertily. [9:50] Speaker 1: Wilt thou not spare an old man? Something? He said? [9:55] Speaker 1: Then she laughed, Not a bite, not a sup lest [9:59] Speaker 1: they should choke you, Though that would be small matter [10:02] Speaker 1: to me, she replied, with a toss of her head. [10:06] Speaker 1: Then ill luck go with thee, remarked the old man, [10:10] Speaker 1: as he rose and went into the cave. So she [10:13] Speaker 1: went on her way, and after a time came to [10:16] Speaker 1: the thick, thorny hedge, and, seeing what she thought was [10:19] Speaker 1: a gap in it, she tried to pass through, But [10:22] Speaker 1: no sooner had she got well into the middle of [10:24] Speaker 1: the hedge, than the thorns closed in around her, so [10:28] Speaker 1: that she was all scratched and torn before she went [10:30] Speaker 1: her way, Thus streaming with blood. She went on to [10:34] Speaker 1: the well and, seeing water sate on the brink, intending [10:38] Speaker 1: to cleanse herself. But just as she dipped her hands [10:42] Speaker 1: up came a golden hat, singing as it came, wash [10:46] Speaker 1: me and comb me, lay me on the bank to [10:50] Speaker 1: dry softly and prettily towards the passers by all likely story, [10:58] Speaker 1: said she, I'm going to wash myself, and with that [11:03] Speaker 1: she gave the head such a bang with her bottle [11:05] Speaker 1: that it bobbed below the water. But it came up again, [11:09] Speaker 1: and so did the second head, singing as it came, [11:13] Speaker 1: wash me and comb me, lay me on the bank [11:17] Speaker 1: to dry softly and prettily, to watch the passes by. [11:23] Speaker 1: Not I scoffed she, I'm going to wash my hands [11:27] Speaker 1: and face and have my dinner. So she fetches the [11:31] Speaker 1: second head a cruel bank with a bottle, and both [11:33] Speaker 1: heads duck down in the water. But when they came [11:37] Speaker 1: up again, all draggled and dripping, the third head came, [11:40] Speaker 1: also singing as it came, wash me and comb me, [11:45] Speaker 1: lay me on the bank to dry softly and prettily, [11:49] Speaker 1: to watch the passes by. By this time, the ugly [11:53] Speaker 1: princess has cleansed herself and seated on the primrose bank, [11:57] Speaker 1: had her mouthful of sugar and almonds. Not I, says [12:01] Speaker 1: she as well as she could. I'm not a washerwoman [12:05] Speaker 1: nor a barber, so take that for your washing and combing. [12:10] Speaker 1: And with that, having finished the malaga sack, she flung [12:13] Speaker 1: the empty bottle at her three heads. But this time [12:17] Speaker 1: they didn't duck. They looked at each other and said, [12:21] Speaker 1: how shall we wear this rude girl for her bad manners? [12:25] Speaker 1: Then the first head said, I weared that to her [12:29] Speaker 1: ugliness shall be added blotches on her face. And the [12:33] Speaker 1: second head said, I weared that she shall ever be [12:36] Speaker 1: hoarse as a cow and speak as if she had [12:39] Speaker 1: her mouth full. And the third head said, and I [12:44] Speaker 1: weared that she shall be glad to marry a cobbler. [12:48] Speaker 1: Then the three heads sank into the well and were [12:52] Speaker 1: no more seene, and the ugly princess went on her way. [12:56] Speaker 1: But lo and behold, when she came to a town [13:00] Speaker 1: that children ran from her ugly blotched face, screaming with fright, [13:04] Speaker 1: and when she tried to tell them that she was [13:06] Speaker 1: the kings of Colchester's daughter, her voice squeaked like a [13:10] Speaker 1: corn crake's was hoarse as a crouse, and folk could [13:14] Speaker 1: not understand the word she said, because she spoke as [13:17] Speaker 1: if her mouth was full. Now in the town there [13:21] Speaker 1: happened to be a cobbler who not long before had [13:24] Speaker 1: mended the shoes of a poor old hermit, and the latter, [13:27] Speaker 1: having no money, had paid for the job by the [13:30] Speaker 1: gift of a wonderful ointment which would cure blutches on [13:33] Speaker 1: the face, and a bottle of medicine that would banish [13:36] Speaker 1: any hoarseness. So, seeing this miserable, ugly princess in great distress, [13:42] Speaker 1: he went up to her and gave her a few [13:44] Speaker 1: drops out of his bottle, and then, understanding from her [13:47] Speaker 1: rich attire and clearer speech, that she was indeed a [13:50] Speaker 1: king's daughter, he craftily said that if she would take [13:54] Speaker 1: him for a husband, he would undertake to cure her [13:57] Speaker 1: anything anything. Sobbed the miserable princess. So they were married, [14:02] Speaker 1: and the cobbler straightway set off with his bride to [14:05] Speaker 1: visit the King of Colchester. But the bells did not ring, [14:10] Speaker 1: the drums did not beat, and the people, instead of [14:13] Speaker 1: for saying, burst into loud gouffafs at the cobbler in [14:17] Speaker 1: leather and his wife in silks and satins. As for [14:21] Speaker 1: the ugly queen, she was so enraged and disappointed that [14:25] Speaker 1: she went mad and hanged herself in breath. Whereupon the [14:29] Speaker 1: king really pleased at getting rid of her, so soon [14:33] Speaker 1: gave the cobbler a hundred pounds and bade him go [14:35] Speaker 1: about his business with his ugly bride, which he did [14:39] Speaker 1: quite contentedly, for a hundred pounds means much to a [14:42] Speaker 1: poor cobbler. So they went to a remote part of [14:45] Speaker 1: the kingdom and lived unhappily for many years, he cobbling shoes, [14:50] Speaker 1: and she spinning the thread for him. And of the [14:55] Speaker 1: three heads of the well. Recording by Francisca Power Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them.