The Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh

Long ago, in a castle by the sea called Bamburgh, there lived a king with a son and a daughter. His son, Childe Wynd, had sailed far away over the sea. His daughter, Princess Margaret, stayed at home, and everyone loved her kind and gentle ways.

One day, the king married a new queen. She was very beautiful, but she was secretly a witch, and she had a cold, jealous heart. When she saw how much the people loved Margaret, she grew more and more jealous. So one night, she cast a spell, and Margaret turned into a huge, scaly dragon! In the old days, people called a dragon a worm, and laidly means ugly.

The poor dragon crawled away to a rocky hill called Spindleston Heugh, and curled up there. She was always hungry, and the farmers were frightened of her. So every day, they brought her a big trough filled with the milk of seven cows. The dragon drank it all up, and then she lay quietly on her hill and did no harm.

News of the dragon traveled across the sea to Childe Wynd. “I must go home and help,” he said. He built a new ship with a keel made of rowan wood, because rowan wood is strong against bad magic. The wicked queen saw him coming, and she sent a wild wind to push his ship away. But the rowan wood kept the ship safe, and Childe Wynd sailed right up to the shore.

The dragon came slithering down the hill toward him. Childe Wynd was brave, and he stood his ground. But the dragon did not snap or roar. Instead, she spoke in a soft, sad voice. “Do not be afraid of me,” she said. “Give me kisses three, and I will be free.” Childe Wynd stepped up close, and he kissed the dragon once, twice, and three times.

With a hiss and a puff of smoke, the dragon’s scales fell away. And there stood Princess Margaret, smiling, with tears of joy in her eyes! “My brother!” she cried, and they hugged each other tightly.

Then the two of them marched up to the castle, where the queen was waiting. Childe Wynd touched her with a twig of rowan. At once, the wicked queen shrank down, smaller and smaller, until she was a little brown toad. “Croak!” said the toad, and she hopped away into the garden and hid under a stone. After that, Princess Margaret and her brother lived happily in Bamburgh Castle by the sea.