Giambattista Basile’s “Petrosinella,” also known as “Parsley,” is an Italian fairy tale written in the 17th century. It is one of the earliest recorded versions of the Rapunzel story. The story begins with Petrosinella’s mother craving parsley during her pregnancy. She sent her husband to gather the herb from a nearby garden belonging to their neighbor. He got caught stealing the parsley. This act enraged his elderly neighbor, who demanded payment for the crime. She demanded his child in exchange for his theft. In despair, the husband agreed.
When his child, Petrosinella, was born, she had beautiful long blonde hair. By the time she was seven years old, her father had still not kept his promise to the woman. When Petrosinella began school, she would pass her neighbor’s house daily. The old woman would call out to her, Tell your father to remember the promise he made to me! Petrosinella faithfully delivered the message. When Petrosinells gave her father the message he grew frightened of what the woman would do, so he instructed Petrosinella to tell the old hag, Take her!
When Petrosinella delivered the message, the old woman took the child deep into the forest and locked her in a tall stone tower. The tower had no stairs or doors. The only way to access the tower was through a small window. Pretostinella was forced to stay in the tower and was never allowed outside again. The old woman, her only companion, had to enter this prison by climbing in and out of the small window using Petrosinella’s hair.
Despite the isolation, Petrosinella maintained high spirits by singing from the small window. One day, a prince wandered into the forest. Upon hearing Petrosinella’s voice he was instantly captivated. As he followed the sound, he discovered the tower hidden among the trees. Determined to meet the singer, the prince returned daily to listen to her songs.
Eventually, the prince devised a plan to rescue Petrosinella. Every day the prince would bring a skein of silk and throw it to Petrosinella. Every day she would tie the skeins together, and when the silk was long enough to reach the ground, he climbed into the tower. At first, Petronsinella was terrified of the strange man but allowed him to visit her. Whenever the old woman was away he would come to the tower. Soon the couple fell in love. One day the prince asked Petrosinella to run away with him and be married. She agreed. They realized that they would need a plan for Petrosinella to escape the tower.
Unknown to the couple a spectator had seen the prince enter the tower. He told the old woman about the prince. She was shocked. When the old woman returned to the tower and asked the girl if someone had been visiting her. Petrosinella lied claiming that no one had been in the tower with her. The woman believed Petrosinella because she thought the girl was too naive to lie. The next day the plan was still in motion and the prince had brought rope to tie up the old woman in her sleep but the woman woke up and pursued him relentlessly. In a dramatic climax, the two lovers escaped her and took refuge in the prince’s kingdom. In the end, Petrosinella and the prince married and lived happily ever after.
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