Mary de Morgan’s "The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde" is a dark and enchanting fairy tale from her collection of the same name. The story centers on the beautiful but wicked Princess Fiorimonde, who has no desire to marry. To avoid her many suitors, she devises a cruel and magical deception. She possesses a golden necklace with enchanted beads. When a suitor arrives, she allows him to fasten the necklace around her own neck, but upon doing so, he is instantly transformed into a bead and strung upon the chain, and Princess Fiorimonde adds another to her collection. One by one, the princes of the land vanish without a trace. The mystery is finally unraveled by a clever and observant young man named Yolande, who is not a prince but works in the royal household. He discovers the princess’s terrible secret and witnesses the transformation. With the help of a friendly witch or through his own cunning, Yolande finds a way to reverse the enchantment. He tricks the princess into putting on the necklace herself, or finds another method to break the spell, causing the beads to turn back into the missing princes and leading to the downfall of the vain and malevolent Princess Fiorimonde. Mary de Morgan’s tale is a moral fable about the dangers of vanity and cruelty, championing cleverness and kindness over beauty and malice.

Table of Contents:

• The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde. Part 1

• The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde. Part 2