Week 12 Storytelling: "The Laidly Worm of Castle Bamborough"

(Laidly Worm Illustration by Amanda Sartor)

Far away in Bamborough Castle lived a beautiful young maiden. Princess Margaret lived happily with her mother and father, the King and Queen, and her adventuring brother, Childe Wynd. While Childe Wynd was off adventuring their mother tragically died. Princess Margaret and her father mourned her deeply but word never reached Childe Wynd.

After her mother’s death, Princess Margaret took over her mother’s queenly duties as her father was still mourning. He was so distraught that he left the castle on a long hunting trip. It was too full of memories. While the King was away, Princess Margaret grew into an even more beautiful young woman and a great leader. She ruled over the castle and surrounding areas with strength, beauty, and grace. But soon, this would change.

One evening, in a small clearing in the woods in which he hunted, the King stumbled upon a beautiful maiden. She was all alone in the clearing - her hair shining silver in the moonlight - singing. The King was immediately enamored. He had mourned his late wife dutifully but this striking maiden had cast a spell on his heart. The King approached the maiden, whose beauty did not match the rags she wore, and asked if she would be his wife. The maiden readily agreed, surprising the King. He immediately dispatched a rider to send word to Bamborough Castle and Princess Margaret - a new mother was coming home.
When the Princess received the message she was upset. She did not want a new mother but she complied with her father’s wishes with sadness in her heart. When her father arrived home with his new bride, Princess Margaret greeted them at the gate. She handed over the keys to the castle to her new stepmother.

“All that you see is yours now, welcome home mother,” she said in the sincerest tone possible, for her heart was still aching. She longed for her brother and his support in this tough time.
As Princess Margaret was handing over the keys one of the King’s knights cried out, “What a beautiful princess! She must be the fairest in the land!” The King had been away for so long that his daughter had matured into a luminous woman - her beauty rivaled that of the sun. Her beauty upset the new Queen.

The new Queen was a jealous woman and muttered under her breath, “I am the fairest in the land. Her beauty will leave her soon.”

At once the new queen stole down to the depths of Bamborough Castle to weave her spells. Unbeknownst to the King, he had married a witch. Among the few possessions she carried was an ornate golden mirror. She placed the mirror on its stand and called out, “Mirror, mirror answer my call, who is the fairest of them all?” 

(Vintage Looking Glass from Pinterest)

From deep within the looking glass rumbled a croaking voice, “Not you, my Queen. It has come to be seen. Here there is one who is fairer than thee. Turn her into a worm undone only by kisses three.”

From deep within her dungeon keep the wicked Queen wove her spells.

Three by three and nine by nine
Your beauty doth me outshine
That beauty shall soon be mine
Bend the bones and break the back
Turn the skin to scales so black
The princess in her chambers lay
A dragon shall she be by break of day
Insatiable hunger shall torment she
Only  undone by kisses three
Broken only by Childe Wynd
For her brother, they must send

Far from the dungeon’s dank depths, Princess Margaret was awakened by a growling in the pit of her stomach. She called for a servant, as the servant entered she screamed out in terror. Laying coiled on Princess Margaret’s bed was a horrible, laidly worm - an ugly dragon. Princess Margaret was in a state of shock. She crept from her bed on four taloned legs and stole away from the castle. To Princess Margaret’s dismay, her father did not send for her or even notice her absence. The King had changes so since the arrival of his new Queen. His eyes were vacant and clouded and he spoke not a word.

She inhabited a damp and darkened cave. There she stayed until driven by hunger to venture out. For months, the dragon terrorized the countryside. Not of evil but of hunger. No matter what she ate she could not control her appetite. Finally, the country people consulted a great wizard. The wizard informed them of their Princess’ predicament. They sent word to her brother immediately. When word reached Childe Wynd, he swore an oath to avenge his poor sister. He and his knights set sail at once. To ensure protection from the wicked Witch-Queen, he had the hull of his ship reinforced with Rowan wood.

When Childe Wind reached his homeland his ship was tossed by an angry sea. The Witch-Queen’s spells. But he was a skilled sailor, protected by the Rowan wood, so he reached the shore nevertheless. He leads his men to the cave of the laidly worm. Princess Margaret feared for her life. She did not know her brother came to help. She laid motionless on the stone thinking he had come to slay her. 

(Armored Knight from Pexels)

“My poor sister, who has done this to thee?” Childe Wynd cried out.

From deep within the dragon’s throat came his sister’s voice. Lamenting the story of the wicked stepmother and her spells. He left for the Bamborough Castle immediately. The Witch-Queen had ordered her men-at-arms to barricade the castle gate - but they were loyal only to the king and his children. They let him through. He pursued the wicked witch to her dungeon keep. She was cornered. With his sword drawn he burst into her dungeon, smashing the mirror on his way. She cried out in agony and began to shrink. She shriveled and squealed until, in her place, sat a hideous toad. The toad hopped down the steps of the dungeon far underground and was never seen again.

Childe Wynd kissed his sister’s cheek three times as the wizard instructed. On the third kiss, the laidly worm reared back and roared - then just as suddenly as she had become a dragon, she was a dragon no more. Standing where the dragon had once been was Princess Margaret, restored to her former beauty. When the mirror had broken and taken the Witch-Queen’s power the spell on their father had also been broken - he was weak but alive. Childe Wynd and Princess Margaret ruled the castle together and they all lived happily ever after.

Author's Note: For this story I reworked some of the details of the original. In the original story, "The Laidly Worm of Spendelston Heugh," Bamborough Castle is inhabited by the king, queen, Childe Wynd and Margaret. Childe Wynd leaves home to seek his fortune. After the queen dies, the king goes on a long hunt. He meets a beautiful woman and brings her back to the castle as his new wife. Margaret hands over the keys to the castle as expected. A knight cries out expressing how beautiful Margaret is, angering the new queen. The queen is a witch and turns Margaret into a laidly worm, or an ugly dragon. The spell can only be undone by three kisses from her brother, Childe Wynd. Princess Margaret, as the worm, terrorizes the countryside. The people call in a warlock for help. The warlock tells them to set aside the milk from 7 cows to give to the dragon. This stops the attacks. He also informs them that the dragon is really Princess Margaret and to send for her brother if they want to undo the spell. Childe Wynd hears about his sister and swears and oath to avenge her and punish whoever is responsible. He builds his ship out of rowan wood and sets sail for his homeland. When he reaches the harbour the laidly worm, driven by the queen's magic, bashes the ship against the rocks three times. Childe Wynd changes course and is able to land elsewhere. When he disembarks he aims to slay the dragon that battered his ship. The dragon, his sister, has resigned herself to this fate and does not try to fight back. She pleads with her brother who is surprised when he hears his sister's voice come out of the dragon. He goes to confront the stepmother/queen. He pokes the queen with a rowan wood stick which causes her to turn into a giant ugly toad. The story ends with Childe Wynd ruling the castle and everyone living "happy afterwards." In my story I wanted to add more detail and give Princess Margaret a bit more agency. I also added the magic mirror aspect because the original reminded me so much of Snow White. I also wrote the spell the queen uses just to add a little something extra.

Bibliography: English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1890)