[The original story appeared in the book Shans at home titled The Story of a Fairy and a Prince. This is a variant of the same story— Nang Maag Bin as recorded in Three Shan Legends, Journal of the Burma Research Society (vol. 22, pp. 23–28)

Nang Maag Bin literally translates to the Lady (who came out) of bael fruit]

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Many long years ago there reigned a King at Mong Hsing Hko. He had a son, and this prince, when he came of age, was sent by his father to learn the art of a prince. The Prince went out alone, and travelled on to where his fortune might lead him. At last he chanced to come to a solitary cottage, in which dwelt a learned hermit. The Prince asked the holy man whether he would accept him as his pupil, and the hermit, observing the appearance of the young Prince, decided that the lad would certainly be a very able and clever youth. So he told the Prince that he would be very pleased to do as he wished.

The Prince stayed with the hermit for some years, and the aged tutor took special interest in teaching his clever young pupil. After.some years the Prince had learnt almost everything from the hermit, for he was his only pupil. Thus the hermit and the Prince spent their time happily in the forest, living upon different kinds of fruit only. But although the Prince was quite happy with his holy master, he was anxious about his father, from whom he had been parted a long time; and having at length a good stock of knowledge in his head, he asked the hermit's permission to go back to his home. Although the old hermit was very sorry to lose his pupil, he had to consent, for the Prince had been with him a long time. But before he went away, the hermit said that as a token of his love he would give him something of high value.

The hermit told the Prince that in the territory of the giants there was a very fine bale tree, Around this tree the giants kept watch every day and night, for not only was the tree valuable, but also the place was just on the border of their territory and human territory. The giants were really guarding the fruit on that tree, and that fruit would be worth taking, for in it was a princess. This fact was known to the hermit and the giants only.

The hermit gave the Prince some medicine which would make him invisible to the giants. The giants were supposed to sleep at noon, but no doubt they would keep sentinels to watch the tree. By the help of this wonderful medicine the Prince was not only safe from the giants' sight, but also was able to arrive at the place exactly at noon. He climbed up the tree and took his prize. The sentinels smelt human blood, but they could find no signs of a human being. They awoke all their friends, and to their amazement they saw that their valuable fruit was missing

The Prince took the fruit back to the hermit, who told him that it was his prize, and made him promise not to open it until he reached his kingdom. The Prince promised without any hesitation. As he was on his way home he heard a very lovely voice from within the fruit, His heart beat fast; he asked some questions, and the voice replied with a yet more lovely tone. He learnt that it was the voice of a girl, and he began to speak to her like a lover, and asked her if she would accept his love. The princess inside the fruit gave a favourable reply, saying that she was in his power.

Thus as he carried the fruit along he chatted with the princess inside the fruit the whole way, till he approached his kingdom. He then could no longer keep the promise which he had made, for he was so anxious to see the princess in person. He opened the fruit, and a lovely princess, dressed in the most beautiful clothes, decorated with precious jewels, came out and sat down near him. The Prince was overcome with delight to see the fair princess beside him. The couple then went on together till they reached a well outside the prince's city. There was a big tree near this well, and its branches towered over the well. The Prince thought that it would be prudent for him to keep the princess at that place while he went into the city to make known his arrival and to tell his father about his fair consort whom he had left outside the town.

The King was very pleased to see his son back again, and more pleased to learn that he had brought a fair lady from the giants' territory. He ordered all his soldiers and his subjects in the city to go and meet his daughter-in-law. He himself accompanied his son on an elephant decorated with royal ornaments.

While the princess was alone in the tree, for the Prince, before he went away, had helped her to get up into the tree that she might be more safe there, a maid from a rich man's house came to draw water. This maid was the most ugly of all the women in the universe, and her character was consistent with her appearance. She was the most ugly, the most wicked, and the most jealous of all human beings. As this woman stooped down to draw water from the well, she happened to see the reflection of the fair princess who was in the tree. Mistaking this reflection of her own, this woman thought that she was the most beautiful woman in the world and thought that she ought not by any means to be a maid-servant to anybody. So she broke her pots, and went back to the house really believing that she was beautiful. The mistress of the house, who was waiting for the water, was astonished to see her maid return empty-handed. She asked her what the matter was, and on being told that the maid had broken the pots through slipping and falling on the road, she scolded her for being so careless, and then gave her a new pair of pots and warned her to be more careful this time.

The maid went again as usual to the same well, and as she looked down into the water she again perceived the same fair image. This time she looked round to see whether anyone was beside her, but seeing no one, not the least sign of a human being, she concluded that the shadow must be that of nobody but herself. Again the vain thought came into her head, and she broke the water-pots again. She retured home, walking more proudly than the first time, to meet this time double abuse. She was not only scolded by her mistress, but severely abused by her master also.

They gave her this time a pair of wooden bottles to go and fetch the water, and if she failed. to bring it this time she was to be driven away from the house. She went to the well again, and again saw the same shadow. But this time she looked very carefully, and at last she saw two shadows, and learnt that the ugly one was her own. She looked around her in every direction, vainly; but on looking upward she saw the fair princess in the tree. She was very angry, and, climbing up the tree like a wild and angry beast, pulled the princess down and treated her very harshly. At last she killed the princess and threw her body into the well, atter taking all her possessions. She put on all the beautiful clothes and jewels of the princess, and went up into the tree, and seated herself at the place where the princess had sat before.

The Prince, accompanied by his royal father, then appeared at the tree with all their retinue. On seeing the ugly maid every one was dejected. Even the King himself did not come near enough to greet his new daughter-in-law. He turned his elephant and went straight back. However, the unfortunate Prince had to call this wicked woman his wife and take her to his palace. He kept her in a separate room, and never went to her. So the Prince was very unhappy for some time. A month or two afterwards a very pretty lotus came out from the well. Its fragrant smell persuaded everyone passing to come to it. It chanced one day that one of the King's servants came that way and saw the lovely lotus. He took it to the Prince, who put it in a respected place. It was so lovely and beautiful and its smell was so attractive, that the Prince was always near the lotus. The wicked maid soon knew this, and from the Princes behaviour she thought that the lotus must surely be that lady whom she had killed. Her usual jealousy persuaded her to destroy the lotus, so one day when the Prince was absent she went to the place, and taking the lotus, threw it away. The Prince was indeed very sad when he missed his favourite lotus. However, in a few months' time a mango tree came up in the exact place where the lotus was thrown. Although the tree was quite small as yet, there was a golden fruit on it. This fact was again known by the wicked woman; the place where the tree grew was quite near her, and one day her maid-servants saw the mango and told her what they had seen. This wicked woman at once ordered the tree to be cut down, and told her servants to throw the mango into a stream which flowed down to a great distance, passing the King's garden on its way. The golden mango went down with the water till it reached the King's garden.

It happened that day that the King's gardener and his wife were washing their clothes in the stream. The old couple saw the lovely fruit and the gardener without much difficulty caught hold of it. As it was a very strange fruit they kept it on a high shelf in their house, These old people used to go out in the early morning and work all day. From the time the mango was in their house they found that a strange thing occurred. When they went out they usually left their house very untidy and their food uncooked. Now, every time they came back the house was very clean and the grandest meal was ready for them. They could not find out the cause for some time, but one day they pretended to go out, and immediately came back to watch who had been doing their work every day. To their surprise they saw a very beautiful girl come out of the golden mango. She was going to do the work again, but the two old people ran up and caught her. The housewife threw away the empty fruit. The Princess was very sorry that her cell had been thrown away; she told them that if the cell was with her all the people in the city could take refuge in it in time of danger.

So the fair lady lived with these old people for some time. She told them all about herself. The old woman had to go and give flowers from the garden to the royal family every week. One day the princess told the old woman to bring her some flowers. She wove the flowers into a wreath in a very beautiful manner, and in the wreath she showed what had happened to her from the beginning of her life up to that time. Every detail was included in the wreath. She then told the old woman to present the wreath to the Prince. As soon as the Prince saw it he was very unhappy. He asked the old woman who had woven the wreath, but as the girl had made her promise not to tell, she replied that she had done it herself. The Prince did not believe this ; he destroyed the wreath and told her to do it again in his presence. As the old woman could not do it, he knew that the story told in the wreath must be true, and that his fair consort must be at this woman's house.

One day he went out to the garden with some of his men. He was on an elephant. On reaching the house he asked for some water to drink. The housewife brought some, and the Prince poured the water This he did many times until the old woman could no longer bear it; she called out for the girl. When the girl came out the Prince begged her to go with him; she consented, and accompanied him on the elephant

The wicked woman at the palace was very jealous of the fair princess and planned a stratagem to get rid of her. Meanwhile the Prince and the princess lived happily for some time. One day they were going to wash their hair. The wicked woman managed to put some finger and toe nails in the princess's hair, but nobody knew that she had done it. She then told the Prince that the princess was a witch. The King was also informed. When the princess was examined they found the nails in her hair. This was a sign of a witch, and as witches were considered very evil, the King ordered his daughter-in-law to be executed. The Prince was very sad, but he could not oppose his father's orders.

So the princess was taken out to be executed. Before they killed her she prayed to God. She asked Him that when she died her body should become a big rest-house, her eyes two parrots which would late her story to the Prince, and her limbs a golden mango tree, the fruit of which, she prayed, should be very wholesome to honest and pious people, and very sour to wicked and bad-charactered people. Her prayer was fulfilled. A fine big rest-house appeared at that place, and also a golden mango tree, and two parrots, As for herself, she died and became one of the seven angels of a silver mountain very far away from human territory.

One day the Prince, accompanied by his wicked wife and their retinue, came to the place where the rest-house was. It was strange to all of them, and they were astonished to see the golden mango tree. The servants plucked some of the fruit for the royal couple. The Prince tasted one of the fruits and it was very wholesome indeed, but when the wicked woman tasted hers, her strange expression was seen by all. Even when she asked for a piece from the Prince's fruit she could not eat it; it was too sour for her. The Prince saw that there was something wrong, but he had not to wonder long, for one of the parrots on the tree promised to tell him all when he was alone. He told all his people to go back with their mistress. When he was alone the parrots related all the story of the princess. They said that she dared not go back to him for she had been killed many times. If he wanted to see her he must go to the silver mountain which was in the territory of the angels.

The Prince determined to go alone till he obtained his fair love again. So he went on his way until he came to a hermit. The hermit said that he knew nothing about the mountain, but he thought that an old hermit who lived very far away might know. He showed the Prince the way to the old hermit. By the help of Thakya Min, the supreme of all Nats, the Prince arrived at the place where the old hermit lived. This hermit was so old that when he sat down his eyelids hung down as far as his nose. When he heard the voice of the Prince he lifted up his eyelids to look at him. The Prince told the old hermit what he wanted, and related the whole story of himself and the fair lady he was seeking. The holy man sympathised with the Prince, and gave him directions how to catch the angel.

The angels came down from the silver mountain to bathe in the golden pond every week. The Prince arrived there in time to see the seven sisters come. They bathed merrily in the pond. All dressed and went hack to the palace after they had finished except the youngest, who remained alone for some time, The Prince took her dress and hid it. When she came up from the water she could not find her dress, but only the Prince, who begged her to go back with him to his kingdom. She did not want to part from her sisters, but as her affection for this young man was still fresh, and as she was sorry to see him come from a very great distance, she agreed to go with him. The Prince loved her dearly, so she loved him too.

They both set forth for their kingdom. When the Prince reached the palace he drove away the wicked inhuman woman. The woman had not gone three steps from the palace when the earth rose to meet her. She was swallowed up by the earth. The Prince and Princess then lived together happily till the death of their father. They then became King and Queen and both reigned happily.