Fascinating adventures in the mysterious East, acquaintance with the beautiful princess, a journey in the company of the almighty genie - who today does not know the fairy tale about Aladdin? No wonder this stunning legend of a simple impoverished youth managed to win the hearts of adults and children around the world. Today we decided to return to the origins of this story and share with our readers the most interesting information about Aladdin: where our hero lives, how he was at the very beginning of his journey, what adventures awaited him on the way to a happy and rich life, and much more.
How it all began?
The real author of the story about a poor, but smart young man is considered Shaherazade - the main character and narrator of the work "The Story of Tsar Shahriyar and his brother." Having become the wife of a bloodthirsty king, Scheherazade was forced to entertain him with interesting tales, deliberately breaking off the end of each story. Thus, she managed not only to avoid death, but also to bring the king to life, relieving him of the desire to massively kill women.
One of the stories told by Scheherazade was the tale of a young man with a magic lamp. The legend became part of the collection "1000 and One Night", the translation and publication of which was undertaken by Antoine Gallan. Some researchers, on the contrary, believe that the fairy tale about Aladdin was not in the original version of the collection and that it was added later. There is also an opinion that the story was written by Gallan himself. A man spent a significant part of his life in the East, and after his death the original text of the tale was never found in the archives.
The beginning of the story
The original biography of the character of Aladdin presents him as a freedom-loving young man who preferred to spend time with friends and did not want to learn tailor skill from his father at all. His behavior was very upsetting for his parents. By the age of 15, he remained to live with his mother, since Aladdin’s father passed away. The young man did not change his habits, he preferred not to work and did not help his mother with money.
Once, when a young man was walking, he met an unfamiliar man who introduced himself as his uncle. For a while the stranger visited the Aladdin family and gave him gifts. One fine day, he led the boy into the desert and asked him to use the strange hatch that led to the treasury. Then the man ordered Aladdin to bring him a lamp. Along the way, the boy took with him many different treasures and as a result could not get out through the hatch. He also decided not to give the lamp to his uncle, so he, angry, locked it in the treasury. A magic ring helped to get out to Aladdin.
Marrying a Princess
Upon arriving home, Aladdin found out that the genie actually lives in the old lamp. Then the young man began to use his endless desires, so as not to need anything else. Once he met with the daughter of the Sultan and lost peace in his dreams of getting the beauty to be his wife. The genie helped him achieve the coveted engagement by giving the Sultan wealth. The wedding was postponed for three months, but just a month before the celebration, Aladdin learned that his bride was given to another. Then the young man decided to use his desires again and sent the genie's magic to terminate the engagement of the princess with the son of the vizier.
Aladdin reunited with his lover and played a rich wedding. Soon, the young ruler attracted the attention of an old acquaintance - a sorcerer who pretended to be Aladdin's uncle. Thanks to his wife’s cunning and magic ring, the young man managed to defeat not only the main villain, but also his sorcerer brother.
Where does Aladdin live? Its roots
According to the original text, the boy's father was a poor Persian tailor. The events themselves took place in India, while the names of other characters were associated with Arab culture.
Aladdin’s nationality is also not so simple. The fact is that the text of the original tale mentions the hero as a "little Chinese boy." The Arabian origin of the young man appeared after the release of the cartoon from Disney and the translations of Mikhail Salier, while the place where Aladdin lives in the original did not play any role. Why such a confusion occurred is not clear.
This begs the question: then, in which city did Aladdin live? Recall that, according to a film adaptation from Disney, all the events take place in a fictional city called Agraba. Unlike the cartoon, the plot of the original fairy tale develops in Baghdad, where Aladdin lives with other characters in the story.
