In the Brothers Grimm tale “The White Snake,” the servant eats the white snake to understand animals.
The servant learns that the king secretly eats a dish of white snake each day. Curious about its power, he tastes a small portion and immediately gains the ability to understand animal speech. This gift later helps him interpret warnings and discover useful information during his travels.
The tale is unusual among Grimm stories because its central magical ability comes from eating an enchanted creature rather than receiving a spell from a fairy. The servant’s new skill also reflects a recurring folklore idea: animals possess knowledge that humans cannot normally access.
The story is sometimes confused with tales in which a hero eats a magical plant or fruit. In this Grimm tale, the decisive object is specifically a white snake, and the power granted is comprehension of animal language.