In “The White Snake,” eating the snake lets the servant understand the speech of animals.
The king’s servant discovers a white snake beneath a covered dish and secretly eats a piece of it. The magical meal gives him the ability to understand and communicate with animals. This power soon proves useful when he hears a goose complaining about a ring lodged in its throat, allowing him to recover the queen’s missing ring and clear himself of theft.
The servant later helps several animals in distress, including fish, ants, and raven fledglings. Each group promises to repay his kindness. Their gratitude becomes crucial when he must complete difficult tasks to win a princess, including retrieving a ring from the sea, gathering scattered grain, and finding an apple from the Tree of Life.
The tale is KHM 17 and is classified as ATU 673, “The White Serpent’s Flesh.” A common mix-up is assuming the servant gains general wisdom or magical speech; specifically, the gift is understanding animal language. Similar motifs appear in older European legends, including stories connected with Sigurd and the language of birds.