An earlier Spanish translation was made in the 16th century by Francisco Truchado, as Honesto y agradable Entretenimiento de Damas y Galanes.
[3] In Truchado's version, published as the fourth story of the seventh night, the king's name is Archiles, the three sisters are daughters of a "nigromántico".
Late 19th century scholarship (Giuseppe Pitrè, Francis Hindes Groome) commented on the presence of the tale type in Italy, from Sicily to the Alps.
[7] Henry Charles Coote proposed an Eastern origin for the tale, which later migrated to Italy and was integrated into the Italian oral tradition.
In 1975 the Institute published a catalog edited by Alberto Maria Cirese and Liliana Serafini including 55 variants of the ATU 707 type, under the banner I tre figli dai capelli d'oro ("The Three Children with Golden Hair").
[9] Italian folklorist of Sicilian origin, Giuseppe Pitrè collected at least five variants in his book Fiabe Novelle e Racconti Popolari Siciliani, Vol.
[13][14] British author Isabella Mary Anderton [ru] translated the tale as The Sound and Song of the Lovely Sibyl, and sourced it from Tuscany.
In her translation, the third sister promises to bear three children (two boys and a girl) with a knight's red cross on their chests, and the bird reappears as the truth-teller to the King.
[15] Nerucci compiled another variant titled I figlioli della campagnola ("The Children of the Peasant Woman"), in his Sessanta novelle popolari montalesi: circondario di Pistoia.
The queen mother, intent on preserving the royal dynasty, falsified a letter to her son, who is fighting in a distant war, with information that his wife and three children have died.
[18] He also compiled a Milanese variant titled La regina in del desert, which he acknowledged as a sister story to that of Sarnelli's and Straparola's.
In this tale, three poor sisters tell one another they wish to serve the king, the eldest as his porgicamicia, the middle one as his servant at the table, and the youngest as his wife.
At the end of the tale, the elder brotehrs fail, their sister completes the quest for the objects, and the little bird becomes a beautiful fairy.
The youngest sister marries the king's son and gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl with golden hair and a star on the front.
When they are older, the twins seek the dancing water, a golden fruit encrusted with diamonds and precious gems, and a little bird that talks.
[27] Austrian philologist Christian Schneller [de] collected and translated a variant from Wälschtirol (Trentino), with the title Die drei Schönheiten der Welt (Italian: La tre belleze del mondo; English: "The three beauties of the world").
While he is away at war, the queen gives birth to two boys and a girl (in three consecutive pregnancies), who are replaced by puppies by the jealous aunts and cast in the sea in a basket.
[28] Schneller also mentioned a tale in his notes: a king goes to war, and his wife, the queen, gives birth to triplets: two boys and a girl with golden hair.
The maidservant talks to them about three wondrous objects (in three different occasions): first, about the apple that sings; next, the water that dances; lastly, about a little green bird.
[29] Swiss folklorist Laura Gonzenbach translated a Sicilian variant into German: Die verstossene Königin und ihre beiden ausgesetzten Kinder ("The Banished Queen and her Two Abandoned Children").
The king marries the youngest and she bears the twins she promised, but the jealous sisters replace the children for puppies and throw them in the water.
[30][31] Gennaro Finamore [it] collected a version from Abruzzo named Lu fatte de le tré ssurèlle.
[32] In a fable from Mantua (La fanciulla coraggiosa, or "The brave girl"), the story of the siblings's mother and aunts and the climax at the banquet are skipped altogether.
[35] Coronedi-Berti also referenced two Venetian variants collected by Domenico Giuseppe Bernoni: El pesse can,[36] where the peasant woman promises twins born with special traits, and Sipro, Candia e Morea,[37] where the three siblings (one male, two female) are exposed by the evil maestra of the witch princess.
They are sent years later for the dancing water from the miracle fountain of Senavalli, the sounding apple from the magic garden, and the talking bird.
[39] William Ellis Scull and Logan Marshall published the tale Dancing Water, Singing Stone and Talking Bird, sourced as from Italy.
In this tale, a prince is raised by a learned old man near the banks of the Yellow River, and decides to vanquish bad men.
Feeling rejected, they wander the world until they meet Saint Joseph, who gives them a magic wand that can fulfill their wishes.
[41] Author Giuseppe Bonaviri [it] published a tale titled I gemelli bianchi come gigli,[42] translated as The Twins as White as Lillies.
One day, the youth finds a dark-haired, dark-skinned girl named Proserpina in their garden, and marries her in secret, despite his mother's warnings.