“The Journey of the Three Queens of Serendip” is an anonymous collection of Italian fairy tales published in 1557 and enjoyed pan-European fame. It became the source of motifs that are found in a wide variety of literary works, from Voltaire’s “Zadig” to Umberto Eco’s “The Name of the Rose.” According to the plot, three young princes from Serendip (the ancient name of Sri Lanka) go on a journey to learn the customs of other peoples and learn wisdom. In their travels, they meet proud sultans, beautiful queens and treacherous wizards, solve ingenious riddles and, thanks to their insight, save kingdoms from destruction. Magical transformations coexist here with moral instructions, violence and cruelty - with arguments in favor of humility and piety.