The Queen's Necklace
A necklace in a Swedish folk tale, worn by a queen and central to the story's test or reward. In the tale 'The Queen's Necklace', the necklace passes through the hands of the characters and its loss, theft, or recovery drives the plot. The jewel is a typical treasure of wonder-tales, standing for wealth, rank, and the queen's honour. In the Swedish telling the cruel king Hendrik gives his bride Blanzeflor a necklace of one hundred perfect pearls with the warning that her life hangs on it; the queen, finding her only joy in charity, gives the pearls away one by one to feed the poor. When the ki