He
answered, “I should like to have the prettiest and finest carpet in the
world.” Then she called a young one and said,

“Little green maiden small,
Hopping hither and thither,
Hop quickly and bring me
The great box here.”


The young toad brought the box, and the fat toad opened it, and gave
Simpleton a carpet out of it, so beautiful and so fine, that on the
earth above, none could have been woven like it. Then he thanked her,
and ascended again. The two others had, however, looked on their
youngest brother as so stupid that they believed he would find and
bring nothing at all. “Why should we give ourselves a great deal of
trouble to search?” said they, and got some coarse handkerchiefs from
the first shepherds’ wives whom they met, and carried them home to the
King. At the same time Simpleton also came back, and brought his
beautiful carpet, and when the King saw it he was astonished, and said,
“If justice be done, the kingdom belongs to the youngest.” But the two
others let their father have no peace, and said that it was impossible
that Simpleton, who in everything lacked understanding, should be King,
and entreated him to make a new agreement with them. Then the father
said, “He who brings me the most beautiful ring shall inherit the
kingdom,” and led the three brothers out, and blew into the air three
feathers, which they were to follow. Those of the two eldest again went
east and west, and Simpleton’s feather flew straight up, and fell down
near the door into the earth. Then he went down again to the fat toad,
and told her that he wanted the most beautiful ring. She at once
ordered her great box to be brought, and gave him a ring out of it,
which sparkled with jewels, and was so beautiful that no goldsmith on
earth would have been able to make it. The two eldest laughed at
Simpleton for going to seek a golden ring. They gave themselves no
trouble, but knocked the nails out of an old carriage-ring, and took it
to the King; but when Simpleton produced his golden ring, his father
again said, “The kingdom belongs to him.” The two eldest did not cease
from tormenting the King until he made a third condition, and declared
that the one who brought the most beautiful woman home, should have the
kingdom. He again blew the three feathers into the air, and they flew
as before. Then Simpleton without more ado went down to the fat toad, and said, “I
am to take home the most beautiful woman!” “Oh,” answered the toad,
“the most beautiful woman! She is not at hand at the moment, but still
thou shalt have her.” She gave him a yellow turnip which had been
hollowed out, to which six mice were harnessed. Then Simpleton said
quite mournfully, “What am I to do with that?” The toad answered, “Just
put one of my little toads into it.” Then he seized one at random out
of the circle, and put her into the yellow coach, but hardly was she
seated inside it than she turned into a wonderfully beautiful maiden,
and the turnip into a coach, and the six mice into horses. So he kissed
her, and drove off quickly with the horses, and took her to the King. His brothers came afterwards; they had given themselves no trouble at
all to seek beautiful girls, but had brought with them the first
peasant women they chanced to meet. When the King saw them he said,
“After my death the kingdom belongs to my youngest son.” But the two
eldest deafened the King’s ears afresh with their clamour, “We cannot
consent to Simpleton’s being King,” and demanded that the one whose
wife could leap through a ring which hung in the centre of the hall
should have the preference. They thought, “The peasant women can do
that easily; they are strong enough, but the delicate maiden will jump
herself to death.” The aged King agreed likewise to this. Then the two
peasant women jumped, and jumped through the ring, but were so stout
that they fell, and their coarse arms and legs broke in two. And then
the pretty maiden whom Simpleton had brought with him, sprang, and
sprang through as lightly as a deer, and all opposition had to cease. So he received the crown, and has ruled wisely for a length of time. 64 The Golden Goose

There was a man who had three sons, the youngest of whom was called
Dummling, and was despised, mocked, and put down on every occasion. It happened that the eldest wanted to go into the forest to hew wood,
and before he went his mother gave him a beautiful sweet cake and a
bottle of wine in order that he might not suffer from hunger or thirst. When he entered the forest there met him a little grey-haired old man
who bade him good-day, and said, “Do give me a piece of cake out of
your pocket, and let me have a draught of your wine; I am so hungry and
thirsty.” But the prudent youth answered, “If I give you my cake and
wine, I shall have none for myself; be off with you,” and he left the
little man standing and went on. But when he began to hew down a tree, it was not long before he made a
false stroke, and the axe cut him in the arm, so that he had to go home
and have it bound up. And this was the little grey man’s doing. After this the second son went into the forest, and his mother gave
him, like the eldest, a cake and a bottle of wine. The little old grey
man met him likewise, and asked him for a piece of cake and a drink of
wine. But the second son, too, said with much reason, “What I give you
will be taken away from myself; be off!” and he left the little man
standing and went on. His punishment, however, was not delayed; when he
had made a few strokes at the tree he struck himself in the leg, so
that he had to be carried home. Then Dummling said, “Father, do let me go and cut wood.” The father
answered, “Your brothers have hurt themselves with it, leave it alone,
you do not understand anything about it.” But Dummling begged so long
that at last he said, “Just go then, you will get wiser by hurting
yourself.” His mother gave him a cake made with water and baked in the
cinders, and with it a bottle of sour beer. When he came to the forest the little old grey man met him likewise,
and greeting him, said, “Give me a piece of your cake and a drink out
of your bottle; I am so hungry and thirsty.” Dummling answered, “I have
only cinder-cake and sour beer; if that pleases you, we will sit down
and eat.” So they sat down, and when Dummling pulled out his
cinder-cake, it was a fine sweet cake, and the sour beer had become
good wine. So they ate and drank, and after that the little man said,
“Since you have a good heart, and are willing to divide what you have,
I will give you good luck. There stands an old tree, cut it down, and
you will find something at the roots.” Then the little man took leave
of him. Dummling went and cut down the tree, and when it fell there was a goose
sitting in the roots with feathers of pure gold. He lifted her up, and
taking her with him, went to an inn where he thought he would stay the
night.