The Three Feathers

Once upon a time, there was a king who had three sons. Two of them were clever and wise, but the third didn't speak much and was simple. Everyone called him Simpleton.

When the king grew old and weak and thought about his death, he didn't know which son should inherit the kingdom. So he said to them, "Go out, and whoever brings me the most beautiful carpet shall be king after my death." To avoid any arguments, he took them outside his castle, blew three feathers into the air, and said, "Follow where they fly."

One feather flew to the east, another to the west, but the third flew straight up and didn't go far—it soon fell to the ground. One brother went to the right, the other to the left, and they mocked Simpleton, who had to stay where the third feather had fallen. He sat down sadly. Then suddenly, he noticed a trapdoor right next to the feather. He lifted it up and found some steps. He went down and came to a door. He knocked, and heard someone inside calling:

"Little green maiden small, Hopping hither and thither; Hop to the door, And quickly see who is there."

The door opened, and he saw a big, fat toad sitting there, surrounded by many little toads. The fat toad asked what he wanted. He answered, "I would like the prettiest and finest carpet in the world." She called a young toad 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. The fat toad opened it and gave Simpleton a carpet so beautiful and fine that no one on earth could have woven one like it. He thanked her and went back up.

The two older brothers thought their youngest brother was so stupid that he would find nothing. "Why should we bother to search?" they said. They got some coarse handkerchiefs from the first shepherds' wives they met and brought them to the king. At the same time, Simpleton returned with his beautiful carpet.

When the king saw it, he was amazed and said, "If justice is done, the kingdom belongs to the youngest." But the other two wouldn't leave their father alone. They said Simpleton was too foolish to be king and begged for a new contest.

So the king said, "Whoever brings me the most beautiful ring shall inherit the kingdom." He led the three brothers out again, blew three feathers into the air, and they followed them. The eldest two feathers again flew east and west, and Simpleton's feather flew straight up and fell near the door into the ground.

So he went down to the fat toad again and told her he wanted the most beautiful ring. She had her big box brought and gave him a ring that sparkled with jewels, so beautiful that no goldsmith on earth could make it.

The older brothers laughed at Simpleton for looking for a golden ring. They didn't bother searching but knocked the nails out of an old carriage ring and took it to the king. But when Simpleton showed his golden ring, his father said again, "The kingdom belongs to him." The eldest two kept pestering the king until he made a third condition: whoever brought home the most beautiful woman should have the kingdom.

He blew the three feathers into the air, and they flew as before.

Simpleton went straight to the fat toad and said, "I must take home the most beautiful woman!" "Oh," answered the toad, "the most beautiful woman! She is not here right now, but you shall have her." She gave him a hollowed-out yellow turnip with six mice harnessed to it.

Simpleton said sadly, "What am I supposed to do with that?" The toad answered, "Just put one of my little toads inside." He grabbed one at random from the circle and placed her in the yellow coach.

The moment she sat inside, she turned into a wonderfully beautiful maiden, the turnip into a carriage, and the six mice into horses. He kissed her and drove quickly to the king. His brothers came later; they had not bothered to find beautiful girls but brought the first peasant women they met.

When the king saw them, he said, "After my death, the kingdom belongs to my youngest son." But the two eldest shouted and pestered the king again, saying they would not accept Simpleton as king. They demanded that the wives should leap through a ring hanging in the middle of the hall.

They thought the peasant women would manage easily, but the delicate maiden would die. The old king agreed. The two peasant women jumped and jumped through the ring, but they were so stout that they fell and broke their coarse arms and legs.

Then the pretty maiden Simpleton had brought jumped through the ring as lightly as a deer, and all opposition had to stop. So Simpleton received the crown and ruled wisely for a long time.