Once upon a time there lived a King who had three sons; the two elder
were learned and bright, but the youngest said very little and appeared
somewhat foolish, so he was always known as Dummling.
When the King grew old and feeble, feeling that he was nearing his end,
he wished to leave the crown to one of his three sons, but could not
decide to which. He thereupon settled that they should travel, and that
the one who could obtain the most splendid carpet should ascend the
throne when he died.
So that there could be no disagreement as to the way each one should go,
the King conducted them to the courtyard of the Palace, and there blew
three feathers, by turn, into the air, telling his sons to follow the
course that the three feathers took.
Then one of the feathers flew eastwards, another westwards, but the
third went straight up towards the sky, though it only sped a short
distance before falling to earth.
Therefore one son travelled towards the east, and the second went to the
west, both making fun of poor Dummling, who was obliged to stay where
his feather had fallen. Then Dummling, sitting down and feeling rather
miserable after his brothers had gone, looked about him, and noticed
that near to where his feather lay was a trap-door. On lifting this up
he perceived a flight of steps, down which he went. At the bottom was
another door, so he knocked upon it, and then heard a voice calling--
"Maiden, fairest, come to me,
Make haste to ope the door,
A mortal surely you will see,
From the world above is he,
We'll help him from our store."
And then the door was flung open, and the young man found himself facing
a big toad sitting in the centre of a number of young toads. The big
toad addressed him, asking him what he wanted.
Dummling, though rather surprised when he saw the toads, and heard them
question him, being good-hearted replied politely--
"I am desirous to obtain the most splendid carpet in the world; just now
it would be extremely useful to me."