There was once a man who had three sons, the youngest of whom was
thought to be very stupid and silly. Everybody used to tease and mock
him.
One day the eldest son wanted to go into the forest to hew wood, and
before he started, his mother gave him a fine sweet cake and a bottle
of wine to take with him. In the forest he met a gray old man, who bade
him “good day,” and said, “Give me a piece of your cake and a sip of
your wine, for I am very hungry and thirsty.”
But the prudent youth replied: “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 there and went on his way. He began
to cut down a tree, but he had not been at work long before he made a
false stroke, and the ax cut so deeply into his arm that he had to go
home and have it bound up. This was the little gray man’s doing.
The second son was now the one to go into the forest to cut wood, and
the mother gave him, as she had given the eldest, a sweet cake and a
bottle of wine. The little old gray man met him, too, and asked for a
piece of cake and a drink of wine; but the second son made the same
sensible answer: “What I give to you I cannot have for myself. Be off!”
And he left the little man standing there and went on his way. His
punishment, however, was not long delayed; when he had made a few
strokes at the tree he struck himself in the leg, and had to be carried
home.
Then the stupid son said to his father, “Father, let me go and cut
wood.”
The father replied: “Your brothers have hurt themselves. Leave it
alone. You know nothing about it.”
But he begged so long that at last the father said, “Well, go then; you
will be wiser when you have hurt 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 gray man met him in the same way, greeted him, and said,
“Give me a piece of your cake and a taste of your wine; I am very
hungry and thirsty.”
“I have only a cake baked in ashes,” replied the simple youth, “and
sour beer. If that will suit you, we will sit down and eat together.”
So they sat down; but when the youth took out his cake it was a fine
sweet cake, and the sour beer was good wine. They ate and drank, and
then the little man said: “Because you have a good heart and are
willing to share 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 old man took leave of him.
The youth went and cut down the tree, and when it fell, there sitting
among the roots was a goose, whose feathers were of pure gold. He
picked it up, and, taking it with him, went to an inn where he meant to
pass the night. The landlord had three daughters, who, as soon as they
saw the goose, were very curious as to what kind of a bird it could be,
and wanted to have one of its golden feathers.
The eldest thought to herself, “I’ll soon find a chance to pull out a
feather”; and as soon as the youth went out of the room she seized the
goose by the wing; but her hand stuck fast and she could not get away.
Very soon the second sister came in, thinking only of how she might
pluck a feather for herself; but she had hardly touched her sister when
she found herself held fast.
At last the third sister came also, with the same intention. Then the
others screamed out: “Keep away! For goodness’ sake, keep away!”
But she did not understand why she should keep away. “If the others are
there by the bird, why should not I be, too?” she thought, and ran to
them; but as soon as she had touched her sister she was made fast, too.
So they had to spend the night with the goose.
The next morning the youth took the goose under his arm and started
off, without troubling himself about the three girls, who were still
hanging on. They were obliged to keep on the run behind him, now to the
right and now to the left, as the fancy seized him.
In the middle of the fields the parson met them, and when he saw the
procession he said: “For shame, you good-for-nothing girls! What are
you running across the fields after this young man for? Is that
seemly?”
He took the youngest by the hand to pull her away, but as soon as he
touched her hand he also stuck fast, and was obliged himself to run
along behind.
Before long the sexton came by and saw his master, the parson, running
along after three girls. He was astonished, and called after him:
“Halloo, your reverence! whither away so quickly? Do not forget that we
have a christening to-day!” and running after him he took him by his
gown, but was also held fast to it.
While the five were trotting along thus, one behind the other, two
laborers came by, with their hoes, from the fields. The parson called
out to them and begged them to release him and the sexton; but they had
hardly touched the sexton when they, too, were caught fast, and now
there were seven of them running behind the youth and the goose.
After a while the youth came to a city where a King ruled who had a
daughter who was so serious that no one could make her laugh. So the
King had made a decree that whoever could make her laugh should have
her in marriage. When the youth heard this he went with his goose and
all his train before the Princess, and as soon as she saw the seven
people continually on the trot, one behind the other, she began to
laugh heartily, as if she could never stop. Then the youth asked to
have her for his wife, and the wedding was celebrated. After the King’s
death he inherited the kingdom, and lived long and happily with his
wife.