The Golden Goose

Once upon a time there was a man who had three sons. The youngest was called Simpleton, and everyone looked down on him and made fun of him. One day the eldest son wanted to go into the forest to chop wood. Before he went, his mother gave him a lovely thin cake and a bottle of wine, so that he would not be hungry or thirsty.

When he entered the forest, he met a little old grey man, who greeted him and said, "Give me a piece of the cake from your bag, and let me have a sip of your wine. I'm so hungry and thirsty." The clever son answered, "If I give you my cake and my wine, I'll have none left for myself. Get out of my way," and he left the little man standing there and went on. He began to chop down a tree, but before long his axe slipped and struck his arm, and he had to go home and have it bandaged. That was the little grey man's doing.

Then the second son went into the forest, and his mother gave him a cake and a bottle of wine just as she had the eldest. The little old man met him too and asked for a piece of cake and a sip of wine. But the second son, thinking he was being very clever, said, "Whatever I give you, I'll have less for myself. Get out of my way." His punishment was not long in coming: after a few strokes, his axe struck his leg, and he too had to be carried home.

Then Simpleton said, "Father, let me go and chop wood." His father said, "Your brothers have hurt themselves. Leave it alone, you don't understand anything about it." But Simpleton begged for so long that at last his father said, "Go then. You'll learn your lesson when you get hurt." His mother gave him a cake made with water and baked in the ashes, and a bottle of sour beer.

When he came into the forest, the little old grey man met him too, greeted him and said: "Give me a piece of your cake and a sip from your bottle. I'm so hungry and thirsty." Simpleton answered, "I only have a cake baked in the ashes and some sour beer. But if you'd like it, let's sit down and eat together." They sat down, and when Simpleton took out his ash-cake, it had turned into a fine sweet cake, and the sour beer had turned into good wine. They ate and drank together. Then the little man said, "Because you have a good heart and gladly share what you have, I will give you good luck. There stands an old tree. Cut it down, and you will find something at its roots." And he said goodbye and went away.

Simpleton went and cut down the tree, and when it fell, there sat a goose among the roots with feathers of pure gold. He picked it up and took it with him to an inn, where he meant to stay the night. The innkeeper had three daughters. When they saw the goose, they were curious to know what this wonderful bird was, and each of them wanted one of its golden feathers. The eldest thought, "I'll find a chance to pull out a feather." When Simpleton went out, she grabbed the goose by the wing, and her fingers and hand stuck fast to it.

Soon afterwards the second daughter came, also wanting a golden feather. But as soon as she touched her sister, she stuck fast to her. At last the third came with the same idea. "Keep away, for heaven's sake keep away!" cried the others. But she did not understand why she should keep away. "If they are there, I can be there too," she thought, and ran up, and as soon as she touched her sister, she stuck fast as well. So the three of them had to spend the night with the goose.

In the morning Simpleton took the goose under his arm and set off, without bothering about the three girls who were stuck to it. They had to run after him, left and right, wherever he went. In the middle of a field the parson met them. When he saw the procession, he said, "Shame on you, you naughty girls! Is it proper to run after a young fellow across the fields like this?" And he took hold of the youngest girl's hand to pull her away. But as soon as he touched her, he stuck fast too and had to run along behind them.

Soon the sexton came along. When he saw the parson running after the three girls, he was astonished: "Hey, Reverend, where are you off to in such a hurry? Don't forget we have a christening today!" He ran up to the parson and grabbed his sleeve, and he stuck fast too. As the five of them ran along together, they met two farmers coming from the field with their hoes. The parson called out to them to set him and the sexton free. But as soon as the farmers touched the sexton, they stuck fast too. Now there were seven of them running after the goose.

After a while they came to a city where a king ruled. The king's daughter was so serious that no one could make her laugh. The king had proclaimed that whoever could make his daughter laugh should marry her. When Simpleton heard this, he went before the princess with his goose and the whole crowd stuck to it. When the princess saw the seven people hopping, stumbling, begging and shouting as they ran one behind the other, she burst out laughing and could not stop.

Simpleton asked for the princess's hand, but the king did not like this son-in-law. He made excuses: "First bring me a man who can drink a whole cellar full of wine by himself." Simpleton went into the forest, to the little grey man. At the place where he had cut down the tree sat a man with a very sad face: "I'm so thirsty that even a barrel of wine isn't enough." Simpleton took him to the king's cellar, and the man drank every barrel dry.

Again the king found an excuse: "Bring me someone who can eat a loaf of bread as big as a mountain." Again Simpleton went into the forest, and there he found a man pulling his belt tight around his stomach: "I've eaten an oven full of bread, but I'm still hungry." In one day he ate up the mountain-sized loaf made from all the flour in the kingdom.

A third time the king said, "Bring me a ship that can sail on land and on water." Simpleton went into the forest, and the little grey man was sitting there: "I drank for you and I ate for you. I'll give you the ship too, because you were kind to me." He gave him the ship that sailed on land and on water. When the king saw the ship, he had no excuse left not to give him his daughter. The wedding was held. When the king died, Simpleton inherited the kingdom and lived happily with his wife for many years. And his brothers, who had called him Simpleton, understood at last that a heart that shares is worth more than the greatest cleverness.