Once upon a time, in a kingdom where the whispers of magic still danced in the air, a king’s daughter fell gravely ill.
Her cheeks, once rosy, turned as pale as the moonlight, and her laughter, which had filled the halls, faded into silence.
The royal physicians were baffled, for no medicine in their books could cure her.
At last, a wise old sage foretold that only an apple, plucked from a tree kissed by the sun and cradled by the moon, could restore her health.
The king, desperate to see his daughter well, proclaimed throughout the land that whoever brought forth such an apple to cure the princess would be granted her hand in marriage.
This decree stirred the hearts of many, from the bravest knights to the most ambitious nobles.
Among those who heard the king’s call was a peasant with three sons: Uele, Seame, and the youngest, Hans, who was often teased for his simple-mindedness.
Uele, the eldest, took up the challenge first, carrying a basket of the finest apples he could find.
On his journey, he encountered a mysterious little ironman who inquired about the contents of his basket.
Thinking it a jest, Uele replied, “Frogs’ legs.” The iron man, with a twinkle in his eye, declared it so, and to Uele’s horror, when he presented his basket to the king, it was indeed filled with frogs’ legs. The king, enraged, sent him away.
Seame, the second son, faced the same fate. Meeting the Iron Man, he sarcastically answered, “Hogs’ bristles,” and thus, found his basket transformed accordingly, earning him the king’s scorn.
Then came Hans’s turn. Despite his brothers’ failures and his father’s doubts, Hans insisted on trying.
When the Iron Man asked him about his basket’s contents, Hans replied truthfully and with heart, “Apples, to make the princess well.”
The Iron Man smiled kindly and assured him that it was so. At the castle, the apples from Hans’s basket cured the princess, filling the kingdom with joy.
However, the king, wary of marrying his daughter to a mere peasant’s son, set forth another challenge: Hans was to build a boat that could sail on both sea and dry land.
Uele and Seame, tasked by their father to aid Hans, failed once more due to the Iron Man’s intervention, for they did not answer him truthfully.
But Hans, with his honest heart, succeeded with the iron man’s help and presented the miraculous boat to the king.
Yet, the king’s demands did not cease. Hans was then tasked with watching over a hundred hares without losing a single one, which he accomplished with the aid of a magical whistle given by the Iron Man.
Each task set by the king was met and mastered by Hans, thanks to his honesty and the mysterious help of the Iron Man.
Finally, the king demanded a feather from the tail of a fearsome griffin, thinking it an impossible task. On his journey, Hans encountered lords and a giant, each with their own request for the griffin.
At the griffin’s castle, it was not the beast but his wife who aided Hans, providing him with the feather and the answers to his questions under the cover of night.
Armed with the griffin’s feather and the solutions to the troubles of those he met along the way, Hans returned. The lords were overjoyed with the answers he provided and rewarded him richly.
When the king, greedy for the treasures Hans had acquired, set out to confront the griffin himself, he met his end at the hands of the giant, just as the griffin’s wife had foretold.
Thus, Hans, with his kind heart and simple wisdom, married the princess. The kingdom prospered under their rule, for they led with fairness and a deep understanding that truth and honesty were the greatest treasures of all.
And as for the little iron man, some say he still wanders the land, ready to assist those who speak truth from their hearts.
And so, the tale of Hans and the Griffin’s Feather became a legend, reminding all of the power of honesty, kindness, and the unexpected strength found in the simplest of us.
Also Read: Prince Desire and the Enchanted Oranges
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Moral of The Story
The moral of “The Tale of Hans and the Griffin’s Feather” is that honesty, kindness, and simplicity are virtues that can overcome even the most daunting challenges.
True courage comes from a pure heart, and genuine intentions often lead to unexpected and rewarding outcomes.
Follow Up Questions
Why do you think the iron man changed what was in the brothers’ baskets?
How did Hans manage to keep all the hares safe?
What would you ask the griffin if you could ask it one question?