There was once a king who had a garden. In that garden stood an apple tree, and on that tree grew, each year, a golden apple. But when the time came to pick it, it was gone, nobody knew who had taken it nor what had become of it, but gone it was. This king had three sons. So one day he told them that the one who could recover the apple or catch the thief should inherit the kingdom after him, no matter whether he was the eldest , the youngest or the middle one.
The eldest brother set out first, and sat down under the three to wait for the thief. As night was drawing near, a golden bird came flying, and it shone so frightened that he dared not stay but ran home as fast as his legs would carry him. In the morning the apple had disappeared. But now the king's son had regained his courage, and so he started fitting himself out, for he wanted to go away to look for the golden bird. The king equipped him well and spared neither clothes nor money.
When the king's son had traveled a while he became hungry, and, taking up his knapsack, he sat down by the roadside and started to eat. Just then a fox came from a grove of fir trees and sat down and looked at him. "Pray give me a little food," said the fox. "I'll give you some burnt horn!" said the king's son. "I need all the food for myself, as nobody knows how far or how long I shall have to travel." "Well, that was that!" said the fox, and then he went back to the woods again. When the prince had eaten and rested, he continued on his way. After a while he came to a big city, and in that city was an inn where there was always great merriment and never sorrow. This must be a fine place to stay, thought the price to himself, so he remained there. And there was so much dancing and drinking, and pleasure and fun, that he forgot all about the golden bird, and the feather, and his father and the journey, and the whole kingdom. Gone he was and gone he stayed.
The next year the middle son was to try to catch the apple thief in the garden. Well, he sat under the tree too, when the apple was almost ripe. And all at once the golden bird came one night, shining like a sun, but the boy became so frightened that he took to his heels and ran home as fast as he could. The following morning the apple was gone; but by now the king's son had regained his courage, and wanted to set out to see if he could find the bird. So he started fitting himself out, and the king equipped him well, and spared neither clothes nor money. But the same thing happened to him as to his elder brother; when he had traveled a while he became hungry, and taking up his knapsack, he sat down to have lunch by the side of the road. Then a fox came out from a grove of fir trees and sat down to watch. "Pray give a little food!" said the fox. !I'll give you burnt born , I will!" said the king's son. "Nobody knows how far or how long I shall have to travel, so I need all the food for myself". "Well, that was that!" said the fox, and then he went back to the woods again. When the king's son had eaten and rested a while, he continued on his way again. After a while he came to the same city and the same inn where there were always merriment and never sorrow, and he, too, thought it was a good place to stay; and the first one he met was his brother, and so he stayed there. His brother had feasted and drunk so much that he hardly had any clothes left of his back; but now they began all over again. There was such dancing and drinking, and pleasure and fun that the second brother also forgot about the bird, and the feather, and his father, and the journey and the whole kingdom. Gone he was and gone he stayed, he too.
When it was getting on for the time that the golden apple would be ripe again, the youngest prince was to go out in the garden and watch for the apple thief. He took with him a friend to help him up in the tree, and a keg of ale and a pack of cards to while away the time and keep them awake. All of a sudden there came a light that shone like a sun, so they could see every feather on the bird while it was still far away. The king's son started climbing up into the tree, and just as the bird snatched the golden apple, he tried to grab it, but all he got was one of its tail feathers. So he went into the chamber where the king lay sleeping, and when he came in with the feather, the room was as bright as the clearest day.
So he, too, wanted to go forth into the wide world to try to find out something about his brothers and capture the bird; for he had been so near that he had left a mark on it and got a feather from its tail, he said, Well, the king pondered a long time as to whether he should let him go, for it wasn't likely that he, who was the youngest, would fare better than the two eldest, who were wiser in the ways of the world, and the king feared that he, too , would be lost. But the youngest son pleaded so earnestly that at last he was allowed to go. So he fitted himself out, and the king equipped him with clothing and money , and then he set off on his way.
When he had traveled a bit, be became hungry and , taking up his knapsack, he sat down to have something to eat; and just as he was doing this, a fox came out from a grove of fir trees, and sat down to watch. "Oh, pray give me a little of your food," said the fox "I may well need all I have for myself," said the prince, "for I don't know how far I shall have to travel," he said. "But I have so much that I can at least give you a little". When the fox had a piece of meat to crew on, he asked the king's son where he was going. Well, that he told him. "If you will listen to me, I will help you, and luck will be with you," said the fox. The prince promised, and then they went along together. They traveled for some time until they came to the same city and inn, where there was always joy and never sorrow. "I'm afraid I shall have to stay away from here, for the dogs are so troublesome," said the fox, and then he told the prince where his brothers were and what they were doing. "And if you go in there, you will never come any farther," he added. The price promised, and gave him his hand on it, that he would not go inside, and they each one went his own way. But when the prince came to the inn and heard the music and merriment, he had to go inn, no question about it. And when he met his brothers, there were such carrying on that he forgot about the fox, and the golden bird, and is father as well. But when he had been there a while, the fox came - he had ventured into the city after All - and opened the door a crack and winked at the prince, and said that now they must be on their way. So the king's son came to his senses , and then they set out.
When they had traveled for a while, they saw a huge mountain in the distance, and the fox said," Three hundred miles beyond that mountain is a gilded linden tree with leaves of gold, and in that linden tree sits the golden bird which feather comes from."
There they traveled together. As the king's son was about to go over and catch the bird, the fox gave him some pretty feathers, which he was to wave and lure the bird down, so it would come flying and perch on his hand. But the fox warned him not to touch the linden tree, for a big Troll owned it, and if he touched even the smallest twig, the Troll would come and kill him on the spot.
No the king's son certainly would not touch it , he said. But when the bird was perched on his hand, he felt he had to have one twig from the linden tree; he couldn't help himself, it was so bright and fine. So he took just a tiny one. But at the same moment the Troll came out. "Who 's stealing my linden tree and my bird?" roared the Troll, and he was so angry that sparks flew from his eyes. "A thief thinks that every man steals," said the prince , "but only the one who doesn't steal cleverly enough is hanged!" The Troll said it made no difference , and wanted to kill him. But the king' son pleaded that his life should be spared. "Well, well," said the Troll, "if you can bring back the horse which my nearest neighbor stole from me, I will spare your life!" "But where will I find him?" asked the king's son. "He lives three hundred miles beyond that mountain which is blue on the horizon," said the Troll The king's son promised to do his best, but when he came to the fox, he was far from pleased. "Now you have got us in bad mess." Said the fox. "If only you had listened to me, we would have been on our way home by now. " They had to set out on the way again, since it was a matter of life and death and the king's son had promised. And after a while they came to the stable where the prince was to find the horse. But when he was going in to take the horse, the fox said. "When you get inside the stable, you will see many bridles, both of silver and gold, hanging on the wall. But you must not touch them, for then the Troll will come and slay you on the spot. You must only take the ugliest and most worn-out one you see there.
Well, the king's son promised to do as he was told., but when he got inside the stable, he thought it was downright unreasonable, for there were plenty on fine ones, so he took the shiniest he could find, and it was as bright as gold. But at that very moment the Troll came out, and he was so angry that the sparks flew. "Who's stealing my horse and my bridle?" he shrieked .
"A thief thinks that every man steals," said the king's son, "but only the one who doesn't steal cleverly enough is hanged" "Just the same, I am going to kill you on the spot," said the Troll. But the prince thought his life should be spared. "Well, well," said the Troll. "If you can bring back the lovely maiden my nearest neighbor has stolen from me, I shall spare your life." "Where does he live, then?" asked the prince. "Oh, he lives three hundred miles back of that big mountain which looks blue on the horizon," said the Troll. Well, the king's son promised to bring back the maiden, and then he was allowed to go, and got away with his life. But when he came outside, the fox wasn't very happy, you might know. "Now you have got into a terrible mess again," said the fox. "If only you had listened to me, we could have been on the way home long ago. Now I have a good mind not to stay with you any longer."
But the young prince pleaded so earnestly and promised to do everything the fox told him to, if only he would stay with him. As last the fox gave in, and they became friends and were on good terms, and so they set out on the way again, and after a while they came to where the lovely maiden was. "Well, well," said the fox "you have promised well enough, but I dare not let you go in to the Troll, all the same. This time I shall go on myself".
So he went in, and after a little while he came out again with the maiden, and then they traveled back the same way they had come. When they came to the Troll who had the horse, they took both the horse and the shiniest bridle, and when they came to the Troll who had the linden tree and the bird, they took both the linden and the bird and started for home. When they gad traveled for a while, they came to a field of rye. Then the fox said:" I hear a rumbling sound. Now you'll have to travel alone, I am going to stay here for a while" Then he braided himself a garment of rye-straw and put it on, and he looked almost like someone standing there preaching. All at once all three Trolls came rushing up, thinking that they would catch up with them again.
"Have you seen anyone go by with a lovely maiden, and a horse with a golden bridle, and a golden bird, and a gilded linden tree?" they shrieked to the fox who stood there preaching. "Yes, I've heard from my grandmother's grandmother that such a party passed this way. But that was in the good old times when my grandmother's grandmother baked caked and sold them for a penny, and gave back the penny into the bargain!" At this story all the Trolls burst into a fit of laughter. "Ha,ha,ha,ha!" they said, holding onto each other. "If we've been asleep that long, we might as well turn back and go to sleep again." They said, and then they went back the same way.
The fox set out after the king's son, but when they came to the city with the inn and his brothers, the fox said:" I don't dare go through the city for fear of the dogs. I must go my own way around. But now you must take good care so your brothers don't get hold of you".
But when the king's son came into the city, he thought it would be a shame not to see his brothers and have a few words with them, and so he stopped there a little while. But when his brothers saw him, they came out and took away from him the maiden, and the horse , and the bird, and the linden tree. And they put him in a barrel and threw it into the sea. And then they set off with the maiden, and the horse, and the bird, and the linden tree, and everything, and went home to the king's court. But the maiden would not talk, and became pale and downhearted; the horse became so thin that is could hardly stand on its legs; The golden bird sat silent and no longer shone; and the linden tree withered away.
In the meantime , the fox prowled about on the outskirts of the city, and waited for the king's son and the lovely maiden, wondering what had become of them. He wandered hither and yon, waiting and longing, and at last came down to the shore; and when he caught sight of the barrel floating on the water, he shouted," Are you drifting there, you empty barrel?"
"Oh, it's me," said the king's son inside the barrel. The fox started swimming out in the water as fast as he could go, caught hold of the barrel and dragged it ashore. Then he gnawed at the hoops, and when he had pulled them off the barrel, he said to the king's son, "Kick and stretch!"
The king's son kicked , and pounded and stretched, until each stave gave way , and he hopped out of the barrel. Then they went to the king's court together, and when they arrived, the maiden became beautiful again and started to talk, the horse became fat and pretty that each hair glistened, the bird shone and sang, and the linden tree bloomed and its leaves sparkled again. And the maiden said:" There is the one who saved me."
They put the linden tree in the garden, and the youngest son was to have the princess, for a princess she was. But the two eldest brothers were clapped in spiked barrels and rolled off a steep cliff.
Then they made ready for a wedding. But first the fox begged the king's son to lay him on the chopping block and cut his head off. And for all the king's son tried to get out of it, it was of no avail, he had to do it. But at the very moment he chopped, the fox turned into a handsome prince, and proved to be the brother of the princess they had saved from the Troll. So the wedding was held, and it was so grand and fine, and they celebrated so that people are still talking about it.