Farmer Weathersky facts for kids

Farmer Weathersky is a fun fairy tale from Norway. It was collected by two famous storytellers, Peter Chr. Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe. You can find it in their book called Norwegian Folktales. Another version of the story, called "Farmer Weatherbeard," was put into The Red Fairy Book by Andrew Lang.

This tale is a special kind of story called Aarne–Thompson type 325. It's known as "The Magician and His Pupil." In these stories, characters often change their shapes and chase each other! This type of story is very old and popular in places like India and Europe. Other similar tales include Master and Pupil and The Thief and His Master. A different version of this story is Maestro Lattantio and His Apprentice Dionigi.

You can also find a version of this tale in A Book of Wizards by Ruth Manning-Sanders.

The Story of Farmer Weathersky

A Son's Special Training

A farmer wanted his son to learn a skill. His wife, however, had a big wish. She wanted their son to become a master above all other masters! This made it hard to find the right teacher.

One day, a driver offered to teach the boy. The boy got onto the driver's sleigh. Suddenly, the sleigh flew high into the air! The driver was actually Farmer Weathersky, a powerful magician.

The Father's Search

The farmer's wife soon realized her son was gone. She sent her husband to find him. The father searched and found an old woman in the forest. She tried to help by asking all the animals. But none of them knew where Farmer Weathersky was.

So, she sent him to her sister. This sister asked all the fish for clues. Still no luck! Finally, she sent him to the third sister. This sister asked all the birds. An eagle finally knew where to find Farmer Weathersky.

Getting the Magic Items

The eagle told the father what to do. He needed to sneak into Farmer Weathersky's home. He had to steal three crumbs of bread. He also needed three hairs from a snoring man. This man turned out to be Farmer Weathersky himself! The father also had to take a stone and three wood chips. He used the crumbs to catch a hare.

The Great Escape and Chase

As they left, a flock of crows chased them. The father quickly threw down the hairs. They instantly turned into ravens! The ravens scared off the crows.

Then, Farmer Weathersky himself came after them. The father threw down the wood chips. They magically turned into a thick forest! Farmer Weathersky had to go back and get his axe. He chopped his way through the forest.

When he finally got through, the father threw down the stone. It changed into a huge mountain! Farmer Weathersky tried to get over it. But he broke his leg and had to go home. The father took the hare to a churchyard. He sprinkled dirt over it, and the hare became his son again!

The Fair and the Horse

When it was time for the fair, the son had an idea. He turned himself into a horse. He told his father, "Sell me, but do NOT sell me with the headstall!" A headstall is the part of a bridle that goes over a horse's head.

The father sold the horse twice. Each time, the son escaped afterward. But the third time, the father forgot! He left the headstall on. He accidentally sold his son to Farmer Weathersky.

The Final Transformations

Farmer Weathersky rode the horse away. He decided to stop for a drink. He tied the horse with red-hot nails at its nose. He put a sieve of oats at its tail. This was a cruel trick! But a kind young woman saw it. She quickly released the horse.

The boy jumped into a duck pond. He turned himself into a fish! Farmer Weathersky quickly turned into a pike, a big fish that eats other fish. The chase was on!

The boy then turned into a dove. Farmer Weathersky changed into a hawk, a bird that hunts doves. A princess saw the chase from her window. She called out, "Come in my window!" The boy flew in.

He told her his whole story. She agreed to help him. He turned into a golden ring on her finger. He warned her that the king would get sick. Farmer Weathersky would offer to cure him. But he would demand the ring as payment. The princess said she would claim the ring was from her mother.

Just as he predicted, the king fell ill. Farmer Weathersky came to cure him. He demanded the golden ring as payment. The king insisted the princess give it to him, no matter what she said.

The princess threw the ring into the fireplace ashes. Farmer Weathersky instantly turned into a cock (a rooster). He began to scratch among the ashes, looking for the ring. But the boy quickly turned into a fox! The fox bit off the cock's head. And that was the end of Farmer Weathersky!