Shortshanks facts for kids

Shortshanks is a classic Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe. It's part of their famous book, Norske Folkeeventyr. The story is about a brave young man named Shortshanks who goes on an adventure to find his fortune and save princesses from scary ogres.

The Start of the Adventure

Once upon a time, a poor family had many children, and then two more sons were born. These two new brothers quickly decided to leave home to seek their fortune. The younger brother had to run to catch up with the older one. When they met, they gave each other special names: one became Shortshanks, and the other became King Sturdy. They then went in different directions. King Sturdy told Shortshanks that he could call for him three times if he was in extreme danger.

Magical Gifts and a Royal Problem

Shortshanks soon met three old women, each with only one eye. He cleverly took their eyes, and to get them back, the women gave him amazing magical gifts:

• An enchanted sword
• A magical ship that could fly over land and sea
• The skill to brew a huge amount of ale very quickly

Using his flying ship, Shortshanks traveled to a king's castle. He found a job helping the kitchen-maid. The castle was covered in black decorations, and Shortshanks learned why. The princess had been promised to three terrible ogres, and one was coming to take her away. A knight named Ritter Red had promised to save her, but people weren't sure if he could.

Fighting the Ogres

The next day, the princess went to the seashore. Ritter Red went with her, but as soon as everyone else left, he climbed a tree to hide. Shortshanks asked for permission to go to the sea. Once there, he bravely fought a five-headed ogre that appeared. After the fight, the princess let him rest in her lap and covered him with a shiny robe. Ritter Red then threatened the princess. He said he would hurt her if she told anyone who really killed the ogre. He also cut out the ogre's tongue and liver to pretend he had done it. Shortshanks took the ogre's gold and silver from its ship and gave it to the kitchen-maid.

Shortshanks then fought a ten-headed ogre. After he won, the princess covered him with a silver robe while he slept. On the third day, he faced an even bigger challenge: a fifteen-headed ogre. He defeated it, and the princess covered him with a golden robe. Before he fell asleep, she told him about Ritter Red's trickery. Shortshanks then told her to ask for him to be the cup-bearer at the wedding. He said he would spill Ritter Red's wine but not hers. Ritter Red would hit him three times, but on the third hit, she should tell everyone the truth about who killed the ogres.

The Truth Revealed

During the wedding feast, Ritter Red hit Shortshanks three times, just as Shortshanks had predicted. Each time Ritter Red struck him, a new magical robe was revealed. When the princess finally announced the truth, Ritter Red showed the ogre's tongues and livers as "proof." But Shortshanks showed the king the gold and silver he had taken from the ogres' ships. The king realized that Shortshanks was the true hero and threw Ritter Red into a snake pit.

Saving the Older Princess

The king then told Shortshanks that his older daughter had also been taken by another ogre. Shortshanks asked for a long iron cable, five hundred men, and food for them all. He loaded everything onto his magical ship. The ship carried them to the middle of the sea. Shortshanks tied the cable to himself and went down into the water. He told the men to pull him back up if he tugged the cable.

At the bottom of the sea, he found the older princess. She told him that the ogre was looking for someone who could brew a huge amount of ale for a feast. Shortshanks offered to brew the ale. He made it so strong that all the ogres who drank it died! Then, he had the five hundred men pull him, the princess, and all the ogre's gold and silver back up to the ship.

A Double Wedding

Both princesses wanted to marry Shortshanks. However, he wanted to marry the first princess he had saved, the younger one. He then remembered his brother, King Sturdy, and called his name three times. King Sturdy appeared, but seeing no danger, he angrily struck Shortshanks. Shortshanks explained why he had called him, and King Sturdy apologized.

Shortshanks then sent King Sturdy into the house. He said that whichever princess kissed King Sturdy first would marry him. Since the older princess was stronger and bigger, she reached him first. So, King Sturdy married the older princess, and Shortshanks married the younger princess.

Other Versions of the Story

The story of Shortshanks has been translated into other languages.

• Andrew Lang included a version called "Minnikin" in his book, The Red Fairy Book.
• Another version, titled Lillekort, appeared in The Diamond Fairy Book and was linked to Xavier Marmier.