The Bird 'Grip' facts for kids

The Bird 'Grip' is a traditional fairy tale from Sweden. It was included in The Pink Fairy Book by Andrew Lang. This story is a type of folk tale known as Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index type 550. This type of story often involves a hero going on a quest to find a special golden bird or firebird. Other famous tales like this include The Golden Bird and Tsarevitch Ivan, the Fire Bird and the Gray Wolf.

The Story of the Bird 'Grip'

A King's Quest

Once, a king lost his eyesight and could no longer see. An old wise woman told him that only the beautiful song of a special bird, called 'Grip', could make him see again. The bird was kept in a cage by another king far away.

The king's oldest son offered to go and find the bird. But on his way, he stopped at a fun inn. He had such a good time there that he completely forgot about his important journey.

His two younger brothers decided to follow him. The second brother also stopped at the same inn and forgot his mission. However, the youngest prince knew he had to find the bird 'Grip'. He did not stay at the inn and continued his journey.

The Youngest Prince's Journey

The youngest prince traveled until he reached a house deep in the woods. He decided to stay there for the night. During the night, he heard loud screams. In the morning, he asked about the strange noises.

A girl at the house told him the screams came from a dead man. The innkeeper had beaten and killed this man because he could not pay his bill. The innkeeper refused to bury the man until someone paid for the funeral. The prince felt sorry for the dead man and paid his bill.

However, the prince was scared to stay any longer. He asked the girl to help him escape during the night. She told him the innkeeper kept the stable key under his pillow. The girl agreed to help if the prince would take her with him. He agreed, and they escaped. The prince found a safe place for the girl at a good inn before he continued his quest alone.

Help from a Fox

Soon after, the youngest prince met a clever fox. The fox told the prince it could help him find the bird 'Grip'. When they reached the castle where the bird was kept, the fox gave the prince three special grains. The fox told him to throw one grain in the guardroom, one in the room with the bird's cage, and one inside the cage itself. The fox warned him not to stroke the bird once he took it.

The prince followed the instructions for the grains. But when he had the bird, he decided to stroke it just once. The bird immediately woke up and screamed loudly. The prince was caught and thrown into prison.

The Prince's Mistakes

While in prison, the fox appeared to the prince. The fox told him that at his trial, he should answer "Yes" to everything he was asked. The king asked if he was a master thief, and the prince said "Yes." The king then offered to forgive him if he could steal the world's most beautiful princess from the next kingdom.

The fox helped the prince again. It gave him three more grains: one for the guardroom, one for the princess's room, and one for her bed. The fox warned him not to kiss the princess. But again, the prince failed. He kissed the princess, and he was captured once more.

At his next trial, the king again asked if he was a master thief, and the prince said "Yes." The king offered to pardon him if he could steal the horse with four golden shoes from the next kingdom.

The fox gave the prince three more grains: for the guardroom, the stable, and the horse's stall. This time, the fox warned him not to touch the golden saddle. The fox also said that if the prince failed this time, it would not be able to help him anymore. When the prince saw the beautiful golden saddle, he reached for it. But something hit his arm, and he pulled the horse out without the saddle. He confessed to the fox what had happened. The fox then told him that it was the fox itself that had hit his arm.

Returning to the princess's castle, the prince told the fox he would love to take the princess to his father's castle on the golden horse. So, the fox gave him the grains again, and this time, he successfully carried the princess away. The prince then asked the fox if he could try to get the bird 'Grip' again. With the fox's help, he succeeded this time.

The Betrayal and Return

The fox then gave the prince one final warning: do not use the money to pay for anyone's freedom. The prince rode on and soon found his older brothers. They had gotten into a lot of debt at the inn and were about to be hanged! The prince, being kind, ignored the fox's warning and paid off their debt.

However, his brothers were very jealous. They threw the youngest prince into a den of lions and took the bird, the horse, and the princess. They threatened to kill the princess if she did not tell their father that they had won these treasures. They told their father that their youngest brother had been hanged for his debts.

But things were not right at the castle. The bird 'Grip' would not sing. The golden horse would not let anyone into its stall. And the princess cried all the time.

The Fox's Secret

In the lions' den, the prince found the fox. The lions did not harm him. The fox led him out, saying, "Sons who forget their father will also betray their brother." The fox then asked the prince to cut off its head. The prince did not want to, but the fox insisted, saying it would kill the prince if he refused. The prince finally obeyed. When he cut off the fox's head, the fox changed into the dead man whose debts the prince had paid at the inn.

A Happy Ending

The prince disguised himself as a horse-shoer and went to his father's castle. He put new shoes on the horse with the four golden shoes. He heard that the bird 'Grip' would not sing. He said that the bird was missing something and if he could see it, he would know what it was. He called the bird by its true name. The bird immediately began to sing, and the princess smiled for the first time.

The prince brings the healing bird and the princess to his father's court. Illustration by Henry Justice Ford for Andrew Lang's The Pink Fairy Book (1897).

As the bird sang, the king's eyesight returned, and he could see again. He recognized the horse-shoer as his youngest son. The king banished his older, jealous sons from the kingdom. The youngest prince then married the beautiful princess, and they lived happily ever after.