The Giant Who Had No Heart in His Body facts for kids

The Giant Who Had No Heart in His Body is a famous fairy tale from Norway. It was collected by two well-known storytellers, Asbjørnsen and Moe. This exciting story is about a brave prince who must defeat a powerful giant to save his family and a beautiful princess.

Another writer, George MacDonald, retold this tale as "The Giant's Heart." It also appeared in A Book of Giants by Ruth Manning-Sanders.

The Story of the Giant's Heart

A long time ago, a king had seven sons. Six of his sons went off to find brides. The king kept his youngest son with him because he didn't want to be alone. The older brothers were supposed to find a bride for their youngest brother too.

However, the six brothers found a king with six daughters. They fell in love and decided to marry them, forgetting about their youngest brother. On their way home, they passed too close to a giant's castle. The giant became very angry and turned all of them, both princes and princesses, into stone.

The Youngest Prince's Quest

When his brothers and their brides didn't return, the king tried to stop his youngest son from leaving. But the prince was determined to find them. On his journey, he was kind to several animals. He gave food to a hungry raven. He helped a salmon get back into the river. He even gave his horse to a starving wolf to eat.

The wolf was very grateful and let the prince ride on his back instead. The wolf showed him the giant's castle. The prince was scared of the giant, but the wolf told him to go inside. The wolf explained that the giant wasn't there, but a princess was held prisoner inside.

Meeting the Princess

The prince went into the castle and found the princess. She was very beautiful. The prince wanted to know how he could defeat the giant and free her and his family. The princess sadly told him that it was impossible. She explained that the giant did not keep his heart in his body. This meant he could not be killed in the usual way.

When the giant returned, the princess quickly hid the prince. She then asked the giant where he kept his heart. The giant told her it was under the door sill. The next day, the prince and princess dug there, but they found no heart. The princess then put flowers over the door sill. When the giant came back, she told him it was because his heart was there.

The giant admitted his heart wasn't there. He then told her it was in the cupboard. Again, the princess and prince searched, but found nothing. The princess once more decorated the cupboard with flowers. She told the giant it was because his heart was there.

Finding the Giant's Secret

Finally, the giant told her the real secret. He said that far away, in a distant lake, there was an island. On that island sat a church. Inside the church, there was a well where a duck swam. In the duck's nest was an egg, and inside that egg was the giant's heart.

The prince rode to the lake, and the wolf helped him jump to the island. The prince then called upon the raven he had saved earlier. The raven brought him the keys to the church. Once inside, he gently called the duck to him. But the duck dropped the egg into the well!

The prince then called on the salmon he had helped. The salmon quickly retrieved the egg from the well. The wolf told the prince to squeeze the egg. When the prince did, the giant screamed in pain. The wolf told him to squeeze it again. The giant then promised anything if the prince would spare his life.

Victory and Return Home

The prince told the giant to change his brothers and their brides back to life. The giant did so immediately. Then, the prince squeezed the egg until it broke into two pieces.

The prince went home with the beautiful princess as his bride. His brothers and their brides also returned with him. The king was overjoyed to see all his children safe and sound.

Different Versions of the Story

There are many different versions of this tale. In one version, the hero doesn't just break the egg. He also defeats the giant completely and keeps a part of the giant as a sign of his victory.

Other Ways the Story is Told

This story has been retold in different ways, including on television.

Hungarian Folk Tales

A Hungarian version of the tale was made into an episode of a TV series called Magyar némesék ("Hungarian Folk Tales"). In this story, three brothers leave home and find an old man. They marry three princesses. On their way back, an old man turns five of them to stone and takes the youngest princess. He tells her his heart is inside a bird in a faraway mountain. Years later, a new boy is born and goes to find his family. He gets help from a ram and a dove.

The Storyteller TV Series

The story was also retold by John Hurt in Jim Henson's TV series The Storyteller. In this version, the prince actually becomes friends with the giant after freeing him from being held captive for many years. After finding the egg and freeing his brothers, the prince asks them not to break the egg. He promises that the giant will now be good. But his brothers break the heart anyway. A hill forms where the giant falls, making the ending a bit sadder.

Video Game Appearances

The idea of a giant with a heart outside his body has also appeared in video games.

• The video game Paper Mario features a villain named Tubba Blubba. He's a giant whose heart was removed to make him unbeatable. But it also made him very unhappy. Mario has to defeat the heart first, and then Tubba Blubba becomes mortal again.
• Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal also has an evil giant who can only be defeated once his hidden heart is found and destroyed.