The Gifts of the Magician facts for kids

The Gifts of the Magician is an exciting fairy tale that comes from Finland. It was shared with the world by Andrew Lang in his book, The Crimson Fairy Book, which was published in 1903. The story was originally found in a collection called Finnische Mahrchen.

The Story of the Magician's Gifts

This fairy tale tells the adventure of a brave young boy. It starts with a widower, a father who had lost his wife, and his only son. The father had told his son not to shoot at certain birds.

A Dangerous Hunt in the Forest

One day, the son did not listen to his father. He shot at a bird and wounded it. He then chased the bird deep into the forest. As he followed the bird, he got completely lost. When night came, he was alone and scared.

Suddenly, he saw a powerful magician being chased by a group of hungry wolves. The boy quickly aimed his arrow and shot the biggest wolf. This brave act scared away all the other wolves. The grateful magician offered the boy a safe place to stay for the night.

Strange Advice from a Maid

The next morning, the boy slept very deeply and could not be woken up. The magician left to go hunting. While the magician was away, the boy woke up and talked to the maid servant. She gave him some very important advice. She told him to ask the magician for the horse in the third stall as a reward for saving him.

When the magician returned, the boy asked for the horse, just as the maid had suggested. The magician tried to convince him to choose something else, but the boy insisted. Finally, the magician agreed. He gave the boy the special horse. He also gave him three magical musical instruments: a zither, a fiddle, and a flute. The magician told the boy to play each instrument if he ever found himself in danger.

A New Journey and a Royal Horse

The magical horse then warned the boy not to go back to his father. It said his father would only be angry and punish him. So, the boy rode the horse towards the king's city. Everyone in the city was amazed by how beautiful the horse was.

The horse told the boy to tell the king to keep it with the royal horses. It promised that if the king did this, his own horses would become just as beautiful. The king agreed, and it worked! This made the old groom, who took care of the king's horses, very jealous of the boy.

Challenges from a Jealous Groom

The jealous groom started to cause trouble for the boy. He told the king that the boy had claimed he could find the king's old war-charger. This special horse had been lost in the woods a long time ago. The king ordered the boy to find it within three days.

The boy's magical horse told him what to do. It told him to ask for a hundred dead oxen, cut into pieces. They rode off, and the horse guided him. When a third horse came to them, the boy bridled it. This was the king's lost war-charger! To distract the magician's raven, which was following them, the boy threw the meat behind them.

The groom, still trying to get rid of the boy, then told the king another lie. He claimed the boy had said he could bring back the king's vanished wife. The magical horse told the boy to ride it to the river. There, the horse would dive in and change into the queen. This happened, and the king was very happy to have his queen back.

The Magical Instruments Save the Day

But the groom didn't give up. He told the king that the boy had threatened to take the throne. The king, believing the groom, sentenced the boy to be hanged.

When it was time for the hanging, the boy remembered the magician's gifts. He played the zither, and the hangman immediately began to dance. He danced all day long! The next day, a huge crowd came to watch the hanging. The boy played the fiddle, and the entire crowd started dancing.

On the third day, the king did not want the boy to play the flute. But the crowd begged him to let the boy play. The king insisted on being tied to a tree first. Even tied up, he still danced until he was very sore. Then, the magician appeared! He destroyed the gallows, which was the structure for the hanging. The magician also dealt with the king.

The people of the kingdom then chose the boy to be their new king. The old groom, seeing that the boy was now king, was so upset that he went and drowned himself. The story ends by saying that the boy might have been poor his whole life if the groom had not interfered.