The Golden Bird facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Golden Bird |
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The prince and the princess ride on the horse to escape with the caged golden bird, the fox at their side. Illustration from Household stories from the collection of the Bros. Grimm (1914).
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| Folk tale | |
| Name | The Golden Bird |
| Data | |
| Aarne–Thompson grouping | ATU 550 (The Quest for the Golden Bird; The Quest for the Firebird; Bird, Horse and Princess) |
| Region | Germany |
| Published in | Kinder- und Hausmärchen, by the Brothers Grimm (1812) |
| Related | The Bird 'Grip'; The Greek Princess and the Young Gardener; Tsarevitch Ivan, the Fire Bird and the Gray Wolf; How Ian Direach got the Blue Falcon; The Nunda, Eater of People |
The Golden Bird (German: Der goldene Vogel) is a famous fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. It is story number 57 in their collection. The tale is about three sons of a gardener who go on a quest to find a magical golden bird.
This story is known as Aarne-Thompson folktale type 550, "The Golden Bird." This type of story often features a "Supernatural Helper," like an animal that helps the hero. Other similar tales include The Bird 'Grip', The Greek Princess and the Young Gardener, and Tsarevitch Ivan, the Fire Bird and the Gray Wolf.
Contents
What is the Story of The Golden Bird?
Every year, a king's special apple tree loses one golden apple during the night. The king asks his gardener's sons to watch the tree. The first two sons fall asleep, but the youngest son stays awake. He sees that the thief is a beautiful golden bird. He tries to shoot it but only knocks off one feather.
The feather is so shiny and valuable that the king decides he must have the bird. He sends his three sons, one after another, to catch the golden bird. Each son meets a talking fox. The fox gives them important advice: choose a simple, quiet inn instead of a bright, noisy one. The first two sons ignore this advice. They go to the fun inn and forget all about their quest.
The third son listens to the fox. The fox then tells him to take the bird in its plain wooden cage from the castle. He should not put it into the fancy golden cage next to it. This is a trick to test him. But the youngest son disobeys. He puts the bird in the golden cage, which wakes up the whole castle. He is captured. To save his life, he must find the golden horse.
The fox helps him again, advising him to use a leather saddle instead of a golden one. Again, the prince disobeys. He is caught and then sent to find the princess from the golden castle. The fox warns him not to let the princess say goodbye to her parents. But he disobeys one more time. The princess's father orders him to move a huge hill to save his life.
The fox magically removes the hill. As they leave, the fox tells the prince how to keep all the treasures he has won. Then, the fox asks the prince to shoot it and cut off its head. The prince refuses. The fox then warns him not to buy "gallows' flesh" or sit on the edge of rivers.
The prince soon finds his older brothers. They have been living wildly and are about to be hanged (on the gallows). Remembering the fox's warning, he buys their freedom. His brothers find out what he has done. When he sits by a river, they push him in. They take the golden bird, the golden horse, and the princess to their father.
However, the bird, the horse, and the princess are all sad for the youngest son. The fox rescues the prince from the river. When the prince returns to his father's castle, dressed like a beggar, the bird, the horse, and the princess all recognize him. They become happy again. His brothers are punished, and the youngest son marries the princess.
Finally, the third son follows the fox's strange request and cuts off its head and feet. The fox then turns into a man. He is revealed to be the princess's brother.
Who Helps the Hero in the Story?
The helper in this fairy tale changes in different versions. Usually, it's a fox or a wolf. Sometimes, it can be another animal like a lion, bear, or hare. In some stories, the helper is a "grateful dead" person. This means someone the hero helped when they were alive, who now helps the hero from beyond the grave.
For example, in a version from Austria, the story starts with the birth of two special children. A fox helps the hero, and it turns out to be his mother's spirit. In a Polish story, a raven helps the prince find the golden bird. This raven was sent by a mysterious hermit.
What is the Golden Bird?
The Golden Bird in the Grimm's tale is often compared to the mythical phoenix bird. The phoenix is a legendary bird that can be reborn from ashes. Many versions of the story feature the hero searching for a phoenix.
The Golden Bird is also similar to the Firebird from Slavic folklore. The Firebird is a magical bird known for its bright feathers and special powers. It's sometimes called Ohnivak or Bird Zhar, meaning "Glowing Bird" or "Bird of Light."
Sometimes, the king sends his son to find the bird to cure an illness or blindness. Other times, the bird is needed to decorate a new church or temple. In some Dutch stories, the bird is called Vogel Vinus or Vogel Venus, which might be a changed version of "Phoenix."
In a story by Howard Pyle, called The White Bird, the prince's quest includes finding the Fruit of Happiness, the Sword of Brightness, and the White Bird. When he catches the White Bird, it turns into a beautiful princess. In a Hungarian story, the golden bird is a princess who was cursed by a witch.
What About the Golden Horse?
The horse in these stories is often mentioned with the bird. For example, in Flemish versions, the titles mention "The Golden Bird, the Golden Horse, and the Princess."
The horse is often the way the hero escapes with the princess. In one Italian story, the horse is described as "unreachable." In a French tale, the prince must find a special mule that can jump seven leagues with each step, before he can find the princess.
Why is the Princess Important?
The princess is often the last thing the hero seeks. Her special qualities are sometimes in the story's title. For example, a story from Corsica is called "The she-donkey that rides like the wind, the bird that sings and plays music, and the maiden of seven beauties."
In a Romanian story, the emperor wants a golden bird whose song makes people sleep. His son finds that the bird belongs to the princess of the golden kingdom. In a Hungarian story, the prince has to kidnap a fairy princess from her witch mother. His fox friend helps him by turning into a copy of the princess to trick the witch.
Different Versions of The Golden Bird Story
This tale is told all over the world, including in the Middle East, Europe, India, Indonesia, and Central Africa. Some experts think the story might have come from the East.
Stories from Europe
France
A French version called Le Merle d'or (The Golden Blackbird) was collected by Paul Sébillot. Andrew Lang included it in The Green Fairy Book. In this story, the gardener's son searches for the golden blackbird because doctors say it can cure his sick father. The two older brothers go to a fun inn without warning. The youngest meets a talking hare that helps him. The hare does not turn into a person at the end.
Another French version, "Princess Marcassa and the Dreadaine Bird," has a sick king instead of a gardener. The fox is not the princess's brother. It is the spirit of a poor old man whom the prince buried. In this story, the prince accidentally makes the princess pregnant while stealing the bird. Their child later helps the princess find the prince.
Germany
In some German versions, the story is called Die drei Gärtnerssöhne ("The gardener's three sons"). In a version from Flensburg, the youngest son searches for a White Hart (a white deer) and the "White Maiden."
Romania
In a Romanian story, "Boy-Beautiful, the Golden Apples, and the Were-Wolf," the emperor's sons look for who is eating his special apples. The youngest prince finds two shiny golden feathers.
In another Romanian tale, "The Wonderful Bird," the king sends his sons to find a bird for a new church. The older sons return with a bird that doesn't sing and a sad maid. The youngest prince returns in disguise. When he enters the church, the bird starts to sing, recognizing its true master.
Eastern Europe
In a Polish story, the bird is called The Flamebird. In a Yugoslavian story, "The Little Lame Fox," a kind young man named Janko is helped by a fox. He searches for a Golden Apple-Tree, a Golden Horse, a Golden Cradle, and a Golden Maiden. The Golden Maiden, who is a princess, insists on marrying Janko because he is good and brave.
In a Slovakian tale, "Popelvár," the hero gets the bird for his father. But his brothers kill him and take his wife, Princess Sipsindilona. In this story, the princess is very strong and tries to find her way back to her husband on her own.
Stories from Asia
In an Indian story, "In Search of a Dream," the youngest prince looks for an emerald bird. His father, the king, dreamed of a beautiful garden with this bird. There are many versions of this story across India.
In a Tatar story, "The Prince's Son that seeks the bird," the prince's youngest son watches his father's house and finds a bird. With the help of a wolf, he also steals seven wonderful horses, a golden cithara (a musical instrument), and a princess.
Stories from the Americas
A similar story from French-Canadian origin is The Golden Phoenix. It follows Petit Jean, the youngest son of the King. He finds that a golden Phoenix is stealing his father's golden apples. This version also includes battles with mythical beasts and a game of hide-and-seek with a Sultan's daughter.
Versions of the story have been found in American regions like West Virginia (The Golden Duck) and Kentucky (The King's Golden Apple Tree). A version from Mexico is called Cuento del Pájaro del Dulce Canto ("The Bird of the Sweet Song").
In a Brazilian story, "The little fox," a prince helps three men who are beating a dead person. In return, a fox helps him find a parrot from the Kingdom of Parrots to cure the king's blindness.
Written Versions of The Golden Bird
French writer Edouard Laboulaye included a version called The Three Wonders of the World in his book Last Fairy Tales. In this story, the queen wants a magical bird whose song can make people young again. The youngest prince also gets a winged horse named Griffon and a wife, Princess Fairest of the Fair.
Italian writer Luigi Capuana used the idea of a golden bird stealing apples in his story Le arance d'oro ("The Golden Apples"). In this tale, a goldfinch is sent to steal oranges from the King's orchard.
Professor Jack Zipes says that this type of fairy tale inspired Russian poet Pyotr Pavlovich Yershov to write his poem The Little Humpbacked Horse. This poem starts with the hero finding magical horses and then continues with the quest for a firebird and a beautiful princess.
A literary version of the tale is found in The True Annals of Fairy-Land: The Reign of King Herla. It is also called The Golden Bird. With the help of a friendly fox, the king's youngest son searches for the Golden Bird, the Golden Horse, and a princess. At the end, the fox turns out to be the princess's brother, who was transformed into a fox.
Adaptations
A Hungarian version of the tale was made into an episode of the television series Hungarian Folk Tales (Magyar népmesék). It was called The Fox Princess (A rókaszemü menyecske).
See also
In Spanish: El pájaro de oro para niños
