The Greek Princess and the Young Gardener facts for kids

The Greek Princess and the Young Gardener is a classic fairy tale from Ireland. It was first written down by Patrick Kennedy in his book Fireside Stories of Ireland. Later, Joseph Jacobs also included it in his collection, More Celtic Fairy Tales. This story is a great example of a popular type of folk tale known as "the quest for the golden bird."

The Story Begins

Once upon a time, there was an old king who became very sick. Doctors said the best medicine for him was special apples from his own garden. But a mysterious bird kept stealing these apples every night! The king was upset and blamed his gardener. The gardener, however, promised that his three sons, who were excellent archers, would catch the bird.

The Brothers' Attempts

The gardener's oldest son went to guard the apples first. But he fell asleep, and the bird got away again. The king saw it happen and shouted, but the son didn't wake up in time. The same thing happened with the second son on the next night. He also fell asleep, and the bird escaped.

The Youngest Son's Success

Finally, it was the youngest son's turn. He stayed awake all night. When the bird came, he quickly shot an arrow and hit it! The bird flew away, but it left behind a beautiful golden feather. The king was amazed by the feather and made a promise: his daughter would marry the person who brought him the magical bird.

The Quest for the Bird

The oldest son decided to go find the bird. On his journey, a clever fox came and asked for some of his lunch. But the son was unkind and shot an arrow at the fox instead. Later, he found two inns: one was lively and noisy, and the other was quiet. He chose the merry inn and was never seen again. The second son then set out, and the same thing happened to him.

The Youngest Son and the Fox

Now, it was the youngest son's turn to find the bird. He was much kinder than his brothers. When the fox asked for food, the youngest son shared his lunch. Because of his kindness, the fox gave him important advice. It told him to avoid the noisy, merry inn and to stay at the quiet one. The youngest son listened to the fox.

Finding the Golden Bird

The next day, the fox told the son that the bird was at the castle of the King of Spain. The fox carried the son all the way there. The fox then advised him to take only the bird and its cage, and nothing else. But when the son saw the bird, he also saw three shiny golden apples and a beautiful golden cage. He decided to put the bird into the golden cage. This woke the bird, and the son was captured!

New Challenges Appear

The King of Spain gave the youngest son a chance to save his life. He had to steal a special bay filly (a young female horse) from the King of Morocco.

The Magical Filly

The fox carried the son to the King of Morocco's castle. The fox warned him not to let the horse touch anything except the ground. But when the son went to get the filly, he saw a dazzling golden saddle. He put the golden saddle on the horse, and it neighed loudly, waking everyone up! The son was captured again.

The Princess Golden Locks

The King of Morocco offered the son his life and the filly if he brought him Princess Golden Locks. She was the daughter of the Greek King.

Rescuing the Princess

The fox carried the son to the Greek King's castle. It told him exactly how to answer when the princess asked for a favor. The son found Princess Golden Locks and woke her up. He asked her to come with him, promising to free her from the King of Morocco. She asked to say goodbye to her father. The son refused, but he agreed to let her kiss her father goodbye.

A Difficult Task

When the princess kissed her father, he woke up. The king said that if the boy could remove a huge pile of clay, he could take the princess. This clay was enchanted, meaning for every shovel of clay thrown away, two more appeared! The son tried, but the pile only grew bigger. The fox told him to rest and eat. He admitted his failure to the king and princess. The princess hoped he would not fail. The king then let him take her, even though he was sad to be alone. The princess's brother was held captive by a witch.

The Return Journey

The fox carried the son and Princess Golden Locks to the King of Morocco. The son asked to shake hands with the princess before he left her. When the king agreed, the son quickly carried her away on the bay filly!

Clever Escapes

Next, he brought the bay filly to the King of Spain. He left the princess with the fox. When the King of Spain gave him the bird and the golden apples, the son pretended to admire the horse. While stroking it, he quickly rode away with both the horse and the bird!

A Surprising Transformation

On their way home, they found the son's older brothers, who were now begging. They rescued them. Then, the fox asked the youngest son to cut off its head and tail. The son couldn't bring himself to do it. But his oldest brother, perhaps to make up for his past mistakes, did it for him.

A Happy Ending

As soon as the fox's head and tail were cut off, it magically transformed! The fox became a handsome prince – he was Princess Golden Locks's brother! The prince married the king's daughter, and the gardener's son married the prince's sister, Princess Golden Locks. Everyone lived happily ever after.

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