The Riddle (fairy tale) facts for kids

"The Riddle" (which means "Das Rätsel" in German) is a classic fairy tale. It was collected by the famous Brothers Grimm. They included it in their book Grimms' Fairy Tales in 1819. This story is known as type 851 in a special system. This system helps classify fairy tales. Type 851 is about "Winning the Princess with a Riddle."

Sometimes, this tale is called "A Riddling Tale." It is different from some other versions. For example, some versions are about a man whose wife turns into a flower. This specific version is often found in children's books. It was also included in The Green Fairy Book by Andrew Lang.

How the Story Started

The Brothers Grimm first published "The Riddle" in 1819. It was part of the second edition of their book. The story was then made longer in the third edition in 1837. They heard this tale from a German storyteller. Her name was Dorothea Viehmann. They also had help from another person.

The Story of the Riddle

Once upon a time, a prince decided to go on a journey. His loyal servant traveled with him. They rode into a dark forest. There, they found a small house. A young maiden warned them about her stepmother. She said her stepmother was a witch. The witch did not like strangers. But there was no other place to stay.

The prince and his servant had to enter the witch's house. Before they went to bed, the maiden gave them a warning. She told them not to eat or drink anything. The witch might try to poison them. The next morning, the witch offered the servant a drink. She said it was for the prince. But the servant knew it was poison. He spilled it on the prince's horse by accident. The horse immediately died.

The servant told the prince what happened. They went to see the dead horse. A raven was already eating it. They thought they might not find other food. So, the servant killed the raven. He took it with them to eat later. Next, they arrived at an inn. The servant gave the raven to the innkeeper. He asked the innkeeper to cook it for them.

The prince and his servant did not know something important. The inn was actually a hideout for robbers. The robbers soon returned. They planned to kill the travelers. But first, they sat down to eat. The innkeeper had made soup from the raven. As soon as the robbers ate a few bites, they fell down. They were dead from the poison in the raven. The innkeeper's daughter then showed the prince and his servant a hidden treasure. The prince told her to keep it.

The prince and his servant continued their journey. They came to a town. In this town, a princess had a special rule. She would marry any man who asked her a riddle. But only if she could not solve it. If she solved the riddle, the man would lose his life.

The prince decided to try. He asked the princess, "What slew none, and yet slew twelve?" The princess could not solve the riddle. So, she sent her maid to spy on the prince. The maid was supposed to listen for the answer. She hoped he would reveal it in his sleep.

However, the prince was ready for this. That night, his servant slept in his bed. When the maid came in, the servant quickly took a piece of her clothing. He then chased her out of the room. The next night, the princess sent her chambermaid. She also tried to spy on the prince. The servant again took a piece of her clothing. He chased her out too.

On the third night, the prince slept in his own bed. The princess herself came into his room. The prince pretended to be asleep. The princess asked him for the riddle's answer. After the prince told her, she left. But she left her robe behind.

The next morning, the princess announced the answer. She said, "A raven ate from a dead, poisoned horse. It died from the poison. Then, twelve robbers ate the raven. They died from that." The prince then spoke up. He declared that the princess did not solve the riddle herself. He said she questioned him while he was asleep.

The town judges asked for proof. The prince showed them the three pieces of clothing. He had the robes from the maid, the chambermaid, and the princess. The judges then made a decision. They ordered the princess's robe to be decorated. It was embroidered with gold and silver. This was to be her wedding robe.