The Sea-Hare facts for kids

The Sea-Hare is a German fairy tale. It was collected by the famous Brothers Grimm. This story is number 191 in their collection. It's a type of story where animals help a hero. This type is called "The Grateful Animals." It's also a bit like stories where someone wins a princess with a riddle.

The Story of The Sea-Hare

This fairy tale tells about a very proud princess. She lived in a magical tower. This tower had twelve windows. Each window let her see more clearly than the one before it. The princess did not want to get married. So, she made a rule for anyone who wanted to be her husband.

The Princess's Challenge

Any suitor had to hide from her. If she found him, he would lose his head. Many brave men tried to hide. Sadly, ninety-seven men failed and lost their lives. Then, three brothers came to try their luck. The first two brothers also failed the challenge.

The Youngest Son's Journey

The youngest son was the last to try. He asked for three chances to hide. Before his turn, he went hunting. During his hunt, he showed kindness to three animals. He spared the life of a raven. He also saved a fish. And he helped a fox. These animals were very grateful to him.

Hiding with Animal Help

When it was time to hide, the animals helped him.

• First, the raven tried to hide him. It put him inside an egg. The princess could still see him from her eleventh window.
• Next, the fish helped him. It swallowed him whole. The princess could still see him from her twelfth window.
• Finally, the fox came up with a clever plan. The fox turned the young man into a beautiful sea-hare. A sea-hare is a type of sea slug. The fox then sold this sea-hare to the princess herself.

The Final Hide-and-Seek

When the princess looked from her windows, the young man was hiding in her hair. She looked and looked but could not see him. She became very angry. In her anger, she threw the sea-hare out of her hair. The sea-hare quickly sneaked away. The fox then changed him back into his human form. The young man went to the princess and claimed her as his wife. They were married and lived happily ever after.

Other Versions of the Tale

This story is popular in many places. Two versions of "The Sea-Hare" story come from Hungary. They were made into episodes for a TV show. The show is called Magyar népmesék, which means "Hungarian Folk Tales." The episodes were named Zöld Péter ("Green Peter") and Kiskondás ("The Little Swineherd").