The Six Servants facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Six Servants
The prince arriving at the castle.
Folk tale
Name	The Six Servants
Data
Aarne–Thompson grouping	ATU 513A
Country	Germany
Published in	Grimm's Fairy Tales

The Six Servants is a classic German fairy tale. It was collected by the famous Brothers Grimm and published in their well-known book, Grimm's Fairy Tales. This story is about a brave prince who gets help from six amazing friends. Each friend has a very special power, and together they face impossible challenges to win a princess's hand.

The Prince and His Amazing Friends

Once upon a time, there was an evil Queen. She was also a powerful sorceress and had a beautiful princess daughter. Many princes wanted to marry the princess. However, the Queen gave them tasks that were impossible to complete. If a suitor failed, they faced a very harsh punishment.

One day, a young prince heard about the princess. He decided he wanted to try and win her. At first, his father did not want him to go. But the prince became very ill for seven years. No doctor could help him. Only when his father finally agreed to let him go did the prince get better.

On his journey, the prince met six men. Each of these men had incredible talents and powers. The prince invited them all to join him as his servants.

Meet the Six Servants

• First Servant: A man with a huge belly. He could stretch himself to become even bigger!
• Second Servant: A man who could hear the tiniest sounds. He could even hear grass growing. He also heard someone being punished in the Queen's castle from far away.
• Third Servant: An incredibly tall man. He could reach very high and take giant steps.
• Fourth Servant: A man who wore a blindfold. His gaze was so powerful that anything he looked at would break into pieces.
• Fifth Servant: A man who felt cold in extreme heat and hot in extreme cold. He was always feeling the opposite of the weather.
• Sixth Servant: A man who could stretch his long neck. This allowed him to see over very long distances.

Facing the Queen's Challenges

The prince and his six special servants arrived at the Queen's castle. The Queen told the prince he had to complete three difficult tasks to marry her daughter.

Task One: The Lost Ring

The first task was to find a ring the Queen had dropped into the Red Sea.

• The servant with the sharp eyesight quickly spotted the ring. It was hanging on a pointy rock deep in the sea.
• Then, the servant with the huge belly drank the entire sea dry!
• After that, the tall servant easily reached down and picked up the ring.

The Queen was very surprised they finished the first task safely. But she quickly ordered the next one.

Task Two: The Giant Feast

For the second task, the prince had to eat three hundred oxen. He had to eat everything: skin, hair, bones, and horns! He also had to drink three hundred barrels of wine. If even a tiny bit was left, he would face punishment.

The prince asked if he could bring one guest to join him. The Queen agreed. Of course, the prince brought the servant with the huge belly. In no time at all, the servant ate and drank everything!

Task Three: Guarding the Princess

For the final task, the prince had to guard the princess in her room. He had to keep his arms around her. If the Queen returned around midnight and the princess was not in his arms, he would face punishment.

The prince took precautions. He had the tall servant and the huge-bellied servant stand around him and the princess. This way, no one could touch them. However, the Queen used a magic spell. It made them all fall into a deep sleep. She then carried the princess away.

At a quarter to twelve, everyone woke up. The prince panicked!

• The servant with amazing hearing listened carefully. He heard the princess crying on a rock, three hundred leagues (a very long distance) away.
• The tall servant quickly rose. He took a few giant steps and ran towards them. He took the servant with the sharp eyesight with him.
• The sharp-eyed servant looked at the rock. His powerful gaze made it shatter into a thousand pieces!
• The tall servant then grabbed the princess and brought her back just before the deadline.

The Wedding and a Final Test

With all three tasks completed, the Queen was defeated. She whispered to her daughter that it was a shame she had to marry someone she didn't choose. This made the princess angry.

The next day, the Queen ordered three hundred large bundles of wood to be set on fire. She said if someone could sit in the middle of the fire and survive, then she would truly marry him. The servant who felt cold in extreme heat stepped forward. He sat in the flames. Even after the fire burned out, he was still shivering from the "cold"!

Now, the princess could not stop the prince from marrying her. As they rode off to the church, the evil Queen sent her soldiers after them. She wanted to stop the wedding.

• The servant with amazing hearing heard her plan and warned the others.
• The huge-bellied servant then spat out all the water he had drunk earlier. This created a flood that drowned all the soldiers!
• Another group of soldiers came. The servant with the amazing eyesight looked at them. His powerful gaze shattered them into tiny pieces!

After that, the wedding happened without any more problems. The prince and princess were married. All the special servants then went their own separate ways.

When the prince returned to his kingdom, he decided to teach his new bride a lesson. He pretended to be a simple swineherd (someone who looks after pigs). He made his bride live in a very simple and difficult way for eight days. This made her realize how proud she had been. She began to believe she deserved this simple life.

Then, she was brought to the palace. The prince revealed that it was all a plan. He wanted her to understand what it felt like to struggle, just as he had struggled to win her. After this, they married as prince and princess and lived happily ever after.

Similar Stories

"The Six Servants" is similar to many other European folk tales. These stories often feature a hero helped by friends with special talents. Some other tales like this include:

• How Six Made Their Way in the World
• Long, Broad and Sharpsight
• The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship