The Three Little Birds facts for kids

"The Three Little Birds" is a classic German fairy tale collected by the famous Brothers Grimm. It's tale number 96 in their collection. The story was first written in a language called Low German. This type of story is known for featuring magical elements like dancing water, singing apples, and a bird that can speak! It shares similarities with other old stories, such as Ancilotto, King of Provino and a tale from the Arabian Nights.

The Story of the Three Little Birds

This fairy tale tells the exciting story of a queen, her children, and the challenges they face because of her jealous sisters. It's a tale about truth, discovery, and how good triumphs over evil.

A Royal Marriage and Jealous Sisters

One day, three sisters were looking after cows when a king and his group rode past. The oldest sister bravely declared she would marry the king or no one else. Her two younger sisters said they would marry the king's ministers. The king heard their words and, seeing how beautiful they were, decided to marry the oldest sister himself. His ministers then married the two younger sisters.

Soon after, the king had to go on a long journey. He asked the queen's sisters to look after her while he was away.

The Queen's Children and a Cruel Trick

While the king was gone, the queen gave birth to a baby boy. He had a special red star on his forehead. But her jealous sisters did a terrible thing: they threw the newborn baby into the water! A magical bird immediately flew out of the water, singing about what the sisters had done. Even though the bird's song scared them, the sisters lied to the king when he returned. They told him the queen had given birth to a dog. The king, not knowing the truth, simply said that whatever God sent was good.

But a kind fisherman found the baby boy in the water and raised him as his own.

This sad event happened two more times. The queen gave birth to a second son, and then a third child, a daughter. Each time, the sisters threw the babies into the water. The magical bird sang its song, and the sisters lied to the king. For the third child, they even claimed the queen had given birth to a cat. This made the king so angry that he had his wife, the queen, thrown into prison as punishment.

The Children's Journey to Find Their Father

Years passed. The oldest boy, now grown, wanted to go fishing with other boys. But they wouldn't let him, calling him a "foundling" (someone found as a baby). So, he decided to leave and find his real father.

He met an old woman who was fishing. He told her she would fish for a long time before catching anything. She replied that he would search for a long time before finding his father. She then helped him cross the water.

The next year, the second boy went looking for his brother. The same thing happened to him.

Finally, the girl set out on her own journey. When she found the old woman, she kindly said, "May God bless your fishing." The old woman was pleased. She gave the girl a special rod and told her to go to a castle. There, she was to bring back a bird in a cage and a glass of water. On her way back, she was to strike a black dog with the rod.

The girl followed the instructions. On her way, she found her two brothers! When she struck the black dog with the rod, it magically turned into a handsome prince. Together, the three siblings and the prince returned to the fisherman's home.

Truth Revealed and a Happy Ending

One day, the second son went hunting. When he got tired, he played his flute. The king heard the music and found him. The king didn't believe the boy was the fisherman's son. So, the second son invited the king to their home.

At the fisherman's house, the magical bird began to sing. It sang the entire story of what had happened: how the queen's sisters had thrown the babies into the water and how the fisherman had saved them.

The king finally learned the truth! The queen was immediately released from prison. The lying sisters were punished for their cruel actions. And the daughter, who had brought everyone together, married the handsome prince. The family was reunited, and they all lived happily ever after.