The Turnip facts for kids

"The Turnip" (German: die Rübe) is a German fairy tale. It was collected by the famous Brothers Grimm. You can find it in their book Grimm's Fairy Tales (KHM 146).

This story is known by different types in the Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index. It is type 1960D, which is about "The Giant Vegetable." It's also type 1689A, called "Two Presents for the King." There's even a part of the story that fits type 1737, "Trading Places with the Trickster in a Sack."

The Story of The Turnip

This tale is about two brothers. One brother was very rich, and the other was quite poor. Both of them used to be soldiers.

A Giant Gift

The poor brother decided to become a farmer. He wanted to escape his difficult life. One day, something amazing happened. One of his turnips grew to be incredibly huge! It was bigger than any turnip anyone had ever seen.

The poor farmer decided to give this giant turnip to the king. He thought it would be a special gift. The king was very pleased with such a unique present. In return, the king gave the poor farmer many valuable gifts.

A Tricky Plan

When the rich brother saw how much the poor brother had received, he became jealous. He decided to give the king many expensive gifts himself. He hoped to get even more valuable presents back. But the king, being clever, gave the rich brother only the giant turnip in return!

The rich brother was furious. He hired some people to get rid of his brother. He tricked his poor brother into walking along a certain path. The hired people planned to hang the poor brother.

The Sack of Wisdom

Just as the people were about to hang the poor brother, they heard someone singing. They quickly threw the poor brother into a sack. Then they hung the sack and ran away.

The poor brother managed to make a small hole in the sack. He saw a man nearby, who was a student. The poor brother then tricked the student. He told him that the sack was a "Sack of Knowledge." He said he was learning wonderful and amazing things inside it.

The student was very curious and wanted to learn too. He asked if he could switch places with the poor brother. The poor brother agreed. He helped the student get into the sack. He even told the student that he was already learning something new! After about an hour, the poor brother sent someone to let the student down from the sack.