The Two Kings' Children facts for kids
"The Two Kings' Children" is a classic German fairy tale. It was collected by the famous Brothers Grimm. You can find it in their book, Grimms' Fairy Tales, as tale number 113. This story is about a prince and a princess who face many challenges. They must escape a powerful king and overcome a magic spell.
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About the Story
This fairy tale is known as an Aarne-Thompson type 313C. This means it is a story where a girl helps a hero escape danger. It is also type 884, which is about a hero who forgets his true love. Other stories like this include "The Master Maid" and "The Water Nixie". The part of the story where someone pretends to be the bride is also seen in tales like "The Singing, Springing Lark".
The Prince's Challenges
Once upon a time, a prophecy was made. It said a prince would be killed by a deer when he turned sixteen. When the prince reached that age, he went hunting. He chased a stag, but a powerful king caught him instead. The king took the prince away.
The king made the prince watch his three daughters. The prince had to watch one daughter each night. The king said he would call on the prince every hour. If the prince answered every time, he could marry a daughter. If not, he would be killed. Each daughter had a magical statue of St. Christopher. This statue answered for the prince, saving his life.
Impossible Tasks
To marry one of his daughters, the king gave the prince a task. He had to cut down an entire forest in one day. The king gave him tools made of glass: a glass axe, a glass mallet, and a glass wedge. When the prince went to the forest, the glass tools broke. He cried, knowing he would be killed.
The king thought he had outsmarted the prince. He told his daughters to bring him food. The youngest daughter brought the food. She then offered to comb her father's hair. The king fell asleep. This allowed the youngest daughter to use magic. She called upon Earth-workers to cut down the forest.
The king was amazed that the prince finished the task. Next, he ordered the prince to clear a muddy pond. He also had to fill it with fish in one day. The prince tried, but his hoe and shovel broke in the mud. Again, the youngest daughter brought her father food. She got him to sleep and then used magic. She called the Earth-workers to clear the pond.
The king then gave the prince another task. He had to clear a mountain covered in thorny bushes. Then, he had to build a castle on it. The glass hatchet he was given broke on the first bush. The youngest daughter saved him once more.
Escape and a New Challenge
Finally, the king declared something unfair. He said the youngest daughter could not marry until her older sisters were married. Hearing this, the prince and the youngest daughter decided to run away. They left in the middle of the night.
Magical Transformations
Once they were on their way, the king's daughter heard her father behind them. She quickly turned herself into a rose. The king's son turned into a thorny bush. The king thought he had lost them and went home. His wife told him that the rose and the bush had been the children.
The king chased them again. This time, the king's daughter turned herself into a priest. The king's son became a church where she gave a sermon. The king listened to the sermon and went home. Again, his wife told him that the priest and church were the children.
The queen was tired of her husband's failures. She decided to chase the children herself. The daughter knew the queen would recognize their true forms. So, she changed herself into a duck. The king's son became a pond. The queen tried to drink the water from the pond. But she became ill. She then told her daughter she could come back. The daughter did, and the queen gave her three walnuts to help her.
The Forgotten Bride
The king's son and the king's daughter continued their journey. The king's son asked her to wait. He went to get a carriage to bring her back in a proper way. But his mother kissed him, and he completely forgot the king's daughter. The king's daughter had to find work. She ended up working for a miller.
The Walnuts' Magic
One day, the queen looked for a bride for her son. The king's daughter cracked one of her walnuts. Inside, she found a beautiful dress. She wore it to the wedding. The new bride said she would not marry without a dress as fine. The king's daughter said she would only give it up if she could spend a night outside the king's son's bedroom. The bride agreed. But she told the servants to give the king's son a special drink. This drink made him sleep deeply. The king's daughter cried and complained all night long. The king's son did not hear her, but the servants did.
In the morning, the bride took the dress. She went with the king's son to the church. But the king's daughter cracked the second walnut. It held an even more splendid dress. The bride again refused to marry without one as fine. The king's daughter asked for the same price. The bride agreed and gave the same order to the servants. But the servant who had heard the princess crying gave the king's son something to keep him awake. He heard her sad words and felt troubled.
His mother had locked the door. But in the morning, he begged his true love's forgiveness. The king's daughter cracked the third walnut. She found a much more splendid dress. She wore it as her wedding gown. The false bride and the king's mother were sent away.
