The White Dove (Danish fairy tale) facts for kids

The White Dove (in Danish: Den hvide Due) is a classic fairy tale from Denmark. It's a story about bravery, magic, and keeping promises. The famous author Andrew Lang included this tale in his book The Pink Fairy Book. Another version of the story can also be found in A Book of Witches by Ruth Manning-Sanders.

The Story of The White Dove

This magical tale begins with two princes who were sailing on the sea. A terrible storm suddenly hit their ship. The sky was dark, and there was no sun to be seen. An old woman appeared, rowing a strange, simple boat. She offered to save them from the storm. But she wanted something big in return. She asked for the very next son their mother would have.

The princes were unsure. They said they could not make such a promise. The old woman then suggested that their mother might prefer the sons she already had over one she didn't know yet. After she started to row away, the princes shouted that they agreed to her deal. Right away, the storm stopped, and the sea became calm.

The princes kept their promise a secret. They told no one about what had happened. Even when their younger brother was born and grew up, they said nothing.

The Witch's Claim

One day, a witch came to the youngest prince during another storm. She told him that his older brothers had promised him to her. They had traded him for their own lives. The young prince, being brave and fair, said that if she had truly saved his brothers, he would go with her. So, the witch sailed away with him across the sea to her home.

Impossible Tasks

At the witch's house, she gave the prince a very hard task. He had to sort a huge pile of feathers in just one day. He worked hard and almost finished. But then, a strong wind blew through the room. It mixed all the feathers together again! Only an hour was left, and the prince felt hopeless.

Suddenly, a white dove tapped on the window. It offered to help him. The prince let the dove in, and it quickly sorted all the feathers.

The next day, the witch gave him another impossible job. He had to split a large amount of wood. The more he worked, the bigger the pile seemed to get. The white dove appeared again and offered to split the wood for him. It did the work so fast that the prince could barely carry the pieces away quickly enough.

The Princess Revealed

After the wood was split, the white dove landed on the prince's shoulder. He gently kissed it. Right then, the dove changed! It turned into a beautiful princess. She told him a secret: he must ask the witch for a wish. Then, he should specifically ask for the princess that the witch kept as a white dove. But first, he needed to tie a red thread around her leg. This way, he would know it was her.

A Tricky Wedding

When the prince asked the witch for his wish, she tried to trick him. She dragged a donkey in front of him and asked if he wanted it. The prince saw the red thread on the donkey's leg. He knew it was the princess in disguise, so he agreed. The witch tried again, bringing out an old woman. The prince saw the red thread on her leg too and agreed again. Because he kept agreeing, the witch had to arrange a wedding.

At the wedding feast, the princess whispered to the prince. She warned him not to drink anything, or he would forget her. He almost forgot and reached for a glass. But the princess quickly spilled it. The witch became very angry!

After the feast, they were put into bed. The princess told the prince that the witch had kept all her promises. This meant they were free to escape.

The Escape and The Witch's End

The princess cleverly left two pieces of wood in the bed. These pieces answered the witch when she called out. So, the witch didn't realize they were gone until morning. When she finally found out, she chased after them!

To slow her down, the princess told the prince to throw down a flower pot. It instantly grew into a thick forest. The witch had to chop her way through it, which took a lot of time. Next, the princess had the prince throw down a glass of water. This turned into a wide lake. The witch had to go all the way back to get her strange boat to cross it.

Just as the witch reached them, the prince and princess climbed into a castle. The princess then turned and blew on the witch. Hundreds of white doves flew out of the witch's mouth! The witch was so incredibly angry that she instantly turned into a stone statue forever.

The older brothers finally admitted what they had done. They told their younger brother that he should be king, and they would serve him. They remained his subjects until they found their own princesses and left to rule their own lands.

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