A king once owned a beautiful garden in which a tree produced golden apples. Every year, the fruit was counted as it ripened, but one apple mysteriously disappeared each night. Determined to discover the thief, the king ordered his sons to keep watch beneath the tree.
What began as a search for a missing apple soon became an extraordinary adventure. A golden bird, a mysterious fox, a horse that ran faster than the wind and a beautiful princess became part of the youngest prince’s journey. Although his two elder brothers failed to follow wise advice, the youngest prince showed kindness to a creature that offered to help him.
His journey was not without mistakes. He repeatedly ignored the fox’s warnings and suffered the consequences. Yet the fox continued to assist him, even when the prince’s own brothers betrayed him. This is the story of The Golden Bird, a Brothers Grimm tale about courage, trust, gratitude and the unexpected rewards of kindness.
The King’s Missing Golden Apples
In olden times, there lived a king who had a beautiful pleasure garden behind his palace. In the garden stood a remarkable tree that bore golden apples.
Whenever the apples began to ripen, the king ordered them to be counted. However, the following morning, one apple was always missing. This happened repeatedly, and the king became determined to discover who was taking the fruit.
He ordered that a watch should be kept beneath the tree every night. His eldest son volunteered to guard it, believing that he would easily catch the thief.
The prince settled beneath the tree and remained awake until midnight. When he noticed nothing unusual, however, sleep overcame him. By morning, another golden apple had disappeared.
The second son offered to take his brother’s place. He watched the tree carefully at first, but he too fell asleep when midnight passed. The following morning, another apple was missing.
The king was disappointed, but his youngest son asked to take his turn. The king agreed, although he had little confidence in him. He believed that the youngest prince was less capable than his elder brothers.
The Youngest Prince Sees the Golden Bird
The youngest prince lay beneath the tree, determined not to fall asleep. He remained awake throughout the night and watched the branches carefully.
When midnight arrived, he heard something rustling through the air. Looking up, he saw a magnificent bird approaching. Its feathers shone like gold in the moonlight.
The bird settled on the tree and began to pluck one of the golden apples. The prince immediately took his bow and shot an arrow towards it.
Although the bird escaped, the arrow struck its plumage, causing one golden feather to fall to the ground. The prince picked it up and carried it to his father the following morning.
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The king was astonished by the feather. He called his council together, and everyone agreed that it was worth more than the entire kingdom.
Instead of being satisfied with the single feather, the king declared that he wanted the whole bird. He ordered his sons to search for it and bring it back to the palace.
The Elder Princes Ignore the Fox’s Advice
The eldest prince was the first to set out. He trusted his own intelligence and believed that finding the Golden Bird would be an easy task.
After travelling some distance, he came across a fox sitting at the edge of a wood. The prince raised his gun and prepared to shoot it.
The fox quickly begged him not to fire. In return for sparing its life, it promised to give him useful advice.
The fox explained that the prince was on the right road to finding the Golden Bird. It also told him that he would reach a village that evening, where two inns stood opposite one another. One inn was bright and lively, with singing and dancing inside. The other looked poor and uninviting.
The fox warned him not to enter the cheerful inn. Instead, he should choose the miserable-looking one.
The prince thought it foolish that an animal should offer him advice. He pulled the trigger, but the fox escaped into the wood.
That evening, the prince reached the village and found the two inns exactly as described. The lively inn attracted him immediately. He decided that choosing the shabby establishment would be foolish, so he entered the cheerful one.
He enjoyed himself so much that he forgot about the Golden Bird, his father and the advice he had received. He remained there, occupied with pleasure, and never returned home.
After several months had passed without news of his elder brother, the second prince decided to continue the search.
He too met the fox, which offered the same warning. However, when he arrived at the village, his elder brother called to him from the window of the lively inn.
Unable to resist the invitation, the second prince entered and joined his brother. Like the first, he abandoned his mission and remained there.
The Youngest Prince Accepts the Fox’s Help
After some time, the youngest prince asked his father for permission to search for the Golden Bird.
The king refused at first. He believed that the youngest son would be even less successful than his brothers and might not know how to protect himself if trouble arose.
However, the prince continued asking until the king finally allowed him to leave.
As he travelled, he encountered the same fox sitting outside the wood. The animal begged him to spare its life and offered to give him good advice.
Unlike his brothers, the youngest prince treated the fox kindly. He assured it that he would do no harm.
The fox was pleased and promised that the prince would not regret his kindness. It invited him to sit upon its tail so that they could travel more quickly.
The prince climbed onto the fox’s tail, and the animal ran over hills, stones and rough ground with extraordinary speed.
When they reached the village, the prince followed the fox’s instructions. Without looking towards the lively inn, he entered the small, poor-looking one and spent the night quietly.
The Golden Bird and the Wooden Cage
The following morning, the fox met the prince again and explained how he could reach the Golden Bird.
It told him to travel straight ahead until he reached a castle. A regiment of soldiers would be lying in front of it, but they would all be asleep.
The prince was to pass through them without disturbing anyone and continue through the rooms until he reached a chamber containing the Golden Bird.
The bird would be inside an ordinary wooden cage. Beside it would stand a beautiful golden cage, while three golden apples lay about the room.
The fox gave him a serious warning. He must not remove the bird from its wooden cage and place it inside the golden one.
After giving these instructions, the fox stretched out its tail, and the prince climbed onto it. They travelled quickly until they reached the castle.
Everything was exactly as the fox had described. The soldiers were asleep, and the prince passed through the castle without being noticed.
He eventually entered the chamber where the Golden Bird was kept. He found it inside the wooden cage, with the golden cage standing nearby.
The three golden apples were also in the room.
The prince remembered the fox’s warning, but he thought it would be wrong to leave such a beautiful bird in an ordinary wooden cage. He opened the cage, took out the bird and placed it inside the golden one.
Immediately, the bird gave a loud, shrill cry.
The sleeping soldiers awoke, rushed into the chamber and seized the prince. He was taken to prison and brought before a court the following morning.
The prince confessed what he had done and was sentenced to death.
However, the king of that castle offered him a chance to save his life. If he could bring him the Golden Horse, which ran faster than the wind, he would receive the bird as an additional reward.
The Golden Horse and Another Warning
The prince left the castle in great sorrow. He had failed to follow the fox’s instructions and now faced another difficult task.
As he travelled, he met the fox again. The animal reminded him that his trouble had come from ignoring its warning. Nevertheless, it agreed to help him once more.
The fox explained that the Golden Horse was kept in a stable inside another castle. The grooms slept in front of the stable, and the prince could quietly lead the horse away.
However, there was another important instruction. The prince must use the ordinary wooden and leather saddle. He must not put the beautiful golden saddle on the horse.
The fox carried him to the castle, where the prince found everything just as described.
He entered the stable and approached the Golden Horse. The ordinary saddle was available, while a magnificent golden saddle hung nearby.
The prince looked at the beautiful animal and thought that it would be a shame to place such a fine horse in an ordinary saddle. He decided to use the golden one instead.
As soon as the saddle touched the horse, it began to neigh loudly.
The noise woke the grooms, who rushed towards the prince and seized him. He was thrown into prison and sentenced to death the following morning.
Once again, the king offered him mercy. This time, the prince had to bring back the beautiful princess from the Golden Castle. If he succeeded, he would receive the Golden Horse as well.
The Princess of the Golden Castle
The prince left with a heavy heart, but he soon met the fox again.
Although the fox reminded him of his repeated mistakes, it still agreed to help him. It explained that the princess went to the bathing-house at night when the castle was quiet.
The prince was to wait until she entered, approach her and give her a kiss. She would then follow him, allowing him to take her away.
However, the fox gave him one strict warning: he must not allow the princess to return to her parents to say farewell.
The fox carried him to the Golden Castle, where the prince waited until midnight.
When the princess went towards the bathing-house, he approached her and gave her a kiss. She agreed to go with him but begged him to let her say goodbye to her parents first.
At first, the prince refused. However, the princess continued pleading and weeping until he finally gave in.
She went to her father’s bedside, and almost immediately the king and everyone else in the castle awoke.
The prince was captured and taken to prison.
The following morning, the king declared that the prince had forfeited his life. He offered him another chance, but this time the task seemed almost impossible.
A hill stood in front of the king’s windows and blocked his view of the land beyond it. The prince was ordered to remove the entire hill within eight days. If he completed the task, he would receive the princess as his reward.
The Fox Removes the Hill
The prince began working immediately. He dug and shovelled without resting, hoping to remove the hill before the deadline.
However, the task was far greater than he had imagined. After seven days of continuous labour, he looked at the little progress he had made and realised that his efforts were almost useless.
He became deeply discouraged and gave up hope.
That evening, the fox appeared. It told the prince that he did not deserve further assistance because he had repeatedly ignored its instructions. Nevertheless, it agreed to help him once more.
The fox instructed him to stop working and go to sleep. It promised to complete the task itself.
The prince followed the advice.
When he awoke the following morning and looked out of the window, the hill had disappeared completely. He was delighted and immediately informed the king that the task had been completed.
Although the king was unhappy about losing the hill, he had promised to give the prince his daughter if he succeeded. He therefore had to keep his word.
The prince and the beautiful princess prepared to leave together.
The Prince Wins the Horse and the Bird
As the couple travelled away from the Golden Castle, the fox appeared again.
It reminded the prince that the Golden Horse also belonged to the princess. The prince wondered how he could obtain it without losing what he had already gained.
The fox explained that he should first take the princess to the king who had originally sent him to the Golden Castle.
The king would be delighted to see her and would willingly present the prince with the Golden Horse. When the horse was brought out, the prince should mount it immediately.
He was to offer his hand to everyone in farewell, leaving the princess until last. As soon as he took her hand, he should lift her onto the horse and ride away at full speed.
The prince followed the instructions carefully. Everything happened as the fox had predicted, and he escaped with the princess on the Golden Horse.
The fox then explained how they could obtain the Golden Bird.
When they approached the castle where the bird was kept, the prince should leave the princess with the fox and ride into the castle on the Golden Horse.
The people would be delighted to see the magnificent animal and would bring out the Golden Bird for him. Once the prince received the bird in its cage, he should ride back immediately and collect the princess.
The plan succeeded. The prince obtained the Golden Bird and returned with the princess and the Golden Horse.
At last, he possessed everything he had originally been sent to find.
The Fox’s Strange Request
As the prince prepared to return home with his treasures, the fox told him that it was time to reward it for all its assistance.
The prince asked what it wanted.
The fox requested something unusual. It asked the prince to shoot it dead and cut off its head and feet when they reached the wood.
The prince was horrified by the request. He could not understand why the fox would ask for such a thing after helping him so faithfully.
He refused, saying that it would be a terrible way to repay its kindness.
The fox then gave him one final warning before running into the wood. He must not buy any gallows’-flesh, and he must never sit at the edge of a well.
The prince thought these instructions were strange. He could not imagine why anyone would buy gallows’-flesh or why he would need to avoid sitting beside a well.
Nevertheless, he continued his journey with the princess, the horse and the bird.
The Brothers Betray the Youngest Prince
On the way home, the prince passed through the village where his two elder brothers had remained.
There was a great commotion, and he asked what had happened. The people told him that two men were about to be hanged because they had behaved wickedly and squandered all their money.
When the prince approached, he recognised the condemned men as his brothers.
He immediately asked whether they could be released. The people explained that he could secure their freedom by paying for them, although they questioned why he would spend his money on men who had behaved so badly.
The youngest prince did not hesitate. He paid the required amount, and his brothers were released.
The three brothers continued their journey together.
Eventually, they reached the wood where the youngest prince had first met the fox. The place was cool and pleasant, so the elder brothers suggested that they rest beside a well and have something to eat and drink.
The youngest prince agreed. While they were talking, he forgot the fox’s warning and sat down on the edge of the well.
His brothers seized the opportunity. They pushed him backwards into the well, then took the princess, the Golden Horse and the Golden Bird.
They returned to their father’s kingdom and presented the treasures as though they had won them themselves.
The king was overjoyed. However, something was wrong.
The Golden Horse refused to eat. The Golden Bird would not sing, and the princess sat quietly weeping.
The Fox Rescues the Prince
Meanwhile, the youngest prince had not died in the well.
Fortunately, it was dry, and he fell onto soft moss without injuring himself. However, he was trapped at the bottom and could not climb out.
The faithful fox appeared and jumped down into the well. It reminded the prince that he had forgotten its warning about sitting near wells.
Despite his disappointment, the fox did not abandon him. It told the prince to hold tightly to its tail, then pulled him safely back into the daylight.
The prince was still in danger. The fox explained that his brothers were not certain he was dead and had placed watchers around the wood. Anyone who saw him was supposed to kill him.
A poor man happened to be sitting beside the road. The prince exchanged clothes with him, disguising himself in the poor man’s garments.
In this way, he managed to reach the king’s palace without being recognised.
The Truth Is Revealed
When the disguised prince entered the palace, nobody recognised him.
However, the Golden Bird suddenly began to sing. The Golden Horse started eating, and the princess stopped weeping.
The king was astonished by this sudden change and asked what it meant.
The princess explained that she did not understand what had happened, but she felt an extraordinary happiness. It seemed to her that her true bridegroom had arrived.
She then told the king everything that had happened, including how the two elder brothers had threatened to kill her if she revealed the truth.
The king ordered everyone in the castle to appear before him.
Among those brought before him was the youngest prince, still wearing his poor man’s clothes. The princess recognised him immediately and ran towards him, embracing him with joy.
The wicked brothers were seized and put to death for their betrayal. The youngest prince married the beautiful princess and was declared heir to the king.
The Fox’s Final Transformation
The prince had recovered his treasures, gained the princess’s hand in marriage and secured his place as heir to the kingdom. Yet one mystery remained.
Long afterwards, while walking in the wood, he met the fox once more.
The fox told him that he now possessed everything he could wish for, but the fox itself remained under a spell. It explained that the prince had the power to free it.
Once again, it asked him to shoot it dead and cut off its head and feet.
This time, the prince agreed.
As soon as he had done what the fox requested, the animal changed into a man. He was no ordinary stranger but the brother of the beautiful princess, who had been imprisoned under a magical enchantment.
The spell was finally broken, and the prince discovered the true identity of the creature that had guided and protected him throughout his adventures.
Nothing more was needed to complete their happiness, and they lived joyfully ever afterwards.
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Moral Lessons
The story teaches the importance of listening to wise advice, especially when it comes from someone whose appearance or position might make others underestimate them. The youngest prince succeeded because he treated the fox kindly and accepted its guidance, while his elder brothers dismissed the animal without considering its wisdom.
It also shows the difference between loyalty and betrayal. The fox continued helping the prince even after his mistakes, but his brothers repaid his generosity with cruelty. The youngest prince’s willingness to rescue them, despite their earlier failures, makes their betrayal even more striking.
Knowledge Check
1. Why did the king order his sons to watch the golden apple tree?
One golden apple disappeared from the tree every night, and the king wanted to discover what was taking the fruit.
2. What did the youngest prince discover while guarding the tree?
He saw a magnificent bird with golden feathers and shot an arrow at it, causing one golden feather to fall.
3. What warning did the fox give about the Golden Bird?
The prince was warned not to remove the bird from its ordinary wooden cage and place it in the golden cage.
4. Why was the youngest prince captured while trying to obtain the Golden Horse?
He ignored the fox’s warning and placed the beautiful golden saddle on the horse, causing it to neigh and wake the grooms.
5. How did the youngest prince’s brothers betray him?
They pushed him into a well, took the princess, the Golden Horse and the Golden Bird, and presented the treasures to their father as their own achievements.
6. What happened when the fox was finally killed?
It changed into a man, revealing that it was the brother of the princess who had been under a magical spell.
Source
This retelling is based on KHM 57, “The Golden Bird”, from Household Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, translated into English by Margaret Hunt.
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