The Golden Goose

In a small village at the edge of a great forest, there lived a woodcutter with three sons. The eldest son was sharp and clever, always thinking of ways to get ahead in the world. The second son was handsome and ambitious, dreaming of wealth and status. But the youngest son was simple and kind-hearted, and because he often acted without thinking of personal gain, his family called him Dummling and paid him little attention.

One morning, the woodcutter decided to send his eldest son into the forest to cut wood. His wife packed the young man a fine meal—roasted chicken, fresh bread, and a bottle of wine—before he set off with his sharp axe over his shoulder.

Deep in the forest, as the eldest son was selecting the best tree to fell, a little gray-haired man appeared from behind an ancient oak.

“Good day, young woodcutter,” said the old man politely. “I am very hungry and thirsty from my long travels. Might you spare a morsel of food and a sip of drink?”

The eldest son looked the shabby stranger up and down with disdain. “I have only enough for myself,” he replied curtly. “If I share with every beggar I meet, I’ll go hungry. Find your own food.”

The old man nodded sadly and disappeared back into the forest. Soon after, as the eldest son swung his axe at a mighty tree, the blade slipped and cut deeply into his leg. The wound was so severe that he had to abandon his work and limp home for medical attention.

The next day, the woodcutter sent his second son to complete the task. His wife again packed a generous meal of meat, bread, and wine, and the young man strode confidently into the forest.

The same little gray-haired man appeared and made the same polite request for food and drink. The second son, like his brother, refused to share.

“I work hard for my food,” he declared proudly. “I owe nothing to strangers who contribute nothing to society. Earn your own meal.”

Again, the old man disappeared without argument. And again, misfortune struck the selfish young man—his axe handle broke just as he began to work, sending wooden splinters into his hands and forcing him to return home empty-handed.

On the third day, Dummling asked if he might try to cut the wood. His father and brothers laughed at the suggestion.

“If your clever brothers couldn’t manage it, what hope do you have?” scoffed his father.

“You’ll only make things worse,” added the eldest brother, nursing his bandaged leg.

But Dummling persisted until his mother, more to be rid of his requests than from any confidence in his abilities, packed him the simplest meal—a piece of dry bread and a bottle of sour beer. She handed him the oldest, dullest axe in the shed.

“Don’t blame us when you come home empty-handed,” she warned.

Dummling set off cheerfully, whistling as he walked through the dappled sunlight of the forest path. When the little gray-haired man appeared and asked for food, Dummling’s response was immediate and generous.

“Of course, good sir!” he exclaimed. “I have only simple fare, but you’re welcome to share what I have.”

He sat down on a fallen log and unpacked his meager meal. To his amazement, when he broke the dry bread, it had transformed into fresh, delicious cake. The sour beer had become sweet, clear wine.

The old man’s eyes twinkled with pleasure as they shared the magical meal. “You have a good heart, young man,” he said. “Kindness given freely always returns threefold. Now, if you cut down that old tree there,” he pointed to a gnarled oak, “you will find something wonderful among its roots.”

With these words, the mysterious stranger vanished as if he had never been there.

Dummling approached the ancient tree and, despite his dull axe, found it cut easily through the wood. When the great oak fell, he discovered a goose among the roots—but this was no ordinary bird. Its feathers were pure gold, glinting and shimmering in the filtered sunlight like captured sunshine.

“What a magnificent creature!” Dummling exclaimed, gently lifting the golden goose. The bird seemed quite content to be carried, settling comfortably in his arms.

As evening approached, Dummling sought shelter at a village inn. The innkeeper, a greedy man, noticed the golden goose immediately and his eyes gleamed with avarice.

“Surely one feather from such a bird would make me rich,” he thought to himself. That night, after Dummling had fallen asleep, the innkeeper’s eldest daughter crept into his room to pluck a golden feather.

But the moment her fingers touched the goose, she found herself stuck fast to it, unable to pull away no matter how she struggled. She dared not cry out for fear of waking the young man and being caught in her attempted theft.

In the morning, when Dummling awoke and prepared to continue his journey, the girl was compelled to follow, still attached to the golden goose. Her protests and explanations fell on deaf ears, as Dummling, in his innocent way, assumed she simply wished to accompany him.

As they left the inn, the middle daughter saw her sister in this predicament and tried to pull her free. The moment she grasped her sister’s hand, she too became stuck to the strange procession.

Soon the youngest daughter attempted to help her sisters, only to find herself joined to the peculiar parade. Despite their struggles and complaints, all three girls were compelled to follow wherever the golden goose led.

The procession grew more ridiculous as it continued through the countryside. A parson, seeing the improper sight of young women chasing after a stranger, tried to pull the youngest daughter away, only to find himself stuck to her. A sexton, attempting to rescue the parson, became attached in turn.

Before long, a most unusual train of people was following Dummling and his golden goose—three innkeeper’s daughters, a parson, a sexton, and eventually several peasants who had tried to help free the others. All stumbled along the road, sometimes running to keep up when Dummling walked quickly, sometimes bumping into each other when he stopped suddenly.

The procession entered a great city where a king ruled with his daughter, a princess renowned for her beauty but cursed with perpetual sadness. No one had ever seen her smile, much less laugh, and her melancholy had become legendary throughout the kingdom.

The king, desperate to bring joy to his daughter, had proclaimed that whoever could make the princess laugh would win her hand in marriage and inherit half the kingdom.

When the absurd procession passed beneath the princess’s window—Dummling carrying his golden goose, followed by a chain of people all stuck together, stumbling and tumbling in their attempts to break free—the sight was so ridiculous that the princess burst into laughter for the first time in her life.

Her laughter was like silver bells, ringing out across the courtyard and bringing smiles to everyone who heard it. The king was overjoyed to see his daughter’s happiness, but when he looked at the simple young man who had caused this miracle, he hesitated.

“Surely this common woodcutter’s son is not suitable for my daughter,” he thought. “I must set him tasks to prove his worth.”

“Young man,” the king declared, “you have indeed made my daughter laugh, but before you can claim her hand, you must prove yourself worthy. First, bring me a man who can drink a cellar full of wine.”

Dummling remembered the kindness of the little gray-haired man and ventured back into the forest. Sure enough, he found the mysterious stranger sitting by a stream.

“I need a man who can drink a cellar full of wine,” Dummling explained.

The old man smiled and led him to a clearing where sat the largest, thirstiest-looking man Dummling had ever seen. “I am so thirsty,” the giant man complained, “that I have already drunk a barrel of wine today, but it was like a single drop on my tongue.”

Together, they returned to the castle, where the giant proceeded to empty the king’s entire wine cellar, barrel after barrel, until every drop was gone.

Still reluctant to give up his daughter to a commoner, the king set a second task: “Bring me a man who can eat a mountain of bread.”

Again, Dummling sought help in the forest, and the old man led him to a man so enormous that he blocked out the sun. “I am so hungry,” the giant said, “that I have eaten four ovens full of bread today, but I am still famished.”

This giant consumed an entire mountain of bread loaves that the king’s bakers had worked for weeks to prepare.

For the third task, the king demanded a ship that could sail on both land and water. Once more, Dummling found the helpful old man in the forest.

“You have shown kindness without thought of reward,” said the mysterious stranger, revealing himself to be a powerful wizard. “For this, I have been helping you, and I will continue to do so.”

With a wave of his hand, the wizard created a magnificent ship with sails of silver and a hull that gleamed like pearls. It could indeed sail on land as easily as on water, moving without wind across fields and roads.

When Dummling arrived at the castle in his magical ship, the king could no longer deny that this young man was clearly blessed by powerful magic and possessed a good heart besides. The princess, who had been watching these events with growing admiration for Dummling’s persistence and kindness, declared that she would be happy to marry such a generous and magical young man.

The wedding was celebrated throughout the kingdom with great joy. The golden goose, once the ceremony was complete, released all the people who had been stuck to it, and they all joined in the festivities with good humor, grateful for the adventure that had led to such a happy conclusion.

Dummling and the princess ruled wisely and well, always remembered for their generosity to strangers and their ability to find joy and laughter even in the most difficult circumstances. The magical ship became their royal vessel, carrying them to visit distant kingdoms and always returning them safely home.

As for the little gray-haired man, he was occasionally seen in the forest, always appearing when someone with a truly kind heart needed help. Some said he was a wizard, others claimed he was a forest spirit, but all agreed that he watched over those who showed kindness to others without thought of reward.

And in the royal garden, a special place was made for the golden goose, who lived happily ever after, its golden feathers never losing their shine—a reminder that acts of simple kindness can lead to the most magical adventures and the greatest happiness of all.