The Knapsack, the Hat, and the Horn

Once upon a time, there were three brothers whose fortunes had dwindled until they possessed nothing but the clothes on their backs and a small loaf of bread each. With no prospects at home, they decided to travel the world in search of better fortune.

“Let us set out together,” said the eldest, breaking his bread into three parts. “We shall share what little we have.”

As they journeyed through forests and over mountains, their provisions soon ran out. On the third day, weary and famished, they came upon a hill where a strange sight greeted them. A vast army of soldiers, thousands strong, marched across the plain below.

“What could this mean?” wondered the youngest brother.

“Let us investigate,” suggested the second brother, always curious.

They approached a soldier who stood apart from the others. “Why has this army assembled?” asked the eldest brother.

“We serve the Red King,” replied the soldier, “who wars against the White King. Join us, and you may find the fortune you seek.”

The brothers considered this offer but felt uneasy about choosing sides in a conflict they knew nothing about. As they deliberated, an odd little man with a crooked smile approached them.

“I overheard your conversation,” he said, his voice like rustling leaves. “I can offer you something far more valuable than a soldier’s pay.”

The brothers regarded him suspiciously. “What might that be?” asked the eldest.

The little man produced an old knapsack, worn and patched. “This is no ordinary bag,” he explained. “Simply say, ‘Knapsack, knapsack, open wide,’ and whatever you wish for will appear inside.”

“A likely tale,” scoffed the eldest brother, but his eyes betrayed his interest.

“I ask nothing in return,” said the strange man. “Only that you use it wisely.”

The eldest brother accepted the knapsack and, once the man had departed, tested it immediately. “Knapsack, knapsack, open wide,” he commanded. “Fill yourself with gold.”

To the astonishment of all three brothers, the knapsack instantly grew heavy with gleaming coins. The eldest brother’s eyes shone with greed. “I need you no longer,” he declared to his siblings. “With this treasure, I shall build a castle and live as a lord.”

And without another word, he departed, leaving his brothers bewildered and abandoned.

The second and youngest brothers continued their journey, disheartened by their elder’s betrayal but determined to find their own paths. After walking another day, they encountered the same strange little man sitting beneath a gnarled oak tree.

“Ah,” he said, recognizing them. “Your brother has chosen his fortune. What of you?”

The second brother stepped forward boldly. “Have you another magical gift?”

The little man smiled and removed his hat—a simple affair of faded felt. “This hat appears unremarkable,” he said, “but when worn and turned three times, the wearer can transport himself instantly to any place he wishes.”

The second brother eagerly accepted the hat. No sooner had he placed it on his head than he turned it three times, thinking of a magnificent city he had heard tales of in his youth. In the blink of an eye, he vanished, leaving the youngest brother quite alone.

“And what of me?” asked the youngest, trying to mask his growing apprehension at being abandoned.

The little man produced an old hunting horn. “This horn may seem the least impressive of the three gifts,” he explained, “but when blown, it produces a sound so powerful that everything in its path falls down, including city walls and fortresses.”

The youngest brother accepted the horn gratefully. “Thank you, kind sir. But why bestow such powerful gifts upon strangers?”

The little man’s eyes twinkled mysteriously. “The truly wise question not the gift but how best to use it. Your brothers have already made their choices. What will you do with yours?”

With these enigmatic words, the strange man vanished into the forest shadows.

The youngest brother continued his solitary journey, the horn safely tucked in his belt. He eventually reached a great city surrounded by high walls, where he learned of a peculiar situation. The king’s only daughter had declared she would marry no man except one who could outwit her in a contest of cleverness.

“Many have tried,” explained an innkeeper. “All have failed and been banished from the kingdom for their presumption.”

The young man, who had always relied on his wits rather than brute strength, decided to try his luck. Upon reaching the palace, he was granted an audience with the princess—a young woman whose beauty was matched only by the sharpness of her mind.

“So,” she said, eyeing him with amusement, “another challenger believes he can outthink me.”

“I make no such boast, Your Highness,” replied the young man humbly. “I merely wish for the opportunity to engage in conversation with one so renowned for her intelligence.”

The princess, unused to such modesty, found herself intrigued. “Very well. I propose a challenge. I shall hide myself somewhere in the kingdom. If you can find me within three days, I shall consider your suit. If not, you will be banished.”

The young man agreed to these terms. That night, the princess disguised herself and slipped out of the palace to hide in a remote mountain cave, certain no one could discover her location.

The next morning, the young man retrieved his magical horn and climbed to the highest tower in the city. From this vantage point, he placed the horn to his lips and blew gently. The sound that emerged was like a summer breeze—pleasant but powerful enough to make the distant mountains tremble slightly.

In her cave, the princess felt the vibration and was startled when small rocks began falling around her. Fearing a collapse, she fled the cave and returned to her palace, convinced her challenger had failed to discover her hiding place.

On the second day, the princess disguised herself as a fisherman’s daughter and took a small boat to an island in the middle of a vast lake, certain no one could follow her without being seen.

The young man, having noticed unusual activity near the lake, once again took up his horn. This time, when he blew, the sound was like a strong wind—not destructive but powerful enough to create waves that rocked every boat on the lake.

The princess, finding her small craft in danger of capsizing, was forced to return to shore and, ultimately, to her palace.

On the third and final day, determined to win, the princess ventured far into the forest and climbed the tallest tree, concealing herself among its highest branches.

The young man, growing concerned as the day waned, blew his horn a third time with slightly more force. The sound that emerged was like a powerful gust—strong enough to bend the tops of trees but not uproot them.

The princess, clinging to swaying branches, nearly fell. Realizing defeat, she descended and returned to the palace where the young man awaited.

“You have found me three times,” she acknowledged with grudging respect. “Though I know not how.”

“Sometimes,” replied the young man, “wisdom lies in knowing when to use the gifts we are given, not merely in possessing them.”

Intrigued by his mysterious abilities and drawn to his humility and intelligence, the princess found herself genuinely charmed. Their wedding was celebrated throughout the kingdom with great festivity.

Not long after, news reached the palace that a lord in a nearby province had built an impressive castle overnight and was treating his peasants harshly. This lord was none other than the eldest brother, whose magical knapsack had indeed brought him gold but not wisdom in its use.

Further tales told of a merchant who appeared mysteriously in marketplaces across the land, always vanishing before authorities could question his unusual wares—the second brother, using his hat for profit rather than purpose.

The youngest brother, now a prince consort, decided to visit his siblings. Using the magical hat he had secretly borrowed from his traveling brother during a chance encounter, he transported himself to the eldest’s castle.

He found his brother surrounded by luxury but without friends or joy. “Brother,” said the youngest, “your knapsack has brought you wealth but not happiness.”

“What would you know of it?” sneered the eldest. “You who have nothing.”

“On the contrary,” replied the youngest, revealing his identity. “I have found both love and purpose. Join me at the palace, where your knapsack might be used to feed the hungry rather than gilding your halls.”

After much persuasion, the eldest brother agreed to accompany him back to the palace. There, under the princess’s guidance, the knapsack was used to provide for those in need throughout the kingdom.

The second brother proved more difficult to locate, but eventually, the youngest found him in a distant marketplace. “Brother,” he said, “your hat has shown you the world, but have you found a place to belong?”

The second brother, weary of constant travel, admitted his loneliness. He too returned to the palace, where his hat was used to transport medicines to remote villages and bring scholars from distant lands to share their knowledge.

As for the horn, the youngest brother kept it safely locked away, using it only when the kingdom faced threats that could not be resolved through diplomacy—a rare occurrence under the wise rule of the princess and her clever husband.

And the strange little man who had gifted them their magical items? Some said he was a wizard testing human nature; others claimed he was a forest spirit rewarding kindness. He was never seen again, though sometimes, on quiet nights, the brothers thought they heard a faint, familiar laugh like rustling leaves carried on the wind.

From their experiences, the three brothers learned that the true value of a gift lies not in its power but in how it is used—a lesson they passed down through generations, long after the knapsack, hat, and horn had become the stuff of legend.