The Three Princes and their Beasts

Once upon a time, three princes set out on a journey, each accompanied by a loyal beast—a fox, a wolf, and a lion. They left their stepsister with the eldest prince, and each took a different road.

While traveling, the eldest prince and his stepsister came upon a castle occupied by robbers. The prince’s beasts attacked and killed the robbers, dragging their bodies to the cellar. However, one robber survived, pretending to be dead.

The prince and his stepsister settled in the castle. Before leaving to hunt the next day, the prince warned her not to enter the cellar. But curiosity overcame her, and she found the wounded robber. He deceived her, promising love and riches if she healed him with potions from the cupboard.

Following his instructions, she tested her brother’s strength by binding his thumbs with cords. Twice, he broke free, but on the third attempt, the cord was too strong. She called the robber, who rushed in to kill the prince.

The prince asked to blow three blasts on his hunting horn before dying. The blasts awakened his beasts, who broke free and came to his rescue. The fox chewed through the cords, and the lion killed the robber. Furious at his stepsister’s betrayal, the prince chained her to a wall, leaving her with a bowl to fill with tears as punishment. Then he set off with his beasts.

The Nine-Headed Dragon
During his travels, the prince came to a town in mourning. The king’s daughter was to be sacrificed to a nine-headed dragon. The prince vowed to save her.

At the shore, the dragon emerged from the water. The fox blinded it with saltwater, while the bear and lion added to the attack. The prince then slew the dragon with his sword, and the beasts tore it apart.

Grateful, the princess gave him a ring and half her handkerchief. On the way to the palace, the coachman and footman betrayed the prince, killed him, and claimed they had saved the princess.

The prince’s beasts mourned, but the wolf had an idea. He killed an ox and set the fox to guard it. When a crow came to peck at the carcass, they captured it and sent it to fetch water from three magical wells—healing, strength, and swiftness. The crow returned, and the prince was revived stronger than ever.

Returning to the palace, he revealed the princess’s tokens. The traitorous coachman was imprisoned, and the prince married the princess, ruling half the kingdom.

The Witch in the Woods
One evening, the prince wandered into the woods and came across an old woman by a fire. Tired, he asked to rest.

“You may,” she said, “but let me touch your beasts with my rod, so I won’t fear them.” Unaware she was a witch, the prince agreed. With a single touch, she turned the beasts—and the prince—into stone.

Later, the youngest prince passed the crossroads where the brothers had parted. Seeing blood seep from the eldest’s marked tree, he knew his brother was in danger and set out to find him.

Arriving at the kingdom, the youngest prince was mistaken for his brother, but the princess recognized the truth. She begged him to search for her husband.

He, too, met the witch and fell victim to her spell. Finally, the second prince came, saw the blood on the trees, and followed the same path. He, however, suspected the witch. When she asked to touch his beasts, he refused and demanded her rod. Testing it, he turned the fox to stone, confirming her trickery.

Threatening her with the lion, he forced her to break the spell. She burned an oak tree into ashes, sprinkling them over the stones. The brothers and beasts returned to life, and together, they returned to the kingdom.

The eldest prince reunited with his wife, and the brothers lived happily ever after.