The Gold-bearded Man
Encyclopedia
The Gold-bearded Man is an Hungarian fairy tale
collected in Ungarische Mahrchen. Andrew Lang
included it in The Crimson Fairy Book.
By the castle, there was a brook that was of milk rather than water, which had plenty for everyone, but the new king forbade anyone to take the milk. The guards noticed a gold-bearded man taking buckets of milk in the morning and then strangely vanishing. The king came to see. He wondered if he could ever capture such a man, and many attempts failed. One day, an old soldier told him to leave bread, bacon, and drugged wine for the man; he would eat, drink, and fall asleep. Then they could catch him. The plan succeeded, and the king put the man in a cage. After a month had passed, the king had to go to war. He told his stepson to feed the man but not free him, or his fate would be terrible.
The prince accidentally shot an arrow into the cage, and the gold-bearded man refused to give it back unless he freed him. After much pleading, the prince was convinced. The gold-bearded man promised to repay him a thousand-fold and vanished. The prince decided that running away could not be more dangerous than staying and left. As he went along, he met a wood dove. He was on the verge of shooting it when it implored him not to because its two children would starve. He spared it, and the dove said that because of his act of mercy it would find a way to repay him. The prince continued on, eventually meeting with a duck and then later a stork. Both times the same thing happened as had with the wood dove.
He met with two soldiers, and they traveled together in search of work. A king hired the soldiers as coachmen and the prince as his companion. The jealous soldiers told him the prince had claimed that if he were made the king's steward, he could ensure that no grain was lost from the king's store; if he set the prince to separate wheat and barley, it would show what his boasting was worth. The king had two enormous sacks mixed and ordered the prince to separate them. The wood dove, who was the king of the wood doves, had his fellow doves sort them. The king appointed him steward.
This made the soldiers more jealous. They then told the king that the prince had claimed that were he in charge of the royal treasures, he would ensure that none were lost; if the king had a ring from the princess's finger thrown in the stream, it would show what his boasting was worth. The king did so, and the duck, who was the king of the ducks, had his ducks find it. The king appointed him in charge of his treasures.
The soldiers now claimed that the prince had said he knew of a child who could speak every language and play every musical instrument. The king thought this was magic, which he had tried to learn, and ordered the prince to produce the child, as a third
task or be dragged to death. The stork brought the child to him. The king married him to his daughter, and asked how he had done it. The prince told him, and the king had the soldiers driven away with whips.
and Iron John
also feature the freeing of a strange prisoner as the start of the story.
The sparing of the animals, and their aid, also feature in The Three Princes and their Beasts
, The Two Brothers
, and The Queen Bee
.
The Grateful Beasts
and Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful
combine the animal motif with that of the hero having to match someone's lying brags, which is also found without it, in Boots and the Troll
, Thirteenth
, Esben and the Witch
, and Dapplegrim
.
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
collected in Ungarische Mahrchen. Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang was a Scots poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University of St Andrews are named after him.- Biography :Lang was born in Selkirk...
included it in The Crimson Fairy Book.
Synopsis
A dying king asked of his queen that she would never remarry, but rather devote the rest of her life to caring for their only son. She promised to do as he requested, but no sooner was her husband dead than she remarried and had her new husband made king instead of her son. The stepfather was a wicked man and treated his stepson very cruelly.By the castle, there was a brook that was of milk rather than water, which had plenty for everyone, but the new king forbade anyone to take the milk. The guards noticed a gold-bearded man taking buckets of milk in the morning and then strangely vanishing. The king came to see. He wondered if he could ever capture such a man, and many attempts failed. One day, an old soldier told him to leave bread, bacon, and drugged wine for the man; he would eat, drink, and fall asleep. Then they could catch him. The plan succeeded, and the king put the man in a cage. After a month had passed, the king had to go to war. He told his stepson to feed the man but not free him, or his fate would be terrible.
The prince accidentally shot an arrow into the cage, and the gold-bearded man refused to give it back unless he freed him. After much pleading, the prince was convinced. The gold-bearded man promised to repay him a thousand-fold and vanished. The prince decided that running away could not be more dangerous than staying and left. As he went along, he met a wood dove. He was on the verge of shooting it when it implored him not to because its two children would starve. He spared it, and the dove said that because of his act of mercy it would find a way to repay him. The prince continued on, eventually meeting with a duck and then later a stork. Both times the same thing happened as had with the wood dove.
He met with two soldiers, and they traveled together in search of work. A king hired the soldiers as coachmen and the prince as his companion. The jealous soldiers told him the prince had claimed that if he were made the king's steward, he could ensure that no grain was lost from the king's store; if he set the prince to separate wheat and barley, it would show what his boasting was worth. The king had two enormous sacks mixed and ordered the prince to separate them. The wood dove, who was the king of the wood doves, had his fellow doves sort them. The king appointed him steward.
This made the soldiers more jealous. They then told the king that the prince had claimed that were he in charge of the royal treasures, he would ensure that none were lost; if the king had a ring from the princess's finger thrown in the stream, it would show what his boasting was worth. The king did so, and the duck, who was the king of the ducks, had his ducks find it. The king appointed him in charge of his treasures.
The soldiers now claimed that the prince had said he knew of a child who could speak every language and play every musical instrument. The king thought this was magic, which he had tried to learn, and ordered the prince to produce the child, as a third
Rule of three (writing)
The "rule of three" is a principle in writing that suggests that things that come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things. The reader/audience of this form of text is also more likely to consume information if it is written in groups of...
task or be dragged to death. The stork brought the child to him. The king married him to his daughter, and asked how he had done it. The prince told him, and the king had the soldiers driven away with whips.
See also
The Hairy ManThe Hairy Man
The Hairy Man is a Russian fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it in The Crimson Fairy Book.-Synopsis:Two ricks of a king's rapeseed fields are found burned every night. Finally, a shepherd with dogs keeps watch, and catches the "hairy man" who is responsible. The king puts him in a cage...
and Iron John
Iron John
"Iron John" is a German fairy tale found in the collections of the Brothers Grimm, tale number 136, about a wild man and a prince...
also feature the freeing of a strange prisoner as the start of the story.
The sparing of the animals, and their aid, also feature in The Three Princes and their Beasts
The Three Princes and their Beasts
The Three Princes and their Beasts is a Lithuanian fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it in The Violet Fairy Book.-Synopsis:Three princes had a stepsister. They all set out one day, hunting, and were going to shoot a wolf when it offered to give each of the princes a cub if they did not. The same...
, The Two Brothers
The Two Brothers
The Two Brothers is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 60. It is Aarne-Thompson type 567A, the magic bird heart, and type 303, the blood brothers.-Synopsis:...
, and The Queen Bee
The Queen Bee (fairy tale)
The Queen Bee is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 62. It is Aarne-Thompson type 554, the grateful animals.-Synopsis:...
.
The Grateful Beasts
The Grateful Beasts
The Grateful Beasts is a Hungarian fairy tale collected by Hermann Kletke. Andrew Lang included it in The Yellow Fairy Book.-Synopsis:Three sons set out to seek their fortune...
and Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful
Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful
Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 126.It is Aarne-Thompson type 531. Other tales of this type include The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa, Corvetto, King Fortunatus's Golden Wig, and The Mermaid and the Boy...
combine the animal motif with that of the hero having to match someone's lying brags, which is also found without it, in Boots and the Troll
Boots and the Troll
Boots and the Troll is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in Norwegian Folktales.-Synopsis:An old man died. His three sons set out to seek their fortune. The two older would have nothing to do with the youngest son, whom they said was fit for nothing but...
, Thirteenth
Thirteenth (fairy tale)
Thirteenth is an Italian fairy tale collected by Thomas Frederick Crane in Italian Popular Tales. It is Aarne-Thompson type 328, the boy steals the giant's treasures.-Synopsis:...
, Esben and the Witch
Esben and the Witch
Esben and the Witch is a Danish fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it in The Pink Fairy Book. A version of the tale also appears in A Book of Witches and A Choice of Magic, by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is Aarne-Thompson type 327B, the small boy defeats the ogre.-Synopsis:A farmer had twelve sons, and...
, and Dapplegrim
Dapplegrim
Dapplegrim is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in their Norske Folkeeventyr. Andrew Lang included it in The Red Fairy Book.-Synopsis:The youngest of twelve sons goes off to serve the king for a year...
.