The Three Golden Hairs

: Czechoslovak Fairy Tales

THE STORY OF A CHARCOAL-BURNER'S SON WHO MARRIED A PRINCESS





There was once a king who took great delight in hunting. One day he

followed a stag a great distance into the forest. He went on and on

until he lost his way. Night fell and the king by happy chance came

upon a clearing where a charcoal-burner had a cottage. The king asked

the charcoal-burner to lead him out of the forest and offered to pay

him handsomely.



"I'd be glad to go with you," the charcoal-burner said, "but my wife

is expecting the birth of a child and I cannot leave her. It is too

late for you to start out alone. Won't you spend the night here? Lie

down on some hay in the garret and tomorrow I'll be your guide."



The king had to accept this arrangement. He climbed into the garret

and lay down on the floor. Soon afterwards a son was born to the

charcoal-burner.



At midnight the king noticed a strange light in the room below him. He

peeped through a chink in the boards and saw the charcoal-burner

asleep, his wife lying in a dead faint, and three old women, all in

white, standing over the baby, each holding a lighted taper in her

hand.



The first old woman said: "My gift to this boy is that he shall

encounter great dangers."



The second said: "My gift to him is that he shall go safely through

them all, and live long."



The third one said: "And I give him for wife the baby daughter born

this night to the king who lies upstairs on the straw."



The three old women blew out their tapers and all was quiet. They were

the Fates.



The king felt as though a sword had been thrust into his heart. He lay

awake till morning trying to think out some plan by which he could

thwart the will of the three old Fates.



When day broke the child began to cry and the charcoal-burner woke up.

Then he saw that his wife had died during the night.



"Ah, my poor motherless child," he cried, "what shall I do with you

now?"



"Give me the baby," the king said. "I'll see that he's looked after

properly and I'll give you enough money to keep you the rest of your

life."



The charcoal-burner was delighted with this offer and the king went

away promising to send at once for the baby.



A few days later when he reached his palace he was met with the joyful

news that a beautiful little baby daughter had been born to him. He

asked the time of her birth, and of course it was on the very night

when he saw the Fates. Instead of being pleased at the safe arrival of

the baby princess, the king frowned.



Then he called one of his stewards and said to him: "Go into the

forest in a direction that I shall tell you. You will find there a

cottage where a charcoal-burner lives. Give him this money and get

from him a little child. Take the child and on your way back drown it.

Do as I say or I shall have you drowned."



The steward went, found the charcoal-burner, and took the child. He

put it into a basket and carried it away. As he was crossing a broad

river he dropped the basket into the water.



"Goodnight to you, little son-in-law that nobody wanted!" the king

said when he heard what the steward had done.



He supposed of course that the baby was drowned. But it wasn't. Its

little basket floated in the water like a cradle, and the baby slept

as if the river were singing it a lullaby. It floated down with the

current past a fisherman's cottage. The fisherman saw it, got into his

boat, and went after it. When he found what the basket contained he

was overjoyed. At once he carried the baby to his wife and said:



"You have always wanted a little son and here you have one. The river

has given him to us."



The fisherman's wife was delighted and brought up the child as her

own. They named him Plavachek, which means a little boy who has come

floating on the water.



The river flowed on and the days went by and Plavachek grew from a

baby to a boy and then into a handsome youth, the handsomest by far in

the whole countryside.



One day the king happened to ride that way unattended. It was hot and

he was thirsty. He beckoned to the fisherman to get him a drink of

fresh water. Plavachek brought it to him. The king looked at the

handsome youth in astonishment.



"You have a fine lad," he said to the fisherman. "Is he your own son?"



"He is, yet he isn't," the fisherman answered. "Just twenty years ago

a little baby in a basket floated down the river. We took him in and

he has been ours ever since."



A mist rose before the king's eyes and he went deathly pale, for he

knew at once that Plavachek was the child that he had ordered drowned.



Soon he recovered himself and jumping from his horse he said: "I need

a messenger to send to my palace and I have no one with me. Could this

youth go for me?"



"Your majesty has but to command," the fisherman said, "and Plavachek

will go."



The king sat down and wrote a letter to the queen. This is what he

said:



"Have the young man who delivers this letter run through with a sword

at once. He is a dangerous enemy. Let him be dispatched before I

return. Such is my will."



He folded the letter, made it secure, and sealed it with his own

signet.



Plavachek took the letter and started out with it at once. He had to

go through a deep forest where he missed the path and lost his way. He

struggled on through underbrush and thicket until it began to grow

dark. Then he met an old woman who said to him:



"Where are you going, Plavachek?"



"I'm carrying this letter to the king's palace and I've lost my way.

Can you put me on the right road, mother?"



"You can't get there today," the old woman said. "It's dark now. Spend

the night with me. You won't be with a stranger, for I'm your old

godmother."



Plavachek allowed himself to be persuaded and presently he saw before

him a pretty little house that seemed at that moment to have sprung

out of the ground.



During the night while Plavachek was asleep, the old woman took the

letter out of his pocket and put in another that read as follows:



"Have the young man who delivers this letter married to our daughter

at once. He is my destined son-in-law. Let the wedding take place

before I return. Such is my will."



The next day Plavachek delivered the letter and as soon as the queen

read it, she gave orders at once for the wedding. Both she and her

daughter were much taken with the handsome youth and gazed at him with

tender eyes. As for Plavachek he fell instantly in love with the

princess and was delighted to marry her.



Some days after the wedding the king returned and when he heard what

had happened he flew into a violent rage at the queen.



"But," protested the queen, "you yourself ordered me to have him

married to our daughter before you came back. Here is your letter."



The king took the letter and examined it carefully. The handwriting,

the seal, the paper--all were his own.



He called his son-in-law and questioned him.



Plavachek related how he had lost his way in the forest and spent the

night with his godmother.



"What does your godmother look like?" the king asked.



Plavachek described her.



From the description the king recognized her as the same old woman who

had promised the princess to the charcoal-burner's son twenty years

before.



He looked at Plavachek thoughtfully and at last he said:



"What's done can't be undone. However, young man, you can't expect to

be my son-in-law for nothing. If you want my daughter you must bring

me for dowry three of the golden hairs of old Grandfather Knowitall."



He thought to himself that this would be an impossible task and so

would be a good way to get rid of an undesirable son-in-law.



Plavachek took leave of his bride and started off. He didn't know

which way to go. Who would know? Everybody talked about old

Grandfather Knowitall, but nobody seemed to know where to find him.

Yet Plavachek had a Fate for a godmother, so it wasn't likely that he

would miss the right road.



He traveled long and far, going over wooded hills and desert plains

and crossing deep rivers. He came at last to a black sea.



There he saw a boat and an old ferryman.



"God bless you, old ferryman!" he said.



"May God grant that prayer, young traveler! Where are you going?"



"I'm going to old Grandfather Knowitall to get three of his golden

hairs."



"Oho! I have long been hunting for just such a messenger as you! For

twenty years I have been ferrying people across this black sea and

nobody has come to relieve me. If you promise to ask Grandfather

Knowitall when my work will end, I'll ferry you over."



Plavachek promised and the boatman took him across.



Plavachek traveled on until he came to a great city that was in a

state of decay. Before the city he met an old man who had a staff in

his hand, but even with the staff he could scarcely crawl along.



"God bless you, old grandfather!" Plavachek said.



"May God grant that prayer, handsome youth! Where are you going?"



"I am going to old Grandfather Knowitall to get three of his golden

hairs."



"Indeed! We have been waiting a long time for just such a messenger as

you! I must lead you at once to the king."



So he took him to the king and the king said: "Ah, so you are going on

an errand to Grandfather Knowitall! We have an apple-tree here that

used to bear apples of youth. If any one ate one of those apples, no

matter how aged he was, he'd become young again. But, alas, for twenty

years now our tree has borne no fruit. If you promise to ask

Grandfather Knowitall if there is any help for us, I will reward you

handsomely."



Plavachek gave the king his promise and the king bid him godspeed.



Plavachek traveled on until he reached another great city that was

half in ruins. Not far from the city a man was burying his father, and

tears as big as peas were rolling down his cheek.



"God bless you, mournful grave-digger!" Plavachek said.



"May God grant that prayer, kind traveler! Where are you going?"



"I'm going to old Grandfather Knowitall to get three of his golden

hairs."



"To Grandfather Knowitall! What a pity you didn't come sooner! Our

king has long been waiting for just such a messenger as you! I must

lead you to him."



So he took Plavachek to the king and the king said to him: "So you're

going on an errand to Grandfather Knowitall. We have a well here that

used to flow with the water of life. If any one drank of it, no matter

how sick he was, he would get well. Nay, if he were already dead, this

water, sprinkled upon him, would bring him back to life. But, alas,

for twenty years now the well has gone dry. If you promise to ask

Grandfather Knowitall if there is help for us, I will reward you

handsomely."



Plavachek gave the king his promise and the king bid him godspeed.



After that Plavachek traveled long and far into a black forest. Deep

in the forest he came upon a broad green meadow full of beautiful

flowers and in its midst a golden palace glittering as though it were

on fire. This was the palace of Grandfather Knowitall.



Plavachek entered and found nobody there but an old woman who sat

spinning in a corner.



"Welcome, Plavachek," she said. "I am delighted to see you again."



He looked at the old woman and saw that she was his godmother with

whom he had spent the night when he was carrying the letter to the

palace.



"What has brought you here, Plavachek?" she asked.



"The king, godmother. He says I can't be his son-in-law for nothing. I

have to give a dowry. So he has sent me to old Grandfather Knowitall

to get three of his golden hairs."



The old woman smiled and said: "Do you know who Grandfather Knowitall

is? Why, he's the bright Sun who goes everywhere and sees everything.

I am his mother. In the morning he's a little lad, at noon he's a

grown man, and in the evening an old grandfather. I will get you three

of the golden hairs from his golden head, for I must not be a

godmother for nothing! But, my lad, you mustn't remain where you are.

My son is kind, but if he comes home hungry he might want to roast you

and eat you for his supper. There's an empty tub over there and I'll

just cover you with it."



Plavachek begged his godmother to get from Grandfather Knowitall the

answers for the three questions he had promised to ask.



"I will," said the old woman, "and do you listen carefully to what he

says."



Suddenly there was the rushing sound of a mighty wind outside and the

Sun, an old grandfather with a golden head, flew in by the western

window. He sniffed the air suspiciously.



"Phew! Phew!" he cried. "I smell human flesh! Have you any one here,

mother?"



"Star of the day, whom could I have here without your seeing him? The

truth is you've been flying all day long over God's world and your

nose is filled with the smell of human flesh. That's why you still

smell it when you come home in the evening."



The old man said nothing more and sat down to his supper.



After supper he laid his head on the old woman's lap and fell sound

asleep. The old woman pulled out a golden hair and threw it on the

floor. It twanged like the string of a violin.



"What is it, mother?" the old man said. "What is it?"



"Nothing, my boy, nothing. I was asleep and had a wonderful dream."



"What did you dream about, mother?"



"I dreamt about a city where they had a well of living water. If any

one drank of it, no matter how sick he was, he would get well. Nay, if

he were already dead, this water, sprinkled on him, would bring him

back to life. For the last twenty years the well has gone dry. Is

there anything to be done to make it flow again?"



"Yes. There's a frog sitting on the spring that feeds the well. Let

them kill the frog and clean out the well and the water will flow as

before."



When he fell asleep again the old woman pulled out another golden hair

and threw it on the floor.



"What is it, mother?"



"Nothing, my boy, nothing. I was asleep again and I had a wonderful

dream. I dreamt of a city where they had an apple-tree that bore

apples of youth. If any one ate one of those apples, no matter how

aged he was, he'd become young again. But for twenty years the tree

has borne no fruit. Can anything be done about it?"



"Yes. In the roots of the tree there is a snake that takes its

strength. Let them kill the snake and transplant the tree. Then it

will bear fruit as before."



He fell asleep again and the old woman pulled out a third golden hair.



"Why won't you let me sleep, mother?" he complained, and started to

sit up.



"Lie still, my boy, lie still. I didn't intend to wake you, but a

heavy sleep fell upon me and I had another wonderful dream. I dreamt

of a boatman on the black sea. For twenty years he has been ferrying

that boat and no one has offered to relieve him. When will he be

relieved?"



"Ah, but that boatman is the son of a stupid mother! Why doesn't he

thrust the oar into the hand of some one else and jump ashore himself?

Then the other man would have to be ferryman in his place. But now let

me be quiet. I must get up early tomorrow morning and go and dry the

tears which the king's daughter sheds every night for her husband, the

charcoal-burner's son, whom the king has sent to get three of my

golden hairs."



In the morning there was again the rushing sound of a mighty wind

outside and a beautiful golden child--no longer an old man--awoke on

his mother's lap. It was the glorious Sun. He bade his mother farewell

and flew out by an eastern window.



The old woman turned over the tub and said to Plavachek: "Here are the

three golden hairs for you. You also have Grandfather Knowitall's

answers to your three questions. Now good-by. As you will need me no

more, you will never see me again."



Plavachek thanked his godmother most gratefully and departed.



When he reached the first city the king asked him what news he

brought.



"Good news!" Plavachek said. "Have the well cleaned out and kill the

frog that sits on its spring. If you do this the water will flow again

as it used to."



The king ordered this to be done at once and when he saw the water

beginning to bubble up and flow again, he made Plavachek a present of

twelve horses, white as swans, laden with as much gold and silver as

they could carry.



When Plavachek came to the second city and the king of that city asked

him what news he brought, he said:



"Good news! Have the apple tree dug up. At its roots you will find a

snake. Kill the snake and replant the tree. Then it will bear fruit as

it used to."



The king had this done at once and during the night the tree burst

into bloom and bore great quantities of fruit. The king was delighted

and made Plavachek a present of twelve horses, black as ravens, laden

with as much riches as they could carry.



Plavachek traveled on and when he came to the black sea, the boatman

asked him had he the answer to his question.



"Yes, I have," said Plavachek, "but you must ferry me over before I

tell you."



The boatman wanted to hear the answer at once, but Plavachek was firm.

So the old man ferried him across with his twelve white horses and his

twelve black horses.



When Plavachek was safely landed, he said: "The next person who comes

to be ferried over, thrust the oar into his hand and do you jump

ashore. Then the other man will have to be boatman in your place."



Plavachek traveled home to the palace. The king could scarcely believe

his eyes when he saw the three golden hairs of Grandfather Knowitall.

The princess wept again, not for sorrow this time but for joy at her

bridegroom's return.



"But, Plavachek," the king gasped, "where did you get these beautiful

horses and all these riches?"



"I earned them," said Plavachek proudly. Then he related how he helped

one king who had a tree of the apples of youth and another king who

had a well of the water of life.



"Apples of youth! Water of life!" the king kept repeating softly to

himself. "If I ate one of those apples I should become young again! If

I were dead the water of life would restore me!"



He lost no time in starting out in quest of the apples of youth and

the water of life. And do you know, he hasn't come back yet!



So Plavachek, the charcoal-burner's son, became the king's son-in-law

as the old Fate foretold.



As for the king, well, I fear he's still ferrying that boat across the

black sea!



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