The Golden Goose
金鵝
A kind, generous youngest son shares his last bit of food with a stranger, wins a goose of pure gold, and ends up making a princess who never laughs burst out laughing.
The story
Once there was a woodcutter with three sons. The eldest two believed they were clever and capable, and they never stopped teasing their youngest brother, calling him Dummling because he seemed so simple and slow. One day the eldest son set off to cut wood in the forest, and his mother packed him a sweet cake and a bottle of good wine for the journey.
Deep in the forest, just as he sat down to eat, a little grey-haired old man stepped out from the trees. "Could you spare me a bite of cake and a sip of wine?" the old man asked politely. "I am hungry and thirsty." The eldest son frowned and waved him off. "If I give you my food, there won't be enough left for me. Be off with you." The old man only nodded quietly and walked away. Moments later, as the son swung his axe, it slipped and gashed his arm, and he limped home in pain, his work undone.
The next day the second son went to cut wood, carrying the same kind of cake and wine from his mother. In the forest he met the very same little old man, who made the very same simple request — and the second son, just as unkindly, sent him away. Before long, his axe slipped too, cutting his leg, and he hobbled home just as his brother had.
After two sons came home hurt, no one wanted Dummling anywhere near the forest. But he begged so persistently that his father finally agreed. His mother, having little else in the house, could only give him a hard, plain cake baked in ashes and a bottle of sour beer.
Dummling sat down beneath an old tree and was about to eat his humble meal when the little grey man appeared once more and made his usual request. Without a moment's hesitation, Dummling said, "All I have is ash-cake and sour beer, but you're welcome to share it with me." The moment he offered it, something wonderful happened — the plain ash-cake turned into a rich, sweet cake, and the sour beer became fine wine. The two of them ate together, well satisfied.
When he had eaten his fill, the old man pointed to a nearby tree. "Cut that one down, and you will find your reward among its roots." Dummling did as he was told, and there among the roots sat a goose with feathers of pure, gleaming gold, shining brightly in the sunlight. Carefully cradling the goose in his arms, he walked on and stopped for the night at a country inn.
The innkeeper had three daughters, and the moment they saw the dazzling golden feathers, they began scheming to pluck one for themselves. That night, while Dummling slept, the eldest daughter crept in and reached for a feather — and the instant she touched it, her hand stuck fast, and no amount of pulling would free her. The second daughter came to help tug her sister loose, but as soon as she touched her, she too stuck fast. The third daughter reached out to help both of them, and she stuck fast as well. All three sisters were left stuck together in a row, tugging and fretting, unable to move all night long.
The next morning Dummling simply picked up his goose and walked on, and the three sisters had no choice but to stumble along stuck behind him. Along the road, the village parson saw this ridiculous sight and, thinking it most improper, reached out to pull the last girl free — and the moment his hand touched her, he stuck fast too. The sexton hurried to help the parson and stuck fast as well; then two farm laborers, hoes over their shoulders, tried to help pull everyone loose, and one by one they stuck fast in turn. So Dummling walked on at the front with his golden goose, dragging behind him a long, wobbling, tumbling line of stuck people.
This strange procession went stumbling right into the city and passed before the royal palace, where a princess who had never once laughed in her whole life happened to be watching at her window. The king had promised her hand to anyone who could make her laugh, and the moment she saw the long, ridiculous line staggering by, she burst out laughing and simply could not stop. True to his word, the king gave Dummling the princess's hand in marriage, and the wedding was celebrated with great joy. When the old king passed away, Dummling inherited the kingdom, and he and his princess lived happily together for the rest of their days.
Story takeaway
A kind and generous heart may seem to lose out at first, but it often leads to the greatest rewards — while selfishness and pride tend to trip people up in the end.
Talk together
If you only had a little food left and someone asked to share it, what would you do?
For grown-ups
Parent note
This is a good story to share when a child worries that sharing means losing out. Dummling is mocked by his brothers, yet his willingness to share his last bit of food brings him the golden goose and, eventually, real happiness. The growing chain of stuck people is a fun, silly image to laugh over together — and a good moment to ask why the two elder brothers got hurt, and whether things might have gone differently if they had chosen to share too.
Words to learn
- generous: willing to freely share what you have with others. e.g. Dummling generously shared his last bit of ash-cake with the old man.
- simple-hearted: honest and kind, even if not clever or cunning. e.g. Everyone laughed at him for being simple-hearted, but he had the kindest heart of all.
- procession: a line of people moving along one after another. e.g. The parson, the sexton, and the laborers all got stuck into one long procession.
Reading activity
Read a few lines aloud and see if your child can tell which show generous sharing and which show selfishness: "My sister is hungry, so I give her half my cookie." → generous sharing, just like Dummling sharing his ash-cake. "My classmate wants to borrow my crayon, and I say 'No, it's mine.'" → selfishness, like the two elder brothers. "My friend trips and falls, so I stop to help him up." → generous sharing too (sharing your time and care). At the end, wonder together: if we shared like Dummling did, might we make good friends and good luck too?
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