Hace mucho tiempo vivía un Rey célebre en toda la tierra por su sabiduría. Nada permanecía oculto para él, y parecía como si las noticias de las cosas más secretas le llegaran a través del aire.

Pero tenía una costumbre extraña. Cada día, después de la cena, cuando la mesa ya estaba recogida y no había nadie más presente, un criado de confianza debía traerle un plato adicional. Venía cubierto, y ni siquiera el criado sabía qué contenía. Nadie lo sabía, pues el Rey nunca levantaba la tapa para comer de él hasta que estaba completamente solo.

Así había sido durante mucho tiempo, hasta que un día el criado encargado de retirar el plato fue vencido por una curiosidad tan grande que no pudo evitar llevarlo a su habitación. Cuando cerró la puerta con llave, levantó la tapa y vio una Serpiente Blanca tendida en el plato. Pero al verla, no pudo negarse el placer de probarla: cortó un pequeño trozo y se lo llevó a la boca.

Apenas hubo tocado su lengua cuando oyó un extraño susurro de vocecillas junto a la ventana. Se acercó a escuchar y advirtió que eran los gorriones, charlando entre ellos y contándose todo tipo de cosas que habían visto en los campos y en el bosque. Comer la Serpiente le había dado el poder de comprender el lenguaje de los animales.

Aconteció que ese mismo día la Reina perdió su anillo más hermoso, y la sospecha del robo recayó sobre aquel criado de confianza, que tenía permiso para entrar en todas partes. El Rey ordenó que lo llevaran ante él y, con palabras airadas, lo amenazó diciendo que, si antes del día siguiente no señalaba al ladrón, él mismo sería considerado culpable y ejecutado. En vano declaró su inocencia; fue despedido sin mejor respuesta.

Afligido y temeroso, bajó al patio y pensó en cómo librarse de su desgracia. Allí vio unos patos descansando tranquilamente junto a un arroyo. Mientras alisaban sus plumas con el pico, mantenían una conversación confidencial. El criado se detuvo a escuchar.

Se contaban los lugares por donde habían estado paseando aquella mañana y la buena comida que habían encontrado. Entonces uno de ellos dijo con voz lastimera: “Algo me pasa en el estómago; comiendo con demasiada prisa me tragué un anillo que estaba bajo la ventana de la Reina.”

Al momento, el criado lo agarró por el cuello, la llevó a la cocina y dijo al cocinero: “Aquí tienes un buen pato. Por favor, prepáralo para la cena.”

“Sí”, respondió el cocinero, sopesándolo en la mano. “No ha escatimado esfuerzos para engordar, y ya ha esperado bastante para ser asado.”

Así que empezó a prepararlo para el asador, encontrando dentro de él el anillo de la Reina.

El criado pudo demostrar fácilmente su inocencia. El Rey, para reparar el daño, le permitió pedir un favor y le prometió el mejor puesto en la Corte. Pero el criado rechazó todo y pidió únicamente un caballo y algo de dinero para viajar, ya que deseaba ver el mundo y vagar un poco por él. Cuando le concedieron su petición, emprendió el camino.

Un día llegó a un estanque, donde vio a tres peces atrapados entre los juncos y boqueando por falta de agua. Aunque se dice que los peces son mudos, los oyó lamentarse porque estaban destinados a morir tan miserablemente. Como tenía un corazón bondadoso, desmontó de su caballo y devolvió a los tres prisioneros al agua.

Ellos temblaron de alegría, asomaron la cabeza y le gritaron: “¡Te recordaremos y te recompensaremos por habernos salvado!”

Siguió su camino y, al cabo de un rato, le pareció oír una voz en la arena a sus pies. Escuchó y oyó al Rey de las Hormigas quejarse: “¿Por qué la gente no puede evitar pisarnos con sus torpes bestias? Ese caballo estúpido, con sus pesadas pezuñas, ha estado aplastando a mi pueblo sin piedad.”

Entonces el joven se desvió por un sendero lateral, y el Rey de las Hormigas le gritó: “¡Te recordaremos; un favor merece otro!”

El sendero lo condujo a un bosque, donde vio a dos viejos cuervos junto a su nido, arrojando fuera a sus crías. “¡Fuera, criaturas inútiles y perezosas!”, gritaban. “Ya no podemos alimentaros. Sois lo bastante grandes para buscaros la vida.”

Pero los pobres cuervos jóvenes yacían en el suelo, batiendo las alas y llorando: “¡Ay, qué polluelos tan desvalidos somos! Tenemos que valernos por nosotros mismos, y sin embargo no podemos volar. ¿Qué haremos sino quedarnos aquí y morir de hambre?”

Entonces el buen muchacho desmontó, y dio parte de su comida a los cuervos. Estos se acercaron dando saltos, saciaron su hambre y dijeron: “¡Te recordaremos; un favor merece otro!”

Ahora tuvo que continuar a pie, y tras caminar mucho llegó a una gran ciudad. Había un gran bullicio en las calles, y un hombre a caballo proclamaba: “La Hija del Rey busca esposo. Pero quien pretenda su mano deberá cumplir una tarea muy difícil. Si no lo consigue, perderá la vida.”

Muchos lo habían intentado ya sin éxito. Sin embargo, cuando el joven vio a la Hija del Rey, quedó tan deslumbrado por su belleza que olvidó todo peligro, se presentó ante el Rey y declaró que deseaba ser pretendiente.

Lo llevaron al mar y arrojaron un anillo de oro a las aguas. El Rey le ordenó recuperarlo del fondo y añadió: “Si vuelves sin él, serás arrojado de nuevo una y otra vez hasta perecer entre las olas.”

Todos se entristecieron por el apuesto joven y se marcharon, dejándolo solo junto al mar.

Estaba en la orilla pensando qué hacer, cuando vio acercarse a los tres peces que había salvado. El del centro llevaba una concha en la boca, la dejó a sus pies y, al abrirla, encontró dentro el anillo de oro. Lleno de alegría, lo llevó al Rey, esperando recibir la recompensa prometida.

Pero cuando la orgullosa Princesa vio que no era de su misma alcurnia, lo despreció y exigió que cumpliera otra tarea. Bajó al jardín y esparció con sus propias manos diez sacos de semillas de maíz sobre la hierba.

Luego dijo: “Mañana, antes de que salga el sol, todo esto debe estar recogido, y no debe faltar ni un solo grano.”

El joven se sentó en el jardín, sin saber cómo cumplir la tarea. Allí permaneció, triste, esperando el amanecer y su muerte. Pero cuando los primeros rayos del sol iluminaron el jardín, vio los diez sacos alineados, completamente llenos, sin faltar un solo grano. El Rey de las Hormigas había llegado durante la noche con miles y miles de hormigas, y las criaturas agradecidas habían recogido todas las semillas.

Poco después, la Hija del Rey bajó al jardín y quedó asombrada al ver que el joven había cumplido la tarea.

Pero aún no podía vencer su orgullo y dijo: “Aunque ha cumplido ambas tareas, no será mi esposo hasta que me traiga una manzana del Árbol de la Vida.”

El joven no sabía dónde se encontraba ese árbol, pero partió igualmente, dispuesto a caminar mientras sus piernas lo sostuvieran, aunque sin esperanza de hallarlo. Tras vagar por tres reinos, llegó una noche a un bosque y se tumbó bajo un árbol para dormir.

Entonces oyó un susurro en las ramas, y una manzana de Oro cayó en su mano. Al mismo tiempo, tres cuervos descendieron, se posaron en su rodilla y dijeron: “Somos los tres cuervos jóvenes a quienes salvaste del hambre. Cuando crecimos y supimos que buscabas la Manzana Dorada, volamos sobre el mar hasta el fin del mundo, donde se alza el Árbol de la Vida, y te la hemos traído.”

El joven, lleno de alegría, emprendió el regreso y llevó la Manzana Dorada a la hermosa Hija del Rey, que ya no tenía más excusas. Partieron la Manzana de la Vida en dos y la comieron juntos; entonces el corazón de ella se llenó de amor por él, y vivieron hasta una edad muy avanzada en perfecta felicidad.

Along time ago, there lived a King who was famed for his wisdom through all the land. Nothing was hidden from him, and it seemed as if news of the most secret things was brought to him through the air.

But he had a strange custom. Every day after dinner, when the table was cleared, and no one else was present, a trusty servant had to bring him one more dish. It was covered and even the servant did not know what was in it. Neither did any one know, for the King never took off the cover to eat of it, until he was quite alone.

This had gone on for a long time, when one day the servant, who took away the dish, was overcome with such curiosity that he could not help carrying the dish into his room. When he had carefully locked the door, he lifted up the cover, and saw a White Snake lying on the dish. But when he saw it, he could not deny himself the pleasure of tasting it, so he cut off a little bit and put it into his mouth.

No sooner had it touched his tongue than he heard a strange whispering of little voices outside his window. He went and listened, and then noticed that it was the sparrows who were chattering together, and telling one another of all kinds of things which they had seen in the fields and woods. Eating the Snake had given him power to understand the language of animals!

Now, it so happened, that on this very day the Queen lost her most beautiful ring, and suspicion of having stolen it fell upon this trusty servant, who was allowed to go everywhere. The King ordered the man to be brought before him, and threatened with angry words that unless he could, before the morrow, point out the thief, he himself should be looked upon as guilty and should be executed. In vain, he declared his innocence. He was dismissed with no better answer.

In his trouble and fear, he went down into the courtyard, and took thought how to help himself out of his trouble. Now some ducks were sitting together quietly by a brook and taking their rest. And, whilst they were making their feathers smooth with their bills, they were having a confidential conversation. The servant stood by and listened.

They were telling one another of all the places where they had been waddling about all the morning, and what good food they had found. And one said in a pitiful tone, “Something lies heavy on my stomach; as I was eating in haste I swallowed a ring which lay under the Queen’s window.”

The servant at once seized her by the neck, carried her to the kitchen, and said to the cook, “Here is a fine duck. Pray kill her.”

“Yes,” said the cook, and weighed her in his hand; “she has spared no trouble to fatten herself, and has been waiting long enough to be roasted.”

So he cut off her head; and as she was being dressed for the spit, the Queen’s ring was found inside her.

The servant could now easily prove his innocence. The King, to make amends for the wrong, allowed him to ask a favor, and promised him the best place in the Court. The servant refused everything, and asked only for a horse and some money for traveling, as he had a mind to see the world and go about a little. When his request was granted, he set out on his way.

One day he came to a pond, where he saw three fishes caught in the reeds and gasping for water. Now, though it is said that fishes are dumb, he heard them lamenting that they must perish so miserably. As he had a kind heart, he got off his horse and put the three prisoners back into the water.

They quivered with delight, put out their heads, and cried to him, “We will remember you, and repay you for saving us!”

He rode on, and after a while it seemed to him that he heard a voice in the sand at his feet. He listened, and heard an Ant-King complain, “Why cannot folk, with their clumsy beasts, keep off our bodies? That stupid horse, with his heavy hoofs, has been treading down my people without mercy!”

So he turned on to a side path and the Ant-King cried out to him, “We will remember you—-one good turn deserves another!”

The path led him into a wood, and there he saw two old ravens standing by their nest, and throwing out their young ones. “Out with you, you idle, good-for-nothing creatures!” cried they; “we cannot find food for you any longer. You are big enough, and can provide for yourselves.”

But the poor young ravens lay upon the ground flapping their wings, and crying, “Oh, what helpless chicks we are! We must shift for ourselves, and yet we cannot fly! What can we do, but lie here and starve?”

Then the good young fellow dismounted and gave part of his food to the ravens. They hopped closer, satisfied their hunger, and said: ‘We will remember you; one good turn deserves another!”

And now he had to use his own legs, and when he had walked a long way, he came to a large city. There was a great noise and crowd in the streets, and a man rode up on horseback, crying aloud, “The King’s Daughter wants a husband. But whoever sues for her hand must perform a hard task. If he does not succeed he will forfeit his life.”

Many had already made the attempt, but in vain. Nevertheless, when the youth saw the King’s Daughter he was so overcome by her great beauty, that he forgot all danger, went before the King, and declared himself a suitor.

So he was led out to the sea, and a gold ring was cast into it. Then the King ordered him to fetch this ring up from the bottom of the sea, and added, “If you come up without it, you will be thrown in again and again until you perish amid the waves.”

All the people grieved for the handsome youth; then they went away; leaving him alone by the sea.

He stood on the shore and considered what he should do, when suddenly he saw three fishes come swimming toward him. They were the very fishes whose lives he had saved. The one in the middle held a mussel in its mouth, which it laid on the shore at the youth’s feet. When he had taken it up and opened it, there lay the gold ring in the shell. Full of joy he took it to the King, and expected that he would grant him the promised reward.

But when the proud Princess perceived that he was not her equal in birth, she scorned him, and required him first to perform another task. She went down into the garden and strewed with her own hands ten sacks of corn seeds over the grass..

Then she said, “To-morrow morning before sunrise these must be picked up, and not a single grain be wanting.”

The youth sat down in the garden and considered how he might perform this task. But he could think of nothing, and there he sat sorrowfully awaiting the break of day, when he should be led to death. But as soon as the first rays of the sun shone into the garden, he saw all the ten sacks standing side by side, quite full, and not a single grain was missing. The Ant-King had come in the night with thousands and thousands of ants, and the grateful creatures had gathered all the seeds.

Presently, the King’s Daughter herself came down into the garden, and was amazed to see that the young man had done the task she had given him.

But she could not yet conquer her proud heart, and said, “Although he has performed both the tasks, he shall not be my husband, until he has brought me an apple from the Tree of Life.”

The youth did not know where the Tree of Life stood, but he set out, and would have gone on forever, as long as his legs would carry him, though he had no hope of finding it. After he had wandered through three kingdoms, he came one evening to a wood, and lay down under a tree to sleep.

But he heard a rustling in the branches, and a Golden Apple fell into his hand. At the same time three ravens flew down to him, perched themselves upon his knee, and said, “We are the three young ravens whom you saved from starving. When we had grown big, and heard that you were seeking the Golden Apple, we flew over the sea to the end of the world, where the Tree of Life stands, and have brought you the apple.”

The youth, full of joy, set out homeward, and took the Golden Apple to the King’s beautiful Daughter, who had now no more excuses left to make. They cut the Apple of Life in two and ate it together; and then her heart became full of love for him, and they lived to a great age in undisturbed happiness.