Once upon a time there lived a rich merchant, and he had three daughters: Karen, Maren and Mette. The merchant deeply loved his daughters, and most of all, the youngest. And she also doted on him.
One day, a merchant is going on his trade business to the city of Copenhagen for a fair and asks his daughters what gifts to bring them. The eldest, Karen, asked to buy her a gold spinning wheel; the middle one, Maren, is a golden spindle, and the youngest, Mette, thought and said:
“More than anything in the world, father, I want a golden apple from that apple tree that I saw in my dream today.” Bring it to me!
“I’ll bring everything to you, my dear daughters!” - the merchant answers, - I’ll hurt myself, but I’ll get it!
The merchant went to the fair, made a bargain and began to buy a gift. He was lucky. He bought a golden strand for Karen. Ku, for Maren there is a golden spindle, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get a golden apple for Mette anywhere.
He returned home saddened, gave gifts to his elder daughters, and said to the youngest:
“Daughter, I didn’t get the golden apple!” Don't be offended by me!
And Mette answers him:
- Don’t bother, father! The trouble is small. My heart feels that sooner or later, I will get the golden apple.
After some time, a young man he doesn’t know comes to the merchant and woos his youngest daughter.
- No! - the merchant answers him. “Our custom is this: first you give your eldest daughter in marriage, then the middle one, and only then the youngest one.”
“Okay,” says the good guy. “I’ll take your eldest daughter with me.” Only if she doesn’t please me in any way, don’t blame me, I’ll turn her back.
They prepared Karen for the journey and went out to see everyone out of the gate. And the fine fellow sat down with the bride in the cart and said:
The light is ahead
Darkness is behind
No one looks after the cart!
Then they disappeared from sight.
Karen and her betrothed found themselves in a dense forest. It's dark, you can't see anything. They drove for a long time - and suddenly the cart stopped in front of a low, lopsided hut. The travelers went inside, and there in the middle of the room there was a wide velvet chair. Karen marveled: where did such a rich armchair come from in a poor house? And the fellow tells her to sit in it. She sat down, and the gentle river waves seemed to pick her up. Karen laid her head on the back and seemed to drown in swan fluff.
“Have you ever sat more softly, girl?” - the young man asks her.
“No, sir, I’ve never sat softer,” Karen answers.
He then presented her with a silver cup of drink. This drink was sweet like honey, strong like wine, cold like spring water.
-Have you ever drunk anything sweeter than this drink? - the young man asks her.
“No, sir, I haven’t drunk anything sweeter in my life,” Karen answers.
Then the brave man took her out of the hut, put her in a cart and took her to her parents’ house. This time he took his middle daughter with him. Only with her everything is the same as with Karen. Soon she returned to her father.
Now it was the turn of the youngest daughter to go with the young man. He brought Mette to a forest hut, sat him down in a wide velvet chair and asked:
“Have you ever sat more softly, girl?”
And Mette answers him:
“Your chair is soft, sir, but my dear mother’s knees are even softer.”
The young man brought her a silver cup of drink and asked:
-Have you ever drunk anything sweeter than this drink?
And Mette took a sip and said:
“Your drink is sweet, sir, but my dear mother’s milk is even sweeter.”
At that very moment, the hut disappeared, and Mette found herself in the royal chambers, and the young man turned into a handsome prince.
And the prince told her that many years ago he had a bride, a proud woman such as the world had never seen. She was accustomed to luxury and wealth, and she still wanted to drink and eat sweeter than anyone else, to sleep more softly than everyone else. The wizard was angry with her for this and imprisoned her forever in his stone castle. And he ordered the prince to live in a forest hut until he found himself a simple, modest girl, so that he would not surprise her with either an easy chair or a sweet drink.
For many years the prince was looking for a bride for himself - and not a single girl could resist a soft chair and a sweet drink. And he fell in love with Mette at first sight, and that was the only thing he had to experience first.
And Mette and the young prince lived in the royal castle in love and harmony. One day Mette went out into the garden and saw: between the trees there was a golden apple tree, exactly the same as the one she saw in her dream. Here Mette told the prince about her dream and about how her father could not get a golden apple for her anywhere. Then the prince picked three golden apples from the tree and said:
- Let's go to your father and bring him apples. Let him see that your dream has come true.
Meanwhile, the old merchant grieves and grieves that his beloved daughter has disappeared without a trace. Only suddenly he sees: the gates open and his daughter enters in a gilded carriage, and next to her is a young, handsome prince. Mette came up to her father, handed him three golden apples and said:
- Here, father, are the golden apples. My heart felt that sooner or later, my dream would come true.
The merchant was delighted and gave a rich feast. We feasted for three days and three nights, treated all passers-by, and, I must admit, I also got a little something.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru