About How the Girl Did Not Marry the Prince Until He Learned a Craft

Once upon a time, there lived a king. He had only one son. As the king grew old, he decided it was time to marry off his son. But the son said, "Let me travel across the entire kingdom and choose my own bride." The king allowed him to go. The prince searched and searched but could not find a suitable bride. Only on the outskirts of a poor village, in the poorest hut, did he see a girl of unparalleled beauty under the sun and fell in love with her. The prince asked for her hand in marriage, but she replied:

"And what craft do you know?"

"I don't know any," said the prince.

"You don't know any, and being a prince is not a craft," the girl said. "Today you are a king, but tomorrow you might not be. Then how will you feed your family? Go and learn a craft, then I will marry you. If not, don't even come back."

The prince grew sad, not knowing which craft he could learn so quickly. He went to his father and told him everything. The father summoned all the craftsmen. The craftsmen came, and the king asked the carpenter:

"How many years will it take you to teach the prince your craft?"

"Five years," said the carpenter.

"Ugh! In five years, my bride will have married someone else," said the prince. "What use will your craft be to me then?"

Some offered to teach the prince in two years, others in three, and some even in four. Finally, a felt-maker stepped forward.

"I am also a craftsman. Give me the prince, and I will teach him my craft in a single day."

The prince went with him and learned how to make felt boots. He then married the beautiful girl and lived happily.

Soon after, the old king died, and the prince became king. He wanted to see his kingdom: how people lived, what brought them joy, and what caused them sorrow. He dressed in poor clothes and set out.

He entered one town where the food smelled so delicious, it couldn't possibly be better! The prince thought, "I spend so much on chefs, yet I don't have such delicious food. I'll go and see what they're cooking."

The king entered a house, but the food there was made of human flesh.

The king saw a cellar and asked, "What do you have in that cellar?"

The barbarians opened the cellar and threw the king inside. There were three other men there. One said, "They will slaughter me tomorrow." Another said, "They will slaughter me the day after." The third said, "And they will slaughter me the day after that. You are the fattest; they will slaughter you on Sunday!"

The king was terrified, but what could he do?

They ate the others, and soon it was his turn. The king said, "I will make you such a felt cloak that you will get two thousand for it. No one will buy it except the king's wife."

They brought him wool. The king made such a beautiful felt cloak, adorned with flowers, that it was a sight to behold. Among the flowers, he wove the words: "In such-and-such town, in such-and-such house, I am suffering in the cellar. If you do not come in two days, they will eat me."

One of the barbarians took the cloak, placed it on his head, and carried it away. He brought it to the queen, who read what was written and paid two thousand for the cloak. She then gathered an army and followed the barbarian to rescue her husband. She surrounded the house with troops and said, "I will go inside, and when you hear the sound of a cup breaking, come in."

She entered, asked for food, and they gave her a cup. She struck the cup on the ground and broke it. The army rushed into the cellar, captured all the barbarians, and strangled them. They freed the king. His wife said, "Now, if you didn't know a craft, would being a king have helped you? They would have slaughtered and eaten you." The husband and wife went on their way and lived happily ever after. After this, the king and queen took great care to promote crafts.

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About How the Girl Did Not Marry the Prince Until He Learned a Craft

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