The Fisherman's Son
Once there lived a fisherman who had a young son. One day, the fisherman and his son went fishing. They caught so many fish that they didn’t have enough containers to carry them all home. The father went to fetch more containers, leaving the son to watch over the fish. As the boy looked at the catch, he noticed among the fish a beautiful red fish. The boy said:“It’s a pity to kill such a wonderful fish.”
He took it and released it back into the water. The fish turned around, plucked a small bone from its fin, gave it to the boy, and said:
“Keep this. If you ever find yourself in trouble, come to the river and call out, ‘Red fish!’ I will appear at once and help you.”
The father returned with the containers, but when he saw that the red fish was gone, he grew angry with his son and drove him away:
“Go wherever you want and never show your face to me again.”
The boy left. As he walked, he saw a deer running, chased by a hunter who was about to catch it. The boy crossed the hunter’s path, preventing him from killing the deer. The deer then turned to the boy, plucked a strand of fur from its coat, gave it to him, and said:
“If you ever find yourself in trouble, come to the forest and call out, ‘Deer!’ I will appear at once and help you.”
The boy continued on his way. Soon, he saw a crane flying in the sky, pursued by an eagle. The boy threw a stick at the eagle and saved the crane. The crane plucked a feather from its wing, gave it to the boy, and said:
“If you ever find yourself in trouble, take this feather and call out, ‘Crane!’ I will appear at once and help you.”
The boy walked further and saw dogs chasing a fox. He drove the dogs away and saved the fox. The fox plucked a strand of fur from its tail, gave it to the boy, and said:
“If you ever find yourself in trouble, come to the forest and call out, ‘Fox!’ I will appear at once and help you.”
The fisherman’s son continued his journey. Eventually, he met a beautiful and wealthy girl and decided to marry her.
This girl had a magical mirror that could reveal anyone’s hiding place, no matter how well-hidden they were. She vowed to marry only the man who could hide so well that her mirror couldn’t find him.
The fisherman’s son went to the river, took out the fish bone, and called out:
“Red fish!”
The fish appeared at once. The boy shared his heart’s desire with the fish. The fish carried him on its back and dove to the bottom of the sea, hiding him behind a large rock and covering him with its body.
The girl looked into her mirror and saw the young man at the bottom of the sea.
He returned and said to the girl:
“You’ll never guess where I was.” The girl replied:
“Oh, but I can! The red fish took you to the bottom of the sea, hid you behind a rock, and covered you with its body.”
“Very well, I’ll hide again,” said the young man.
He went to the forest, took out the deer’s fur, and called out:
“Deer!”
The deer appeared at once, carried him on its back, and took him deep into an impenetrable forest. It hid him in a cave and covered him with its body. The girl looked into her mirror and saw the young man. He returned and said:
“You’ll never guess where I was this time!” The girl replied:
“The deer took you deep into the forest, hid you in a cave, and covered you with its body.”
The young man said:
“Very well, I’ll hide a third time!”
He went to an open field, took out the crane’s feather, and called out:
“Crane!”
The crane appeared, carried him on its back, and flew to the very edge of the sky. It hid him and covered him with its body.
The girl looked into her mirror and saw the young man.
He returned and said:
“You couldn’t possibly have seen me this time—I was in such a remote place!” The girl replied:
“The crane took you to the edge of the sky, hid you, and covered you with its body.”
The young man then asked:
“Very well, let me hide one last time.”
He went to the forest, took out the fox’s fur, and called out:
“Fox!”
The fox appeared at once. The young man shared his heart’s desire with the fox. The fox led him away and hid him behind nine mountains. Then it began to dig. It dug and dug until it reached the very house where the girl lived. The fox led the young man and hid him under her bed.
The girl looked into her mirror, turning it toward the mountains, the forests, the sky, and the sea—but the young man was nowhere to be found!
She called out:
“Where are you, you sly one? I can’t see you anywhere!”
The fox then led the young man out from under her bed.
The girl was amazed. The fisherman’s son married her, and all her wealth became his. You see, in the most difficult moment, it was the fox who proved most useful!
More fairy tales
- The Merchant's Daughter
- About the Lazybones
- Abesalom and Eteri
- About Two Lucky Pennies
- The Kind Shepherd and the Curious Girl
