Cinderlad

 In a far away kingdom there lived a farmer. The farmer had three sons. 

The first two sons often made fun of the last son. The first two sons jeered that the last son was always covered in ash and clay. 

The last son's name was Cinderlad.

The farmer had a meadow with lots of hay growing in it. Unfortunately every year on the eve of a feast all the hay in the meadow just vanished.

The farmer could not find the reason for this. 

So he approached his first son to find the reason the hay went missing.

As the first son was lying in the meadow trying to find the reason for the disappearing hay he heard a rumbling sound on the eve of the feast. A huge earthquake followed the terrible sound.

The first son was terrified and ran away from there.

The next day when the farmer came to the farm he saw that all the hay was missing.

The next year the farmer approached his second son. The same thing happened this time too and the second son was terrified and ran away from there. It so happened that the hay went missing this night too.

Despite the first two sons making fun of the third son, Cinderlad went to the meadow to keep watch on the third year.

There were a lot of rumbling and earthquakes. But Cinderlad did not run away. 

Just when Cinderlad thought the shaking and rumbling were going to become worse, the meadow quietened down. 

Cinderlad found a huge horse on the meadow and the horse was eating all the hay. There was a saddle, a bridle and a full armour made of brass near the horse. Cinderlad threw the steel from his tinderbox on the horse and that instantly tamed the huge horse.

Cinderlad took the things and went back to his home. 

But he did not speak about it.

The farmer was stunned but this time, none of the hay was touched.

But because Cinderlad did not speak about it, no one knew what had happened.

The next year, on the eve of the same feast, Cinderlad collected the same thing, but this time the saddle, bridle and armour was made of silver.

Cinderlad took the things and on this feast the hay remained unharmed.

In the third year, Cinderlad collected the saddle, bridle and armour made of gold.

In a kingdom there was a princess who lived on top of a glass hill. She had three apples in her hands. The princess’ father, the king, had promised to marry the princess to anyone who got the three apples from the princess.

A day was fixed when all the princes, kings, knights and other people could try to take the apple from the princess. 

None of the people could even try to get up the glass hill.

At that time, a knight in fully covered brass armour rose up on a magnificent horse and reached one-third of the hill. Pleased with this, the princess threw one of the apples at the knight. The knight caught it and drove away furiously fast on his horse. 

So no one knew who the knight was.

The second day, a knight fully covered in silver armour in the same horse rode to two-thirds of the glass hill. The princess was thrilled and threw her second apple at the knight who disappeared after that.

The third time, a knight fully covered in gold armour in a magnificent horse came to the top of the hill and took the third apple from the princess. But the knight disappeared before anyone could know who he was.

The king was thrilled and annoyed at the same time. His competition had been solved, but the knight remained unknown.

So the king announced in his kingdom for the person with the apples to come forward.

Cinderlad’s two brothers came to the gathering wanting to know who the knight was. The king’s people asked them whether there was anyone else in their house. Cinderlad’s brothers told the king’s people that they had a brother who was always covered in ash and clay and there was no way he could be the knight with the armours.

The king’s people however ordered Cinderlad to come to the gathering.

Much to his brother’s astonishment, there Cinderlad produced the three apples.

Cinderlad married the princess and happily ruled half of the king’s kingdom.

Adapted from folk stories from Norway