Section 1
Once upon a time, there was a king whose name and kingdom are unknown. This king had a daughter who had been chronically ill, and none of the doctors had been able to heal her. One day the king was informed that his daughter's health could be restored by consuming an apple, according to a prophecy. The king then ordered that an announcement be made throughout the entire kingdom, promising that whoever brought his daughter the healing apple would become the king and marry his daughter.
A peasant with three sons learned of the prophecy and instructed his eldest to gather a basket of beautiful apples with red cheeks from the garden and take them to the court. Perhaps the king's daughter found her health with the apple and the eldest son would marry her and become king. The young man set out on his journey and encountered a hoary little man who inquired about the contents of the basket. The young man, named Uele, replied that he had frogs' legs inside. The little man said, "So shall it be and remain," before departing. Uele eventually arrived at the palace and presented the basket of apples to the king, who was thrilled at the prospect of the cure. However, when Uele opened the basket, the king found out that it contained only frogs' legs that were still kicking. Enraged, the king had Uele thrown out of the palace.
After arriving home, he shared his experience with his father. Following that, his father sent the next son, who also went through the same ordeal as Uele, and his name was just like his older brother. The little, old man appeared before him and inquired about the contents of his basket. The son replied that it contained hog’s bristles, to which the old man responded, "So be it." Upon reaching the king's palace, he presented the basket of apples, claiming they would restore the health of the king's daughter. However, they refused to allow him entry, stating that another person had already made such a claim and treated them like fools.
The son argued that he did have the apples and should be granted access. Eventually, they relented and escorted him to the king. When he uncovered the basket, instead of apples, it contained hog’s bristles. The king became furious and had him whipped out of the palace.
Upon returning home, he recounted his experience to his father. The youngest son, Hans, who was often called "stupid Hans," asked if he could try his luck with some apples. The father scoffed at the idea, saying that if the clever brothers couldn't succeed, what chance did Hans have? However, Hans persisted and insisted that he wanted to try. The father dismissively told him to wait until he was wiser and turned away, but Hans continued to plead with him. Eventually, the father relented, telling Hans that he could go if he wanted, but warned him that he would likely come back home quickly. The boy was overjoyed and jumped with excitement. The father scolded him, calling him a fool and growing more frustrated with his son's lack of intelligence. Since it was already nighttime, Hans decided to wait until the next day to set out for the palace. He couldn't sleep all night, dreaming of beautiful maidens, palaces made of gold and silver, and all sorts of extravagant things.
Early in the morning, Hans set out on his journey. Shortly after, he encountered the little shabby-looking man in his icy clothes, who inquired about the contents of his basket. Hans replied that he had apples that could cure the king's daughter. The little man simply replied, "So be it."When he arrived at the palace, the guards refused to let him enter, claiming that two others had already come with apples and one had brought frog legs while the other had hog’s bristles. Hans insisted that he didn't have either of those things, but the most beautiful apples in the kingdom. He spoke so pleasantly that the doorkeeper believed him and allowed him to enter. As soon as Hans revealed his basket before the king, a cascade of luscious golden apples spilled out.
The king's heart was filled with delight as he ordered some of the golden apples to be taken to his daughter, eagerly awaiting news of their effect. It didn't take long before the news arrived, and to his surprise, it was his daughter who appeared before him, fully cured and bursting with energy. The king was overwhelmed with joy, and his gratitude knew no bounds. However, despite Hans' heroic feat, the king was not yet willing to give his daughter's hand in marriage to him. He presented Hans with a seemingly impossible task: to build a boat that could travel faster on land than on water. Undaunted, Hans accepted the challenge and returned home to share the news. Their father sent Uele into the forest to build such a boat, and he labored tirelessly, whistling a tune all the while.
