The Smart Son-in-Law: A Fairy Tale

The Clever Son-in-Law: A Fairy Tale

King Abip had a grown daughter who was not yet married.

Hundreds of suitors, from noble families, had come to ask for her hand in marriage, but she had rejected them all.

The king did not want to force his daughter, but he was anxious and complained to her:

“You cannot remain unmarried forever, my child. You have no brothers, only you, my daughter. After I am gone, what will become of you? Your stubbornness causes me great sorrow.”

“Father, I am not refusing to marry. I only want you to find me a husband who is intelligent and refined.”

The king was delighted:

“How will you recognize the intelligence and refinement of your future husband?”

“Like this, Father: Hold a competition. I will tell a boastful story. Whoever can tell a more boastful story will become my husband.”

Illustration.

Indeed, it was a wise idea, as it would take intelligence to create an impressive tale.

The king found this way of choosing a husband rather peculiar, but he did not want to go against his beloved daughter’s wishes.

A decree was sent out across the land: The king would give his daughter’s hand in marriage to whoever could tell a more boastful story than the princess.

The princess’s story went like this: “I had a pot made. It was so large that three hundred and sixty nails were needed to assemble its parts. Each nail had to be forged by a different blacksmith. The blacksmiths could not hear each other’s hammers due to the great distance between them.”

Suitors, from noble and wealthy families, came from far and wide. They were all invited to the royal court, where the king and princess awaited.

Each suitor told their boastful story, but compared to the princess’s tale, theirs were all rather foolish.

Week after week, the suitors came and went, eventually withdrawing their proposals. The king hosted grand feasts to bid them farewell and bestowed upon them many gifts as consolation.

The princess was triumphant. She was proud to have outdone all these suitors. Moreover, she was delighted to continue living according to her whims while still pleasing her father. On the other hand, the king was very worried and sad. He knew that each rejected suitor would become an enemy of their kingdom.

Then, one day, a young man arrived to participate in the competition. He was different from the previous wealthy and noble suitors; he was poor. After greeting the king and princess, he began his story:

“I grew a cabbage with three hundred and sixty leaves. Each leaf could shelter three hundred and sixty knights. One knight could not see another due to the great distance between them.”

The princess asked:

“What did you use to cook this enormous cabbage?”

“Your Majesty, I used your pot.”

The princess exclaimed:

“Oh! Your story is better than mine. I admit defeat.”

And so, the poor young man married the princess, and they lived a very happy life together.

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