Kila: King Thrushbeard

Kila: King Thrushbeard - a story book from Kila

Kila offers fun story books to stimulate the love of reading. Kila’s story books help kids to enjoy reading and learning with a plentiful amount of fables and fairy tales.

A King had a beautiful daughter. She was so conceited, that no man was good enough for her.

She made herself especially merry over a good king whose chin had grown a little crooked. "Well," she cried and laughed, "he has a chin like a thrush's beak!" And, from that time, he got the name of King Thrushbeard.

The old King was very angry and swore that she should have for her husband the very first beggar that came to his doors.

A few days afterwards, a fiddler came and sang beneath the windows. The King kept his words and gave him his daughter.

The King's daughter shuddered but a priest was already brought and she had to let herself be wedded to the fiddler on the spot.

The beggar led her out by the hand, and she was obliged to walk away on foot with him.

At last, they came to a very little hut and the fiddler said, "This is my house, and yours, where we shall live together."

She knew nothing about housework. She had to sit in the marketplace and sell their wares. People were glad to buy the wife’s wares because she was good looking.

But suddenly, there a drunken hussar came galloping along, and he rode right amongst the pots so that they were all broken. She began to weep, then ran home and told her husband of the misfortune.

He found a job for her in King’s palace nearby. The wife had to do the dirtiest work.

It happened that the wedding of the King's eldest son was to be celebrated. When the Prince entered, the beautiful wife shrank with fear, for she saw that it was King Thrushbeard.

But on the stairs, King Thrushbeard caught her and said to her kindly, "I and the beggar who has been living with you and the hussar who rode through your crockery are one.”

“For love of you, I disguised myself so. This was all done to humble your proud spirit, and to punish you for the insolence with which you mocked me."

Then she wept bitterly and said, "I have done great wrong and am not worthy to be your wife." But he said, "Be comforted, the evil days are past; now we will celebrate our wedding." Then they put on her the most splendid clothing, and their joy began in earnest.

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