August 12, 2025 • 8 mins
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
A king had a daughter who was beautiful beyond all measure,
but so proud and haughty withal that no suitor was
good enough for her. She sent away one after the other,
and made fun of them as well. Once the king
gave a great feast, and invited there too, from far
and near all the young men likely to marry. They
were marshaled in a row according to their rank and standing.
(00:22):
First came the kings, then the grand dukes, then the princes,
the earls, the barons, and the gentry. Then the king's
daughter was led through the ranks. But to every one
she had some objection to make. One was too fat
the wine cask, she said. Another was too tall, long
and thin, has little inn. The third was too short,
(00:44):
short and thick as never quick. The fourth was too
pale as pale as death. The fifth too red a
fighting cock. The sixth was not straight enough. A green
log dried behind the stove. So she had something to
say against every one, But she made herself especially merry
over a good king who stood quite high up in
(01:04):
the row, and whose chin had grown a little crooked. Well,
she cried and laughed, he has a chin like a thrush,
speak and from that time he got the name of
King Thrushbeard. But the old king, when he saw that
his daughter did nothing but mock people and despise all
the suitors who were gathered there, was very angry and
swore that she should have for her husband the very
first beggar that came to his doors. A few days afterward,
(01:27):
a fiddler came and sang beneath the windows, trying to
earn a small alms. When the king heard him, he said,
let him come up. So the fiddler came up in
his dirty, ragged clothes and sang before the king and
his daughter. When he had ended, he asked for a
trifling gift. The King said, your song has pleased me
so well that I will give you my daughter there
to wife. The king's daughter shuddered, but the King said,
(01:50):
I have taken an oath to give you to the
very first beggar man, and I will keep it. All
she could say was in vain. The priest was brought
and she had let her self be wedded to the
fiddler on the spot. When that was done, the King said,
now it is not proper for you, a beggar woman,
to stay any longer in my palace, you may go
with your husband. The beggar man let her out by
(02:12):
the hand, and she was obliged to go away on
foot with him. When they came to the lodge forest,
she asked to whom does this beautiful forest belong? It
belongs to King Thrushbeard. If you had taken him, it
would have been yours, unhappy girl that I am, if
I had but taken King Thrushbeard. Afterward, they came to
(02:32):
a meadow, and she asked again to whom does this
beautiful green meadow belong? It belongs to King Thrushbeard. If
you had taken him, it would have been yours, ah
unhappy girl that I am, if I had but taken
King Thrushbeard. Then they came to a lodge town, and
she asked again to whom does this fine lodge town belong?
It belongs to King Thrushbeard. If you had taken him,
(02:54):
it would have been yours, ah unhappy girl that I am,
if I had but take and King Thrushbeard. It does
not please me, said the fiddler, to hear you always
wishing for another husband? Am I not good enough for you?
At Last they came to a very little hut, and
she said, oh goodness, what a small house. To whom
does this miserable, mean hobble belong. The fiddler answered, that
(03:18):
is my house and yours, where we shall live together.
She had to stoop in order to go into the
low door. Where are the servants, said the king's daughter,
What servants? Answered the beggar man. You must do what
you wish to have done. Just make a fire at
once and set on water to cook my supper. I
am quite tired. But the king's daughter knew nothing about
(03:39):
lighting fires or cooking, and the beggar man had to
lend a hand himself to get anything fairly done. When
they had finished their scanty meal, they went to bed,
but he forced her to get up quite early in
the morning in order to look after the house. For
a few days, they lived in this way as well
as might be, and ate up all the food in
the house. Then the man said, wife, we cannot go
on any longer eating and drinking here and earning nothing.
(04:02):
You must weave baskets. He went out cut some willows
and brought them home. Then she began to weave, but
the tough willows wounded her delicate hands. I see that
this will not do, said the man. You had better spin,
Perhaps you can do that. She sat down and tried
to spin, but the hard thread soon cut her soft fingers,
so that the blood run down. See, said the man,
(04:23):
you are fit for no sort of work. I have
made a bad bogain with you. Now I will try
to earn a living by selling pots in earthenware. You
must sit in the market place and sell the ware.
Last thought she, if any of the people from my
father's kingdom come to the market and see me sitting
there selling, how they will mock me. But it was
of no use. She had to yield unless she chose
(04:44):
to die of hunger. For the first time, she succeeded well,
for the people were glad to buy women's wares because
she was good looking, and they paid her what she asked.
Many even gave her the money and left the pots
with her as well, so they lived on what she
had earned as long as it lasted. Then the husband
bought a lot of new crockery. With this. She sat
down at the corner of the marketplace and set it
(05:05):
around her, ready for sale. But suddenly there came a
drunken soldier galloping along, and he rode right amongst the pots,
so that they were all broken in a thousand bits.
She began to weep. She did not know what to do,
for fear alas what will happen to me? She cried?
What will my husband say to this? She ran home
and told them of the misfortune. Who would seat herself
(05:26):
at a corner of the marketplace with crockery, said the man,
leave off crying. I see very well that you cannot
do ordinary work. So I have been to our king's
palace and have asked whether they cannot find a place
for a kitchen maid. They have promised me to take
you in that way, you will get your food for nothing.
The king's daughter was now a kitchen maid, and had
to be at the cook's beck and call and do
(05:47):
the dirtiest work. In each of her pockets, she fastened
a little jar in which she took home her share
of the leavings, and upon this they lived. It happened
that the wedding of the king's eldest son was to
be celebrated, so the poor woman went up and placed
herself by the door of the hall to look on.
When all the candles were lit, and people each more
beautiful than the other entered, and all was full of
(06:09):
pump and splendor. She thought of her lot with a
sad heart, and cursed the pride and haughtiness which had
humbled her and brought her to her great poverty. The
smell of the delicious dishes which were being taken in
and out reached her, And now and then the servants
threw her a few morsels. These she put in her
jars to take home. All at once. The king's son entered,
(06:30):
clothed in velvet and silk, with gold chains around his neck.
And when he saw the beautiful woman standing by the door,
he seized her by the hand and would have danced
with her. But she refused and shrank back with fear,
for she saw that it was King Thrushbeard, the suitor
whom she had driven away with scorn. Her struggles were
of no use. He drew her into the hall, but
(06:52):
the string by which her pockets were fastened broke, The
pots fell down, the soup ran out, and the scraps
were scattered all around. And when the people saw it,
there arose laughter and derision, and she was so ashamed
that she would rather have been a thousand fathoms below ground.
She sprang to the door and would have run away,
but on the stairs a man caught her and brought
(07:13):
her back, And when she looked at him, it was
King Thrushbeard. He said to her, kindly, do not be afraid.
I and the fiddler, who have been living with you
in that wretched hovel, are one for a love of you.
I disguised myself so, and I also was the soldier
who wrote through your crockery. 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
(07:36):
and said, I have done great wrong. I am not
worthy to be your wife. But he said, be comforted.
The evil days are past. Now we will celebrate our wedding.
Then the maids in waiting came and put the most
splendid clothing on her. Her father and his whole court
arrived and wished her happiness in her marriage to King Thrushbeard.
And the joy now began, And ernest I wish you
(07:59):
and I had been there too. End of King Thrushbeard.
A king had a daughter who was beautiful beyond all measure,
but so proud and haughty withal that no suitor was
good enough for her. She sent away one after the other,
and made fun of them as well. Once the king
gave a great feast, and invited there too, from far
and near all the young men likely to marry. They
were marshaled in a row according to their rank and standing.
(00:22):
First came the kings, then the grand dukes, then the princes,
the earls, the barons, and the gentry. Then the king's
daughter was led through the ranks. But to every one
she had some objection to make. One was too fat
the wine cask, she said. Another was too tall, long
and thin, has little inn. The third was too short,
(00:44):
short and thick as never quick. The fourth was too
pale as pale as death. The fifth too red a
fighting cock. The sixth was not straight enough. A green
log dried behind the stove. So she had something to
say against every one, But she made herself especially merry
over a good king who stood quite high up in
(01:04):
the row, and whose chin had grown a little crooked. Well,
she cried and laughed, he has a chin like a thrush,
speak and from that time he got the name of
King Thrushbeard. But the old king, when he saw that
his daughter did nothing but mock people and despise all
the suitors who were gathered there, was very angry and
swore that she should have for her husband the very
first beggar that came to his doors. A few days afterward,
(01:27):
a fiddler came and sang beneath the windows, trying to
earn a small alms. When the king heard him, he said,
let him come up. So the fiddler came up in
his dirty, ragged clothes and sang before the king and
his daughter. When he had ended, he asked for a
trifling gift. The King said, your song has pleased me
so well that I will give you my daughter there
to wife. The king's daughter shuddered, but the King said,
(01:50):
I have taken an oath to give you to the
very first beggar man, and I will keep it. All
she could say was in vain. The priest was brought
and she had let her self be wedded to the
fiddler on the spot. When that was done, the King said,
now it is not proper for you, a beggar woman,
to stay any longer in my palace, you may go
with your husband. The beggar man let her out by
(02:12):
the hand, and she was obliged to go away on
foot with him. When they came to the lodge forest,
she asked to whom does this beautiful forest belong? It
belongs to King Thrushbeard. If you had taken him, it
would have been yours, unhappy girl that I am, if
I had but taken King Thrushbeard. Afterward, they came to
(02:32):
a meadow, and she asked again to whom does this
beautiful green meadow belong? It belongs to King Thrushbeard. If
you had taken him, it would have been yours, ah
unhappy girl that I am, if I had but taken
King Thrushbeard. Then they came to a lodge town, and
she asked again to whom does this fine lodge town belong?
It belongs to King Thrushbeard. If you had taken him,
(02:54):
it would have been yours, ah unhappy girl that I am,
if I had but take and King Thrushbeard. It does
not please me, said the fiddler, to hear you always
wishing for another husband? Am I not good enough for you?
At Last they came to a very little hut, and
she said, oh goodness, what a small house. To whom
does this miserable, mean hobble belong. The fiddler answered, that
(03:18):
is my house and yours, where we shall live together.
She had to stoop in order to go into the
low door. Where are the servants, said the king's daughter,
What servants? Answered the beggar man. You must do what
you wish to have done. Just make a fire at
once and set on water to cook my supper. I
am quite tired. But the king's daughter knew nothing about
(03:39):
lighting fires or cooking, and the beggar man had to
lend a hand himself to get anything fairly done. When
they had finished their scanty meal, they went to bed,
but he forced her to get up quite early in
the morning in order to look after the house. For
a few days, they lived in this way as well
as might be, and ate up all the food in
the house. Then the man said, wife, we cannot go
on any longer eating and drinking here and earning nothing.
(04:02):
You must weave baskets. He went out cut some willows
and brought them home. Then she began to weave, but
the tough willows wounded her delicate hands. I see that
this will not do, said the man. You had better spin,
Perhaps you can do that. She sat down and tried
to spin, but the hard thread soon cut her soft fingers,
so that the blood run down. See, said the man,
(04:23):
you are fit for no sort of work. I have
made a bad bogain with you. Now I will try
to earn a living by selling pots in earthenware. You
must sit in the market place and sell the ware.
Last thought she, if any of the people from my
father's kingdom come to the market and see me sitting
there selling, how they will mock me. But it was
of no use. She had to yield unless she chose
(04:44):
to die of hunger. For the first time, she succeeded well,
for the people were glad to buy women's wares because
she was good looking, and they paid her what she asked.
Many even gave her the money and left the pots
with her as well, so they lived on what she
had earned as long as it lasted. Then the husband
bought a lot of new crockery. With this. She sat
down at the corner of the marketplace and set it
(05:05):
around her, ready for sale. But suddenly there came a
drunken soldier galloping along, and he rode right amongst the pots,
so that they were all broken in a thousand bits.
She began to weep. She did not know what to do,
for fear alas what will happen to me? She cried?
What will my husband say to this? She ran home
and told them of the misfortune. Who would seat herself
(05:26):
at a corner of the marketplace with crockery, said the man,
leave off crying. I see very well that you cannot
do ordinary work. So I have been to our king's
palace and have asked whether they cannot find a place
for a kitchen maid. They have promised me to take
you in that way, you will get your food for nothing.
The king's daughter was now a kitchen maid, and had
to be at the cook's beck and call and do
(05:47):
the dirtiest work. In each of her pockets, she fastened
a little jar in which she took home her share
of the leavings, and upon this they lived. It happened
that the wedding of the king's eldest son was to
be celebrated, so the poor woman went up and placed
herself by the door of the hall to look on.
When all the candles were lit, and people each more
beautiful than the other entered, and all was full of
(06:09):
pump and splendor. She thought of her lot with a
sad heart, and cursed the pride and haughtiness which had
humbled her and brought her to her great poverty. The
smell of the delicious dishes which were being taken in
and out reached her, And now and then the servants
threw her a few morsels. These she put in her
jars to take home. All at once. The king's son entered,
(06:30):
clothed in velvet and silk, with gold chains around his neck.
And when he saw the beautiful woman standing by the door,
he seized her by the hand and would have danced
with her. But she refused and shrank back with fear,
for she saw that it was King Thrushbeard, the suitor
whom she had driven away with scorn. Her struggles were
of no use. He drew her into the hall, but
(06:52):
the string by which her pockets were fastened broke, The
pots fell down, the soup ran out, and the scraps
were scattered all around. And when the people saw it,
there arose laughter and derision, and she was so ashamed
that she would rather have been a thousand fathoms below ground.
She sprang to the door and would have run away,
but on the stairs a man caught her and brought
(07:13):
her back, And when she looked at him, it was
King Thrushbeard. He said to her, kindly, do not be afraid.
I and the fiddler, who have been living with you
in that wretched hovel, are one for a love of you.
I disguised myself so, and I also was the soldier
who wrote through your crockery. 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
(07:36):
and said, I have done great wrong. I am not
worthy to be your wife. But he said, be comforted.
The evil days are past. Now we will celebrate our wedding.
Then the maids in waiting came and put the most
splendid clothing on her. Her father and his whole court
arrived and wished her happiness in her marriage to King Thrushbeard.
And the joy now began, And ernest I wish you
(07:59):
and I had been there too. End of King Thrushbeard.
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