About a thousand years ago, there were many small kings in the land. One king, who lived on Keuterberg, loved to hunt.
One day, as he rode out with his huntsmen, three girls tending cows on the mountain saw him. The eldest pointed at the King and said to her sisters, "If I do not marry him, I will marry no one."
The second girl, from across the hill, pointed to the man on the King's right and cried, "If I do not get him, I will have no one!" That man was one of the King's ministers.
The King overheard them. Upon returning from the hunt, he summoned the three girls and asked what they had said. They remained silent, so the King asked the eldest if she would truly have him as her husband. She agreed, and they married. The two ministers married her sisters, for all three were beautiful, especially the Queen with her flaxen hair.
The Queen's sisters had no children. Once, when the King was away, he asked them to keep the Queen company, as she was expecting a child. She gave birth to a boy who was born with a bright red star.
Jealous, the sisters plotted to drown the baby. After throwing him into the river Weser, a little bird flew up and sang:
"To thy death art thou sped,
Until God's word be said.
In the white lily bloom,
Brave boy, is thy tomb."
Terrified, the sisters fled. When the King returned, they told him the Queen had given birth to a dog. The King said, "What God does is well done." Meanwhile, a fisherman who lived nearby rescued the baby and, having no children of his own, raised him as his son.
A year later, the King traveled again, and the Queen had a second son. The wicked sisters threw this child into the river as well. Again, a little bird sang the same song. The sisters told the King another lie, and again he accepted it. The fisherman rescued and raised this second boy too.
When the King next journeyed forth, the Queen had a daughter. The sisters threw the infant into the water. A little bird flew up and sang a similar verse for the "bonny girl." This time, they told the King his wife had borne a cat. Enraged, the King had the Queen imprisoned for many years.
Meanwhile, the children grew up. The eldest boy once went fishing with other boys, but they rejected him, calling him a "foundling." Distressed, he asked the old fisherman if this was true. The fisherman confessed he had found him in the water. Determined to find his father, the boy set out on a journey.
After many days, he came to a vast body of water where an old woman was fishing. He greeted her, and she replied, "You will search long before you find your father. How will you cross this water?" "God knows," he answered. The old woman carried him across on her back. He searched for a long time but could not find his father.
A year later, the second boy set out to find his brother. His journey mirrored his brother's: he met the same old woman, was carried across the water, and searched in vain.
Now only the daughter remained at home. Grieving for her brothers, she begged the fisherman to let her search for them. She too came to the great water and greeted the old woman politely, saying, "May God help you with your fishing." Pleased by her kindness, the old woman carried her across, gave her a wand, and gave her instructions:
"Follow this road. You will meet a great black dog. Pass it silently and bravely, without laughing or looking at it. You will then reach a great high castle. Drop the wand on the threshold, walk straight through the castle and out the other side. There, you will see an old fountain with a large tree growing from it. On the tree hangs a bird in a cage; take it down. Also, take a glass of water from the fountain. Return the same way, pick up the wand from the threshold, and when you pass the dog again, strike it in the face with the wand. Then come back to me."
The girl did everything as instructed. On her way back, she found her two brothers. Together, they returned to the black dog. She struck it with the wand, and it transformed into a handsome prince who joined them. The old woman, still waiting by the river, rejoiced to see them. She carried them all back across the water and then departed, finally freed from her own enchantment. The siblings returned to the fisherman's home, overjoyed to be reunited, and hung the caged bird on the wall.
The second son, restless at home, went hunting with his crossbow. Tired, he played his flute. The King, who was also hunting nearby, heard the music and approached. "Who gave you leave to hunt here?" demanded the King.
"No one," replied the youth.
"To whom do you belong, then?"
"I am the fisherman's son."
"But he has no children."
"If you do not believe me, come and see."
The King went with him and questioned the fisherman, who told the whole story. At that moment, the bird on the wall began to sing:
"The mother sits alone
There in the prison small,
O King of royal blood,
These are thy children all.
The sisters twain so false,
They wrought the children woe,
There in the waters deep
Where the fishermen come and go."
Everyone was astonished. The King took the bird, the fisherman, and the three children back to his castle. He ordered the prison opened and released his wife, who had grown ill and weak. Her daughter gave her the water from the fountain to drink, restoring her health and strength. The two false sisters were burned for their treachery, and the daughter married the prince who had been the enchanted dog.