There were once three brothers who had fallen into deep poverty and faced starvation. They decided to seek their fortune in the world and set out on a journey.
One day, they came to a forest with a hill made of silver. The eldest brother took as much silver as he could carry and returned home, satisfied. The two younger brothers, wanting more than mere silver, continued on.
After two more days, they found a hill of gold. The second brother, after some hesitation, filled his pockets with gold and went home. The third brother declared, "Silver and gold do not move me," and pressed on alone.
After three days in an even vaster forest, exhausted and starving, he climbed a tree to look for an end to the woods but saw only treetops. Descending, he was astonished to find a table laden with food beneath the tree. He ate his fill, then carefully folded the tablecloth and took it with him. That evening, he discovered the cloth was magical: when spread out and wished upon, it would cover itself with exquisite dishes. "Thou shalt be dearer to me than the mountains of silver and gold," he said. Yet, he chose to continue his wanderings.
One night, he met a lonely charcoal-burner preparing a humble meal of potatoes. The youth offered to share his magical cloth, producing a feast. Amazed, the charcoal-burner proposed an exchange: the cloth for an old, shabby soldier's knapsack. "Every time thou tappest it," the charcoal-burner explained, "a corporal with six armed men appears to do thy bidding." The youth agreed to the trade. Once alone, he tapped the knapsack, commanded the soldiers to retrieve his cloth, and continued his journey with both items.
He repeated this pattern twice more. He met a second charcoal-burner and traded the cloth for an old hat that, when turned on the head, could fire cannons that none could withstand. He then used the knapsack's soldiers to get his cloth back. From a third charcoal-burner, he acquired a horn that, when blown, could topple all walls and fortifications, again reclaiming his cloth afterwards. Now in possession of all three magical items—the knapsack, the hat, and the horn—he decided to return home.
His brothers had built a fine house with their silver and gold. Dressed in rags with his old gear, he was mocked and driven away. Enraged, he used the knapsack to summon soldiers who surrounded the house and beat his brothers until they acknowledged him. When the King sent troops to arrest this "disturber of the peace," the youth used his knapsack to raise a larger army, repelling them. To end the conflict swiftly, he used the hat's cannons to put the King's forces to flight.
He then demanded the King's daughter in marriage and the right to rule in the King's name. The King, seeing no alternative, agreed. The princess, however, was ashamed of her seemingly common husband and plotted to steal his powers. Through deceit, she first tricked him out of the knapsack and used its soldiers to banish him. He retaliated with the hat's cannons, forcing her to beg for mercy and return the knapsack. Later, she tricked him again, learning the secret of the hat and having it thrown away.
With only the horn left, and in great anger, the youth blew it with all his might. Instantly, walls, fortifications, towns, and villages collapsed, crushing the King and his daughter to death. Had he blown it longer, everything would have been reduced to ruins. With no one left to oppose him, he made himself King of the whole country.