There once lived a man and a woman with their only child, Hans, in a solitary valley. One spring day, the mother took two-year-old Hans into the forest to gather fir branches. Lured by the colorful flowers, they wandered deep into the woods, where two robbers suddenly seized them and carried them far into a remote, dark forest.
The robbers, deaf to the mother's pleas, forced them through thickets for miles until they reached a hidden door in a rock. Inside, a long passage led to a great cavern lit by a hearth fire. The walls were hung with gleaming weapons, and robbers sat gambling at a black table. Their captain assured the frightened woman she would be unharmed if she kept house for them. She and Hans remained there for many years.
Hans grew tall and strong. His mother taught him to read from an old book of knightly tales found in the cave. At nine, Hans made a strong fir club and demanded to know who his father was. His mother, fearing the robbers and his homesickness, remained silent. That night, Hans confronted the robber captain, who merely laughed and knocked him under the table. Hans decided to wait a year and try again.
A year later, with the robbers drunk and heavy-headed, Hans confronted the captain once more. Again, he was struck down, but this time he rose and beat the entire band with his club until they could no longer move. His mother watched in admiration.
Having proven his strength, Hans again asked his mother about his father. She agreed to help him find him. She took the entrance key from the captain, and Hans filled a large sack with treasure from the cave. They escaped into the daylight, which amazed Hans after years in darkness. After a few hours' walk, they safely reached their lonely valley and little house.
Hans's father, who had long thought them dead, wept for joy in the doorway. Hans, though not yet twelve, was a head taller than his father. When Hans placed his heavy sack on a bench, it broke through the floor into the cellar. "Don't worry, Father," said Hans, "there's more than enough in this sack to build a new house." They did just that, bought land and cattle, and Hans proved so strong at ploughing that the oxen barely had to pull.
The next spring, Hans asked for a hundredweight walking stick so he could travel. With his new club, he ventured into a deep, dark forest. There, he met a giant twisting a fir tree like a rope. Impressed by his strength, Hans named him Fir-Twister and invited him to come along. Further on, they found another giant splitting a mighty rock with his fists to build a shelter from wild beasts. Hans named him Rock-Splitter and recruited him too.
The three companions roamed the forest, terrifying wild beasts. They found an old deserted castle to spend the night. The next day, Hans killed a wild boar with his club, and they feasted. They agreed that each day, two would hunt while one stayed to cook.
When Fir-Twister stayed behind to cook, a shriveled old dwarf came begging for meat. Fir-Twister refused and was soundly beaten by the seemingly insignificant creature. He said nothing to the others, hoping they would suffer the same fate. The next day, Rock-Splitter suffered an identical beating when he refused the dwarf meat. Both kept silent, wanting Hans to "taste that soup."
On Hans's turn to cook, the dwarf again demanded meat. Hans, thinking him a poor wretch, kindly gave him a share twice. When the dwarf demanded a third portion, Hans refused. The enraged dwarf attacked, but Hans easily struck him a couple of blows, sending him fleeing down the castle steps. Hans chased him to the forest and saw him slip into a hole in a rock, marking the spot.
When his companions returned, surprised to see him unharmed, Hans scolded them for their greed and cowardice. They confessed their beatings. Hans led them to the hole with a basket and rope, and they lowered him down.
At the bottom, Hans found a door. Behind it sat a maiden of indescribable beauty, chained, with the grinning dwarf beside her. Filled with pity, Hans struck the dwarf dead with his club. The chains fell away, and the maiden revealed she was a princess, imprisoned by a savage count who had set the dwarf as her guard.
Hans placed the maiden in the basket to be hauled up. Suspicious of his companions, he sent up his club instead of himself. His caution saved him, as they dropped the basket halfway. Trapped, Hans discovered a shining ring on the dead dwarf's finger. When he put it on and turned it, spirits of the air appeared, declaring him their master. At his command, they carried him to the surface.
His faithless companions and the princess were gone. Using the ring, Hans learned they were at sea. He raced to the shore, saw their distant boat, and in a rage jumped into the water. His heavy club nearly drowned him, but in time he used the ring. The spirits bore him swiftly to the boat. There, he beat the traitors and cast them into the sea. He then sailed with the rescued princess back to her kingdom, married her, and all rejoiced.