Once upon a time, there lived a man with two sons who did not get along. The elder brother, jealous of the younger's good looks, grew to hate him. One day in the woods, the elder seized his brother, tied him to a tree, and left him to starve.
An old, hunchbacked shepherd passed by and asked why he was tied up. The clever youth replied, "Because I was crooked, but being tied has cured me, and now my back is straight." Desiring a straight back himself, the shepherd begged to be tied to the tree. The youth agreed, untied himself, bound the shepherd firmly, and drove off with the flock.
Through this and other clever tricks, the young man became famous. The king, curious to meet this master trickster, had him captured and brought to court. "Your pranks have forfeited your life," declared the king. "But I will spare you if you bring me the flying horse belonging to the great dragon. Fail, and you will be hewn into a thousand pieces."
"If that is all, you shall soon have it," said the youth.
He went to the dragon's stable. Each time he tried to take the horse, it neighed loudly, waking the dragon who slept above. After being disturbed twice, the dragon angrily beat the horse. Offended, the horse remained quiet when the youth tried a third time, allowing itself to be led away. The youth galloped off, shouting back to the dragon.
The king was pleased but demanded more: the dragon's bed covering with little bells. That night, the youth climbed onto the dragon's roof and tried to hook the covering with a chain. The bells rang, waking the dragon, who pulled the covering—and the youth—into the room. The dragon bound him, ordering his wife to kill and cook him the next day.
In the morning, as the dragoness untied him to kill him, the youth overpowered her, killed her instead, and took the covering to the king.
Still unsatisfied, the king demanded the dragon himself. The youth asked for two years to grow a beard as a disguise. When ready, he exchanged clothes with a beggar and went to the dragon's house. He found the dragon making a box intended for him. The youth, disguised as a beggar, questioned if the box was big enough. To prove it was, the dragon climbed inside. The youth instantly clapped on the lid, nailed it shut, and carried the box to the king.
Overcome with excitement, the king pried the lid open just a crack to peek inside. It was enough space for the dragon's great mouth, which snapped shut, swallowing the king whole. The young man then married the king's daughter and ruled the land. What became of the dragon, nobody knows.