Once upon a time, there was a proud princess who challenged her suitors with a riddle. Whoever failed to guess it was scorned and sent away, but the one who succeeded would win her hand in marriage.
Three tailors decided to try their luck. The two eldest were confident in their skills, while the third was a seemingly foolish young man who knew little of his trade but hoped for luck. Despite the others' mockery, he set off with unwavering confidence.
They presented themselves to the princess. "I have two kinds of hair on my head," she said. "What colors are they?"
The first guessed black and white, like pepper and salt. The second guessed brown and red, like his father's coat. Both were wrong.
The young tailor stepped forward boldly. "You have silver and gold hair," he declared. The princess turned pale, for he was correct. Yet, she set another challenge: he must spend the night in the stable with a ferocious bear.
Undeterred, the tailor entered the bear's den. When the bear charged, the tailor calmly cracked walnuts and ate them. Tempted, the bear asked for some. The tailor tricked him with pebbles, which the bear couldn't crack. Then, the tailor played a fiddle, making the bear dance with joy. The bear, wanting to learn, asked for lessons.
"First, let me trim your long nails," said the tailor. He used a vice to clamp the bear's paws, claiming he needed scissors. Leaving the bear trapped and growling, the tailor went to sleep.
The princess, hearing the growls, assumed the bear had killed him. In the morning, she was shocked to find the tailor alive and well. Bound by her promise, she had to marry him.
As they rode to church, the two jealous tailors freed the bear. The enraged bear chased the carriage. The princess cried out in terror, but the tailor stuck his legs out the window and shouted at the bear, threatening to clamp him back in the vice. The frightened bear ran away.
The tailor and princess were married, and they lived happily ever after.