There was once a King whose wife had golden hair and was of unparalleled beauty. On her deathbed, she made the King promise to marry only someone as beautiful as she, with the same golden hair.
For a long time, the King grieved and refused to remarry. His councillors insisted he must have a Queen, so messengers were sent far and wide to find a bride matching the late Queen's beauty. None could be found, especially one with such golden hair.
The King had a daughter who grew to be the very image of her mother, possessing the same golden hair. One day, looking upon her, the King was overcome with love and announced his intention to marry her. His councillors were horrified, declaring such a union forbidden by God and disastrous for the kingdom.
The princess, equally shocked, hoped to dissuade him. She demanded three impossible dresses: one as golden as the sun, one as silvery as the moon, and one as bright as the stars. Furthermore, she asked for a mantle made from a thousand different kinds of fur, requiring a piece of skin from every animal in the kingdom. She believed these tasks were impossible and would make her father abandon his wicked plan.
Undeterred, the King commanded his cleverest maidens to weave the three dresses and his huntsmen to collect the furs. When the magnificent fur mantle was finally presented to her, the King declared the wedding would be the next day.
Seeing no other escape, the princess resolved to flee. That night, she took a golden ring, a golden spinning-wheel, and a golden reel from her treasures. She packed the three dresses into a nutshell, donned the fur mantle, blackened her face and hands with soot, and fled into a great forest. Exhausted, she hid in a hollow tree and fell asleep.
She was discovered the next day by the huntsmen of another King, who was hunting in that forest. Mistaking her for a wondrous beast due to her fur cloak, they captured her. She awoke in terror, claiming to be a poor orphan. They took her to their palace, named her "Allerleirauh," and put her to work in the kitchen, where she lived in wretchedness, doing all the dirty work.
One day, a feast was held at the palace. Allerleirauh begged the cook for permission to watch. Granted a half-hour, she washed herself, put on her dress that shone like the sun, and attended the feast. The King was captivated by her beauty and danced with her, but she vanished before the dance ended, returning to her kitchen disguise.
Later, the cook ordered her to make the King's soup. In the soup, she hid her golden ring. The King, finding the soup exceptionally delicious, discovered the ring and summoned the cook, who then revealed Allerleirauh as the true cook. When questioned by the King, she claimed to be a useless orphan and knew nothing of the ring.
At a second feast, the same events transpired. Allerleirauh wore her dress as silvery as the moon, danced with the King, and vanished. This time, she hid her golden spinning-wheel in his soup.
At the third feast, she wore her dress as bright as the stars. While dancing, the King cleverly slipped a golden ring onto her finger. In her haste to escape, she could only throw her fur mantle over her starry dress and failed to blacken one finger completely. For the King's soup, she hid her golden reel.
Finding the reel, the King summoned Allerleirauh. He noticed her white finger and the ring he had placed there. Seizing her hand, her fur mantle opened, revealing the starry dress beneath. The King tore off the mantle, and her golden hair shone forth in full splendour. After she washed off the soot, her true, breathtaking beauty was revealed.
The King declared, "Thou art my dear bride, and we will never more part from each other." They were married and lived happily for the rest of their days.