Read The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales (Penguin Classics) for Free Online

He received them from the radiantly beautiful snake queen in the palace of the enchanted garden. When he stopped at the tavern, the brothers-in-law wanted the drops as well, and he handed them over, but only on condition that they let themselves be marked on their backs with the rack.
    The king recovered, but a terrible war broke out. The people rallied to the king’s side to drive out the enemy. His sons-in-law appeared with their armies, but for a long time the battle was undecided.
    The gardener’s wife did not want her husband to join up. She feared for his life and allowed him to observe the conflict only from a distance. He used that chance to run off and return to the wild man, who gave him armor, a horse, and a sword. He flew off to battle. But the conflict was still not settled, and a weeklong armistice was declared. After that, war broke out again, and the wild man sought out the gardener,armed him, and told him that victory should still not be decisive.
    War broke out a third time, and this time the wild man told the gardener that it was time for a real victory. The gardener took his invincible sword and struck down his enemies. In the heat of battle between friends and foe, the king accidentally injured the gardener’s foot.
    Once the battle was over, the king tore a kerchief from his neck and bandaged the wound of the gardener, whom he didn’t recognize: The gardener was covered up, from head to toe, by his suit of armor.
    Not much later, the king decided to host a banquet and wanted to invite all of his sons-in-law. He went over to the garden where his daughter was living. Looking over the fence, he could see the gardener bandaging his injured foot with the king’s own kerchief. He was mystified, but did not let on that he knew anything and persuaded the gardener to attend the banquet.
    When the gardener arrived at the banquet hall, he was wearing ordinary clothes and still had on the white head covering. He was given a seat between his two brothers-in-law.
    “I will not sit between two fellows who have been marked by the rack or the gallows,” the gardener declared, and he described what they had done with the apples from paradise and the snake’s milk. After the uproar, it was decided that the two should be broken on the rack. But the gardener pleaded for mercy, and it was granted.
    The king wondered why the gardener was wounded, and he also wanted to know how he had come by the kerchief. “I wounded a brave young soldier during the battle and bound his wound with my kerchief. I’d also like to know exactly why you are wearing that strange head covering.”
    Messengers from a distant land suddenly crowded the great hall and announced: “Our king has died, and we are seeking a new king, his son, Prince Goldenlocks. By using wisely the sorcery of the wonders in the garden, the charms of the snake queen, and the powers of the invincible sword, Prince Goldenlocks liberated the wild man and lifted the curse on him. Andall the while he has been toiling here in humble service.” The gardener blushed, took off his head covering, and his long golden locks fell down to his shoulders.
    He was declared king in his homeland and true heir to his wife’s fortune.

THE BEAUTIFUL SLAVE GIRL
    A wealthy merchant had a son named Karl, who was the silent type. He decided to send the boy to live with his uncle to learn the ways of the world.
    The uncle owned a beautiful garden. The boy loved visiting it, because a slave girl whom the uncle had acquired spent a good deal of time there. She was a woman of exquisite beauty and kept herself busy with all kinds of tasks in the garden.
    Karl fell madly in love with her, and when he decided to return home, he was not satisfied with the valuable gifts the uncle had given him. “My dear uncle,” he said, “you have given me many lovely gifts, but I would like to ask for an even more generous gift. Give me your slave girl!”
    “You are the son of my brother and very dear to