The Golden Bird

Author: A Brothers Grimm Tale · Retold as a Fable by DozyStories

  • Age6–11
  • Reading time15 min
  • LevelAdvanced

Introduction

Why turn a fairy tale into a fable? A fable strips a story to its bones: a clear choice, a clear price, and a clear lesson. That is exactly what "The Golden Bird" needs, because at heart it is a story about listening. The fox's advice is always sound, yet the two elder brothers will not hear it, and even the youngest, who means well, is dazzled twice by something shinier — a golden cage, a golden saddle. Chinese readers will feel at home with this pattern at once: it is the old wisdom that good counsel may sting, and the proverb that small greed ruins a great plan. The tale itself has a famous European cousin, the Russian "Firebird," where a grey wolf plays the helper's part that the fox plays here. As you read with your child, count the fox's warnings together and ask what each one costs when it is ignored. And at the end, wonder together about the strangest question of all: why would the fox ask to be beheaded, and why would a kind prince finally agree? In that old spell lies the story's deepest idea — that true friendship may call for a sacrifice we do not yet understand.

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The Golden Bird - The king's golden apples keep vanishing, so his three sons take turns watching the tree, and only the youngest catches a glimpse of the golden bird - Scene Illustration 1
The king's golden apples keep vanishing, so his three sons take turns watching the tree, and only the youngest catches a glimpse of the golden bird
Long ago a king had a fine garden behind his castle, and in it grew a tree that gave golden apples. Each apple shone like the sun, and everyone said there was no finer treasure in all the land. The gardeners counted the apples every morning, and not one could be missing.
But one morning a gardener ran to the king with bad news: one of the golden apples was gone. The king was angry and surprised, so he gave a new order. From that night on, someone had to watch the tree every night and catch the thief.
The king had three sons. The eldest son took the first watch. He stayed awake through the early hours, but at midnight his eyes grew heavy, and he fell asleep. When morning came, another apple was gone.
The second son watched the next night, but he too fell asleep as the clock struck twelve, and in the morning another apple was missing. Both brothers had failed, so the king turned to his youngest son. His father thought little of him, yet the boy did not complain. He only made a quiet promise to himself: tonight, I will not close my eyes.
At midnight the clock struck twelve, and something rushed through the air. In the moonlight the boy saw a golden bird flying towards him, its feathers shining like a coat of gold. It landed on the tree to take an apple, and the boy shot an arrow. The bird cried out and flew away, leaving one golden feather that drifted down to his feet and still gave off a soft light.
In the morning the king's wise men gathered round the feather and said it was worth more than the whole kingdom. But the king shook his head. "One feather is nothing," he said. "It is the bird itself that I want. Until I hold that bird, this garden will know no peace."
The Golden Bird - Both elder brothers meet the fox and hear its advice, yet neither listens, and both lose themselves in the noisy inn and fail - Scene Illustration 2
Both elder brothers meet the fox and hear its advice, yet neither listens, and both lose themselves in the noisy inn and fail
The eldest son set off first, sure that he would catch the golden bird without any trouble at all.
By a wood he saw a fox sitting by the path, and he raised his gun. "Do not shoot me!" cried the fox. "I have a useful word for you. Tonight you will reach a village with two inns, facing each other across the road. One is bright, with singing and dancing inside. The other is old and quiet, with hardly a soul about. Go into the quiet one, and leave the bright one alone."
The eldest son would not listen to a dumb animal. How could a beast give a man good advice? He fired his gun, but he missed. The fox waved its tail and was gone into the wood in the blink of an eye.
In the evening he reached the village and saw the two inns. One was full of light and laughter, and the smell of good food drifted far; the other looked poor and empty. He laughed to himself. "I am no fool," he said. "Why stay in that shabby house when such a fine place stands across the road?" So he went into the noisy inn, ate and drank and played, and forgot the bird, his father, and every word of good advice.
Days went by, and the eldest son did not come home. So the second son set off to find the golden bird. He walked the same road, met the very same fox, and heard the very same advice.
But when he came to the two inns, his brother waved to him from the window of the noisy one, and the sound of laughter pulled at him like a hook. He thought, "If my brother is safe inside, why should I not sit down for a while?" He went in, and there he stayed, and the task was forgotten. So the two sons were lost to the pleasures of the inn.
The Golden Bird - The youngest son follows the fox's advice, but his own cleverness trips him up twice; he lands in prison and is given new tasks - Scene Illustration 3
The youngest son follows the fox's advice, but his own cleverness trips him up twice; he lands in prison and is given new tasks
Some days later, the youngest son begged to go too. "If your brothers cannot do it, how can you?" said the king. "And if trouble comes, you will not know how to escape." But the boy asked again and again, until there was no peace in the house, and at last the king let him go.
The fox was sitting by the wood again, and it begged for mercy. The boy was kind. "Do not worry, little fox," he said. "I will not hurt you." The fox was glad. "Your kind heart will be repaid," it said. "Sit on my tail, and I will carry you there faster." The boy sat down, and off the fox ran, over ditches and banks, quick as the wind, until the wind whistled past their ears, and at last it set him down safely at the village.
At the village the boy did as the fox said and slept quietly in the old inn. The next morning the fox told him: "Go straight on until you reach a castle. A troop of soldiers lies sleeping at the gate, snoring loudly, so walk right through them and nobody will wake. The golden bird sits in a wooden cage, and a splendid golden cage stands beside it. Whatever you do, do not take the bird out of the wooden cage and put it into the golden one. If you do, you will come to great harm."
The boy reached the castle and found everything just as the fox had said. He saw the golden bird in the poor wooden cage, with the fine golden cage standing close by, and his heart was troubled. "How can such a beautiful bird live in this shabby cage?" he thought. So he opened the little door, lifted the bird out, and set it in the golden cage. At that very moment the bird screamed. The soldiers woke, rushed in, seized him, and threw him into prison.
In the morning the king said, "You stole the golden bird, so you must die. But bring me the golden horse, which runs faster than the wind, and I will spare your life, and the bird shall be yours." The boy set out with a heavy heart and met the fox again. "You see what comes of not listening," said the fox. "But I will help you once more. Go on to a castle, and you will find the golden horse in the stable. The grooms lie sleeping at the door, so lead the horse out quietly. Only remember: put the plain saddle of wood and leather on him, and do not touch the golden saddle that hangs beside it."
The boy found the golden horse. He was about to put the plain saddle on its back when a thought crept into his head: "Such a proud horse deserves a fine saddle. The old one would shame it." The moment the golden saddle touched the horse, it neighed loudly. The grooms woke, rushed in, and threw him into prison again. In the morning the king said, "Bring me the beautiful princess of the golden castle, and I will spare your life, and the golden horse shall be yours as well."
The Golden Bird - The youngest son fails a third time; the fox levels the mountain for him and teaches him how to win the golden horse, and the two ride away - Scene Illustration 4
The youngest son fails a third time; the fox levels the mountain for him and teaches him how to win the golden horse, and the two ride away
The boy set off with a heart as heavy as a stone. Before long he met the faithful fox again. "By rights I should leave you to your fate," said the fox. "But I feel sorry for you, so I will help you once more. Reach the golden castle by evening. At night, when all is quiet, the beautiful princess will go to the bath-house. Kiss her as she goes in, and she will follow you wherever you lead. But remember one thing: do not let her say goodbye to her parents first, or trouble will find you again."
The boy reached the golden castle, and everything was as the fox had said. At midnight the princess walked towards the bath-house. He stepped up and kissed her, and she was glad to go with him. But then she fell to her knees, her eyes full of tears, and begged him to let her say goodbye to her parents first.
At first the boy said no. But the princess wept more and more sadly, and his heart softened, and at last he nodded. The princess had hardly reached her father's bed when the king woke up, and the whole castle woke with him. The boy was seized and thrown into prison once again.
In the morning the king said, "You must die for what you have done. But if you can level the great mountain before my window within eight days, I will spare your life and give you my daughter."
The boy dug day after day and shovelled load after load. On the seventh day he looked back and saw how little he had done. All his labour was wasted, and he sat down on the heap of earth in despair. On the seventh night the fox came. "You do not deserve my help," it said. "Go and sleep, and I will do the work." At dawn the boy looked out of the window, and the mountain was gone. He ran to the king with joy, and the king had no choice but to keep his word and give him his daughter, who clapped her hands to see the mountain gone.
As the two set off together, the fox ran up to them again. "Listen," it said. "The golden horse belongs to the princess of the golden castle. Take her to that king first, and he will gladly lead the golden horse out to you. Mount it at once, and shake hands with everyone to say goodbye — the princess last of all. The moment you hold her hand, pull her up onto the horse behind you and ride away! Nobody can catch you, for this horse runs faster than the wind." The boy did as he was told, and off they rode on the golden horse, never once looking back.
The Golden Bird - The fox asks for a strange reward; the brothers betray the youngest son, but with the fox's help he wins everything back, and at last the fox's spell is broken - Scene Illustration 5
The fox asks for a strange reward; the brothers betray the youngest son, but with the fox's help he wins everything back, and at last the fox's spell is broken
The fox had one more plan. "When we come near the castle that holds the bird," it said, "let the princess wait for me, and ride the golden horse into the yard yourself. They will rejoice at the sight of the horse, hold a great feast, and hand the golden bird to you in its cage. The moment the cage is in your hand, turn and ride straight back." The plan worked without a single mistake, and soon the boy had all three treasures. Then the fox asked, "And what will you give me as a reward?" "Name it," said the boy. The fox answered, "When we pass through the wood, I want you to kill me and cut off my head and my feet."
The boy was shocked. "You have helped me so much," he said. "How could I pay you back with such harm?" The fox sighed. "If you will not do it, I must leave you. But take these two warnings with you, and remember them well: never buy meat from a gallows, and never sit by a brook." Then the fox turned and ran into the wood.
The boy rode on with the princess, and their road passed through the village where his brothers had stayed. The place was full of noise, and he learned that two men were about to be hanged. When he came nearer, he saw that they were his own brothers, who had wasted everything they owned and fallen into this trouble. "Can they be saved?" he asked. "Yes, if you pay to free them," said the people, "but why spend your money on two such worthless fellows?" The boy paid all the same, and the three brothers rode on together.
After a while they came to the wood where the fox had first met them. The shade was cool, and the two brothers said, "Let us rest by the brook, drink some water, and eat a little." The boy forgot the fox's warning and suspected nothing. He sat down by the water, and at once his brothers pushed him backwards into the brook. They took the princess, the horse and the bird, and hurried home through the night to claim the glory.
At the palace the brothers showed off the treasures, proud as peacocks. But strange to say, the horse would not eat, the bird would not sing, and the beautiful princess just sat and wept. The brook had been dry, so the boy fell on soft moss and was not hurt, yet he could not climb out by himself. At that hard moment the faithful fox came running. It scolded him for forgetting the warning, then told him to hold its tail, and pulled him up. "You are not safe yet," said the fox. "Your brothers are not sure you are dead, so they have set guards around the wood, and they will kill you the moment you are seen."
A poor beggar sat by the road, and the boy changed clothes with him. Dressed in rags, he walked into the palace, and nobody knew him. But just then the golden bird began to sing, the golden horse began to eat, and the beautiful princess smiled through her tears. "What does this mean?" asked the king. "I cannot say," answered the princess. "I only know that I was sad, and now I am glad, as if the man I should marry had come back." Then she told the king everything about the wicked brothers. They were seized and put to death, and the youngest son married the princess and became the king's heir. Many years later the boy walked in the wood and met the fox again. "You have everything a man could wish for," said the fox, "but my sorrow has no end, and only you can free me." At last the boy did as the fox asked, though his heart ached. The moment he did it, the fox became a handsome young man — the princess's own brother, freed from a spell that had bound him for many years. From that day on, nothing was missing from their happiness.

Vocabulary from "The Golden Bird"

12 key words from this story with definitions and original context sentences for language learners.

shiningB1
/ˈʃaɪnɪŋ/adj.

Giving off a bright light; glittering.

发光的；闪亮的。

In the moonlight the boy saw a golden bird flying towards him, its feathers shining like a coat of gold.

月光里，小儿子看见一只金鸟飞来，羽毛亮闪闪，像披了一身金子。

mercyB2
/ˈmɜːsi/n.

Kind treatment shown to someone who has done wrong.

仁慈；宽恕。对犯错的人表示宽容和善待。

The fox was sitting by the wood again, and it begged for mercy.

狐狸依旧蹲在林边，见了他便讨饶。

whistled(whistle)B2
/ˈwɪsld/v.

Made a high, sharp sound, like air passing through a small pipe.

发出尖细的哨声；呼啸。

The boy sat down, and off the fox ran, over ditches and banks, quick as the wind, until the wind whistled past their ears, and at last it set him down safely at the village.

小儿子刚坐稳，狐狸便跑了起来，翻沟越坎，快得像一阵风，风在两人的毛发间呼呼作响。

guards(guard)B1
/ɡɑːdz/n.

People whose job is to watch a place and keep it safe.

卫兵；哨兵。负责看守、保护某个地方的人。

"Your brothers are not sure you are dead, so they have set guards around the wood, and they will kill you the moment you are seen."

"你哥哥们拿不准你死没死，已经在林子四周布下了岗哨，只要你一露面，就要取你的命。"

spareB2
/speə(r)/v.

To let someone live and not punish them with death.

饶恕；赦免。放过某人的性命，不加以处死。

But bring me the golden horse, which runs faster than the wind, and I will spare your life, and the bird shall be yours.

若你能把跑得比风还快的金马带回来，我便饶你一命，金鸟也归你。

despairB2
/dɪˈspeə(r)/n.

The feeling of having no hope at all.

绝望。完全没有希望的感受。

All his labour was wasted, and he sat down on the heap of earth in despair.

他灰心绝望，坐在土堆上直叹气。

levelC1
/ˈlevl/v.

To make a surface flat and even, for example by removing a hill.

铲平；弄平。把高低不平的地方（如大山）弄成平坦。

But if you can level the great mountain before my window within eight days, I will spare your life and give you my daughter.

你若能在八天之内，把我窗前那座挡住视线的大山铲平，我便赦你一命，把女儿许给你。

rejoiceC1
/rɪˈdʒɔɪs/v.

To feel or show great happiness.

欢庆；欣喜。感到或表现出极大的喜悦。

They will rejoice at the sight of the horse, hold a great feast, and hand the golden bird to you in its cage.

他们见了金马，会大大庆贺一场，把金鸟连着笼子送到你手上。

gloryB2
/ˈɡlɔːri/n.

Great praise and honour won by doing something great.

荣耀；功劳。做成了不起的事而得到的称赞和名声。

They took the princess, the horse and the bird, and hurried home through the night to claim the glory.

抢了公主、金马和金鸟，连夜赶回王宫邀功去了。

wept(weep)B2
/wept/v.

Cried; let tears fall from the eyes.

哭泣；流泪。

But strange to say, the horse would not eat, the bird would not sing, and the beautiful princess just sat and wept.

可奇怪的是，金马不肯吃草料，金鸟不肯唱歌，美丽公主只是坐着掉眼泪。

heirB2
/eə(r)/n.

The person who will receive a kingdom or property after the owner dies.

继承人。将来继承王位或财产的人。

They were seized and put to death, and the youngest son married the princess and became the king's heir.

两个恶哥哥被拿下处死，小儿子娶了公主，继承了王位。

sorrowC1
/ˈsɒrəʊ/n.

Deep sadness, often for a long time.

悲伤；忧伤。长久而深切的难过。

"You have everything a man could wish for," said the fox, "but my sorrow has no end, and only you can free me."

"如今你要什么有什么了，可我的苦还没有尽头，解开它的钥匙，就在你一念之间。"

Reading Together & Learning More

The Moral

Shiny things can lead us astray, but those who heed good advice and show kindness will be rewarded in the end, however many times they stumble.

Educational Value

Helps children feel the weight of good advice: listen first, act second, and do not let shiny things spoil the real task; the story's repeating pattern also trains them to predict what happens next and to connect a choice with its consequence.

Tips for Parents

Pause before each of the prince's shiny choices and ask, "What do you think will happen if he does this?" After reading, compare each outcome with the fox's warnings, and talk about small moments in daily life when listening to advice saved the day.

Talk About It

  1. The elder brothers ignore the fox, but the youngest listens. Where do you think the difference lies between heeding advice and trusting your own cleverness?
  2. The prince fails twice because he wants the shinier cage and saddle. Can you think of a time when wanting something prettier led you into trouble?
  3. His brothers push him into the brook and steal everything, yet he later pays to save them. If you were him, would you save the brothers who hurt you?
  4. The fox asks the prince to cut off its head and feet so it can become human again. Why do you think the prince finally agrees to such a strange request?
  5. The king trusts the youngest son least of all, yet in the end the youngest wins everything. What do you think this tells us?

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