The Golden Goose

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

  • Age4–8
  • Reading time8 min
  • LevelIntermediate

Introduction

This tale comes from the Brothers Grimm, but here we have retold it in the old fable style. A fable keeps a story short and sharp: every character stands for one quality, each turn moves the plot forward, and the lesson lands at the end like a stamp. Chinese folk wisdom carries the same message in a proverb — good people are rewarded, and bad people are punished. What makes this Grimm tale special is that it turns that lesson into comedy. The magic of the golden goose turns greed into a ridiculous line of people stuck together, so children laugh first and understand later. Folk tale scholars call this the "stuck to the golden goose" tale, type ATU 571, a story built purely to amuse. The hero's name is also worth a talk: everyone calls him the Simpleton, yet he is the one who shares, who listens, and who ends up happy. His name is a label, not a truth. While reading, you can pause and ask your child to guess who will be stuck next, or why people keep reaching out even after they see the danger. These small questions open the door to big ideas — about greed, about sharing, and about why a kind heart, not a sharp tongue, wins in the end.

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The Golden Goose - The two elder brothers refuse to share, and each hurts himself in the forest - Scene Illustration 1
The two elder brothers refuse to share, and each hurts himself in the forest
Long ago a man had three sons. The two elder boys were clever and proud. The youngest was kind and plain, so everyone called him the Simpleton and laughed at him.
One day the eldest son went to the forest to cut wood. His mother gave him a pancake and a flask of wine for the road. Soon a little grey man met him and said, "Kind sir, I am hungry and thirsty. Please share your pancake and wine with me."
The eldest son held his food close and said, "My cake is only enough for me. Go your own way." Then he swung his axe. But the blade slipped and cut his own arm. He had to go home to rest.
A few days later the second son went to the forest too. He also carried a pancake and a flask of wine. The little grey man came again and asked for a share.
"If I give it to you, I will go hungry," the second son said with a cold smile. He raised his axe, and the blade cut his own leg. He had to be carried home.
The two brothers lay in bed and wondered. Their axe had worked well before. Why did it turn against them that day?
The Golden Goose - The Simpleton shares his food and finds a golden goose under an old tree - Scene Illustration 2
The Simpleton shares his food and finds a golden goose under an old tree
The Simpleton saw all this and said, "Father, let me try to cut wood as well." His father shook his head: "Your brothers both hurt themselves. What do you know?" But the Simpleton asked and asked, until his father gave in. His mother searched the house. She found only a dry cake baked in the ashes and a flask of sour beer. She gave them all to him.
In the forest the little grey man came to him again and asked for food. The Simpleton took out his dry cake and said, "This is all I have. If you do not mind plain food, let us sit down and eat together."
So they sat down. Then a wonder happened. The dry cake turned into a rich, golden pancake, and the sour beer turned into sweet wine. They ate and drank and were merry.
At last the little man wiped his mouth and said, "You have a kind heart, and you share what you have. I will give you a gift. Do you see that old tree? Cut it down, and you will find a treasure under its roots." Then he was gone.
The Simpleton cut down the old tree. Under the roots sat a goose with feathers of pure gold. He picked her up and carried her to an inn, feeling happy and lucky.
The Golden Goose - Greedy people stick to the golden goose one by one and form a long line - Scene Illustration 3
Greedy people stick to the golden goose one by one and form a long line
The innkeeper had three daughters. When they saw the golden goose, their eyes grew wide. Each one dreamed of pulling out a golden feather.
The eldest daughter waited until the Simpleton went out. Then she reached for a feather. The moment her fingers touched the wing, they stuck fast. Her sister came to pull her free, and she stuck too. The third sister did not believe it and reached out. Now all three were stuck in one line. They stood there the whole night.
The next morning the Simpleton put the goose under his arm and walked away. The three girls had to follow him, running behind whether they liked it or not.
In the field a parson saw three girls chasing a young man. He went to pull them apart, and he stuck to them as well.
The sexton ran to help the parson, and he stuck too. Two farmers came to help the sexton, and they stuck as well.
So the golden goose led a line of seven people across the fields and into the town. Everyone who saw them laughed out loud and said, "That line will never come apart!"
The Golden Goose - The funny line of stuck people makes the princess, who never laughs, laugh out loud - Scene Illustration 4
The funny line of stuck people makes the princess, who never laughs, laugh out loud
In the town lived a king with one daughter. The princess was sad and solemn, and she never laughed. So the king announced: "Whoever can make my daughter laugh shall marry her."
The Simpleton heard the news. He took his golden goose and his long line of people and went to the palace.
The princess looked from her window. A young man was carrying a golden goose, and seven people ran behind him, all stuck in one line. It was so funny that she burst out laughing and could not stop.
The king had given his word, so he had to keep it. He agreed to give the princess to the Simpleton.
The Golden Goose - With his kind heart the Simpleton passes the three tasks and wins the princess - Scene Illustration 5
With his kind heart the Simpleton passes the three tasks and wins the princess
But the king did not want the Simpleton for a son-in-law. He made up a hard task. "First," he said, "find me a man who can drink up a whole cellar of wine."
The Simpleton went back to the forest. By the old tree sat a man with a sad face. "I am so thirsty," he said, "that a whole barrel of wine is nothing to me." The Simpleton led him to the king's cellar. The man drank and drank, and in one day the whole cellar was empty.
Then the king made a second task. He wanted a man who could eat up a mountain of bread. In the forest the Simpleton found a man so hungry that he tied a strap around his belly. The Simpleton led him to the palace. He sat down and ate, and in one day the whole mountain of bread was gone.
The king still refused to give in. "I want a ship," he said, "that can sail on water and also run on land. Bring me that ship, and you shall have my daughter."
For the third time the Simpleton went to the forest. The little grey man sat under the old tree, smiling. "You shared your cake with me long ago," he said. "I have not forgotten. The ship you need is my gift to you."
The Simpleton sailed the ship over land to the palace. The king had no more excuses, so he let the wedding begin. From that day on, the Simpleton and the princess lived a happy life. And people still say: a kind heart is never lost, and good deeds bring good luck.

Vocabulary from "The Golden Goose"

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

SimpletonC1
/ˈsɪmpltən/n.

A person thought to be foolish or slow-witted.

傻子；呆头呆脑的人。

The youngest was kind and plain, so everyone called him the Simpleton and laughed at him.

唯有老三憨厚老实，被众人叫作傻小子。人人都说他一无是处，谁也不把他放在眼里。

flaskB2
/flɑːsk/n.

A small bottle for carrying a drink.

扁酒瓶；随身带的小酒壶。

His mother gave him a pancake and a flask of wine for the road.

母亲怕他路上挨饿，给他带了一张油饼、一壶酒。

slipped(slip)B2
/slɪpt/v.

Moved accidentally out of the right place.

滑；偏（滑出原来的位置）。

But the blade slipped and cut his own arm.

可是斧头一偏，砍在了他自己的胳膊上。

wonderB2
/ˈwʌndə(r)/n.

Something amazing and surprising.

奇事；令人惊奇的奇迹。

Then a wonder happened.

这时，一件奇事发生了。

treasureB2
/ˈtreʒə(r)/n.

Something very valuable, such as gold or jewels.

宝贝；金银财宝。

Cut it down, and you will find a treasure under its roots.

砍倒它，树根底下自有你的造化。

stuck(stick)B2
/stʌk/v.

Fixed in one place and unable to move away.

粘住；卡住动弹不得。

The moment her fingers touched the wing, they stuck fast.

手指刚碰到鹅翅，就牢牢粘住，拔也拔不下来。

parsonC1
/ˈpɑːsn/n.

A Christian priest in charge of a church.

牧师；教区牧师。

In the field a parson saw three girls chasing a young man.

路过田野，一位牧师见三个姑娘追着一个后生跑。

sextonC1
/ˈsekstən/n.

A person who looks after a church building and its grounds.

教堂司事；看管教堂的人。

The sexton ran to help the parson, and he stuck too.

教堂司事赶来拉牧师，结果也粘住了。

solemnB2
/ˈsɒləm/adj.

Very serious, never smiling or joking.

严肃的；一本正经的。

The princess was sad and solemn, and she never laughed.

国王的女儿终日愁眉不展，从没有笑过。

announced(announce)B2
/əˈnaʊnst/v.

Told everyone publicly about something.

宣布；公开告诉大家。

So the king announced: "Whoever can make my daughter laugh shall marry her."

于是国王传下话去：谁能让公主笑一声，就把公主嫁给他。

cellarB2
/ˈselə(r)/n.

An underground room, often used for storing wine.

地窖；酒窖。

"First," he said, "find me a man who can drink up a whole cellar of wine."

“你先去找一个能喝干一窖酒的人来。”

strapB2
/stræp/n.

A long narrow band of material used for tying things.

带子；皮带。

In the forest the Simpleton found a man so hungry that he tied a strap around his belly.

在林子里，傻小子遇见一个人，饿得用带子勒紧肚皮。

Reading Together & Learning More

The Moral

Kindness is rewarded. Those who share and care are blessed with good luck, while greedy and selfish people only hurt themselves.

Educational Value

Helps children see the power of sharing and kindness — giving can bring good fortune in the end — and that laughing at others never makes you any cleverer.

Tips for Parents

After reading, count with your child how many people got stuck behind the goose, like a chain game. Ask why the two brothers had bad luck while the Simpleton had good luck, and talk about whether your child would share a snack with someone in need.

Talk About It

  1. The two brothers were clever but selfish, and both got hurt. The Simpleton shared his only food and was rewarded. Was it luck, or was there a reason?
  2. Everyone calls him the Simpleton, but is he really foolish? What is the best thing about him?
  3. The people who wanted a golden feather got stuck one by one. Do you think the goose stuck them, or did their own greed stick them?
  4. If you had only one small piece of bread and met a hungry, thirsty stranger, what would you do? Why?
  5. Who helped the Simpleton pass the king's three tasks? What might have happened if he had never shared his cake?

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