The Riddle

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

  • Age6–10
  • Reading time10 min
  • LevelIntermediate

Introduction

This tale is retold here in the plain, unhurried voice of a Chinese fable — short sentences, simple words, dark moments touched lightly, and a clear lesson at the end, much like a grandparent telling stories by lamplight. The prince's riddle, "One killed nobody, and yet killed twelve," belongs to a famous kind of Western puzzle called a neck-riddle, because failing to solve it costs your head. Its answer hides in one private experience that only the riddler has lived through, so no amount of cleverness can ever guess it. Western readers may know the story from the Brothers Grimm. The proud princess who punishes failed suitors joins a long family of dangerous princesses in world folklore, from Samson's honey riddle in the Bible to Turandot in the opera house. The chain in this tale — the horse, the raven, the robbers — works like falling dominoes, and following it link by link is a fine lesson in cause and effect. The fable style suits the story well, because a fable asks children to think, not just listen. Parents may pause before the answer and let the child play detective. Ask: why can no one guess this riddle? How is it different from a riddle like "what gets wetter the more it dries"? Such questions turn reading into thinking — and that is exactly what a good fable is for.

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The Riddle - A prince and his servant lose their way in a dark forest and spend the night at a witch's cottage, against a girl's warning. - Scene Illustration 1
A prince and his servant lose their way in a dark forest and spend the night at a witch's cottage, against a girl's warning.
Long ago, a prince wanted to see the wide world. He set out with only one faithful servant at his side. One day, their road led them deep into a dark forest. Night came, and they found no place to sleep. Then the prince saw a young girl walking toward a small house in the woods.
"Dear girl," he said, "may my servant and I stay in that house tonight?" The girl looked sad. "You could stay," she said, "but I beg you not to go in. My stepmother works dark magic. She means no good to strangers."
The prince knew then that he had reached a witch's house. Still, the night was dark, and he was not a man who feared easily. So he went in. The old woman sat by the fire and stared at them with red eyes. "Sit down and rest," she said in a rough voice. Her daughter whispered to the two men. "Eat nothing and drink nothing," she warned. "The old woman brews poison for strangers." The men slept soundly until morning.
The Riddle - The witch's poison kills the prince's horse, and the servant takes the raven that died from eating the poisoned meat. - Scene Illustration 2
The witch's poison kills the prince's horse, and the servant takes the raven that died from eating the poisoned meat.
In the morning, the prince climbed onto his horse. The old woman called out, "Wait! Let me bring you a farewell drink." While she went to fetch it, the prince rode ahead. The servant stayed behind to tighten the saddle. When the witch came back with the cup, only the servant was there. "Take this to your master," she said.
At that moment, the cup broke. The poison spilled onto the horse. The beast fell down dead at once. The servant ran after his master and told him all. But he did not want to lose a fine saddle, so he ran back to fetch it. When he reached the dead horse, a raven sat upon it, tearing at the meat.
"Who knows if we will find better food today?" said the servant. So he killed the raven and carried it with him. All that day the two men walked deeper into the forest. Still, they could not find the way out.
The Riddle - At a robbers' inn, a pot of raven soup kills twelve robbers, and the innkeeper's daughter is spared. - Scene Illustration 3
At a robbers' inn, a pot of raven soup kills twelve robbers, and the innkeeper's daughter is spared.
At nightfall, they came to an inn and went inside. The servant gave the raven to the innkeeper to cook for supper. But this inn was a robbers' den. After dark, twelve robbers arrived. They planned to kill the strangers and take everything they owned.
Before they acted, they sat down to eat. The innkeeper and the witch sat with them. They all shared a bowl of soup with the raven's meat in it. After one or two mouthfuls, they fell dead, one by one. The raven had carried the poison over from the horse. Only the innkeeper's daughter was left. She was an honest girl and had never shared in their evil deeds.
She opened every door and showed the prince the piled-up treasure. But he said, "Keep it all. I want none of it." Then he rode away with his servant.
The Riddle - The prince sets his riddle for the proud princess; her maids come to spy, and the clever servant drives them away. - Scene Illustration 4
The prince sets his riddle for the proud princess; her maids come to spy, and the clever servant drives them away.
The two men travelled far and wide. At last they came to a town where a proud princess lived. She was very beautiful and very proud. She had made a promise: "Any man who gives me a riddle I cannot solve shall be my husband. But if I solve it, he shall lose his head." She had three days to find each answer. Her mind was so quick that she always found it in time. Nine suitors had already died before the prince arrived. Her beauty so dazzled him that he was ready to risk his life too.
So he came before her and spoke his riddle. "What is this?" he asked. "One killed nobody, and yet killed twelve." She thought and thought, but no answer came. She opened her books of riddles, but the answer was in none of them. Her cleverness had run dry. At last she sent her maid to slip into the young man's room at night, to listen to him talk in his sleep.
But the sharp-witted servant had lain down in his master's bed. When the maid crept in, he pulled off her cloak and drove her out with a stick. On the second night, the princess sent another maid. The servant took her cloak too, and chased her out the same way.
The Riddle - The princess comes to steal the answer herself; the prince turns the trick around, keeps her cloak as proof, and wins. - Scene Illustration 5
The princess comes to steal the answer herself; the prince turns the trick around, keeps her cloak as proof, and wins.
On the third night, the prince felt quite safe and slept in his own bed. Then the princess came herself, wrapped in a misty grey cloak. She sat down beside him. When she thought he was dreaming, she began to ask him questions, hoping he would answer in his sleep. But he was wide awake and heard every word.
"One killed nobody — what is that?" she asked. "A raven," he answered. "It ate the poisoned horse and died." "And yet killed twelve — what is that?" she asked. "Twelve robbers," he said. "They ate the raven, and all of them died."
She had her answer now and tried to slip away. But he held her cloak so tightly that she had to leave it behind. The next morning, the princess said she had solved the riddle. She explained it before the twelve judges. But the young man asked to speak. "She came into my room at night and asked me questions," he said. "Without that, she could never have found the answer." The judges asked for proof. The servant carried in the three cloaks. When the judges saw the grey one that the princess always wore, they said, "Embroider this cloak with gold and silver, for it shall be your wedding cloak." So the proud princess married the young prince. And here is the lesson of the tale: the hardest riddle to guess is the one written in a life you have lived yourself.

Vocabulary from "The Riddle"

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

faithfulB2
/ˈfeɪθfl/adj.

Loyal; someone you can always trust.

忠实的；忠心的。

He set out with only one faithful servant at his side.

他动身上路时，身边只带了一个忠心的仆人。

roughB1
/rʌf/adj.

Not smooth or gentle; hard and unpleasant to hear.

（声音）粗哑的；刺耳的。

"Sit down and rest," she said in a rough voice.

哑着嗓子说："坐下歇歇脚吧。"

brews(brew)B2
/bruːz/v.

To make a drink by boiling or mixing things together.

熬煮；调制（药、汤）。

The old woman brews poison for strangers.

那锅里熬的都是害人的汤药。

saddleB2
/ˈsædl/n.

A leather seat that you put on a horse's back to ride it.

马鞍。

The servant stayed behind to tighten the saddle.

仆人留下紧一紧马鞍。

ravenB2
/ˈreɪvən/n.

A large black bird with a loud, harsh call.

乌鸦（一种黑色大鸟）。

When he reached the dead horse, a raven sat upon it, tearing at the meat.

回到死马跟前，只见一只乌鸦正落在马背上，啄食马肉。

denB2
/den/n.

A hidden place where criminals or wild animals gather.

窝点；巢穴。

But this inn was a robbers' den.

谁知这是一座强盗窝。

mouthfuls(mouthful)B2
/ˈmaʊθfʊlz/n.

Small amounts of food or drink taken into the mouth at one time.

一口（食物或饮料）。

After one or two mouthfuls, they fell dead, one by one.

谁知才喝了一两口，他们便一个接一个倒地毙命。

suitors(suitor)C1
/ˈsuːtəz/n.

Men who want to marry a particular woman.

求婚者。

Nine suitors had already died before the prince arrived.

王子到的时候，已有九个求婚者送了性命。

dazzled(dazzle)B2
/ˈdæzld/v.

Made someone unable to think clearly because of great beauty or light.

（被美貌、光芒）晃花眼；使目眩。

Her beauty so dazzled him that he was ready to risk his life too.

公主的美貌晃花了他的眼，他情愿拿命赌这一回。

mistyB2
/ˈmɪsti/adj.

Filled with thin fog; not clear.

有薄雾的；雾蒙蒙的。

Then the princess came herself, wrapped in a misty grey cloak.

这一回，公主亲自来了。她裹着一件雾灰色的斗篷。

cloakB2
/kləʊk/n.

A loose coat without sleeves, worn over the shoulders.

斗篷；披风。

But he held her cloak so tightly that she had to leave it behind.

却被王子一把攥住斗篷，她只得丢下斗篷逃了。

embroiderC1
/ɪmˈbrɔɪdə/v.

To sew patterns or pictures onto cloth with thread.

刺绣；绣上花纹。

"Embroider this cloak with gold and silver, for it shall be your wedding cloak."

"把这件斗篷用金线银线绣起来吧，它就是你们的婚礼斗篷。"

Reading Together & Learning More

The Moral

Wit and loyalty beat pride and trickery. The riddle no one can guess is the one written in a life you have lived yourself.

Educational Value

Trains children's cause-and-effect thinking by following the chain from horse to raven to robbers, and shows that loyalty, wit and real experience beat cheating and pride.

Tips for Parents

Pause before the answer is revealed and let your child guess how the prince will guard his secret. After the reveal, trace the horse-to-raven-to-robbers chain together, then ask: why can nobody guess a riddle written in a life you lived yourself?

Talk About It

  1. The prince's answer is hidden in things only he lived through, so nobody could ever guess it. Is such a riddle fair? How is it different from an ordinary riddle?
  2. The horse, the raven and the robbers — one led to the next. Can you explain that chain of cause and effect? What would change if one link was missing?
  3. The princess crept into the prince's room to steal the answer. Was that right? If you were the prince, how would you deal with her?
  4. The servant protected his master twice and kept the cloaks as proof. How important is a loyal friend like that?
  5. The princess finally married the prince. Do you think she was won over by the riddle, or by the man himself?

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