Chances are, if there is a fairy tale story about brothers, they are going out to seek their fortune. (Apparently, this is hard to do in one’s hometown.) If it’s a story where they return home, it becomes a contest to see who has become more successful; who will get the better reward.
This week, we read The Four Skillful Brothers. In this story, the four go to seek a trade, and after separating at a crossway branching into four paths, they each find a mentor to apprentice under.
Key elements: A crossroads, a mentor, an apprenticeship
Brother 1 a thief
Brother 2 an astronomer
Brother 3 a huntsman
Brother 4 a tailor
Four years later, at the appointed time, they meet back at the same crossroads and go home to show their father what they have made of themselves. He tests their skills and approves of their unique talents. And since this is a fairy tale, their talents are not quite what you think…
Brother 1 a thief (can literally steal anything and not get caught)
Brother 2 an astronomer (can see any hidden thing with his telescope)
Brother 3 a huntsman (can hit anything with his gun)
Brother 4 a tailor (can sew anything—from as soft as an egg to hard as steel) and the seam will not show)
Key elements: a test, a reward of riches
Shortly thereafter, the king’s daughter is kidnapped by a dragon. The four brothers work together using their newfound skills to rescue her. Since they equally helped, it is hard for the king to decide who should marry the princess, nor can they come to an agreement themselves.
Note: their deliberations are all based on who did the most to rescue the princess, not who loved her. (See The Princess Reward and How to Marry a Princess for other thoughts on this trope.)
In the end, instead, of marriage, they each are rewarded with half a kingdom. Fairy-tale math at it’s finest! (Does this mean the king took half a kingdom from surrounding kings? Or that a kingdom is an area, not necessarily governed by a different king?—what exactly is a kingdom? Stay tuned for a future blog post!)
ALERT! This series of posts has turned into a book! Preorder the ebook now; paperbacks and workbooks to follow!
