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Tale Summary

One day a young prince was riding through a meadow when he found a ditch, from which he heard the sound of someone crying. He found an old woman begging for help, and after being rescued by the prince, she was brought back by him to her little hut by the edge of the forest, where she wanted to reward him for his kind heart. She told him that the most beautiful woman in the world was the daughter of the Queen of Flowers. The maiden had been captured by a dragon, and the old woman offered her help in freeing her and in making her the prince’s wife. She gave him a little bell and told him if he rang it once the King of Eagles would appear, if he rang it twice the King of the Foxes would appear, and if he rang it three times the King of the Fishes would appear. The prince realized�� that the woman was a fairy and set out to set the daughter of the Flower Queen free. He roamed the world for a year and his horse had died of exhaustion, and he himself had suffered much. One day he found�� an old man sitting in front of a hut who told him that if he went straight along the road for a year he would reach the old man's father, who could possibly help him. After another year he came to another little hut where he found a very old man who also did not know where the daughter of the Flower Queen was, but told him to continue along the road for another year to reach the hut of the very old man's father. After another year he reached an even older man who told him that the dragon lived on a nearby mountain and he had just begun his year of sleep. The old man told him to climb up the second mountain to find the Dragon's mother, who held a ball every night which the Flower Queen's daughter regularly attended. At the top of the second mountain, the prince found a golden castle with diamond windows, but before he could go inside seven dragons confronted him about his business. The prince replied that he had heard much of the beauty and kindness of the dragon's mother and wished to enter in her service. He was taken into the castle where he walked through twelve splendid halls and found the Mother Dragon in the twelfth room. She was very ugly and had three heads. The prince told her just what he had told the seven dragons and she replied that if he wished to enter into her service he must first lead her mare out to the meadow and look after her for 3 days, after which the mare must be returned safely or he would be eaten. As soon as he led the horse to the meadow she vanished. The prince rang his little bell once and the King of Eagles appeared and told him that he would command all the eagles of the air to find and catch the mare to bring back to the prince. That evening a thousand eagles brought the horse back to him, and when he presented it to the old Mother Dragon she told him that as a reward he could attend her ball that night and gave him a copper cloak. There, he found the Flower Queen's daughter whose dress was woven of flowers and her complexion was, too, like a flower. He danced with her and whispered that he was there to set her free and she replied that if he succeeded in bringing the mare back safely the third day to ask the Mother Dragon to give him a foal of the mare as a reward. At midnight the ball ended and early the next morning the prince again led the mayor to the meadow where again she vanished. The prince took out the little bell and rang it twice, and the King of Foxes appeared and said he would summon all the foxes of the world to find the mare for him. Once the horse was brought back to him he rode home to the Mother Dragon, and this time received a cloak made of silver to wear to the ball. The Flower Queen's daughter whispered to him that if he succeeded again the next day to wait for her with the foal in the meadow. Again the next day the prince led the mare to the meadow and again she vanished. The prince rang his little bell three times and the King of Fishes appeared and promised to bring the mare back with all the fishes of the sea. When the prince brought the horse back to the Mother Dragon she asked what his reward should be, and he replied he would like a foal of the mare, and at once he was compensated and also given a cloak made of gold. That evening he appeared at the ball but slipped away to the stables where he mounted his foal and rode to the meadow to meet the Flower Queen's daughter. At midnight she appeared and mounted the horse with him, and they flew away to the Flower Queens dwelling. The dragons noticed and woke up her captor from his year of sleep. Though he was enraged, the Flower Queen caused a tall forest of flowers to grow around her dwelling so that none could force their way through. The Queen consented to giving her daughter to the prince in marriage, on the condition that she could only stay with him in the summer, coming back to her in the winter. They lived this way happily all their life.

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