The Princess Who Was Hidden Underground

Synopsis

A king once divided his land among his three sons. The two eldest wasted their portions and ended up destitute, but the youngest was careful with his inheritance and became wealthy. That youngest son, now the ruler, ordered the construction of a hidden castle beneath the ground. He locked his daughter inside it and then had the builder killed.

He then announced that any man who could locate his daughter would win her hand in marriage, but anyone who tried and failed would be executed. Many men died in the attempt. One suitor went to a shepherd and had himself sewn inside a golden sheep fleece. The shepherd then brought this fleece to the king.

The king wanted to buy the sheep, but the shepherd agreed only to lend it for three days. The king took the borrowed sheep to his daughter’s underground prison, using a magic charm to open the doors. That night, the man shed the fleece, and the princess immediately fell in love with him. Before the three days ended, she warned him that even if he found her, her father would demand a second test: the king would turn the princess and all her maids into ducks, and the suitor would have to pick out which duck was the princess.

When the three days were up, the shepherd came to retrieve his sheep, and the young man revealed himself. Using the princess’s warning, he correctly identified her after the king transformed her and her maids into ducks. Because he succeeded, the king had no choice but to give in, and the young man married the princess.