Long, Broad and Sharpsight

Long, Broad and Sharpsight or Long, Broad, and Quickeye is a Bohemian fairy tale, collected by Louis Léger in "Contes Populaires Slaves".

Andrew Lang included it in "The Grey Fairy Book".

A. H. Wratislaw collected it in his "Sixty Folk-Tales from Exclusively Slavonic Sources", number 1.

Another version of the tale appears in "A Book of Wizards" by Ruth Manning-Sanders.

ynopsis

A king with one son was growing old. He told his son he wished to see him married before he died. The son said he did not know a suitable bride. His father sent him to a tower room that had not been opened in years. He found there windows showing beautiful women, and a curtain over one window. He pulled away the curtain and fell in love with the woman he saw there. He told his father, who told him he should have left that window curtained, because the woman was the prisoner of an evil sorcerer, in an iron castle, but he had given his word and must try to rescue her.

On the way, he met a man who wanted to be taken into his service; his name was Long, and he could extend himself, and showed it by taking down a nest from a tall tree. The prince took him. He also met Broad, who could extend himself until he was as large as mountain, and Sharpsight, who kept his eyes bandaged because he could see through the bandage, and without it he would set things afire, or break them into pieces, and he took them into his service as well.

They reached the iron castle. As soon as they were inside, the gates closed. They found many men, turned to stone, and food laid out. Because no one came, they ate. The sorcerer appeared with the woman and told them they could have the princess if they could keep her from escaping three nights. The prince tried to talk to her, but she did not answer. They fell asleep, she vanished, but Sharpsight spotted her: she had turned into an acorn on an oak tree. Long brought her back. The wizard was furious. The next day, she became a precious stone on a mountain, but again Sharpsight saw her, and Long brought her back. The wizard was furious again. The third night, she became a golden ring on a shell in the sea. Long brought Broad with him, and Broad, making himself broad, drank up the sea. Long got the ring. On the way back, he could not carry Broad but dropped him. All the water came out, and Broad barely managed to avoid drowning, but they made it back.

The sorcerer turned into a crow. All the people turned to stone came back to life. The prince took the woman home and married her. Long, Broad, and Sharpsight left his service and went on to seek their fortune.

ee also

*The Enchanted Pig
*Trusty John

*How the Hermit helped to win the King's Daughter
*The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
*The King Of Lochlin's Three Daughters

External links

* [http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/sfs/sfs04.htm Wratislaw's version]
* [http://www.mythfolklore.net/andrewlang/188.htm Lang's version]