The Brave Little Tailor

One summer morning a little tailor was sitting on his table by the window, in good spirits, and sewing with all his might. Presently came the peasant woman down the street crying out, 'Good jam! Good jam!' and this sounded pleasantly in his ears. She lifted her pot high for all to see, and the tailor looked in and said, 'Yes, thank you, what can I do for you?' The woman said, 'I'm selling good jam.' The tailor looked at it and said, 'Well, bring me two ounces, I won't have more.' The woman gave him what he wanted, but she was angry that he should buy so little, and went away grumbling.

The tailor sat down again and said, 'This jam will be sweet in my stomach.' He took the bread from the cupboard, cut a slice, and spread the jam upon it. 'This won't be bitter,' he said, 'but I will finish this waistcoat first before I take a bite.' He laid the bread beside him and sewed on, but in his good spirits he kept making larger and larger stitches. At that moment flies came buzzing about the room, drawn by the smell of the jam. The tailor said, 'I will make an end of you.' He drew a piece of cloth from the hole in the wall, and—seven were slain at one blow! He was so proud that he sewed a belt and embroidered on it in large letters, 'Seven at one blow!'

'The whole town shall hear of this!' said the tailor. He cut out a belt, put it on, and decided to go forth into the world. Before he left, he looked about his house, but seeing nothing, he went on his way. In the forest he met a giant who thought the little tailor was a mighty warrior when he saw the belt. The giant tested him with a stone, and the tailor squeezed water from a piece of cheese to show his strength. The giant was impressed and took him to his companions.

The giants challenged the tailor, but he outwitted them all. He threw a stone that killed two birds with one stone, and when they attacked, he climbed a tree and threw down apples, claiming he was defending himself from arrows. The giants fled in fear.

The tailor came to a kingdom where the king offered his daughter's hand and half his kingdom to anyone who could defeat two terrible giants. The tailor accepted and, using his wits, tricked the giants into killing each other. The king was reluctant but kept his promise.

Later, the king sent the tailor on impossible missions, hoping he would die. But the tailor caught wild boar, trapped unicorns, and outwitted robbers. Each time, he used his cunning rather than strength. Finally, the people began to whisper of the tailor's true nature. When the king plotted against him, the tailor stood his ground, and the people rose to support their hero. The king yielded, and the tailor married the princess and ruled wisely with the same cleverness that had brought him to the throne.