Long ago, in a land of rolling hills and deep woodlands, there lived a lonely king whose only son, a handsome and courageous young maiden-prince beloved by the people, had gone away to fight in a distant war. The old king missed him greatly, and so he entrusted all his letters to a faithful old servant who would carry news to the prince in the camp.
One season, that same servant was on his journey home when night came and he sought shelter in the house of a middle-aged woman and her beautiful daughter. Inside, they treated him generously to food and lodging. During the evening meal, the woman asked him: who was fairer, she or her daughter? The servant, unwilling to offend, replied diplomatically, “Old age cannot hold a candle to youth,” and praised the daughter’s beauty. The mother fell silent, but her eyes narrowed with envy.
As soon as the messenger departed, the woman summoned her servant and ordered him into the forest. She commanded that he kill the girl, her own child, and bring back her liver, lungs, and both hands as proof. The servant, struck by pity, could not bring himself to kill the innocent girl. Instead, he left behind the dog that had accompanied him: he cut off the dog’s liver and lungs, handed them to the cruel woman, and made himself swear that he would sever the girl’s hands. His heart heavy, he carried out the dreadful deed: with trembling hands, he cut off the girl’s hands. Then, burdened by grief and guilt, he wrapped the stumps and fled into the forest, never to return.
Left alone and mutilated, the girl without hands wandered through unfamiliar lands, hiding in the woods by day, venturing out only at night to search for food. When she stumbled upon orchards, she reached the fruit with her mouth, since she had no hands.
Some time passed. The prince returned home from war, safe and victorious. One morning, the king looked out his window over his orchard and frowned, the number of pears on his favorite tree was fewer than the day before. Furious, he summoned the gardener and demanded to know who dared to steal from him. The gardener, trembling, said that while he kept watch through the night, a powerful drowsiness had overcome him; he had fallen asleep. The king replaced him with another guard, but the same thing happened. On the third night, the prince volunteered himself to watch, and so he lay under the tree, unwavering, eyes wide open.
At midnight, a pale figure crept from the thicket, the girl without hands. She whispered softly to the prince, “One of your eyes is asleep; now the other must slumber as well.” No sooner had she spoken than the prince nodded into sleep. And so the girl silently moved under the tree and ate a pear with her mouth.
She had only a few pears left she could reach. As hunger gnawed, she climbed onto a little mound and stood on tiptoe, stretching toward the branches. But in her attempt she slipped. With no hands to catch herself, she fell, and landed squarely upon the sleeping prince. The shock roused him from slumber, and instinctively he seized the girl, holding her fast.
When dawn broke, the king looked out again and to his surprise saw that not a single pear was missing. He sent a messenger to inquire from the prince what had happened. The prince declared: “Father, I have caught the thief, and I will not let her escape. If you do not permit me to marry her, knowing she has no hands, I will never return home.” The old king, moved by his son’s resolve, gave consent. And so the girl without hands became the prince’s wife, and for a time they lived in peace and happiness.
But fate was not done. War stirred once more in the neighboring land and the prince went off to fight yet again, leaving his young wife behind. In his absence she gave birth to two golden-haired children. The old king was overjoyed and wrote to his son at camp the news of the double blessing. As before, the faithful messenger carried the letter, and by chance he rested for the night at the house of that same cruel woman who had once ordered the girl’s death. The mother, now knowing who the princess was, became consumed with envy and hatred. She found the letter in the messenger’s bag, read the joyous words, then secretly replaced them with a forged note:
“You have brought to my house a courtesan, not a princess, who has given birth not to children, but to two puppies.”
She sealed the fake letter with the same wax as the original and sent the messenger on his way.
The prince, upon receiving the forged news, was stricken with grief, but because he loved his wife dearly, he refused to harm her. Instead he replied that, whatever rumors might swirl, no harm should come to her until he returned. The wicked mother intercepted the reply, altered it again: now the letter commanded the prince’s mother to banish his wife at once, and to send her away so that he would never see her again.
When the messenger delivered the final letter, the old king was heartbroken. Though he pitied his daughter-in-law, he felt he had no choice. With sorrowful hearts and amid bitter tears, they saddled a quiet horse, placed the two golden-haired children in a basket and tied it in front of their mother, and sent her off into the wilderness.
For three days she wandered without rest. On the third day, she came upon a remote land where she discovered a lake whose waters glowed with strange magic. It was said that any crippled person or beast who bathed in that water regained what they had lost. Without a moment’s hesitation, the girl plunged in. When she emerged, her hands, flesh and bone, had grown back whole and perfect. She used the same water to bathe and clean her children, then resumed her journey.
Meanwhile the war ended, and the prince prepared to return home. But on arrival, he found only grief and emptiness, his beloved wife and two sons were gone. Overwhelmed with sorrow, the prince fell violently ill; day after day friends and servants feared he would die. Time passed slowly, but gradually his health improved, though his heart remained heavy. Years slipped by. One day, longing for solace, he ventured into the forest for a hunt. Deeper and deeper he pressed into the woods until darkness fell and he lost his way. Just when all seemed lost, he saw a faint light, a small cottage nestled among ancient oaks. Hungry, cold, and weary, he crept toward it and knocked.
The door opened, and there he beheld a woman with two golden-haired children. The woman, his former wife, recognized him at once. He did not yet know her, for her hands were whole again. But there was something familiar in her bearing, her face, the sorrow in her eyes. The next day he hunted again, and as night approached, he purposely allowed himself to become lost so that he would return to the cottage. That night, while he pretended to sleep, one of the children leaned over him, spoke to its mother in soft words, and said: “Father’s arm, put it back.” The woman quietly obeyed, placing his arm back onto the bed. Then, with similar gentleness, the child’s mother put back his leg when he, again feigning sleep, dropped it off the bed. The faithful servant, who accompanied the prince, overheard it all.
At dawn, the servant told his master what he had heard. The prince, astonished, asked for a further trial. That same night, he let his head hang over the edge of the bed. The child, seeing it, refused to lay a hand on his father. The mother then moved, touched the prince, and at once he sat up, embraced her, recognized her, and all was revealed: the false letters, the exile, the cruelty of his wicked mother.
Joy broke over him like sunshine after a long gloom. He gathered his wife and children, and together they returned to the palace. A second wedding was celebrated, and the kingdom rejoiced. When the ex‑mother in‑law’s treachery came to light, via the very messenger who had carried her lies, the prince pardoned her at his wife’s pleading. And so the young family lived many happy years in harmony and peace, ruling the realm with love and justice.
Moral of the Story
This tale shows that truth, innocence, and faith often endure through the darkest times. Even when cruelty and betrayal strip you of everything, your home, your dignity, your limbs, a steadfast heart and trust in goodness can bring restoration, reunion, and justice.
Knowledge Check
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Who betrayed the girl and caused her hands to be cut off?
Her mother and the servant she ordered to carry out the crime. -
Why could the girl not be claimed by her villain after she lost her hands?
Because she wept on the stumps of her arms until they were clean, breaking the evil’s hold over her. -
How did the girl first enter the prince’s garden, and why was she caught?
She crept in at night to eat pears, she fell onto the sleeping prince, who awoke and held her fast. -
What treachery caused the queen to be exiled after she had borne two children?
Her jealous mother (the king’s mother) tampered with a royal letter, falsely claiming the children were “puppies,” and later forged another letter ordering the queen banished. -
Where did the girl regain her hands, and how did that affect the outcome?
She found a magical lake whose waters healed maimed limbs; after bathing, her hands grew back, enabling the eventual reunion with her husband and children. -
What does the story of “The Girl Without Hands” teach about suffering and redemption?
That suffering, though cruel and undeserved, can be borne with patience and faith, and such virtue can lead to redemption, healing, and reunion in the end. (See Moral above.)
Cultural Origin: Magyar folklore (Hungary)
Source: “The Girl Without Hands” in The Folk‑Tales of the Magyars.
