In the villages and forests of Czech Republic, stories have long been told about destiny and the strange ways fate guides human lives. Among the most famous is the tale of a poor boy whose future was foretold at birth: he would one day marry a princess. To prove the prophecy wrong, a jealous king set the boy an impossible task, retrieve three golden hairs from the head of a mysterious being known as Grandfather Know-All, the guardian of secrets and wisdom.
Yet through courage, cleverness, and perseverance, the boy achieved the impossible and fulfilled the destiny that had been promised to him.
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A Child of Prophecy
Long ago, in a humble village near deep forests and winding rivers, a poor couple welcomed the birth of their son.
Soon after the child was born, a wandering wise woman visited the village and spoke words that would shape the boy’s life forever.
She foretold that the child would grow up to marry a princess and rise to great fortune.
News of the prophecy eventually reached the ears of the king, whose daughter was the very princess mentioned in the prediction.
The king, proud and suspicious, was outraged by the idea that a peasant boy might become his son-in-law.
Determined to prevent the prophecy from coming true, he devised a series of trials meant to remove the boy from the path of destiny.
But fate is not easily avoided.
The King’s Impossible Demand
When the boy grew older, he was summoned to the royal court.
The king looked upon the young peasant with thinly veiled disdain.
“If you truly wish to marry my daughter,” the king declared, “you must bring me three golden hairs from the head of Grandfather Know-All.”
The court fell silent.
Everyone knew the legend of this mysterious figure, a powerful being who lived far beyond ordinary lands, guarding the knowledge of every secret in the world.
Many travelers who attempted to reach him never returned.
The king believed the boy would either fail or disappear forever.
But the young man accepted the challenge.
The Journey Begins
With little more than determination and a small bundle of supplies, the boy set out across the countryside.
He traveled through forests, crossed rivers, and followed winding roads into unfamiliar lands.
Along the way, he encountered several towns troubled by strange mysteries.
In the first town, a once-prosperous well had suddenly stopped producing water.
The villagers begged the traveler to ask Grandfather Know-All why the well had dried up.
In another town, a magnificent apple tree that once bore golden fruit had stopped producing its harvest.
The townspeople pleaded for an explanation.
Farther along the road, the boy reached a dark river with a weary ferryman who spent his days carrying travelers across the water.
The ferryman asked the young traveler to discover why he was doomed to ferry passengers endlessly without rest.
The boy promised to bring answers if he survived the journey.
The House of Grandfather Know-All
At last, after many days of travel, the boy arrived at a strange house standing alone in a distant land.
This was the dwelling of the mysterious Grandfather Know-All.
But it was not the old sage who greeted him.
Instead, he met a kind woman who revealed herself to be the wife of the powerful being.
She warned him that Grandfather Know-All could be dangerous to strangers.
However, she took pity on the boy and hid him safely before her husband returned.
When the old sage arrived, his sharp eyes immediately sensed that someone new had entered the house.
“I smell a human,” he muttered suspiciously.
But his wife calmed him and persuaded him to rest.
The Secret Questions
While Grandfather Know-All slept, his wife gently plucked one golden hair from his head.
The old sage awoke angrily and demanded to know why she had disturbed him.
Quickly, she pretended to have been troubled by dreams and asked him questions that matched the mysteries the boy had encountered.
Why had the well stopped flowing?
Why had the golden apple tree stopped bearing fruit?
Why was the ferryman trapped forever on the river?
Though annoyed, Grandfather Know-All revealed the answers to each riddle.
Later that night, the woman repeated the process twice more, pulling the remaining golden hairs while asking questions on the boy’s behalf.
By morning, she had gathered three golden hairs and the answers to every mystery.
She gave them to the young traveler before sending him safely on his way.
Wisdom on the Road
As the boy returned home, he visited the troubled towns once more.
At the dried-up well, he revealed that a toad living beneath a stone was blocking the underground spring.
When the villagers removed the creature, fresh water began flowing again.
At the apple tree, he explained that a snake was gnawing at the tree’s roots.
Once the snake was removed, the golden fruit returned.
Finally, he told the ferryman that the only way to escape his endless task was to hand the ferry pole to the next traveler and step ashore.
Grateful for these answers, the townspeople rewarded the young traveler with gold and gifts.
The Fulfillment of Fate
When the boy returned to the royal court, he presented the three golden hairs to the astonished king.
He also displayed the wealth he had earned along his journey.
But the king’s jealousy had not faded.
Hearing about the ferryman’s crossing, the king decided to claim the treasures for himself.
He set off eagerly to find the mysterious riches.
When he reached the river, the ferryman welcomed him aboard and asked him to hold the ferry pole while he stepped ashore.
And so the king became the next ferryman, forever trapped in the endless task.
With the king gone, the prophecy was fulfilled.
The young traveler married the princess and ruled wisely, proving that courage and wisdom can triumph over arrogance and fate.
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Moral Lesson
The tale of the Three Golden Hairs of Grandfather Know-All reminds us that destiny cannot be easily avoided. Courage, intelligence, and kindness along the journey often lead to success, while arrogance and greed bring their own downfall.
Knowledge Check
1. What task does the king give the boy?
To retrieve three golden hairs from the head of Grandfather Know-All.
2. What mysteries does the boy promise to solve during his journey?
The dried-up well, the barren apple tree, and the ferryman’s endless task.
3. Who helps the boy obtain the golden hairs?
The wife of Grandfather Know-All.
4. What supernatural figure possesses all knowledge in the story?
Grandfather Know-All.
5. What happens to the king in the end?
He becomes trapped as the ferryman on the endless river.
6. Who recorded this Czech folktale in the 19th century?
Karel Jaromír Erben.
Source: Prostonárodní české pohádky a pověsti by Karel Jaromír Erben (1865)
Cultural Origin: Czech folklore
