"The Golden Bird" is a Brothers Grimm fairy tale about the troubled pursuit of a golden bird by a king's three sons. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm The Brothers Grimm (Gebrüder Grimm) are Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, German professors best known for publishing collections of authentic folk tales and fairy tales. ... A fairy tale is a story, either told to children or as if told to children, concerning the adventures of mythical characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others. ...

Synopsis

A king sends his three sons, one after another, to capture a priceless golden bird. The sons each meet a talking fox, who gives them advice on their quest. The first two sons don't heed the advice and abandon their quest. The third son follows the fox's plan at first, but ignores its further instructions. He thus gets himself into a bigger and bigger mess, which he is only able to overcome through yet another plan by the fox.

At the story's end, the third son has captured not only the golden bird, but also a golden horse and a beautiful princess. Finally, the third son cuts off the fox's head and feet at the creature's request. The fox is revealed as a man, the brother of the princess.