“Hans Clodhopper.” Fairy tales from Hans Christian Andersen, Hans Christian Andersen, London: Dent, New York: Dutton, 1904, pp. 31-35.

Tale Summary

There were once two clever brothers who made up their minds to propose to the king’s daughter, as she had made it known that she would take whichever man for a husband who had the most to say for himself. One of them knew the Latin Dictionary by heart and the town newspapers for three years (either forwards or backwards), and the other was competent to talk about affairs of state, as he was acquainted with all the statutes of the Corporations, and could also embroider a harness. Just as the two left for the castle, their younger brother, named Hans Clodhopper, ran up and resolved to join them. He rode on a billy goat, as their father would not allow him a horse, and soon excitedly cried out about a dead crow he had found in the road. The brothers laughed at him and they all traveled on, and somewhere further down the path Hans found an old wooden shoe with the upper part broken off. His brothers once more laughed at him for this, and did so again later on when he stuffed his pockets with some sand he had come across. Inside the town gates, all the suitors received tickets, and so the brothers waited their turn. The one who knew the Lexicon forgot it entirely as he stood with all of the other men, and when he was led into the room with the princess it was exceedingly hot. He asked her about this, and she said that the heat was because her father was roasting cockerels. Not expecting this kind of conversation, he could not think of a word to say, and was sent away. The second brother entered and inquired about the heat, and the same thing happened to him. When Hans Clodhopper came in and the princess told him that they were roasting cockerels, he took it as an opportunity to roast his crow. He even supplied his own cooking-pot, which was the shoe that he had found on the ground. When she inquired about basting, he produced the sand from his pockets, and she remarked that he had an answer for everything and so he would be her husband. Testing him one last time, she said that the alderman sitting by the window would publish every word of their conversation for the next day’s paper, and Hans threw the sand into his face. The King’s daughter commended him and the two were married.