“The Iron Stove.” The Fairy Book, Dinah Maria Mulock, New York: Mayflower Books, 1979, pp. 120-126.

Tale Summary

One day, a king’s daughter became lost in a wood, and found an iron stove which contained a prince who was enchanted by an old witch and was condemned to spend his life there. The princess heard a voice come from the stove which promised to guide her home as long as she swore to come back, create a hole in the side of the iron, and marry him. She was so frightened that she agreed and was led back to her castle by some companion, she was not sure exactly what. The maiden explained to her father what had happened, and, not knowing that the Iron Stove contained a prince, they sent out a miller’s daughter in her place. After twenty-four hours the girl could not make any impression on the stove with her knife, and when dawn broke she said aloud that she thought she could hear her father’s mill turning. Realizing that she was not the princess, he sent her back, and a swineherd's daughter was sent out to him. She also could not make an impression in twenty-four hours, and when the sun rose she said that she thought she could hear her father’s little horn sounding. The Iron Stove realized she was not the princess, and sent her back to tell the maiden that if she did not keep her promise her father’s kingdom would be reduced to rubble. She had no other choice but to obey and was able to scrape a hole in the Iron Stove within two hours, when she saw that there was a handsome youth inside dressed in gold. Before the princess was taken to the prince’s kingdom, she asked if she could see her father once more. He agreed but warned her not to speak more than three words to him. She was a chatterbox and broke this promise, and the Iron Stove disappeared so that she could not find the youth again. She looked for nine days, when she found a little house that she hoped to take refuge in, and saw that inside there were a number of fat little frogs and a beautifully set table covered in food. A little frog opened the door for her at the command of a very fat frog, and then brought a box, and afterward the princess had dinner and was led to a beautiful bed to sleep. The next day, the old frog gave her gifts from the box including three needles, a plough-wheel, and three nuts, which he said would be important to her journey. She was told that she would need to go over a high glass mountain, three sharp swords, and a great sea to find her prince. She climbed the glass mountain by digging the needles into it as she walked, safely rolled over the swords on her plough-wheel, and sailed across the water to a castle where she took up work as a servant. The prince assumed she was dead, and so was making wedding plans with another lady. In the evening, the maiden bit into one of the three nuts and a beautiful dress appeared which the bride was determined to have, and so gave permission to the princess to sleep outside the bridegroom’s door in exchange. The prince was given a sleeping draught and could not hear his lover calling to him all night long. The next evening an even more beautiful dress came out of the second nut, and again the girl gave it to the bride in exchange for a night outside the bridegroom’s door. He again had a sleeping draught and did not hear her. The next evening an even more beautiful dress came from the third nut and the maiden was allowed another night outside her lover’s door. This time, he did not take the sleeping draught, and realized her to be his true love. They escaped together in the night and went back to the little old house, which they found transformed into a castle, and inside was no longer a group of frogs but many princes and princesses. Their wedding was celebrated, and the princess’s father was brought to them, and so they lived happily together with two kingdoms.