The Golden Bird
황금새
Brothers Grimm (Jacob, 1863; Wilhelm, 1859)
The Story
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A king had a beautiful garden with a tree that grew golden apples.Every night, someone stole one apple, and no one ever saw who did it.The king asked his three sons to guard the tree, one at a time.
The two older sons fell asleep, but on the third night, the youngest stayed wide awake.At midnight, he saw a bird with feathers of pure gold eating an apple from the tree.He tried to catch the bird, but it flew off and left behind only one golden feather.
The king wanted the golden bird so much that he sent his sons out to find it.On the road, the youngest son met a clever fox who offered to guide him.The fox led him to a castle and warned him to choose the plain cage, never the golden one.
In his excitement, the young man reached for the golden cage instead, and guards captured him at once.That castle’s king agreed to free him and give him the golden bird, but only after he brought back a golden horse from another castle.
The fox helped him again, warning him to use only the old leather saddle, never the golden one.Once more the young man could not resist the golden saddle, and once more he was caught.That king also offered a bargain: bring back the princess from the castle on the hill, and the golden horse would be his.
This time the fox’s plan worked perfectly, and the princess agreed to leave with the young man of her own free will.One by one, with the fox’s help, the young man carried home the princess, the golden horse, and the golden bird, and his father the king welcomed them all with joy.Before he left, the fox asked for one last kindness, and when the young man treated him gently, the fox turned into a prince — the princess’s own long-lost brother, freed at last from an old spell.
Full translationTry the story first — open this only to check your understanding.
어느 왕에게는 황금 사과가 열리는 나무가 있는 아름다운 정원이 있었어요. 매일 밤 누군가 사과를 하나씩 훔쳐 갔지만, 아무도 그가 누구인지 보지 못했어요. 왕은 세 아들에게 하룻밤씩 돌아가며 나무를 지키라고 했어요.
두 형은 그만 잠이 들어 버렸지만, 셋째 날 밤에는 막내아들이 끝까지 깨어 있었어요. 한밤중에 그는 순금 깃털을 가진 새 한 마리가 사과를 먹고 있는 것을 보았어요. 그가 새를 잡으려 했지만 새는 날아가 버렸고, 황금 깃털 하나만 남기고 갔어요.
왕은 그 황금새를 너무나 갖고 싶어서 아들들을 그 새를 찾아오라고 보냈어요. 길을 가던 막내아들은 자신을 도와주겠다는 영리한 여우를 만났어요. 여우는 그를 한 성으로 데려가, 화려한 금 새장이 아니라 반드시 평범한 새장을 고르라고 일러 주었어요.
하지만 그는 흥분한 나머지 금 새장에 손을 대고 말았고, 병사들에게 곧바로 붙잡혔어요. 그 성의 왕은 그를 풀어 주고 황금새도 주겠다고 했지만, 다른 성에서 황금 말을 먼저 데려와야 한다는 조건을 걸었어요.
여우는 다시 그를 도우며, 화려한 금 안장이 아니라 낡은 가죽 안장만 쓰라고 경고했어요. 하지만 그는 또다시 금 안장의 유혹을 이기지 못했고, 또 한 번 붙잡히고 말았어요. 그 성의 왕도 거래를 제안했어요. 언덕 위 성의 공주를 데려오면 황금 말을 주겠다는 것이었어요.
이번에는 여우의 계획이 완벽하게 성공했고, 공주는 스스로 그와 함께 떠나기로 했어요. 여우의 도움으로, 막내아들은 마침내 공주와 황금 말과 황금새를 모두 데리고 집으로 돌아왔고, 아버지인 왕은 기쁘게 그들을 맞이했어요. 떠나기 전, 여우는 마지막 부탁을 했어요. 막내아들이 그를 다정하게 대하자, 여우는 왕자로 변했답니다. 그는 오래전 마법에 걸렸던 공주의 오빠였어요.
Original text
Now read the original
You just read an easy retelling. Here is the same passage exactly as the author wrote it — unabridged, split into short readings.
The complete story · 2,527 words · 6 short readings
Read the originalComprehension Check
1. Why did the young man get caught at the first castle?
2. How did the young man finally win the princess?
3. Who did the fox turn out to be?
Vocabulary
verb
guard
지키다, 감시하다
The king asked his three sons to guard the tree, one at a time.
왕은 세 아들에게 하룻밤씩 돌아가며 나무를 지키라고 했어요.
Your Summary
In 1–2 sentences, say what the fox asked for at the end, and who the fox really turned out to be.
Source: Adapted from the Brothers Grimm's tale "The Golden Bird" ("Der goldene Vogel"), collected in Grimm's Household Tales (1812–1857; Project Gutenberg #2591, long in the public domain). This simplified retelling and its Korean translation are original text written for SeoJae Story; the tale's darker turn — the older brothers' jealousy and betrayal, and the fox's request to be killed to break his spell — is left out, ending instead on the fox transforming once the young man treats him kindly.
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