The Skilful Huntsman (Grimm)
Short summary
A young locksmith's apprentice abandoned his trade to become a huntsman. His master gave him a magical airgun that never missed its target.
He encountered three giants who wanted him to kidnap a princess from a tower. The huntsman pretended to help but instead killed all three giants and took their tongues as proof. He also took tokens from the sleeping princess's room without waking her.
A one-eyed captain falsely claimed he had rescued the princess. She refused to marry him and was forced to work as a cook in a forest hut. The huntsman found her there and revealed himself as her true rescuer.
With this sword... did I cut off the heads of three giants. And he took their tongues out of his knapsack in proof.
The captain was executed and the huntsman married the princess.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
The locksmiths apprentice becomes a skilled huntsman
A young locksmith grew tired of his trade and decided to seek his fortune in the world. His father gave him money for the journey, and he set out to find work. After some time traveling, he resolved to abandon locksmithing entirely, as he no longer enjoyed it, and instead developed a passion for hunting. During his wanderings, he encountered a mysterious huntsman dressed in green who asked about his origins and destination.
The green huntsman agreed to teach him the art of hunting, and the young man bound himself as an apprentice for several years. After mastering the skills, he wished to try his luck elsewhere. As payment for his training, the huntsman received only a special weapon.
...the huntsman gave him nothing in the way of payment but an airgun, which had, however, this property, that it hit its mark without fail whenever he shot with it.
Three giants and their plan to kidnap the princess
The young huntsman found himself in a vast forest that could not be crossed in a single day. As evening approached, he climbed a high tree to escape wild beasts. Around midnight, he spotted a tiny light in the distance. He threw his hat toward the light as a marker, then descended and followed it. The light grew larger as he approached, revealing an enormous fire where three giants sat roasting an ox on a spit.
When one giant tried to taste the meat, the huntsman shot it from his hand. This happened repeatedly, causing the giants to argue among themselves before realizing a skilled marksman was responsible. They called out to him, promising safety if he joined them, but threatening death if he refused. The huntsman revealed himself and demonstrated his perfect aim. The giants then explained their plan: they wanted to kidnap a beautiful princess imprisoned in a tower across a lake, but a small guard dog would bark and wake the entire palace if anyone approached.
The castle infiltration and the giants defeat
The huntsman agreed to help and rowed across the lake. As soon as he landed, the little dog came running and was about to bark, but he shot it dead with his magical airgun.
The giants rejoiced, thinking they had secured the princess. However, the huntsman told them to wait outside while he investigated. Inside the castle, everyone was asleep. In the first room, he found a pure silver sword with a golden star and the king's name, along with a sealed letter stating that whoever possessed the sword could kill anything that opposed him. The huntsman entered the princess's chamber and found her sleeping peacefully. She was so beautiful that he stood breathless, watching her.
He thought to himself, 'How can I give an innocent maiden into the power of the wild giants, who have evil in their minds?' He looked about further...
Instead of taking her to the giants, he decided to collect evidence of his presence. He cut the right corner from her silk neck-kerchief embroidered with gold, took her right slipper bearing her father's name, and cut a piece from her nightdress, all without touching or waking her. When the giants demanded entry, he told them to crawl through a hole in the gate. As each giant pushed his head through, the huntsman grabbed his hair, pulled him in, and beheaded him with the silver sword. He cut out their tongues as proof and put them in his knapsack.
The captains false claim and the princesss refusal
When the king awoke and discovered the three dead giants, he questioned his daughter about who could have killed them.
The princess knew nothing, having slept through everything, but noticed her missing slipper, cut neck-kerchief, and torn nightdress. The king summoned his entire court to find the hero. A hideous, one-eyed captain claimed credit for the deed.
The king declared that as reward, the captain should marry his daughter. The princess refused, saying she would rather wander the world than marry him. Angered, the king forced her to remove her royal garments, dress as a peasant, and work as a potter.
The princess as a cook and the huntsmans proof
He arranged for peasants to drive their carts over her pottery stall, breaking everything. When she couldn't pay for the destroyed goods, he built her a hut in the forest where she would cook for anyone without payment. A sign hung on the hut's door reading 'Today given, tomorrow sold.' Word spread about a maiden who cooked without asking for payment. The huntsman heard this rumor and thought it would suit his poor circumstances.
He went to the forest hut, wearing the sword he had used to kill the giants, and ordered food. He was charmed by the beautiful maiden and asked about her origins. When she revealed she was the king's daughter and asked about his sword bearing her father's name, he told her how he had used it to behead the three giants. As proof, he showed her the giants' tongues from his knapsack, along with her slipper, the corner of her neck-kerchief, and the piece of her nightdress.
The truth revealed and the royal wedding
Overjoyed, she recognized him as her true deliverer. Together they went to the old king, and she revealed that the huntsman was the real hero who had freed her from the giants. Seeing all the evidence, the king could no longer doubt the truth. He gladly agreed that the huntsman should marry his daughter. The princess dressed the huntsman as a foreign lord, and the king prepared a feast. At the banquet, the captain sat on the princess's left while the huntsman sat on her right.
The king then posed a riddle to the captain about what would happen if someone claimed to have killed three giants but the giants had no tongues in their heads. When the captain foolishly answered that the giants couldn't have had tongues, the king asked what punishment such a liar deserved. The captain replied that he should be torn to pieces, unknowingly pronouncing his own sentence. The captain was imprisoned and executed, while the huntsman married the princess. He brought his parents to live with them, and after the old king's death, he inherited the kingdom.