The Three Brothers (Grimm)
Division into chapters is editorial.
The fathers dilemma and challenge
A man lived with his three sons and owned nothing but the ancestral house they inhabited. Each son desired to inherit the house after their father's death, but the father loved all three equally and could not decide who should receive it. He refused to sell the house because it had belonged to his forefathers, which would have allowed him to divide the money among them. After much consideration, he devised a plan to resolve this dilemma fairly.
Go into the world, and try each of you to learn a trade, and, when you all come back, he who makes the best masterpiece shall have the house.
The sons agreed to this proposal and were content with the arrangement. They decided on their respective trades and set a specific time for their return. The eldest son chose to become a blacksmith, the second decided to be a barber, and the third selected fencing as his profession. After fixing their reunion date, each brother departed to pursue his chosen craft.
The sons learn their trades
Fortune smiled upon all three brothers as they each found skilled masters who taught them their trades thoroughly. The eldest son learned blacksmithing and eventually became skilled enough to shoe the King's horses. This prestigious position filled him with confidence, and he thought to himself that the house would surely be his without doubt.
The second son mastered barbering and served only great people, shaving nobles and important figures. Like his eldest brother, he too looked upon the house as already his own, confident in his abilities and prestigious clientele.
The youngest son endured the hardest training as a fencing-master, receiving many blows during his instruction. However, he remained determined and never let the pain discourage him, believing that fear of hardship would prevent him from winning the house.
The three skill demonstrations
When the appointed time arrived, the three brothers returned home to their father. They sat together trying to determine the best opportunity to demonstrate their skills. As they deliberated, a hare suddenly came running across the field at tremendous speed. The barber seized this moment to showcase his abilities.
So he took his basin and soap, and lathered away until the hare came up; then he soaped and shaved off the hare's whiskers whilst he was running at the top of his speed.
The barber accomplished this remarkable feat without cutting the hare's skin or injuring a single hair on its body. The father praised his son's skill and declared that his brothers would need to exert themselves wonderfully if they hoped to win the house. Soon after, a nobleman's coach came dashing along at full speed, providing the blacksmith with his opportunity.
So away he ran after the coach, took all four shoes off the feet of one of the horses whilst he was galloping, and put him on four new shoes without stopping him.
The father acknowledged that the blacksmith was as clever as his brother, admitting he did not know to whom he should give the house. Then the third son requested his turn, and as rain began to fall, he drew his sword and flourished it with incredible speed above his head, preventing any drops from touching him. As the rain intensified into torrents, he moved his sword even faster and remained completely dry.
The winner and their happy life together
When the father witnessed this extraordinary display of skill, he was amazed and immediately declared the fencing-master's performance to be the masterpiece. The house belonged to the youngest son. His brothers accepted this decision gracefully, as they had agreed beforehand to honor their father's judgment.
As they loved one another very much, they all three stayed together in the house, followed their trades, and... they earned a great deal of money.
The brothers lived happily together until old age. When one brother fell sick and died, the remaining two grieved so deeply that they also became ill and soon died. Because of their exceptional skills and deep love for one another, all three were laid to rest in the same grave.