The Turnip (Grimm)
Division into chapters is editorial.
The poor soldier becomes a farmer
Two brothers served as soldiers, but their fortunes differed greatly - one became wealthy while the other remained poor. Desperate to escape his poverty, the poor brother decided to abandon military life and try his hand at farming.
Then the poor one, to escape from his poverty, put off his soldier's coat, and turned farmer. He dug and hoed his bit of land, and sowed it with turnip-seed.
He worked diligently on his small plot of land, preparing the soil and planting turnip seeds with hope for a better future.
The miraculous turnip grows
The seeds sprouted successfully, but one turnip began growing in an extraordinary way. It became larger and more vigorous than any turnip ever seen before, continuing to grow bigger and bigger without stopping.
The seed came up, and one turnip grew there which became large and vigorous...so that it might have been called the princess of turnips, for never was such an one seen before.
Eventually, the turnip reached such enormous proportions that it filled an entire cart by itself and required two oxen to transport it. The farmer found himself in a dilemma, uncertain whether this miraculous vegetable would prove to be a blessing or a curse. After much consideration, he decided that selling it would bring little profit, and eating it seemed wasteful when smaller turnips would serve just as well. He concluded that the best course of action would be to present this wonder to the King as a gift.
The Kings generous reward
The farmer loaded the massive turnip onto his cart, harnessed his two oxen, and made his way to the royal palace. When he presented his gift to the King, the monarch was amazed by this unprecedented sight.
The King inquired about the origin of such a monster and wondered if the farmer was a luck-child who had stumbled upon it by chance. The humble farmer explained his circumstances, revealing that he was no luck-child but simply a poor former soldier who had turned to farming when he could no longer support himself in military service. He mentioned that while his brother was wealthy and well-known to the King, he himself was forgotten by everyone due to his poverty.
Then the King felt compassion for him, and said, 'Thou shalt be raised from thy poverty, and shalt have such gifts from me that thou shalt be equal to thy rich brother.'
True to his word, the King bestowed upon the poor farmer vast amounts of gold, lands, meadows, and herds, making him immensely wealthy - so much so that his brother's riches paled in comparison.
The rich brothers failed attempt
When the wealthy brother learned of his sibling's incredible fortune gained from a single turnip, he was consumed with envy.
He devised what he believed to be a much wiser plan, gathering gold and horses to present to the King, confident that such valuable gifts would earn him an even greater reward than his brother had received. However, when he made his presentation, the King accepted his gifts but explained that he had nothing more rare or excellent to give in return than the great turnip. The rich brother was thus obliged to take his own brother's turnip home in a cart. Once there, he seethed with rage and anger, not knowing where to direct his fury until dark thoughts entered his mind and he resolved to kill his brother.
A murderous plot and capture
The rich brother hired murderers to lie in ambush, then approached his brother with a deceptive proposal about digging up hidden treasure together.
The unsuspecting poor brother agreed and accompanied him. During their journey, the murderers attacked, bound him, and were about to hang him from a tree when they heard loud singing and the sound of horse's hooves in the distance. Terrified, they quickly stuffed their prisoner headfirst into a sack, hung it from a branch, and fled. The trapped man worked until he made a hole in the sack large enough to put his head through.
The clever escape and reversal
The approaching traveler turned out to be a young student riding through the forest while singing joyously.
The trapped man called out, claiming to be sitting in the 'Sack of Wisdom' where he had learned great things that made all schools seem like jokes. He convinced the eager student that entering the sack would grant him noble knowledge and wisdom. After some hesitation and the student's impatient pleading, the man agreed to let him take his place. When the student lowered the sack and freed him, the clever farmer immediately grabbed the student, put him upside down into the sack, and hoisted him up the tree. After mocking the student about gaining wisdom through experience, he mounted the student's horse and rode away, though he kindly sent someone to free the student after an hour.