The Wishing-Table, the Gold-Ass, and the Cudgel in the Sack (Grimm)
Short summary
A tailor had three sons and a goat that provided milk for the family. Each son took turns leading the goat to pasture. When asked if she had eaten enough, the goat always said yes to the sons but told the tailor she had been starved. Believing the goat, the angry tailor drove out each son with his yard-measure. When the tailor took the goat to pasture himself and discovered her deception, he shaved her head and drove her away with a horsewhip.
The eldest son became a joiner and received a magic table that produced food when commanded. The middle son became a miller and got a donkey that dropped gold pieces. The youngest became a turner and received a cudgel in a sack that would beat anyone on command. When the first two brothers stopped at an inn on their way home, the innkeeper stole their magic items while they slept, replacing them with ordinary ones.
The third brother arrived at the same inn and let the innkeeper try to steal his sack. When the cudgel began beating him, the turner demanded:
"If thou dost not give back the table which covers itself, and the gold-ass, the dance shall begin afresh." "Oh, no," cried the host, quite humbly, "I will gladly produce everything"
The innkeeper returned the stolen items. The three brothers reunited at home, sharing their magical gifts with their father and relatives, bringing prosperity to all.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
The tailor, his three sons, and the deceitful goat
A tailor lived with his three sons and a single goat whose milk sustained the entire family. Each day, one of the sons took turns leading the goat to pasture to ensure she had proper nourishment. The eldest son first took her to the churchyard where the finest herbs grew, allowing her to eat and roam freely. When evening came, he asked if she had eaten enough, and the goat replied in verse that she was completely satisfied. However, when the father checked with the goat directly, she claimed she had found no food and went hungry.
"Wherewithal should I be satisfied?
Among the graves I leapt about,
And found no food, so went without, meh! meh!"
Enraged by what he believed was his son's negligence, the tailor drove the eldest away with his yard-measure. The same pattern repeated with the second and third sons, each taking the goat to different locations with abundant food, yet receiving the same false testimony from the deceitful animal.
"Oh, the brood of liars!" cried the tailor, "each as wicked and forgetful of his duty as the other! Ye shall no longer make a fool of me," and quite beside himself with anger
After driving away all three sons, the tailor decided to tend the goat himself. He led her to the finest pastures and let her eat to her heart's content. Yet when he asked if she was satisfied, the goat gave him the same lying response she had given about his sons. Realizing his terrible mistake, the tailor shaved the goat's head bald and beat her with a horsewhip until she fled.
When the tailor was thus left quite alone in his house he fell into great grief, and would gladly have had his sons back again, but no one knew whither they were gone.
The eldest sons apprenticeship and the wishing table
The eldest son had apprenticed himself to a joiner and learned his trade industriously. When his apprenticeship ended, his master presented him with a remarkable parting gift - a simple wooden table with magical properties.
When commanded to "spread thyself," the table would instantly cover itself with a clean cloth, plates, utensils, and the finest dishes of boiled and roasted meats, along with red wine. The young joiner traveled the world, never worrying about finding good food or lodging, as his table provided everything he needed. Eventually, he decided to return home to his father, confident that his anger would have subsided. On his journey home, he stopped at an inn filled with guests and demonstrated his table's magic, amazing everyone with the abundant feast it provided.
The second sons apprenticeship and the gold-ass
The innkeeper, coveting such a useful item, secretly replaced the magic table with an ordinary one while the joiner slept. When the son reached home and tried to demonstrate the table's powers to his father and assembled relatives, nothing happened, leaving him humiliated and branded a liar. The second son had become a miller and received an equally remarkable gift from his master - an ass that could produce gold.
When the miller said "Bricklebrit," the ass would drop gold pieces from its mouth like rain. The second son lived luxuriously, always able to afford the finest things. Like his brother, he eventually decided to return home and stayed at the same inn. The greedy innkeeper discovered the secret of the gold-producing ass and stole it as well, replacing it with an ordinary donkey. The second son suffered the same fate as his brother when he tried to demonstrate his gift to his father and relatives.
The third sons apprenticeship and the magical cudgel
The third son became a turner, learning the most skilled trade of all. Having heard from his brothers about their misfortunes with the dishonest innkeeper, he was prepared when his master gave him a sack containing a magical cudgel. When commanded "Out of the sack, Cudgel!" the weapon would leap forth and beat anyone who threatened its owner until ordered back into the sack.
The turner arrived at the same inn and boasted about his treasure, deliberately arousing the innkeeper's greed. When the innkeeper attempted to steal the sack during the night, the turner was ready for him.
"Out of the sack, Cudgel!" Instantly the little cudgel came forth, and fell on the innkeeper and gave him a sound thrashing.
The cudgel beat the innkeeper mercilessly until he begged for mercy and agreed to return both the wishing-table and the gold-ass. Only then did the turner call off his magical weapon and allow the beaten innkeeper to rest.
The brothers reunite and the goats final fate
The turner returned home with both his brothers' stolen treasures and his own magical cudgel. The family was reunited as the father welcomed back all three sons. The wishing-table provided magnificent feasts, the gold-ass filled everyone's pockets with gold pieces, and the family lived in prosperity and joy. Meanwhile, the shamed goat had hidden in a fox's den, where her glowing eyes in the darkness frightened away the fox, a bear, and other forest creatures, until a brave bee stung her bald head and drove her away forever.
The tailor locked away needle and thread, yard-measure and goose, in a press, and lived with his three sons in joy and splendour.