A king announced that whoever could tell the best lie would receive his daughter as a bride.
Now the princess was furious and blind with rage. When the king’s daughter saw that there was no hope whatsoever of changing her father’s inclinations, she decided to run away.
She went home and got undressed until she was completely naked, so that she was not dressed. A swarm of bees flew out and covered her entire body from head to foot. But they did not sting or hurt her. Instead, they carried honey to her lips and her entire body glowed through and through with beauty.
When she appeared at the castle in this dress, the people were so astounded they did not know what to say. Then she lit her pipe, sat down in her father’s chair, and said, “You’d better get out of here quickly if you value your life!”
Then the king beat himself and wept and sobbed and screamed with all his heart, so that the whole palace trembled and all his servants rushed to his side. He shed bitter tears and said, “I’ve done a great wrong and don’t deserve to be your father.” And he ran away, and to this day nobody knows what has become of him.
After that nobody dared to oppose her, and she made herself queen of the entire country. Music was played, and everyone danced until dawn.
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Notes:
1. Written in March 2020
2. Part of The New Brothers Grimm project
3. Assembled from Tale 267: The Liar; Tale 58:The Dog And The Sparrow; Tale 65: All Fur; Tale 94: The Clever Farmer’s Daughter; Tale 230: Fragments (Snowflower); Tale 21: Cinderella; Tale 104: The Clever People; Tale 218: The Strange Feast; Tale 277: King Ironhead; Tale 52: King Thrushbeard; Tale 266: Little Kurt Bingeling; Tale 36: The Magic Table, The Golden Donkey, And The Club In The Sack; Tale 54: The Knapsack, The Hat, And The Horn; Tale 222:Okerlo