Once upon a time there was a young hunter who went respectfully into the forest. He had a fresh and happy heart, and as he went along and whistled at the leaf, an ugly old mother came and spoke to him and said: Good day, dear huntsman, you are merry and happy, but I am suffering from hunger and thirst, give me alms." Then the poor mother felt sorry for the huntsman, so that he reached into his pocket and handed her something according to his means. Well he wanted to go further, but the old woman stopped him and said, "Listen, dear hunter, what I'm saying to you, I want to give you a present for your kind heart: just go your own way, over a little while you'll get to know one tree, nine birds are sitting on it, they have a cloak in their claws and are struggling for it. Then put your rifle on your shoulder and shoot right under it: they will drop your cloak, but one of the birds will also be hit and fall dead, take your cloak with you, it is a wishing cloak, throwing it around your shoulders you only have to wish yourself to be somewhere and right now you are there. Take the heart out of the dead bird and swallow it whole, then you will find a piece of gold under your pillow every morning when you get up early.”

The hunter thanked the wise woman and thought to himself, "Nice things that she has promised me, if only it all came true." But when he had gone about a hundred paces, he heard [174] shouting in the branches above him and chirping that he looked up: there he saw a bunch of birds tearing a cloth around with their beaks and feet, screaming, tugging and wrestling, as if each one wanted to be alone. "Now," said the huntsman, "that's strange, it's going to happen just as Mother said," took the rifle from his shoulder, aimed it, and fired his shot right into the middle, so that the feathers flew about. Presently the animals fled with great cries, but one fell dead, and the cloak fell down with it. Then the hunter did as the old woman had told him, cut open the bird, looked for the heart, swallowed it down and took the cloak home with him.

The next morning when he woke up he remembered the promise and wanted to see if it had come true. But when he lifted his pillow, the piece of gold gleamed at him, and the next morning he found one again, and so on every time he got up. He collected a pile of gold, but finally he thought, "What good is all my gold if I stay at home? I want to move out and see the world.”

Then he said goodbye to his parents, put on his hunter's satchel and his shotgun and went out into the world. It so happened that one day he came through a thick forest, and when it ended, a handsome castle lay before him on the plain. In a window of the same stood an old woman with a beautiful maiden and looked down. But the old woman was a witch and said to the girl, "There comes one out of the forest who has a wonderful treasure in his body, so we have to seduce him, my darling daughter: it suits us better than him. He has a bird's heart with him, so every morning there is a piece of gold under his pillow." She tells her what it was like and how she would gamble for it, and at last she threatened and said with angry eyes, "And if you disobey me, so you are unhappy.” When the huntsman came closer, he saw the girl and said to himself, “I have been wandering around for so long, I want to rest and stop at the beautiful castle, I have plenty of money.” But actually was the reason that he had cast his eye on the beautiful picture.

He entered the house and was kindly received and courteously entertained. Before long he was so in love with the witch-girl that he thought of nothing else, and only looked at her eyes, and whatever she asked he gladly did. Then the old woman said, "Now we must have the bird's heart, it will not feel anything if it is missing." enough for the hunter. Said it, "Now, my love, drink to me." So he took the cup, and when he had swallowed the drink he broke the bird's heart out. The girl had to secretly take it away and then swallow it herself, because the old woman wanted it. From now on he found no more gold under his pillow, but it lay under the girl's pillow, where the old woman fetched it every morning: but he was so in love and infatuated that he thought of nothing but spending time with the girl expel.

Then the old witch said, "We have the bird's heart, but we must also take the wishing cloak from him." Coat is a wonderful thing that is seldom found in the world, I shall and must have it.” She gave the girl notices and said if she disobeyed her, it would be bad for her. So she did as the old woman said, stood by the window and looked out at the wide area as if it were very sad. The hunter asked, "why are you standing there so sad?" I want it so much that when I think about it, I'm quite sad; but who can get them! Only the birds that fly get there, a man never again." "You have nothing else to complain about," said the huntsman, "I will soon take your sorrow from your heart." With that he put his hand on her under his coat and made a wish over to the grenade hill, and at the moment they were both on it. The precious stone shimmered from all sides, so that it was a joy to look at, and they read the most beautiful and valuable pieces together. But the old woman, through her witchcraft, had caused the hunter's eyes to grow heavy. He said to the girl, "Let's sit down and rest a little, I'm so tired I can't stand on my feet." So they sat down, and he laid his head on her lap and fell asleep. When he was asleep, she untied his cloak from his shoulders and put it on herself, picked up the grenades and stones, and wished herself home with them.

But when the huntsman had finished his sleep and woke up, he saw that his sweetheart had deceived him and left him alone in the wild mountains. "Oh," said he, "how great is infidelity in the world!" sat there in sorrow and heartache and did not know what to do. But the mountain belonged to wild and immense giants, who lived on it and did their thing, and he didn't sit long before he saw the three of them striding along. Then he lay down as if in a deep sleep. Now the giants came up, and the first kicked him with his foot and said, "What earthworm lies there, looking at itself inside?" The second said, "Kick him to death." But the third said contemptuously, "That would be worth the trouble! Just let him live, he cannot stay here, and when he climbs higher to the top of the mountain, the clouds will seize him and carry him away.' when they were gone, he got up and climbed to the top of the mountain. When he had been sitting there a little while, a cloud came up, seized him, carried him away, and swept across the sky for a while, then descended and settled over a large herb garden, walled all around, so that he was between cabbage and vegetables gently landed on the floor.

Then the hunter looked around and said, "If only I had something to eat, I'm so hungry and it will be difficult to get on; but here I see no apples and no pears and no fruit whatsoever, nothing but herbs everywhere.” Finally he thought, “I can eat the salad if I have to, it doesn’t taste particularly good, but it will refresh me.” So he looked for a nice head and ate from it, but scarcely had he swallowed a few mouthfuls when he felt so strange and changed. He grew four legs, a fat head and two long ears, and he saw with horror that he had been transformed into a donkey. But because he still felt very hungry and the juicy salad tasted good according to his current nature, he always ate it with great greed. At last he got hold of a different kind of salad, but no sooner had he swallowed some than he felt a change again, and reverted to his human form.

Now the hunter lay down and slept off his tiredness. When he woke up the next morning, he broke off one head from the bad lettuce and one from the good lettuce and thought, "This is supposed to help me get my belongings back and punish my faithlessness." [178] Then he put the heads to himself and climbed over the wall and went off to look for his sweetheart's castle. Fortunately, after wandering around for a few days, he found it again. Then he quickly tanned his face so that his own mother would not have recognized him, went into the castle and asked for lodging. "I'm so tired," he said, "and can't go on." The witch asked, "Compatriot, who are you and what's your business?" seek what grows under the sun. I was lucky enough to find it and I carry it with me, but the heat of the sun is so intense that the delicate herb threatens to wither and I don't know if I can make it any further."

When the old woman heard about the delicious salad, she became lustful and said, "Dear countryman, let me try the wonderful salad." "Why not?" he answered, "I have brought two heads and will give you one," made his sack and handed her the evil. The witch thought of nothing bad, and her mouth watered so much for the new dish that she went into the kitchen and prepared it herself. When it was ready, she could not wait for it to be on the table, but she immediately took a few leaves and put them in her mouth, but no sooner had they been swallowed than the human form was lost, and she ran as one donkey down into the yard. Now the maid came into the kitchen, saw the ready salad there and wanted to serve it up, but on the way she felt like trying it, as was her habit, and ate a few leaves. Immediately the miraculous power showed itself, and she too became a donkey and ran out to the old woman, and the bowl of salad fell on the ground. In the meantime the messenger was sitting with the beautiful girl, and when no one came with the salad and she was craving it, she said, "I don't know where the salad is." Then the hunter thought, "The herb must have worked by now ' and said, 'I will go to the kitchen and inquire.' As he came downstairs, he saw the two donkeys running around in the yard, but the lettuce was lying on the ground. "That's right," he said, "the two have lost their share," and picked up the remaining leaves, put them on the bowl and brought them to the girl. "I'll bring you the delicious food myself," he said, "so that you don't have to wait any longer." So she ate some of it and was soon robbed of her human form like the rest and ran into the yard like a donkey.

After the huntsman had washed his face so that the transformed could recognize him, he went down into the courtyard and said, "Now you shall receive the reward for your unfaithfulness." He tied them all three to a rope and drove them away, until he came to a mill. He knocked on the window, the miller stuck his head out and asked what he wanted. "I have three wicked beasts," he answered, "that I can keep no longer. If you want to take them with you, give them fodder and bedding, and keep them as I tell you, I'll pay for what you ask." The miller said, "Why not? But how am I supposed to hold her?” Then the huntsman said to the old donkey, and that was the witch, that he should beat him three times a day and give him food once; the younger, who was the maid, once beatings and three times food; and the youngest, which was the girl, no beatings and three times to eat; for he could not bring himself to have the girl beaten. Then he went back into the castle, and whatever he needed he found in it.

After a few days the miller came and said he had to report that the old donkey, who had only been beaten and only eaten once, had died. "The other two," he said further, "didn't die and get three meals, but they are so sad that it can't last long with them." Then the hunter took pity, let go of his anger and spoke to the miller he should drive them back here. And when they came, he gave them the good salad to eat, so that they became human again. Then the beautiful girl fell on her knees before him and said, "Oh, my love, forgive me what I did to you badly, my mother forced me to do it; it happened against my will because I love you with all my heart. Your dream coat is hanging in a cupboard, and I want to take a drink for the heart of a bird.” Then he changed his mind and said, “Just keep it, it doesn’t matter, because I want to take you as my faithful wife.” And there it was Marriage held, and they lived happily together until their death.