Once upon a time there was a princess who was extremely proud: if a suitor came, she gave him something to advise, and if he could not guess, he was mocked and sent away. She also let it be known who solved her riddle, should marry her, and anyone who wants to can come. Finally, three tailors got together, the two eldest of them thought they had done many a fine stitch and had hit it, they couldn't miss it, they had to hit it here too; The third was a small, useless Springinsfeld, who didn't even know his trade, but thought he must be lucky, because where else would it come from. Then the two others said to him, "Just stay at home, you won't get far with your little mind. But the little tailor did not allow himself to be misled and said he once put his head on it and wanted to help himself, and walked along as if the whole world were his.

Then all three reported to the princess and said she should present her riddle to them: the right people had arrived, they had a fine mind that one could probably thread it into a needle. Then said the princess, "I have two different hairs on my head, what colors is it?" The princess said, "You guessed it wrong, answer the second." Then the second said, "It's not black and white, it's brown and red, like my father's roast coat." "Guessed it wrong," said the princess, "answer the third, I can see from him that he certainly knows .” Then the little tailor stepped forward boldly and said, “The princess has silver and gold hair on her head, and these are the two different colors.” When the princess heard that, we knew she was pale and almost fell over from the fright, for the tailor had hit it, and she had firmly believed that no one in the world would find out. When her heart came back, she said, "You haven't won me over with that, you have to do one more thing, there's a bear in the stable downstairs, you're supposed to spend the night with him; if I get up tomorrow and you are still alive, you shall marry me.” But she thought she wanted to get rid of the little tailor, because the bear had not yet let anyone alive who had fallen under his paws. The little tailor wasn't deterred, was very happy and said, "You've just ventured, it's half won."

When evening came, my little tailor was brought down to the bear. The bear also wanted to go straight for the little guy and give him a good welcome with his paw. "Gently, gently," said the little tailor, "I'll bring you to rest." Then, quite leisurely, as if she had no worries, she took some Italian nuts out of her pocket, bit them open, and ate the kernels. When the bear saw this, he got excited and wanted some nuts too. The tailor reached into his pocket and gave him a handful; but they weren't nuts, they were boulders. The bear put it in its mouth, but couldn't muster up anything, biting whatever it wanted. "Oh," he thought, "what a stupid block you are! can't even bite the nuts" and said to the little tailor, "My, bite my nuts." "You see what a fellow you are," said the little tailor, "you have such a big mouth and can't bite the little nut open .” So she took the stones, was quick, put a nut in her mouth and cracked it and it broke in two. "I have to try the thing again," said the bear, "when I look at it, I think I ought to be able to do it too." The little tailor gave him boulders again, and the bear worked and bit into it with all his might. But you don't think he upset her either. When that was over, the little tailor took a violin out from under her skirt and played a little on it. When the bear heard the music, he couldn't stop himself and began to dance, and when he had danced for a while he liked the thing so much that he said to the little tailor, "Listen, is it difficult to play the violin?" you see, I put my fingers on them with my left hand and stroke them with my right hand with the bow, it's fun, hopsasa, vivallalera!" "So violins," said the bear, "I'd like to understand that too, so that I could dance as often as I wanted to. What do you think about? Would you like to give me lessons in it?" "With all my heart," said the little tailor, "if you have the skill for it. But point out your paws, they are enormously long, I have to cut off your nails a bit." A vice was brought and the bear put his paws on it, but the little tailor screwed them tight and said, "Now wait until I do Come with the scissors," let the bear growl as much as he wanted, lay down in the corner on a bundle of straw and fell asleep.

The princess, when she heard the bear growling so loudly in the evening, couldn't help but believe that he was growling with joy and had killed the tailor. In the morning she got up quite carefree and happy, but when she looks at the stable, the little tailor is standing in front of it quite cheerfully and is as healthy as a fish in water. She could no longer say a word against it, because she had publicly promised to do so, and the king sent for a carriage in which she had to drive to church with the little tailor, and she was to be married there. As soon as they got in, the other two tailors, who had a false heart and didn't begrudge him his luck, went into the stable and unscrewed the bear. The bear, in a rage, ran after the carriage. The princess heard him snorting and growling: she was afraid, and she cried, "Oh, the bear is behind us and wants to get you." The little tailor was quick, stood on his head, stretched his legs out the window and cried, do you see the vise? if you do not go, you shall go back in.” When the bear saw this, he turned and ran away. My little tailor went quietly to church and the princess was married to him and he lived with her happily like a little hawk. If you don't believe it, pay a thaler.