Once upon a time there were three brothers who had fallen deeper and deeper into poverty, and at last the need was so great that they had to suffer hunger and had nothing more to eat or to break. Then they said, 'It can't stay like this: it's better we go out into the world and seek our fortune'. So they set out, and had already walked long distances and over many grassy knolls, but they had not yet encountered happiness. Then one day they came to a large forest, and in the middle of it was a mountain, and when they came closer they saw that the mountain was all silver. Then the eldest said, 'Now I have found the fortune I wanted, and I ask for no greater.' He took as much of the silver as he could carry, then turned around and went back home. The other two, however, said, 'We still want a little more than mere silver,' did not touch it and went on. After they had walked again for a few days, they came to a mountain that was all gold. The second brother stood, pondered, and was uncertain. What shall I do," he said, "shall I take so much of the gold that I will have enough for the rest of my life, or shall I go on?

Finally he made up his mind, filled his pockets with whatever he could find, said goodbye to his brother and went home. But the third said, 'Silver and gold do not move me: I do not want to refuse my happiness, perhaps something better is in store for me. He went on his way, and when he had gone three days, he came into a forest that was even larger than the previous ones and did not want to end at all; and since he did not find anything to eat and drink, he was about to die of hunger. Then he climbed a high tree to see if he could see the end of the forest, but as far as his eye could see he saw nothing but the tops of the trees. Then he went down from the tree again, but hunger tormented him, and he thought 'if only I could satisfy my body once more'. When he came down, he was astonished to see a table under the tree, full of food steaming towards him.

This time,' he said, 'my wish has been fulfilled at the right time,' and without asking who had brought the food and who had cooked it, he approached the table and ate with pleasure until he had satisfied his hunger. When he had finished, he thought 'it would be a pity if the fine tablecloth should spoil here in the forest,' neatly folded it up and put it away. Then he went on, and in the evening, when hunger arose again, he wanted to put his tablecloth to the test, spread it out and said, 'I wish that you were once again filled with good food,' and no sooner had the wish passed his lips than there were as many bowls with the most beautiful food on them as there was room for. Now I realize,' he said, 'in which kitchen they cook for me; you shall be dearer to me than the mountain of silver and gold,' for he saw well that it was a tablecloth. However, the little cloth was not enough for him to retire at home, but he still wanted to wander around the world and try his luck. One evening he met a charcoal-burner in a lonely forest, who was burning coals and had potatoes standing by the fire, with which he wanted to keep his meal. Good evening, blackbird,' he said, 'how are you doing in your loneliness?' 'One day like the other,' replied the charcoal-burner, 'and potatoes every evening; do you feel like it, and want to be my guest?' 'Thank you very much,' replied the traveler, 'I don't want to take the meal away from you, you didn't count on a guest, but if you want to make do with me, then you shall be invited.' Who shall prepare food for you?" said the charcoal-burner, "I see that you have nothing with you, and there is no one within a few hours who could give you something. 'And yet it shall be a meal,' he answered, 'as good as you have ever tasted.' Then he took his little cloth out of his satchel, spread it on the ground, and said, 'Cover yourself with a little cloth,' and immediately there was boiled and fried food, and it was as warm as if it had just come from the kitchen. The charcoal burner's eyes widened, but he did not let himself be asked for long, but took a bite and shoved bigger and bigger morsels into his black mouth. When they had finished eating, the charcoal burner smiled and said, "Listen, your little cloth has my applause, that would be something for me in the forest, where no one cooks me anything good. I want to offer you an exchange, there in the corner hangs a soldier's satchel, which is old and inconspicuous, but in which there are wonderful powers; since I no longer need it, I want to give it for the shawl'. First I must know what these miraculous powers are," he replied. I will tell you,' answered the charcoal burner, 'if you tap on it with your hand, a private with six men will come every time, they have upper and lower rifles, and what you command, they accomplish.' 'For my sake,' he said, 'if it can't be any other way, let's exchange,' gave the charcoal burner the little cloth, lifted the satchel from the hook, hung it around him and took his leave. When he had gone a little way, he wanted to try the miraculous powers of his satchel, and knocked on it.

Immediately the seven war heroes stepped in front of him, and the corporal said 'What does my lord and master demand?' 'March in a hurry to the charcoal burner and demand back my little wish cloth'. They turned left, and not long after, they brought what they had asked for and had taken it from the charcoal burner without much question. He told them to leave again, went on, and hoped that luck would shine even brighter for him. At sunset he came to another charcoal burner who was preparing his evening meal by the fire. If you want to eat with me,' said the sooty journeyman, 'potatoes with salt but without lard, sit down with me.' 'No,' he answered, 'for this time you shall be my guest,' uncovered his little cloth, which was filled with the most beautiful dishes. They ate and drank together, and were in good spirits. After the meal, the charcoal burner said, "There is an old, worn-out hat on the top of the comb, which has strange properties: if someone puts it on and turns it around on his head, the field snakes go as if there were twelve listed next to each other, and shoot everything down, so that no one can stand against it. The little hat is of no use to me, and I will give it for your tablecloth. That's good to hear,' he answered, took the little hat, put it on and left his little cloth behind. But no sooner had he gone a little way than he knocked on his satchel, and his soldiers had to fetch the little cloth for him again. One thing leads to another,' he thought, 'and it seems to me that my luck has not yet run out. His thoughts had not deceived him either. After he had walked another day, he came to a third charcoal burner, who invited him to unmelted potatoes, not unlike the previous ones. The charcoal burner liked it so much that he offered him a horn in return, which had completely different properties than the hat. When one blew on it, all the walls and fortifications, and finally all the towns and villages, fell over. He gave the charcoal burner the cloth for it, but afterwards he let his crew demand it again, so that he finally had satchel, hat and horn all together. Now,' he said, 'I am a made man, and it is time for me to go home and see how my brothers are doing.

When he arrived home, his brothers had built a beautiful house from their silver and gold and were living in luxury. He entered their house, but because he came in a half-torn skirt, with a shabby little hat on his head and an old satchel on his back, they would not accept him as their brother. They scoffed and said, "You are pretending to be our brother, who spurned silver and gold and demanded a better fortune for himself: he will surely arrive in full splendor as a mighty king, not as a beggar," and chased him out the door. Then he was enraged and knocked on his satchel until a hundred and fifty men stood before him in rank and file. He ordered them to surround his brothers' house, and two of them were to take hazel sticks with them and tan the skin on the bodies of the two arrogant ones until they knew who he was. A tremendous noise arose, the people ran together and wanted to help the two in their distress, but they could do nothing against the soldiers. Finally, the king was informed of this, and he became indignant and sent out a captain with his troops to chase the disturber of the peace out of the city. But the man with the satchel soon had a larger crew together, and they beat back the captain and his men so that they had to leave with bloody noses. The king said, "The fellow who ran here can still be subdued," and the next day he sent out a larger force against him, but it could do even less. He sent even more people against him, and in order to finish even faster, he turned his little hat around on his head a few times: then the heavy cannon began to play, and the king's people were beaten and put to flight. Now I will not make peace,' he said, 'until the king gives me his daughter in marriage, and I rule the whole kingdom in his name. He sent word to the king, and the king said to his daughter, 'Must is a hard nut to crack: what else can I do but do what he asks? if I want peace and to keep the crown on my head, I must give you up.

The wedding was celebrated, but the king's daughter was annoyed that her husband was a common man who wore a shabby hat and had an old satchel around his neck. She would have liked to be rid of him again and pondered day and night how she could accomplish this. Then she thought, 'Should his miraculous powers be in that satchel?' She pretended to caress him and said, 'If only you would take off that bad satchel, it disgraces you so much that I must be ashamed of you.' 'Dear child,' he answered, 'this satchel is my greatest treasure, as long as I have it, I fear no power in the world;' and told her what miraculous powers it was endowed with. Then she fell around his neck as if she wanted to kiss him, but with agility she took the satchel from his shoulder and ran away with it. As soon as she was alone, she knocked on it and ordered the warriors to arrest her former master and lead him out to the royal palace. They obeyed, and the false woman sent more men after him to chase him all the way out to the country. There he would have been lost if he had not had the little hat. But no sooner were his hands free than he waved it a few times: immediately the cannon began to thunder and knocked everything down, and the king's daughter had to come herself and beg for mercy. Because she pleaded so agitatedly and promised to mend her ways, he allowed himself to be persuaded and granted her peace. She was friendly with him, acted as if she loved him very much, and after a while she was able to so beguile him that he trusted her, even if someone could get hold of the satchel, he could not do anything against him as long as the old hat was still there. When she knew the secret, she waited until he had fallen asleep, then she took the little hat away from him and let him throw it out into the street. But the little horn was still left to him, and in great anger he blew into it with all his might. Immediately everything fell down, walls, fortifications, towns and villages, and struck the king and the king's daughter dead. And if he had not stopped and blown just a little longer, everything would have fallen to pieces and not one stone would have been left upon another. Then no one resisted him any longer, and he set himself up as king over the whole kingdom.