A long, long time ago, the sun and the moon had a daughter who was not only lovely and beautiful like a flower, but also well-behaved and obedient, so that it was a joy. There was only one wish she could not be talked out of: she wanted to go out into the world with her parents at least once.

 

Father and mother kept saying, "Be reasonable, little daughter. You are still too small and can't keep up with us for long. Soon your little feet would hurt you. But we must not stop anywhere on our way across the earth."

 

But as obedient as the girl was otherwise, as soon as the talk turned to her greatest wish, she had a stubborn head and could not be convinced by anything. And one evening, when her father left the house and started his nightly walk around the world, she clung to his lap and ran after him. In vain the father spoke to her:

"Turn back, little daughter, it is not too late. You will bitterly regret your disobedience. I must not stop on my way around the earth, and if your feet hurt and you can go no further, I must leave you in the world, and you must never return to heaven."

 

But the girl did not let go of his coattails, and so the Father Moon, who could not turn back, had no choice but to take her with him. He strode across the sky, and the dear little daughter with him. At first, it was quite easy to keep up with the father. Oh, what a pleasure it was to walk beside him and look at the whole world down there in all its beauty! But soon the little feet began to hurt, and finally the girl could go no further.

 

"Wait, father, let's rest a little, I can't go on!" But the father did not stop. "You see, little daughter, I warned you for a reason. Now I must leave you here, for I must not linger anywhere. Stay here on the seashore and live in the white cottage there. Mother Sun will visit you every day, and I will look in on you every four weeks for seven nights. And now farewell, I must move on!" So Father Moon left his beautiful little daughter on the seashore and hurried on.

 

From that day on, the daughter of the sun and the moon lived all alone in the white house by the sea, and her only companions were the fish and the birds. Only the Mother Sun came to visit her every day, only the Father Moon looked in on her every four weeks for seven nights.

 

Thus the girl grew up to a beautiful virgin.

 

Then it happened one day that the king, while hunting, came to the white cottage which he had never seen before in that place. And since he was thirsty in the midday heat, he strode towards the house. On the threshold sat the daughter of the sun and moon, spinning a golden thread. When she saw the king, she greeted him nicely and said, "You must be thirsty, king. Sit down, and in a moment I will have fresh water brought to you. " And then she ordered the bucket who was standing in the corner, "Do you hear, bucket, run to the well, lower yourself down and bring up fresh water. Can't you see that the king is thirsty? And you, glass, jump on the edge of the well, draw water from the bucket, and jump into the king's hand so that he can drink!"

 

The king could not believe his eyes. The bucket ran alone to the well and tied itself to the rope. The winch turned all by itself, and the bucket went down empty and came up full. Meanwhile, the glass was already waiting at the well, scooped water from the bucket and jumped into the king's hand. The king drank the glass empty in one go, and the glass, not lazily, filled a second time so that the king could quench his thirst. The king had never experienced anything like it. He thought he was dreaming and could hardly bring a word of thanks past his lips in amazement.

 

The daughter of the sun and moon smiled kindly and said: 'But surely you are not only thirsty, but also hungry from the hunt. Wait a little while, and in a moment I will set something before you." And again she began to give her orders: "Wood, jump into the stove and burn! Pan, stand on the fire! Pot, pour oil into the pan! And now come, you fish from the sea, that the king may satisfy his hunger! Jump into the pan and let yourselves be fried! And you, smart, cover yourself as befits such a high guest. Knife, cut bread! Bottle, pour wine into the glass."

 

The king could not get out of his amazement. Whatever the beautiful girl ordered was obeyed in the twinkling of an eye, and before the king could rub his eyes to convince himself that he was not dreaming, there before him stood the laid table. And all the while the cunning hostess had not moved from the spot and had not stopped spinning her golden thread.

 

Only when the fish were fried golden, she reached with her bare hands into the boiling oil and put the fish on the king's plate.

The king liked it as never before. He liked everything here, but most of all he liked his beautiful hostess. When he had eaten his fill, he thanked her and said, "If I did not have a queen, I would take you in her place at once, if I knew who you were.

 

The beautiful girl laughed and said: "I come from such a family that no one can stand above me. Cold white and round is the father, and golden shines the mother's face. Day and night they go through the world, over the heads of the people. If I were to tell you their names, you would recognize them immediately."

 

But the king could not make sense of her words and said: "The king, no matter how much he loves, may only choose those whose names he knows." 

 

And sadly he took leave and returned to his castle. But the beautiful girl from the white house by the sea, the fisherman's daughter, as he thought, was never far from his mind. At every turn he had to think of her, until even his young wife noticed that his thoughts were constantly wandering into the distance.

 

"What are you thinking about, my lord?" she asked. And the king answered, "Of a beautiful fisher girl in a white house by the sea." And he told his consort what wonders he had beheld in the white house.

 

But the young queen, who was very haughty and proud, said, "What a fisherman's daughter can do, a queen can always do!" And immediately she gave her orders to the wood, the pan, the pot and the little table. But none of the dead things obeyed the haughty queen, she had to do everything herself. When the fish were fried golden yellow, she wanted to perform at least the last miracle of the beautiful girl from the house by the sea, and she reached into the boiling oil with her bare hands. But she should rather have left it alone, because she burned her hands in such a way that she died after a week from the incurable wounds.

 

No sooner had the queen been solemnly buried than the advisors came before the king and demanded that he marry again, for the dead queen had not given him a son, and the kingdom needed an heir to the throne. The king would have loved to marry the beautiful girl from the white house by the sea, but how could he make her his queen when he didn't even know who her father and mother were? And so he looked for a princess from the neighboring country, and when the year of mourning was over, they celebrated their wedding.

 

One day, while hunting, the king again strayed to the white house by the sea. The daughter of the sun and moon was sitting on the threshold as usual, spinning her golden thread. When the king suddenly stood before her, she was startled and the spindle fell from her hand and rolled into the sea. The girl smiled kindly at the king and greeted him nicely. Then she commanded, "Knife, cut off my right hand quickly so that she can fish the spindle out of the sea. And you, little hand, bring me the spindle quickly and grow again!"

The king was amazed with open mouth. Everything that the beautiful girl had commanded was obeyed in the twinkling of an eye, and before he could rub his eyes to convince himself that he was not dreaming, the girl was again holding the spindle in her hand and continuing to spin his golden thread.

 

This time, too, the king was royally entertained, and everything tasted good to him, everything pleased him here. But most of all he liked his beautiful hostess. When he had eaten his fill, he thanked her and said: "If I had no queen, I would immediately take you in her place, if I knew who you are."

 

And the beautiful girl answered as last time: "From such a family I come, that no one can stand above me. Cold white and round is the father, and golden shines the mother's face. Day and night through the world stretch, over the heads of the people there. If I were to tell you their names, you too would recognize them immediately."

 

But the king again did not understand the meaning of these words and said sadly: "The king, and loved after so hotly, may choose only those whose names he knows."

 

And then he took his leave and returned to his castle. But the beautiful girl from the white house by the sea, the beautiful fisherman's daughter, as he thought, was not out of his mind. Day and night he had to think about her, until finally even his young wife noticed that his thoughts were constantly wandering into the distance.

 

"What are you thinking about, my lord?" she asked. And the king answered, "Of a beautiful fisher girl in a white house by the sea." And he told his wife what wonders he had beheld in the white house.

 

But the queen, who was proud and haughty, said, "What a fisherman's daughter can do, a queen can always do!" And immediately she threw the ring into the well and ordered the knife to cut off her hand so that she could fish the ring out of the well. Of course, the knife did not move, and so the haughty queen, enraged, cut her own hand, but she should rather have left it alone, because before a week was up, she had died from the deep wound.

 

No sooner had the queen been solemnly buried than the advisors came before the king and demanded that he marry again, for the dead queen had not given him a son and the kingdom needed an heir to the throne. The king would have loved to marry the beautiful girl from the white house by the sea, but how could he make her his queen if he didn't even know who her father and mother were?

 

The king thought about it for a long time, and then he said to himself: "If I don't know, it will have to come out."

 

And that very day he went to the white house by the sea. He arrived toward evening, when dusk was already falling. Stealthily he made his way into the house, poured the oil from the lamp, took the oil can and hid with it behind the door. There he remained as quiet as a mouse and held the can with both hands.

 

In the meantime it had become dark. The beautiful girl entered the house and called out while still on the threshold: "Lamp, burn, little lamp, it is already dark!" - "I can't burn, I have no more oil," replied the lamp. Then the girl commanded: "Oil can, pour oil into the lamp!" - "I can't, mistress,"' replied the pot. "Someone is holding me. " - "Will you follow!"' scolded the girl. "What kind of jokes are these? After all, there is no one here to hold you. Sinew, run and pour oil into the lamp!" - "I can't, mistress, someone is holding me." Now the girl was really getting angry: "Will you obey! How should someone hold you when there is not a soul in the whole house except me? I will teach you obedience right away, as true as I am the daughter of the sun and the moon!"

 

The king did not need to hear more. The beautiful girl herself had told him who she was, and the king could hardly wish for more noble parents-in-law than the sun and the moon. He let go of the jug, jumped out from his hiding place and said: "Now I know who you are, beautiful girl. If you like me, you shall become my wife and queen this very day!"

 

The daughter of the sun and moon had long liked the young king, and she gladly agreed. So the king celebrated his third and last wedding and lived happily ever after with his beautiful wife, the daughter of the sun and moon.