The Brave Little Tailor

The Brave Little Tailor - Seven in one blow

A tailor was sitting by the window and sewing. A slice of bread with plum jam on it was attracting the flies. Soon seven flies had landed on it. The tailor took a rag and killed all seven of them in one blow. Proudly he sewed himself a belt and embroidered these words on it: "Seven in one blow". He put on his belt and went out into the wide world, so that everyone would hear about his bravery. He packed an old cheese in his bag and a bird.

A giant in the forest wanted to measure his strength against him, so he squeezed a stone together until water ran out of it. The tailor pulled the old cheese out of his bag and squeezed the juice out of it. Then the giant threw a stone so high into the air that you could hardly see it any more. "Well thrown", said the tailor, "but the stone has fallen down again. Mine will not come back". He then took the bird out of the back and threw it into the air. The bird flew away and didn't come back. The giant then wanted to carry a big tree together with the tailor. So the tailor said "Put the trunk on your shoulder. I'll take the crown. It's much heavier." The giant took the trunk. The tailor then sat on a branch behind him and let himself be carried along. When the giant put the tree down, the tailor jumped off and took hold of the crown of the tree as if he had been carrying it. The giant became afraid and ran away.

Tired from his wandering, the tailor laid down to sleep by a palace. The courtiers read the "seven in one blow" on his belt and told the King about it. The King promised the tailor his kingdom and his daughter if he could fulfil three tasks: to kill two wicked giants, catch a unicorn and free the farmers from a dangerous wild boar. The clever tailor set the two giants against each other and they fought until they were both dead. He got the unicorn to attack him and then jumped quickly behind a tree so that the unicorn drove its horn into the trunk and got stuck. He trapped the wild boar in a chapel and shut the door behind it. As a reward the little tailor was given the whole kingdom and the King's daughter.