The Island with the Golden Apple
There once was a king who had three sons. When he grew old, he called the princes to him and said that one of them would inherit the throne but only the one who really deserved it. In a remote corner of his kingdom, there was a lake with an island with only a few trees on it. But these trees grew golden apples! The king said to his sons, "The one who manages to take a golden apple from the island and brings it to me will be my heir to the throne.” The eldest son shouted that he would start because he was the eldest and felt he therefore had the first right to go out. He sailed a boat towards the island, but when they were near, a strong wind came up and pushed the waves up. The boat was pushed back and no matter what he and the skipper tried, the boat blew ashore the mainland. The prince said to the skipper from whom he had hired the boat. "Let us wait and try again tomorrow.” They sailed towards the island again, but another big storm came up and the same thing happened again; the boat ran aground. On the third day he tried again, but again to no avail. He had not succeeded. He came home disappointed and let it be known that he had failed. The second son saw his chance and thought if I sail around the island and the storm comes up again and blows from the same angle as my brother's, it will blow me straight to the island. But when he got to the lake, there was no wind at all. He just drifted around and no matter how he rowed and how close he sometimes got to the island, the current prevented him from reaching it. He drifted around until he got hungry and thirsty because his food for the day was gone and sailed back to the mainland. He tried twice more, but it was always the same story. He could not reach the island. Dejected, the second son returned home. Finally, the youngest prince was given the opportunity to travel to the island. To the surprise and annoyance of his brothers, weeks and even months passed before the prince was ready to make any preparations to go to the island. But the youngest had an idea. He waited for winter and for the lake to freeze over so that he could skate to the island. As he skated, he came very close to the island, when suddenly a strong wind came up. The prince dug his heels into the ice, but the wind was so strong that he could not stay in one place; he slowly slipped away from the island. But what he had hoped for happened. The strong wind blew the golden apples from the trees. Most of them stayed on the island in the snow. But one blew onto the ice and rolled, driven by the strong wind at considerable speed, in his direction. He saw the golden apple roll past him and set off in pursuit. On his skates, he could go faster than the golden apple could roll, and he picked it up from the ice. With the golden apple in his pocket, he made his way home. And so the youngest son inherited his father's throne.
The Island with the Golden Apple
There once was a king who had three sons. When he grew old, he called the princes to him and said that one of them would inherit the throne but only the one who really deserved it. In a remote corner of his kingdom, there was a lake with an island with only a few trees on it. But these trees grew golden apples! The king said to his sons, "The one who manages to take a golden apple from the island and brings it to me will be my heir to the throne.” The eldest son shouted that he would start because he was the eldest and felt he therefore had the first right to go out. He sailed a boat towards the island, but when they were near, a strong wind came up and pushed the waves up. The boat was pushed back and no matter what he and the skipper tried, the boat blew ashore the mainland. The prince said to the skipper from whom he had hired the boat. "Let us wait and try again tomorrow.” They sailed towards the island again, but another big storm came up and the same thing happened again; the boat ran aground. On the third day he tried again, but again to no avail. He had not succeeded. He came home disappointed and let it be known that he had failed. The second son saw his chance and thought if I sail around the island and the storm comes up again and blows from the same angle as my brother's, it will blow me straight to the island. But when he got to the lake, there was no wind at all. He just drifted around and no matter how he rowed and how close he sometimes got to the island, the current prevented him from reaching it. He drifted around until he got hungry and thirsty because his food for the day was gone and sailed back to the mainland. He tried twice more, but it was always the same story. He could not reach the island. Dejected, the second son returned home. Finally, the youngest prince was given the opportunity to travel to the island. To the surprise and annoyance of his brothers, weeks and even months passed before the prince was ready to make any preparations to go to the island. But the youngest had an idea. He waited for winter and for the lake to freeze over so that he could skate to the island. As he skated, he came very close to the island, when suddenly a strong wind came up. The prince dug his heels into the ice, but the wind was so strong that he could not stay in one place; he slowly slipped away from the island. But what he had hoped for happened. The strong wind blew the golden apples from the trees. Most of them stayed on the island in the snow. But one blew onto the ice and rolled, driven by the strong wind at considerable speed, in his direction. He saw the golden apple roll past him and set off in pursuit. On his skates, he could go faster than the golden apple could roll, and he picked it up from the ice. With the golden apple in his pocket, he made his way home. And so the youngest son inherited his father's throne.
