Once upon a time, a young soldier was dismissed from the king's army with nothing but three copper coins in his pocket. "Is this all I get for years of loyal service?" he said, shaking his head. "Well then, I shall go out into the world and make my own fortune!" So the soldier slung his knapsack over his shoulder and marched down the road, whistling a tune, ready for whatever adventure lay ahead.
Before long, the soldier came upon an astonishing sight: a giant of a man was pulling up whole oak trees by their roots as easily as picking daisies. "Good heavens!" cried the soldier. "What incredible strength! Would you like to come with me and seek your fortune?" The Strong Man grinned, tossed a tree aside, and said, "I've got nothing better to do. Lead the way!" And so they were two.
Further down the road, they met a hunter kneeling on a hilltop, aiming his rifle at something far away. "What are you shooting at?" asked the soldier. "There's a fly sitting on a branch two miles from here," said the hunter. "I'm going to shoot its left wing off." BANG! And indeed, the fly fell with only one wing. "Extraordinary!" said the soldier. "Join us!" And so they were three.
Next they found a chubby fellow standing near seven windmills that were spinning wildly in what seemed like a calm day. "Where is this wind coming from?" asked the soldier. The Blower laughed and pointed to his nose. "From me! And this is only one nostril. If I used both, you'd have a hurricane!" He unplugged his other nostril for just a second, and the companions nearly flew away. "You're hired!" laughed the soldier. And so they were four.
Soon after, they spotted a man standing on one leg, with the other unbuckled and lying on the ground beside him. "Are you hurt?" asked the soldier kindly. "Not at all!" said the man. "I'm the fastest runner in the world. I unbuckle one leg so I don't accidentally run to the end of the earth before breakfast!" To prove it, he buckled his leg back on and vanished in a blur, returning seconds later from over the horizon. And so they were five.
Finally, they met a pale, quiet man wearing a peculiar large hat tilted far back on his head. "Why don't you wear your hat properly?" asked the soldier. "Because if I pull it down over my forehead," said the Hat Man softly, "everything around me freezes solid — trees crack, rivers turn to ice, and birds fall from the sky like stones." The soldier's eyes went wide. "That's a very useful talent. Come with us!" And so they were six.
The six companions arrived at a grand kingdom where the king had made a bold announcement: whoever could beat his daughter's champion in a race would win half the treasury. But if the challenger lost, he would lose his head! The soldier stepped forward with a grin. "I accept the challenge," he declared. The king looked at the ragged group and laughed. "Very well, fool. The race begins tomorrow. If you lose, it's off with your heads — all six of you!"
The next morning, the Runner buckled on his leg and lined up against the princess's champion at the starting line. The race was simple: run to a distant spring, fill a jug with water, and bring it back first. At the signal, both runners shot off like arrows. The Runner reached the spring in the blink of an eye, filled his jug, and started back. But halfway home, a terrible drowsiness came over him — a sleeping spell cast by the crafty king! The Runner collapsed under a tree and fell into a deep sleep.
The princess's champion was catching up fast! Back at the starting line, the Hunter raised his rifle, peered through the distance with his incredible eyes, and saw the Runner sleeping under a tree. He took careful aim and BANG! — shot the pillow right out from under the Runner's head without scratching him. The Runner woke with a start, saw the champion nearly at the finish line, and raced back in three giant strides, winning by a mile. The crowd erupted in cheers!
The furious king refused to pay. Instead, he invited the six companions to a feast in a special room. "Eat and drink all you want," the king said with a wicked smile. But as soon as they sat down, the doors were sealed with iron bolts, and fires were lit all around the room. The floor turned red-hot and the walls began to glow! "He means to roast us alive!" cried the Blower. But the Hat Man calmly pulled his hat down over his forehead.
Instantly, the room turned ice-cold. The fires sputtered and died. Frost crept across the glowing walls, and icicles hung from the ceiling. The six companions sat comfortably eating their dinner as if nothing had happened, blowing on their hands just to keep warm. When the king opened the doors the next morning expecting to find ashes, he found them alive and well, asking for seconds! The king turned white with shock.
"Very well," stammered the king, "take whatever gold you can carry and be gone!" He thought no one could carry much. But the Strong Man loaded every last coin, every jewel, every bar of gold in the entire treasury onto his enormous back. And when the king sent his army after them, the Blower turned around, took a deep breath, and blew the whole army tumbling back over the hills! The six friends divided the treasure equally and lived happily ever after, never needing to serve an ungrateful king again.
