A wizard left each of his three sons a gift before he died. The oldest received a mirror, through which he could see anyone in the world. The second, a horse which could ride to any place in the world in one day. The third, a magic apple which would never rot, and when eaten would cure any disease.

One day the brothers heard about a princess in a faraway land who was dying of an unknown disease. Rumour had it the king would let the man who saved his daughter marry her. The brothers sprung into action. The first looked in his mirror and saw the ill princess and the land she lived in. All three jumped on the second brother's horse, and they rode so fast they got to the princess' land the next morning. Then the third son took his apple to the princess, who ate it and recovered full health instantly.

The king was grateful, and indeed intended to let one of them marry the princess. But it had taken the cooperation of all three brothers to save her. Which one did the king decide should marry his daughter?

Would the daughter marry the one who immediately saved her life, or the one who set up a chain reaction that eventually led to her life being saved? The latter certainly wasn't any of those brothers, and the king, "intended to let one of them marry the princess." So therefore, the son who had an apple marries the princess.

That was sure a greedy princess to eat up the whole apple which instead could have been used to grow panaceas for all diseases in the world. It was also greedy for that son to give it to her.

Posted by Tristan on 2004-02-15 19:24:29