Once, a happy young huntsman was walking through a forest. He met a little old woman who said, “Good day! I am very hungry and thirsty. Please, can you give me some food?”
The huntsman felt sorry for her and gave her everything he had. The woman said, “I will reward your kindness. Go further into the woods, and you will see a tree with nine birds. They are fighting over a cloak. Shoot into the middle of them. One bird will fall dead, and the cloak will fall too. That is a wishing-cloak. When you wear it, you can travel anywhere instantly. Also, take the heart of the dead bird and swallow it. Every morning, you will find a gold coin under your pillow.”
The huntsman thanked her and soon found the birds. He shot his gun, and the feathers flew. He took the cloak and the bird’s heart. The next morning, he found a gold coin under his pillow, and the same thing happened every day.
After a while, he decided to see the world. He traveled until he reached a castle. At the window stood a beautiful lady and her mother. The mother was a witch and knew about his magic items. She said to her daughter, “We must take his treasures.”
The huntsman fell in love with the beautiful lady and stayed at the castle. Slowly, the girl tricked him. She gave him a drink that made him bring up the bird's heart, and then she swallowed it herself. From that day on, the gold coins appeared under her pillow. However, the huntsman was so in love that he didn't care.
Next, the witch wanted the cloak. The daughter pretended to be sad. She told the huntsman, “I want to go to the Diamond Mountain to find precious stones.” The huntsman said, “I will take you there!” He put the cloak around both of them, and suddenly, they were on a high, rocky mountain.
While the huntsman was picking up diamonds, the witch made him feel very sleepy. He put his head in the girl’s lap and fell asleep. While he was sleeping, she took the cloak, wished herself home, and left him alone on the mountain.
When the huntsman woke up, he was terrified. Suddenly, three giants appeared. He pretended to be asleep. One giant said, “What is this little thing?” Another said, “Kill him!” But the third said, “No, let him be. A cloud will carry him away.”
Soon, a cloud floated down and picked him up. It carried him through the sky and dropped him in a garden full of vegetables. He was very hungry, so he ate some salad. Immediately, he turned into a donkey! He ran to another part of the garden and ate a different kind of salad. Suddenly, he turned back into a human.
“Now I have a plan,” he thought. He took some of the "bad" salad and some of the "good" salad. He painted his face brown so no one would know him and went back to the castle.
He told the witch, “I am a messenger. I have the best salad in the world!” The witch and her daughter wanted to taste it. He gave them the bad salad. The witch ate some and turned into a donkey. The maid ate some and turned into a donkey. Finally, the daughter ate some and she, too, became a donkey.
The huntsman led the three donkeys to a mill. He told the miller, “Give the old one (the witch) three beatings a day and only a little food. Give the maid one beating a day. Give the youngest one (the lady) no beatings and plenty of food.”
A few days later, the miller said the old donkey had died. The other two were very sad. The huntsman felt sorry for the young lady, so he gave her the good salad. She turned back into a human and cried, “Please forgive me! My mother forced me to steal from you.”
The huntsman forgave her. She gave him back the cloak and the bird’s heart. They got married and lived a long and happy life together.