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Once upon a time long ago, even 

before the days of King Arthur, 

there lived a blacksmith only three 

feet tall. He was so short that he 

needed a stool to stand on to shoe 

the great steeds of the knights. 

This bothered him not a bit because 

although he was small he was very 

brave. In fact, in his heart he 

secretly longed to become a knight 

and win the hand of the Princess. 

The Princess was the King and Queen's only child and it 

should come as no surprise that the little blacksmith 

loved her very much for she was both kind and beautiful. 

She was even smaller than he, and had dancing eyes and 

long silken hair which she wore in a coiled braid. But, alas, 

the little blacksmith could admire the Princess only from 

afar because she was, after all, a princess and he but a 

lowly blacksmith--not even that tall. 

One day a terrible dragon came to the kingdom. Breathing fire 

on anyone who crossed its path, it trampled houses and burned 

fields. Many knights battled the dragon but their swords could 

not cut its thick scales. Each night it flew home to its cave in 

the mountains surrounded by a deep ravine.

The dragon was enchanted and protected by a magic spell. 

It said, 

He who would break my spell,

Must carry a thousand swords,

And do it well.

Then cross a bridge which isn't there,

If he wants to reach my lair.

And last, not least, my defeat

Will be an empty cup filled.

Many knights went to battle and many knights were hurt as 

the dragon moved closer and closer to the castle. The King 

declared whosoever killed the dragon would be granted half 

his kingdom. Now knights came from across the sea. They 

were the most fierce, the bravest and the biggest knights 

anyone had ever seen. A thousand of them gathered to attack 

the dragon.

But with his great wings the dragon took no time in knocking 50 

knights from their horses and breathing fire on the rest. He said, 

You must think I'm here to fiddle,

1,000 men--that's not the riddle.

One man alone, only one man,

With a thousand swords,

That's the plan.

In desperation the King proclaimed whosoever solved the riddles 

and killed the dragon would be granted their heart's desire. 

Now the merchants got busy. Suddenly there were swords 

everywhere: fat swords, skinny swords, sharp swords, dull swords, 

fancy swords, but mostly tiny swords so that one man might carry 

many of them. But a tiny sword is more like a dagger and most 

knights were too proud to carry a sackful of daggers. 

There was also a need for building materials to make the bridge, all kinds and 

shapes of wood and rock and rope and twine. Of course, with all this material they 

needed carts to carry it and animals to pull it so there was a run on wagons and 

horses and donkeys and oxen. 

Lastly, the chinaware merchants had a field day. They sold crystal goblets, wooden 

goblets, big cups, little cups, coffee cups, fat cups, skinny cups. To fill these cups 

the wine merchants and the milkmaids sold red wine, white wine, sparkling wine, 

cow's milk, goat's milk and all types of fruit juice. 

As a matter of fact, the kingdom had never known such commercial success. 

Nothing was left of anything resembling a sword or building material, or a wagon to 

hold it, or an animal to pull it, and there was not a drop of liquid left in all the 

kingdom but ordinary water. 

What was left were sacks and sacks and sacks of money piled everywhere. And did 

this do any good? No. The knights for all their effort and all their supplies couldn't 

defeat the dragon and now the countryside was strewn with debris and the kingdom 

was a mess. 

Only the little blacksmith's heart was full of hope for he finally had a 

chance to win the hand of the Princess. He fashioned a suit of armor and 

a sword out of old tin cups and scrap metal, mounted his pony and rode to 

court. Bowing before the King, he said, "I wish to be knighted so that I 

may rid your kingdom of this horrible monster." 

There was a moment of silence, then everyone but the Princess began to 

laugh. In fact, they laughed and they laughed, which made the little 

blacksmith's ears turn red. The King said, "You are no match for this 

dragon. It takes might to fight. You are simply too small." 

The little blacksmith squared his shoulders. "I may be slight but I can 

fight." 

The Princess was impressed. It was clear to her he was brave and good. 

"Father, for my sake, knight him this day. You promised 'whosoever 

should slay the dragon,' and surely he deserves a chance." 

The King couldn't refuse his only daughter. He rose from his 

throne and knighted the blacksmith. Then, for luck, the Princess 

unwound her long braid, pulled out a single hair and handed it to 

the littlest knight. He placed it in a pocket over his heart. "May 

you have good fortune, my brave knight," she said. 

So the littlest knight set out on his pony to find the dragon. He 

met many tired and injured knights and one helpful fellow told 

him, "Go back. One man can't carry 1,000 swords, nor can you 

cross a bridge which isn't there, and if you fill an empty cup it 

won't be empty any more. It is all a trick." He thought the littlest 

knight was the biggest fool. 

The littlest knight had been traveling half a day when he came upon an object in the 

road beneath a tree. It was a beehive. Being a kind soul he picked it up to put it 

back in the tree. Suddenly he heard a tiny, buzzing voice. 

We see you have kind intentions,

But please don't put us back.

Every knight who's seen us here,

Raised his sword and gave a whack.

Carry us elsewhere, we pray,

And we'll return the favor one day.

"OK," said the littlest knight and carefully tied the beehive to his saddle. 

It was shortly after that he found the dragon or rather it found him. It landed 

nearby to look him over, and said, 

Pfft, why you're nothing but a pea,

Who doesn't reach my knee.

Go home and grow some more.

Fighting you would be a bore.

But the littlest knight charged anyway striking a blow with his sword. 

"Ouch," said the dragon. The littlest knight charged and struck him again. The 

dragon roared. 

You've gone too far this time.

You hit me on my behind.

I'll fry you 'till

What you look like most,

Is a piece of burnt up toast.

Suddenly there was a buzzing from the knapsack. A bee flew out and up to the 

littlest knight's ear. 

We have a way to repay you,

Throw our beehive and we'll save you.

So the littlest knight grabbed the beehive, throwing it at the dragon's head. 

Immediately a thousand bees flew out with a thousand stingers. With their tiny 

swords they stung the dragon again and again. The dragon's eyes began to swell 

and he could hardly see. With a bellow of pain and anger he leaped into the air and 

flew off to his 

The littlest knight followed on his pony. When he reached the dragon's lair he saw 

that the cliffs of the ravine were so far across that building a bridge would take 

a year. He sat down to think about it, meanwhile pulling from his pocket the 

Princess's single silken hair. 

Again there was a buzzing from the knapsack and a bee flew out. It asked him 

what the matter was. When he told it, it said. 

This is easy.

To cross a bridge which isn't there,

Could be a single human hair.

Tie the Princess's to my back.

I'll fly it there and

Tie it near the dragon's lair.

The bee did just that. The littlest knight couldn't believe his good fortune until he 

was fully halfway across the ravine, balancing like an acrobat. The Princess's hair 

seemed magical for it stretched the whole distance and even with his weight did 

not break. 

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