Prince Lionheart and His Three Friends: A Tale of Courage and Loyalty

Adapted from Tales of India: Folktales from Bengal, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu

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The Prince’s Journey

In a prosperous kingdom of ancient India, there lived a king whose only son was named Prince Lionheart. The young prince had earned this name through his extraordinary courage and strength, which were evident even in his childhood years. By the time he reached eighteen, Prince Lionheart had grown restless within the palace walls.

“Father,” he said one day, approaching the king’s throne, “I have spent my entire life in this palace. Now I wish to see the world beyond our kingdom. Please grant me a horse, a sword, and your blessing to embark on my journey.”

The king was reluctant to part with his beloved son and heir, but seeing the determination in the young man’s eyes, he knew he could not refuse. With a heavy heart, he presented Prince Lionheart with a magnificent black horse, a razor-sharp sword, and a purse filled with gold coins.

“May the gods protect you on your travels,” the king said as he embraced his son one last time before the prince rode away from the palace gates.

The Three Companions

Prince Lionheart had not traveled far when he came upon a dense jungle where three men—a Knifegrinder, a Carpenter, and a Blacksmith—were engaged in a heated argument. Their voices carried through the trees, drawing the prince’s attention.

“What seems to be the trouble, friends?” asked Prince Lionheart, guiding his horse toward the quarreling trio.

The Knifegrinder looked up, surprised to see such a noble-looking young man. “We have been traveling together and have just killed a deer,” he explained. “But now we cannot agree on how to divide the meat fairly among ourselves.”

“Such a small matter should not come between friends,” said the prince with a smile. “Allow me to divide it for you.”

The three men agreed, and with one swift stroke of his sword, Prince Lionheart cut the deer into four perfectly equal portions. “There,” he said, “now each of you has an equal share, and no one can complain.”

“You have the wisdom of Solomon!” exclaimed the three men, delighted with his fair solution. “If you have no objection, we would like to join you on your travels. We are all skilled in our crafts and might prove useful companions.”

“I would welcome your company,” replied the prince warmly. “After all, the more companions, the merrier the journey!”

The Haunted City

The four travelers journeyed together until they came upon a deserted city. They wandered through empty streets lined with magnificent palaces and abandoned shops. An eerie silence hung over the place, broken only by the sound of their footsteps.

The Knifegrinder, who was naturally timid, grew increasingly nervous. “I don’t like this place at all,” he whispered. “It must be haunted by ghosts or demons! Let’s find somewhere else to spend the night.”

“Nonsense!” declared Prince Lionheart. “I fear neither ghosts nor demons. We will stay here tonight and see what happens.”

They chose the grandest palace they could find, and the prince instructed the Knifegrinder to prepare dinner while he and the others explored the city further.

No sooner had the Knifegrinder begun cooking, with savory aromas filling the air, than a tiny man—no larger than a thumb—appeared on the hearth. Despite his diminutive size, his voice was surprisingly clear as he demanded, “Give me my dinner!”

“Your dinner?” scoffed the Knifegrinder, thinking he could easily overpower such a small creature. “I’ll give you something else instead!”

He swung a ladle at the tiny figure, but the little man dodged with surprising agility. Then, to the Knifegrinder’s horror, the creature began to grow. He stretched taller and taller until he transformed into a terrifying demon with eyes like burning coals and a mouth that stretched from ear to ear.

The Knifegrinder fell to his knees, begging for mercy. The demon merely laughed, kicked him into the next room, devoured all the food in an instant, and vanished as suddenly as he had appeared.

When Prince Lionheart and his companions returned, hungry from their explorations, they found no dinner and a trembling Knifegrinder. He concocted a story about being struck with ague and a stray dog eating their meal while he was incapacitated.

“What a pity,” said the prince. “But we must eat. Blacksmith, you prepare the next meal while the Carpenter and I continue exploring.”

The same fate befell the Blacksmith, and later the Carpenter, each encountering the demon and each too frightened to tell the truth. When Prince Lionheart returned the third time to find no dinner and three “sick” companions, he decided to cook the meal himself.

The Prince’s Challenge

As Prince Lionheart prepared the food, the tiny warrior appeared once more, demanding dinner in his mosquito-like voice.

“Well, aren’t you a fascinating little fellow,” remarked the prince, looking down at the thumb-sized figure with amusement. “And what might you want?”

“Give me my dinner!” the tiny being shrieked.

“I believe you’re mistaken,” replied the prince calmly. “This is my dinner, not yours. But to avoid an argument, let’s settle this properly with a fair fight.”

At these words, the little man began to grow and stretch until he towered over the prince as a fearsome demon. But instead of cowering in fear, Prince Lionheart burst into laughter.

“My good sir,” he said, “there’s a proper measure to all things! A moment ago you were ridiculously small, and now you’re absurdly large. Since you can clearly change your size at will, why not show some sporting spirit and become exactly my size? Then we can determine whose dinner this truly is.”

The demon, taken aback by the prince’s reasonable request and fearless demeanor, reluctantly shrank to match the prince’s height. The two began to duel, their swords clashing in a fierce battle that echoed throughout the palace. Unlike his companions, Prince Lionheart never yielded an inch, and after an intense struggle, he slew the demon with his sharp sword.

With a knowing smile, he then roused his three “ailing” friends. “Arise, brave companions! I have cured your ague!”

The three men rose sheepishly from their beds, praising the prince’s unmatched courage while trying to hide their embarrassment.

The First Kingdom

Prince Lionheart sent word throughout the region that the city was now safe for habitation. The former residents, who had fled the demon’s tyranny, could return on one condition: they must accept the Knifegrinder as their new king and give him their most beautiful maiden as his bride.

The people joyfully agreed, grateful to be able to return to their homes. After the wedding celebrations, Prince Lionheart prepared to continue his journey. The Knifegrinder, now a king, begged to accompany his master, but the prince refused.

“You must remain to govern your kingdom,” he told the new monarch. Instead, he gave him a barley plant with special instructions: “Tend this plant with care. As long as it flourishes, you will know I am safe and well. Should it begin to droop, you will know I am in danger, and you may come to my aid if you wish.”

So the Knifegrinder-king remained with his bride and his barley plant, while Prince Lionheart continued his travels with the Blacksmith and the Carpenter.

The Second Kingdom

Before long, they discovered another abandoned city. Like the first, it stood eerily empty, its grand buildings devoid of inhabitants. The Blacksmith suddenly remembered stories he had heard.

“This must be the city haunted by the terrible ghost that kills everyone who stays here,” he exclaimed. “We should leave immediately!”

“After we’ve had our dinner,” insisted the ever-practical Prince Lionheart.

They purchased supplies from an abandoned shop, carefully leaving payment on the counter, and proceeded to a palace where the Blacksmith was assigned cooking duties while the others explored.

As before, a supernatural visitor appeared—this time an old woman with wrinkled black skin and backward-facing feet, the unmistakable signs of a ghost. The Blacksmith fled in terror, and the ghost consumed their dinner before vanishing.

When the prince returned to find no meal and no cook, he assigned the task to the Carpenter, who met the same fate. Finally, Prince Lionheart took charge of the cooking himself.

When the ghost appeared to him, she chose to take the form of a beautiful young woman, hoping to deceive the handsome prince. But Lionheart noticed her backward-facing feet and immediately recognized her true nature.

“I must ask you to resume your actual form,” he said, drawing his sword. “I dislike the thought of harming a beautiful woman, even if it’s merely an illusion.”

With a shriek of rage, the ghost reverted to her hideous true form. Prince Lionheart struck swiftly with his sword, and the terrible apparition fell dead at his feet.

The Blacksmith and Carpenter emerged from hiding, and once again, Prince Lionheart invited the city’s former inhabitants to return, with the Blacksmith as their new king. He too received a barley plant before the prince and the Carpenter continued their journey.

The Third Kingdom

In the next large town they visited, the Carpenter fell in love with a maiden as beautiful as the moon and stars. Seeing his companion’s longing, Prince Lionheart took pity on him. He summoned the town’s leaders, revealed his identity, and ordered them to make the Carpenter their king and allow him to marry the maiden of his choice.

The townspeople, having heard of Prince Lionheart’s reputation, quickly complied. After the wedding, Prince Lionheart gave the Carpenter-king a barley plant with the same instructions he had given the others, then continued his journey alone.

The Ruby River

After traveling for many days, Prince Lionheart came to a river. As he rested on its bank, he was astonished to see a massive ruby floating downstream. Then another appeared, and another—each one enormous and brilliantly colored. Intrigued, he decided to follow the river upstream to discover their source.

After two days and nights of travel, watching the rubies drift by in the current, he came upon a magnificent marble palace built along the riverbank. Beautiful gardens surrounded it, with marble steps leading down to the water. There, hanging from a branch that extended over the river, was a golden basket.

What the prince saw inside the basket made his heart stop—the head of the most beautiful princess imaginable. Her eyes were closed, her golden hair fluttered in the breeze, and every minute, a drop of crimson blood fell from her slender neck into the water, transforming into a ruby as it drifted downstream.

Overcome with compassion, Prince Lionheart entered the palace, searching through its ornate halls and corridors until he discovered a sleeping chamber draped in silver. There, on a white satin bed, lay a headless body that clearly belonged to the princess.

Acting on instinct, he retrieved the golden basket and gently placed the head on the severed neck. Miraculously, they joined together instantly, and the beautiful princess awoke to life.

Kneeling before her, the prince asked who she was and how she had come to such a terrible fate. She explained that she was a king’s daughter who had attracted the attention of a wicked Jinn. The creature had abducted her using his magical powers and, consumed by jealousy, never left her without first removing her head and hanging it in the golden basket until his return.

The Secret of Life

Prince Lionheart immediately offered to help the princess escape, but she warned him they must first kill the Jinn or face certain capture. She promised to discover the secret of the Jinn’s life and instructed the prince to cut off her head once more and replace it in the golden basket to avoid arousing suspicion.

Though it broke his heart, the prince followed her instructions and then hid in a nearby closet. Soon the Jinn arrived, reattached the princess’s head, and immediately sensed something amiss.

“Fee! Fa! Fum! This room smells of human flesh!” he roared.

The clever princess pretended to weep. “How could I know anything? Am I not dead when you are away? You may eat me if you wish, but please don’t be angry!”

The Jinn, who loved her desperately, swore he would rather die himself than harm her.

“That would be worse for me,” she replied. “If you died while away, I would be neither fully dead nor alive.”

“Don’t worry,” the Jinn assured her. “My life is well protected.”

Through gentle persistence and clever questioning, the princess eventually convinced the increasingly drowsy Jinn to reveal his secret: “I can only be killed by a prince called Lionheart, and only if he finds the solitary tree guarded by a dog and a horse. He must pass these guardians unharmed, climb the tree, kill the starling singing in a golden cage on the highest branch, tear open its crop, and destroy the bumblebee inside. So I am safe, for it would require either a lion’s heart or great wisdom to accomplish such a task.”

“How can these guardians be overcome?” asked the princess.

The Jinn, nearly asleep, mumbled, “In front of the horse lies a heap of bones, and before the dog, a heap of grass. Whoever takes a long stick and switches these heaps, giving grass to the horse and bones to the dog, will pass safely.”

Prince Lionheart, overhearing everything, immediately set out to find the solitary tree. When he discovered it, he followed the Jinn’s unwitting instructions, exchanging the heaps of food. The appeased guardians allowed him to climb the tree, where he seized the starling and began twisting its neck.

At that moment, the Jinn awakened and flew through the air to defend his life. The prince quickly cut open the bird’s crop, seized the bumblebee, and as the Jinn landed on the tree, tore off the insect’s wings. The Jinn crashed to the ground but began climbing toward the prince. When the prince tore off the bee’s legs, the Jinn became legless as well. Finally, when the prince removed the bee’s head, the Jinn’s life ended completely.

Triumphant, Prince Lionheart returned to the princess, who rejoiced at her freedom. Though eager to take her to his father’s kingdom, he agreed to her request for rest after her ordeal. They remained in the palace, exploring its many treasures.

One day, as the princess bathed in the river and combed her golden hair, a few strands came loose. Not wanting to discard them in the water, she fashioned a small cup from a pīpal leaf, placed the golden hairs inside, and set it afloat on the current.

Downstream, where the river flowed past another royal city, a king was sailing in his pleasure boat when he spotted something glittering like sunlight on the water. Upon retrieving the leaf cup and discovering the golden hairs, he was captivated by their beauty. The king vowed not to rest until he found the woman to whom such extraordinary hair belonged.

And so begins another chapter in the adventures of Prince Lionheart and the Princess, a tale that reminds us that true courage comes not from fearlessness, but from facing our fears with determination and wisdom.