Once upon a time, a woman and her son lived in a poor hut near a stream. The mother was often ill, so the boy had to gather wood, catch fish and sell them so that they had enough to survive. But he would much rather have gone to school. Whenever he came to the stream, he would see a little frog sitting there, wearing a red necklace around its neck; it would look at him with friendly eyes and always stay close by. One day, however, he saw a large bird coming and trying to grab the little frog with its long beak. He quickly jumped over, took the little frog in his hand, shooed the bird away and carried the little frog home.

“What are we going to do with a frog in the house?” asked his mother.

“This isn’t a normal frog, believe me, Mother!” replied the boy.

“Very well, put it in the garden and look after it properly,” said his mother.

The boy put the little frog in the garden and then went off to sell wood and fish, as he did every day.

The mother was feeling a little better today and wanted to look for a pretty scarf in her old chest. But what did she find amongst the fabrics? A bag of money! When her son came home, she showed him the bag and said: “Look what I’ve found; now you can finally go to school.” ’ The son was overjoyed and set off for France the very next day to go to school. The mother looked after the little frog at home. She was delighted by her son’s letters, and even more so when he finally came home again. The little frog hopped up and down with joy when it saw him again.

Shortly afterwards, they received news of a large inheritance. “The little frog has brought us fortune,” cried the mother, and the son exclaimed joyfully, “Now I can learn German too!” Soon he set off again, and the mother stayed behind with the little frog, which now sat at the table with her on its own little stool. Whenever a letter arrived, the little frog would hop for joy.

When the son had finished his studies, he returned home. The mother embraced him and cooked a delicious meal to celebrate his return. She set the table, placed out wine glasses and did not forget the little chair for the frog. The moment everyone sat down at the table, the little frog turned into a beautiful woman. She wore the red necklace around her neck and said: ‘I was the Queen of the Frogs, but you have saved me with your kind heart. From now on, I will look after you, for I have many treasures. Will you marry me?’

The young man looked into her beautiful eyes, and how could he possibly say no? So the wedding was prepared. On the wedding day, carriages arrived and took the wedding guests to the church. When they returned, however, the little hut was gone, and in its place stood a beautiful castle. They celebrated for three days and lived happily ever after.