The Master Maid
The Master Maid: a short, easy version
The Master Maid is a Norwegian fairy tale about a prince who goes out to seek his fortune and ends up in the service of a giant. The prince meets a clever helper—the Master Maid—who teaches him how to do tasks in extraordinary ways. She explains that ordinary work will bring trouble, but using clever tricks and special methods can win the day.
First, the giant makes the prince clean the stables. The Master Maid warns that if he shovels the ordinary way, many shovels of dirt will fly back in his face. He should shovel with the handle instead. The two speak all day and decide to marry. That evening, the prince begins the work to prove himself and succeeds, with the Master Maid’s help.
Next, the giant sends him on three more dangerous tasks. He must bring a fire-breathing horse from the pasture, go to Hell to fetch a fire tax, and then face a better test to escape with the Master Maid. The Master Maid gives him exact instructions—use a bit to control the fire-breathing horse, and follow special directions for the other tasks. They complete each task, and they grow closer.
On the fourth day, the giant tries to kill the prince and make him into stew. The Master Maid secretly helps by pretending to help but secretly planning their escape. She cuts her finger, lets a little blood fall into a pot, and then she uses magical items—a chest of gold dust, salt, water, a golden apple, and two golden chickens—to carry them away. They sail across the sea, and the giant sends monsters after them. The Master Maid pours salt to create a mountain that blocks the sea, then uses water from the flask to refill it when needed, and they reach the prince’s homeland.
The prince plans to bring the Master Maid to the wedding with a grand coach and seven horses. But a wedding guest—who was rolled an apple to him—causes him to forget the Master Maid. He forgets her and nearly marries his rivals’ sister instead. The Master Maid finds a hidden, magical hut and makes a safe home there, filling it with gold so an old woman flees in fear. A constable and then a clerk and a sheriff come trying to marry her, but she outwits them with promises of gold and clever traps, and they fail.
Finally, the day of the wedding arrives. The prince’s memory returns, and he realizes he should be marrying the Master Maid, not the sister. The sister is revealed as a witch and is dealt with. The prince and the Master Maid marry, and they live happily together.
About the tale
The Master Maid is one of the oldest and most widespread fairy tales. It is classified as ATU 313, “The Magic Flight,” a story type in which a hero and a helper escape a dangerous pursuer using magic or clever tricks. In Norway, the tale is known as Mestermø. Variants of this story appear all over the world, often with similar ideas: a young hero, a resourceful helper, magical flight, and a memory-tricking twist at the end.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 08:01 (CET).