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Overview

In this tale, a fox fleeing hunters asks a destitute miller to conceal it beneath a torn sack and turn the dogs away. In return, it brings him copper, gold and a diamond, names him Prince Csihan, and arranges his marriage to the daughter of King Yellow Hammer. It burns his old clothes and stages a pretended river mishap so that the king will supply princely garments.

When the bride asks to see her husband's lands, the fox coaches herdsmen to credit Csihan with the cattle of an iron-toothed hag, the Vasfogu Bába. It alarms her with news of approaching French troops, leads her to a bottomless lake and pushes her in, leaving her castle and riches to the miller as an apparent inheritance.

The fox later feigns serious illness to see how it will be repaid. Csihan orders it cast onto a dungheap, but the fox's threat to reveal his humble origins compels him to acknowledge it and promise it a place at his table. The ending turns on continuing gratitude rather than further gain.

Carries copper, gold and a diamond to the miller as gratitudeRemoves the Vasfogu Bába by deception and a bottomless lakeFeigns illness to test the miller's loyalty
01

Origins & earliest records

Translated tale I, Prince Csihan (Nettles), pp. 1–6, with an accompanying note citing Kriza xvii, in Jones and Kropf's 1889 edition. Individual tellers are not identified.

02

Records & interpretation

Directly read in the Project Gutenberg text of the public-domain translation; English translation only, without collation against Hungarian sources.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    The Folk-Tales of the Magyars

    W. Henry Jones and Lewis L. Kropf (translators and editors); collected by Kriza, Erdélyi, Pap and others · 1889

    Selected bibliography; tale I, Prince Csihan, pp. 1–6, with note on Kriza xvii.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Public-domain primary translationThe Folk-Tales of the Magyars (plain text)Research access: 2026-10-07
  2. Catalogue recordThe Folk-Tales of the Magyars (catalogue record)Research access: 2026-10-07

Image credits

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