The Invisible Shepherd Lad

Overview

A poor man’s shepherd son wishes for a little bag that never becomes full and a fur cloak that makes its wearer invisible. Saint Peter, appearing as an old grey man, grants both gifts. The shepherd then seeks his fortune in a capital where eleven of the king’s twelve daughters wear out extraordinary numbers of shoes each night. The king promises his youngest daughter to whoever discovers the reason. Hidden by his cloak, the shepherd watches a ghost wake the sisters, and he wakes the youngest too, drawing her into a journey she had not previously known.

The travellers anoint their shoulders, grow wings and fly through copper, silver and golden forests. At each forest’s well the shepherd takes a metal tumbler and a twig into his bag. A ghost opens a great rock with a golden rod, revealing halls where twelve fairy youths dance with the princesses until dawn. Back at court, the shepherd’s account is denied, but his collected objects and the youngest princess’s testimony confirm it. The king keeps his marriage promise and orders the other eleven daughters burned for witchcraft. That violent ending is part of this version, not a gentle reconciliation or a claim that the youngest shared her sisters’ earlier secret.

Origins & earliest records

Jones and Kropf print this as XXVIII and attribute it to Erdélyi ii.6. They compare other dancing-princess stories in their notes. The selected account has its own shepherd, Saint Peter’s gifts and a severe conclusion; no individual teller or exact collection locality is supplied here. The earlier Hungarian text has not been independently collated.

Records & interpretation

Complete XXVIII, pp.141–144, and complete comparative note, pp.387–388. The cloak, bag, metal objects and youngest sister’s initial ignorance all belong to this continuous telling.

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, from Kriza, Erdélyi, Pap and others · 1889

   London: Elliot Stock for the Folk-Lore Society. Original historical English translation, with comparative editorial notes.

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. Historical collected tale and English translationJones and Kropf, The Folk-Tales of the Magyars, original English editionResearch access: 2026-10-18
2. Original title, selected complete tales and editorial attribution witnessOriginal 1889 edition scanResearch access: 2026-10-18

Image credits

The shepherd carries his bag and unworn fur cloak; adult appearance, clothing and pre-journey staging imagined.

Original narrative illustration; visual particulars and staging interpretive, not an authenticated historical or cultural record.