For Fritzl, Franzl, and Hansl, the three sons of a poor cobbler, Christmas promises to be a bleak and hungry holiday, until a chance encounter with a mischievous goblin king brings magic and joy into the best Yuletide celebration ever.
First published in 1941, this Tyrolean folktale introduces the legend of King Laurin, who likes to surprise people on Christmas. Fritzl, Franzl, and Hansl, the young sons of a poor cobbler, could use a surprise. There is a war going on, and there is nothing to eat in the cobbler's cottage. On Christmas Eve, their papa is out looking for work when a visitor arrives. The odd little man demands food and a bed.
There is no food, but there's a bed, and even though the brothers are sleeping in it, the rude, grumbly man demands the lion's share of the sleeping arrangement. Then he kicks the boys out altogether, but before they can get too cold, he magically sets them doing cartwheels, and, as they twirl, oranges and sweets and gold and silver fall out of their clothes. When their father returns, he tells them that they've been treated to a night of tricks and treasure by King Laurin.
Austria