Household Tales · Chapter
The Three Sons of Fortune explained
A dying father gives each of his three sons a seemingly worthless gift: a cock, a scythe, and a cat.
What happens
A dying father gives each of his three sons a seemingly worthless gift: a cock, a scythe, and a cat. He advises them to seek countries where these items are unknown to make their fortunes. The eldest son sells his cock to an island where people have no way to tell time at night, receiving an ass-load of gold. The second son sells his scythe to an island where they shoot down corn with cannons, earning a horse-load of gold. The third son sells his cat to an island overrun with mice, receiving a mule-load of gold. However, when the cat's mewing frightens the king and his court, they burn down the palace to get rid of it.
Themes in this chapter
Virtue Rewarded and Vice Punished
The sons' cleverness in finding markets for their gifts is rewarded with wealth, while the cat's perceived threat leads to destruction.
Greed and Its Downfall
The king's fear and overreaction to the cat's mewing result in the loss of his palace, showing how greed for safety can lead to ruin.
Characters to notice
- the son
The eldest son who receives a cock and sells it for gold on an island where cocks are unknown.
- the son
The second son who receives a scythe and sells it for gold on an island where scythes are unknown.
- the son
The third son who receives a cat and sells it for gold on an island where cats are unknown.
- Unknown
The father who gives his sons the gifts before his death.
- Unknown
The king on the island who buys the cat and later orders the palace burned.
Key passages
“I am already aged, my death is nigh, and I have wished to take thought for you before my end; money I have not, and what I now give you seems of little worth, but all depends on your making a sensible use of it.”
The father explains that he is dying and has no money, so he gives each son a humble item that can become valuable if used wisely.
The father's advice sets the premise for the sons' journeys.
“Only seek out a country where such things are still unknown, and your fortune is made.”
The father instructs his sons to find places where their gifts are unfamiliar to make their fortunes.
This guidance drives the plot of each son's adventure.
“Rather will we let ourselves be plagued with the mice, for to that misfortune we are accustomed, than give up our lives to such a monster as this.”
The king's council prefers the familiar problem of mice over the terrifying unknown of the cat.
Illustrates the theme of fear of the unknown leading to irrational decisions.