A Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tale published in May 1835 about a soldier who becomes king.
A young soldier meets an old witch who promises him as much money as he can carry, if only he will retrieve her tinderbox from inside an oak tree. The soldier goes down and finds three dogs (one large, one huge, and one gigantic), each guarding a chest of copper, silver, and gold, respectively. He stuffs his clothing with gold, but his suspicions are roused when the witch demands the tinderbox and nothing else. She won't tell him what she wants with it, even upon threat of beheading, so he kills her, takes the gold and the tinderbox, and goes into town, where he lives like a lord until the money is gone. On the verge of bankruptcy, the soldier discovers the secret of the tinderbox: it can summon the three dogs, who will obey him and bring him money from their respective coffers.
Hearing rumors that the kingdom's princess is surpassingly beautiful, he sends a dog to fetch her from the copper palace in which she is imprisoned (the King and Queen have heard a prophecy that she will marry a mere common soldier and are having none of that). She is indeed lovely, and he steals a kiss before sending her back. He sends for her again the following night. The King and Queen discover that someone has been spiriting the Princess away, and eventually trace her path back to the soldier's house. He is promptly arrested and sentenced to hanging.
The soldier bribes a boy to run to his apartment and bring him the tinderbox. When he's brought to the gallows, he asks for one last smoke, and uses the tinderbox to summon all three dogs. The dogs throw the judges and councillors so high into the air that they are killed when they hit the ground. The King is unmoved by this, so the dogs do the same to him and the Queen. The people proclaim the soldier to be the king, and he marries the princess, who is only too pleased to be free of the copper palace.
This story is available online here.
Tropes:
- Bowdlerized: Some versions don't mention that after the dogs toss the King and Queen and Judges into the air that they not only die after they hit the ground, but they're also broken into pieces.
- Canis Major: The three dogs. The smallest has eyes the size of teacups, the middle one has eyes the size of millstones, and the largest has eyes as big as the circumference of a tower. Now think about the size of a dog proportional to the size of its eyes.
- Character Witness: While in prison, the soldier catches the attention of a boy and recruits him to retrieve the tinderbox from his room at the inn, which he later uses to escape. The boy does this for him, because he remembers the soldier buying food for his family when they were impoverished.
- Fair-Weather Friend: When he becomes rich the first time, the soldier gets many "friends" who quickly abandon him after his money is gone.
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Follow the Leader: In a way. The story is traditional, and is a Danish take on Aladdin. The tinderbox replaces the lamp, the dogs replace the djinni, and the old hag replaces the old wizard. - Gonk: The witch is described as a very ugly woman, with her "lower lip dangled right down on her chest".
- Hell Hound: Three of them. Not explicitly demonic, but certainly supernatural.
- Summon Magic: Strike the tinderbox once for the dog that guards copper pennies, twice for the dog that guards silver coins, and three times for the guardian of the gold.
- Nameless Narrative: We never find out the soldier's name. Or anybody's name, for that matter...
- Needle in a Stack of Needles: The chalk on the door trick, which is a Shout-Out to Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.
- One Last Smoke: Exploited. The soldier banks on the King granting him a last request. It allows him to turn the tables on the King.
- Pet the Dog: The tale mentions the soldier shared his money with poor people when he became rich.
- Sociopathic Hero:
- The soldier murders the witch for not telling him how the box works, kidnaps a princess, and certainly doesn't seem too bothered when his dogs tear apart an entire courtroom and two monarchs.
- While the witch is debatable, the monarchs and the courtroom were most definitely Jerkass Victims as they tried to hang him for secretly meeting and courting the princess. Except in one version, where the king cheated the soldier out of his pay and he retaliates by beating the princess and making her do maid service each night.
- Trail of Bread Crumbs: The leaking sack of flour or grain used to find the soldier's apartment.
- Treasure Room: The rooms under the tree where the chests of coins are kept.
