Long ago in a peaceful Norwegian kingdom surrounded by mountains and deep pine forests, tragedy struck without warning. A fearsome giant stormed out of the wilderness and brought chaos to the land. He seized six of the king’s seven sons and claimed part of the kingdom as his own. Only the youngest prince, Espen Cinderlad, escaped. Despite surviving the disaster, he was dismissed by his own father, who believed he was too weak and too timid to face such a monstrous enemy. No one realized that Espen carried a quiet courage that had never been tested.
As the kingdom sank deeper into fear, Espen made a bold decision. He asked his father for permission to leave the palace and rescue his brothers. With little more than hope and determination, he set out alone. His journey took him through dense forests and rugged wilderness. Along the way, he encountered three struggling animals: a raven trapped in a tree, a salmon stranded on the riverbank and a wolf caught in a hunter’s trap. Espen freed each of them with compassion. What he did not know was that these small acts of kindness would later save his life.
Espen eventually reached the giant’s castle, a dark and eerie fortress filled with shadows and scattered bones. While creeping through the halls, he discovered a young princess held prisoner by the giant. She warned him that the giant was nearly invincible and revealed a terrifying secret. The giant could not be killed because his heart was not inside his body. It was hidden in a distant and heavily protected place. With the princess’s guidance, Espen carefully observed the giant’s routines. By pretending to be frightened and harmless, he flattered the giant into lowering his guard and revealing bits of information.
After several attempts to draw out the truth, the giant finally bragged about his secret. His heart was hidden far away on a remote island. On that island stood a well. Inside the well lived a duck. Inside the duck was an egg. And inside the egg was his heart. The giant believed no human could ever reach it.
Espen and the princess put together a plan. Espen hurried to the coast but had no way to cross the vast sea. At that moment, the salmon he had once saved appeared in the waves and offered to carry him to the island. Once ashore, Espen searched for the well until he spotted the duck. The bird was too quick to catch, but the grateful raven swooped down and grabbed it for him. Inside the duck, Espen found a small egg, though it slipped from his hands and fell into a deep rocky crevice. Just when hope seemed lost, the wolf he had rescued earlier emerged from the forest. With sharp senses and powerful jaws, it retrieved the egg without cracking it. Espen finally held the giant’s heart in his hands.
Espen raced back to the castle with the fragile egg carefully protected. When he squeezed it gently, the giant collapsed to the floor in agony. As Espen tightened his grip, the giant writhed in pain, unable to understand how someone had reached his hidden heart. Espen crushed the egg completely, and the giant fell lifeless. With the giant’s death, every spell he had cast was broken at once.
The six missing princes were restored and freed from their imprisonment. The kingdom rejoiced at their return and celebrated the defeat of the monstrous tyrant. The king, who once doubted Espen, now looked at him with pride and gratitude. Espen married the princess he had rescued, and together they brought peace and prosperity back to the land. The boy once mocked as useless became the kingdom’s greatest hero.