Once upon a time, in a quiet village, there lived a woman named Ana and her husband, a humble farmer. They had three sons who, unlike other young men in the village, refused to embrace farming.
When Ana’s husband passed away, she had to work alone on the farmland. Her sons—Tasyo, the eldest, Bindoy, the middle son, and Castor, the youngest—were unwilling to help.
"No one gets rich from farming," said Tasyo.
"Farming is backbreaking work, and it’s not worth the time," added Bindoy.
"The land is too hard to cultivate; if it’s dry, the crops wither, and if it’s wet, they drown," complained Castor.
One evening, after dinner, Ana addressed her sons: “I’m growing old and weary. Since none of you wants to help me, I think it’s best for you to leave home and seek your fortunes. After seven years, return and tell me what you’ve achieved. Let’s see if your dreams come true without the land.”
The next morning, the three brothers said their goodbyes and left. After hours of walking, they came to a crossroad. Tasyo suggested they each take a different path, agreeing to meet back at the same spot in seven years. With heavy hearts, they parted ways.
Seven years passed. The brothers reunited at the crossroad and shared their stories.
Tasyo had worked in a mirror factory and became an expert in crafting mirrors.
Bindoy had apprenticed at a shipyard and mastered the art of shipbuilding.
Castor had fallen in with a group of thieves and, regrettably, become a skilled burglar.
When they returned home, their mother wept tears of joy. Years of toiling under the sun and rain had left her frail, but the sight of her sons brightened her days.
The King's Challenge
Soon after, a royal messenger arrived with urgent news. Princess Perlita had been kidnapped by an evil wizard and imprisoned in a distant tower guarded by fearsome giants. The King declared that whoever rescued the princess would earn her hand in marriage and a noble title.
The brothers saw this as their chance to fulfill their dreams and devised a plan:
“I’ll use my magical mirror to locate the princess,” said Tasyo.
“I’ll build a ship to take us to her,” said Bindoy.
“I’ll rescue her from the tower,” said Castor.
With Tasyo’s mirror, they discovered the princess’s location—a towering fortress on a remote island. Bindoy swiftly built a sturdy ship, and they set sail.
Upon reaching the island, they faced the giants guarding the tower, including the tikbalang and kapre. Tasyo and Bindoy hesitated, but Castor’s skills as a thief enabled him to slip past the guards, rescue the princess, and bring her aboard the ship.
The Reward
When they returned, the kingdom erupted in celebration. The King, however, faced a dilemma: which brother deserved to marry the princess? After consulting his advisors, he announced,
“Instead of marrying my daughter to one man, I shall grant half my kingdom to the three brothers to share equally.”
This was more than they had ever dreamed of. They returned to their village with wealth and bought vast farmland, hiring workers to cultivate it. Their mother could finally rest and lived happily with her sons until her final days.
The brothers learned a valuable lesson: true prosperity lies not in abandoning the land but in managing it with wisdom, consistency, and devotion.
Moral of the Story
The story teaches us the importance of responsibility, family unity, and recognizing the value of hard work and natural resources.
Source:The Asian Cultural Center for Unesco, Dongeng-Dongeng Asia Untuk Anak-Anak jilid lima, Tiga Saudara Satu Cita-cita. Jakarta, PT. Dunia Pustaka Jaya, 1976.
Retold in English by Mister Guru
