There once was a farmer who had 3 sons. The older sons always bragged about their strength. The youngest son said nothing, but only listened to his older, louder siblings. He listened and he thought. “What are you thinking about now?” his brothers would ask. But the boy kept his thoughts to himself.Their father grew old and was very ill. He called his sons to him and said, "I cannot choose an heir among you. So I have a little contest for you. Whoever can fill this house most completely will be my heir.”
The oldest son was sure he could fill the house. He brought in a horse, a cow, and a pig, but they only took up one corner of the house. “No,” said his father, “the house is not yet full.” The second son was sure that he would win the contest. He brought in hay, bales and bales of But when the bales settled, there was still empty space at the top of the pile of hay. “No,” said his father, “the house is not yet full.”
Finally it was the youngest brother’s turn. He listened to his brothers crying about their failure, and he thought long and hard. Then he left, and returned with one small sack. His brothers laughed when they saw it. “Oh sure,” they laughed. “You’ll fill the house with that!” “I’m not finished yet,” the youngest brother replied. He reached into his sack and took out a candle and some matches, and when he lit the candle, the whole house was filled with light.
So in the end it was the youngest son, who was not so strong or so loud, but who listened well and thought long, who got the house.
(Versions from Latvia and Lithuania, among others. In one version, a girl fills the house with fiddle music, and is allowed to wed her true love.)
