A poor man and his wife had a lot of children and couldn’t feed them. So, they abandoned three of their girls in a forest, hoping they would look after themselves. As night fell, the girls were tired and hungry. They found a house and knocked at the door. The woman who opened it said, “You must go away! My husband is a giant and will eat you up!” But the girls were tired and they promised to leave in the morning. The woman gave them a meal and prevented the giant from killing them when he came home. The giant told them to sleep with his own three daughters. He put golden chains around his daughters’ necks and ropes around the three girls. The youngest was Molly Whuppie who was clever. When the giant slept, Molly slipped the ropes around his daughters’ necks. He awoke in the dark and, feeling for the ropes, he killed them!
The Giant’s Sword
Molly lay quietly till the giant fell asleep again. Then, waking her sisters up, they ran away before morning! They ran all the way to the King’s palace. Molly told the story of outwitting the giant. The King said, “If you bring me the sword the giant keeps behind his bed, your eldest sister shall marry my eldest son.” Molly went to the giant’s house and hid under his bed. He came home and, after an enormous meal, he fell asleep. Molly crept out stealthily and took the sword from behind the bed and ran out, but unfortunately the sword made a clanging noise! The giant awoke and chased her. But when she reached a tiny bridge, he couldn’t cross it and she ran away. She gave the giant’s sword to the King, and he was so happy that, keeping his promise, he married his eldest son to Molly’s eldest sister.
The Giant’s Purse
The King, however, had another task for Molly. “You are clever, but I’ll think you cleverer still if you can fetch me the purse that the giant keeps under his pillow!” He promised his second son would marry her other sister if Molly succeeded. Molly went again to the giant’s house and, like before, crept under the bed to hide till he was asleep. The giant ate his dinner and then slept, snoring loudly. Molly waited and then slid her hand gently under the pillow, drawing out the purse quietly. Then, she ran to the door and out, but the jingle of the coins woke the giant up. Furious at the loss of his purse, he chased her. But once again at the tiny bridge, the giant was forced to stop, while Molly ran across to safety. She gave the purse to the King and he kept his promise, marrying his second son to Molly’s sister.
The Giant’s Ring
The King still had one last task for Molly to perform. “And it’s the most difficult,” he said, “You must get the gold ring off the giant’s finger. And if you do, you will marry my youngest son!” Molly once again hid under the bed and, when Giant was asleep, tried to slip the ring off his finger. She had succeeded in getting it off, when he caught her! He tied her in a sack with a cat, a dog, a needle and thread and pair of scissors, for she said that was how she ought to be punished. Then, he went to fetch a stick to beat her. Meanwhile, Molly cut her way out using the scissors. When the giant’s wife asked her, Molly told her to get into the sack to see something. His wife climbed in and Molly stitched it up. She escaped to marry the King’s son, but the giant beat up his own wife!
