With that, the old king sent for a druid, and said, “You must tell where my son can find the right bride for himself. You must tell us what woman he should marry.”
“There is but one woman,” said the druid, “who can be the right wife for your son, and she is the youngest daughter of the white-bearded scolog; she is the wisest young woman in the world, and has the most power.”
“Where does her father live, and how are we to settle it?” asked the king of the druid.
“I have no knowledge of the place where that scolog lives,” said the druid, “and there is no one here who knows. Your son must go himself, and walk the world till he finds the young woman. If he finds her and gets her, he’ll have the best bride that ever came to a king’s son.”
“I am willing to go in search of the scolog’s daughter,” said the young man, “and I’ll never stop till I find her.”
With that, he left his father and the druid, and never stopped till he went to his foster-mother and told her the whole story,—told her the wish of his father, and the advice the old druid had given him.
“My three brothers live on the road you must travel,” said the foster-mother; “and the eldest one knows how to find that scolog, but without the friendship of all of them, you’ll not be able to make the journey. I’ll give you something that will gain their good-will for you.”
With that, she went to an inner room, and made three cakes of flour and baked them. When the three were ready, she brought them out, and gave them to the young man.
“When you come to my youngest brother’s castle,” said she, “he will rush at you to kill you, but do you strike him on the breast with one of the cakes; that minute he’ll be friendly, and give you good entertainment. The second brother and the eldest will meet you like the youngest.”