The Blue-Bearded Neighbour

Once there was a very rich man. He had beautiful houses in the city and in the country. He had gold and silver plates, fine furniture, and carriages covered in gold. But this man had one big problem: his beard was blue. Because of this, he looked very strange and frightening, and all the women in the neighbourhood were afraid of him.

Near his house lived a woman who had two beautiful daughters. The blue-bearded man wanted to marry one of them. He asked the mother to choose which daughter would marry him. But neither daughter wanted to marry a man with a blue beard. They were also worried because he had been married before — several times — and nobody knew what had happened to his previous wives.

To help the girls like him, the blue-bearded man invited the mother, both daughters, and several friends to spend a week at one of his country houses. The week was full of parties, hunting, fishing, dancing, and delicious food. Everyone had a wonderful time.

By the end of the week, the younger daughter decided that perhaps his beard was not so terribly blue after all, and that he was actually quite a pleasant man. When they returned home, she agreed to marry him.