summary

Summary

The fairy tale «The Tinderbox» tells the story of a soldier returning home from war. Along the way, he encounters a witch who asks him to retrieve a tinderbox from the hollow of a tree. The soldier descends into the hollow and finds three chests filled with coins, guarded by three dogs. He takes the tinderbox and the money, but kills the witch to prevent her from deceiving him. The soldier lives in luxury but soon spends all his money. He discovers that the tinderbox has magical powers: with just a strike, the dogs appear, ready to fulfill his every wish. Using the tinderbox, the soldier becomes wealthy and influential, and eventually marries the princess he has fallen in love with.