One summer morning, a tailor was sitting at his worktable by the window, sewing with great pleasure and humming softly to himself. Just then, a peasant woman passed by the house, calling out loudly, “Fresh jam for sale! Delicious homemade jam!”
The tailor leaned out of the window and called to her, “Good woman! Come up here, I would like to buy some jam.”
The woman, heavily loaded with jars, climbed the three flights of stairs and laid out all her jars in front of him. The tailor examined them carefully and said, “This jam looks quite good. Give me one hundred grams—no, make it one hundred and fifty.”
The woman had hoped to sell much more and, though she gave him the jam, she left grumbling and irritated.
“This jam will give me strength,” the tailor thought. “It must be very healthy.”
He spread it on a piece of bread and said, “This will taste even better later, but first I must finish this jacket.” He set the bread beside him and continued sewing, enjoying each stitch more than the last.
Soon, the sweet smell of the jam filled the room, and flies began to gather. Before long, the wall was covered with them.
“Who invited you!” shouted the tailor, waving his hands to scare them away. But the flies kept returning, settling again on the jam.
Growing impatient, the tailor grabbed a cloth and struck at them with all his might. When he looked down, seven flies lay dead before him.
“Well, would you look at that!” he exclaimed proudly. “What a man I am! The whole town—no, the whole world—must hear of this!”
He made himself a belt and embroidered on it the words:
“Seven at one blow!”
The tailor fastened the belt around his waist and decided that he was now ready to go out into the world. Before leaving, he put a piece of stale cheese into his pocket and caught a bird outside, which he placed into another pocket. Then he set off and climbed a mountain until he reached its summit.
There he found a giant sitting and gazing across the land. The tailor approached him bravely and said, “Good day! You seem to be watching the world. I myself am traveling through it—perhaps you’d like to join me?”
The giant laughed scornfully at the small man, but when he noticed the belt and read the words on it, he thought the tailor had killed seven men with one blow. This impressed him, though he still wanted to test the tailor’s strength.
The giant picked up a stone and squeezed it until water ran from it.
“Do that,” he said.
The tailor calmly took the cheese from his pocket and squeezed it so that the whey dripped out. The giant believed the tailor had crushed stone even better than he had and stood in amazement.
Next, the giant threw a stone high into the air, so high that it vanished from sight.
“Now you try,” he said.
The tailor replied, “Your stone will fall back down, but mine will never return.” He reached into his pocket and released the bird, which flew off into the sky. The giant thought the tailor had thrown a stone that never came back and admired him even more.
Still, the giant wanted to test his strength further. He pointed to a huge oak tree lying on the ground.
“Help me carry that,” he said.
“Of course,” said the tailor cleverly. “You take the trunk—I’ll carry the heavier branches.”
The giant lifted the trunk onto his shoulders, while the tailor sat comfortably on one of the branches. Since the giant could not see behind him, he had no idea he was carrying the tailor as well. The tailor whistled cheerfully, thinking how easy the task was.
After a while, the giant grew tired and said, “Careful, I’m going to drop the tree.”
The tailor quickly jumped off and clung to the branches, pretending to hold the tree alone.
“Shame on you,” he said. “Such a big giant, and you can’t even carry a tree!”
They continued walking and soon came upon a cherry tree. The giant grabbed the top branches and handed some to the tailor, but the tailor was too weak to hold them. When the giant let go, the tailor flew into the air.
“What’s wrong?” the giant laughed. “Too weak to hold a little branch?”
“Not at all,” said the tailor. “I jumped on purpose. A hunter was aiming at me. If you’re brave, you try it!”
The giant tried, but got caught in the branches and failed, so once again the tailor seemed superior.
“Since you are so brave,” said the giant, “come spend the night in our cave.”
The tailor agreed and followed him.
Inside the cave, other giants were roasting sheep and eating greedily. The tailor looked around and said, “This place is much larger than my workshop.” The giant showed him a bed, but the tailor found it far too large and instead curled up in a corner to sleep.
At midnight, the giant thought the tailor was fast asleep. He took an iron bar and struck the bed hard.
“That takes care of him,” he thought.
The next morning, the giants went into the forest, having forgotten the tailor entirely. But the tailor followed them fearlessly. When the giants saw him alive, they were filled with terror and fled in all directions.
The tailor continued on his way until he reached the courtyard of a palace. Exhausted, he lay down on the grass. When people saw the writing on his belt, they whispered, “Seven at one blow! He must be a hero!” and informed the king.
The king, whose war had ended, thought such a man might be useful and sent a messenger to invite the tailor to join his army.
“That was my plan all along,” said the tailor, and he accepted.
Though honored, the soldiers grew jealous. “He strikes down seven at once—how can we live with such a man?” they complained. Finally, they threatened to resign unless the tailor was removed.
The king, afraid to lose his army but unwilling to confront the tailor directly, devised a plan. He told the tailor that two cruel giants lived in the forest and terrorized the people. If the tailor killed them, he would receive the princess and half the kingdom.
“No need for a hundred soldiers,” said the tailor. “A man who strikes seven at one blow fears no two giants!”
He went alone. The giants were sleeping beneath a tree. The tailor climbed up and dropped stones on them, provoking them until they fought each other and killed one another.
Later, the king sent him to capture a raging rhinoceros, which the tailor trapped against a tree. Then came a wild boar, which he locked inside a church.
At last, the king was forced to keep his promise.
Later, the queen overheard her husband muttering in his sleep about sewing jackets and trousers and realized he was only a tailor. The king planned to have him seized at night, but the tailor pretended to sleep and shouted of his victories.
The soldiers panicked and ran away.
And so, the tailor lived happily, ruled wisely, and remained king for the rest of his days—through cleverness, courage, and a single well-timed boast.
Parental Note
This tale offers strong educational value by showing how intelligence, confidence, and problem-solving can overcome brute strength. While the hero often succeeds through clever tricks rather than force, the story opens meaningful opportunities for discussion. Parents may wish to ask: Was the tailor truly brave, or simply very clever? and When is it right to use wit instead of strength? These questions can help guide children toward understanding thoughtful decision-making, responsibility, and the difference between smart thinking and dishonesty.