A king had six sons but no daughter. He and his queen longed for a baby girl. When the queen was about to give birth to another child, the king declared that if this were a son too then all the children would be cursed.
Soon he had to leave for war. While leaving, he told the queen that she should hang a lance on the window if a son was born, and a distaff if a daughter was born. A girl was born but in the confusion and merrymaking, a lance was hung instead of a distaff. Seeing it on his return, the king cursed his sons. As a result they had to wander in the world unknown.
When the girl grew up she left to search for her brothers. She met an old man who told her that she would be able to find her brothers if she did not speak for seven years. Searching, she arrived at a king’s palace. The king was struck by her beauty and married her. But she never spoke a word. The king’s mother was unhappy with this marriage. When the queen was about to give birth to a child, she cunningly sent the king to war and imprisoned the queen inside a wall and sent a message to the king that his queen was dead. But a servant rescued the queen and the child and took them to his house. He looked after them.
Seven years passed and the king returned. The queen could speak again and told the king the truth. The king rewarded the servant and helped the queen unite with her brothers. The brothers and sister went to meet their parents and lived happily ever after.