Once upon a time there was a king who had a very beautiful daughter. She loved a young man. But the king did not approve of the match and said that he would allow him to marry the princess only if the young man could cross a glass mountain without falling. The princess decided to go with him too so that whenever he would start to fall she could hold him. The two started climbing the mountain. Unfortunately, the princess fell down and the mountain opened and swallowed her.
The princess had fallen into a cave deep inside the earth. An old man named Rinkrank made her his servant.
Every day, Rinkrank went up to the surface of the earth and he would return at night. He would hide the ladder he used so that the princess could not escape.
One day, when Rinkrank returned the princess refused to open the door. Rinkrank tried to enter through the window but the princess shut it and his beard got stuck.
He howled in pain and begged her to open it. The princess agreed on the condition that he should tell her where the ladder was. Rinkrank had no choice but to tell her. The princess tied one end of a rope to the window and with the other in her hand she climbed to the surface of the earth using the ladder. Climbing out, she pulled the rope and freed Rinkrank.
The king was very happy to see his daughter safe and happily married her to the man she loved.