In the Brothers Grimm tale “The Three Feathers,” a frog helps Dummling complete the king’s tasks.
The king tests his three sons by sending feathers into the air and ordering each prince to bring back valuable objects. The two older brothers search in the obvious directions, but Dummling follows his feather to a trapdoor in the ground.
Below the trapdoor, he meets a frog living in a hidden chamber. The frog supplies the objects Dummling needs, including a beautiful carpet, a ring, and a bride described as the most beautiful. Dummling’s success contrasts with his brothers’ contempt for him.
The frog is not merely a talking animal helper: in the tale’s conclusion, the frog’s identity is connected with the magical world beneath the earth. The story is sometimes confused with “The Frog Prince,” but its frog assists a prince with contests rather than being transformed through a princess’s action.