Which Hans Christian Andersen tale features a young boy named Johannes guided by a traveling companion?

Hans Christian Andersen’s tale featuring a young boy named Johannes is The Travelling Companion.

The story begins after Johannes loses his father and sets out into the world. He meets a mysterious traveling companion who helps him through dangers and adventures. The companion’s assistance eventually connects Johannes with a princess and with magical forces that test courage, loyalty, and gratitude.

The tale was first published in 1835 as part of Andersen’s earliest fairy-tale work. It combines motifs from traditional wonder tales, including journeys, supernatural helpers, an enchanted royal figure, and a hero who must learn how to act wisely. The traveling companion is not merely an ordinary friend; his identity and powers become important to the story’s resolution.

Readers may confuse the title with Andersen’s travel books because Andersen himself was a celebrated traveler. Here, however, The Travelling Companion is a fictional fairy tale centered on Johannes and his supernatural guide.