# the youth — Household Tales character guide > the youth in Household Tales by Jacob Grimm. **Role:** major **Also known as:** the youth, The youth **First appearance:** 0000-the-frog-king-or-iron-henry ## Snapshot A wanderer who cannot feel fear, he takes up the king's challenge to watch three nights in a haunted castle for the sake of learning to shudder. ## Who they are He is a young man so untroubled by terror that he asks strangers, wagoners, and innkeepers how to learn to shudder, and his indifference to danger makes him an unlikely hero. When the king offers his daughter and the castle's treasure to anyone who can survive three nights among evil spirits, the youth asks only for a fire, a lathe, and a cutting-board. His calm in the face of cats, corpses, and worse is the tale's central joke and its engine. ## Relationships ### [the young King](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/household_tales_se/characters/the_young_king) _friendship_ The young king and the youth are allies or companions on adventures. ### [the young King](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/household_tales_se/characters/the_young_king) _friendship_ The young king and the youth are allies or companions on adventures. ### [the young King](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/household_tales_se/characters/the_young_king) _friendship_ The young king and the youth are allies or companions on adventures. ## In the story ### [The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/household_tales_se/chapters/the-story-of-the-youth-who-went-forth-to-learn-what-fear-was) The protagonist who cannot feel fear and seeks to learn what shuddering is. ### [The Three Snake-Leaves](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/household_tales_se/chapters/the-three-snake-leaves) The poor son who becomes a hero, marries the princess, is buried alive, and is twice revived by the snake-leaves. ### [The Riddle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/household_tales_se/chapters/the-riddle) The king's son who travels with his servant, solves the riddle, and marries the princess. ### [The Singing Bone](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/household_tales_se/chapters/the-singing-bone) The younger, innocent brother who kills the boar with a magic spear but is murdered by his elder brother. ### [The Three Languages](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/household_tales_se/chapters/the-three-languages) The count's son who learns animal languages, frees a castle from wild dogs, and becomes pope. ### [The Knapsack, the Hat, and the Horn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/household_tales_se/chapters/the-knapsack-the-hat-and-the-horn) The youngest brother who seeks fortune beyond silver and gold, acquires magical items, and becomes king. ### [The Golden Bird](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/household_tales_se/chapters/the-golden-bird) The protagonist who, with the Fox's help, wins the princess, horse, and bird, and is later betrayed by his brothers. ### [The Skilful Huntsman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/household_tales_se/chapters/the-skilful-huntsman) The protagonist who leaves his locksmith trade to become a huntsman, receives a magical airgun, and rescues the princess. ### [Iron John](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/household_tales_se/chapters/iron-john) The king's son who releases Iron John, fails the trials by the golden well, and later wins the princess's hand. ### [Going A-Travelling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/household_tales_se/chapters/going-a-travelling) The poor woman's son who wishes to travel but repeatedly says the wrong thing and gets beaten. ### [Brides on Their Trial](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/household_tales_se/chapters/brides-on-their-trial) The young shepherd who seeks his mother's advice on choosing a wife. ### [Odds and Ends](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/household_tales_se/chapters/odds-and-ends) The bridegroom who chooses the industrious servant over the lazy bride. ### [Death’s Messengers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/household_tales_se/chapters/death-s-messengers) Helps Death recover and receives a promise of warning before his death, but fails to recognize the messengers. ### [The Nix of the Millpond](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/household_tales_se/chapters/the-nix-of-the-millpond) The miller's son, who becomes a huntsman, marries, and is captured by the nix. ### [The Sea-Hare](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/household_tales_se/chapters/the-sea-hare) The youngest brother who successfully hides from the princess on his third attempt with the help of a fox. ### [The Crystal Ball](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/household_tales_se/chapters/the-crystal-ball) The third son who bravely seeks to free the bewitched princess and ultimately succeeds. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/household_tales_se/characters/the_youth - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/household_tales_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/household_tales_se/characters