Advice from the goldfish: choose what you wish for wisely!
The story of the goldfish was brought to us by Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin in 1883 in the Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish which is based on an old Russian folk tale. It tells of a fisherman and his greedy wife. Maybe you all know the story. Repetition is however the mother of wisdom and all the more so if it provides us with a wise conclusion.
The fairy tale clearly says: He who wants more, gets nothing!
A fisherman is fishing by the sea and catches a magic goldfish which promises to grant him 3 wishes. The fisherman foolishly leaves the choice of all three wishes to his wife. She first wants a new house instead of the old shack she lives in, then a luxury palace and in the end, wants to be the ruler of the sea! Her last wish angers the sea and the astonished fisherman finds his wife back where she started: in a dilapidated old shack. He never catches the goldfish again and his wife has what she deserves – nothing!
Different versions on the same theme
Since that time, the goldfish has been used as the theme for many fairy tales. In the Czech Republic, we for example all know its luxury animated version: The Tale of the Goldfish, dating back to 1951, animated by Jan Trnka and retold by Jan Werich. Three wishes do of course also figure in this story.
Where to find a goldfish?
You may not have to travel to the ends of the world to find this magical golden aquatic creature. The goldfish can be found in the Czech Republic, having been bred from the silver variety and brought to Europe in the 17th century. Although there are no records to show that it will grant you 3 wishes, Christmastime is a time of “magical” festivities, so who knows, maybe nobody has even tried it yet! If you do want to try this year, be careful what you wish for so you don’t end up like the greedy fisherman’s wife!
