The boy stayed with them a long time. Then he decided to set out to find a wife. His sister told him that in a town far away lived a very rich Seigneur who had two beautiful daughters. He said, "I will go and win the younger." Before he left, his third brother-in-law gave him a small feather, and said, "This has wonderful power. If you ever get into trouble, speak to it and it will bring you help from the air." Then the boy waved his sword and wished himself at the house of the rich Seigneur. And at once he reached the village, going faster than the winds. Before going to the Seigneur's house he went into a house on the border of the village. Two old women were there. They received him kindly. He told them he had come far to seek the Seigneur's younger daughter. They said, "The Seigneur's elder daughter is to be married to-morrow, but she will not be long with her husband." "Why?" said the boy. They wondered at the boy's ignorance. They said, "Have you not heard of the Giant of the Sea-cave?" He said he had not. Then they took him to the window, and pointed to a high cliff far across the bay. The waves were breaking at its base and the spray dashed high on its side. But he could see a hole like a door in the face of the cliff. One of the old women said, "In that cave lives the Giant of the Sea. As soon as a girl is married in this land, he carries her off to the cave and she is never heard of again. His cave is full of brides. He cannot be killed, for he keeps the secret of his life hidden where no one can find it. He is the terror of all the country." The boy said nothing, but he decided to kill the giant.

The boy then went on to the Seigneur's home to see the wedding of the Seigneur's elder daughter. There was a great gathering, and there was much rejoicing, for the people did not think that the giant would carry off the Seigneur's daughter. But during the wedding feast the bride disappeared and was seen no more. The people knew that the giant had taken her, and there was great sadness.

Then the boy went to the Seigneur and told him that he wanted to marry his younger daughter. The Seigneur said, "Little good it will do you to marry her, for she will be carried off at once by the Giant of the Sea." "But I can kill the giant," said the boy. "No man can do that," said the Seigneur. Then the boy convinced him of his power, and the Seigneur consented to the marriage. The next day the wedding feast was held. There was but little gladness, for the people knew that the Seigneur's only remaining child would soon be stolen away by the Giant of the Sea. Sure enough, at the feast, the bride disappeared; she was taken to the giant's cave. There was much sadness among the people, but the boy said, "To-morrow I will go and bring her back."

The next day the boy put on his magical coat and shoes and took his sword and went to the giant's cave. The hole in the cliff was closed up and he could not enter, but he cut a hole in the rock with his sword and went in. He found himself in a very large room. Many women sat around in a circle, all sad and weeping, but all very beautiful. In the circle sat his own wife. At the back of the cave sat the terrible Giant of the Sea. They could not see the boy because of his magical coat. Soon the giant said quickly, "There is a wedding in the town," and disappeared. Then the boy made his presence known to his wife. He told her to ask the giant when he came back where the secret of his life was hidden. He told her not to fear, for he would rescue her. He had time to say but few words when the giant came back, bringing a bride with him. Then the boy's wife said to the giant, "Where do you keep the secret of your life?" He said, "No one has ever asked me that before, and since you are the first to ask me, I will tell you. I keep it in a box far out in the sea. It is in an iron box. There are seven boxes, one inside the other. It is in the inside box." Then he told her the exact spot where the box was hidden. Then she said, "Where do you keep the keys?" He said, "They are hidden beside the box."

When the boy heard this, he went away from the cave and sat on the shore. He took out his fish-scale and told it what he wished, and at once help came to him from the sea, as his brother-in-law had promised. A large whale swam to him and said, "What do you want?" The boy said, "Bring me the iron box and the keys that lie at the bottom of the ocean." He told him where to find them. At once the whale went off, and soon returned with the box and the keys. But the keys were rusty and the boy could not open the lock. Then he took out his lock of wool and told it what he wished, and at once help came to him from the fields. A large sheep came running to him and said, "What do you want?" The boy said, "Break open this box and each box you find inside." Then the sheep butted with his horns the outer box until he broke it, and butted each one until he broke them all. When he broke the last one the boy was not on his guard, and the giant's secret of life flew out and escaped into the air. Then the boy took out his feather, and told it what he wished. At once a great bird like a goose came flying through the air, and said, "What do you want?" The boy said, "Bring me the giant's secret of life; it has just escaped from the box and is flying in the air." The bird flew away and soon came back with his prisoner—the giant's secret of life—and the boy killed it with his magical sword. Then he went to the cave. He was still invisible. The giant had lost his power, for the secret of his life had been found and killed. So the boy easily killed him with his sword. Then the boy removed his magical coat and showed himself to the brides who sat in the cave. He brought them all back to the Seigneur's home and their husbands came and claimed them. The Seigneur gave the boy a large house near to his own, and there the boy and his wife lived happily. And the boy sent for his mother, and brought her to live with him and his wife. Soon the Seigneur died. He left all his money and his possessions to the boy, and the boy became Seigneur in his stead, and was lord of all the land. He lived to be very old, and he did many wonderful deeds with the sword and the shoes and the coat which he had taken from the robbers in the forest.