Goldilocks and the Three Bears is a 19th century English fairy tale, first written by Robert Southey.
Summary[]
Once upon a time, there were three bears who lived in a cottage in the woods. One day just after making porridge, they decided to go out for a walk while it cooled. A bit after they left, a girl named Goldilocks happened upon the house and, drawn by the scent of the food, went on inside.
The fairy tale is known for its use of the "rule of three". Goldilocks came upon three bowls of porridge - one too hot, one too cold, and one just right. She liked the third one so much, she finished it. Then she found three chairs - one too hard, one too soft, and one just right. At least it was until it broke. Finally she went upstairs, and found three beds - one too hard, one too soft, and one just right. She fell fast asleep in that bed, and didn't hear the bears' return home...
The bears quickly found that someone had been eating their porridge, with the littlest bear's bowl totally empty. Then they discovered that someone had been sitting in their chairs, with the littlest bear's broken. At last they went upstairs, and found that someone had been sleeping in their beds - and there she was, in the littlest bear's bed.
Some versions add an additional "rule of three" where each bear tries to rouse Goldilocks, with the littlest bear's shrill voice doing it. Regardless, upon waking and realizing she was surrounded by bears, Goldilocks booked it out of there never to return.
Silver-Hair[]
Before she was called Goldilocks, she was known as Silver-Hair. What's more, she was originally an elderly woman, and a foul-tempered one at that. Rather than merely happening upon the bears' house, Silver-Hair had been waiting for an opportunity to break in and enjoy their belongings.
In one version, when Silver-Hair was discovered, the bears made multiple attempts to kill her. They tried burning her, but she wouldn't burn. They tried drowning her, but she wouldn't drown. Ultimately, they ended up sticking her on a weathervane.
Scrapefoot[]
In yet another iteration, some say to be even older than Silver-Hair, the one who broke into the bears' house was a crafty fox named Scrapefoot. She broke into the bears' home (a castle instead of a cottage), drank their milk, sat in their chairs, and rested in their bed, before being discovered and thrown out.