A poor fisherman lived with his wife and children whose only food was the fish he managed to catch. In days of extreme cold or heat, the fisherman only managed to catch a few small fish in his net. One day, he went to sea from the early hours of the morning. He spent his day trying to catch some fish, but to no avail. Finally, at his last try, he caught a good number of fish, including a big fat fish the like of which he had never seen before. His wife was thrilled with the bounty he brought back with him, and baked the fish to feed her children. Her husband consulted with her on the idea of giving the big fish as a present to the King, and she agreed. In the morning, he carried the fish and went to the castle, asking permission to see the King. In the King's presence, the fisherman said: "Oh great King, I have caught this big fish the like of which I have never seen, and I have brought it to you as a gift, preferring you over my family and children." The King looked at the fish and then at the poor fisherman and had pity on him. He accepted the gift, and gave the fisher- man 100 Dinars in return. The Queen was not pleased with her husband's generosity and pro- tested, demanding that he retrieve the money from the fisherman and give him 10 Dinars only.
He answered that the King's grant cannot be taken back, and if people hear of this what will they think? She then asked him to summon the fisherman and ask him if the fish is male or fe- male: "If the fisherman says the fish is female the King should say: Well the queen would like a male fish, and the other way round. This way you can take your money back." When the fisherman was summoned and the King asked him the question, he could sense the trick behind the question so he answered: "The fish is neither male nor female." The King liked his clever answer and gave him another 100 Dinars. The fisherman ran qvickly out of the castle. On the steps a Dinar fell, he bent to pick it up while the Queen was watching. She asked the King:"How come you do away so easily with 200 Dinars and he doesn't leave one Dinar be- hind? Summon him and ask him why he didn't leave the Dinar to the servant?" The King could not refuse the Queen's request, and summoned the fisherman to ask him that question. The fish- erman answered:" Oh great King, I didn't pick the Dinar up out of stinginess, but out of care that your image should not be tainted." The King or- dered another 100 Dinars paid out to him and sent him home.