thank you

There are other examples, and it's not always the smart one (but always the one with some quality) who gets the reward. In The Three Feathers, a king has three sons, and to decide who will inherit the throne, he sends them to accomplish some tasks, but they have to go the way shown by feathers thrown in the wind.

One goes east, the second goes west, and the third one just falls on the ground. Because they are so certain the unlucky one will be unable to complete the tasks, they come back having done the bare minimum, and of course, through a magic encounter, their brother still wins.

If you are interested: The three feathers - Grimm

StereoNacht: Thank you, I'm familiar with the story. It's known in several variations from Japan to Great Britain, From Norway to South Africa.