Since variants are found among Germanic, Slavic, Indian, and Romano-Celtic peoples, and the main type (the princess sitting on the Glass Mountain) is distributed throughout Northern, Eastern and Central Europe, Boberg concluded that tale "came from the ages of Indo-European community".

Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald noted in Ehstnische Mährchen (1869) that in several variants the youngest of three brothers, often called stupid or simpleton, is helped by his father's spirit when he is told to hold a vigil for three nights.

[23] August Leskien acknowledged that the "numerous" Slavic variants "almost universally begin" with the father's dying wish for his sons to hold a vigil for his coffin or dead body at night.

[46] G. A. Åberg collected a variant from Pyttis (Pyhtää), in Nyland, titled Om pojtjin som bläi djift me kuggns dótro ("The boy who married the princess") that begins with the vigil at the father's grave.

[49] Anders Allardt collected a dialectal variant from Liljendal, titled Torparpojtjis tjénsten (Swedish: Torparpojkens tjänst), wherein the youth acquires three horses, one shod with steel, another with silver, and the third with golden.

[80] In a variant collected from Oldenburg by jurist Ludwig Strackerjan (de), Der Glasberg, the three sons of a farmer, Hinnerk, Klaus and Jan (the youngest and the most stupid), try to discover who or what has been stealing their father's straw from the barn.

[92] Professor Alfred Cammann (de) collected a "West Prussian" variant, "Der gläserne Berg", wherein the king, after his wife's death, erects the Glass Mountain and sends his daughter there.

[107] Swedish folktale collectors George Stephens and Gunnar Olof Hyltén-Cavallius listed a Polish variant collected by Woycicki, named Der Glasberg ("The Glass Mountain").

[111] Polish ethnographer Stanisław Ciszewski (pl) collected a variant from Szczodrkowice, titled O dwóch braciach mądrych a trzecim głupim, który wjechał na szklanną górę po królewnę i ożenił się z nią ("About two smart brothers and a foolish one, who climbs the Glass Mountain and marries the princess").

[115][116] In the tale Drei Brüder ("Three Brothers"), the youngest son, mockingly called Grindkopf, tames a horse that has been ruining his father's fields and receives a tuft of white, red and black hair.

Later, the king sets a challenge: he will give his daughter's hand in marriage for the one who can jump very high and take out a ring, an apple and the golden handkerchief from the castle's highest arch.

[121] Despite the unusual form, the tale is still classified as AT 530, or "Neznámy rytier sa na zázračných koňoch preteká o princeznú" ("The Mysterious Rider reaches the Princess on Wonderful Horses").

Then the king announces a challenge for all brave knights: he hides three treasures (a golden sword, his sceptre and his crown) atop a Glass Mountain, and whoever brings them back, shall marry his daughter and inherit the kingdom.

When the brothers go their separate ways, the eldest one arrives at three different kingdoms where each king sets a horse-racing contest: any competitor should ride their horse and jump to reach the princess on the other side of a wide and deep ditch.

[135] In a tale from the Mari people titled "Конь с серебряной гривой" ("The Horse with the Silver Mane"), a beautiful princess wants to get married, so she sets a suitor contest.

The youngest son, named Kori, fulfills his wish and, on the third night, a white winged horse with silver mane appears to him, thanks him for his filial devotion, and gives him three tufts of hair.

Some time later, a local Tsar sets a challenge: he places his daughter, Jelena Prekrasa, sat on the church cross, and whoever jumps high enough to get her golden ring from her finger, shall marry her.

Later, Piperchu's brothers to town and go back home to tell their father the padishah announce a challenge: he will marry his daughter to anyone who can jump to the third floor of the palace to reach the princess's window.

[144] According to Estonian folklorists, the introductory episode is the vigil on the father's grave, which rewards the third son with a copper, a silver and a golden horse that can be summoned with similarly coloured whistles or whips.

[162] In another Lithuanian variant, the foolish brother, while guarding the oat field, captures the third horse, which was "bright as the moon", and narrative explicitly refers to it as "Moon-horse" (mėnesio arkliuką).

[170] Professor Stefania Ulanowska (pl) published a variant collected from Latgale, originally in Latgalian, titled Ap div bruoli gudri, trešš duraks (Polish: O dwu braciach rozumnych, trzecim durniu; English: "About two smart brothers and the foolish third one").

Some time later, the king announces a challenge: he places his daughter on a glass mountain and promises her hand to anyone brave enough to climb it on horseback and take her ring as proof of their bravery.

[182] In an Avar language version collected by Anton Schiefner, Der schwarze Nart, the youngest prince heeds his father's request to pay his final respects on his grave for three nights.

Despite not following the tale type to the letter, the youth Fresadilla captures the "caballo con siete colores" and later takes part in a rodeo as a mysterious horseman, to the delight of the crowd and admiration of his clueless brothers.

One day, Keloğlan hears the town crier's announcement and goes back home to tell his brothers: the padishah is summoning all horsemen skillful enough to take part in a challenge for the hand of the princess.

[214] The tale was later translated to Russian language by Russo-Assyrian author Konstantin P. (Bar-Mattai) Matveev [ru] with the title "Завещание царя" ("The King's Testament"), and published in a compilation of folktales from the Assyrian people.

[220] Professor Ulrich Marzolph [de], in his catalogue of Persian folktales, listed three Iranian variants of type 530, Die Grabwache; Prinzessinnen erlangt ("The Grave Watch; Princesses Won").

[221] In a variant published by professor Mahomed-Nuri Osmanovich Osmanov (ru) with title "Сказка о трех померанцах" ("The tale of the Three Pomerancs"), a dying merchant orders his sons to guard his grave for three nights.

[231] In a variant from Uttar Pradesh (Braj), published in Russian language with the title "Грошовый слуга", a king with three sons has a beautiful garden, but every year Indra's horses appear out of thin air and trample everything.

[242] Professor Jack Haney suggested that the theme inspired American writer Washington Irving, who wrote The Legend of Prince Ahmed al Kamel, or, The Pilgrim of Love, in his book Tales of the Alhambra.