Russian folk fairy tales. Afanasyev's Tale: The Magic Horse The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf
In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived an old man and an old woman, and during their entire existence they had no children. It occurred to them that these were ancient years, they had to die soon, but God had not given an heir, and they began to pray to God to create a child for them in honor of their souls. The old man made a covenant: if the old woman gives birth to a child, then whoever comes along first, I will take him as godfather. After some time, the old woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. The old man was happy, got ready and went to look for his godfather; just outside the gate, and a stroller, harnessed to fours, rolls towards him; The sovereign is sitting in the carriage.
The old man did not know the sovereign, mistook him for a boyar, stopped and began to bow. “What do you want, old man?” - asks the sovereign. “Yes, I ask your mercy, do not say in anger: baptize my newborn son.” - “Don’t you have anyone you know in the village?” - “I have many acquaintances, many friends, but it’s not good to take me as a godfather, because this is the covenant: whoever meets first, ask.” “Okay,” says the sovereign, “here’s a hundred rubles for the christening; tomorrow I’ll be there myself.” The next day he came to the old man; They immediately called the priest, baptized the baby and gave him the name Ivan. This Ivan began to grow by leaps and bounds - like wheat dough rising on dough; and every month he receives by mail one hundred rubles of the royal salary.
Ten years passed, he grew up big and felt immeasurable strength within himself. At that very time the sovereign thought about him; I have a godson, but I don’t know what he is; wished to see him personally and immediately sent an order that Ivan the peasant son, without any delay, should appear before his bright eyes. The old man began to pack it for the journey, took out the money and said: “Here’s a hundred rubles for you, go to the city on a horseback ride, buy yourself a horse; otherwise it’s a long way - you won’t be able to go on foot.” Ivan went to the city, and he came across an old man on the road. “Hello, Ivan the peasant son! Where are you going?” The good fellow answers: “Grandfather, I’m going to the city, I want to buy myself a horse.” - “Well, listen to me, if you want to be happy. When you come to the horse riding, one peasant will be there to sell a very thin, lousy horse; you choose it, and no matter how much the owner asks from you, go ahead, don’t bargain! And when you buy it , bring her home and graze in the green meadows twelve evenings and twelve mornings in the dew - then you will recognize her!
Ivan thanked the old man for his science and went into the city; comes to the horse, lo and behold, a peasant is standing and holding a thin, lousy horse by the bridle. "Are you selling your horse?" - I’m selling." - “What are you asking for?” - “Yes, a hundred rubles without bargaining.” Ivan the peasant’s son took out his rubles, gave them to the peasant, took the horse and led him to the yard. He brings him home, his father looked and waved his hand: “Lost money! " - "Wait, father! Perhaps, fortunately for me, the horse will get better." Ivan began to lead his horse every morning and every evening to the green meadows to pasture, and then twelve morning dawns and twelve evening dawns passed - his horse became so strong, strong and beautiful, no matter what he thought, You can’t even guess, maybe say it in a fairy tale, and so reasonable - that only Ivan can think it in his mind, and she already knows. Then Ivan the peasant son made himself a hero’s harness, saddled his good horse, said goodbye to his father and mother and rode to the capital city to to the Tsar-Sovereign.
Whether he rode close, or far, or soon, or briefly, he found himself at the sovereign's palace, jumped to the ground, tied the heroic horse by the ring to an oak post and ordered him to report to the king about his arrival. The tsar ordered him not to be detained, to be allowed into the chambers without any bullying. Ivan entered the royal chambers, prayed at the holy icons, bowed to the king and said: “I wish you good health, your majesty!” - "Hello, godson!" - answered the sovereign, sat him down at the table, began to treat him with all sorts of drinks and snacks, and he looked at him and marveled: a nice fellow - handsome in face, smart in mind, and tall; no one will think that he is ten years old, everyone will give him twenty, and even with a tail! “It’s clear from everything,” the king thinks, “that in this godson the Lord gave me not a simple warrior, but a powerful hero.” And the king granted him the rank of officer and ordered him to serve with him.
Ivan the peasant son took up the service with all the will, does not refuse any work, stands for the truth with his chest; For this reason, the sovereign fell in love with him more than all his generals and ministers, and he did not trust any of them as much as his godson. The generals and ministers became embittered with Ivan and began to hold advice on how to slander him before the sovereign himself. One day the king called noble and close people to his place for dinner; As soon as everyone sat down at the table, he said: “Listen, gentlemen generals and ministers! What do you think about my godson?” - “What can I say, Your Majesty! We have not seen anything bad or good from him; one thing is bad - he was very boastful. We have heard from him more than once that in such and such a kingdom, far away, a large marble palace was built, and a high fence has been erected all around - no one on foot or on horseback can get through there! Nastasya the beautiful princess lives in that palace. No one can get her, but he, Ivan, boasts of getting her and marrying her."
The Tsar listened to this slander, ordered his godson to be called and began to say to him: “Why are you boasting to the generals and ministers that you can get Nastasya the Princess, but you don’t report anything to me?” - “For mercy, your Majesty!” answers Ivan the peasant son. “I never dreamed of this.” - “Now it’s too late to deny; if I boasted, then do the deed; if you don’t do it, then my sword is your head off your shoulders!” Ivan the peasant son became sad, hung his little head below his mighty shoulders and went to his good horse. The horse will say to him in a human voice: “Why, master, are you spinning and not telling me the truth?” - “Oh, my good horse! Why should I be cheerful? The authorities slandered me before the sovereign himself, as if I could get Nastasia and marry the beautiful princess. The king ordered me to carry out this task, otherwise he wants to cut off my head.” - “Don’t worry, master! Pray to God and go to bed; the morning is wiser than the evening. We will handle this matter; just ask the king for more money so that we don’t get bored on the way, there would be plenty to eat and drink whatever we want.” Ivan spent the night, got up in the morning, came to the sovereign and began to ask for the gold treasury for the campaign. The king ordered to give him as much as he needed. So the good fellow took the treasury, put heroic harness on his horse, sat on horseback and rode off on his journey.
Whether close, far, soon, or briefly, he drove to distant lands, to the thirtieth kingdom, and stopped at a marble palace; All around the palace the walls are high, no gates or doors are visible; how to get behind the fence? His good horse says to Ivan: “Let’s wait until evening! As soon as it gets dark, I will turn into a blue-winged eagle and fly over the wall with you. At that time, the beautiful princess will sleep on her soft bed; you go straight into her bedroom, take her quietly to the hands and carry it boldly." It’s good, they waited until evening; as soon as it got dark, the horse hit damp earth, turned into a blue-winged eagle and said: “It’s time for us to do our job; be careful not to make a mistake!” Ivan the peasant son sat on an eagle; The eagle rose into the sky, flew over the wall and placed Ivan in the wide courtyard.
The good fellow went into the wards and looked - everything was quiet, all the servants were sleeping in deep sleep; He goes into the bedroom - Nastasya the beautiful princess is lying on the crib, sweeping away rich covers and sable blankets in her sleep. The good fellow looked at her indescribable beauty, at her white body, his ardent love clouded him, he could not stand it and kissed the princess on the sugar lips. From this the red maiden woke up and screamed in a loud voice in fear; At her voice they rose, the faithful servants came running, caught Ivan the peasant son and tied his hands and feet tightly. The princess ordered him to be put in prison and given him a glass of water and a pound of black bread a day.
Ivan sits in a strong dungeon and thinks a sad thought: “That’s right, here I should lay my violent head!” And his good heroic horse hit the ground and became a small bird, flew into his broken window and said: “Well, master, listen: tomorrow I will break down the doors and make you weak; you hide in the garden behind such and such a bush; Nastasya will be walking there the beautiful princess, and I will turn into a poor old man and begin to ask her for alms; be careful, don’t yawn, otherwise it will be bad.” Ivan became happier and the bird flew away. The next day the heroic horse rushed to the dungeon and knocked down the door with its hooves; Ivan the peasant son ran out into the garden and stood behind a green bush. The beautiful princess went out for a walk in the garden, and as soon as she came up against a bush, a poor old man came up to her, bowed and asked with tears for holy alms. While the red maiden was taking out a wallet with money, Ivan the peasant son jumped out, grabbed her in his arms, and clamped her mouth so tightly that you couldn’t even raise a small voice. At that same moment, the old man turned into a gray-winged eagle, soared high, high with the queen and the good fellow, flew over the fence, sank to the ground and became still a heroic horse. Ivan the peasant son mounted his horse and took Nastasya the princess with him; says to her: “What, beautiful princess, won’t you lock me up in prison now?” The beautiful princess answers: “Apparently, it’s my destiny to be yours, do with me what you know!”
Here they are going along the road; whether it’s close, whether it’s far, whether it’s soon, whether it’s short, they arrive at a large green meadow. In that meadow there are two giants standing, feeding each other with their fists; they were beaten and beaten until they bled, but no one could overcome the other; Near them lie a broomstick and a stick on the grass. “Listen, brothers!” Ivan the peasant son asks them. “What are you fighting for?” The giants stopped fighting and said to him: “We are both brothers; our father died, and all that was left after him was a broom and a stick; we began to share, and we quarreled: everyone, you see, wants to take everything for themselves.” Well, we decided to fight not to the gut, but to the death; whoever survives will receive both things." - “How long have you been arguing?” - “Yes, we’ve been beating each other for three years now, but we still haven’t achieved any sense!” - “Oh, you! There is something to fight to the death over. Is there great self-interest in a broom and a stick?” - “Don’t say, brother, what you don’t know! With this broom and with a stick, you can defeat any force. No matter how many troops the enemy sends, boldly ride out to meet them: where you wave the broom, there will be a street, and if you jump over, so will the alley. And you also need a stick: no matter how many troops you capture with it, you’ll take them all prisoner!” “Yes, the things are good!” thinks Ivan. “Perhaps they would be useful to me too. Well, brothers,” he says, “do you want me to divide you equally?” - “Share, good man!” Ivan the peasant son got off his heroic horse, picked up a handful of fine sand, led the giants into the forest and scattered that sand in all four directions. “Here,” he says, “gather sand; whoever has more will get a stick and a broom.” The giants rushed to collect sand, and in the meantime Ivan grabbed both a stick and a broom, mounted his horse - and remember his name!
How long, how short, does he approach his state and sees that his godfather has suffered a considerable misfortune: the entire kingdom has been conquered, a countless army is standing near the capital city, threatening to burn everything with fire, putting the king himself to an evil death. Ivan the peasant son left the princess in a nearby forest, and he himself flew to the enemy’s army; Where he waves a broom there is a street, where he jumps over there is a side street! In a short time, he killed whole hundreds, whole thousands; and what remained of death, he hooked with a stick and dragged alive to the capital city. The Tsar greeted him with joy, ordered drums to be beaten, trumpets to be blown, and bestowed with the rank of general and an untold treasury. Then Ivan the peasant son remembered Nastasya the beautiful princess, asked for some time off and brought her straight to the palace. The king praised him for his heroic prowess and ordered him to prepare the house and celebrate the wedding. Ivan the peasant son married the beautiful princess, had a rich wedding and began to live for himself without bothering him. Here's a fairy tale for you, and a bunch of bagels for me.
Reads in 35 minutes, original - 4 minutes
Morozko
The stepmother lives with her own daughter and stepdaughter. The old woman decides to drive her stepdaughter out of the yard and orders her husband to take the girl “to an open field in the bitter cold.” He obeys.
In an open field, Frost the Red Nose greets a girl. She answers kindly. Frost feels sorry for his stepdaughter, and he does not freeze her, but gives her a dress, a fur coat, and a dowry chest.
The stepmother is already holding a wake for her stepdaughter and tells the old man to go to the field and bring the girl’s body to bury. The old man returns and brings his daughter - alive, dressed up, with a dowry! The stepmother orders that her own daughter be taken to the same place. Frost Red Nose comes to look at the guest. Without waiting for “good speeches” from the girl, he kills her. The old woman expects her daughter to return with wealth, but instead the old man brings only a cold body.
Swan geese
The parents go to work, telling their daughter not to leave the yard and take care of her little brother. But the girl puts her brother under the window, and she runs out into the street. Meanwhile, the geese-swans carry away their brother on their wings. The sister runs to catch up with the swan geese. On the way she meets a stove, an apple tree, a milk river - the banks of jelly. A girl asks them about her brother, but the stove asks her to try a pie, the apple tree asks for an apple, the river asks for jelly with milk. The picky girl disagrees. She meets a hedgehog who shows her the way. He comes to a hut on chicken legs, looks in - and there is Baba Yaga and his brother. The girl carries off her brother, and the swan geese fly after her.
The girl asks the river to hide her and agrees to eat the jelly. Then the apple tree hides her, and the girl has to eat a forest apple, then she hides in the oven and eats a rye pie. The geese don't see her and fly away with nothing.
The girl and her brother come running home, and just then the father and mother arrive.
Ivan Bykovich
The king and queen have no children. They dream that the queen will become pregnant if she eats the golden-finned ruff. The ruff is caught and fried, the cook licks the queen's dishes, the cow drinks the slop. The queen gives birth to Ivan Tsarevich, the cook gives birth to Ivan, the cook's son, and the cow gives birth to Ivan Bykovich. All three guys look alike.
The Ivans try their hand at deciding which of them should be the big brother. Ivan Bykovich turns out to be the strongest... Well done, they find a large stone in the garden, under it there is a basement, and there are three heroic horses standing there. The Tsar allows the Ivans to travel to foreign lands.
Good fellows come to Baba Yaga's hut. She says that on the Smorodina River, on the Kalinov Bridge, there live miracles-Yudas, who destroyed all the neighboring kingdoms.
The fellows come to the Smorodina River, stop in an empty hut and decide to take turns going on patrol. Ivan Tsarevich falls asleep on patrol. Ivan Bykovich, not relying on him, comes to Kalinovy Bridge, fights with the six-headed miracle-yud, kills him and places six heads on the bridge. Then Ivan, the cook’s son, goes on patrol, also falls asleep, and Ivan Bykovich defeats the nine-headed miracle Yudo. Then Ivan Bykovich leads the brothers under the bridge, shames them and shows them the heads of the monsters. The next night, Ivan Bykovich prepares for a fight with the twelve-headed miracle. He asks the brothers to stay awake and watch: blood will flow from the towel into the bowl. If it overflows, you need to rush to help.
Ivan Bykovich fights with the miracle, the brothers fall asleep. It’s hard for Ivan Bykovich. He throws his mittens into the hut - breaks through the roof, breaks out the windows, and the brothers are all asleep. Finally, he throws the hat, which destroys the hut. The brothers wake up, and the bowl is already overflowing with blood. They release the heroic horse from the chains and run to help themselves. But while they are keeping up, Ivan Bykovich is already coping with the miracle.
After that, the miracle Yudov’s wives and mother-in-law plot to take revenge on Ivan Bykovich. Wives want to turn into a deadly apple tree, a well, a golden bed and find themselves on the way of good fellows. But Ivan Bykovich finds out about their plans and cuts down an apple tree, a well, and a crib. Then the miracle mother-in-law, an old witch, dresses up as a beggar woman and asks for alms from the fellows. Ivan Bykovich is about to give it to her, and she takes the hero by the hand, and both end up in her old husband’s dungeon.
The witch's husband's eyelashes are lifted with an iron pitchfork. The old man orders Ivan Bykovich to bring the queen - golden curls. The witch drowns herself in grief. The old man teaches the hero to open the magic oak and take the ship out of there. And Ivan Bykovich brings out many ships and boats from the oak tree. Several old people ask Ivan Bykovich to be travel companions. One is Obedailo, the other is Opivailo, the third knows how to take a steam bath, the fourth is an astrologer, the fifth swims with a ruff. Everyone goes to the queen together - golden curls. There, in her unprecedented kingdom, the old people help to eat and drink all the treats and cool down the hot bath.
The queen leaves with Ivan Bykovich, but on the way she turns into a star and flies away into the sky. The astrologer returns her to her place. Then the queen turns into a pike, but the old man, who knows how to swim with a ruff, stabs her in the sides, and she returns to the ship. The old people say goodbye to Ivan Bykovich, and he and the queen go to the miracle Yudov’s father. Ivan Bykovich proposes a test: the one who walks along a perch through a deep hole will marry the queen. Ivan Bykovich passes, and Miracle Yudov’s father flies into the pit.
Ivan Bykovich returns home to his brothers, marries the queen - golden curls and gives a wedding feast.
Seven Simeons
The old man gives birth to seven sons on one day, they are all called Simeons. When the Simeons are left orphans, they do all the work in the field. The king, driving by, sees small children working in the field, calls them to him and questions them. One of them says that he wants to be a blacksmith and forge a huge pillar, another - to look from this pillar, the third to be a ship carpenter, the fourth - to be a helmsman, the fifth - to hide a ship at the bottom of the sea, the sixth - to get it out of there, and the seventh - to be a thief. The king does not like the latter’s desire. Simeonov is sent to science. After a while, the king decides to look at their skills.
The blacksmith forged a huge pillar, the brother climbed onto it and saw Helen the Beautiful in a distant country. The other brothers demonstrated their naval skills. And the king wants to hang the seventh - Simeon the thief - but he undertakes to steal Helen the Beautiful for him. All seven brothers go after the princess. The thief dresses up as a merchant, gives the princess a cat, which is not found in that land, shows her expensive fabrics and decorations and promises to show her an unusual stone if Elena comes to the ship.
As soon as Elena entered the ship, the fifth brother hid the ship to the bottom of the sea... And the sixth, when the danger of pursuit had passed, took him out and brought him to his native shore. The Tsar generously rewarded the Simeons, married Helen the Beautiful and gave a feast.
Marya Morevna
Ivan Tsarevich has three sisters: Marya Tsarevna, Olga Tsarevna and Anna Tsarevna. When their parents die, the brother gives the sisters in marriage: Marya to a falcon, Olga to an eagle, and Anna to a raven.
Ivan Tsarevich goes to visit his sisters and meets a huge army in the field, defeated by someone. One of the survivors explains: this army was defeated by Marya Morevna, the beautiful queen. Ivan Tsarevich travels further, meets Marya Morevna, and stays in her tents. Then he marries the princess, and they go to her state.
Marya Morevna, going to war, forbids her husband to look into one of the closets. But he, having disobeyed, looks - and Koschey the Immortal is chained there. Ivan Tsarevich gives Koshchei something to drink. He, having gained strength, breaks the chains, flies away and carries Marya Morevna along the way. Her husband goes to look for her.
On the way, Ivan Tsarevich meets the palaces of a falcon, an eagle and a raven. He visits his sons-in-law and leaves them a silver spoon, fork, and knife as souvenirs. Having reached Marya Morevna, Ivan Tsarevich tries twice to take his wife home, but both times Koschey on a fast horse catches up with them and takes Marya Morevna away. The third time he kills Ivan Tsarevich and cuts his body into pieces.
The donated silver of Ivan Tsarevich's sons-in-law turns black. The falcon, eagle and raven find the severed body and sprinkle it with dead and living water. The prince comes to life.
Koschey the Immortal tells Marya Morevna that he took his horse from Baba Yaga, across the river of fire. The princess steals from Koshchei and gives her husband a magic handkerchief, with which you can cross the fiery river.
Ivan Tsarevich goes to Baba Yaga. On the way, although he is hungry, out of pity he does not eat the chick, lion cub, or even bee honey, so as not to offend the bees. The prince hires himself out to Baba Yaga to herd her mares. It is impossible to keep track of them, but birds, lions and bees help the prince.
Ivan Tsarevich steals a mangy foal from Baba Yaga (in fact, it is a heroic horse). Baba Yaga gives chase, but drowns in a river of fire.
On his heroic horse, Ivan Tsarevich takes Marya Morevna away. Koschey catches up with them. The prince enters into battle with him and kills him.
Ivan Tsarevich and Marya Morevna stop by to visit the raven, eagle and falcon, and then go to their kingdom.
Emelya the Fool
The man had three sons; two are smart, and the third, Emelya, is a fool. The father dies, leaving everyone “one hundred rubles.” The older brothers go to trade, leaving Emelya at home with their daughters-in-law and promising to buy him red boots, a fur coat and a caftan.
In winter, when there is severe frost, the daughters-in-law send Emelya to fetch water. With great reluctance, he goes to the ice hole, fills a bucket... And catches a pike in the ice hole. Pike promises to make Emelino’s every wish come true if he lets her go. She reveals the magic words to the guy: “By pike command, according to my desire." Emelya releases the pike. With the help of miraculous words, his first wish is fulfilled: buckets of water go home on their own.
A short time later, the daughters-in-law force Emelya to go into the yard to chop wood. Emelya orders the ax to chop the wood, and the wood to go to the hut and go into the oven. The daughters-in-law are amazed.
They send Emelya into the forest to get firewood. He doesn’t harness the horses, the sleigh drives itself from the yard. Driving through the city, Emelya crushes a lot of people. In the forest, an ax chops firewood and a club for Emelya.
On the way back in the city, they try to catch Emelya and crush his sides. And Emelya orders his baton to beat all the offenders and returns home safely.
The king, having heard about all this, sends his officer to Emelya. He wants to take the fool to the king. Emelya does not agree, and the officer slaps him in the face. Then Emelina beats both the officer and his soldiers with her baton. The officer reports all this to the king. The king sends an intelligent man to Emelya. He first talks to his daughters-in-law and finds out that the fool loves affectionate treatment. Promising Emelya delicacies and refreshments, he persuades him to come to the king. Then the fool tells his furnace to go to the city itself.
In the royal palace, Emelya sees the princess and makes a wish: let her fall in love with him.
Emelya leaves the king, and the princess asks her father to marry her to Emelya. The king orders the officer to deliver Emelya to the palace. The officer makes Emelya drunk, and then ties him up, puts him in a wagon and takes him to the palace. The king orders him to make a large barrel, put his daughter and the fool in it, tar the barrel and put it into the sea.
A fool wakes up in a barrel. The king's daughter tells him what happened and asks him to free himself and her from the barrel. The fool says the magic words, and the sea throws the barrel ashore. She's falling apart.
Emelya and the princess find themselves on a beautiful island. According to Emelin's desire, a huge palace and a crystal bridge to the royal palace appear. Then Emelya himself becomes smart and handsome.
Emelya invites the king to visit her. He arrives and feasts with Emelya, but does not recognize him. When Emelya tells him everything that happened, the king rejoices and agrees to marry the princess to him.
The king returns home, and Emelya and the princess live in their palace.
The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf
Tsar Svyala Andronovich had three sons: Dmitry, Vasily and Ivan. Every night the firebird flies into the royal garden and pecks at the golden apples on the king’s favorite apple tree. Tsar Vyslav promises to make the one of his sons who catches the firebird heir to the kingdom. First, Dmitry Tsarevich goes into the garden to guard her, but falls asleep at his post. The same thing happens to Vasily the Tsarevich. And Ivan Tsarevich lies in wait for the firebird, grabs it, but she breaks away, leaving only a feather in his hands.
The king orders his children to find and bring him the firebird. The older brothers travel separately from the younger ones. Ivan Tsarevich arrives at a post on which it is written: the one who goes straight will be hungry and cold, to the right - he will be alive, but will lose his horse, to the left - he will lose his life, but the horse will be alive. The prince goes to the right. He meets a gray wolf, who kills his horse, but agrees to serve Ivan Tsarevich and takes him to Tsar Dolmat, who has a cage with a firebird hanging in his garden. The wolf advises to take the bird and not touch the cage. But the prince takes the cage, there is a knock and thunder, the guards catch him and lead him to the king. King Dolmat agrees to forgive the prince and give him the firebird if he brings him a golden-maned horse. Then the wolf takes Ivan Tsarevich to Tsar Afron - he has a golden-maned horse in his stable. The wolf convinces not to touch the bridle, but the prince does not listen to him. Again, Tsarevich Ivan is caught, and the Tsar promises to give him the horse if the Tsarevich brings Elena the Beautiful in return. Then the wolf kidnaps Elena the Beautiful and rushes her and Ivan Tsarevich to Tsar Afron. But the prince feels sorry for giving the princess to Afron. The wolf takes the form of Helen, and King Afron happily gives the prince the horse for the imaginary princess.
And the wolf runs away from Tsar Afron and catches up with Ivan Tsarevich.
After this, he takes the form of a golden-maned horse, and the prince takes him to King Dolmat. He, in turn, gives the firebird to the prince. And the wolf again takes its form and runs to Ivan Tsarevich. The wolf takes Ivan Tsarevich to the place where he tore his horse apart and says goodbye to him. The prince and the queen continue on their way. They stop to rest and fall asleep. Dmitry Tsarevich and Vasily Tsarevich find them sleeping, kill their brother, take the horse and the firebird. The princess is ordered to remain silent about everything on pain of death and is taken with them. Dmitry Tsarevich is going to marry her.
And the gray wolf finds the chopped body of Ivan Tsarevich. He waits for the crows to appear and grabs the crow. The raven father promises to bring dead and living water if the wolf does not touch his offspring. The raven fulfills his promise, the wolf sprinkles the body with dead and then living water. The prince comes to life, and the wolf takes him to the kingdom of Tsar Vyslav. Ivan Tsarevich appears at the wedding of his brother with Elena the Beautiful. When Elena the Beautiful sees him, she decides to tell the whole truth. And then the king puts his eldest sons in prison, and Ivan Tsarevich marries Helen the Beautiful.
Sivka-burka
The old man, dying, asks his three sons to take turns spending one night at his grave. The older brother does not want to spend the night at the grave, but asks the younger brother, Ivan the Fool, to spend the night in his place. Ivan agrees. At midnight, the father emerges from the grave. He calls the heroic horse Sivka-burka and orders him to serve his son. The middle brother does the same as the elder. Again Ivan spends the night at the grave, and at midnight the same thing happens. On the third night, when it’s Ivan’s turn, everything repeats itself.
The king calls out: whoever tears off the portrait of the princess, painted on his fly (that is, on a towel), from a high house, the princess will marry him. The older and middle brothers go to see how the portrait will be torn down. The fool asks to go with them, the brothers give him a three-legged filly, and they themselves leave. Ivan calls for Sivka-burka, climbs into one ear of the horse, comes out into the other and becomes a fine fellow. He goes for the portrait.
The horse gallops high, but the portrait is only three logs short. The brothers see this. Returning home, they tell their wives about the daring fellow, but do not know that it is their brother. The next day the same thing happens - Ivan again falls a little short. For the third time he tears down the portrait.
The king summons people of all classes to a feast. Ivan the Fool also comes and sits down at the stove. The princess treats the guests and looks: who will wipe his fly with the portrait? But she does not see Ivan. The feast goes the next day, but the princess again does not find her betrothed. The third time she discovers Ivan the Fool with a portrait behind the stove and happily takes him to his father. Ivan's brothers are amazed.
They are having a wedding. Ivan, having dressed up and cleaned himself up, becomes a fine fellow: “It’s not Ivan the fool, but Ivan the Tsar’s son-in-law.”
Magic ring
An old hunter lives with his old woman and his son Martynka. Dying, he leaves his wife and son two hundred rubles. Martin takes a hundred rubles and goes to the city to buy bread. But instead he buys the dog Zhurka from the butchers, which they want to kill. It takes the whole hundred. The old woman swears, but - there is nothing to do - she gives her son another hundred rubles. Now Martynka buys the cat Vaska from the evil boy for the same price.
Martyn's mother kicks him out of the house, and he hires himself out as a farm laborer for the priest. Three years later, the priest offers him a choice of a bag of silver and a bag of sand. The martynka chooses sand, takes it and goes to look for another place. He comes to a forest clearing where a fire is burning, and in the fire is a girl. Martin covers the fire with sand. The girl turns into a snake and takes Martyn to the underground kingdom to her father to thank him. The king of the underground side gives Martynka a magic ring.
Taking the ring and some money, Martynka returns to her mother. He persuades his mother to woo the beautiful princess for him. The mother does so, but the king, in response to this matchmaking, gives Martynka a task: let him build a palace, a crystal bridge and a five-domed cathedral in one day. If he does this, let him marry the princess; if he doesn’t, he will be executed.
Martynka throws the ring from hand to hand, twelve fellows appear and carry out the royal order. The king has to marry his daughter to Martyn. But the princess does not love her husband. She steals a magic ring from him and, with its help, is carried away to distant lands, to the mouse state. She leaves Martynka in poverty, in the same hut. Having learned about the disappearance of his daughter, the king orders Martynka to be imprisoned in a stone pillar and starves him to death.
The cat Vaska and the dog Zhurka run to the post and look through the window. They promise to help the owner. The cat and the dog throw themselves at the feet of street vendors, and then bring Martynka rolls, rolls and bottles of sour cabbage soup.
Vaska and Zhurka go to the mouse state to get a magic ring. They swim across the sea - a cat on the back of a dog. In the mouse kingdom, Vaska begins to strangle the mice until the mouse king asks for mercy. Vaska and Zhurka demand a magic ring. One mouse volunteers to get it. He sneaks into the princess’s bedroom, and she, even when sleeping, keeps the ring in her mouth. The mouse tickles her nose with its tail, she sneezes and loses the ring. And then the mouse brings the ring to Zhurka and Vaska.
The dog and the cat are walking back. Vaska holds the ring in his teeth. When they cross the sea, Vaska is hit in the head by a raven, and the cat drops the ring into the water. Having reached the shore, Vaska and Zhurka begin to catch crayfish. The cancer king begs for mercy; the crayfish push a beluga fish onto the shore, which swallowed the ring.
Vaska is the first to grab the ring and runs away from Zhurka to take all the credit for himself. The dog catches up with him, but the cat climbs a tree. Zhurka watches Vaska for three days, but then they make up.
The cat and dog run to the stone pillar and give the ring to the owner. Martynka regains the palace, the crystal bridge and the cathedral. He also brings back his unfaithful wife. The king orders her execution. “And Martynka still lives, chews bread.”
Horns
The old man gives his son, whose name is Monkey, to become a soldier. Monkey's teaching is not given, and he is beaten with rods. And so Monkey dreams that if he runs away to another kingdom, he will find there one-gold cards with which you can beat anyone, and a wallet from which the money does not decrease, even if you pour out a mountain of gold.
The dream comes true. With cards and a wallet in his pocket, Monkey comes to the tavern and starts a fight with the sutler. The generals come running - they are outraged by the behavior of the Monkey. True, seeing his wealth, the generals change their minds. They play cards with Monkey, he beats them, but gives all his winnings back to them. The generals tell their king about the Monkey. The King comes to Monkey and also plays cards with him. The monkey, having won, gives his winnings back to the king.
The king makes Monkey the chief minister and builds a three-story house for him. The monkey rules the kingdom for three years in the absence of the king and does a lot of good for ordinary soldiers and poor brethren.
The king's daughter Nastasya invites Monkey to visit. They play cards, and then during the meal Nastasya the Princess brings him a glass of “sleep potion.” Then he takes the cards and wallet from the sleeping Monkey and orders him to be thrown into a dung pit. Waking up, Monkey climbs out of the hole, puts on his old soldier's dress and leaves the kingdom. On the way, he meets an apple tree, eats the apple, and grows horns. He takes an apple from another tree and the horns fall off. Then the Monkey picks up apples of both varieties and returns to the kingdom.
The monkey gives a good apple to the old shopkeeper, and she becomes young and fat. In gratitude, the shopkeeper gives Monkey a sutler's dress. He goes to sell apples, gives an apple to Nastasya’s maid, and she also becomes beautiful and fat. Seeing this, the princess also wants apples. But they do not benefit her: Nastasya the Princess grows horns. And Monkey, dressed up as a doctor, goes to treat the princess. He takes her to the bathhouse, whips her with a copper rod and forces her to confess what sin she has committed. The princess blames herself for deceiving the minister and gives back the cards and wallet. Then the Monkey treats her to good apples: Nastasya’s horns fall off, and she becomes a beauty. The king again makes Monkey the chief minister and gives Nastasya the princess for him.
Legless and armless heroes
The prince is planning to marry, but he only knows that the princess to whom he is wooing has already ruined many suitors. Poor man Ivan the Naked comes to the prince and promises to arrange the matter.
The Tsarevich and Ivan Naked go to the princess. She offers the groom tests: shoot from a heroic gun, a bow, ride a heroic horse. All this is done by a servant instead of the prince. When Ivan the Naked shot an arrow, it hit the hero Mark Begun and knocked off both his hands.
The princess agrees to get married. After the wedding, she puts her hand on her husband at night, and he begins to choke. Then the princess realizes that she was deceived, and her husband is not a hero at all. She is plotting revenge. The prince and his wife are going home. When Ivan the Naked falls asleep, the princess cuts off his legs, leaves Ivan in an open field, orders the prince to stand on his heels and turns the carriage back to her kingdom. When she returns, she forces her husband to herd pigs.
Ivan the Naked is found by Marko Begun. The legless and armless heroes live together in the forest. They steal one of the priests, and she helps them with the housework. A snake flies to the priest, which is why she withers and loses weight. The heroes catch the snake and force it to show the lake where there is living water. From bathing in this water, warriors grow arms and legs. Marco Begun returns the share to his father and remains to live with this priest.
Ivan Naked goes to look for the prince and finds him grazing pigs. The Tsarevich exchanges clothes with Ivan. He rides a horse, and Ivan drives pigs. The princess sees from the window that the cattle are being driven at the wrong time, and orders the shepherd to be torn out. But Ivan Naked drags her by the braids until she repents. From then on, she begins to obey her husband. And Ivan the Naked serves with them.
The Sea King and Vasilisa the Wise
The tsar travels through foreign lands, and meanwhile his son Ivan Tsarevich is born at home. When the king drinks water from the lake, the sea king grabs him by the beard and demands to give him something that he “doesn’t know at home.” The king agrees. Only upon arriving home does he realize his mistake.
When Ivan Tsarevich becomes an adult, the Tsar takes him to the lake and orders him to look for the ring that he supposedly lost. The prince meets an old woman who explains to him that he has been given to the king of the sea. The old woman advises Ivan Tsarevich to wait for thirteen doves - beautiful maidens - to appear on the shore and steal the shirt from the last, thirteenth. The prince listens to advice. The pigeons fly in, turn into girls and bathe. Then they fly away, leaving only the youngest, from whom the prince steals the shirt. This is Vasilisa the Wise. She gives the prince a ring and shows the way to the sea kingdom, and she flies away.
The prince comes to the sea kingdom. The king of the sea commands him to sow a huge wasteland and grow rye there, and if the prince does not do this, he will be executed.
Ivan Tsarevich tells Vasilisa about his misfortune. She tells him to go to bed, and orders her faithful servants to do everything. The next morning the rye is already high. The Tsar gives Ivan Tsarevich a new task: to thresh three hundred stacks of wheat in one night. At night, Vasilisa the Wise orders the ants to select grain from the stacks. Then the king orders the prince to build a church from pure wax overnight. Vasilisa commands the bees to do this too. Then the tsar allows Ivan Tsarevich to marry any of his daughters.
Ivan Tsarevich marries Vasilisa the Wise. After some time, he confesses to his wife that he wants to go to Holy Rus'. Vasilisa spits in three corners, locks her tower and runs away with her husband to Rus'. Envoys from the sea king come to call the young people to the palace. The droolers from the three corners tell them that it’s too early. In the end, the messengers break down the door, and the mansion is empty.
The sea king sets up the pursuit. Vasilisa, hearing the chase, turns into a lamb, and turns her husband into a shepherd. The messengers do not recognize them and return back. The sea king sends new chase. Now Vasilisa is turning into a church, and turning the prince into a priest. The chase returns. The sea king himself sets off in pursuit. Vasilisa turns horses into a lake, her husband into a drake, and she herself turns into a duck. The sea king recognizes them, becomes an eagle, but cannot kill the drake and the duck because they dive.
Young people come to the kingdom of Ivan Tsarevich. The prince wants to report to his father and mother and asks Vasilisa to wait for him in the forest. Vasilisa warns that the prince will forget her. This is how it happens.
Vasilisa is hired as a worker at a malt mill. She makes two doves from the dough, which fly to the prince’s palace and hit the windows. The prince, seeing them, remembers Vasilisa, finds her, brings her to her father and mother, and everyone lives together.
Feather of Finist - clear falcon
The old man has three daughters. The father is going to the city, the eldest and middle daughter ask to buy them fabrics for a dress, and the youngest - a feather from Finist - the clear falcon. Having returned, the father gives his eldest daughters some new clothes, but he could not find the feather. The next time, the older sisters each receive a scarf, but the promised feather for the younger sister is again missing. For the third time, the old man finally buys a feather for a thousand rubles.
In the youngest daughter’s room, the feather turns into the prince Finista The prince and the girl are having a conversation. The sisters hear voices. Then the prince turns into a falcon, and the girl lets him fly. The older sisters stick knives and needles into the window frame. Returning, Finist wounds his wings on the knives and flies away, telling the girl to look for him in the distant kingdom. She hears it through her sleep.
The girl stocks up with three pairs of iron shoes, three cast-iron staves, three stone potions and goes to look for Finist. On the way, she spends the night with three old women. One gives her a golden spindle, another a silver dish with a golden egg, the third a golden hoop with a needle.
The bread has already been devoured, the staffs have been broken, the shoes have been trampled. The girl finds out that Finist in such and such a city married the daughter of the malt milk, and is hired by the malt mill as a worker. He gives the old women's gifts of malt to his daughter in exchange for the right to stay with Finist for three nights.
The wife mixes Finisga with a sleeping potion. He sleeps and does not see the red maiden, does not hear her words. On the third night, the girl’s hot tears wake up Finist. The prince and the girl are running away from the malt.
Finist turns into a feather again, and the girl comes home with him. She says she was on a pilgrimage. The father and eldest daughters leave for matins. The youngest stays at home and, after waiting a little, goes to church with Tsarevich Finist, in a golden carriage and precious attire. In church, the relatives do not recognize the girl, and she does not open up to them. The next day the same thing happens. On the third day, the father guesses everything, forces his daughter to confess, and the red maiden marries Prince Finist.
Tricky Science
Grandfather and woman have a son. The old man wants to send the guy to science, but there is no money. The old man takes his son around the cities, but no one wants to teach him without money. One day they meet a man who agrees to teach the guy a tricky science for three years. But he sets a condition: if the old man does not recognize his son after three years, he will remain with the teacher forever.
The day before the appointed time, the son flies to his father like a small bird and says that the teacher has eleven more students, whom the parents did not recognize, and they remained with the owner forever.
The son teaches his father how he can be recognized.
The owner (and he turned out to be a sorcerer) turns his students into pigeons, stallions, and good fellows, but in all forms the father recognizes his son. Father and son go home.
On the way they meet a master. The son turns into a dog and tells his father to sell him to the master, but without a collar. The old man sells with a collar. The son still manages to escape from the master and return home.
After some time, the son turns into a bird and tells his father to sell him at the market, but without a cage. The father does just that. The sorcerer teacher buys a bird, and it flies away.
Then the son turns into a stallion and asks his father to sell him without a bridle. The father again sells the horse to the sorcerer, but he also has to give the bridle. The sorcerer brings the horse home and ties it. The sorcerer's daughter, out of pity, wants to lengthen the reins, and the horse runs away. The sorcerer is chasing him with a gray wolf. The young man turns into a ruff, the sorcerer turns into a pike... Then the ruff turns into a golden ring, the merchant's daughter takes it, but the sorcerer demands that she give the ring. The girl throws the ring, it scatters into grains, and the sorcerer in the guise of a rooster pecks at the grain. One grain turns into a hawk, which kills the rooster.
Sister Alyonushka, brother Ivanushka
The king and queen die; their children Alyonushka and Ivanushka go traveling.
Children see a herd of cows near a pond. The sister persuades her brother not to drink from this pond, so as not to become a calf. They see a herd of horses, a herd of pigs, and a herd of goats by the water. Alyonushka warns her brother everywhere. But in the end, he disobeys his sister, drinks and becomes a little goat.
Alyonushka ties him by the belt and takes him with her. They enter the royal garden. The Tsar asks Alyonushka who she is. Soon he will marry her.
Alyonushka, who has become a queen, is damaged by an evil witch. She herself undertakes to treat the queen: she orders her to go to the sea and drink water there. A witch drowns Alyonushka by the sea. The little goat, seeing this, cries. And the sorceress takes the form of Queen Alyonushka.
The imaginary queen offends Ivanushka. She begs the king to order the slaughter of the little goat. The king, albeit reluctantly, agrees. The little goat asks permission to go to the sea. There he asks his sister to swim out, but she replies from under the water that she cannot. The little goat returns, but then asks to go to the sea again and again. The king, surprised, secretly follows him. There he hears a conversation between Alyonushka and Ivanushka. Alyonushka tries to swim out, and the king pulls her ashore. The little goat tells about what happened, and the king orders the execution of the sorceress.
Princess Frog
The king has three sons. The youngest is called Ivan Tsarevich. The king orders them to shoot arrows in different directions. Each of them must woo the girl in whose yard his arrow will fall. The eldest son's arrow falls on the boyar's courtyard, the middle son's on the merchant's, and Ivan Tsarevich's arrow falls into the swamp, and is picked up by a frog.
The eldest son marries a hawthorn, the middle son marries a merchant's daughter, and Ivan Tsarevich has to marry a frog.
The king orders his daughters-in-law to bake white bread each. Ivan Tsarevich is upset, but the frog consoles him. At night she turns into Vasilisa the Wise and orders her nannies to bake bread. The next morning the glorious bread is ready. And the king orders his daughters-in-law to weave a carpet in one night. Ivan Tsarevich is sad. But at night the frog again turns into Vasilisa the Wise and gives orders to the nannies. The next morning a wonderful carpet is ready.
The king orders his sons to come to him for inspection along with their wives. The wife of Ivan Tsarevich appears in the guise of Vasilisa the Wise. She dances, and from the waves of her hands a lake appears, swans swim in the water. The wives of other princes try to imitate her, but to no avail. Meanwhile, Ivan Tsarevich finds the frog skin discarded by his wife and burns it. Having learned about this, Vasilisa grieves, turns into a white swan and flies out the window, ordering the prince to look for her distant lands near Koshchei the Immortal. Ivan Tsarevich goes to look for his wife and meets an old man who explains that Vasilisa had to live as a frog for three years - this was her punishment from her father. The old man gives the prince a ball that will lead him along.
On the way, Ivan Tsarevich wants to kill a bear, a drake, a hare, but spares them. Seeing a pike on the sand, he throws it into the sea.
The prince enters the hut on chicken legs to Baba Yaga. She says that it is difficult to deal with Koshchei: his death is in a needle, a needle in an egg, an egg in a duck, a duck in a hare, a hare in a chest, and a chest in an oak tree. Yaga indicates the place where the oak tree is located. The animals that Ivan Tsarevich spared help him get the needle, and Koshchei has to die. And the prince takes Vasilisa home.
Nesmeyana the Princess
Princess Nesmeyana lives in the royal chambers and never smiles or laughs. The king promises to marry Nesmeyana to someone who can cheer her up. Everyone is trying to do this, but no one succeeds.
And at the other end of the kingdom lives a worker. Its owner is a kind man. At the end of the year, he puts a bag of money in front of the employee: “Take as much as you want!” And he takes only one piece of money, and even drops it into the well. He works for the owner for another year. At the end of the year the same thing happens, and again the poor worker throws his money into the water. And in the third year, he takes a coin, goes to the well and sees: the two previous pieces of money have surfaced. He takes them out and decides to look at the white light. A mouse, a bug and a catfish with a big mustache beg him for money. The worker is left with nothing again. He comes to the city, sees Princess Nesmeyana in the window, and before her eyes falls into the mud. A mouse, a bug and a catfish immediately appear: they help, take off the dress, clean the boots. The princess, looking at their services, laughs. The king asks who is the reason for the laughter. The princess points to the worker. And then the king marries Nesmeyan to the worker.
Retold
In ancient times there lived a great king. He had an only son, handsome, like a month in the sky. And one day, when the king was sitting on the throne, three wise men came to him. One had a golden peacock, another had a copper trumpet, and the third had a horse made of ivory and ebony.
The sages bowed to the king and said:
O king, we came up with and made these toys. Each of them has something amazing and useful. Accept them as a gift from us, your servants.
“What’s useful about them?” asked the king.
And the first sage said:
Look, O lord, at this peacock. He is all made of pure gold, and his eyes are two large emeralds. Each feather of his tail is decorated with a precious stone. But this is not what is surprising and useful about it. Its benefit is that every hour it flaps its wings and screams. Take it - and you will know how many hours you should devote to business, and how many to fun and entertainment.
And the second sage said:
O king, my trumpet is more useful than this peacock. Hang it on the gates of your city, and it will guard it, and when a thief enters this city, the trumpet will sound with a voice like thunder.
The thief will be recognized and captured. And the third sage said:
O lord! These gifts are worth nothing compared to my horse. Have you ever seen horses flying through the air?
No,” answered the king. “This does not happen.”
Accept this horse as a gift from me, and you will be able to fly on it to whatever country you want.
After this, all three sages bowed to the king and said:
O king, reward us for these amazing and useful things!
“I will not reward you until I experience the usefulness of these things,” answered the king.
And the king ordered the peacock to be placed in front of him, and when an hour had passed, the peacock flapped its wings and screamed.
And the king ordered a trumpet to be placed at the gates of the city and one of the thieves imprisoned to be brought through this gate. When the thief passed under the gate, the trumpet blew with a voice like thunder, the thief was frightened and fell face down to the ground. The king generously rewarded both sages with gold.
Then the third sage, the owner of the horse, stepped forward and said:
O king, reward me the same way you rewarded my comrades.
“First I will test your horse,” said the king.
At this time, the king’s son came up - and his name was Hassan - and said:
Let me mount this horse and test it.
Test him as you wish,” answered the king.
The prince mounted his horse and hit him with his heel, but the horse did not move.
Hassan shouted:
What did you tell us about this horse, sage? He doesn't move!
Then the sage approached the prince and showed him the screw on the right shoulder of the horse.
Turn this screw,” he said.
Hassan turned the screw, and suddenly the horse moved, rose to the clouds and flew faster than the wind.
And Hassan, when he stopped seeing the ground beneath him, got scared and shouted:
Why did I ride this horse? The sage did this on purpose to destroy me!
The prince again grabbed the screw on his right shoulder, and suddenly the horse rose higher and flew even faster. Then Hassan began to examine the horse and saw the same screw on his left shoulder.
He turned this screw, and the horse flew slower and began to descend...
“Now I have found the ascent screw and the descent screw and I see what the secret of this horse is,” the prince said to himself. He was delighted and began to fly higher, now lower, now faster, now slower, as he wanted.
And then he decided to descend to the ground and descended all day, as he flew very high. He flew over the earth and looked at countries and cities that he had never seen before.
And when the sun went down, Hassan found himself above a beautiful large city with palaces, gardens and canals.
Hasan began to circle over the city and examine it from all sides, and then began to choose a place convenient for descent.
And then he saw a palace surrounded by a strong wall with loopholes. This place seemed convenient to him, he turned the descent screw, and the horse landed right on the roof of the palace.
Hassan got off his horse, examined him from all sides and said to himself:
The one who made this horse is truly a great sage!
Hassan sat on the roof of the palace until night fell. He was tormented by hunger and thirst, because he had not eaten or drunk for many hours. And he thought: “It cannot be that in such a large palace it is impossible to get food.”
He walked around the entire roof, saw a staircase and went down it into a courtyard paved with marble. No noise was heard anywhere and no one was visible. Suddenly Hassan saw the light and heard voices. He hid behind a ledge of the wall, and a crowd of slaves walked past him with lamps in their hands, and among them was a beautiful girl named Zumurrud, the daughter of the king of this city. The king built this palace for her so that she could play and have fun there. And it happened that she came there just that evening and entered the room with her slaves. Hassan followed them and hid behind a column. The slaves laid out carpets and filled the room with lamps, and then began to play and have fun. And there was a guard with them, a huge black man, girded with a sword. .
And this black man stood at the same column where Hassan was, touched him with his shoulder and saw the prince. Then Hassan rushed at the black man and hit him in the face, and then knocked him down and snatched the sword from his hands. The slaves ran away in horror. But Princess Zumurrud was not afraid, she approached Hassan and asked him:
Who are you - a man or a genie? You are a genie in your actions, but I heard that they are ugly, and you are handsome.
“I am the son of the king,” Hasan answered her, “and I do not want harm to you.”
They sat down on the carpet and began to talk.
And the black man ran to the king and entered him, shouting:
O king, your daughter has been captured by a genie in the form of a man! Go and punish him!
The king became excited and hurried to the palace. Seeing Hassan, he rushed at him with a drawn sword. But Hassan jumped to his feet and shouted at the king so much that he almost fell to the ground out of fear. Then the king realized that the prince was stronger than him, became more affectionate and asked:
O young man, are you a man or a genie?
“I am the son of the King of Persia, and not a genie at all,” Hassan answered. “And if it weren’t for your daughter, I would have killed you!” How dare you call me a genie?
“If you are not a genie,” said the king, “then how did you enter the palace?” So I will call my slaves and servants, and they will immediately kill you.
O king,” replied the prince, “I am surprised at your stupidity.” If your slaves and servants kill me, people will know about it, they will say that you killed the king’s son, your guest, and you will disgrace yourself. Better listen to what I tell you: let’s fight you one on one, and it will be even better if you bring your troops and armed servants to me and tell them: “This man has come to me and wants to marry my daughter.” And then let me fight them, and if they kill me, then you will not be disgraced, and if I defeat them, then you will give me your daughter Zumurrud as a wife, and it will be an honor for you to have such a son-in-law.
The king was surprised to hear these words and said:
Do you know that I have forty thousand horsemen, besides slaves and retainers?
Bring them to the square,” answered the prince, “and you will see what will happen.”
“Okay,” said the king, “I will do so.”
And in the morning the king gathered all his soldiers in full armor in the square and ordered them to mount their horses. He ordered the prince to bring the best horse in beautiful harness, but Hassan said:
I won't ride your horse.
Then the king shouted to his troops:
Warriors! This young man wants to marry my daughter and declares that he would defeat you even if there were a hundred thousand of you. Raise him to the points of spears and swords: he has taken on an impossible task!
But Hassan said:
O king, where is your justice? How will I fight them when I am on foot and they are on horseback?
“I gave you my best horse, but you refused,” said the king. “Here are the horses for you, choose which one you want.”
“I don’t like these horses,” said Hassan. “I’ll ride the one that brought me here.”
“Where is your horse?” asked the king.
“He is on the roof of your palace,” answered the prince.
Woe to you! “You’ve gone crazy!” the king shouted. “How can there be a horse on the roof?” I will now prove to you that you lied.
And the king ordered two of his entourage to go to the roof and see if there was a horse there.
And the people around were surprised and said to each other:
How could the horse get onto the roof? We've never heard anything like it.
Those close to him went up to the roof and saw that there was a horse standing there, the most beautiful horse in the world. It was made of ebony and ivory. They began to laugh and say to one another:
And on this horse he will fight the king’s troops? This must be crazy!
They picked up the horse and brought it to the king, and everyone was surprised at its beauty, beautiful saddle and bridle. And the king asked Hassan:
O young man, is this your horse?
Yes,” Hassan answered.
“Take your horse and mount it,” said the king, grinning.
But Hasan replied:
I will sit on it when your warriors move away from it.
And the king ordered the soldiers to move away from the horse within the range of the arrow. Then Hassan mounted his horse, and the soldiers lined up opposite Hassan and said to each other:
When he is between the ranks, we will take him on the points of spears and swords.
Hassan turned the lifting screw, and suddenly the horse became agitated, began to struggle and began to make all the movements that horses make. His insides filled with air, he rose and flew.
The king saw that the horse was rising and shouted to his soldiers:
Woe to you, grab him before he flies away!
But his entourage and viziers told him:
Who can overtake a flying bird? O king, this must be a great sorcerer. Be glad you got rid of him.
Hasan flew up to the clouds, turned his horse and directed it towards the princess’s palace. And at that time Princess Zumurrud went out onto the roof of the palace to see what would happen to Hassan. Slaves and nannies stood around her. Seeing her, Hassan turned the descent screw, the horse slowed down and began to descend. The nannies and slaves were frightened and ran away screaming. And the prince sat down on the roof and said:
O Zumurrud, behold, I have deceived your father and his warriors. Do you want to go with me to my country and my kingdom?
Yes,” said Zumurrud, “I will go with you wherever you want.”
“Then hurry up and mount my horse with me before the servants and guards come running here,” said Hassan.
He put the princess on a horse behind him and tied her tightly with ropes, and then turned the lifting screw, and they flew into the air and flew. They flew until they reached the capital of the Persian king. Then Hassan sat down in one of the gardens, took Zumurrud to the gazebo, placed a wooden horse at the door and ordered the girl to guard him. And he himself went to his father and found him in grief and sadness due to separation from his son. When the king saw the prince, he was delighted and pressed him to his chest, and Hassan asked the king:
What happened to the wise man who made the horse?
“Woe to him!” answered the king. “It was because of him that you left us, and I put him in prison.”
“Free him and bring him here,” said Hasan, “because he is a great sage.”
And when the sage was brought, the prince awarded him honorary clothing and money. But the sage harbored anger at the prince because he learned the secret of the horse and learned to fly on it.
And Hassan told his father about everything that had happened to him and said:
Know that I brought a beautiful princess with me and I want to marry her. I left it in the garden of Emir Mahmud and came to tell you about it. I ask you, gather your associates and viziers and go to meet her.
“Okay,” the king answered and immediately ordered the residents to decorate the city and welcome the princess.
And Hassan mounted his horse, rode into the garden of Emir Mahmud and saw that the gazebo was empty and Zumurrud had disappeared. He started hitting himself in the face and shouted:
Where is she and how did she learn the secret of the wooden horse?
He called the garden guards and asked them if anyone had come to the garden.
There was no one there except the sage,” the watchmen answered.
Then the prince realized that the sage had stolen the girl and the horse.
And this was indeed the case. When Hassan told the king about where he had left the princess, the sage stood outside the door and listened. And then he ran to the garden of Emir Mahmud. Arriving there, he saw his horse and was very happy. It turned out that all the screws were in order and nothing was broken on the horse. Then the sage entered the gazebo and bowed to the princess.
Who are you? - asked Zumurrud.
And the sage replied:
O lady, I am sent from the prince. He told me to take you to another garden. Come with me and I will show you what I have prepared for you.
Zumurrud believed his words and said:
And what will I go on, my father?
“On the horse on which you arrived here,” said the sage.
But I don’t know how to ride it alone,” said Zumurrud. The sage realized that she did not know how to control a horse.
“I’ll sit with you myself,” he said.
And he placed Zumurrud behind him, tied her with ropes and turned the lifting screw. The horse filled with air and flew. They flew until the city disappeared from their eyes.
Then the princess asked:
Where are we flying and where is the prince?
And the sage laughed and answered:
Woe to your prince! I spent my whole life building this horse, and when I finally built it, the prince took it away from me and gave me an insignificant reward. But now I have taken possession of the horse again, and I have captured you in my hands, and the prince will grieve just as I grieved.
Zumurrud realized that there was no salvation for her and began to cry. They flew all day and in the evening landed on a green meadow, not far from the city. And the king of this country lived in the city. And it happened that the king was hunting just at that time. He noticed a sage with a girl and a horse, and before they had time to move, the king’s slaves rushed at them, grabbed both of them and brought them to the king.
O girl, who are you and who is this old man? - asked the king. And the sage hastened to answer:
This is my wife.
Then Zumurrud shouted:
O king, he is lying! He stole me and took me away with cunning!
And the king ordered the sage to be taken to the city and put in prison, and the girl and horse to be taken to his palace. This is what happened to the sage and the girl. As for Prince Hassan, when he was convinced that the sage had taken away his bride Zumurrud, he put on a traveling dress and went to look for her. He went from city to city and asked everywhere about the flying horse made of ebony. But everyone laughed and said that such horses did not exist and that he had probably gone crazy.
One day he came to a big city and stopped to spend the night at an inn. Suddenly he heard one traveler saying to others who had gathered around him:
O my friends, I have seen a miracle.
Tell us about him, they asked him. And he said:
I was in the city of Kaisaria, and the king of this city invited me to hunt. And when we drove through the meadow, we saw an ugly old man there and beautiful girl, and next to them is an ebony horse. This horse is a miracle of miracles; there has never been a horse more beautiful and better than him.
What happened to the old man, the horse and the girl? - they asked the traveler.
And he answered:
The king put the old man in prison, and took the horse and the girl to his palace.
Hearing this, Hasan immediately asked the traveler how to get to the city of Kaisaria. The next morning he set out for this city and a few days later reached its gates. But the guards standing at the gate said to Hassan:
We have this custom in our city: when a stranger comes to us, the king orders him to be brought to him and asks who he is and what craft he knows. Now it is too late to go to the king.
Come with us, you will spend the night with us. And tomorrow we will take you to the palace.
They brought Hassan to their place, fed him, and then one of them asked the prince what country he was from.
From Persia,” Hassan answered.
Then the other watchman said:
We have an old Persian in prison. I have seen a lot of people, but I have never met a more deceitful person than him.
What is his lie? - Hasan asked.
He says he is a sage. The king found him in the meadow with a girl and an ebony horse. He put the old man in prison, and took the horse and the girl to the palace. But only this girl is possessed, and if the Persian were really a sage, he would have cured her. But he cannot do this, and the king has not yet found anyone who could cure the girl.
Take me to the king and I will cure her,” said Hassan.
When morning came, he was brought to the king, and Prince Hasan said:
O king, I know many sciences and I know especially well the science of healing. I treat all the sick and possessed, and as soon as I look at the sick person, he becomes healthy.
“Oh, great sage, we need you!” the king shouted. “Cure the girl who is with me, and I will give you everything you need!”
Tell me what the girl is sick with,” Hasan said.
And the king told him everything that happened with the girl, the horse and the sage.
“What did you do with the horse?” asked the prince. And the king answered:
It is in my treasury. Then Hasan rejoiced and said:
I want to look at this horse, and then maybe I will find a way to cure the girl.
The king brought Hassan to the horse, and Hassan walked around him, examined him and saw that the horse was intact and in good condition.
“Now I’ll go and look at the girl,” he said, “and I’ll cure her with the help of this horse.”
He entered Zumurrud and saw that she was fighting in a fit, like someone possessed. But she was not possessed and did it on purpose so that the king would not take her as his wife.
Hassan approached her, and she recognized him and screamed with joy. And Hassan ordered the king to go out and said to Zumurrud:
To escape from here, you need cunning. You'll see what I came up with! Now calm down and when the king enters, speak to him kindly so that he can see that you have recovered. Then everything we want will come true.
“I will do so,” said Zumurrud. And Hassan went out to the king and said:
O king, be happy: the girl’s illness has passed.
The king entered Zumurrud, and she stood up to meet him and said:
Welcome!
The king was delighted and asked Hassan:
How can I reward you?
The treatment is not over yet,” said Hassan. “Gather your warriors and go with the girl to the place where you found her.” Take your ebony horse with you. There I will destroy the evil spirit that is tormenting the girl.
“Let it be your way,” said the king.
He rode to the meadow with his troops, his horse and Princess Zumurrud.
There Hassan asked the king and his soldiers to move away from the horse within the range of the arrow and said:
I will light incense, read spells and kill the spirit here, and then I will sit on a black horse with the girl and bring her to you.
The king withdrew with his warriors to follow the arrow's flight, and Hassan and Zumurrud mounted their horses. The prince turned the lifting screw, the horse rose into the air and flew. And the king and the soldiers looked at the horse, Hasan and Zumurrud until they disappeared from sight. The king stood in place for half a day, waiting for the prince, but he did not return. Finally the king returned to the city. He could not console himself that he had lost the girl and the horse, and his entourage told him:
This doctor is a sorcerer, and it is very good that he flew away and you got rid of his witchcraft.
Meanwhile, Hassan flew to his hometown and landed near the palace. He married Princess Zumurrud and on his wedding day he held a feast for all the inhabitants of the city. The king, Hassan's father, was pleased and happy that his son returned safe and healthy.
And so that the prince could never fly again, the king ordered the magic horse to be broken.
| |
In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived an old man and an old woman, and during their entire existence they had no children. It occurred to them that these were ancient years, they had to die soon, but God had not given an heir, and they began to pray to God to create a child for them in honor of their souls. The old man made a covenant: if the old woman gives birth to a child, then whoever comes along first, I will take him as godfather. After some time, the old woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. The old man was happy, got ready and went to look for his godfather; just outside the gate, and a stroller, harnessed to fours, rolls towards him; The sovereign is sitting in the carriage.
The old man did not know the sovereign, mistook him for a boyar, stopped and began to bow. “What do you want, old man?” - asks the sovereign. “Yes, I ask your mercy, do not say in anger: baptize my newborn son.” - “Don’t you have anyone you know in the village?” - “I have many acquaintances, many friends, but it’s not good to take me as a godfather, because this is the covenant: whoever meets first, ask.” “Okay,” says the sovereign, “here’s a hundred rubles for your christening; tomorrow I’ll be there myself.” The next day he came to the old man; They immediately called the priest, baptized the baby and gave him the name Ivan. This Ivan began to grow by leaps and bounds - like wheat dough rising on dough; and every month he receives by mail one hundred rubles of the royal salary.
Ten years passed, he grew up big and felt immeasurable strength within himself. At that very time the sovereign thought about him; I have a godson, but I don’t know what he is; wished to see him personally and immediately sent an order that Ivan the peasant son, without any delay, should appear before his bright eyes. The old man began to pack it for the journey, took out the money and said: “Here’s a hundred rubles for you, go to the city to ride a horse, buy yourself a horse; Otherwise it’s a long way - you can’t go on foot.” Ivan went to the city, and he came across an old man on the road. “Hello, Ivan the peasant son! Where are you heading? The good fellow answers: “Grandfather, I’m going to the city, I want to buy myself a horse.” - “Well, listen to me if you want to be happy. As soon as you come to the horse riding, there will be one peasant selling a very thin, lousy horse; you choose it, and no matter how much the owner asks of you - go ahead, don’t bargain! And when you buy it, bring it home and graze it in the green meadows for twelve evenings and twelve mornings in the dew - then you will recognize it!”
Ivan thanked the old man for his science and went into the city; comes to the horse, lo and behold, a peasant is standing and holding a thin, lousy horse by the bridle. “Are you selling your horse?” - “I’m selling.” - “What are you asking for?” - “Yes, without bargaining, a hundred rubles.” Ivan the peasant son took out a hundred rubles, gave it to the peasant, took the horse and led him to the courtyard. He brings him home, his father looked and waved his hand: “Lost money!” - “Wait, father! Perhaps, luckily for me, the horse will recover.” Ivan began to lead his horse every morning and every evening to the green meadows to pasture, and that’s how twelve morning dawns and twelve evening dawns passed - his horse became so strong, strong and beautiful that you couldn’t even imagine it, couldn’t imagine it, except in a fairy tale. and so reasonable - that only Ivan can think of anything on his mind, and she already knows. Then Ivan the peasant son made himself a heroic harness, saddled his good horse, said goodbye to his father and mother and went to the capital city to the Tsar-Sovereign.
Whether he rode close, or far, or soon, or briefly, he found himself at the sovereign's palace, jumped to the ground, tied the heroic horse by the ring to an oak post and ordered him to report to the king about his arrival. The tsar ordered him not to be detained, to be allowed into the chambers without any bullying. Ivan entered the royal chambers, prayed at the holy icons, bowed to the king and said: “I wish you good health, your majesty!” - “Hello, godson!” - answered the sovereign, sat him down at the table, began to treat him with all sorts of drinks and snacks, and he looked at him and marveled: a nice fellow - handsome in face, smart in mind, and tall; no one will think that he is ten years old, everyone will give him twenty, and even with a tail! “It’s clear from everything,” the king thinks, “that in this godson the Lord gave me not a simple warrior, but a powerful hero.” And the king granted him the rank of officer and ordered him to serve with him.
Ivan the peasant son took up the service with all the will, does not refuse any work, stands for the truth with his chest; For this reason, the sovereign fell in love with him more than all his generals and ministers, and he did not trust any of them as much as his godson. The generals and ministers became embittered with Ivan and began to hold advice on how to slander him before the sovereign himself. One day the king called noble and close people to his place for dinner; As soon as everyone sat down at the table, he said: “Listen, gentlemen generals and ministers! What do you think of my godson?” - “What can I say, Your Majesty! We saw neither good nor bad from him; One thing is bad - he was very boastful. They have heard from him more than once that in such and such a kingdom, far away, a large marble palace was built, and a high fence was erected all around - neither foot nor horse could get there! Nastasya the beautiful princess lives in that palace. No one can get her, but he, Ivan, boasts of getting her, marrying her.”
The tsar listened to this slander, ordered his godson to be called and began to say to him: “Why are you boasting to the generals and ministers that you can get Nastasya the princess, but you don’t report anything to me?” - “Have mercy, your majesty! - Ivan the peasant son answers. “I never dreamed of this.” - “Now it’s too late to deny; If you boast about me, then do the deed; If you don’t do it, then my sword will take your head off your shoulders!” Ivan the peasant son became sad, hung his little head below his mighty shoulders and went to his good horse. The horse will say to him in a human voice: “Why, master, are you spinning and not telling me the truth?” - “Oh, my good horse! Why should I be cheerful? The authorities slandered me in front of the sovereign himself, as if I could get Nastasia and marry the beautiful princess. The king ordered me to carry out this task, otherwise he wants to chop off his head.” - “Don’t worry, master! Pray to God and go to bed; The morning is wiser than the evening. We'll handle this matter; just ask the king for more money so that we don’t get bored on the way, we’ll have plenty to eat and drink whatever we want.” Ivan spent the night, got up in the morning, came to the sovereign and began to ask for the gold treasury for the campaign. The king ordered to give him as much as he needed. So the good fellow took the treasury, put heroic harness on his horse, sat on horseback and rode off on his journey.
Whether close, far, soon, or briefly, he drove to distant lands, to the thirtieth kingdom, and stopped at a marble palace; All around the palace the walls are high, no gates or doors are visible; how to get behind the fence? His good horse says to Ivan: “Let’s wait until evening!” As soon as it gets dark, I will turn into a blue-winged eagle and fly over the wall with you. At that time the fair princess will sleep on her soft bed; “You go straight into her bedroom, slowly take her in your arms and carry her boldly.” It’s good, they waited until evening; As soon as it got dark, the horse hit the damp ground, turned into a gray-winged eagle and said: “It’s time for us to do our job; make sure you don’t make a mistake!” Ivan the peasant son sat on an eagle; The eagle rose into the sky, flew over the wall and placed Ivan in the wide courtyard.
The good fellow went into the wards and looked - everything was quiet, all the servants were sleeping in deep sleep; He goes into the bedroom - Nastasya the beautiful princess is lying on the crib, sweeping away rich covers and sable blankets in her sleep. The good fellow looked at her indescribable beauty, at her white body, his ardent love clouded him, he could not stand it and kissed the princess on the sugar lips. From this the red maiden woke up and screamed in a loud voice in fear; At her voice they rose, the faithful servants came running, caught Ivan the peasant son and tied his hands and feet tightly. The princess ordered him to be put in prison and given him a glass of water and a pound of black bread a day.
Ivan sits in a strong dungeon and thinks a sad thought: “That’s right, here I should lay my violent head!” And his good heroic horse hit the ground and became a small bird, flew into his broken window and said: “Well, master, listen: tomorrow I will break down the doors and make you weak; you hide in the garden behind such and such a bush; Nastasya the beautiful princess will walk there, and I will turn into a poor old man and begin to ask her for alms; look, don’t yawn, otherwise it will be bad.” Ivan became happier and the bird flew away. The next day the heroic horse rushed to the dungeon and knocked down the door with its hooves; Ivan the peasant son ran out into the garden and stood behind a green bush. The beautiful princess went out for a walk in the garden, and as soon as she came up against a bush, a poor old man came up to her, bowed and asked with tears for holy alms. While the red maiden was taking out a wallet with money, Ivan the peasant son jumped out, grabbed her in his arms, and clamped her mouth so tightly that you couldn’t even raise a small voice. At that same moment, the old man turned into a gray-winged eagle, flew high, high with the queen and the good fellow, flew over the fence, sank to the ground and became still a heroic horse. Ivan the peasant son mounted his horse and took Nastasya the princess with him; says to her: “What, beautiful princess, won’t you lock me up in prison now?” The beautiful princess answers: “Apparently, it’s my destiny to be yours, do with me what you know!”
Here they are going along the road; whether it’s close, whether it’s far, whether it’s soon, whether it’s short, they arrive at a large green meadow. In that meadow there are two giants standing, feeding each other with their fists; they were beaten and beaten until they bled, but no one could overcome the other; Near them lie a broomstick and a stick on the grass. “Listen, brothers! - Ivan the peasant son asks them. -What are you fighting for? The giants stopped fighting and said to him: “We are both brothers; Our father died, and all that was left after him was nothing but a broom and a stick; We began to share, and we quarreled: everyone, you see, wants to take everything for themselves! Well, we decided to fight not to the gut, but to the death; whoever survives will receive both things.” - “How long have you been arguing?” - “Yes, we’ve been beating each other for three years now, but we still haven’t achieved any sense!” - “Oh you! There is something to fight to the death over. How great is self-interest - a broom and a stick? - “Don’t say, brother, what you don’t know! With this broom and stick, you can defeat any force. No matter how many troops the enemy sends, boldly go out to meet them: where you wave a broom, there will be a street, and if you jump over, it will be the same with a side street. And you also need a stick: no matter how many troops you capture with it, you will take them all prisoner!” - “Yes, things are good! - thinks Ivan. - Perhaps they would be useful to me too. Well, brothers,” he says, “do you want me to divide you equally?” - “Share, good man!” Ivan the peasant son got off his heroic horse, picked up a handful of fine sand, led the giants into the forest and scattered that sand in all four directions. “Here,” he says, “gather sand; Whoever has more will get both the stick and the broom.” The giants rushed to collect sand, and in the meantime Ivan grabbed both a stick and a broom, mounted his horse - and remember his name!
How long, how short, does he approach his state and sees that his godfather has suffered a considerable misfortune: the entire kingdom has been conquered, a countless army is standing near the capital city, threatening to burn everything with fire, putting the king himself to an evil death. Ivan the peasant son left the princess in a nearby forest, and he himself flew to the enemy’s army; Where he waves a broom there is a street, where he jumps over there is a side street! In a short time he killed whole hundreds, whole thousands; and what remained of death, he hooked with a stick and dragged alive to the capital city. The Tsar greeted him with joy, ordered drums to be beaten, trumpets to be blown, and bestowed with the rank of general and an untold treasury. Then Ivan the peasant son remembered Nastasya the beautiful princess, asked for some time off and brought her straight to the palace. The king praised him for his heroic prowess and ordered him to prepare the house and celebrate the wedding. Ivan the peasant son married the beautiful princess, had a rich wedding and began to live for himself without bothering him. Here's a fairy tale for you, and a bunch of bagels for me.
