He returned to the hut himself. I lay down and fell asleep as if nothing had happened.
In the morning the middle brother comes.
“Well,” asks Ivan, “didn’t you see anything during the night?”
- No, not a single fly flew near me, not a single mosquito squeaked.
- Well, if that’s the case, come with me, dear brothers, I’ll show you both a mosquito and a fly.
Ivan brought the brothers under Kalinov Bridge, showed them the miracle - Yudov's heads.
“Look,” he says, “the kind of flies and mosquitoes that fly here at night.” And you, brothers, should not fight, but lie on the stove at home!
The brothers were ashamed.
“Sleep,” they say, “fell over...
On the third night, Ivan himself got ready to go on patrol.
“I,” he says, “are going to a terrible battle!” And you, brothers, don’t sleep all night, listen: when you hear my whistle, release my horse and rush to my aid.
Ivan came - peasant son to the Smorodina River, standing under the Viburnum bridge, waiting. As soon as it was past midnight, the damp earth began to shake, the waters in the river became agitated, violent winds howled, eagles screamed in the oak trees. A miracle comes out - the twelve-headed Yudo. All twelve heads are whistling, all twelve are blazing with fire. The miracle's horse has twelve wings, its fur is copper, its tail and mane are iron. As soon as the miracle - Yudo rode onto the Viburnum bridge - the horse stumbled under him, the black raven on his shoulder perked up, the black dog behind bristled. The miracle of a horse with a whip on the sides, a crow on the feathers, a dog on the ears!
- Why, my horse, did you stumble? Why did the black raven start up? Why, the black dog, bristled? Or do you sense that Ivan is a peasant’s son here? So he wasn’t born yet, and even if he was born, he wasn’t fit for battle: I’ll just blow and there won’t be any ashes left! Here Ivan, the peasant son, came out from under the viburnum bridge:
- Wait, it’s a miracle - just boast, so as not to disgrace yourself!
- Oh, so it’s you, Ivan, the peasant’s son? Why did you come here?
- Look at you, enemy power, try your courage!
- Why should you try my courage? You are a fly in front of me!
Ivan, the peasant son, answers the miracle - Yuda:
- I didn’t come to tell you fairy tales and not to listen to yours. I came to fight to the death, to save good people from you, damned one!
Here Ivan swung his sharp sword and cut off three heads of the miracle - Yuda. Miracle Yudo picked up these heads, scratched them with his fiery finger, put them on their necks, and immediately all the heads grew back as if they had never fallen from their shoulders.
Ivan had a bad time: a miracle - Yudo deafens him with a whistle, burns him with fire - scorches him, showers him with sparks, knees in damp earth drives him... And he chuckles:
- Don't you want to rest, Ivan is a peasant son.
- What kind of vacation? In our opinion - hit, slash, don’t take care of yourself! - says Ivan.
He whistled and threw his right mitten into the hut, where his brothers were waiting for him. The mitten broke all the glass in the windows, and the brothers were sleeping and didn’t hear anything.
Ivan gathered his strength, swung again, stronger than before, and cut off six heads of the miracle - Juda. Miracle - Yudo picked up their heads, struck a fiery finger, put them on their necks - and again all the heads were in place. He rushed at Ivan and beat him waist-deep into the damp earth.
Ivan sees that things are bad. He took off his left mitten and threw it into the hut. The mitten broke through the roof, but the brothers were all asleep and didn’t hear anything.
For the third time, Ivan, the peasant son, swung and cut off nine heads of the miracle. Miracle - Yudo picked them up, struck them with a fiery finger, put them on their necks - the heads grew back. He rushed at Ivan and drove him into the damp earth up to his shoulders... Ivan took off his hat and threw him into the hut. That blow caused the hut to stagger and almost roll over the logs. Just then the brothers woke up, they heard Ivanov’s horse neighing loudly and breaking from its chains. They rushed to the stable, let the horse down, and then ran after him.
Ivanov's horse galloped up and began to beat the miracle with its hooves. The miracle-yudo whistled, hissed, and began to shower the horse with sparks.
Meanwhile, Ivan, the peasant’s son, crawled out of the ground, contrived and cut off the miracle’s fiery finger. After that, let's chop off his heads. Knocked down every single one! He cut the body into small pieces and threw it into the Smorodina River.
The brothers come running here.
- Oh, you! - says Ivan. - Because of your drowsiness, I almost paid with my head!
His brothers brought him to the hut, washed him, fed him, gave him something to drink and put him to bed.
Early in the morning Ivan got up and began to dress and put on his shoes.
-Where did you get up so early? - say the brothers. - I should have rested after such a massacre!
“No,” Ivan answers, “I have no time for rest: I’ll go to the Smorodina River to look for my sash,” he dropped it there.
- Hunting for you! - say the brothers. - Let's go into town and buy a new one.
- No, I need mine!
Ivan went to the Smorodina River, but did not look for the sash, but crossed to the other bank through the Viburnum bridge and sneaked unnoticed to the miracle - the Yuda stone chambers. He went up to the open window and began to listen - were they planning something else here?
He looks - three miracles are sitting in the chambers - Yuda's wives, and his mother, an old snake. They sit and talk. The first one says:
- I will take revenge on Ivan, the peasant son, for my husband! I’ll get ahead of myself, when he and his brothers return home, I’ll bring in the heat, and I’ll turn into a well. If they want to drink water, they will drop dead from the first sip!
You came up with a good idea! - says the old snake.
The second one says:
- And I’ll run ahead and turn into an apple tree. If they want to eat an apple, they will be torn into small pieces!
- And you came up with a good idea! - says the old snake.
“And I,” says the third, “will make them sleepy and drowsy, and I myself will run ahead and turn myself into a soft carpet with silk pillows.” If the brothers want to lie down and rest, then they will be burned with fire! - And you came up with a good idea!
- said the snake. - Well, if you don’t destroy them, I myself will turn into a huge pig, catch up with them and swallow all three of them!
Ivan, the peasant son, overheard these speeches and returned to his brothers.
- Well, did you find your sash? - the brothers ask.
- Found it.
- And it was worth spending time on it!
- It was worth it, brothers!
After that, the brothers got together and went home. They travel through the steppes, they travel through meadows. And the day is so hot, so sultry. I'm thirsty - I have no patience! The brothers look - there is a well, a silver ladle is floating in the well.
They say to Ivan:
- Come on, brother, let's stop, drink some cold water and water the horses!
“It’s unknown what kind of water is in that well,” Ivan answers. - Maybe rotten and dirty.
He jumped off his horse and began to cut and slash this well with his sword. The well howled and roared in an evil voice. Then the fog descended, the heat subsided - I didn’t feel thirsty.
“You see, brothers, what kind of water there was in the well,” says Ivan. They moved on. Whether it was a long or short drive, we saw an apple tree.
Apples hang on it, large and ruddy.
The brothers jumped off their horses and wanted to pick apples. And Ivan ran ahead and started cutting down the apple tree with a sword to the very root. The apple tree howled and screamed...
- Do you see, brothers, what kind of apple tree this is? The apples on it are tasteless!
The brothers mounted their horses and rode on. They rode and rode and became very tired. They look - a patterned, soft carpet is spread out on the field, and there are down pillows on it. - Let's lie down on this carpet, relax, take a nap for an hour! - say the brothers.
- No, brothers, it won’t be soft to lie on this carpet! - Ivan answers them.
The brothers got angry with him:
- What kind of a guide are you: this is not allowed, the other is not allowed!
Ivan didn’t say a word in response. He took off his sash and threw it on the carpet. The sash burst into flames and burned.
- It would be the same with you! - Ivan says to his brothers.
He approached the carpet and used a sword to chop the carpet and pillows into small pieces. He chopped it up, scattered it to the sides and said:
- In vain, brothers, you grumbled at me! After all, the well, and the apple tree, and the carpet - all this is a miracle - Yud’s wives were.
In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived an old man and an old woman, and they had three sons. The youngest was called Ivanushka. They lived - they were not lazy, they worked all day, plowed the arable land and sowed grain.
Suddenly the news spread throughout that kingdom-state: the vile miracle Yudo was going to attack their land, destroy all the people, and burn down the towns and villages with fire. The old man and the old woman began to sunbathe. And their sons console them:
Don’t worry, father and mother, we will go to the miracle Yudo, we will fight him to the death. And so that you don’t be the only one to feel sad, let Ivanushka stay with you: he’s still too young to go into battle.
No,” says Ivan, “it doesn’t suit me to stay at home and wait for you, I’ll go and fight the miracle!”
The old man and the old woman did not stop and dissuade Ivanushka, and they equipped all three sons for the journey. The brothers took damask swords, took knapsacks with bread and salt, mounted good horses and rode off.
They drove and drove and arrived at some village. They look - there is not a single living soul around, everything is burned out, broken, there is only one small hut, barely holding on. The brothers entered the hut. The old woman lies on the stove and groans.
“Hello, grandma,” the brothers say.
Hello, good fellows! Where are you headed?
We, grandma, are going to the Smorodina River, to the Kalinov Bridge. We want to fight the miracle jud and not allow it onto our land.
Oh, well done, they got down to business! After all, he, the villain, ruined, plundered, and put everyone to cruel death. Neighboring kingdoms are like a ball. And I started coming here. I’m the only one left on this side: apparently I’m a miracle worker and not fit for food.
The brothers spent the night with the old woman, got up early in the morning and set off on the road again.
They drive up to the Smorodina River itself, to the Kalinov Bridge. Human bones lie all along the shore.
The brothers found an empty hut and decided to stay in it.
Well, brothers,” says Ivan, “we’ve come to a foreign direction, we need to listen to everything and take a closer look.” Let's take turns on patrol so that we don't miss the miracle Yudo across the Kalinov bridge.
On the first night, the elder brother went on patrol. He walked along the bank, looked at the Smorodina River - everything was quiet, he couldn’t see anyone, couldn’t hear anything. He lay down under a broom bush and fell asleep soundly, snoring loudly.
And Ivan lies in the hut, unable to sleep. He can't sleep, he can't sleep. As time passed past midnight, he took his damask sword and went to the Smorodina River. He looks - his older brother is sleeping under a bush, snoring at the top of his lungs. Ivan didn’t bother to wake him up, he hid under the Kalinov bridge, stood there, guarding the crossing.
Suddenly the waters on the river became agitated, the eagles screamed in the oak trees - a miracle Yudo with six heads was leaving. He rode out to the middle of the Kalinov Bridge - the horse stumbled under him, the black raven on his shoulder started, and behind him the black dog bristled.
The six-headed miracle Yudo says:
Why did you, my horse, stumble? Why did the black raven start up? Why, the black dog, bristled? Or do you sense that Ivan is a peasant’s son here? So he was not born yet, and even if he was born, he was not fit for battle. I’ll put him on one hand and slam him with the other - it’ll just make him wet!
Here Ivan, the peasant son, came out from under the bridge and said:
Don't boast, you filthy miracle! Without shooting a clear falcon, it’s too early to pluck its feathers. Without knowing good fellow, there is no point in blaspheming him. Come on better strength try; whoever overcomes will boast.
So they came together, drew level, and hit each other so cruelly that the earth around them groaned.
Miracle Yud was not lucky: Ivan, a peasant son, knocked off three of his heads with one blow.
Stop, Ivan - the peasant's son! - shouts the miracle Yudo. - Give me a break!
What a break! You, miracle Yudo, have three heads, and I have one! Once you have one head, then we will rest.
They came together again, they hit each other again.
Ivan the peasant son cut off the miracle juda and the last three heads. After that, he cut the body into small pieces and threw it into the Smorodina River, and put six heads under the Kalinov bridge. He returned to the hut himself.
In the morning the elder brother comes. Ivan asks him:
Well, didn’t you see anything?
No, brothers, not even a fly flew past me.
Ivan didn’t say a word to him about this.
The next night the middle brother went on patrol. He walked and walked, looked around and calmed down. He climbed into the bushes and fell asleep.
Ivan didn’t rely on him either. As time went past midnight, he immediately equipped himself, took his sharp sword and went to the Smorodina River. He hid under the Kalinov bridge and began to keep watch.
Suddenly the waters on the river became agitated, the eagles screamed in the oak trees - the nine-headed miracle Yudo was riding out. As soon as he entered the Kalinov bridge, the horse stumbled under him, the black raven on his shoulder perked up, the black dog bristled behind him... The miracle of the horse - on the sides, the crow - on the feathers, the dog on the ears!
Why did you, my horse, stumble? Why did the black raven start up? Why, the black dog, bristled? Or do you sense that Ivan is a peasant’s son here? So he was not born yet, and if he was born, he was not fit for battle: I will kill him with one finger!
Ivan, the peasant son, jumped out from under the Kalinov bridge:
Wait, miracle Yudo, don’t boast, get down to business first! It is still unknown whose will take it.
As Ivan waved his damask sword once, twice, he took off six heads from the miracle-yud. And the miracle Yudo hit Ivan on the knees and drove the earth into the cheese. Ivan, the peasant son, grabbed a handful of earth and threw it right into his opponent’s eyes. While Miracle Yudo was wiping and cleaning his eyes, Ivan cut off his other heads. Then he took the body, cut it into small pieces and threw it into the Smorodina River, and put the nine heads under the Kalinov bridge. He returned to the hut, lay down and fell asleep.
In the morning the middle brother comes.
Well,” asks Ivan, “didn’t you see anything during the night?”
No, not a single fly flew near me, not a single mosquito squeaked nearby.
Well, if that’s the case, come with me, dear brothers, I’ll show you a mosquito and a fly!
Ivan brought the brothers under the Kalinov Bridge and showed them the miracle Yudov’s heads.
“Look,” he says, “what flies and mosquitoes fly here at night!” You should not fight, but lie on the stove at home.
The brothers were ashamed.
Sleep, they say, has fallen...
On the third night, Ivan himself got ready to go on patrol.
“I,” he says, “are going to a terrible battle, and you, brothers, don’t sleep all night, listen: when you hear my whistle, release my horse and rush to my aid.”
Ivan, a peasant son, came to the Smorodina River, stood under the Kalinov bridge, waiting.
As soon as it was past midnight, the earth shook, the waters in the river became agitated, violent winds howled, eagles screamed in the oak trees... The twelve-headed miracle Yudo rides out. All twelve heads are whistling, all twelve are blazing with fire and flame. Miracle Yuda's horse has twelve wings, the horse's fur is copper, the tail and mane are iron. As soon as the miracle Yudo rode onto the Kalinov bridge, the horse stumbled under him, the black raven on his shoulder perked up, the black dog behind him bristled. Miracle Yudo a horse with a whip on the sides, a crow on the feathers, a dog on the ears!
Why did you, my horse, stumble? Why did the black raven start up? Why, the black dog, bristled? Or do you sense that Ivan is a peasant’s son here? So he wasn’t born yet, and even if he was born, he wasn’t fit for battle: I’ll just blow and there won’t be any dust left of him!
Here Ivan, the peasant son, came out from under the Kalinov Bridge:
Stop boasting: so as not to disgrace yourself!
It's you, Ivan - the peasant's son! Why did you come?
To look at you, the enemy's strength, to test your strength.
Why should you try my fortress? You are a fly in front of me.
Ivan, the peasant son of the miracle, answers:
I came neither to tell you fairy tales, nor to listen to yours. I came to fight to the death, to save good people from you, damned one!
Ivan swung his sharp sword and cut off three heads of the miracle Yuda. Miracle Yudo picked up these heads, drew his fiery finger over them - and immediately all the heads grew back, as if they had never fallen from their shoulders.
Ivan, the peasant son, had a bad time: the miracle Yudo deafens him with a whistle, burns him with fire, showers him with sparks, drives him into the ground knee-deep in cheese. And he chuckles:
Don’t you want to rest and get better, Ivan the peasant’s son?
What a vacation! In our opinion - hit, slash, don’t take care of yourself! - says Ivan.
He whistled, barked, and threw his right mitten into the hut where the brothers remained. The mitten broke all the glass in the windows, and the brothers are sleeping and don’t hear anything.
Ivan gathered his strength, swung again, stronger than before, and cut off six heads of the miracle-yuda.
Miracle Yudo picked up his heads, drew a fiery finger - and again all the heads were in place. He rushed at Ivan and beat him waist-deep in the damp earth.
Ivan sees that things are bad. He took off his left mitten and threw it into the hut. The mitten broke through the roof, but the brothers were all asleep and didn’t hear anything.
The third time Ivan, the peasant son, swung even harder and cut off nine heads of the miracle-juda. Miracle Yudo picked them up, drew them with a fiery finger - the heads grew back. He rushed at Ivan and drove him into the ground up to his shoulders.
Ivan took off his hat and threw it into the hut. That blow caused the hut to stagger and almost roll over the logs.
Just then the brothers woke up and heard Ivanov’s horse neighing loudly and breaking from its chains.
They rushed to the stable, lowered the horse, and after him they themselves ran to Ivan’s aid.
Ivanov’s horse came running and began to beat the miracle Yudo with its hooves. The miracle-yudo whistled, hissed, and began to shower the horse with sparks... And Ivan, the peasant son, meanwhile crawled out of the ground, got used to it and cut off the miracle-yudo’s fiery finger. After that, let’s chop off his heads, knocked off every single one of them, cut his torso into small pieces and threw everything into the Smorodina River.
The brothers come running here.
Oh you, sleepyheads! - says Ivan. - Because of your dream, I almost lost my life.
His brothers brought him to the hut, washed him, fed him, gave him something to drink and put him to bed.
Early in the morning Ivan got up and began to get dressed and put on his shoes.
Where did you get up so early? - say the brothers. - I would like to rest after such a massacre.
“No,” Ivan answers, “I have no time for rest: I’ll go to the Smorodina River to look for my scarf,” he dropped it.
Hunting for you! - say the brothers. - Let's go into town and buy a new one.
No, I need that one!
Ivan went to the Smorodina River, crossed the Kalinov Bridge to the other bank and crept to the miraculous stone chambers. He walked up to the open window and began to listen to see if they were up to something else. He looks - three miraculous wives of Yuda and his mother, an old snake, are sitting in the chambers. They sit and talk to each other.
The eldest says:
I will take revenge on Ivan, the peasant son, for my husband! I’ll get ahead of myself, when he and his brothers return home, I’ll bring in the heat, and I’ll turn into a well. They will want to drink water and burst from the first sip!
You came up with a good idea! - says the old snake.
The second one said:
And I’ll get ahead of myself and turn into an apple tree. If they want to eat an apple, they will be torn into small pieces!
And you had a good idea! - says the old snake.
And I,” says the third, “will make them sleepy and drowsy, and I myself will run ahead and turn myself into a soft carpet with silk pillows.” If the brothers want to lie down and rest, then they will be burned with fire!
The snake answers her:
And you came up with a good idea! Well, my dear daughters-in-law, if you don’t destroy them, then tomorrow I myself will catch up with them and swallow all three of them.
Ivan, the peasant son, listened to all this and returned to his brothers.
Well, did you find your handkerchief? - the brothers ask.
And it was worth the time!
It was worth it, brothers!
After that, the brothers got together and went home.
They travel through the steppes, they travel through meadows. And the day is so hot that I have no patience, I’m thirsty. The brothers look - there is a well, a silver ladle is floating in the well. They say to Ivan:
Come on, brother, let's stop, drink some cold water and water the horses.
It is not known what kind of water is in that well,” Ivan answers. - Maybe rotten and dirty.
He jumped off his good horse and began to slash and chop this well with his sword. The well howled and roared in an evil voice. Suddenly the fog descended, the heat subsided, and I didn’t feel thirsty.
You see, brothers, what kind of water there was in the well! - says Ivan.
Whether long or short, we saw an apple tree. Ripe and rosy apples hang on it.
The brothers jumped off their horses and were about to pick apples, but Ivan, the peasant’s son, ran ahead and began to cut and chop the apple tree with a sword. The apple tree howled and screamed...
Do you see, brothers, what kind of apple tree this is? Tasty apples on it!
They rode and rode and became very tired. They look - there is a soft carpet lying on the field, and there are down pillows on it.
Let's lie down on this carpet and relax a little! - say the brothers.
No, brothers, it will not be soft to lie on this carpet! - Ivan answers.
The brothers got angry with him:
What kind of a guide are you: this is not allowed, the other is not allowed!
Ivan didn’t say a word in response, took off his sash and threw it on the carpet. The sash burst into flames - nothing remained in place.
It would be the same with you! - Ivan says to his brothers.
He approached the carpet and used a sword to chop the carpet and pillows into small pieces. He chopped it up, scattered it to the sides and said:
In vain, brothers, you grumbled at me! After all, the well, and the apple tree, and this carpet - all were miracle wives of Yuda. They wanted to destroy us, but they didn’t succeed: they all died!
They drove a lot or a little - suddenly the sky darkened, the wind howled and hummed: the old snake itself was flying after them. She opened her mouth from heaven to earth - she wants to swallow Ivan and his brothers. Here the fellows, don’t be stupid, pulled out a pound of salt from their travel bags and threw them into the snake’s mouth.
The snake was delighted - she thought that she had captured Ivan, the peasant’s son and his brothers. She stopped and began to chew salt. And when I tried it and realized that these were not good fellows, I rushed off in pursuit again.
Ivan sees that trouble is imminent - he set off his horse at full speed, and his brothers followed him. Jumped and jumped, jumped and jumped...
They look - there is a forge, and in that forge twelve blacksmiths are working.
Blacksmiths, blacksmiths,” says Ivan, “let us into your forge!”
The blacksmiths let the brothers in, and behind them they closed the forge with twelve iron doors and twelve forged locks.
The snake flew up to the forge and shouted:
Blacksmiths, blacksmiths, give me Ivan - the peasant son and his brothers! And the blacksmiths answered her:
Run your tongue through twelve iron doors, and then you will take it!
The snake began to lick the iron doors. Licked, licked, licked, licked - licked eleven doors. There's only one door left...
The snake got tired and sat down to rest.
Then Ivan, the peasant son, jumped out of the forge, picked up the snake and hit it with all his might on the damp ground. It crumbled into fine dust, and the wind scattered that dust in all directions. Since then, all the miracles and snakes in that region have disappeared, and people began to live without fear.
And Ivan, the peasant son, and his brothers returned home, to his father, to his mother, and they began to live and live, plow the field and gather bread.
IVAN - THE PEASANT'S SON AND THE MIRACLE-YUDO
Russian folk tale
In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived an old man and an old woman, and they had three sons. The youngest was called Ivanushka. They lived - they were not lazy, they worked from morning to night: they plowed the arable land and sowed grain.
Suddenly bad news spread in that kingdom-state: the filthy miracle-judo was going to attack their land, destroy all the people, burn all the cities and villages with fire. The old man and the old woman began to sunbathe. And the elder sons console them:
Don't worry, Father and Mother! Let's go to the miracle Yudo, we'll fight him to the death! And so that you don’t feel sad alone, let Ivanushka stay with you: he is still very young to go into battle.
No,” says Ivanushka, “I don’t want to stay at home and wait for you, I’ll go and fight the miracle!”
The old man and the old woman did not stop him and dissuade him. They equipped all three sons for the journey. The brothers took heavy clubs, took knapsacks with bread and salt, mounted good horses and rode off. No matter how long or how short the ride, they meet an old man.
Hello, good fellows!
Hello, grandpa!
Where are you going?
We're going to fight and fight with the filthy miracle-yud, native land protect!
This is a good thing! Only for battle you need not clubs, but damask swords.
Where can I get them, grandfather?
And I will teach you. Come on, you good fellows, everything is straight. Will you get to high mountain. And in that mountain there is a deep cave. The entrance to it is blocked with a large stone. Roll away the stone, enter the cave and find damask swords there.
The brothers thanked the passerby and drove straight, as he taught. They see a high mountain, with a large gray stone rolled down on one side. The brothers rolled away the stone and entered the cave. And there are all sorts of weapons there - you can’t even count them! They each chose a sword and moved on.
Thank you, they say, to the person passing by. It will be much easier for us to fight with swords!
They drove and drove and arrived at some village. They look - there is not a single living soul around. Everything is burned out and broken. There is one small hut. The brothers entered the hut. The old woman lies on the stove and groans.
Hello, grandma! - say the brothers.
Hello, well done! Where are you headed?
We, grandma, are going to the Smorodina River, to the Viburnum Bridge, we want to fight the miracle of Judas and not allow it onto our land.
Oh, well done, they have taken up a good deed! After all, he, the villain, ruined and plundered everyone! And he got to us. I'm the only one who survived here...
The brothers spent the night with the old woman, got up early in the morning and set off on the road again.
They drive up to the Smorodina River itself, to the Viburnum Bridge. All along the shore there are swords and broken bows, and human bones.
The brothers found an empty hut and decided to stay in it.
Well, brothers,” says Ivan, “we’ve come to a foreign direction, we need to listen to everything and take a closer look.” Let's take turns going on patrol so that we don't miss the miracle Yudo across the Kalinov bridge.
On the first night, the elder brother went on patrol. He walked along the bank, looked across the Smorodina River - everything was quiet, he couldn’t see anyone, couldn’t hear anything. The elder brother lay down under a willow bush and fell asleep soundly, snoring loudly.
And Ivan lies in the hut - he cannot sleep, he does not doze. As time passed past midnight, he took his damask sword and went to the Smorodina River.
He looks - his older brother is sleeping under a bush, snoring at the top of his lungs. Ivan did not wake him up. He hid under the Kalinov bridge, standing there, guarding the crossing.
Suddenly the waters on the river became agitated, the eagles screamed in the oak trees - a miracle Yudo with six heads was approaching. He rode out to the middle of the viburnum bridge - the horse stumbled under him, the black raven on his shoulder started, and behind him the black dog bristled.
The six-headed miracle Yudo says:
Why did you, my horse, stumble? Why did you, black raven, perk up? Why are you, black dog, bristling? Or do you sense that Ivan is the peasant's son here? So he wasn’t born yet, and even if he was born, he wasn’t fit to fight! I'll put him on one arm and slam him with the other!
Then Ivan, the peasant son, came out from under the bridge and said:
Don't boast, you filthy miracle! I didn’t shoot a clear falcon - it’s too early to pluck feathers! I didn’t recognize the good fellow - there’s no point in shaming him! Let's better try our strength: whoever overcomes will boast.
So they came together, drew level and hit each other so hard that the earth around them began to roar.
In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived an old man and an old woman, and they had three sons. The youngest was called Ivanushka. They lived - they were not lazy, they worked from morning to night: they plowed the arable land and sowed grain.
Suddenly bad news spread in that kingdom-state: the filthy miracle-judo was going to attack their land, destroy all the people, burn all the cities and villages with fire. The old man and the old woman began to sunbathe. And the elder sons console them:
- Don’t worry, father and mother! Let's go to the miracle Yudo, we'll fight him to the death! And so that you don’t feel sad alone, let Ivanushka stay with you: he is still very young to go into battle.
“No,” says Ivanushka, “I don’t want to stay at home and wait for you, I’ll go and fight the miracle!”
The old man and the old woman did not stop him and dissuade him. They equipped all three sons for the journey. The brothers took heavy clubs, took knapsacks with bread and salt, mounted good horses and rode off.
No matter how long or how short the ride, they meet an old man.
Hello, good fellows!
- Hello, grandfather!
-Where are you going?
- We are going with the filthy miracle-yud to fight, to fight, to defend our native land!
- This is a good thing! Only for battle you need not clubs, but damask swords.
- Where can I get them, grandfather!
- And I’ll teach you. Come on, you good fellows, everything is straight. You will reach a high mountain. And in that mountain there is a deep cave. The entrance to it is blocked with a large stone. Roll away the stone, enter the cave and find damask swords there.
The brothers thanked the passerby and drove straight, as he taught. They see a high mountain, with a large gray stone rolled down on one side. The brothers rolled away that stone and entered the cave. And there are all sorts of weapons there - you can’t even count them! They each chose a sword and moved on.
Thank you, they say, to the person passing by. It will be much easier for us to fight with swords!
They drove and drove and arrived at some village. They look - there is not a single living soul around. Everything is burned out and broken. There is one small hut. The brothers entered the hut. The old woman lies on the stove and groans.
Hello, grandma! - say the brothers.
- Hello, well done! Where are you headed?
- We are going, grandma, to the Smorodina River, to the Viburnum Bridge. We want to fight the miracle jud and not allow it onto our land.
- Oh, well done, they have taken up a good deed! After all, he, the villain, ruined and plundered everyone! And he got to us. I'm the only one who survived here...
The brothers spent the night with the old woman, got up early in the morning and set off on the road again.
They drive up to the Smorodina River itself, to the Viburnum Bridge. All along the shore there are swords and broken bows, and human bones.
The brothers found an empty hut and decided to stay in it.
Well, brothers,” says Ivan, “we’ve come to a foreign direction, we need to listen to everything and take a closer look.” Let's take turns going on patrol so that we don't miss the miracle Yudo across the Kalinov bridge.
On the first night, the elder brother went on patrol. He walked along the bank, looked across the Smorodina River - everything was quiet, he couldn’t see anyone, couldn’t hear anything. The elder brother lay down under a willow bush and fell asleep soundly, snoring loudly.
And Ivan lies in the hut - he cannot sleep, he does not doze. As time passed past midnight, he took his damask sword and went to the Smorodina River.
He looks - his older brother is sleeping under a bush, snoring at the top of his lungs. Ivan did not wake him up. He hid under the Viburnum bridge, standing, guarding the crossing.
Suddenly the waters on the river became agitated, the eagles screamed in the oak trees - a miracle Yudo with six heads was approaching. He rode out to the middle of the viburnum bridge - the horse stumbled under him, the black raven on his shoulder started, and behind him the black dog bristled. The six-headed miracle Yudo says:
Why did you, my horse, stumble? Why are you, black raven, perked up? Why are you, black dog, bristling? Or do you sense that Ivan is the peasant's son here? So he wasn’t born yet, and even if he was born, he wasn’t fit to fight! I'll put him on one arm and slam him with the other!
Then Ivan, the peasant son, came out from under the bridge and said:
Don't boast, you filthy miracle! I didn’t shoot a clear falcon - it’s too early to pluck feathers! I didn’t recognize the good fellow - there’s no point in shaming him! Let's better try our strength: whoever overcomes will boast.
So they came together, drew level, and hit so hard that the earth around them began to roar.
Miracle Yud was not lucky: Ivan, the peasant son, knocked off three of his heads with one swing.
Stop, Ivan - the peasant's son! - shouts the miracle Yudo. - Give me a break!
- What a vacation! You, miracle Yudo, have three heads, and I have one. Here's how. You will have one head, then we will rest.
They came together again, they hit each other again.
Ivan the peasant son cut off the miracle juda and the last three heads. After that, he cut the body into small pieces and threw it into the Smorodina River, and put six heads under the viburnum bridge. He returned to the hut and went to bed.
In the morning the elder brother comes. Ivan asks him:
Well, have you seen anything?
- No, brothers, not even a fly flew past me!
Ivan didn’t say a word to him about this.
The next night the middle brother went on patrol. He walked and walked, looked around and calmed down. He climbed into the bushes and fell asleep.
Ivan didn’t rely on him either. As time went past midnight, he immediately equipped himself, took his sharp sword and went to the Smorodina River. He hid under the viburnum wash and began to keep watch.
Suddenly the waters on the river became agitated, the eagles screamed in the oak trees - the nine-headed miracle Yudo was approaching. As soon as he rode onto the Viburnum bridge, the horse stumbled under him, the black raven on his shoulder started, the black dog bristled behind him... Miracle Yudo hit the horse with a whip on the sides, the crow on the feathers, the dog on the ears!
Why did you, my horse, stumble? Why are you, black raven, perked up? Why are you, black dog, bristling? Or do you sense that Ivan is a peasant’s son here? So he was not born yet, and if he was born, he was not fit for battle: I will kill him with one finger!
Ivan, the peasant son, jumped out from under the viburnum bridge:
- Wait, miracle Yudo, don’t boast, get down to business first! Let's see whose will take it!
As Ivan swung his damask sword once or twice, he took off six heads from the miracle-yuda. And the miracle Yudo hit - he drove Ivan up to his knees into the damp earth. Ivan, the peasant son, grabbed a handful of sand and threw it right into his enemy’s eyes. While Miracle Yudo was wiping and cleaning his eyes, Ivan cut off his other heads. Then he cut the body into small pieces, threw it into the Smorodina River, and put the nine heads under the viburnum bridge. He returned to the hut himself. I lay down and fell asleep as if nothing had happened.
In the morning the middle brother comes.
Well,” asks Ivan, “didn’t you see anything during the night?”
- No, not a single fly flew near me, not a single mosquito squeaked.
- Well, if that’s the case, come with me, dear brothers, I’ll show you both a mosquito and a fly.
Ivan brought the brothers under the Viburnum Bridge and showed them the miracle Yudov’s heads.
“Here,” he says, “the kind of flies and mosquitoes that fly here at night.” And you, brothers, should not fight, but lie on the stove at home!
The brothers were ashamed. “Sleep,” they say, “fell over... On the third night, Ivan himself got ready to go on patrol.
“I,” he says, “am going to a terrible battle!” And you, brothers, don’t sleep all night, listen: when you hear my whistle, release my horse and rush to my aid.
Ivan, a peasant son, came to the Smorodina River, stood under the Kalinov bridge, waiting.
As soon as it was past midnight, the damp earth began to shake, the waters in the river became agitated, violent winds howled, eagles screamed in the oak trees. The twelve-headed miracle Yudo emerges. All twelve heads are whistling, all twelve are blazing with fire and flame. The horse of the miracle-yud has twelve wings, the hair of the horse is copper, the tail and mane are iron. As soon as the miracle Yudo rode onto the Viburnum bridge, the horse stumbled under him, the black raven on his shoulder perked up, the black dog behind him bristled. Miracle Yudo a horse with a whip on the sides, a crow on the feathers, a dog on the ears!
Why did you, my horse, stumble? Why did the black raven start up? Why, the black dog, bristled? Or do you sense that Ivan is a peasant’s son here? So he wasn’t born yet, and even if he was born, he wasn’t fit for battle: I’ll just blow and there won’t be any ashes left!
Here Ivan, the peasant son, came out from under the viburnum bridge:
- Wait, miracle Yudo, boast: so as not to disgrace yourself!
- Oh, so it’s you, Ivan, the peasant’s son? Why did you come here?
- Look at you, enemy power, try your courage!
- Why should you try my courage? You are a fly in front of me!
Ivan, the peasant son of the miracle, answers:
- I didn’t come to tell you fairy tales and not to listen to yours. I came to fight to the death, to save good people from you, damned one!
Here Ivan swung his sharp sword and cut off three heads of the miracle Yuda. Miracle Yudo picked up these heads, scratched them with his fiery finger, put them on their necks, and immediately all the heads grew back as if they had never fallen from their shoulders.
Ivan had a bad time: the miracle Yudo deafens him with a whistle, burns him with fire, showers him with sparks, drives him knee-deep into the damp earth... And he chuckles:
- Don't you want to rest, Ivan the peasant son?
- What kind of vacation? In our opinion - hit, slash, don’t take care of yourself! - says Ivan.
He whistled and threw his right mitten into the hut, where his brothers were waiting for him. The mitten broke all the glass in the windows, and the brothers are sleeping and don’t hear anything.
Ivan gathered his strength, swung again, stronger than before, and cut off six heads of the miracle-yuda. Miracle Yudo picked up his heads, struck a fiery finger, put them on their necks - and again all the heads were in place. He rushed at Ivan and beat him waist-deep into the damp earth.
Ivan sees that things are bad. He took off his left mitten and threw it into the hut. The mitten broke through the roof, but the brothers were all asleep and didn’t hear anything.
For the third time, Ivan, the peasant son, swung and cut off nine heads of the miracle. Miracle Yudo picked them up, struck them with a fiery finger, put them on their necks - the heads grew back. He rushed at Ivan and drove him into the damp earth up to his shoulders...
Ivan took off his hat and threw it into the hut. That blow caused the hut to stagger and almost roll over the logs. Just then the brothers woke up and heard Ivanov’s horse neighing loudly and breaking from its chains.
They rushed to the stable, let the horse down, and then ran after him.
Ivanov’s horse galloped up and began to beat the miracle Yudo with its hooves. The miracle-yudo whistled, hissed, and began to shower the horse with sparks.
Meanwhile, Ivan, the peasant son, crawled out of the ground, contrived and cut off the fiery finger of the miracle-juda. After that, let's chop off his heads. Knocked down every single one! He cut the body into small pieces and threw it into the Smorodina River.
The brothers come running here.
- Oh, you! - says Ivan. - Because of your drowsiness, I almost paid with my head!
His brothers brought him to the hut, washed him, fed him, gave him something to drink and put him to bed.
Early in the morning Ivan got up and began to dress and put on his shoes.
-Where did you get up so early? - say the brothers. - I should have rested after such a massacre!
“No,” Ivan answers, “I have no time for rest: I’ll go to the Smorodina River to look for my sash,” he dropped it there.
- Hunting for you! - say the brothers. - Let's go into town and buy a new one.
- No, I need mine!
Ivan went to the Smorodina River, but did not look for the sash, but crossed to the other bank through the Viburnum bridge and sneaked unnoticed to the miraculous yuda stone chambers. He went up to the open window and began to listen - were they planning something else here?
He looks - three miraculous wives of Yuda and his mother, an old snake, are sitting in the chambers. They sit and talk.
The first one says:
- I will take revenge on Ivan, the peasant son, for my husband! I’ll get ahead of myself, when he and his brothers return home, I’ll bring in the heat, and I’ll turn into a well. If they want to drink water, they will drop dead from the first sip!
- You came up with a good idea! - says the old snake.
The second one says:
- And I’ll run ahead and turn into an apple tree. If they want to eat an apple, they will be torn into small pieces!
- And you came up with a good idea! - says the old snake.
“And I,” says the third, “will make them sleepy and drowsy, and I myself will run ahead and turn myself into a soft carpet with silk pillows.” If the brothers want to lie down and rest, then they will be burned with fire!
- And you came up with a good idea! - said the snake. - Well, if you don’t destroy them, I myself will turn into a huge pig, catch up with them and swallow all three of them!
Ivan, the peasant son, overheard these speeches and returned to his brothers.
- Well, did you find your sash? - the brothers ask.
- Found it.
- And it was worth spending time on it!
- It was worth it, brothers!
After that, the brothers got together and went home.
They travel through the steppes, they travel through meadows. And the day is so hot, so sultry. I'm thirsty - I have no patience! The brothers look - there is a well, a silver ladle is floating in the well. They say to Ivan:
- Come on, brother, let's stop, drink some cold water and water the horses!
“It’s unknown what kind of water is in that well,” Ivan answers. - Maybe rotten and dirty.
He jumped off his horse and began to cut and slash this well with his sword. The well howled and roared in an evil voice. Then the fog descended, the heat subsided - I didn’t feel thirsty.
“You see, brothers, what kind of water there was in the well,” says Ivan.
The brothers jumped off their horses and wanted to pick apples. And Ivan ran ahead and started cutting down the apple tree with a sword to the very root. The apple tree howled and screamed...
- Do you see, brothers, what kind of apple tree this is? The apples on it are tasteless!
The brothers mounted their horses and rode on. They rode and rode and became very tired. They look - a patterned, soft carpet is spread out on the field, and there are down pillows on it.
“Let’s lie down on this carpet, rest, take a nap for an hour!” the brothers say.
- No, brothers, it won’t be soft to lie on this carpet! - Ivan answers them.
The brothers got angry with him:
- What kind of a guide are you: this is not allowed, the other is not allowed!
Ivan didn’t say a word in response. He took off his sash and threw it on the carpet. The sash burst into flames and burned.
- It would be the same with you! - Ivan says to his brothers.
He approached the carpet and used a sword to chop the carpet and pillows into small pieces. He chopped it up, scattered it to the sides and said:
- In vain, brothers, you grumbled at me! After all, the well, and the apple tree, and the carpet - all these were miracle wives of Yuda. They wanted to destroy us, but they didn’t succeed: they all died!
They drove a lot or a little - suddenly the sky darkened, the wind howled, the earth began to roar: a huge pig was running after them. She opened her mouth to her ears - she wants to swallow Ivan and his brothers. Here the fellows, don’t be stupid, pulled out a pound of salt from their travel bags and threw them into the pig’s mouth.
The pig was delighted - she thought that she had captured Ivan, the peasant’s son and his brothers. She stopped and began to chew salt. And when I tried it, I rushed off in pursuit again.
She runs, raising her bristles, clicking her teeth. It's about to catch up...
Then Ivan ordered the brothers to gallop in different directions: one galloped to the right, the other to the left, and Ivan himself galloped forward.
A pig ran up and stopped - it didn’t know who to catch up with first.
While she was thinking and turning her muzzle in different directions, Ivan jumped up to her, picked her up and hit her on the ground with all his might. The pig crumbled into dust, and the wind scattered those ashes in all directions.
Since then, all the miracles and snakes in that region have disappeared - people began to live without fear.
And Ivan, the peasant son and his brothers, returned home, to his father, to his mother. And they began to live and live, to plow the field and sow wheat.
The old man had three sons. The sons have grown up to be great boys, they have immense strength in their hands, their hair is curly, there is a blush on their cheeks. Then one day the father says:
It's time to get married soon; everyone in the old house will feel cramped. Necessary new home work.
They got down to business. They carried the logs - they hooted, they put up the frame - they sang songs, they put on the roof - they joked. Whether long or short, they worked on the house.
“Well, sons,” said the old man, “we have made good housing.” Now I would like to find out and guess what it will be like for us to live there.
And he sent his eldest son to spend the night in the new house.
I gave him some bread and salt and a mug of water. He ordered to put everything on the table and cover it with a tablecloth, and then go to bed, yes better sleep remember. Whatever dream you see, it will come true.
The eldest son fulfilled everything that was said as if written.
I spent the night, had a dream, and returned in the morning.
“I saw it, father,” he says, “ full yard woodpiles, and in the house in the stove the fire burns with a clear flame.
- This good sleep, - the father answers. - We'll live warmly.
On the second night he sends his middle son.
He came to the new house, put bread, salt and water in a mug on the table, and covered it with a tablecloth. Then he lay down on the bench.
I slept all night until early dawn. In the morning he returned, his dream tells:
- I dreamed that the stove was heated and the heat had already been raked out into the oven. And that shovel that you, father, hewed out the other day, just jumps and plants the loaves into the oven, and ready-made loaves jump out to meet it. Lush, rosy.
The father was delighted:
- Well, then we’ll live well!
On the third night it was time youngest son, Ivana.
The father gave him bread, salt, and water in a mug.
Ivan went to a new home. I put the bread on the table - the bread rolled onto the floor. He put the salt shaker and scattered the salt. Water splashed out of the mug. Everything is wrong!
He lay down on the bench and put his hat under his head. He doesn't sleep, but he dreams. He is not in the old house, not in the new house - in a foreign place. He lies on his hands, his legs are tied, he cannot move. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a snake crawls towards him, and from the other side a fox runs up. The snake opened its mouth and hissed. Ivan tries to jump up, but he can’t. Meanwhile the fox sharp teeth began to gnaw at the bonds. I just didn’t have time. The snake straightened out, like a red-hot arrow, and bit off Ivan’s right leg up to the knee. Then the bonds fell off of him by themselves, he stood on one leg and struck the snake. Instantly the snake's skin fell off the snake, and a beautiful maiden was born, which cannot be said in a fairy tale or described with a pen. And the fox turned into a girl. So cute, so pretty! Ivan wanted to say a kind word to her, but he woke up...
He shook his head and went home.
Father asks:
- Well, what did you dream about?
And Ivan answers:
- I won’t tell you until the dream comes true.
His father asks him this way and that. Ivan remains silent. The father got angry and shouted:
- If so, you shouldn’t live in your new house! Get away from us!
He said in his hearts that he himself did not think that his son would really leave.
And when Ivan heard this, he turned and left.
Where did he wander and wander, how long or how short did he wander, but he stopped in one city. He hired himself out to a merchant there as a worker. Whatever the merchant orders, he does everything on time and does not refuse any work. The owner does not praise the new employee enough.
One day a merchant asks:
- Do you have any relatives?
- But of course! - Ivan answers. - There is a father and brothers. Yes, my father drove me out of the house.
- Why would that be? - the merchant was surprised. - You are both hard-working and obedient...
It’s true, I didn’t contradict my father on anything. Only once did I not reveal the dream I had. The father was angry.
- What did you dream about? - asks the merchant.
Ivan grinned and said:
- If I didn’t tell my dear father, then you shouldn’t ask me.
Here the merchant got angry. He began to threaten and torture. Ivan sees that he can’t live here. I took the payment and went new job search.
But he didn’t find it right away: where the owners wouldn’t like him, where the owners didn’t need a worker.
And they brought his feet to the royal palace. And just at that time the king left the palace to hunt. Ivan had never seen such horses or such magnificent outfits in his peasantry! Stands and marvels. And the king noticed him. I admired his article, his broad shoulders, his light brown curls. “Oh, well done, good fellow!” - I thought. He turned in the saddle and asked:
- Who are you? What is your name?
Peasant son. From birth they called Ivan.
- And they named me Ivan. How old are you?
- Like twenty.
- And I'm twenty. Look how it all comes together. Won't you become my servant? You will be my good friend. Because I inherited from the old king, my father, all the servant-advisers with gray beards.
- Why not go! - Ivan answers.
Ivan, the peasant son, began to serve Tsar Ivan. Serves faithfully. Whatever the king wishes, Ivan fulfills in advance, any business he does is successful.
One day the king got into conversation with him and started asking him questions. Well, Ivan, the peasant’s son, simply told him everything about himself.
The king is curious.
- So what dream did you have?
- Oh, don’t ask, I won’t reveal everything. I didn’t tell my father, I didn’t tell the merchant, and I won’t tell you.
The king is good until he is contradicted. And now he was angry that he was being compared with a simple peasant, a grabby merchant, and ordered Ivan to be thrown into prison.
Ivan is sitting in prison. Meanwhile, the young king decided to get married.
Tsar Ivan had a beloved sister, one year younger, ten years wiser. So Tsar Ivan says to her:
- So and so, Maryushka, I heard that across the sea, on a round island, the beautiful maiden Martha the Princess lives. Guests and overseas merchants came to us under sail and painted her beauty. I'll go match her.
“Oh, brother Ivanushka,” the sister answers. - A pie in the sky is dear, but a bird in hand is better. You shouldn't go overseas! Don't we have enough pretty girls?!
And he says:
- No, I'll go.
Well, then take with you your faithful servant, Ivan, the peasant son. If trouble or need happens in a foreign country, he will be your help.
- I’ll take it if my dream opens. He didn’t tell me, maybe he’ll tell you.
What the Tsar’s sister went with to prison to see Ivan, the peasant’s son, was what she returned with. Says to brother:
- He doesn’t say anything until his dream comes true.
- Well, then let him blame himself! - the king answers. - I can do without him.
I got ready to hit the road and went to the pier. Under the royal supervision, the ship will be equipped better, and supplies will be taken as much as needed.
Sister Maryushka walked him to the gate and thought: “Oh, dashing! On a long journey, as if for a long time, that will not happen. A mind is good, but two are better. Come what may, I’ll disobey my brother, I’ll do it my way!”
And she released the prisoner-jailer Ivan, the peasant son.
- Catch up with your namesake, Ivan. Be with him in good luck and don’t leave him in trouble. Just be careful not to catch his eye at first. He's angry with you.
“Well,” Ivan answers. “I don’t hold my heart on him, I promised to serve him faithfully.” A peasant’s word is not a king’s; what I say, I will do.
Ivan set off towards the pier. Yes, not along the well-worn road through the city, but along hidden animal paths, straight through the forest. He runs and hurries.
Suddenly he hears voices. Angry voices, loud, as if someone was quarreling. He stopped and listened. And a crow sits on a branch nearby and also listens. He grabs the crow by the tail and under his caftan so that he doesn't want to caw. He sneaks up quietly.
The voices are getting closer and closer. Ivan sees that in a small clearing two men are arguing so much that it almost comes to a fight. And next to it lies a bundle.
Ivan asks them:
- What, good people, can’t share?
“Well,” they say, “we got an invisibility hat, walking boots and a tablecloth with bread.” And we don’t know how to divide three treasured things between two.
“So I’ll judge you,” said Ivan. - I’ll throw a stone, and you run after it. Whoever brings it back first will be the first to choose what he wants. And the second one, don’t blame me, will take what’s left.
The men agreed.
Ivan grabbed the crow from his bosom and threw it further into the thicket. A crow flew away, the men followed it.
Well, Ivan, don’t be a fool, put his feet in walking boots, an invisibility hat on his head, a bread-sweet tablecloth in his belt, walked seven miles at once and waved, he found himself on the pier.
And the royal ship just at that time set sail from the pier. Only now what about Ivan! He took half a step, stepped over seven waves, and stepped onto the deck. Nobody saw him.
The ship is sailing, rocking on the waves. The day has passed, the night has come, the night has passed, the day has come again.
Tsar Ivan was exhausted, walking around the deck, talking to himself:
- Oh, if only there was a sword for heroic shoulders, if only a bow for strong hands, if only there was a beautiful maiden to marry.
And Ivan, the peasant son in an invisibility hat, walks next to him. He listened, listened, could not resist and said:
- Oh, look, they will bring a sword, but there won’t be enough shoulders, there will be a bow, but you won’t be able to shoot with your hands, there will be a girl, but it’s not easy to marry her.
Tsar Ivan looked around - there was no one. Well, he thinks he heard it right.
We sailed for some more time and landed at the island.
As soon as they got off the pier, Ivan the peasant son took off his invisibility cap and bowed to Tsar Ivan. Tsar Ivan was delighted.
- Now I know whose voice spoke to me on the ship.
And in his joy he forgot to ask who released him from prison, how Ivan, the peasant son, got on the ship.
Yes, there was no time for conversation here: they see a rope of fellows coming towards them, groaning and bending, the three of them barely carrying a treasure-sword.
“Here,” they say, “Princess Martha ordered you to raise this sword and twirl it above your head.” If you raise your sword, there will be talk of matchmaking; if you don’t raise your sword, your head will be off your shoulders.
The king became afraid: where can he raise that sword when three young men can barely drag it?
And Ivan, the peasant’s son, jumped up, snatched the sword from the fellows’ hands, twirled it over his head, then broke it in half on his knee, like a twig, and threw the fragments to the sides.
“Eh, this,” he says, “is not a task for our king, but fun.”
Three more come up here. Two young men are carrying a heroic bow, the third is dragging an arrow. They stopped in front of Tsar Ivan and said with a bow:
- Princess Martha ordered this: if you shoot an arrow from a bow, you will be a guest in her house, and if you don’t handle the bowstring, your head is off your shoulders.
Tsar Ivan’s face changed: where can he handle such a bow?!
And Ivan, the peasant son, shook his curls, grabbed his bow, laid an arrow and shot it straight into the sky. The arrow flew away to the clouds, but who knows if it returned to earth!
“What are you doing to our king,” Ivan laughs, “showing children’s toys?!” It’s better not to hesitate, escort him with honor to Princess Martha.
They took Tsar Ivan to the bride.
As long as he was there, he stayed for as long as he could, and returned to the ship darker than a cloud.
Ivan the peasant son asks:
- Why are you sad, king? Ali is not a good bride?
- She’s so good, you can’t take your eyes off her.
- So what was the matter?
“Yes, you see,” says Tsar Ivan, “she hasn’t run out of riddles.” She ordered half of the wedding dress to be sewn by morning, which one doesn’t say. And she also has half a dress sewn. And so that the two halves fit together, as if by measure. Otherwise the wedding won't happen.
“Don’t worry,” Ivan, a peasant son, answers him. - Go to bed. Perhaps while you sleep, the riddle will be solved.
Tsar Ivan did not sleep, but Ivan the peasant son did the work. He pulled his invisibility cap over his forehead and set off into the city. I ran around to all the seamstresses, all the tailors and finally found those who sewed half of the princess’s dress. Just as they were finishing their work, they were sweeping the silver braid onto the white brocade.
Ivan, a peasant son, is full of inventions. He spread out a bread-and-bread tablecloth in the corner, just unfolded it, and she stared at all sorts of dishes, pickles and sweets. The tailors were surprised: where did this come from?.. But don’t refuse the treat! Meanwhile, Ivan, the peasant son, grabbed half the dress and stuck it in his bosom.
They ate, the tailors treated themselves, looked around: holy fathers! What to do? It’s good that I have enough for a whole dress. We started sewing and cutting again.
And Ivan rolled up the bread-and-bread tablecloth and quickly headed to the ship.
Well, morning comes. The tailors brought half a dress to Martha the Princess, and Tsar Ivan gives her half the dress. And both halves came together as if by measure.
Martha the Princess frowned with sable eyebrows and said:
- Well, one mystery is behind, the second is ahead. TO wedding dress They make me a morocco boot, gold patterns, silver trims. And you give me a second one so that there is a pair.
Tsar Ivan returned to the ship with an even darker face than before. I told my faithful servant everything as it was. Ivan the peasant son says:
- This trouble is not a problem!
I ran around the city again. I ran around all the shoemakers and found where the princess’s shoe fit. He did everything as he did last night - he spread out the tablecloth-bread-slicer, beckoned the masters with a treat, and took away the boot himself and did not forget to grab the tablecloth.
The craftsmen barely got it done, they sewed another boot. They bring it to Princess Martha, and Tsar Ivan is there.
They put boots on the princess - they both fit, whether you try them on or not.
Princess Martha stamped her feet in her new boots angrily and asked the problem again:
- I ordered to cast a gold patterned ring. And you do the same by morning. But no, the wedding won’t happen, and your head won’t be blown off.
As it happened on those two nights, so it happened on the third. Ivan the peasant son settled everything. By morning, Princess Martha has a ring and Tsar Ivan has exactly the same one.
Here Martha the Princess has nowhere to go. Whatever wish you wish for the groom is fulfilled. She agreed to marry him and go to his kingdom-state.
We boarded the ship and set off on our way back.
Ivan is a peasant son, of course, with them. Again he hid under the invisibility cap. They don't see him, he sees everyone.
Tsar Ivan spoke the truth - the princess is pretty. Yes, I am friendly, not kind, not smiling. No matter how Ivan the peasant son looks at her, he remembers his dream. “Why would that be?” - thinks. But he didn’t bother to guess: if he lives, he’ll see each other.
As they sailed, they arrived - the storm did not overtake them, they did not encounter sea robbers.
We returned and everyone went to the palace. And Ivan, the peasant son, went straight to prison. He sat down and sat. Thinks so:
“Tsar Ivan put me in prison, but it was not he who released me. I have done my job, now I will wait for the royal mercy and justice. Let him remember me himself!”
But Tsar Ivan does not take his eyes off his bride, he has forgotten everything in the world, and does not even remember about his faithful servant.
Only when they gathered for wedding feast, sister said to brother:
- It’s not good, brother, you’re breaking an old custom. For the royal wedding, all the dungeons are opened wide, the guilty are given freedom, and your prisoner-jailer, the faithful servant Ivan, is languishing in prison.
- Oh, it’s true! Why didn't you unlock it?
- Yes, the dungeon is not closed. I called him, he doesn’t come. He says: “Whoever threw me here should let me out.”
Then Tsar Ivan went to prison, took Ivan, the peasant son, by the hand and sat him next to him.
Princess Martha saw this and asked:
- Why does the prisoner have such an honor?
Tsar Ivan answers:
- Now you are my wife, I will not hide the truth from you. If it weren't for Ivan, our wedding wouldn't have happened. He was the one who solved your riddles.
Princess Martha got angry and shouted:
- So that’s who outsmarted me!
She jumped up from the table and tore a sharp saber from the wall. She wanted to cut off the head of Ivan, the peasant son, but Ivan jumped up and the saber cut off not the victorious little head, but his right leg up to the knee.
Then Ivan the peasant son turned to Tsar Ivan and said:
- That’s when my dream half came true and was justified. I didn’t tell it to my father, or to the merchant, or to you, the king, but now I’ll tell you. I dreamed of a little fox-sister who gnawed my bonds - this is Marya the Maiden, your sister. She released me from prison. I also dreamed of a fierce snake that bit off my leg up to the knee, but you can figure out who it is, guess it yourself. Be careful, no matter how bad things happen to you!
No one had time to utter a word. Ivan, the peasant son, picked up the severed leg and disappeared from sight, and he never existed. The invisibility hat hid him from everyone, and the walking boots helped. Even though I had put on one foot, I instantly found myself far from the palace in a dark forest.
In front of him is a hut on chicken legs, with one window.
- Hey! - said Ivan. - Yes, this is the Baba Yaga’s home... Stand, hut, with your back to the forest, and your front to me!
The hut scraped with its clawed paws, the logs creaked and turned around. There was a door here.
Ivan entered the hut, and there were two men sitting on a bench, crying. Ivan recognized them immediately. The same ones who argued over an invisibility hat, a bread-salter tablecloth, and running boots. I took a closer look - one has no legs, the other has no eyes.
- What's wrong with you? - asks Ivan.
The one without legs answers:
- Deception goes around in circles, leading to trouble. And all because of an invisibility hat, walking boots and a tablecloth. Baba Yaga got them from God knows where, maybe from Koshchei the Immortal himself, and we coveted them. They waylaid her when she was not at home and carried her away. We outwitted Baba Yaga, and you outwitted us.
- Sorry, brothers! I didn’t take it out of self-interest, but out of extreme necessity. Now I brought it back.
“It’s too late,” the second man responds. “Baba Yaga caught us, dragged us here, beat and stabbed us, tormented and bugged us, took away his legs, took out my eyes. Yes, that’s right, and you had a hard time if you jumped here on one leg.
- This is especially about me. I'm legging through prophetic dream“lost,” Ivan answers. - Let's better think about how we can defeat Baba Yaga. Can't the three of us handle it?!
Suddenly there was a knocking and rattling sound in the forest. This is Baba Yaga in her mortar, returning home, covering her tracks with a broom.
Ivan, the peasant son, put on his invisibility cap and stood at the door. Baba Yaga into the house, and he took her for her gray hair. Here those Two came to his aid... They tied up Baba Yaga and put her on a bench in the corner.
-Tell me, where are my legs?! - the legless man shouts.
- Tell me, where are my eyes going?! - shouts the blind man.
Baba Yaga sees that there is nowhere to go.
“The legs are in the chest by the stove, the eyes are in the pot behind the stove,” he answers.
Ivan looked - the old one did not deceive.
“Well,” he says, “lead and show where you have living water. But no, we’ll do to you as you did to them.
“You took it, and in your opinion it will be,” Baba Yaga agrees.
The blind man sat the legless man on his back. Ivan grabbed three legs and eyes in a pot - and everyone went after Baba Yaga. In a dense spruce forest, in a dense birch forest, under the roots of an old oak tree, a spring of dark water has been dug.
“Here,” says Baba Yaga, “wash your feet and eyes in living water, wash yourself.” Everything will grow together without harm, without damage. And let me go in peace.
The blind man was delighted and wanted to lower his eyes into the well, but Ivan grabbed his hand.
“Don’t rush,” he says.
And he caught a mosquito, held it in his fist and brought it to his ear, listened: the mosquito squeaks in a thin voice, asking to be freed. Ivan dipped the mosquito into the well, he immediately hung his wings, spread his legs, was silent, did not move.
“Hey,” said Ivan, “so that’s what kind of water it is!”
Here they taught Baba Yaga a little: some with a birch twig, some with a spruce branch.
“It’s just me, I wanted to joke,” Baba Yaga pleaded.
We entered from the other side of the oak tree, and there, between the roots, a spring of light sparkled - light water.
- This is more like it! - Ivan said and lowered the dead mosquito into the water.
Instantly the mosquito perked up, spread its wings, kicked its legs and flew away.
They washed themselves with living water. Everything grew at once. The one who was blind again white light saw. The one whom Baba Yaga deprived of legs jumps on fast legs. And Ivan laughs and stomps with both feet.
They forgot about Baba Yaga in joy. And when they realized it, there was no trace of her. We tried to catch up, but where was it! She jumped into her mortar and rushed off to God knows where. Since then, no one has seen or heard of her in that forest.
The men say to Ivan:
- Take whatever you want, even an invisibility hat, even a tablecloth, even walking boots.
Ivan waves it off:
- I don’t need them now. Own them together and don’t quarrel. And I have no time to spend with you. My service is not over, the dream has not fully come true.
And Ivan, the peasant son, went back the way to where he came from.
Now the forest is over, the city has become envious. And between the forest and the city there is a large meadow. In that meadow some man is grazing a herd of horses. Ivan came closer and looked - it was Tsar Ivan himself with a whip, pacing around the herd and shouting at the horses.
Ivan the peasant son is surprised and asks:
- Is it really a royal business to herd horses?!
Tsar Ivan answers:
- Oh, Ivan, you are my faithful servant, I will tell you the whole truth: there is nothing worse in the world than a cruel wife. She grinds me from morning to night, from night again until morning. So she forced the horses to graze. And the horses, even charmed, do not go home.
Ivan the peasant son said to this:
- Don’t worry, king, everything will get better. I opened the log for you, but I myself saw it to the end. Let's change clothes, I'll go to your wife instead. And you, when the horses run home, follow them. What will come true will happen, but it won’t get any worse.
Here comes Ivan, the peasant son, to the palace in royal clothes. Princess Martha saw him from afar through the window and took him for her husband. She jumped out onto the porch, stamped her feet, and cursed.
- Why did you, so-and-so, show up and leave your horses unattended?!
Well, Ivan the peasant son was not afraid, he didn’t think for a long time and didn’t let her come to her senses. He grabbed her by the braid and threw her to the ground. She hit the ground, turned into a snake, hissed, wriggled, threatening Ivan with her sting.
Ivan was not at a loss here either. He hit the snake with a rod and said:
- Become a snake, become a faithful wife. And you, fast horses, gallop home.
Here everything happened according to his word.
The snake skin fell off the snake, and a beautiful maiden stood in front of Ivan, the peasant son. The same Martha the princess, but not the same. The face is friendly, the rosy lips are smiling.
And you can hear the tramp of horses close by - it’s a herd running home, and Tsar Ivan gallops ahead on a zealous horse.
Princess Martha rushed to him, crying and laughing. She hugs her husband and says:
- My dear husband, if you can, remember no evil. It was not my will. The dashing stepmother of my father drove him to the grave, and cursed me with an evil spell, envying my beauty. This is what she said: “No one will get you, and even if you get it, it won’t be a joy. You will be a beautiful maiden in appearance, but in character you will be a snake." She said so and disappeared to God knows where. Many suitors wooed me, but they all gave up. And I would have destroyed you, if not for your faithful servant Ivan. He solved the riddles and found the treasured word. The spell fell from me like a snake's skin... From this day, from this hour, I will be a good wife to you, my husband, Tsar Ivan, and a sister to Ivan, the peasant son.
“Here, Tsar,” said Ivan, the peasant’s son, “when my dream has come true to the end.” Now my service for you is over. It’s time to go to my dear father and tell him about my dream so that he won’t be angry with me. And you, king, live in peace and harmony with Princess Martha.
“Wait,” says Tsar Ivan. - You were not my servant, but my brother-in-arms. Claim whatever reward you want. I’ll give you at least half the kingdom.
“Why do I need half a kingdom,” answers Ivan, a peasant son. “I prefer to plow the land and throw grain into the furrow.” But won’t you give me your sister as a wife, not by force, but by her own free will? I fell in love with her. Just ask her if I love her.
The Tsar's sister Maryushka happily agreed. Ivan, the peasant son, has long been after her heart. They played a wedding. They feasted for three days and danced for three nights. We would have attended that feast, but we were not invited there.
And when the fun ended, Ivan went with his young wife, the Tsar’s sister, to his native land, to his father-father. What I dreamed about, how it came true - I told him everything.
Everyone lived in a new house, and they were warm and fed. Nothing to complain about.
There is nothing more to talk about, our fairy tale is over.