An old woman and an old man live. Their two sons have grown up. The elder son says:
- We live very poorly. “I,” he says, “will go somewhere.”
- How are you going to go? - asks the father.
- I'll ride a horse.
The horse was harnessed. Here the middle son says:
- I'll go too.
They mounted one horse and set off. We set off and - they are gone and gone. One day the youngest son says:
“I’ll look for my brothers.”
“At least you’ll look,” the father answers, “where will you find them?”
- I’ll look for it somewhere.
“I had a seven-winged horse under seven old horse stalls,” says the father. If you catch this seven-winged horse now, then catch it. I would go with it.
The son approached the seven old stalls. The door is all blocked up. He took a shovel and began to dig. He dug and dug and reached the floor of the stall. I saw a door there. As he began to open the door, the neighing of a seven-winged horse was heard. He bridled the horse and grabbed it by the bridle. At the same moment he was thrown upward. Through all seven stalls he was pulled out. He got outside, rested on the ground, and held his horse. Holding the horse, he went knee-deep into the ground. The horse stopped and said to him:
- The old woman and the old man are the youngest son. Your hands have become strong. Was able to catch me. Now get into my right ear.
The boy got into his right ear and dressed there in good clothes. He got out and went to his father.
“Son,” he says, “were you able to catch the horse?”
- Why can’t you?
I said goodbye to my mother and father, left the house, and went to the horse. He sat on her back.
While he was straightening the hem of his clothes, they walked around the entire world. So while driving, one day I came to a deep, knee-deep trampled road. I followed it. Whether it was a long or short journey, to a near land it was a short journey, to a distant land it was a long journey. In one place he sees either two spruce trees standing ahead, or two larches standing tall. Thinks:
“If I had gotten there, I would have spent the night there. I would have set my seven-tongued mother on fire, and after that, death is death, life is life.”
I got closer, so close that I could make it out. Looks: what kind of spruce? What kind of larch? The house and the chamya are standing. He approached the house, opened the door, and entered. The house is warm and dark.
Asks:
- Is there a person?
A human voice is heard:
“The old woman and the old man’s youngest son, when you arrive there is no fire, there is no ready-made food.”
The old woman and the old man*35 the youngest son lit the bowl and went into the back room. The once cooked food stands on the table, steam swirls above it. He sat down and began to eat. I ate and drank. He took out what was left of the food and fed and watered his horse. He returned to the house and said:
- Is there anyone in this house? I ate and drank, thank you!
The human voice is heard again:
“The old woman and the old man’s youngest son, there is no food for you, there is no fire.” Prepared for a good man, you ate in vain.
The boy turned to leave and said:
- Farewell, good sleep to you, who lives in the house!
- Go, go! Where are you going, so that you never return from there!
The boy came out of the yurt and went further.
To a near land is a short journey, to a distant land is a long journey. He rode and rode, became completely exhausted, and was dragging himself along. One day, in the evening, he looks and in the distance a spruce and larch seem to be visible. Thinks:
“I would get there. I would spend the night there. I would kindle my seven-tongued mother, and there life is like life, death is like death!”
He came closer, so close that he could make it out, and he saw that it was not a spruce, not a larch, but a house with a chamya. There is a seven-joint hitching post near the house. He tied his horse to the seventh joint and went into the house. An old woman sits in the house, crying.
- Grandson, where are you going? - asks.
— To test my strength, I’m looking for a place.
- What kind of place do you need? I had a hero like you, a grandson. The grassroots man*36 went to woo his daughter, and was killed by the grassroots man’s son.
The old woman fed the boy, gave him something to drink, and then said to him:
- If you follow this road, you will come to an old forest. My grandson fought there with the son of the Lower Man, and there he was killed, like mountain grass, like forest grass, cut into small pieces.
The old woman gave him half a cake and said:
— When you arrive at that place, you stop and say: “Is there a living person here? My grandmother gave me half a flatbread; if a living person had been found, we would have eaten together.”
I said goodbye to the old woman and moved on. Whether it was a long or short ride, I was tired and began to lose my strength. One day I came to the old forest. He sees, indeed, the murdered man lies there, like mountain grass, like forest grass, cut into small pieces. He stopped and said:
- Is there a living person here? My grandmother gave me half a flatbread; if a living person had been found, we would have eaten together.
A human voice was heard:
“I can’t eat, the son of the Bottom Man killed me.”
- How can you speak then?
“My neck is cut, but my head is still supported by one vein.” Where are you going?
- I’m going to the Bottom Man to woo my daughter.
“Even though I fought with his son,” the dead man says, “I couldn’t defeat him.” Where can you cope?
- I can handle it.
- Well, listen! Go to the Lower Land. You will go out into the tundra, in the middle of the tundra of the Bottom Man you will see a house. Seven houses are placed next to each other. The upper house is icy. When you arrive there, the grassroots man’s son will see you and jump out of the house. As soon as he screams, your horse will fall to his knees. The second time he shouts, the horse will fall to the ground. Hit the horse well.
No matter how fast you go, he will still catch up on his horse. The third time he shouts, your horse will fall to the ground again. You push him again. When the son of the Bottom Man approaches, turn your horse so that the horses collide chest to chest. Then he will jump to the ground and tell you: “Be the older brother, and I will be the younger.”
This is how the murdered man taught the living. The youngest son found the old woman and the old man, sat on his back and rode off.
To a near land is a short journey, to a distant land is a long journey. Whether it was a long or short drive, I reached the tundra. And sure enough, he sees the house standing, its roof touching the running clouds.
He sees a fly fly out of the upper window. She sank to earth and became the son of the Lower Man. As he shouted, the horse fell to its knees. The youngest son hit the old woman and the old man with a whip, the horse jumped to its feet and rushed forward. The young hero turned back, saw the Bottom Man, his son jumped on his horse and chased after him. He shouted a second time, from this scream the horse fell to the ground, then jumped to its feet again. For the third time, the grassroots man's son shouted. The young hero's horse crashed to the ground.
- Why are you afraid? - the old woman and the old man's youngest son shouted: - the forest raven's son shouted, and you fall.
He hit with the whip, the horse took off like fire.
He rushed faster than before. The son still catches up with the grassroots man. The hero turned his horse towards him - the horses collided chest to chest, the son of the Bottom Man, the horse flew back three steps. He jumped to the ground and said:
“The old woman and the old man are the youngest son, enough for us to argue, be my elder brother, and I will be your younger brother.” Now let's go to my place!
We arrived at the house. There is a seven-legged pillar near the house. The son of the lower man tied his horse to the sixth knee. The youngest son tied his horse to the seventh knee of the old woman and the old man.
They entered the house together and began to live together. You never know how long we lived, one day the younger brother became sad. His older brother asks him:
- Why are you sad, why are you bored?
- How can I not be sad, how can I not be bored, when I have lost my strength. When you came here, did you see anything in the forest?
- Saw.
“Well, that’s where my strength remains.”
- How did your strength remain there?
“I fought with Equa-Pyrisch, although I cut his neck, I lost my sword in the process.” He stayed there, I couldn’t get him out. I’m thinking about how to get to that place, and the horse stops dead in its tracks. I want to go down to the ground, but I can’t tear myself away from the horse’s back. If I turn back, the horse will leave its place and run.
“I,” the elder brother says, “when I came here, he was already rotten.” The bones were just lying in a heap.
“No,” the younger one answers, “seven years have passed since our battle, I went there more than once, he’s still alive.”
“I’ll go,” the elder says, “I’ll take your sword.”
- You probably can’t.
- Well, I can handle it!
I got ready and went. Whether it was a long or short journey, one day I reached the forest. The horse had just entered the forest when he stopped dead in his tracks.
A human voice was heard:
- Dear brother, I’ve been here for seven years, seven winters. If you give me back my breath, revive me, then I will give you the sword of the man who became your brother.
- How can I give you back your breath?
“I myself have the medicine to revive.” If you give me back my breath, you will be my older brother, and I will become your younger brother.
- Well, I’ll fulfill your request.
He jumped off the horse and came closer.
“Put your head completely straight for me.”
He straightened his head, stepped aside, and looked: he was lying quite straight. Ekva-Pyrisch says:
“The song of a man who carries me, the word of a man who carries me—let my head lie straight!”
The younger son looked at the old woman and the old man again: his head was lying quite straight.
Ekva-Pyrisch says again:
“Put my arms, legs, and bones in their place.”
The young hero put the bones in their places, stepped aside and looked. They lie well.
Ekva-Pyrisch says:
— On the right side I have a bubble of living water. Take this bottle, sprinkle my severed neck with living water, pour living water into my mouth.
As was said, I did so. He sprinkled it on his neck and poured living water into his mouth. The bones were overgrown with meat and skin. The man came to life and sat down. He rose to his feet, hugged and kissed the young hero.
- Now you will be my older brother.
I gave him the sword, the heroes said goodbye, and went their separate ways.
The old woman and the old man's youngest son went to the Bottom Man.
His younger brother met him and said:
- Hey! Here you are.
- I’ve arrived.
- And did you bring my strength?
“Brought,” he answers.
He gave away the sword.
“Well,” the grassroots man’s son says, “now I won’t sleep a single night at home again.” Three years ago I wooed the Wise Old Woman’s daughter. She didn’t give me her daughter, and now she wants to fight with me. I will go to her this very night.
He got dressed, girded himself with a sword and set off. Whether it was a long or short journey, he reached the land where the Wise Old Woman lived. The old woman gathered her people. On a summer day there are so many mosquitoes, there are never as many gadflies as there are warriors for the old woman. The son of the Bottom Man began to fight with them, beats and chops the warriors, but as many as he kills, as many new ones appear. He fought for a long time, couldn’t stand it, and returned home.
Brother says:
“Dear brother, the Wise Old Woman has many warriors, no matter how hard I fought, I could not defeat them.”
“Stay here, I’ll go instead of you.”
“Where are you going, dear brother, they’ll kill you!”
- No, I'll go.
I got ready and went. Whether it was a long or short journey, he arrived in the land where the Wise Old Woman lives. There were more warriors than mosquitoes on a summer day. They started fighting. The young hero took the whip in his hands. He'll wave here, wave there, and the warriors will just fall down. Finally, the entire army of the Wise Old Woman came to an end. The old woman was left alone. The hero chased after her, the old woman turned around and rolled along the ground. I chased and chased, I couldn’t catch up, the ring fell through the ground. The hero jumped off his horse, walked back and forth, searching. I found a hole in the ground, a ladder goes down. I went down the ladder into this hole. I got to the Lower World and began to search there. He saw the yurt standing, looked into the yurt, and an old woman was sitting, spinning threads, turning a spindle. As soon as it turns, a person appears. As soon as he appears, he runs into the back room. And there they shout:
- Get dressed, get equipped. Our enemies are pursuing our wise grandmother!
The hero stepped into the back room, and there were people there! And more comes. The number of times the old woman spins, the number of people will run in. Pre-prepared clothes are put on. No matter how many people come running, there is enough clothing for everyone.
The hero went into the first room and said to the old woman:
- Give me the spindle here, as soon as I spin it, three people will jump out at once.
“When I was younger,” the old woman answers, “my hands were faster.” How cool it used to be - a lot popped up at once. And now my hands are weak.
- Come on, let me try.
The old woman gave him the spindle. He grabbed it and stuck it down her throat. The old woman fell to the floor and died.
He left the yurt and continued walking.
In one place I saw another house. He entered the house and the old man was forging iron, only sparks were flying. As the spark flies out, a person appears. He appears and screams and whistles and runs into another room.
The hero says to the old man:
- Give me the hammer. As soon as I hit you, a lot of people will appear at once!
“My hands are weak,” the old man replies. - I have grown old. When I was younger, I also kicked out a lot.
- Come on, let me try.
The old man gave it back. The hero grabbed the hammer, hit the old man on the forehead, and he fell to the ground.
The hero came out again and continued walking.
Soon he approached the house. Such a beautiful house.
Throughout the house, one piece of gold goes up, one piece of gold goes down. He entered the house and saw a wise old woman lying down, sleeping, and her daughter sitting next to her.
The Wise Old Woman's Daughter says:
“The old woman and the old man’s youngest son, what animal dragged you here, what need brought you here?” My mother, if she wakes up, she’ll kill you! How can I help you? Here's what you do. Get out of the house. You will see two barrels in the entryway. In one there is living water, in the other there is dead water. Swap these barrels. In the place where the barrel of living water is, put a barrel of dead water, and take that one and put it in the place of the dead water.
The hero went and did as his girlfriend taught him. Then he returned back to the house.
At that time, the girl began to wake up the Wise Old Woman.
- Mother, mother, get up, the enemies have attacked!
The old woman jumped up and began to fight the hero.
The old woman's daughter shouts:
“You’re killing a completely decrepit old woman.” Let her go for a while, let her rest!
As soon as the hero released the old woman, she jumped out of the house and threw herself into a barrel of dead water. He thinks that this barrel contains living water. I just had time to shout:
- My own daughter killed me! - and died.
The daughter of the Wise Old Woman and the hero were left alone.
The old woman and the old man's youngest son came out of the house, took a bag out of his pocket and said:
— A bag sewn by the eldest daughter-in-law! What, the Wise Old Woman’s house won’t fit into this bag?
I started to put it in, and everything fit in! He tightened the strings, rolled up the bag, and put it in his pocket. After that, he turned around and went home.
He got out to the ground, his horse stood still. I sat on it and drove off. Whether it was a long or short journey, I got to my younger brother. I went into the house.
- Well, how was it going? - the younger brother asks.
“I went well, now let’s go in my direction.”
- Wherever you want, we’ll go there.
The old woman and the old man's youngest son came out of the house and said:
“Won’t this house fit into the bag that my middle daughter-in-law sewed for me?”
He took out the bag, straightened it out, began to stuff the house in - everything fit. He tied it, rolled up the bag and put it in his pocket. Then he got on the horse and rode on.
Whether it was a long or short journey, I arrived at Ekva-Pyrisch.
- Eh, dear brother, have you arrived yet?
- Why shouldn’t I come? My mother gave birth to me as a hero, what can the little people living on this earth do to me?
He went out into the street and said:
“Will this house fit into that bag that my youngest daughter-in-law sewed for me or not?”
He took the bag out of his pocket and stuffed the house into it. Everything fit. He tightened it, rolled it up and put it in his pocket. He got on the horse and rode on. I drove and drove, and one day I got to the house that I used to go into when I was leaving home. He sees a girl, so beautiful, sitting:
The girl says:
- The old woman and the old man are the youngest son, and you really are a great guy!
He didn’t answer a word and left the house.
“What, this house won’t fit into that bag that my youngest daughter-in-law sewed for me?”
He took out the bag, straightened it out, and put the house in it. All entered. He tied it, rolled it up, and put it in his pocket. Then I went.
To a near land is a short journey, to a distant land is a long journey. How much time has passed, one day I came to visit my mother and father. He sees that they are already quite old. I gave them living water to drink and they immediately became younger.
Evening came, the hero walked out into the middle of the village. I found a place for four houses. He took the bags out of his pocket, took them out at home, and put them on the ground.
In the morning, people gathered from all over the village. They stand, look at the houses, and are surprised. We stood there for a whole week and couldn’t see enough. Meanwhile, the old woman and the old man’s youngest son prepared a feast for the entire village and gathered all the people. How long or how short did the guests feast until they had eaten everything?
The youngest son of the old woman and the old man gave the daughter of the wise old woman to the son of the Lower Man. Ekva-Pyrisch took the daughter of the Lower Man, and the younger son married the old woman and the old man to the girl whom he met on the way back.
Since then, all three heroes began to live together. People still remember the old woman and the old man’s youngest son, calling him Polum-Torum, the Polymsky hero.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru