In the glorious city of Rostov, the Rostov cathedral priest had one and only son. His name was Alyosha, nicknamed Popovich after his father.
Alyosha Popovich did not learn to read and write, did not sit down to read books, but learned from an early age to wield a spear, shoot a bow, and tame heroic horses. Alyosha is not a great hero in strength, but he prevailed with audacity and cunning.
Alyosha Popovich grew up to sixteen years old, and he became bored in his father’s house. He began to ask his father to let him go into an open field, into a wide expanse, to travel freely throughout Rus', to reach the blue sea, to hunt in the forests. His father let him go and gave him a heroic horse, a saber, a sharp spear and a bow with arrows. Alyosha began to saddle his horse and began to say: “Serve me faithfully, heroic horse.” Do not leave me either dead or wounded to be torn to pieces by gray wolves, to black crows to be pecked, or to enemies to be mocked! Wherever we are, bring us home! He dressed his horse like a prince. The saddle is from Cherkasy, the girth is silk, the bridle is gilded.
Alyosha called his beloved friend Ekim Ivanovich with him and on Saturday morning he left home to seek heroic glory for himself. Here are faithful friends riding shoulder to shoulder, stirrup to stirrup, looking around. No one is visible in the steppe - no hero with whom to measure strength, no beast to hunt. The Russian steppe stretches out under the sun without end, without edge, and you can’t hear a rustle in it, you can’t see a bird in the sky. Suddenly Alyosha sees a stone lying on the mound, and something is written on the stone. Alyosha says to Ekim Ivanovich:
- Come on, Ekimushka, read what is written on the stone. You are well-literate, but I am not trained to read and write and cannot read. Ekim jumped off his horse and began to make out the inscription on the stone:
“Here, Alyoshenka, is what is written on the stone: the right road leads to Chernigov, the left road leads to Kyiv, to Prince Vladimir, and the straight road leads to the blue sea, to quiet backwaters.”
- Where should we go, Ekim?
“It’s a long way to go to the blue sea; there’s no need to go to Chernigov: there are good kalachniks there.” Eat one kalach and you’ll want another; eat another and you’ll collapse on the feather bed; we won’t find heroic glory there. We’ll go to Prince Vladimir, maybe he’ll take us into his squad.
- Well, then, Ekim, let’s take the left path.
The fellows wrapped up their horses and rode along the road to Kyiv. They reached the bank of the Safat River and set up a white tent. Alyosha jumped off his horse, entered the tent, lay down on the green grass and fell into a deep sleep. And Ekim unsaddled the horses, watered them, walked them, hobbled them and let them go into the meadows, only then did he go to rest.
Alyosha woke up in the morning, washed his face with dew, dried himself with a white towel, and began combing his curls. And Ekim jumped up, went after the horses, gave them water, fed them oats, and saddled both his and Alyosha’s. Once again the fellows hit the road. They drive and drive, and suddenly they see an old man walking in the middle of the steppe. A beggar wanderer is a wanderer. He is wearing bast shoes made of seven silks, he is wearing a sable fur coat, a Greek hat, and in his hands is a traveling club. He saw the fellows and blocked their path:
- Oh, you brave fellows, you don’t go beyond the Safat River. The evil enemy Tugarin, son of the Snake, became there. He is as tall as a tall oak tree, between his shoulders is an oblique fathom, you can put an arrow between your eyes. His winged horse is like a fierce beast: flames are blazing from his nostrils, smoke is pouring out of his ears. Don't go there, well done!
Ekimushka glances at Alyosha, and Alyosha became incensed and angry:
- So that I give way to all evil spirits! I can’t take him by force, I’ll take him by cunning. My brother, road wanderer, give me your dress for a while, take my heroic armor, help me deal with Tugarin.
- Okay, take it, and make sure there is no trouble: he can swallow you in one gulp.
- It’s okay, we’ll manage somehow! Alyosha put on a colored dress and went on foot to the Safat River. It's coming. leaning on a baton, limping...
Tugarin Zmeevich saw him, screamed so that the earth trembled, tall oaks bent, water splashed out of the river, Alyosha was barely standing alive, his legs were giving way.
“Hey,” shouts Tugarin, “hey, wanderer, have you seen Alyosha Popovich?” I would like to find him, stab him with a spear, and burn him with fire.
And Alyosha pulled his Greek hat over his face, groaned, groaned and answered in an old man’s voice:
- Oh-oh-oh, don’t be angry with me, Tugarin Zmeevich! I'm deaf from old age, I can't hear anything you order me. Come closer to me, to the wretched one. Tugarin rode up to Alyosha, leaned down from the saddle, wanted to bark in his ear, and Alyosha was dexterous and evasive - as soon as a club struck him between the eyes, Tugarin fell unconscious to the ground.
Alyosha took off his expensive dress, embroidered with gems, not a cheap dress, costing a hundred thousand, and put it on himself. He strapped Tugarin himself to the saddle and rode back to his friends. And so Ekim Ivanovich is not himself, he is eager to help Alyosha, but it is impossible to interfere in the hero’s business, to interfere with Alyosha’s glory. Suddenly he sees Ekim - a horse galloping like a fierce beast, Tugarin is sitting on him in an expensive dress. Ekim got angry and threw his thirty-pound club straight into Alyosha Popovich’s chest. Alyosha fell down dead. And Ekim pulled out the dagger, rushed to the fallen man, wants to finish off Tugarin... And suddenly he sees Alyosha lying in front of him...
Ekim Ivanovich fell to the ground and burst into tears:
“I killed, I killed my named brother, dear Alyosha Popovich!” They began to shake and rock Alyosha with a calico, poured foreign drink into his mouth, and rubbed him with medicinal herbs. Alyosha opened his eyes, got to his feet, stood and wobbled. Ekim Ivanovich is not himself with joy; He took off Tugarin’s dress from Alyosha, dressed him in heroic armor, and gave the Kalika his goods. He put Alyosha on his horse and walked alongside him: he supported Alyosha.
Only in Kyiv itself did Alyosha come into force. They arrived in Kyiv on Sunday, around lunchtime. We drove into the prince's courtyard, jumped off our horses, tied them to oak posts and entered the upper room. Prince Vladimir greets them kindly.
- Hello, dear guests, where did you come to see me from? What is your name, what is your patronymic?
— I am from the city of Rostov, the son of the cathedral priest Leonty. And my name is Alyosha Popovich. We drove through the pure steppe, met Tugarin Zmeevich, he is now hanging in my toroki.
Prince Vladimir was delighted:
- What a hero you are, Alyoshenka! Wherever you want, sit at the table: if you want, next to me, if you want, opposite me, if you want, next to the princess.
Alyosha Popovich did not hesitate; he sat down next to the princess. And Ekim Ivanovich stood by the stove.
Prince Vladimir shouted to the servants:
- Untie Tugarin Zmeevich, bring him here to the room!
As soon as Alyosha took hold of the bread and salt, the doors of the hotel opened, twelve grooms were brought in on Tugarin’s golden plaque, and they were seated next to Prince Vladimir. The steward came running, brought roasted geese, swans, and brought ladles of sweet honey. But Tugarin behaves discourteously, impolitely. He grabbed the swan and ate it with the bones, stuffing it whole into his cheek. He grabbed the rich pies and threw them into his mouth; for one breath he pours ten ladles of honey down his throat. Before the guests had time to take a piece, there were only bones on the table.
Alyosha Popovich frowned and said:
“My father priest Leonty had an old and greedy dog. She grabbed a large bone and choked. I grabbed her by the tail and threw her down the hill - the same will happen to Tugarin from me.
Tugarin darkened like an autumn night, pulled out a sharp dagger and threw it at Alyosha Popovich. The end would have come for Alyosha, but Ekim Ivanovich jumped up and intercepted the dagger in flight.
- My brother, Alyosha Popovich, will you throw the knife at him yourself or will you allow me?
“And I won’t leave you, and I won’t allow you: it’s discourteous to start a quarrel with a prince in the upper room.” And I’ll talk to him tomorrow in an open field, and Tugarin won’t be alive tomorrow evening.
The guests began to make noise, began to argue, began to take a bet, they bet everything on Tugarin—ships, goods, and money. Only Princess Apraxia and Ekim Ivanovich are considered for Alyosha.
Alyosha got up from the table and went with Ekim to his tent on the Safat River. Alyosha does not sleep all night, looks at the sky, calls on a thundercloud to wet Tugarin’s wings with rain. Early in the morning Tugarin arrived, hovering over the tent, wanting to strike from above. It was not for nothing that Alyosha did not sleep: a thunder cloud flew in, rained down, and wetted Tugarin’s horse’s mighty wings. The horse rushed to the ground and galloped along the ground. Alyosha sits firmly in the saddle, waving a sharp saber.
Tugarin roared so loudly that leaves fell from the trees:
“This is the end for you, Alyoshka: if I want, I’ll burn with fire, if I want, I’ll trample on my horse, if I want, I’ll stab with a spear!”
Alyosha drove up closer to him and said:
- Why are you, Tugarin, deceiving?! You and I bet that we would measure our strength one on one, but now you have an untold strength behind you!
Tugarin looked back, wanted to see what power was behind him, and that’s all Alyosha needed. He swung his sharp saber and cut off his head! The head rolled to the ground like a beer cauldron, and Mother Earth began to hum! Alyosha jumped off and wanted to take the head, but he couldn’t lift it an inch from the ground.
Alyosha Popovich shouted in a loud voice:
- Hey, you, faithful comrades, help raise Tugarin’s head from the ground!
Ekim Ivanovich rode up with his comrades and helped Alyosha Popovich put Tugarin’s head on the hero’s horse. When they arrived in Kyiv, they drove into the princely courtyard and threw a monster in the middle of the courtyard.
Prince Vladimir came out with the princess, invited Alyosha to the princely table, and spoke kind words to Alyosha:
- Live, Alyosha, in Kyiv, serve me, Prince Vladimir. I'll welcome you, Alyosha.
Alyosha remained in Kyiv as a warrior; So they sing about young Alyosha in the old days, so that good people will listen: Our Alyosha is of the priestly family, He is brave and smart, but has a grumpy disposition. He is not as strong as he pretended to be.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru