A long time ago, in time immemorial, there was no fire on earth and no one knew how to get it. Then they decided to go to God himself for fire. But God is far away. Who will get to him? We turned to the big birds. The big birds refused, the small ones too, and the lark didn’t want to either. The little birdie listened to them arguing among themselves and said to them:
“Since no one wants to fly there, I’ll fly!”
- But you are so small! Your wings are so short! You won't make it, you'll die from fatigue.
. “I’ll try,” said the little birdie, “but if I die on the way, what can I do!”
And so she flew and flew so fast that she soon rushed to the throne of God. God was very surprised to see her. He sat her on his lap, but did not dare give her the fire.
“You will burn,” he said, “while you fly towards the ground.”
But the birdie insisted.
- Well, so be it! “I will give you what you ask,” said God. - However, don’t be in such a hurry, don’t fly fast. If you fly too fast, your feathers will catch fire.
The birdie promised to be careful, and so she took off and flew merrily to the ground. While she was still far away, she remembered this advice, she was in no hurry, but when she began to approach and from a distance saw how everyone was waiting for her on the ground, she flew faster... And what God predicted for her happened. She brought fire to earth, everyone immediately took possession of it, and the poor birdie was left without a single feather. Everything burned!
Then the birds began to fuss around her. Each one pulled out a feather from herself in order to quickly make at least some kind of dress for the birdie. Bot since then she has such motley plumage. Only one ugly bird - an owl - did not want to give her anything. And then all the birds attacked the owl to teach him a lesson for such heartlessness. And the owl had to hide. That is why she comes out only at night, and if she appears during the day, then all the birds in a flock pounce on her and drive her into a hollow.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru