Once upon a time there lived an old man and an old woman. They didn't have children for a long time. They grieved and thought that they would die childless. And suddenly their son was born. He lived for one day and became like a one-year-old child. I lived for two days and became like a two-year-old. He lived for twelve days and became as if he were twelve years old. He came to his father and said:
- I can smell it. that I have twelve heroic powers! You made me a bow and arrows. Let each arrow weigh half a pound, and let each bow weigh a pound!
The father fulfilled his son’s request - he brought him a bow and arrows. After this the son says:
- Well, father and mother, now I’ll go for a walk!
He went out into the street, and there were guys playing. He approached them and sang:
Small and big guys, let me play with you!
The guys say:
- Shoot an arrow into the sky, and lie down face up and catch the arrow with your teeth when it falls - then only we’ll let you play with us!
The hero boy released an arrow from his bow and lay down face up. A little time has passed - the arrow flies back. He grabbed the arrow with his teeth, and then sang again:
Small and big guys. Let me play with you!
But the guys again refused to accept him.
“We won’t accept it,” they say, “until you show your strength!”
- How can I show you my strength?
- Go down into the hole, swim further away, break the ice - then maybe we’ll accept it!
The hero boy went down under the ice and swam to the side. He broke the thick ice with his head and went ashore. He approached the guys and sang:
Small and big guys, let me play with you!
And the guys say:
We won't allow it! Now, if you break a stone mountain with the toe of your boot, then we’ll accept it!
The hero boy approached the stone mountain. He began to kick her with his right foot. The stone mountain crackled, broke, and crumbled. Eleven heroic forces left. The boy has only one strength left...
The master's servants found out about this. They ran to the gentlemen and said:
- A son was born to a poor old man and old woman. He had twelve heroic strengths, but he lost eleven strengths when he broke a stone mountain, one strength remained with him.
Gentlemen got scared:
- Well, we can’t expect any good from this hero! He’s not even a year old, but he’s stronger than everyone else! What will happen when he grows up? He won’t even want to listen to us and won’t want to work for us. Look, it will completely destroy us, gentlemen! Before the eleven forces return to him, servants, dig a hole forty fathoms deep, grab him and throw him into this hole.
The servants ran, began to dig a hole and dug a hole forty fathoms deep. After that, they attacked the hero boy, tied his hands and feet with belts, and threw him into a pit. They came to the gentlemen and said:
- He's in the hole!
The gentlemen were delighted:
- Well, now we can live in peace: if he doesn’t get out of the hole, he’ll perish there from hunger!
The hero boy is lying in a hole, looking at the sky, but cannot get out of the hole.
A crow flew in, sat on the edge of the hole, looked into the hole, and saw him. And he saw a crow. I started asking her.
- Hey, crow, crow! - speaks. - Fly to your mother and father, tell them that they tied my hands and feet with strong belts, threw me into a deep hole, they want me to die of thirst and hunger here! Call them to my aid!
Crow says:
- Chygyrdyk! Chygyrdyk! Why would I call them? Die, I don't care!
She said and flew away.
Then the magpie flew in. I looked into the hole. The boy asks her:
Hey magpie, magpie! Fly to your mother and father, tell them that they tied my hands and feet with strong belts, they threw me into a deep hole, they want me to die of thirst and hunger here! Call them to my aid!
Magpie says: - Shogerdek! Shogerdek! I won't call them!
She said so and flew away.
The boy is lying in a deep hole, he cannot untie his legs and arms, he cannot get out of the hole. Here the goose bird flies in. The boy says to the goose bird:
- Hey, goose-bird, goose-bird! Fly to my mother and father, tell them that they tied my legs and arms with strong belts, threw me into a deep hole, they want me to die of thirst and hunger! Call them to my aid! Let them come to me quickly, let them bring forty-one axes, let them bring forty-one bulls! I’ll eat bulls and gain strength; I’ll cut strong straps with axes.
The bird-goose listened and flew away. He flew to the old man and old woman.
- Grandfather! - speaks. - Grandmother! - speaks. - Your son, gentlemen, was thrown into a deep hole, he is dying from hunger, from thirst, he cannot get out! He ordered you to bring him forty-one axes, and forty-one bulls to bring him!
The old man and the old woman began to strain and cry and said:
- Our son is no longer alive! His bones have long since turned white. Why are we going?
They drove away the bird-goose. The goose flew to the boy and said:
“Your mother and father don’t believe me that you’re alive!” What are we going to do?
The boy says:
“Come down here into the hole with me, on your wings I’ll write them a letter!”
The bird goose went down into the hole. The boy freed his fingers and wrote on the goose’s wings: “I’m alive, come quickly!”
The goose flew out of the hole and flew back to the old people. To the old woman, to the old man he says:
“Your son ordered forty-one axes to be brought, and forty-one bulls to be brought.” He is alive, tied up in a deep hole. If you don’t believe my conscience, read on the wings: he wrote you a letter!
The old woman and the old man looked at the wings and believed.
They took forty-one axes and drove forty-one bulls to the pit. They came, stood, looked into the pit, and talked to their son.
The master's servants saw this - they ran to the masters and began to tell:
“His mother and father came to the pit, they brought him forty-one axes, they brought forty-one bulls so that he could eat those bulls and gain strength.”
The gentlemen listened and ordered their servants:
- Fill it up, fill the hole to the top with sand and stones! Let him suffocate and die! And if he survives, things will be bad for you!
While the servants were running to their masters, the old man and the old woman threw the bulls into the pit to see their son. The son of the bulls ate - all twelve powers returned to him. He ordered the axes to be thrown to him. The old man and the old woman began to throw axes into the pit. They leave, and the son cuts his bonds. One ax breaks - he takes another, another one breaks - he chops with a third...
Then the master's servants came running with shovels. They began to fill the hole with sand and stones. They throw sand and stones into the pit, and the old man and the old woman throw axes. As soon as they had time to throw the forty-first ax, the master’s servants filled up the entire pit. The pit is full to the top. The old woman and the old man cried and went home. They think: “We won’t see our son again, he died...”
The old people returned home crying.
But the son did not die. He gathered his strength and began pushing sand and stones with his head. He pushed and pushed and threw everything out of the hole. Then he got out himself and went home. He came and sat on the bench. Covered his face with a hat. His father didn't recognize him.
- Who are you? - asks. - Why did you come to us? It’s not the right time for us to have a guest: woe is ours...
And the son is silent.
His father pulled his hat off and recognized his son. The old people were delighted; they never thought they would see him alive!
The son told them how he was saved, how he got out of the pit, and said:
“My twelve heroic powers have returned to me again!” I’ll go to the gentlemen: I want to measure my strength with them!
He said and left.
The gentlemen saw him - they got scared, ran around, didn’t know where to go, where to hide.
“Now we can’t cope with him,” they say. - There will be no mercy for us from him!..
They all ran without any direction, wherever their eyes looked. Yes, they ran far away - the hero overtook them. This is where the end came for them all.
The fairy tale goes there, and I go here!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru