In one village there lived a guy named Halvor with his mother and father.
He lived and had no worries, and brought a lot of grief to his parents. He sits all day near the stove and rummages through the ashes. And he doesn’t care about anything.
How many times did his father and mother send him to school, but to no avail. Not even three days will pass, and Halvor is home again - everything is not right for him, everything is not to his liking. Again he sits by the stove, again digging in the ashes. And then one day a sailor came into their house. He had seen many lands and seas and now again set off on a long voyage.
- Do you want me to take you with me? - he asks Halvor.
Yes, Halvor liked it, and he agreed to that.
It didn’t take him long to get ready - he shook the ash off his palms and went.
How long they sailed on the sea, I don’t know. I only know that they were caught in a strong storm, and when the storm finally subsided, even the captain could not say where they were - they were brought to the shore of some foreign land, and what kind of land it was and who lived on it - no one had ever even heard of it.
The wind had completely died down, the sails sagged, and the ship, like it or not, could not budge. Everyone gets tired of standing in one place. Even Halvor became bored.
He began to ask the captain to let him go ashore. And so he asked him that the captain agreed. - Just watch - the wind will blow a little, return to the ship quickly. We won't wait for you.
And so Halvor stepped onto the shore of an unknown land.
Everywhere you look, there are golden fields, green meadows, but no people are visible.
Halvor walked for a long time, and suddenly the ears of corn began to sway, the grass rustled, and the wind rose. Halvor should have turned back, but then he saw a big road, and he really wanted to know where it led. The road was so smooth that even rolling eggs along it would not break. And there were no traces on the road, neither human nor animal.
Halvor walked all day, and when evening came, the road led him to the castle. All the windows of the castle were illuminated and seemed to beckon to the tired traveler.
Halvor was pretty hungry, because he hadn’t had a crumb in his mouth since the morning. His ship must have gone to sea long ago, and he had no choice but to go into the castle.
He did just that.
First he got into the kitchen. The hearth was burning brightly, and something was being cooked and fried in huge pots and cauldrons made of silver and gold. But the people were nowhere to be seen. Halvor stood and admired all this kitchen splendor, but did not dare to touch anything. Then he noticed a door that probably led from the kitchen to the inner chambers. Halvor pushed her and gasped.
A beauty sat in front of him and was spinning on a spinning wheel.
-Who are you who dares to come here? - exclaimed the beauty. - Go away quickly! The owner of this castle is a three-headed troll. If he comes and sees you, you are lost.
“Even if he has four heads, I will still stay,” said Halvor. “I will not leave here until you feed me.” And I have nothing to be afraid of, because I didn’t do anything wrong.
The beauty liked that Halvor spoke so boldly. She fed him well and when he was full, she said:
“Come on, try to take off that sword that’s hanging on the wall.” If you take it off, you will save yourself and you will save me. Halvor chuckled. There’s nothing to try here! He grabbed the hilt of the sword... What is this? He can’t even lift it, let alone take it off.
“Take a sip from the flask that hangs next to you,” said the beauty. “The troll always does this before he takes up the sword.”
Halvor licked the bottle, took a sip, and took up his sword again. What is this? The sword became like a feather, as if there was nothing in the hand.
- Well, now let the troll come! - said Halvor, waving his sword.
And then there was a puffing sound, a noise, a crackling sound - it was the troll returning to his castle.
Halvor stood near the door.
As soon as the troll opened the door, he immediately sensed something was wrong.
- It smells like a man in here! - he shouted in a terrible voice.
- Right! - said Halvor and cut off all three of the troll’s heads at once.
Out of joy, the beauty began to sing and dance and had fun until she remembered her sisters. Then she began to cry.
“Oh, if only you could free my sisters too!” - she said to Halvor.
- Where are they? - asked Halvor.
- They were also kidnapped by trolls. We are three sisters, three princesses. The trolls locked us in their castles because we did not want to become their wives. It’s a whole day’s journey to one troll’s castle—my older sister lives there in captivity. It’s still a day and a night’s journey to the other troll’s castle, where my younger sister is languishing in captivity.
And the beauty cried again. The next morning Halvor set off on his journey. He walked all day until the evening, did not walk, but ran, and finally saw the troll's castle.
Through the kitchen, Halvor entered the inner chambers of the castle.
“What kind of person dared to come here?” - exclaimed the eldest princess. “I’ve already forgotten how long I’ve been living here—it’s been so long since the troll kidnapped me.” But I have never seen a person in these chambers. It's best if you leave here too, because the troll who owns this castle has six heads.
- Even if he has six six goals, I still won’t leave.
“He will grab you and swallow you alive,” said the princess. She really wanted to save this brave young man.
But her words didn't help at all. Halvor insisted: he will not leave. But he didn’t mind eating, because he hadn’t had a crumb in his mouth since the morning. Maybe the princess will feed him?
Well, of course. This won't be the case. The princess covered the entire table with food. The young man can eat as much as he wants. And then he still has to leave.
“No, I won’t leave,” said Halvor. “I didn’t do anything wrong, and I have nothing to fear from the troll.”
- Yes, he won’t even ask you anything, he’ll grab you without any talking and eat you. But if you are so stubborn, then at least take the sword that hangs on the wall. Just first take a sip from the flask that hangs nearby.
Halvor did just that.
Soon the troll appeared. He was even larger than the first and barely fit through the door. As soon as he stuck one of his heads in and moved his nose, he shouted:
- Ugh! It doesn't smell like a human here!
- You guessed it, six-headed! - said Halvor and cut off all six heads of the troll one by one.
The princess began to jump and dance for joy, and then she remembered her sisters and began to cry.
“Don’t cry,” Halvor told her, “I have already freed one of your sisters, but the second one doesn’t have long to be a prisoner.” The next morning Halvor set out on his journey. He walked all day, walked all night, and only at dawn on the second day did he see the battlements of the castle.
Halvor walked through the kitchen, opened the door to the castle chambers and saw such a beauty that he couldn’t even believe his eyes. You won't find one like this in the whole world. It was the youngest princess.
“Oh, young man,” she said, “why did you come here?” The owner of this castle is a terrible troll. You won't even have time to blink an eye before he swallows you. You can’t hide from him, you can’t save yourself, because he has nine heads. Leave before he returns.
“Even if he has a hundred heads, I won’t leave.” Let me take a sip from his bottle, then we'll see who can beat who.
Halvor drank a little from the bottle, then took the sword from the wall and began to wait for the troll. And then the earth trembled, the stone walls swayed - the troll returned to his castle. He was so huge that he could only fit through the door sideways. As soon as one of his heads appeared, Halvor cut it off, and then the other eight. True, he had to tinker with the last head. She sat so tightly on the body that Halvor could barely cope with her.
Finally it was all over.
The princess almost cried with joy, and when she found out that her sisters were also free, her happiness knew no end. Less than two days had passed before everyone gathered at the eldest sister’s castle. Never before have the walls of this castle seen so much fun, never heard such happy laughter.
The sisters became deeply attached to Halvor, but the youngest princess loved him most of all. And Halvor loved her with all his heart. All that remained now was to celebrate the wedding.
One thing saddened Halvor - the thought of his father and mother. That's right, they are mourning their unlucky son! But how they would rejoice at his happiness and wealth!
“It’s easy to help your grief,” the bride told him. “Here’s a ring for you, turn it on your finger once, and it will take you wherever you want; you turn twice, and - just call - everyone will be near you; turn it three times and you’ll come back to us again. But remember: don’t invite us to your place, otherwise you’ll never see any of us again. An evil whirlwind will take us to the castle of Soria-Moria. And you won’t find a way there. And the ring won't help you.
With these words she took the ring from her hand and put it on Halvor’s hand.
The older sisters brought clothes for Halvor - made of silk and velvet, embroidered with silver and gold, decorated with precious stones. Halvor dressed up and looked like a prince himself. Then he turned the ring on his finger and said:
- Where my home was, let me be there too! Where I stand, let my home stand!
And before he had time to say it, everything came true according to his word. Again his father's house is in front of him. He pushed the door - there were familiar walls all around. And everything in the house is still the same - the same stove, the same box with ash. It was already evening. At dusk, father and mother did not recognize Halvor. They saw that a distinguished guest had come to see them, and out of embarrassment they began to curtsy and bow.
- Would you let me spend the night, good people? - asked Halvor.
The old people were completely at a loss. No, no, how is this possible? The gentleman apparently has the wrong house. They are poor people. They don’t have this, and they don’t have that, and there’s nothing to feed and drink, and there’s nowhere to sleep. It would be better for him to go to another house, at the end of the street, where there is a high chimney on the roof, there he will find everything for the gentleman. But Halvor does not agree.
“Maybe you’ll still let me spend the night with you.” I don't need anything. At least I can sit here on the ash box. He sat down on the edge of the box and began to pour the ash through his fingers, as he used to do before.
Father and mother are surprised - what a strange guest! Don't drive him out of the house!
Word by word, they talked about this and that.
- Don’t you have children? - asks Halvor.
“There was a son,” says the father, “but he left us.” And he doesn’t give any news about himself. Whether he’s alive or not, we don’t know anything.
-What was he like? - asks Hal-vor. - Doesn’t he look like me?
- Where does he care about you! - says the mother. “He only knew things, like you are now, sitting on a box and stirring up the ashes with his hand.”
Then the mother went to the stove to add coal to the hearth. A bright flame illuminated the box and Halvor, who sat with his hand in the ash.
- Halvor, son, it’s you! - the old woman screamed. - Father, look, it’s our son who has returned!
And both old men rushed to hug Halvor. They cried and laughed with joy. And there was no end to the conversations. The father and mother had only one regret: they couldn’t see their dear daughter-in-law. The next morning a neighbor came to see them and gasped when she saw Halvor in silk and velvet. An hour had not passed, and the whole village knew that Halvor had defeated three terrible trolls and returned home. All the neighbors wanted to see him as soon as possible, and the neighbor’s daughters couldn’t wait to look at Halvor. Before, they didn’t want to know him. They’ll meet you on the street and let’s tease: “Hey, you dirty little thing! Don’t you need any ash? Come and we’ll pour out a full barrel!” And now each one went out of her way to make Halvor look at her, each one tried to talk to him, each one tried to smile at him more kindly. But they tried in vain! Now Halvor himself did not want to look at them.
“What is it,” he says, “are you all dressed up like garden scarecrows?” You can only herd cows in your outfits! If only my bride and her sisters would laugh at you!
And, forgetting about everything that the bride told him, he turned the ring on his finger twice and said:
- Let the castle and princesses be where I stand...
But before he had time to close his mouth, the sky suddenly became dark, thunder roared, and through the roar and howl of the whirlwind, voices were heard:
- Goodbye, Halvor! Look for us at the castle of Soria Moria. If you don't find it, you'll never see us again.
And everything became quiet.
The neighbors hurried to go home in fear, and Halvor covered his face with his hands and cried bitterly.
“I brought trouble upon myself.” Now there is only one thing left for me - to go look for the castle of Soria Moria.
No matter how much his father and mother tried to persuade him, no matter how much they asked him to stay, Halvor did not want to listen to them. - Either I find the castle of Soria-Moria, or I won’t live!
And he set off. He walked and walked, and the road led him into the forest. The forest is dense, dark, there is no end to it. Halvor made his way through the dense thicket all day, walked all night and suddenly saw a light among the trees.
“That’s right, someone lives here,” thought Halvor. “Maybe they’ll give me something to eat and let me rest!”
Halvor came closer and saw a small, miserable hut. I looked out the window, and there were two people sitting there, an old man and an old woman. The old woman has a very long nose. She stood near the stove and straightened the coals with her nose, like a poker.
- Good evening! - said Halvor.
- Good evening! - answered the old woman. “Why did you come here?” No one has been here for a hundred years.
Well, Halvor told where he was going and asked if she knew the way to the castle of Soria Moria.
“No,” said the old woman, “I don’t know the way there.” But now it’s a month, we’ll ask him. He wanders all over the world, so he probably knows everything.
When the moon, bright and shiny, rose above the trees, the old woman went out onto the porch.
- A month, a month! - she shouted. “Can you show the way to Soria Moria Castle?”
“I know the way in the sky, but I can’t find it on the ground,” said the month. “The cloud covered the castle from me as I sailed over it.”
He said - and went on his way.
“Don’t worry,” the old woman said to Halvo. — The west wind will arrive soon. He knows everything, he got into every corner!.. Just go and get some sleep. And I'll watch for him.
And suddenly there was a noise, a buzz all around, even the walls began to crack - it was the west wind that blew in.
The old woman ran out of the hut, waving her arms and shouting:
- Wind! West wind! Wait! Can you show me the way to the castle of Soria Moria? Help a good man get there.
“I know all the roads in this world,” said the western wind. “And now I’m flying to the castle of Soria-Moria myself.” The wedding is being prepared there. The washerwomen are already washing the bride's trousseau, but I need to dry it. If your guest is fast on his feet, let him follow me. Yes, tell me not to hesitate, I’m in a hurry,” the western wind rustled. And there’s no need to call Halvor, he’s already standing on the threshold.
“Wait,” said the old woman. “I’ll give you my old running boots.” Without them, you won't be able to keep up with this wind. And she brought out a pair of boots for Halvor.
“Before, as soon as you stepped in them, you left seven miles behind.” Well, now they’re a little worn out, they don’t do more than five miles at a time.
And the west wind is in a hurry, raging:
- Hurry, hurry! I have no time! And he rushed over the mountains and forests. Halvor runs after him, barely keeping up.
Trees hit him in the face, bushes sting his eyes, but he runs and runs. Over the highest mountain the west wind died down a little and said to Halvor:
- Then go on alone, and I’ll stretch myself a little and break some Christmas trees. You go down the slope of this mountain, and there it’s not far to the castle of Soria Moria. A river flows at the foot of the mountain, and in this river the girls wash their clothes. So you tell them that I will be arriving soon.
And so Halvor went alone. He didn’t have time to look back, but the boots had already brought him down. A river flows below, girls are rinsing their laundry on the bank. And on a high hill in an open place stands a castle with lacy turrets and battlements.
“Tell me, girls,” says Halvor, “what is the name of this castle?”
“This is Soria Moria Castle,” the girls answer. “Tell us, dear man, did you encounter a west wind on your way?” We can't dry our laundry without it.
“I saw him, I saw him breaking down trees on the mountain, he promised that he would be here soon,” said Halvor.
And he walked towards the castle. In the castle of guests - visible and invisible. And Halvor, while chasing the wind, tore all his clothes so much that he was ashamed to show himself to people. He stood in a secluded corner, looking at the wedding feast. At the head of the table sits the bride - his, Halvor's, bride, and next to her, in his place, is some overseas prince. The bride furtively wipes away her tears, and her sisters almost cry out loud. Halvor looks at them, and his heart bleeds. And the guests are already drinking to the young couple. What to do? What to think of? Halvor took the ring from his hand, put it in a goblet of wine and sent it to the bride with the cupbearer. She took a sip of wine and saw at the bottom of the goblet the ring that she gave to Halvor.
Then the princess stood up from her seat and said:
“No, the one sitting next to me is not my fiancé; he took me away by force.” And my real groom is the one who saved me and my sisters from captivity.
And she pointed to Halvor.
The overseas prince was driven away, and the youngest princess and Halvor celebrated a merry wedding.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru