Once upon a time there lived a peasant. He had three sons: the eldest - Vasily, the middle - Pyodor and the youngest - Ivan. Ivan was a sedun, he didn’t get off the stove, he kept sitting there, he used to chop the clay. And the other two brothers are not stupid, they are smart. One day my father fell ill and became completely weak. He called his sons and said:
“Well, my sons, apparently it’s time for me to die, I won’t get better.” Bury me, and then visit the grave for three nights. On the first night let Vasily come, on the second night let Pedor come, and after that you come too, Sedun.
So the father said goodbye to his sons and immediately left. They buried him honorably. Evening came, it was time to go to the grave of the eldest son.
Vasily says:
“Won’t you, Sedun, go to your father’s grave instead of me?” I'll buy you a red shirt for that.
“Okay, I’ll go,” Sedun agreed. He had been eyeing the red shirt for a long time. I got ready without hesitation and went.
Sedun slept the night at his father's grave, and in the morning his father gave him a handsome red horse. Sedun is happy. He quickly took the horse to the stream, and went home as if nothing had happened.
Now the second night is approaching, the middle brother, Pedor, needs to go to the cemetery. In the evening Pedor Seduna asks:
“Aren’t you going to the grave instead of me, Ivan?” I'll buy you a pair of boots for this.
“I’ll go,” Sedun agreed again. And what does he need boots for? He doesn't go anywhere. Yes, apparently, he needs to show off too - off he goes.
Sedun slept the second night at his father's grave, and in the morning received a gray horse as a gift. Sedun was glad and took this horse to the stream.
When the third night approached and it was Sedun’s turn to go to the cemetery, he thought that now no one would pay him for this. However, he trudged along and slept at his father’s grave for the third night. In the morning, the father gave his youngest son a black horse. Sedun also took the funnel to the same stream.
And the king ruled that side, and the king had three daughters: Marya, Vasilisa and Marpida. And the time has come for them to choose their grooms. The king gave the girls a silk scarf: one was a beautiful, beautiful scarf, the other was even more beautiful, and the youngest, Princess Marpida, the most beautiful, was all on fire.
In the morning, the eldest daughter hung her scarf on the balcony.
“Whoever gets the handkerchief,” they announced throughout the kingdom, “will be the groom!”
The people heard this and flocked to the palace from all sides. The Seduna brothers also got ready.
“Maybe happiness will smile on us too!” - think to themselves.
Sedun saw their preparations and asked:
- Brothers, won’t you take me with you? They just laugh:
- Where are you going, you fool! I would be sitting on the stove. They harnessed their father's old nag to the sleigh and drove off.
And Sedun went to the stream, called the red horse there and climbed into his ear.
In one ear I steamed and washed myself, in the other I got dressed and put on shoes and came out looking so handsome and strong - well done!
The young man jumped on his horse and soon caught up with his brothers - they rode off not far away in a nag. He caught up and, without stopping, just bent down, hit one brother on the ear as he galloped, hit the other and whistled past. The brothers fell to their knees.
“Holy, holy,” they say, “no way, Elijah the prophet rushed by!”
And Sedun rushed to the Tsar’s palace, jumped higher than the balcony, but left the scarf and did not take it.
The people marvel:
- Well, he can, but he won’t!
Probably some lucky person later took out this scarf, but Sedun did not see it. On the way back, he met his brothers again and again gave one and the other a slap on the ear. The brothers fell to their knees.
“Holy, holy,” they say, “and truly, Elijah the prophet, how intimidating he was!”
When the brothers returned home, Sedun was lying on the stove - he had galloped up a long time ago, released his horse to the stream, and climbed into his place.
- Well, brothers, what did you see and hear? - asks.
“We didn’t see anything,” they say. “Someone has already taken off the scarf, it’s not about us, apparently... Only Elijah the Prophet galloped past along the road and greatly intimidated us.”
“But I didn’t hear any thunder.” If you stayed at home, it would be better,” says Sedun. The next day, the middle daughter hung out her scarf. The brothers gathered again - maybe this time they will be lucky. Sedun asked:
- Take me too!
Yes, they just laughed:
- Shut up, fool, where are you going! Lie on the stove.
We harnessed our nag and drove off.
Sedun got off the stove, went to the stream, called another horse, a gray one. He got into one ear, washed and took a steam bath, got dressed and put on shoes in the other, and again appeared strong and handsome. He jumped on a gray horse and galloped off. As soon as he caught up with the brothers, again, without getting out of the saddle, he gave one a blow, another, and they fell to their knees.
- Holy, holy! - are baptized. - Elijah the prophet rushed by, completely intimidating us!
And Sedun drove up to the balcony, jumped up and again, like last time, didn’t take the handkerchief, just looked.
People marveled:
“Here it is: he could have taken the scarf, but he didn’t take it off!” Sedun galloped back. He looks: his brothers are still going to the Tsar’s palace. Again Sedun honored them with slaps on the wrist, they fell to their knees, whispering:
- Holy, holy! Yes, indeed, Elijah is the prophet!
Soon, not soon, the brothers returned home. Sedun asks from the stove:
- Well, brothers, did you get the scarf today?
“We didn’t get it, someone already took it,” the brothers answer. “Only Elijah the Prophet galloped past and scared us again...
“But I haven’t heard anything,” says Sedun. “If we both sat at home, we wouldn’t see any passions.”
On the third day, the youngest of the sisters, Princess Marpida, hung out the scarf. People gathered from all over the kingdom - who didn’t want to get that scarf! The brothers are jealous, they say:
“We’ll go and maybe we’ll get it for the last time.” Sedun also did not remain silent on the stove:
“Today I won’t stay at home either, I’ll go with you!” Then he went out and was the first to get into the sleigh. The brothers laughed, scolded and began to dissuade him - Sedun did not get out of the sleigh.
“Well, have it your way,” they finally agreed. They took Sedun to the stream and pushed him out of the sleigh. They pushed him out and, laughing, left, but Sedun remained.
“And it’s good that they took us to the stream, so we don’t have to drag ourselves,” Sedun smiled after him.
He called the third - a black horse, got into one ear - steamed and washed, in the other - got dressed and put on shoes, he became such a fine fellow, stately and handsome. He jumped on his horse and rushed off. Oh, and the brothers got it from him! I looked around as I drove off - they were still on their knees, they didn’t dare rise...
- Holy, holy! - they whisper, - Elijah the prophet galloped, he caught up with fear...
Sedun rode up to the palace, accelerated his horse, he jumped above the roof, and only when he was descending did Sedun take off the scarf from Princess Marpida.
- Oh, catch it, catch it! - people shout. - Who is this? Who is this?
How can you catch him if he’s on horseback, above your heads?
On the way back, Sedun again met the brothers - they were still on their way to the palace - and again beat them thoroughly. They fell to their knees.
- Holy, holy! - are baptized. - Once again Elijah the prophet is making us afraid...
They arrived home, and Sedun was already on the stove.
“Tomorrow, Sedun, you will go with us,” they say.
“Well,” Sedun was surprised, “are they really inviting me too?”
- Tomorrow everyone should be there, even the legless and blind, from all over the kingdom. The royal daughters will look for their suitors in the crowd.
“Okay, I’ll go,” Sedun agreed, “if only you don’t throw me out of the sleigh.” Didn't you get the scarf?
“We didn’t get it,” they answer. “Only Elijah the Prophet once again brought such fear upon us that we had never even heard of.”
“If they stayed at home like I did, things would be better.”
The brothers went to bed in the evening, and at dawn he woke up alone and couldn’t believe his eyes:
- What is it? We're on fire, aren't we? Is there a fire in the hut?
And this is the tip of the red scarf sticking out from Sedun’s bosom in his sleep.
“Brother, brother,” he began to wake up the other, “no way, Sedun set the hut on fire, there’s a fire on the stove!”
Sedun heard this, hid the tip of the scarf under his shirt, and the fire was no longer visible. The brothers jumped up, but there was no fire.
When it was completely dawn, the brothers harnessed the nag and called Sedun with them to the king’s mansion. They look, and people from all sides are walking and driving - some can and some can’t, blind and legless, poor and rich. By noon everyone had gathered, no one was left at home. Sedun is also in a hurry with everyone.
- Why did they bring this? - They laugh all around. “After all, it’s immediately obvious that he’s not the groom.”
“No,” the king answers the people, “everyone must be here today!”
When the people had gathered, the king brought a cup of wine to his eldest daughter and ordered him to go around all the people with it:
- Whoever you see with your handkerchief, bring him wine, and then sit on his lap - he will be your groom.
As soon as the eldest daughter went to visit the guests, she immediately saw her handkerchief - whoever took it out would not hide it.
“Father,” says the girl, “I found my fiancé!”
She treated her betrothed to wine and sat on his lap.
The father handed a cup of wine to the second, middle daughter:
- Now you go around the guests, find, treat your betrothed and sit on his lap.
Finally, it was Princess Marpide’s turn to visit the guests. The king gave her a cup of wine and instructed her, as before her sisters. Princess Marpida began to walk around the rows of guests, and a little of her scarf—the very corner—poked out from Sedun’s bosom. She looked at her betrothed Marpid, and her heart sank. She walked past Sedun as if she had not noticed anything, and returned to her father with nothing.
“I couldn’t find a scarf, father,” he says.
“Go around another time,” the king answers. “You’ll still see your scarf somewhere.” He should be here, there are no people left on the sidelines!
The princess again walked around everyone and passed by Sedun, only again she didn’t seem to notice the scarf, although it was now half out. She brought a goblet of wine and put it on the table.
“I didn’t find,” he says, “father, a scarf.” I don’t even know where he could be... The king frowned.
- You still haven’t found it? - asks. - Or the groom looks bad, you should be ashamed? Go and have a better look.
This time the princess did not make the rounds of the guests, she went straight to Sedun, treated him to wine, wiped his nose with a handkerchief and sat down next to him. The people who sat next to me saw this and began to giggle.
- Did you find it? - asked the king, hearing laughter.
“I found it, father,” said Princess Marpida, but she herself did not raise her head in shame. Then the king saw her betrothed and was upset.
- Ugh! - he says. - Well, I found myself a groom, my son-in-law...
But what can you do - you can’t refuse the king’s word. The king sent them to some kind of barn, in which either pigs or cows had previously been kept. He sent without a feast or honors.
“Get away,” he says, “out of my sight!.. And he stayed to feast with two other sons-in-law.” And we were there, eating and drinking...
So I once went to the king and told him that there was a golden-horned deer far, far away. It grazes in the field, runs quickly, and if anyone catches it, he will, of course, have the very first place in the kingdom...
The king understood why all this was told and said to his sons-in-law:
“Show your skills, catch that deer and bring it here.”
Well, the sons-in-law got ready, took ropes, leather reins and went to the steppe. And Sedun says to his wife:
- Go to your father, ask for a water-carrying nag, I also want to catch deer, I am also the king’s son-in-law.
Princess Marpida went to her father to ask for a nag for Sedun.
- What other nag does this Sedun need? - the king waved him off. “It’s better to stay at home and not make people laugh.”
And Marpida the princess again asks her father:
- What a pity, what a nag? Give it to him. At this point the mother queen put in a word for her daughter. The king gave away the water-carrying mare. She was skinny - skin and bones. Sedun crawled over and sat on it not like everyone else, but backwards. He took the end of the tail in his teeth, clapped his palms on the sides - he was going!
- Look, look! - People are shouting all around. “Sedun, the king’s third son-in-law, also went to catch deer!”
- He sat down backwards! No other way than he will catch the golden-horned deer!
And Sedun just keeps driving and driving, as if he doesn’t hear these ridicules. He got to his stream, grabbed the mare by the tail and shook it - the carcass flew off at once, and only the skin remained in his hands! He hung this skin on the fence and called his horse. The first one to gallop up was the bay one. Sedun entered one ear, washed himself and took a steam bath, got dressed and put on shoes in the other, and became such a fine fellow again - you’ll be amazed! He jumped on his horse, caught up with his brothers-in-law, hit one in the ear, hit the other and flew on. And they fell to their knees and crossed themselves:
- Holy, holy! Elijah the prophet inspires fear. Meanwhile, Sedun caught a golden-horned deer in the field and is on his way back. Sedun's brothers-in-law saw him and were surprised:
“You’re already on your way back, carrying a deer, and we’re just getting ready to hunt!”
“It’s too late,” says Sedun, “I’ve already caught the golden-horned one.”
The brothers-in-law began to persuade Sedun to sell them this deer.
“Well, okay,” answered Sedun. “Only the price for it is special.” Cut off the big toe from your foot and give it to me, otherwise you won’t get a deer.
The brothers-in-law thought, how could it be otherwise? They cut off one big toe and gave it to the young man. Sedun gave them the golden-horned deer and rushed off.
They arrived, the sons-in-law brought the deer to the king, and somehow he treated them even more cordially.
“What a loot the sons-in-law brought,” he praises. - We managed to catch this beast! Sedun also went hunting, but he was still missing. Have you seen it somewhere?
“We haven’t seen it,” say the sons-in-law and again vying with each other to tell how they caught the golden-horned handsome man.
A lot of time passed before Sedun returned. I soon galloped to the stream, but it took a long time to trudge from the stream. Moreover, he caught a dozen magpie crows on a horse carcass and dragged them to the king.
“Here,” he says, “father-in-law, I brought you some loot!”
- Ugh! - That’s all the king said and ordered the servants to throw the birds somewhere far away.
There was a lot of laughter!
Sedun hobbled into the barn, into the present kitchen, to his betrothed - they weren’t even invited to the table...
I went again to the king and told him that somewhere in a distant region, I heard, there was a golden bristle pig. The king listened and said:
- Well, sons-in-law, catch me that pig - the golden bristle. If you bring her, you will be beloved sons-in-law.
Even though the sons-in-law’s legs hurt after the recent hunt for a golden-horned deer, you can’t refuse the king. Besides, I want to be beloved sons-in-law.
“Okay,” they say, “we’ll catch you.”
We took the rawhide reins and drove off.
And Sedun again sends his Marpida to the king-father:
- Go, Princess Marpida, ask your father for another nag, I will also go for a pig - a golden bristle. I'm his son-in-law!
Princess Marpida went to her father and began to ask for a nag, but her father stood his ground:
- I won’t give it! It’s enough that I’ve already disgraced myself once in front of all honest people.
Here the queen-mother again stood up for her daughter, it’s a pity, you see, the princess became, well, the two of them persuaded the king.
Sedun sat down on the nag sideways and rode off quietly.
“Look, look,” they shout and laugh all around, “Sedun has gone hunting again!”
- Yes, he sits like that, he’s already learned how to do it! Look, he catches the pig.
But Sedun doesn’t seem to see, doesn’t hear anything, he just goes on and on. He reached the stream, grabbed the mare by the tail, pulled it - the carcass flew off, and hung the skin on the fence. He called his second, gray horse, again entered one ear - he steamed and washed, got dressed and put on shoes in the other, and again became stately and handsome. He jumped on his horse, caught up with his brothers-in-law, and gave each one an ear. They fell to their knees, looking after him, muttering:
- Holy, holy! Once again Elijah the prophet is instilling fear.
Sedun caught a pig - a golden bristle, and on the way back he meets his brothers-in-law.
“It seems like you’re already returning from hunting, good fellow, but we’re still going fishing!” Would you sell us a pig? - they ask Ceduna.
“I’ll sell,” the young man answers.
- Will you take it dearly?
“And if you remove the skin from your backs the width of a belt, that’s what your pig will be.”
The brothers-in-law began to think, but where to go - they agreed: they took a strip of skin from each other and gave it to the young man. Sedun gave them a golden bristle for that and galloped away.
The sons-in-law brought an unprecedented golden bristle pig to the palace, the king was more pleased than ever: he showed off to the guests, gave everyone something to drink, and treated his beloved sons-in-law!
They sit like this, everyone feasts, Seduna, of course, and no one is waiting, then he returns - the crows and forty brought three times more than before! The king found out about this and frowned:
- Sedun is putting us to shame again!..
Now Sedun was not allowed to join the feast, although he even brought a gift to his mother-in-law. He turned and hobbled into the barn to his Marpida...
At this feast they again approached the king and began to tell him that a thirty-foot mare with thirty foals was grazing and walking far, far away...
Even the king’s face changed when he heard about that mare. He called his sons-in-law and said: “We need to catch her and the foals and drive them to the palace!” The sons-in-law agreed, but even though they think a lot about themselves, they can no longer walk, they limp. However, we got ready and went.
Sedun found out about this and again persuaded Marpida to go to his father to ask for a third nag - he wanted it. apparently, together with his brothers-in-law, catch that mare. Marpida went to her father. And he didn’t want to give Sedun the nag, but the queen mother stood up for her daughter and herself ordered whoever needed to know about that nag.
This time Sedun sat on the horse properly, sits upright and also urges it to trot.
People saw him, they still laughed, and they said:
- Look, I’ve finally learned to ride... Well, Sedun got to the stream, grabbed the mare by the tail, and shook her harder. The carcass flew away, but he held the skin and hung it on the fence. Then he shouted to the third horse, a black one. The horse galloped up. Sedun climbed into one ear - washed and took a steam bath, got dressed and put on shoes in the other and became a stately and handsome young man. The black horse says to him:
- Take with you, master, three buckets of resin, three sieves of thin needles, and also grab three horse skins from the fence. Without this, it is impossible to catch a thirty-footed mare who is grazing in the field with her foals. When we arrive, you will see an oak tree standing in that field. You climb a tree, cover me with horse skin, cover me with resin and sprinkle me with needles from a sieve, then do everything exactly two more times. You will do everything, sit on the tree and don’t take your eyes off the mare. As soon as you notice that the mare is tired and has dropped to her knees, jump from the tree and put a bridle on her. Then she will become submissive, follow you wherever you order, and the foals themselves will run after.
Sedun took everything that the horse told him and set off. Svoyakov, of course, again overtook him halfway, and again they got hit by him. They fell to their knees: “Holy, holy!” - they mutter, and Ivan flies away and doesn’t stop.
I galloped to the field where the oak tree stood, drove up to the oak tree, and saw that the mare was indeed grazing by the river. Sedun rather covered his black horse with horse skin from the fence, doused it with a bucket of resin and showered it with needles from a sieve. Then he put on the second and third skins, did everything he was supposed to, and climbed onto the oak tree.
Meanwhile, the thirty-fat mare saw a black horse, rushed to him, and how she bit him! If not for the skins, resin and needles, this would be the end of him. Only the old skin got into the mare’s mouth. Voronko kicks, hits the mare on the sides, and her mouth is full of wool, resin and needles, she can no longer bite! Still, I managed to get rid of this resin. She bit me again, and grabbed more of the skins, then she bit the black one for the third time, filling her entire mouth with skin, resin, and needles!
And the black man, you know, fights her off and kicks her. She finally fell to her knees. Then Ivan jumped from the oak tree and bridled her. She submitted and followed the new owner. Well, where do foals get from their mother? - they run after...
Sedun is riding back, a fine fellow, and he looks and his brothers-in-law are hurrying towards him:
- Yes, it turns out you’ve already caught the mare, and we’re still going to catch it!
“I’ve already caught it, here it is,” Sedun answers.
- Won't you sell it to us? - they ask.
- What will you give me? - asked Sedun. The brothers-in-law hesitate and can’t think of anything. And Sedun knows: he took toes from toes, skin from backs. Don't take off your heads! Ivan didn’t wait for an answer and drove off, leaving his brothers-in-law on the road.
Ivan always returned to his barn unnoticed, and then he looked - people had gathered on the street, waiting. And how can you not notice, because the fellow has a whole herd of foals, a thirty-fat mare, and even his horse is black! Dust rises in a column. Someone ran forward to open the stables and help herd the horses. The king also rejoices:
“They caught the golden-horned deer of the son-in-law, they caught the golden bristle pig, and now they’ve brought in a thirty-foot mare with foals!”
The king does not even remember about Sedun, unless the guests remember him:
- Nothing, and he will soon bring his prey - a crow and a forty.
Well, everyone is standing near the stables, waiting. Princess Marpida also ran out and also unlocked her stable. The door on its wooden hinge creaked loudly. The king noticed and laughed:
— Is Sedunikha also waiting for someone? Look, the horses are not going to their sons-in-law’s stable, but to Sedun’s stable! People are surprised: “Did Sedun catch a mare with thirty foals?” True, a fine fellow came into the barn, stately, handsome - everyone noticed, but who would have recognized Seduna in him. And the young man entered the stable and said to Princess Marpida:
- Well, go, wife, light the bathhouse - it was a long road, I got dusty.
They heated the bathhouse and he got ready to wash.
“Go,” he says, “Marpida, call your father.” Princess Marpida went to her father and said:
— Your son-in-law invites you to the bathhouse. And he refuses:
“It’s a great honor to wash with Sedun in the bathhouse—he’s already disgraced me enough!”
And Sedun came to the bathhouse, hung his toes from the ceiling and leather straps from the backs of his brothers-in-law - their payment for a golden-horned deer and a golden bristle pig - and began to wash. The king sat and sat with the guests and finally went to the bathhouse - not to wash, but to lure a thirty-fat mare with foals from Sedun. After all, he drove her into his stable... As soon as the Tsar enters the bathhouse, the belts and fingers of his beloved sons-in-law knock and slap him on the forehead.
-What are you hanging here? - asks the king.
“And this,” answers Sedun, “the belts from the backs of your sons-in-law and the toes from their toes are my payment for a golden-horned deer and a pig - a golden bristle.”
The king did not wash himself and returned to the palace. And then the sons-in-law returned from hunting. They both returned taciturn, silent, without prey.
“Come on,” says the king, “take off your shoes and show your legs!”
There is nothing to do, the sons-in-law took off their shoes. The king looks, but neither one nor the other has big toes!
“Now,” the king orders, “take off your shirts.”
The sons-in-law took off their shirts. And there are guests, people at a feast! Everyone burst into laughter. After all, everyone was waiting for the thirty-fat mare - guests, servants, and peasants. They looked at the Tsar's sons-in-law and grabbed their stomachs with laughter. And the sons-in-law, barefoot and undressed, stand in front of everyone with their heads down - they are ashamed.
“Not only will I not give you my kingdom, I won’t even give you my kitchen!” - says the king.
And he drove them out of the courtyard with their wives, with their belongings and servants:
- So that your spirit does not exist in my kingdom!
He drove me away, and immediately went to the bathhouse.
And Ivan had already washed himself in the bathhouse and, of course, did not come out as Sedun. I washed and steamed and became handsome and strong! They returned with the king to the palace and seven times as many times as before, they gloriously feasted and dined with the guests. Well, then, of course, Ivan became king, but the former king himself became a former king and remained an old man.
And Marpida the princess had a good life. That’s right, and now Ivan is still reigning and is living well with his queen Marpida.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru