Once upon a time there lived an old woman, and she had three sons. The two eldest were considered smart, and the youngest was a bald ragamuffin - Chilbik the Stupid. In the village, Chilbik was offended, but his brothers never stood up for him.
One day three brothers went into the forest for brushwood. They worked all day, and in the evening they went home, but got lost in the thicket. Night has fallen. The older brothers were confused and trembled from cold and fear. And Chilbik climbed a tall tree and saw a light in the distance.
- Brothers, I noticed a light. Let's go there soon! - he shouted and climbed down from the tree. The brothers went in that direction - Chilbik in front, the rest behind him. They walked for a long time through the thicket until they saw a large house. The fireplace was burning inside, and near it sat a huge Hart and her three daughters.
“Sit down by the fire, warm yourself, and I’ll prepare dinner for you,” the giantess addressed them.
At dinner, the frightened older brothers did not touch the food, but Chilbik ate for three and did not show that he was scared either.
Then Hart put the three brothers to bed and lay down by the fire.
At night she took the whetstone, sharpened a large knife and shouted:
- Who's sleeping? Who's not sleeping?
“I’m sleeping, and I’m not sleeping,” Chilbik answered.
— It’s late, and it’s time for the little ones to fall asleep.
“At this hour, my mother always treated me to dumplings,” said Chilbik.
Hart revved up the fire and cooked the dumplings. Chilbik ate them and slipped into bed.
- Who's sleeping? And who is not sleeping? - Hart screamed again.
“I’m sleeping, and I’m not sleeping,” Chilbik answered.
- Why aren’t you sleeping, it’s already late.
“At this hour, my mother always treated me to halva,” said Chilbik.
Hart grumbled, but prepared halva. Chilbik ate and slipped back into bed.
A little time passed, and Hart screamed for the third time:
- Who's sleeping? And who is not sleeping?
“I’m sleeping, and I’m not sleeping,” Chilbik answered.
- Poor boy! What's wrong with you? It's already late. I have to get up early tomorrow and go to the field. Let's go to sleep.
- How can I sleep? At such times, my mother always brought me water in a sieve,” Chilbik answered.
Hart took the sieve and walked into the water, and Chilbik jumped up and put the brothers into the bed of the Hart daughters, and those into the bed of the brothers.
Hart tried for a long time to scoop up water with a sieve, but, of course, nothing came of it, and she returned home.
- Who's sleeping? And who is not sleeping? - Hart shouted again. Nobody responded. “Yeah, the boy finally fell asleep,” Hart thought, “now I’ll deal with the brothers.” But Hart interrupted not the brothers, but her daughters: she didn’t know that Chilbik had moved them to the bed where the brothers had previously lain.
At dawn, Hart woke up and began to get ready for the field. “Red-breasted!” - she turned to her eldest daughter. “I’m going to the field, and you boil the heads and legs of these boys and bring them to me.”
- Okay, mom! - Chilbik squeaked, imitating Red-Breasted's voice.
When Hart left, Chilbik sent his brothers home, and he himself put on Redbreast's dress, boiled the heads and legs of Hart's daughters and went to the field.
Before he could reach the field, Hart screamed:
- Daughter! Before the sun scorches you and the wind blows through you, go home and leave breakfast behind.
Chilbik left the bundle for the maenads, and he hid and waited to see what would happen.
Hart quickly squeezed the barley and sat down to breakfast, saying:
- Oh, Chilbik, Chilbik, now I’ll do to you what you did with my dumplings and halva.
She grabbed the head, brought it to her mouth and jumped up in horror: it was the head of her eldest daughter. Hart screamed, screamed, and began tearing out her hair and scratching her face.
Then she saw Chilbik's trail and rushed after him. But where is she, she won’t catch up with the agile Chilbik!
They began to talk about what had happened in the bazaar and the godecan. Rumors reached the khan, and he ordered to call Chilbik.
Chilbik came to the khan.
— Is it true what they say that you are not afraid of the Hart? - asked the khan.
“It’s true,” Chilbik answered.
“In that case,” said the khan, “it won’t be difficult for you to take her blanket, which can cover a whole hundred people.”
“It’s no more difficult than eating khinkal,” Chilbik boasted and went into the forest. There he cut out a long stick and sharpened it. At night, when Hart fell asleep, Chilbik climbed onto the roof of her house, made a hole in it and tickled the giantess with the point of a stick.
“Where did so many fleas come from?” Hart grumbled and woke up.
Chilbik pricked her again.
“The damned creatures will not give me peace,” she muttered and threw the blanket at the open door. And Chilbik grabbed him and ran home. Soon it became cold, and Hart went out to get a blanket. She sees Chilbik running with a blanket in her hands, and she sets off in pursuit. How can you keep up with the frisky Chilbik! And Chilbik brought a blanket to the khan.
- Well done! - exclaimed the Khan. - Since you managed to steal Hart’s blanket, you can steal her cauldron in which you can cook dinner for a hundred people.
“Okay,” Chilbik answered and went to the hart.
On the way, he grabbed a full bag of stones and again climbed onto the roof of the Hart house. When the giantess put her large cauldron on the fire, Chilbik began throwing stones down the chimney. Sparks flew, and firebrands from the hearth fell on the Hart’s feet.
- Damn fire, damned cauldron! You disgust me after the death of my daughters! - Hart shouted angrily and threw the cauldron into the garden.
And Chilbik grabbed the cauldron and ran home.
Hart soon calmed down, left the house and saw Chilbik running with a boiler. She wanted to rush after him, but waved her hand: she still couldn’t catch up!
Chilbik came to the khan, threw the cauldron at his feet and sighed with relief. But the khan did not even think of leaving Chilbik alone.
“The Harts, they say, have a golden-horned goat.” Steal it, and I will reward you generously,” the khan ordered.
Chilbik was tired of fulfilling all the khan's whims, but still he decided to respect him.
Chilbik went into the forest again, climbed onto the roof of the barn, made a hole and began to stab the goat with a long sharp stick. The goat bleated.
“Why are you happy, you fool,” Hart grumbled and turned over to the other side. But the goat bleated louder and louder, because Chilbik kept stabbing it with a sharp stick.
- Will you let me sleep in the end! - Hart got angry and kicked the goat out of the barn. And Chilbik put the goat on his shoulders and ran home. The giantess rushed after him, but he couldn’t keep up with Chilbik!
Chilbik Khan brought a golden-horned goat and said:
“You’ve got a goat on you and don’t bother me anymore.” Would the Khan leave anyone alone?
- Chilbik! - he says. - Fulfill my last request. Everyone says: hart yes hart. I want to look at her at least once. If you bring her here, I’ll give you my daughter.
Chilbik became stubborn, but those close to the khan began to reproach him. At the same time, they kept repeating: “For the khan and his daughter, it’s not a pity to die a hundred times.”
Chilbik agreed. He put on rags, smeared his face with soot, glued on his beard and went into the forest. Chilbik reached the giantess’s house and squeaked in a thin voice:
- Salaam alaikum, hart! Give alms to a poor traveler.
- Who are you, Chilbik? - Hart screamed. Chilbik cried and said:
- Oh, this Chilbik! There is no life from him in our village. He killed my father, killed my mother and my brothers, who were good carpenters. I barely escaped alone.
Hart heard about Chilbik’s new cruelties, remembered her daughters and also began to cry out. And then she gave the traveler something to eat and wished him a happy journey. I was getting ready
Chilbik left, but Hart stopped him:
- Wait a minute! You said your brothers were carpenters. Can you make me a grain chest?
“It’s easier than eating khinkal,” Chilbik answered. “Give me the boards.” Chilbik knocked together a chest and pretended to leave.
- Wait! - Hart shouted. “We need to check if your chest is strong.”
She climbed into the chest, slammed the lid and strained. The chest fell apart. Then Chilbik made a second chest from oak planks. The hart climbed into it and strained, but the chest turned out to be very strong.
- This one suits me. Open up! - she shouted.
“It’s not like that,” Chilbik answered, shouldered the chest and walked away.
Hart realized that Chilbik had deceived her again; She began to roar, scream, moan and groan. And Chilbik calmly carried the chest and said:
“Don’t roar, don’t scream, don’t moan or groan, hart.” Do not ruin your beauty, otherwise our khan will not fall in love with you.
So they reached the palace. All his associates gathered at the khan’s and began to demand that the chest be opened immediately. “Wait,” said Chilbik. “You still have time to rejoice, Hart,” and opened the lid.
An enraged hart jumped out of there and began to kill everyone in a row, not distinguishing who was the khan, who was the vizier, who was noble, who was commoner. But most of all she thirsted for Chilbik's blood. And Chilbik climbed a tall tree and took with him two bags of earth. I noticed his hart and jumped up a tree. But Chilbik threw bags of earth at her, the heart crashed to the ground, broke and gave up the ghost. Chilbik took a knife and ripped open her belly. You won’t believe me, but everyone she managed to swallow ran out of there. People walked and shouted, dogs barked, chickens cackled, donkeys brayed. Everyone came out except the khan and his entourage: Chilbik knew who shouldn’t be let out!
Finally Chilbik cut the Hart's little finger and a young beauty jumped out. Chilbik immediately married her. They played a magnificent wedding, beat copper drums, and played leather zurna. And I left the young people to have fun and went home.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru