In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived a king, the king had three sons. So the children tell him:
- Dear Sir, Father! Bless us, we will go hunting.
The father gave his blessing, and they went in different directions.
The youngest son drove and drove and got confused; rides out into a clearing, a dead horse lies in the clearing, many all kinds of animals, birds and reptiles have gathered around this carrion.
The falcon rose, flew to the prince, sat on his shoulder and said:
“Ivan Tsarevich, divide this horse for us: it has been lying here for thirty-three years, and we are all arguing, but we can’t figure out how to divide it.”
The prince dismounted from his good horse and divided the carrion: bones for animals, meat for birds, skin for reptiles, and heads for ants.
- Thank you, Ivan Tsarevich! - said the falcon. “For this service you can use a clear falcon and an ant whenever you want.”
Ivan Tsarevich hit the damp ground, became a clear falcon, soared and flew to the thirtieth state; and that state was more than half pulled into the crystal mountain.
He flew straight to the palace, turned into a good fellow and asked the court guards.
“Won’t your sovereign take me into his service?”
- Why not take such a fine fellow? So he entered the service of that king and lived with him for a week, two and three. The princess began to ask:
- My lord, father! Let me and Ivan Tsarevich take a walk on the crystal mountain.
The king allowed it. They mounted good horses and rode off.
They drive up to the crystal mountain, suddenly, out of nowhere, a golden goat jumps out.
The prince chased after her; He galloped and galloped, didn’t get the goat, but came back - and the princess was gone! What to do? How to show yourself to the king?
He dressed up as such an ancient old man that it’s impossible to recognize, came to the palace and said to the king:
- Your Majesty! Hire me to shepherd the flock.
- Okay, be a shepherd; if a snake comes with three heads, give him three cows, if he has six heads, give him six cows, and if he has twelve heads, then count twelve cows.
Ivan Tsarevich drove the herd through the mountains and valleys; suddenly a snake with three heads flies from the lake:
- Eh, Ivan Tsarevich, what business have you taken on? Where would a good fellow fight, but he tends the flock! Come on,” he says, “drive away three cows for me.”
—Won't it be greasy? - the prince answers. “I myself eat one duck a day, but you wanted three cows... You don’t have one!”
The serpent became angry and captured six cows instead of three; Ivan Tsarevich immediately turned into a clear falcon, took three heads from the snake and drove the flock home.
“What, grandfather,” asks the king, “did the three-headed snake fly in and give him three cows?”
- No, Your Majesty, I didn’t give one!
The next day the prince drives the herd through the mountains and valleys; A snake with six heads flies from the lake and demands six cows.
- Oh, you gluttonous miracle Yudo! I myself eat one duck a day, but what do you want! I won't give you a single one!
The serpent became angry and captured twelve cows instead of six; and the prince turned into a clear falcon, rushed at the snake and took off six of its heads.
The king drove the flock home and asked:
- What, grandfather, did the six-headed snake fly in, how much has my herd diminished?
“I came to fly, but didn’t take anything!”
Late in the evening, Tsarevich Ivan turned into an ant and crawled through a small crack into the crystal mountain, looking at the princess sitting in the crystal mountain.
“Hello,” says Ivan Tsarevich, “how did you get here?”
“I was carried away by a snake with twelve heads; he lives on Father’s Lake.” In that snake there is a chest hidden, in the chest there is a hare, in the hare there is a duck, in the duck there is an egg, in the egg there is a seed; If you kill him and get this seed, then you can free me from a crystal mountain of lime.
Ivan Tsarevich climbed out of that mountain, equipped himself as a shepherd and drove the flock.
Suddenly a serpent with twelve heads flies in:
- Eh, Ivan Tsarevich! You have not taken up your own business: what should you, a good fellow, do to fight, and you are grazing the herd... Well, count out twelve cows for me!
- It will be fat! I myself eat one duck a day, but what do you want!
They began to fight, and whether they fought long or short, Ivan Tsarevich defeated the snake with twelve heads, cut his body and on the right side found a chest: in the chest there was a hare, in the hare there was a duck, in the duck there was an egg, in the egg there was a seed.
He took the seed, lit it and brought it to the crystal mountain - the mountain melted.
Ivan Tsarevich took the princess out of there and brought her to her father, the father rejoiced and said to the prince:
- Be my son-in-law!
Here they were married; I was at that wedding, I drank honey and beer, it flowed down my beard, but it didn’t get into my mouth.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru