There lived an old man and an old woman, and they had a daughter as tall as a spindle.
One day a witch—yoma—came to the old people and said:
“Your daughter is as tall as a spindle, and I have a son no bigger.” Give your daughter in marriage to my son! If you don’t give it back, I won’t let you live: I’ll block your chimney, I’ll close it, and I’ll lock the doors from the outside!
The old people were scared. They say to you:
- What can you do with you? We'll give our daughter for your son...
She took the youma girl and dragged her to her place.
But it turns out she didn’t have any son. She just wanted to destroy the girl. The youma dragged the girl into her hut and said:
- Go and shear my sheep. I need wool for yarn.
The girl went to shear Yomin’s sheep, and on the way she stopped by an old woman she knew.
-Where are you going? - asks the old lady.
— I’m going to shear Yomin’s sheep.
“The youma is sending you to certain death!” says the old woman. “Her sheep are gray wolves!” Well, I'll teach you how to do it! When you come to the forest, climb a tree and shout louder:
Sheep, my little sheep,
Get ready quickly
Cut your own hair
Leave the wool to me!
The girl did just that. She came to the forest, climbed a tall tree and sang:
Sheep, my little sheep,
Get ready quickly
Cut your own hair
Leave the wool to me!
Then gray wolves came running, began to jump under the tree, tearing at each other with their claws. They tore up a lot of fur, and then everyone ran away. The girl collected the wool in a pile and brought it to the yoma. The youma was surprised:
- What a miracle! How come my sheep didn’t eat you? Well, now run quickly to my cows, milk them and bring me milk.
The girl went to look for Yomin’s cows, and on the way she again visited an old woman she knew.
“Where is the youma sending you now?” - asks the old lady.
- Milk the cows.
- Do you know that her cows are shaggy bears? When you come to the forest, climb a tall tree and shout:
Cows, cows,
Get ready quickly
Milk yourself
Leave me the milk!
The girl did just that. She came to the forest, climbed a tree and began to call the bears. Yomin cows - shaggy bears - came running to her cry. They milked themselves, poured the milk into birch tueski (buckets made of birch bark), left it for the girl, and then scattered through the forest.
The girl brought milk. Yoma can't believe his eyes:
- How come my little cows didn’t eat you? Well, now run quickly to my sister and ask her for a birch bark basket.
And she thinks:
“I didn’t manage to destroy her, but my elder sister will destroy her!”
The girl ran to Yomina’s sister, and on the way she ran into the old woman. The old woman gave her butter and cereals, a basket of resin, a wooden comb and a block and said:
“Yomina’s sister is also a youma.” When you come to her, say: “Yoma-aunt, Yoma-aunt! Your sister asks for a birch bark basket.” When you sense trouble, run away quickly! Lubricate the hinges on the door with oil and it will open. The yomin black birds will attack you - you throw them grains. They will fall behind. Yomina's sister will catch up with you - first you throw the comb, then the block, and finally the basket of resin.
A girl came to see Yomina’s sister. Yomina's sister asks her:
- Why did you come to me?
- Yoma-aunt, youma-aunt! Your sister asks for a birch bark basket.
- Oh, basket! Okay, I'll give it. You sit down and rest, and I’ll go to the closet and bring you a basket.
Yomina's sister went into the closet and began sharpening her teeth.
The girl heard this and realized that trouble was threatening, but she had better run away.
I rushed to the door, but the door did not open. She guessed it - she lubricated the hinges with oil, and the door opened by itself. The girl ran out into the street, and black birds attacked her from all sides, screaming - they were about to peck out her eyes! She threw cereals to the birds, and they lagged behind her. The girl ran as fast as she could.
And the youma-aunt sharpened her teeth, came out of the closet, looked - and the girl was not there! She rushed to the door and began to scold her:
- Why did you let him out?
And the door in response:
- Why should I keep her? I have been serving you for forty years now, and you have never oiled my hinges.
The youma-aunt ran out into the street, let's scold the birds:
- Why was she released? Why didn't they peck out her eyes?
And the black birds responded:
- Why do we need to peck at her eyes? We’ve been living with you for forty years now—not once have you even let us peck at the remains of the dough from the kneading bowl!
The yoma-aunt sat down in the mortar, pushed with a pusher, made noise and rattled through the forest, chasing the girl. It's about to catch up.
The girl threw the comb over her shoulder and said:
My wooden comb
Grow into a dense forest
Behind me
Youma has a lead!
There grew up here behind the girl, in front of the youma a dense, dense forest up to the clouds.
Youma-aunt struggled and struggled, searched and searched for a passage, but couldn’t find it! There is nothing to do, I returned home to get an ax. She rushed back with an ax, cut a path, but where to put the heavy ax?
She hides the ax in the bushes, and the forest birds shout to her:
You will hide -
We'll see!
We will see -
We'll tell everyone!
The youma got angry at the forest birds:
- Ooh, sharp-eyed ones! They see everything!
The youma-aunt decided to throw the ax back. She threw it and the ax fell right next to her house.
Again she chased the girl, again she began to overtake her. Then the girl threw the block over her shoulder behind her and shouted:
You are a block, a block,
Stand up like a stone mountain
Behind me
Youma has a lead!
And now, behind the girl, in front of the youma, a large stone mountain grew.
Again, Yoma-aunt had to return home for an ax. She grabbed an ax and rushed again to the stone mountain - let's make a passage in it! It’s broken through, but where should I put the ax? The birds are already here, singing the same song:
You will hide -
We'll see!
We will see -
We'll tell everyone!
Again the youma threw the ax towards her house and chased the girl. He's about to catch up with her, he's about to grab her...
Then the girl threw a basket of resin and shouted:
Basket with resin,
Flow like a river of tar
I have ahead
The yoma is behind!
And I mixed up the words. Both the girl and the youma found themselves in the tar river. And at this time a crow flew over the river.
“My little crow,” says the girl, “fly to my father, to my mother, tell them that their daughter is stuck in the tar along with the evil youma!” Let them take a three-pound iron scrap, let them take fire and run here!..
A crow flew to the old people, sat on the window, conveyed to them the girl’s request, but the old people did not hear the crow’s words.
The daughter waited and waited for help from her father, but she did not receive any help from her mother. And at this time a large raven flew over her head.
- Raven, raven! - the girl shouted. - Tell my father and mother that I am stuck in the tar river! Let them rush to my aid, let them carry fire and heavy crowbars!
A raven flew to the old people and shouted loudly:
- Trigger, trigger! Your daughter ran away from the youma and fell into the tar river! The youma chased after her and also got stuck in the tar river! Your daughter asks you to run to her aid, to carry an iron crowbar and fire!
The raven's voice was louder - the old man and the old woman heard it, grabbed a heavy iron crowbar and fire and ran to the tar river to help their daughter out.
A cunning youma saw the old man and the old woman and shouted from afar:
- My dears, get us out of here! Your daughter and I got ready to visit you, but we both fell into the tar river!
- Don't believe her, don't believe her! - the daughter screams. “She ran after me, she wanted to destroy me, she wanted to eat me!”
An old man ran up and drove the evil youma into the tar river with an iron crowbar. Then he lit a fire, melted the resin and pulled out the daughter.
The three of them returned home cheerful, joyful and began to live together, as they had lived before.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru