Once upon a time there lived an old woman. She had three sons: two obstinate, and the youngest was kind and smart. Before her death, the old woman called her sons and said:
- I'll die soon. Live peacefully, children. Look: don’t mess with Gelyung.
Their mother died and they inherited a leaky tent and a mangy goat. The brothers somehow survived the winter.
“I’ll go look for a job,” said the elder brother and set off on the road.
He goes in the direction where the wind blows. He walked and walked, and night fell in the steppe. He lay down on the mound and spent the night. Early in the morning I went further. He looks: three old women are sitting by the road, stitching together the cracked earth.
“Oh, you!” said the elder. “May your work not be fulfilled.”
“Your intention will not be fulfilled either, boy,” they answered.
The elder brother went further. And suddenly Gelyung comes towards him.
“Where are you going, guy?” he asked.
- I'm looking for a place. I want to be hired as an employee. - Come to me.
- What kind of work do you have?
- Herd horses, cook in the kitchen.
“Okay,” the guy agreed and went with the gelung.
While the new worker was inspecting the owner’s farmstead, the Gelyung slaughtered a sheep and ordered:
- Light the stove, boy, cook the meat.
The worker chopped the wood, lit the stove, and set the meat on to cook. Things were going wrong in his hands. He wanted to salt the meat, but there was no salt at hand. The worker took it out of the boiler and is waiting for its owner. Gelyung has arrived.
- Well, how? Is the meat ready?
- Ready.
- Did you salt it?
- No.
“Then I’ll bring salt now,” said the Gelyung. He came out of the kitchen and turned into a red dog. A worker stands at the window and watches children play in the yard. He noticed a red dog that had eaten the meat as it ran out of the kitchen. And then Gelyung appeared.
“Where is the meat?” he asked the worker.
- The dog ate it.
- Go hungry and graze the herd.
The worker pulled his belt tighter and is grazing the horses. Night has fallen. Gelyung turned into a wolf, ran into the herd and ate the best horse. The gray worker noticed him when he ran into the forest. It was too late to chase the wolf. Morning has come. A worker came to Gelyung.
“Trouble has happened,” he said.
- What's the problem?
— At night the gray wolf ate the best horse.
“How will you pay?!” the Gelyung shouted and killed the worker.
The brothers waited and waited for their elder brother, but there was no wait.
“I’ll go and look for a job,” said the middle brother and went in search of work.
He is walking along the road. He looks: three old women are sitting by the road, stitching together the cracked earth.
- Hey, you! “May your work not be fulfilled,” he said.
“Let your intention be wrong, boy,” they answered.
The middle brother goes further. Met a Gelyung.
“Where are you going, guy?” asked Gelyung.
- I'm looking for an owner.
- Come to me to graze the horses.
“Okay,” agreed the middle brother.
We've arrived. Gelyung slaughtered a sheep and ordered the meat to be boiled. The new worker cooked the meat and took it out of the cauldron. I looked out the window, and the dog ate all the lamb.
“Go and graze horses as punishment for the hungry,” said the owner.
At night, as before, he turned into a gray wolf, entered the herd and ate the best mare. In the morning the middle brother came to Gelyung and said:
- Trouble happened, the wolf ate the best mare.
“How will you pay?!” the Gelyung shouted and killed his middle brother.
The youngest of them waited and waited for his brothers. All the deadlines have passed, but they are still not there. He also got ready to go. He walks across the steppe and looks: three old women are sitting by the road, stitching together the cracked earth.
“May your work be fulfilled,” he said.
“Let your intention be okay,” answered the three old women and immediately said: “When, boy, you leave here, you will meet a Gelyung.” He will take you as his worker. Gelyung will come home, slaughter a sheep and make you cook the meat. And when you cook, he will say: “Take out the meat, and I’ll bring salt.” And he will leave. Take out the meat and place the whip near you. The Gelyung werewolf will come running into the kitchen like a red dog. She will start eating meat, and you, as much as you have the strength, hit her with a whip. She will run away, and a little later Gelyung will appear in the kitchen. The werewolf will divide the meat, you will have dinner, and at night he will send you to guard the herd of horses. Don't sleep at night, he will come to the herd like a gray wolf. He will sneak along the beam, you catch him, skin him and release him. In the morning, when you come to his house, you will see: Gelyung will be lying in bed with his skin torn off. He will ask: “Why did you come?” You tell him: “I caught a wolf at night, tore off its skin, what should I do with it?”
The little brother of the old women thanked him and moved on. There is Gelyung on the way.
“Where are you going, boy?” he asked.
- I want to get hired.
- Come join me as a worker.
“Well, I agree,” said the younger brother and followed the Gelyung.
We've arrived. Gelyung slaughtered a sheep and ordered him to cook the meat. The new worker lit the oven and, as soon as the meat was cooked, he took it out of the cauldron and laid it out on the table.
The owner enters the kitchen.
— Is the meat ready?
- Ready.
- Did you salt it?
- No.
“I’ll bring salt now,” said the Gelyung and left. And the younger brother, the third worker, put the whip next to him and stands there, pretending to look out the window. A red dog runs into the kitchen and rushes to the meat. The worker lashed her so hard that she could barely carry her legs. Before I had time to put down the whip, the Gelyung werewolf was right there. The nose is broken, the eye is swollen, the beard is just clumps.
“What happened?” the worker asked the owner.
- No big deal, I tripped over the threshold. We had lunch. Gelyung says: “Go, boy, to the herd, guard the horses.” Night has fallen. The horses were grazing. The worker noticed that the wolf was sneaking towards the herd, and rushed towards him with a whip in his hands.
The wolf goes to the steppe, the worker follows him. I chased for a long time. He caught up with him, stuck his hat in his mouth and began to woo the gray one. He beats and says: “This is for my older brother, this is for my middle brother, and this is from me!”
He beat and beat, so the gray one was glad when he jumped out of his own skin. There was no time for her - at least she could get away with it.
It's morning. A worker comes to Gelyung. He looks - he is breathing his last breath.
“What do you want?” groaned the Gelyung.
- I caught a wolf, but he ran away without his skin, what do you want to do with it?
“Go away...” Gelyung wanted to say something else, but didn’t have time: he died.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru