The winemaker spent the night in the master's barn, and he had no rest at night: either someone was moving the grates, or knocking with flails - only a roar was heard, then there was just noise. The wine guard decided to find out who was keeping him up at night. That night he did not go to bed, sat in the barn near the burning stove and, having nothing to do, made a trough in order to drive away sleep.
He makes a little thing, does it, and suddenly, out of nowhere, some stranger.
-What are you doing here? - asks.
“Here I am making a trough to pour gold.”
- Why pour it?
- And this is my business, I’m a man already in years, not a single girl will marry me, but as soon as I give myself a golden beard, then, guess what, they’ll run.
- Oh! - exclaimed the stranger (and it was the devil himself), - these are really smart words! Won't you take it upon yourself to cast my golden beard?
- Why not take a leak! But you must bring me three hats of gold, there is no way less.
The devil agreed, pulled the wine man’s hat off his head and ran for the gold. Three seconds later the devil returned with the money and is waiting for his golden beard to be cast.
Just wait! The winemaker will cast your golden beard! He melted the resin in a trough and said to the devil:
- Dip your beard here. The gold will harden on it, and your beard will sparkle to the surprise of everyone.
OK. The devil stuck his beard in resin. And the winemaker wetted it properly, waited a little and said:
- Pull out your beard, it’s probably already gilded!
The devil pulled his beard once, pulled it twice - what a disaster! – the resin has frozen, the beard is all stuck together, and the pain is such that the devil howls out loud. You wouldn't show yourself in public with a beard like that. The devil curses, and the winemaker consoles him:
- Wait, wait, let the gilding stick more firmly!
While the gilding was being applied, the devil asked the winemaker:
– What’s your name?
- My name is Ya-sam! - answers the winemaker. “But now you can go: the gilding has stuck firmly to the beard.”
The devil goes to the exit. He smoothed his beard and howled in pain:
- Oh, how painful it is! Oh, how painful it is! Yes, it’s so tough that you can’t even stroke it. Have you ruined my beard?
The damn threshers heard this and asked:
-Who ruined your beard, who ruined it?
– I-myself ruined it, I-myself!
- Well, if you ruined it yourself, then why shout!
From that time on, no one in Riga made any noise at night anymore, all the devils were blown away by the wind. And the winemaker became rich: he had three hats of gold left. He married the daughter of the landowner of that estate and lived a glorious life.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru