One king had three sons: two smart, the third a fool. The king had a meadow, and from that meadow, every night, a shock of hay disappeared. There is nothing to do, the king orders his sons to guard the meadow. On the first night the eldest son went to the meadow, but at midnight a dream fell upon him, and such a sweet one; He dozed off and didn’t watch for anything. The next night the middle son went, but sleep fell on him too, and the shock was gone.
On the third evening the fool asks to be sent as a watchman. But the king doesn’t want to let him in: what is he, a fool, supposed to do there; if the smart ones couldn’t protect themselves, then... he even more so. But then I thought: “Let him go, come what may!”
The fool set off, but his sleep is ruined. By midnight I just don’t have any strength, my eyes just stick together. So he thinks:
“This won’t work. I’ll crawl under the haystack, spread my arms and legs wider, so that they stick out, and I’ll sleep as if nothing had happened... Whoever comes to steal the hay will probably touch me either by the arm or the leg, and then I’ll wake up.”
And exactly! I barely had time to fall asleep properly when a thief comes for hay - a white mare with two foals - and let's eat the hay. The eaters didn’t even notice that they had stepped on the fool’s toe. The fool woke up, grabbed the mare by the reins, and jumped onto her. The mare covered five hundred miles with the wind, but the fool didn’t care: gallop at least six hundred. Finally, the mare stood up, caught her breath and said: “You defeated me, now I’m yours.” Give me to your older brother, give the older foal to your middle brother, and keep this bridle and the smaller foal for yourself. Whenever you need anything, just shake the reins and wish, and your will will be fulfilled immediately. And if you ever decide to ride a horse, just jingle the bridle and call: “Stallion!”, and my youngest foal will immediately appear in a sparkling headdress.
The fool thanked the mare and, without hesitation, galloped home and gave her to the elder brother, the eldest foal to the middle brother, and kept the youngest foal and the mare’s bridle for himself. However, what was the point of giving good to smart brothers? The next day they took their horses to the market and sold them, and the fool put his foal in the stable and groomed him tirelessly.
There lived a witch near the royal palace. Suddenly, unexpectedly, she hobbled up to the queen and said to her: “Listen to what I tell you!” If you don’t kill the fool before morning, the fool will ruin you. Here's a potion for you, pour it into the fool's food - it'll be fine.
The queen expanded her mind: “The witch knows better, you have to listen to her.”
As soon as the mortal brew is ripe, the queen calls the fool to the table. And the fool first goes to the stable to feed the foal. The foal is standing, hanging his head, not looking at the food.
- What’s wrong with you, stallion, why aren’t you happy?
- I’m sad beyond my control! - the foal answers, - and for you. Your mother wants to feed you mortal brew. Don't eat it for anything! Better give it to the black cat, the one sitting in the room.
The fool did just that, gave the cat his legs and held them out. The fool threw the cat out the window and told his mother that he had eaten the brew. The mother also asked if he liked it and waited for him to die, and the fool answered her: “It’s so delicious!” - and doesn’t think about dying.
The next day, just before dawn, the witch was right there:
-Where will you bury the fool?
- Look, you’re so quick! He’s not yet dead, so he has to bury him! – the queen got angry. And the witch frightens:
“If you don’t want to drive a fool out of the world with kindness, then tomorrow the fool will ruin you.” Cook a good piece of meat and season it with this potion, it will be fine.
The queen believed, put the pot on the fire and brewed a mortal brew for her son. Just take the pot off the fire and call the fool to eat. And the fool again first of all goes to the foal and sees him just as sad:
“What’s wrong with you, stallion, is something wrong again?”
- Your mother cooked meat for your destruction, you don’t eat it! It’s better to dip a corner of the tablecloth into the bowl of brew, then you’ll see for yourself. So the fool did, dipped a corner of the tablecloth into the bowl -
the tablecloth immediately burned with a blue flame along with the meat. Then the mother asks if he liked the treat and waits for him to die, but the fool doesn’t even think about dying. The next morning the witch came even earlier and immediately asked:
- Well, did you ruin the fool?
- Where is it? - the queen answers, - whatever you give him - no matter what!
“Wait a minute, then I know what’s the matter.” This foal is a hindrance to everything, and it is he who must be finished off first. Order the fool to kill the foal and tear out his heart. OK. Without hesitating in vain, they call the fool and order him to slaughter the foal and tear out his heart.
The fool didn’t say yes or no, but ran to the stable to get advice on what to do next. Foal says:
“Go to the king himself and ask on your knees to allow you to ride around the courtyard on me for the last time.” Tell me, they say, you followed me, fed me, groomed me, but you never got a chance to go for a ride. He won't refuse. And then you bridle me with the bridle that my mother gave me, and just ride me around the yard three times.
The fool went to his father. I asked for permission. So he bridled the foal and rode it round and round - everyone was watching. And as the third circle began, before he could even blink an eye, the foal soared into the sky and fluttered like a butterfly along with the fool to the wrong side. Only on the second day, in another kingdom, the foal sank to the ground and said: “Now take off my bridle, jingle it and wish for a fur coat, so that the fur is outward and all made of one skin.” Then bury the bridle under your fur coat, go to the royal capital and don’t say anything! If anyone asks or finds out anything, answer: “I don’t know, I don’t know!” A fool in a strange fur coat enters the city. The townspeople immediately surrounded him, asking who he was and where he was coming from?
- I don’t know, I don’t know!
- You don’t know - what an eccentric! Why talk to someone like that? We must take him to the king, let him sort it out!
They brought him to the king - the same thing was there: “I don’t know, I don’t know!”
The king waved his hand and sent the idiot to the gardener - at least assign him to some work, maybe at least he would earn his bread.
The gardener ordered the fool to clear the garden. The fool sat down at the end of the garden, rattled his bridle and ordered: “Let the garden become clean!”
Immediately all the trees with their roots broke out together and were carried away through the air; Soon the entire garden was cleared, not a single tree remained. The gardener comes running: “Are you crazy?” Well, go to the king!
The king ordered the fool to be given five lashes and sent him to the water-carrier. He orders the water carrier to bring water to the house. A fool came to the lake, rattled his bridle and ordered:
- So that I have big buckets, each with forty pairs of buckets, and so that I have enough strength to carry them!
Immediately the fool found himself with a yoke with huge buckets on his shoulders. So he carries water and, you know, pours it through the pipe into the house. In no time, the house is completely empty, right down to the very end of the chimney. The water bearer comes running: “Are you crazy?” Well, go to the king!
The king ordered the fool to be given ten lashes and sent him to the woodcutter. The woodcutter told him to chop wood for the whole city and transport it. A fool came into the forest, rattled his bridle and ordered:
- So that I have a rope with which I can tie a hundred fathoms of standing forest and drag it to the city with my own strength!
Immediately the rope appeared; The fool has surrounded the forest with a rope and is pulling him along. The youngest princess sits by the window and is surprised: “Look, it’s marvelous: a man walks ahead, and the forest follows him!”
The king heard that and ran out to meet the fool: “You’re crazy!” You will overturn my palace! Throw the rope away and come here, I will order fifteen lashes to be given to you!
And that day, all three princesses chose grooms for themselves: both eldest chose two princes, only the youngest did not know who she should choose. However, the king does not calm down, let him quickly tell her who she is planning to marry. And she can’t figure out who to marry.
- What a problem with you! - the king became angry, - even if you are a fool, you definitely need a husband, such is my will!
- Okay, I'll take the fool! – the daughter agreed.
“There is nothing to be done, what is said is said,” thought the king and ordered the fool to be married to his youngest daughter.
Time flies day after day; The fool and his wife live better than both older sisters and their princes. No one even wanted to believe it, but it was the pure truth.
Yes, one day a dark day came: out of nowhere, on that mountain near the city, a devil appeared and demanded that every year they give him one person, and in the first years give him the king’s daughters, otherwise he will get angry and ruin the whole land.
There was nothing to do - first I had to lead the eldest princess to hell. Everyone was depressed that day. The fool also pretended to be sad, but he had something else on his mind. When the townspeople led the eldest princess to the devil’s mountain, he rattled the bridle and called: “Stallion!”
Immediately a silver horse galloped up, in silver chain mail, with a silver sword and said: “Get into my left ear, get out into my right!”
A fool all dressed in silver got out, grabbed a sword, jumped on his horse and galloped off, and rode in a roundabout way towards the princess, bowing to her. And she told him: “Why are you still teasing me?” - and thinks to himself: “Apparently, this is the devil himself!”
Yes, at that very moment a real devil, with six heads, crawled out of the mountain and wants to grab the princess. The fool did not wait and, as he slashed the devil with a silver sword, cut off all his heads. The princess doesn't recognize a fool, you ask
- How can I thank you for saving me?
- Tell the king thank you for the five lashes! - the fool answered and disappeared with the silver horse into the forest.
There the silver horse stopped and said: “Get into the right ear, get out into the left!”
The fool did this, and lo and behold, he wasn’t wearing any silver clothes.
The next year another devil, a nine-headed one, appeared on that mountain. We must give him the middle princess. That day, how to go to hell with the princess, the fool rattled the reins again and said: “Stallion!”
Immediately a golden horse galloped up, in golden chain mail, with a golden sword and said: “Get into my left ear, get out of my right!”
The fool came out covered in gold, grabbed a golden sword, jumped on his horse and galloped off. And he rides in a roundabout way to meet the princess and bows to her. She thought that this was the devil himself, and said:
– Why are you still teasing me?
Yes, at that very moment a real nine-headed devil crawls out of the mountain and is about to grab the princess. The fool slashed at the devil with a golden sword and cut off all his heads.
- Oh! How can I thank you for saving me?
- Tell the king thank you for the ten lashes! - the fool answered and disappeared into the forest.
In the third year, another devil appeared on that mountain, with twelve heads. You should give this fool his wife. That day, like a fool’s wife to go to hell, the fool rattled his bridle, saying: “Stallion, stallion!”
Immediately a diamond horse galloped up, in diamond chain mail, with a diamond sword and said: “Be careful today!” A huge giant with twelve heads will come out of the mountain, and besides him there will be twelve more blacksmiths. If those blacksmiths have time to hit the anvil, then twelve more blacksmiths will appear. Therefore, first of all, kill the blacksmiths, and only then chop down the giant. Understood?
- Got it, got it!
- Okay, then get into your left ear, get out of your right! The fool climbed in and came out covered in diamonds. He grabs a diamond sword and gallops towards his wife, bowing. She thinks that this is the devil himself, so she says: “Why are you still teasing me?”
Then a giant comes out of the mountain with his blacksmiths.
They were just about to hit the anvil, but the fool managed to kill them all; not one of them managed to hit. He attacked the giant, and the giant drove him up to his knees into the ground. A stallion jumped up and tore him out of the ground. Again the fool rushes at the giant, and now the giant has driven him waist-deep into the ground. The stallion pulled the fool again.
And then the fool swung his sword as hard as he could. This saved him. He cut off a giant's leg with a diamond sword. Bang! The huge body of the giant crashed to the ground with all its heads. The fool jumped on him and started chopping one head after another like firewood. The diamond sword was already heating up. In no time, all heads are off - and the giant is finished. But even a fool’s leg bleeds in one place. His wife quickly took out a handkerchief, bandaged the wound and asked: “I don’t know how to pay you for saving me?”
“Tell the king thank you for those fifteen lashes—nothing more.”
Having said this, the fool jumped on his horse and disappeared into the forest. There the horse says to him: “Get into the right ear, get out into the left!”
This is what the fool did, and immediately all the diamonds disappeared. He comes home, and his wife meets him: “If only you knew who saved me!” A rider in diamonds, on a diamond stallion, I tied his wounded leg with my scarf.
- Well, thank God! - said the fool and didn’t say another word. And in the evening, when they were getting ready to go to bed, the wife saw her handkerchief on her husband’s leg, and she was so taken aback, she couldn’t believe her eyes. I looked again: he was the one. He presses his husband to tell him the whole truth. Why are you leading us by the nose for so long? He took it and told it. The fool's wife ran to the king, got him out of bed and told him about the fool's deeds.
And from that day on, the fool became the king’s favorite son-in-law.
The king said:
- When I die, a fool will sit in my place!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru