The soldier served for twelve years and went home on leave. He walked and walked and suddenly came across the master's estate, and from there came noise and songs.
The serviceman thought: “There’s probably a huge feast going on here. Why shouldn’t the soldier have some refreshment? After all, I haven’t had a drop of poppy dew in my mouth since this morning!” And he entered the estate.
And there, at a table laden with wines and dishes, many gentlemen were feasting.
The soldier asked to give him something to drink and feed, saying that he was very tired and hungry from the road. The guests gladly received him and seated him at the table.
He asks the soldier if he can spend the night at the estate, and in the morning he will move on on his journey.
“Well,” they answer him, “there will be a place to stay for the night for a brave man.”
- What is courage? - the soldier was surprised.
They explained to the servant that the devil comes to the estate every night and drags away whoever he finds with him.
“It’s time for us to go home,” the guests tell him, “but if you’re a brave fellow, stay here.” You have plenty of food and wine, guard the estate. The only thing we don’t know is whether we’ll find you alive in the morning.
The soldier answers them:
- Uh! Don't worry about me! I’m not afraid of devils, even if a hundred of them come here!
The soldier remained, but the gentlemen left. He sits at the table, treats himself, drinks wine. Around midnight, all the doors suddenly opened wide. The devil comes in and shouts to the servant:
- What are you doing here?
The soldier was not at all afraid and answered:
“As you can see, I’m resting for myself, eating and drinking.”
-Who allowed you to stay here for the night? - the devil was indignant. - This is my estate. Whoever I find in this house, I take prisoner. And I’ll take you with me too!
“You might want to take me away, but I won’t go!”
- Why don’t you go? - the devil was surprised.
The soldier answers:
“But because you’re shaggy and ugly, I’m ashamed to appear in public with you!” Let me shave you so that you are more beautiful, then I’ll go with you! And if you don’t give in, just know that nothing will work out for you!
The devil sees that he has caught a brave prisoner - such trouble will not end, and he agreed to shave in order to become more beautiful. The soldier ordered the devil to bring an oak board, four large nails and a hammer. The devil brought nails, a board and a hammer, and the soldier ordered him to lie on the floor and stretch out his arms and legs. The devil obeyed, and the soldier and let's nail the damn paws to the floor. The devil breaks out, squeals, but the serviceman forbade him to toss and turn - lie still, otherwise I won’t go anywhere with you. The soldier nailed the devil to the floor and said to him:
“Now I’ll start shaving you.”
He grabbed an oak board and started scraping the devil with it.
The devil growled and began to kick. And the servant calms him down:
- Lie still. If you want to be beautiful, be patient!
The board tears the devil out, tearing whole clumps of wool out of the skin. The devil swears to touch the soldier, as long as he lets him go. But the servant doesn’t want to hear about it. The devil begged, tearfully asking for mercy, promising to give the soldier an estate and, in addition, to tell him an outlandish secret. The soldier left his shaving and asks the devil what his secret is. The devil says:
- At midnight, a terrible, huge snake will crawl into this room where you and I are now. During the day she sits in the basement, wrapped around three huge barrels full of gold. If you kiss that snake, it will turn into a beauty, because it is not a snake, but an enchanted maiden.
As soon as the devil fell silent, an ominous hissing was heard behind the door, and a snake crawled into the room. The soldier, without hesitating a minute, jumped up to her and kissed her. At that same moment, the snake turned into a beautiful girl and began to thank the young man for freeing her from the spell.
Then the devil says to the soldier:
“I’m giving you the beauty, the palace, and the entire estate.” But be careful not to cross its border - otherwise you will become my prisoner again, and I will drag you away!
And disappeared.
In the morning the gentlemen came to the estate and were amazed: a soldier was sitting with a beauty at the table and treating himself.
“Many brave men volunteered to guard the estate, and they all disappeared without a trace!” How did the soldier manage to deal with the devil?
Then the soldier told what happened to him at night, the gentlemen praised him for his courage and left, but the fine fellow remained in the estate with his beauty, and she became his wife.
They lived in love and harmony, but they soon became bored alone in the estate. So one day a soldier invited his young wife to take a ride into the city - let people admire our happiness! He forgot to think what ban the devil had placed on him. He ordered the servants to harness the horses and rode with his wife to the city. They had just left the gates of their estate when the devil came towards them. Then the soldier remembered about the ban, and his heart sank. “Well, he thinks the devil will take it now.”
It's a long way from the estate. “The devil will catch up with me anyway,” the young man decided.
He saw her disappearing like this, so he grabbed his wife by the neck with both hands and began to kiss her for the last time. And the devil was watching him from afar, and it seemed to him that the soldier decided to shave his wife. The devil was scared. “I won’t fall into your hands anymore,” he thought, turned back and ran away, only his heels sparkled.
From that time on, the devil left the daredevil alone, and the soldier still lives with his wife, unless he died.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru