In the old days, poor Torpars lived in Skåne, a husband and wife, and they had one and only son. From an early age, the boy loved to wander around with a gun on his back. And that’s why they called him Hunter Brute.
A lot of time passed, Brute grew up, became tall and strong. One day, as was his custom, he went into the forest to hunt and saw: on the top of a bare rock, a small child was sitting and fighting off a huge eagle with his little hands. And the eagle circles above him, trying to fall on him like a stone. Brute loaded his gun, took aim and fired at the eagle. He fell dead.
Brute climbed onto the rock to remove the child, only it turned out that he had saved not a human child at all, but a troll calf. Brute began to think: “It seems like he lost the eagle in vain. Why should we feel sorry for the troll’s spawn?” But he looked at the little troll and saw that he was kind and affectionate. And the little troll seemed to guess his thoughts and said:
- Don’t be sad that you lost the eagle. This is not an eagle at all, but an evil troll who has sworn our family to death. He caused us a lot of trouble and grief. Thank you, good hunter! Come with me! I will reward you as you deserve.
The little troll brought Hunter Brute to his home. The old trolls heard that the Hunter saved their child from the eagle, and they wanted to give him a gift - they took him to their treasury and said:
“Choose three treasures here from everything you like.”
And there is plenty to choose from: there is gold, and silver, and horses, and golden carriages! Brute stands there, his eyes widening. The little troll saw his confusion, crept up and quietly whispered:
- Take a gray donkey, a wooden pipe and an old gun!
Brute listened and took everything that the little troll advised him. He said goodbye to the trolls and got ready to leave. And the little troll finally whispers to him:
“The king just needs a skilled hunter.” Try to get hired for his service!
Brute listened to the little troll this time too. He went to the royal castle and hired himself out as a hunter to the king. He began to serve the king, and a wooden pipe and an old gun, which he received as a gift from the trolls, came in handy for him. Brute will go out into the forest, play the pipe, and all kinds of game will flock to him from all sides. Just have time to aim and shoot. And his gun also hit without missing a beat, just have time to pick up the game.
Never before had there been such rich game on the royal table, and never before had any hunter been in such favor with Brute as the king. The royal courtiers became angry and were only waiting for an opportunity to annoy Brute and deprive him of royal favor.
But Brute had no idea that they were planning evil against him. And he did not think at all to hide how he obtained game for the royal table. Soon his enemies learned all his secrets. They went to the king and said that, well, Brute is an evil troll, he must be killed. If he wants to save his life, let him get the royal daughter stolen by the evil witch.
The king ordered to call Brute and asked him:
- Do you want to save your life? Give me back the princess! We know that you hang out with trolls!
“I have no desire to die now.” “It’s better to put your life on this matter and find the princess,” Bru-te said to the king, and he himself thought: “I’ll try my luck. He who is brave is safe!”
And he left the king.
He stands at the gates of the royal castle and does not know where to go, where to look for the princess.
- Oh, if only I had a little troll with me! - he said to himself and suddenly remembered the troll pipe.
He pulled out his pipe and started playing. He hears: a groan through the forest, a roar and a whistle. Before he had time to come to his senses, a small gray donkey was standing in front of him.
“You forgot to take me with you,” said the donkey, “oh well, I’ll forgive you!” You saved a baby troll from an eagle! Get on my back and be quick, I’ll take you to the witch’s castle. Listen to me in everything - your princess! But remember: if you get scared and want to go back, we are lost. both you and me!
Brute promised the donkey to do everything as he ordered.
“I don’t lack for courage,” he said. And they set off on a long journey, unknown to Brutha. The donkey, you know, is trotting at a cowardly pace, as if it’s not the first time he’s come here. They finally reached the witch's castle. Brute knocked on the gate, and it seemed to open on its own. A witch came out to them, a terrible, terrible one. Her legs are ostrich, her body is that of a toad, her neck is that of a goose, and her head is that of an eagle. Brute didn’t think that there was such a monster in the world - he trembled with fear, but, fortunately, he came to his senses in time and remembered that he had promised the donkey not to be afraid of anything. He plucked up courage and said to the witch:
- Give me the princess you stole. The witch realized that Brute could not be intimidated, turned into a man, invited him to the castle, and ordered the donkey to be taken to the stable. At the castle, the witch herself escorted Brute to the princess.
The princess sits in the upper room and embroiders a magical pattern with silk and gold. The witch asks the princess:
- Do you want to go home with Brute?
- How can you not want to! - the princess answers. So then the witch Brute says:
I give you three days to test: if you find the princess three times in three days, I will free her and let her go home with you. If you don’t find it, you will become my prisoner.
Brute agreed - he hoped that the donkey would help him. The witch took him to a rich bedchamber, and he said:
- No way! Thank you! I don't want to spend the night in a castle.
And he went to the donkey's stable
The witch got angry, furious, but she couldn’t force him to spend the night in the castle. She has no power over him yet. And everything turned out as Brute wanted.
He came to the stable, fed and watered his donkey and told him about the agreement with the witch. And the donkey punishes him: do it this way.
The next morning Brute came to the castle, and the witch had already hidden the princess. The hunter is looking for the princess, and he comes across her basket with handicrafts. He took the smallest silk ball from there and wants to put it in his pocket.
- And I’m here! - says the princess. The witch bewitched her, and the princess became so small that she could hide in a silk ball.
- You're lucky this time! - the witch grumbled. “Tomorrow I’ll hide it better!”
The second night Brute slept in the stable again. And again the donkey gave him good advice: do it this way.
The next day Brute came to the castle, and the witch had already hidden the princess. The hunter is looking for the princess, he searches and stumbles upon an oak table. He took bread and a knife from the table and wanted to cut the bread with that knife.
- Oh, oh! Spare my life, don't cut me! - the princess begged.
The witch bewitched her, and the princess became so small that she could hide in a loaf of bread.
- It’s clear to me who your advisor is! — the witch got angry. “We’ll see how things turn out the third time.”
And on the third day the witch came up with something that the donkey couldn’t tell in advance where she would hide the princess. A hunter came to the castle, looking for the princess, looking, but couldn’t find her. The witch grins with joy.
Brute went to the donkey and told him about his misfortune.
- Take me to the well to drink! - asked the donkey.
The hunter took the donkey to the well and suddenly saw: a horsefly sitting on the donkey’s hoof.
- I’ll catch you now! said Brute. He was afraid that the horsefly would bite the donkey.
- Oh! Oh! “Don’t kill me!” the princess screamed. The witch bewitched her and turned her into a horsefly, and Brute found her a third time. The witch got angry and burst out of frustration. The donkey is also gone, and instead of him a baby troll stands at the well and says:
“You also prevailed over our other enemy, the witch!” Let you get her lands too. Now you will be equal in wealth to the princess's father.
He said it and disappeared from sight.
And Brute and the princess rode in a golden carriage in four to her father, the king. They had a wedding in the royal castle, and then Brute became king in the witch state and rules it to this day.
And I have never heard of anyone being offended by the king, Hunter Brute.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru