Once upon a time there lived a rich man. He had plenty of everything in the house, but one thing was missing: even though he was old, his wife still did not bring him children. One day his wife says to him:
Look, hubby, how much good we have, and God is our child
didn't give it. And in our old age we will have no one to lean on, no one to caress. There seems to be nothing worse in the world. Go to the doctors, see if they can give you some medicine so that we can have children. The unfortunate man wandered around the world, visited many doctors, brought all sorts of medicines to his wife, but a year passed, a second passed, and she still did not give birth to children. Not a single doctor helped them. Then his wife says to him again:
- Go, hubby, to the healers, we’ll try their medicines, maybe you’ll get lucky...
Our Moldavian walked and walked until he came across a skilled healer. The old woman listened to him and said:
- You, man, don’t freak out. Go home and ask your wife what she would like to eat, but doesn’t have it at home. And then you will come to me and tell me. The husband returned home and began asking his wife what she would like to eat, but there was none at home.
“Yes, our house is full of tea,” says the wife. “I can’t imagine such a thing, we have plenty of everything.”
- Think, think, maybe you’ll remember.
The wife thought and thought and suddenly remembered that she would like to eat bleak fish. The husband heard this, ran to the healer and told her everything.
“Okay,” says the healer. - This will be your medicine. Go
to the fair. On the way you will meet a fisherman. Buy a bleak fish from him and let your wife eat it.
The husband did just that: he went to the fair and met a dear fisherman.
- May, fisherman, can you sell me some fish, I need medicine.
“And I would sell it, dear man, but everything has already been sold.”
“Take a good look in the basket, maybe you’ll find something.” I need a little.
The fisherman rummaged in the basket and found twenty-one bleaks under the leaves. My husband took the fish from him and paid for it generously. And then he returned home in great joy, ordered the ash tree fish soup to be cooked and eaten. The wife did so and from that hour she conceived. Well, they had joy...
Nine months flashed by, and it was time for my wife to give birth. She gave birth to a son, gave birth to a second, then a third, a fourth... By the evening the twenty-first was born, and then only the birth ended.
And the husband sits in the second room and counts the squeaks of the newborns. When he counted twenty-one sons, he grabbed his head and exclaimed in a choked voice:
- Did I need children?.. Such a crowd will eat me whole! God sent them, let God take care of them, and I will go wherever my eyes lead me. He ran out of the house and walked without looking back until he reached the dense forest. In a remote thicket he built himself a hut and began to live. He ate mosses and roots, drank spring water, did not show himself to people, and soon became completely wild.
Meanwhile, his wife and sons somehow managed to get out of poverty. The boys began to grow up, worked together and began to live happily again. They were nimble and savvy, so that soon through their labors they acquired twenty times more wealth than their father had before.
And when they became completely grown-up boys, they began to go hunting on holidays to the most distant and remote places. One day, while hunting, they came across a hut in which a wild man lived. This surprised them very much, they began to ask everyone they met and those they met what kind of person he was, until they found out that he was their father. Then the boys returned home, told their mother about everything, and they all began to think together: how to manage to bring their father home, so that no one would dare consider them orphans. And the old woman wised them up with this advice:
- You, sons, look, don’t scare your father. He has gone completely wild and, if you pile on him in a heap, he may go crazy with fear and run even further. And bring him a loaf of bread, a glass of wine, and one boot, such that one foot will have room in it, but two will feel cramped. Put everything in the hut and see what happens next.
The guys did just that.
So the savage returned to the hut and was immediately out of business: he pounced on her and began to eat greedily, saying:
“I ate this kind of bread when I lived at home.” He chews and chews, and suddenly he notices the eggplant.
- That's good! It turns out there is wine here too. And I haven’t drunk it for many years.
He took a sip from the bottle once or twice and became tipsy. I was just about to throw myself on the bed when I suddenly noticed a boot.
- May, look - a boot!.. And where is his pair?
The man searched and searched, searched all corners, but couldn’t find a couple. Then he pulled the boot on one foot - it was big. And he decided to put his other leg into the boot. He stuck it in, but couldn’t pull it out. Then the sons jumped out of the ambush and, surrounding him, said:
“It’s enough for you, father, to live in savagery, come home with us.” The sons brought their father home, washed him, cut his hair, dressed him, and when he began to come to his senses, they made the following speech:
- Father, you gave us light, and then left us to our fate. At least think about us now. Go around the world and marry us twenty-one sisters so that we can settle down with our own household. And if you don’t do this for us, we won’t blow your head off.
The poor fellow walked around the world, traveled many roads, visited many places, but did not find his twenty-one sisters anywhere. One day I was walking along a forest path, hanging my head, thinking bitter thoughts, and I met some old woman. He told the old woman what fate awaited him, and she took pity on him and
gave this advice:
- Follow this road and keep going forward until you reach the palace of Ilyana Kosynzyana - there is a rose in dew in her braid. In the whole world, only with her you will find twenty-one daughters. Try to woo her daughters, maybe it will work out. The old man listened to the advice, he walked, walked north until he reached a beautiful palace, the likes of which he had never seen before, no matter how much he wandered around the world.
He entered the gilded gates, crossed the courtyard lined
gem stones, and stopped in front of the marble staircase. A silver bell rang above his head, and Ilyana Kosynzyana’s voice was heard outside the door:
- If you are a kind person, come in; if you are fierce, go your way, don’t
then I will release a magic broadsword weighing twelve eyes on you and it will cut you like cabbage.
- I'm a kind person.
- So come in. What do you want from me?
“I have twenty-one boys, and your honor has twenty-one girls.” Would you like to become related to me?
“Your speech is pleasant to me, but first I want to look at the suitors.” The old man was happy and returned home.
“Well, he found us a bride,” his sons ask.
- Found it. Let's go to Ilyana Kosynzyane.
The guys were also happy, they began to dress up and get ready for the journey. They ran to the herd and chose good horses for themselves. And the one who was born last did not get a horse.
“Don’t worry, Petrya,” his brothers tell him. - Take any horse.
- Where can I get it? I don’t need yours, but there are only nags left in the herd. I’ll go to the fair and buy myself a horse that suits my heart. He loaded two desags of gold and set off. I searched for Peter for a long time,
until I saw a dappled gray stallion, a slender, powerful handsome man. He liked the heroic horse.
- How much are you asking for the horse, merchant?
- A measure of gold.
Petrya did not bargain, he poured out the gold, jumped on his horse and set off on his way back. And the horse was magical. As soon as they drove away from the fair, he spoke in a human voice.
-Where are you going to go, master?
“We are all going, brothers, to Ilyana Kosynzyane to marry her twenty-one daughters.”
“If you want to stay alive,” the horse then says, “then listen to me.” Do not bring the horses into the yard, but tie them behind the fence. Just take me with you. Ilyana Kosynzyana will receive you kindly, seat you at the table and give you her daughters. Then you. You will all go to bed, each with his betrothed. Just first put on your wives a hero’s dress, and dress yourself in women’s rags. And as soon as I touch you with my hoof, call all your brothers, get on your horses and ride as fast as you can away from the magic palace. Now they were telling you how to carry you: faster than the wind or faster than thought?
- Carry it as a good fellow should ride.
The horse rushed under the very clouds, the ground flashing under its hooves, and not far from the palace it overtook the remaining twenty brothers.
- And here is our Petrya.
- Yes, brothers, I caught up with you. Now look, do as I do you
I’ll teach you, otherwise we won’t get along.
And Petrya told them everything that he himself had heard from the horse. The boys spurred their horses and soon stopped in front of the palace of Ilyana Kosynzyany. All the brothers tied their horses behind the fence, only Petrya led his horse into the yard. Ilyana Kosynzyana and her daughters came out to meet them, they received them kindly, and everyone chose a bride according to their hearts.
They sat down at the table, ate rare dishes, drank good wines. After the feast, each of the brothers took his betrothed, said goodbye to his mother-in-law and went to bed. When they were left alone, the guys said to their wives:
- Here's what, wives, in our region there is such a custom: on the first wedding night, the husband and wife exchange dresses. It’s not good for us to neglect the ancient custom, let’s do the same.
They exchanged dresses, the women put kuṣma on their heads, and the men tied themselves with scarves. So they went to bed.
Meanwhile, Ilyana Kosynzyana called for her magic broadsword, weighing twelve eyes, and ordered him to cut off the heads of all twenty-one brothers. The broadsword got to work and cut off all the heads that had cushmas on them. Then the magic horse touched Petri with its hoof, he jumped up as if stung and shouted to his brothers:
- Come on, brothers!
They mounted their horses and rode home.
But the trampling of horses woke up Ilyana Kosynzyana, she ran to see what had happened, and saw her daughters dead. And there was no trace of the boys. Ilyana screamed, became furious and ordered the broadsword to catch up with the fugitives and take revenge on them with a fierce death.
The broadsword was about to chase the brothers, but they had already managed to cross the border of Ilyan’s kingdom, and beyond this border the broadsword had no power. This is how the brothers were saved from inevitable death, but returned home with nothing. They thought about what to do, and again they said to their father:
“We were unlucky with Ilyana Kosynzyana; now we can’t find so many sisters anywhere. Go, father, and look for brides for us - two, three sisters, wherever there are.
- So, guys, it’s much better - I see you’ve gained some sense.
“And I, father, won’t bother you,” says Petrya. “I’ll go look for a bride for myself.”
It didn’t take him long to get ready, got on his horse and set off on his journey. Whether you drove for a long time or a short time, suddenly something glittered on the road. The guy leaned over from the saddle, picked up a golden feather and asked his horse:
- Should I take it or leave it?
- If you take it, you will repent; If you quit, you will also repent. It’s better to take it, since at least you’ll have to repent this way.
Petrya hid the feather and moved on. He drove for a long time and again he saw something shining in the middle of the road. He leaned over from the saddle and picked up the golden horseshoe.
- Should I take her, my horse, or leave her?
- If you take it, you will repent; If you quit, you will also repent. It’s better to take it, since at least you’ll have to repent this way.
He hid Peter in a bag and a horseshoe, spurred his horse and rode on. He drove and drove and soon he saw again: something was shining on the road. He leaned over from the saddle and took out a golden scarf that sparkled like the sun.
- Should I take him, my horse, or leave him?
- If you take it, you will repent; If you quit, you will also repent. It’s better to take it, since at least you’ll have to repent this way. Peter took the handkerchief and rode on.
So he rode without a break until he reached the palace of a rich, very rich boyar. Boyar Petrya saw him and asked:
- What do you want, boy?
“I want to hire myself into the master’s service.”
- I can hire you as a coachman. Agree?
- OK.
The boyar gave him a salary, but with such an agreement? As soon as he doesn’t fulfill the boyar’s will in anything, he’s off his head.
Peter put his horse in the stable, and he set to work, the work burning in his hands.
One day, the boyar’s daughter looked into the stable and saw something dazzlingly sparkling on the wall. She ran to her father and said:
“Father, our coachman has some kind of sparkling thing that we don’t have in the whole palace.”
The boyar frowned:
“Tell him to immediately bring this thing to me.” The coachman brought him a golden feather. The boyar looked at him, became angry and shouted:
“Wherever you want, find me the bird from which this feather was torn out, otherwise I won’t blow your head off.”
Petrya became sad, became confused, and went to his horse to take advice.
“It’s nothing, master, don’t worry.” Go, get a good night’s sleep, and as soon as it gets dark, saddle me and we’ll go get a bird.
Petrya did just that, in the evening he saddled his horse and rode along paths long untrodden and untrodden. The dear horse says to him:
- Petrya, the golden bird is in the palace of Ilyana Kosynzyana in a wonderful cage, which is ten times more beautiful and precious than the bird itself. Take the bird, but don’t touch the cage, otherwise it will be bad. You will pass twelve chambers guarded by twelve guards, and only in the thirteenth chamber will you find a bird. And don’t be afraid of the guards, I’ll put them to sleep, so feel free to step right over their bodies.
Petrya made his way to the palace of Ilyana Kosynzyana, went through twelve chambers and in the thirteenth he found a bird in a wonderful cage. He took the bird but did not touch the cage. Then he ran out of the palace, jumped on his horse and rushed home at full speed.
The boyar was very happy when Petrya handed him an unprecedented bird, grabbed it, and ordered the coachman to go to the stable. A week later, the boyar’s daughter looked into the stable again, and there was something glittering even more than before. She rushed to her father and shouted:
“Father, in Petri’s stable something shines even more than ever.”
- Tell him to bring it to me.
Petrya appeared before the boyar and showed him a golden horseshoe. And he doesn’t think long and tells the coachman:
- Bring me the horse that lost this horseshoe, otherwise I won’t blow your head off, you mug!
Petrya began to spin, tears welled up in his eyes, and ran to his horse to tell him about his new grief.
- Don't worry, master. We will find a horse from Ilyana Ko-synzyany. We'll hit the road in the evening.
As it began to get dark, Peter saddled his horse and set off on a long journey.
They began to approach Ilyana Kosynzyana’s court, and the magic horse said:
“The horse we are looking for is standing in the stable and swallowing hot coals. Pluck three hairs from my mane and throw them on the coals. He will inhale the smoke from burning hair and will not laugh when you take him out of the stable.
Petrya listened to his horse, did everything as it should, and brought it out safely.
from the stable of a magic horse with a golden mane and brought him to the boyar. He bulged his eyes in surprise.
A week later, the boyar’s daughter looked into the stable again and almost went blind: there was such a glow there. She ran to her father.
- Father, our Petri has things that you won’t find in the royal palace.
“Tell him to bring them here.”
Petra has nowhere to go and carries a golden scarf to the boyar. The world-eater looked, was amazed and told the coachman:
“Go wherever you want, go around the whole world, and bring the owner of this scarf to me, otherwise I won’t blow your head off.”
At this point Petrya became completely depressed and ran to his horse to give advice.
“Don’t lose hope, master, maybe we can handle this matter too.” At night, Peter saddled his horse and again set off on the road to the palace of Ilyana Kosynzyana.
- Petrya, when you enter Ilyana Kosynzyana’s bedchamber, you will find her sleeping. And at her feet you will see a glass of magic drink and at her head - another glass. First drink the glass that is at your feet, then the one that is at your head, and your strength will increase tenfold. Then take it with the bed, with everything, sit astride me and go on your way.
Petrya quietly made his way into the palace, drank both glasses of the magic drink, picked up Ilyana Kosynzyana along with her bed like a feather, carried her out of the palace, jumped on his horse and took off at full speed. So he took her, without waking her, to the boyar’s castle. Here he quietly placed Kosynzyaka’s bed next to the boyar’s bed, and he went to his stable.
The next morning the boyar woke up and was amazed. She couldn’t stop looking at Kosynzyana, she was so beautiful that she could rival the beauty of the sun.
Soon Ilyana also woke up, looked around, understood everything and screamed in her hearts:
“Only Petrya could play such a cruel joke on me.” Tell him to call me.
Instantly the coachman appeared in front of her.
- That's what, Petrya, you killed my daughters, you stole mine
golden bird, you stole my magical horse. This was not enough for you, so you carried me out of my palace, depriving me of peace and joy. Now the time has come for me to get even. Remember, if you don’t bring me my herd of horses that graze at the bottom of the sea, you won’t have your head cut off. Petrya ran to the horse and conveyed Ilyana’s order. And the horse says to him:
- Go, ask her for twelve carts of tar, twelve carts of matting and twelve carts of rows.
Ilyana listened to the coachman’s words and ordered him to give him everything he asked for. Then the horse said to Petra:
- Lubricate my back with resin, put the matting, then grease it again with resin and lay it in a row, and so on until you have laid everything that is on the carts.
Petrya put all the matting and rows of matting on the horse’s back, so that he stood as tall as a house.
size. Then he climbed to the very top and set off. Whether it was a long or short journey, they finally reached the high shore of the sea. And along the shore there were many caves in which one could easily hide.
“You, Petrya, hide in one of the caves and wait there until I defeat the stallion from the bottom of the sea,” the horse ordered. “If I manage to defeat him, go out, put a rein on him and we’ll go back, but if he knocks me down, be careful not to go out, otherwise it will be bad for you.”
Petrya hid, and the horse neighed so loudly that the sea shook, and he also hid behind a rock. Then a terrible stallion swam up from the bottom of the sea, instantly ran around the entire shore, but saw no one and rushed into the water again.
Petrin's horse came out of his hiding place, neighed even more loudly and disappeared again.
Again the angry stallion jumped out of the waves of the sea, ran around the entire shore twice, but saw no one and rushed into the sea. Then Petrin’s horse neighed for the third time - the mountains shook.
The stallion jumped out, got completely angry, ran around the entire shore three times, digging the ground with his hooves. Petrin sees his horse - the stallion is pretty tired. Only now did he dare to come out to meet him. They fought tooth and nail, gnawing each other with their teeth. Only Petrin’s horse eats live meat; and the stallion - a matting and sackcloth. It became clear to Petra: his horse was overpowering the stallion, then he himself ran out of the ambush and bridled the captive. Then he jumped on his magical horse and rushed back, leading the stallion by the reins. They galloped and galloped, and then the horse said to Petra:
- Look around, Petrya, see if you see anything behind us. Petrya looked around and far, far away he saw something like a flock of cranes.
- Well, what do you see?
— There’s no way a flock of cranes is flying after us.
And this herd ran from the bottom of the sea after its stallion. The horse immediately guessed and said:
- Well, whip me once, and whip the stallion twice and harder. So Petrya did, and they rushed faster than before. After a while the horse says again:
“Come on, Petrya, look around, see if you see anything.” The guy looked around and saw something like a herd of sheep. “Well, what do you see?”
- No way, a flock of sheep is catching up with us.
- OK. Whip me once, and the stallion three times, and harder, so that you don’t trail behind.
And again they rushed, without taking a breath, until the horse ordered:
- Look around, Petrya, see if you see anything else. Petrya looked around and saw a herd of scary horses.
They rush after them, eating the earth.
- What do you see, Petrya?
— A large herd of scary horses is catching up with us.
“Now whip me twice and the stallion four times.” Petrya obeyed and drove the horses even harder.
Ilyana Kosynzyana already knew that the herd would soon arrive, and ordered pens to be built. As soon as Petrya appeared, she drove all the mares into the paddock and put the stallion in the stable.
“Here,” says Petrya, “I delivered you a herd.”
“But he still hasn’t gotten rid of me.” Now milk the mares, boil their milk in a cauldron and bathe in it.
Petrya sees that Ilyana wants to solve his life at all costs. He had never felt so sad before. He came to the horse like a gloomy cloud, and his horse asked:
- What's wrong with you, master?
“This is what Ilyana told me to do,” and he told the horse everything.
“And you go to Ilyana and ask permission so that I can go with you and see how you will suffer.”
Petrya went to Ilyana and began to ask:
“I see that my last hour has come, and I beg you, allow my faithful horse to be with me when I give up my ghost.”
“Okay,” Ilyana agreed.
In the evening, Petrya filled the pen where the herd stood with water. And at night the frost hit and... The mares were frozen into the ice up to their knees.
In the morning, Petrya milked them, poured the milk into a large cauldron, and when it began to boil, he led his horse out of the stable and tied it to the eye of the cauldron. The horse blew his winter nostril and the milk froze, then he blew his summer nostril and warmed it up. - exactly like water in a pond on a summer day. Petrya took a bath and came out of the cauldron alive. and unharmed. Ilyana saw this and ordered:
“Tomorrow you’ll milk the mares again and boil the milk.” I'm in it. I'll go swimming. And tie my stallion to the cauldron.
The guy did everything as she ordered. And her stallion was also magical. He blew on the milk through his winter nostrils and froze it; then he blew through his summer nostrils and warmed it up. Ilyana took a swim, as if in a pond in the middle of summer, called Petrya and again commanded:
“Now prepare the same font for the boyar, and tie his horse to the cauldron.”
Milked. Petrya boiled the mares milk, and tied the boyar’s horse to the ear of the boiler. Yes, he was a simple horse and couldn’t do anything about the milk. The boyar was very proud of the golden bird, the golden-maned horse and his captive Ilyana. Kosynzyanoy. He did not want to fall behind the simple coachman in valor and ran to bathe in milk. As soon as he jumped into the cauldron, he immediately boiled and gave up his ghost.
And Ilyana Kosynzyana called Petrya and made the following speech:
- Well, Petrya, now we got rid of the boyar and became free birds. You are a bachelor and I am a widow, let's get married. and we will while away our lives together.
They threw a merry wedding, a huge feast, and I was there, ate and drank, and then ran away and told you a fairy tale.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru