In a certain kingdom there lived a king and a queen, and they had no children. No matter how much they grieved, no matter how many healers were called, they did not and do not have children.
Once upon a time a backwater grandmother comes to visit them.
“Let the net go into the sea,” he says, “and you will catch a fish—a golden feather.” Boil it in seven waters, let the queen eat, then she will carry it.
The king ordered to weave a net, lower it into the sea, and catch a fish - a golden feather. The fishermen lowered the net into the blue sea - the first time they didn’t catch anything; they lowered it another time - again nothing was found; They lowered it a third time and caught a fish - a golden feather.
They took her and brought her to the king. He rewarded the fishermen and ordered the fish to be taken to the kitchen, boiled in seven waters and served to the queen. The cooks cleaned the fish, washed it, cooked it, and threw the slop out into the yard. A cow passed by and licked the slop. The Chernavka girl put the fish on a plate to take to the queen, and on the way she tore off a golden feather and tried it. And the queen ate the fish.
And all three gave birth on one day, at one hour: the cow, the black girl and the queen. And they were resolved at the same time with three sons: the queen gave birth to Ivan Tsarevich, and to the Chernavka girl, Ivan, the girl’s son; and the cow gave birth to a man, they named him Ivan - son of a cow.
The guys became one person, voice after voice, hair after hair. They grow by leaps and bounds; As the dough on the dough rises, so do they.
Whether long or short, they became ten years old. They started hanging out with the guys, making bad jokes. If they take a guy by the hand, the hand goes away; if they take him by the head, the head goes away. Good people began to complain about them.
Here Ivan, the son of a cow, says to his brothers:
“Why should we live with the father-tsar and confuse the people? Let’s go to foreign lands.”
Ivan Tsarevich, Ivan the girl's son and Ivan the cow's son came to the king and asked him to order three iron clubs forged for them and give them a blessing - to go to foreign lands, look for fighters for themselves.
The king ordered three iron clubs to be forged. The blacksmiths forged for a week and made three clubs; no one can lift them by one end, but Ivan Tsarevich, Ivan the girl’s son and Ivan the cow’s son turn them between their fingers like a goose feather.
The brothers went out into the wide courtyard.
“Well, bros,” says Ivan Tsarevich, “let’s try to see who can be the greatest.” Whoever throws the club higher is the bigger brother.
- Okay, you throw it first.
Ivan Tsarevich threw it, the club flew high, barely visible, and an hour later it only fell back. After him, Ivan, the girl’s son, threw him, the club flew even higher, out of sight, and fell two hours ago. And Ivan, the cow's son, began to throw his club, it flew behind a cloud, and fell back three hours later.
- Well, Ivan is a cow's son, to be your big brother.
The brothers saddled their horses, asked the priest for a blessing and rode off into an open field - wherever their eyes looked.
They drove through the mountains, through the valleys, through green meadows, whether for a long time or for a short time, soon the fairy tale is told, but not soon the deed is done - they arrive at the Smorodina River. There is a viburnum bridge across the river, human bones are lying along the banks, knee-deep.
The brothers saw the hut, entered it - it was empty, and decided to stop here. They unsaddled the horses, ate and drank themselves. It was evening, Ivan the cow's son said to his brothers:
“Let’s take turns watching every night to see if anyone is driving across this bridge.”
They cast lots; On the first night, Ivan Tsarevich had to go on patrol, on the second night, Ivan, the girl’s son, and on the third, Ivan, the cow’s son.
Ivan Tsarevich put on his shoes, got dressed and went on patrol to the Smorodina River, to the Kalinov Bridge. He walked and walked and fell asleep. And Ivan, the cow’s son, cannot sleep in the hut, the pillow is spinning in his head. He got up, put on his shoes, got dressed, took his club and went to the bridge. And there Ivan Tsarevich is sleeping. Ivan, the cow's son, took him by the shoulders and carried him under the bridge, while he himself began to stand guard.
Suddenly the waters on the river became agitated, the eagles screamed in the oak trees, the bridge began to hum - a six-headed miracle snake was riding out; under him the horse stumbled, the black raven on his shoulder started, and behind him the hort bristled.
Miracle Yudo tells them:
- Why are you, you wolf, stumbling? Are you, crow feather, trembling? And you, fur of a dog, are you bristling? Do you hear friend or foe?
- We hear the enemy.
- You're lying! In all the world I have neither an arguer nor a slanderer, there is only Ivan - the son of a cow. So the raven didn’t bring his bones here, not only for him.
Then Ivan, the son of a cow, jumped out from under the bridge:
- I'm here!
Miracle Yudo asks him:
- Why did you come, Ivan the cow’s son? Match my sisters or daughters?
- Oh, you miraculous six-headed snake, gathering in the field is not considered relatives. Let's argue!
So they came together, drew level, and hit each other violently. Miracle Yud was not lucky: Ivan the Cow's Son blew off three of his heads in one fell swoop.
- Stop, Ivan, son of a cow, give me a rest.
- No rest for you, miracle Yudo! In our opinion: hit and slash, don’t worry about yourself.
Then they got back together. Miracle Yudo struck and drove Ivan the cow's son knee-deep into the damp earth, and Ivan the cow's son struck and blew off his other three heads; he chopped up the body and threw it into the river, and put six heads under the viburnum bridge. He himself returned to the hut and went to bed.
In the morning Ivan Tsarevich returns.
- What, brother, haven’t you seen: who walked, who drove along the Kalinov Bridge? - the brothers ask.
- No one, brothers, walked or traveled. Not even a fly flew past me. The next night, Ivan, the girl’s son, went on patrol. He walked and walked, climbed into the bushes and fell asleep.
And Ivan, the son of a cow, cannot sleep, the pillow is spinning in his head. As time passed past midnight, he put on his shoes, got dressed, took his club, went out and stood under the viburnum bridge.
The waters on the river became agitated, the eagles screamed in the oak trees, the bridge hummed - the miracle Yudo nine-headed serpent was leaving. The horse has smoke pouring out of his ears and flames blazing from his nostrils.
Suddenly the horse under him stumbled, the black raven on his shoulder started, and the horse behind him bristled.
- Why are you, you wolf, stumbling? Are you, crow feather, trembling? And you, fur of a dog, are you bristling? Do you hear friend or foe?
- We hear the enemy. Isn’t Ivan the cow’s son here?
“The raven didn’t bring his bones here, not just him.”
Then Ivan, the son of a cow, jumped out from under the bridge:
- You're lying! I'm here.
Miracle Yudo tells him.
- Why did you come? Match my sisters or daughters?
- Oh, you nine-headed miracle Yudo, gathering in the field is not considered relatives. Let's fight!
So they came together, drew level, hit each other violently, and the earth groaned all around. Ivan, the son of a cow, swung his club and knocked off three heads of the miracle-juda, like hummocks; another time he swung it and knocked off three more heads. And the miracle Yudo hit him - he drove him waist-deep into the damp earth.
Ivan the cow's son grabbed a handful of earth and threw it in his eyes. Miracle Yudo started to wipe his eyes, Ivan the cow's son knocked off the rest of his heads, cut his torso into pieces, threw him into the Smorodina River, and piled nine heads under the viburnum bridge. He went into the hut himself and went to bed.
The next morning Ivan, the girl’s son, returns.
- What, brother, haven’t you seen: who walked, who drove along the Kalinov Bridge?
- No, brothers, no fly flew over me and no mosquito squealed. Ivan the cow's son led the brothers under the Viburnum bridge, showed the snake heads and let's shame them:
- Oh, you heroes! Where should you fight? You should lie on the stove at home!
On the third night, Ivan, the cow’s son, gets ready to go on patrol. He stuck the knife into the wall, hung a white towel on it, and placed a bowl on the floor under it.
“I’m going to a terrible battle.” And you, brothers, don’t sleep all night, watch how the blood flows from the towel: if half the bowl runs over, okay, if the full bowl comes over, it’s all right, and if it overflows, then rush to my aid.
Here stands Ivan, the cow’s son, under the Viburnum bridge; it was past midnight. The waters on the river became agitated, the eagles screamed in the oak trees, the bridge began to hum—the miracle of Yudo, a twelve-headed serpent, was coming out. The horse has smoke pouring out of its ears, flames blazing from its nostrils, and stings flying from under its hooves.
Suddenly the horse under him stumbled, the raven on his shoulder started up, and the hort bristled behind him.
- Why are you, you wolf, stumbling? Are you, crow feather, trembling? And you, fur of a dog, are you bristling? Do you hear friend or foe?
- We hear the enemy: here Ivan is the son of a cow.
- You're lying! The raven didn’t bring his bones here.
- Oh, you twelve-headed miracle Yudo! “Ivan,” the cow’s son responded and jumped out from under the bridge. “The raven didn’t pick up my bones, I’m walking here myself.”
- Why did you come?
“I came to you, evil spirit, to take a look and test your strength.”
- So you killed my brothers? And you think you can defeat me? I just blow and there won’t be any ashes left of you.
“I didn’t come with you to tell tales, let’s fight to the death!”
Ivan the cow's son swung his club and knocked off three heads of the miracle Yuda. Miracle Yudo picked up these heads, struck them with a fiery finger - the heads grew back as if they had never fallen from their shoulders. Yes, in turn, he hit Ivan, the cow’s son, and drove him knee-deep into the damp ground.
He had a bad time here.
- Stop, evil spirit, give me a break!
Miracle Yudo gave him some rest. Ivan the cow's son took off his right mitten and threw it into the hut. The mitten knocked out the door and window, and his brothers were sleeping and didn’t hear anything.
Ivan the son of a cow swung another time, stronger than before, and knocked off six heads of the miracle juda. The miracle picked them up, struck them with a fiery finger - and again all the heads were in place; struck in his turn and drove Ivan, the cow’s son, waist-deep into the damp ground.
- Stop, evil spirit, give me a break!
Ivan the cow's son took off his left mitten, threw it - the mitten tore off the roof of the hut, and the brothers were still sleeping, they didn't hear anything.
He swung his club a third time, even more powerfully, and knocked off nine heads of the miracle yuda. Miracle Yudo picked them up, struck them with a fiery finger - the heads grew back; and this time he drove Ivan the cow’s son up to his shoulders into the damp earth.
- Stop, evil spirit, give me a third rest!
Ivan, the cow's son, took off his hat and threw it into the hut; Because of that blow, the hut fell apart and rolled all over the logs.
Then the brothers woke up and looked - there was blood all over the towel, blood was pouring out of the bowl over the edge.
They got scared, took the clubs, and hurried to help their older brother. Meanwhile, he got the hang of it and cut off the fiery finger of the miracle-juda. Yes, together with his brothers, let’s knock off his heads... They fought all day until evening and defeated the miracle Yudo twelve-headed serpent, knocked off every single one of his heads, chopped his body into pieces, and threw him into the Smorodina River.
Early in the morning the brothers saddled their horses and set off on their journey. Suddenly Ivan the cow's son says:
- Wait, I forgot my mittens! Go, brothers, one step at a time, I’ll catch up with you soon.
He rode away from them, got off his horse, let it go into the green meadows, turned into a sparrow and flew across the viburnum bridge, across the Smorodina River to the white stone chambers; sat down by the open window and listened.
And in the white stone chambers sat the old snake and her three daughters-in-law, Yuda’s miracle wives, and talked among themselves about how they could destroy the villain Ivan, the cow’s son, and his brothers.
“I’ll let them go hungry,” the younger daughter-in-law says, “and I’ll turn into an apple tree with juicy apples.” They will eat an apple and they will be torn into pieces.
Middle daughter-in-law says:
“I’ll make them thirsty, I’ll turn myself into a well, and let them try to drink from me.”
And the eldest daughter-in-law:
“I’ll make them sleepy, I’ll throw myself into a soft bed.” Whoever lies on me will burn with fire.
And the old snake, the miracle mother of Yuda, says:
“I’ll turn into a pig, with my jaws open from the ground to the sky, and I’ll devour all three of them.”
Ivan the cow's son listened to these speeches, flew back into the green meadows, hit the ground and became still a good fellow. I caught up with the brothers, and they continued on their way. Whether the journey was long or short, hunger began to torment them, but there was nothing to eat. They look, there is an apple tree by the road, with plump apples on the branches. Ivan Tsarevich and Ivan the girl's son started to pick apples, and Ivan the cow's son galloped ahead of them and let's chop the apple tree crosswise, only blood sprays out of it.
- See, brothers, what an apple tree this is!
They drive further across the steppes, through meadows, and the day is getting hotter, there is no patience. Thirst began to torment them. Suddenly they see a well, a cold spring. The younger brothers rushed to him, and Ivan, the cow’s son, jumped off his horse ahead of them and started chopping this well, only blood would spray.
- See, brothers, what a well this is!
Suddenly the day became foggy, the heat subsided, and I didn’t feel like drinking. They went further along the road. The dark night overtakes them, sleep begins to overcome them - there is no urine. They see a hut, a light in the window; In the hut there is a plank bed, a down bed.
“Ivan is a cow’s son, let’s spend the night here.”
He jumped out in front of the brothers and let’s chop the bed lengthwise and crosswise, only blood would splatter.
“Brothers, you saw what a downy bed this is!”
Then they fell asleep. They drive further along the road and hear that they are being chased; An old snake is flying, its mouth open from the ground to the sky. Ivan the cow's son sees that they have a short time. How to escape? And he threw three pounds of salt into her mouth. The snake ate it, became thirsty and ran to the blue sea.
While she was drinking, the brothers went far away; the snake got drunk and rushed after them again. They let their horses go and run into a forge in the forest. Ivan the cow's son and his brothers went there.
- Blacksmiths, blacksmiths, forge twelve iron rods and heat the tongs red-hot. A big pig will come running and say: “Give up the culprit.” And you tell her: “Run your tongue through twelve iron doors and take it yourself.”
Suddenly an old snake comes running, turns into a big pig and shouts:
- Blacksmiths, blacksmiths, hand over the culprit!
The blacksmiths answered her, as Ivan, the son of a cow, taught them:
- Run your tongue through twelve iron doors and take them yourself.
The snake began to lick the iron doors, licked all twelve doors, and stuck its tongue out. Ivan the cow's son grabbed her tongue with red-hot tongs, and the brothers began to beat her with iron rods, piercing the skin to the bone. They killed the snake, burned it and scattered the ashes to the wind.
And Ivan the cow's son, Ivan the girl's son and Ivan Tsarevich went home. They began to live and live, walk and feast. I was at that feast, I drank honey-beer, it flowed down my mustache, but it didn’t get into my mouth. Here they treated me: they took the basin away from the bull and poured milk. I didn’t drink, I didn’t eat, I decided to resist, and they started fighting with me. I put on my cap and they started pushing me in the neck...
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru