In no kingdom, no state, lived an old man with his old woman. Well, the old man couldn’t do anything else, as he was very old - he went into the forest to chop wood.
Once he went to his work, and just entered the forest, he looked - there were nine eggs lying on a bush.
What should he do: he took the eggs in a mitten, collected them and thought:
“If I take them with me to the forest, I’ll break them there, but I’d rather leave them here.”
So he cut through the day and goes back in the evening and comes to this bush. When he came to this bush, he looked, there was no mitten and no eggs. The old man thought: “Eh, I didn’t do it well.”
He came home to his old woman and said:
- So, grandma, I was walking today and found nine eggs on a bush in the morning, collected them in a mitten and left them, and in the evening I went - there was no mitten, no eggs.
“Oh, you old demon, if you knew this, you wouldn’t even let you eat.” You know, nine eggs cost five kopecks each, because forty-five kopecks is money!
- Well, okay, grandma, if I have to find it another time, I won’t leave it.
On the second day, the old man also goes into the forest. He comes to the same bush and looks: there are eighteen eggs lying there. And he took these eggs and collected them in his business and thought about it:
“Well, what should I do? Go home and take these eggs with you into the forest? If I take them with me into the forest, I’ll crush them, and it’s better to go home in the evening, when I’ve chopped some wood.”
So he took it and left it again, and went to chop it himself. He chopped it up for the day, didn’t finish it, and went home. He comes to this bush, looks, but there are no businessmen or eggs. The old man thought deeply: “Well, how can I tell the old woman about this? Well, okay, I’ll be silent.”
And then he comes home. The old woman set the table, fed her and asked:
- Why are you so sad, grandpa?
- Yes, yes.
- Well, tell me, you always spoke before, but today you are silent.
- What can I say, grandma, you’ll swear. Today I found eighteen eggs, put them in both boxes and left them on the bush. I went home - there were no businessmen, no eggs.
“Well, old dog, if I had known, I would have dunged you with a hook and wouldn’t have given you anything to eat.” No wonder you are silent there! Then he said:
“But, okay, grandma, if I happen to find it again, I won’t leave it, I’ll collect it and bring it home right away.”
- Well, look!
And so the old man went into the forest. He comes to this bush and looks: thirty-three eggs. “Well, okay,” he thinks, “now I won’t do that again.”
The old man took it, put his rokon and the egg in his bosom with a sash, and then went home. “I won’t go into the forest, but I’ll go home.”
So he walked not far, and his sash began to loosen. And the testicles began to fall out onto the road. As soon as the egg falls out, the fellow will jump out. They fell out and jumped out: thirty-three eggs fell out, thirty-three young men jumped out and followed the old man.
When they came home, the grandmother looked, they now had thirty-three sons. She set the table and began to feed them. When they had eaten, Ivan the Lesser, with a Big Mind, spoke:
- Well, father, he knew how to find us, he knew how to give us work.
- What kind of work will I give you?
“Go to the forge, order thirty-three scythes, and in the meantime we’ll make thirty-three rakes.”
Father went to the forge and ordered thirty-three braids. While he was walking and forging, the guys made thirty rakes. Now Ivan the Lesser, with a Big Mind, says to his father:
- Well, now where do we go to work?
- Yes, I don’t know.
“If you don’t know, let’s go mow the royal reserved meadow.”
We went in the morning. And this Ivan the Lesser, the Big One, doesn’t mow down in his mind, he goes there for the elder. And suddenly, at noon, a royal nobleman arrives and asks:
-Who do you have as a leader here?
And one of them comes out.
“I,” he says, “am Ivan the Lesser - Greater in Mind than the elder.” What will happen? He told him:
- And who, Ivan the Lesser - with a Great Mind, ordered you to mow the reserved meadows?
- Because no one mows them, and when they mow, they can never save the hay. Listen, nobleman, it’s better, I’ll cut it, it’ll be better than so much hay dying. I see this and that’s why I started mowing.
The nobleman liked these words, and he went to the king with an answer.
When he arrives, the king asks:
- Well, who is mowing there?
“Ivan the Lesser, the Big Mind, is the one who mows, and he told me that the grass is drying. Instead of spoiling it, he will mow it down.
- Well, okay, go back and ask Ivan the Lesser - With the Greater Mind, what kind of dinner should you prepare for them?
A nobleman arrives and asks:
- Well, Ivan the Lesser - Big in Mind, what kind of lunch should I prepare for you?
- For us? I'll tell you: roast thirty-three bulls and prepare thirty-three buckets of wine. The nobleman came to the king and said:
“He said: roast thirty-three bulls and prepare thirty-three buckets of wine.”
- OK then.
They began to do it, and they mowed until evening and collected all the hay. When they gathered, they came, of course, to the king; the king had dinner ready. So they sat down at the table, drinking and eating. We drank wine and ate meat. The king arrives and begins to count them. He calculates them at forty kopecks. And Ivan the Less - with the Greater Mind - at fifty. Here they collect this money and give it to their father. Then the king spoke to this old man:
- So, grandfather, how will you feed your sons now? You have thirty-three sons, you need to feed them, clothe them, teach them to read and write. Better yet, give me your sons as workers, and for this I will give you and the old woman bread forever.
The old man agreed.
- Well, if the sons go, then I agree.
Then he asked Ivan the Lesser - with the Greater Mind:
- Well, Ivan the Lesser - Big in Mind, will you live with me?
- We will.
The king gives the old man money so that he can last forever. And the old man went home. From then on, the old man no longer went out to chop wood and began to live with his old woman.
They lived this time, which means that they were all brothers with the king. And this time passed, the nights became dark, and their hay began to be lost; it is unknown - what is mowed down is less - where it goes. Then the king spoke to Ivan the Less - the Greater Mind:
- Well, Ivan the Lesser - Great in Mind, knew how to mow hay, knew how to catch a thief. And Ivan says:
- Well, brothers, let's go on duty.
So the brothers sat down in the backyards, and he stood up at the front and sat, and began to ask the brothers:
-Are you sleeping?
There is no answer from anyone. That means everyone fell asleep. And he still sits. And suddenly it became completely dark, so it was about midnight, and suddenly he saw a golden-mane mare running with thirty-two foals - and the foals were all beautiful, just like herself. And they come up to this hay and start eating it. They eat and trample, and so the hay decreases. And he looks to see who he can jump on, but nothing comes of it. They're not close. And so they ran back and threw themselves into the sea. Now he stood up.
- Brothers, get up, are you sleeping?
- No.
- Get up, did you see anyone?
- No, we didn’t see anyone. What about you, brother?
- I don’t have anyone either.
- Well, let's go.
And everyone went. When they arrived, the king asked them:
- Well, Ivan the Lesser - Big in Mind, have you seen anyone?
- No, I didn’t see anyone that night.
- OK.
And so we went to the second one. They arrived; the brothers fell down the slopes and fell asleep. And he sits, he became even more interested. So it got dark. He began to ask the brothers:
- Brothers, are you sleeping? Everyone is silent.
- OK.
And he watches everything. And then it got completely dark, and suddenly it dawned: a golden-mane mare was running with thirty-two foals; and he himself is completely hidden, only his head sticks out a little.
Look, one foal is approaching him, it’s getting very close. He jumped and grabbed the mane. The mare saw it and rushed with the others into the sea. The foal was running, running around the meadow, and there was no way he could be thrown off.
Finally he spoke:
- Listen, Ivan the Lesser - Big in Mind, if you knew how to catch me, then know how to catch a mother tomorrow, now you let me go, and I will teach you how to catch a mother.
- Well, tell me how? Here he says:
“If you go tonight for the night, let me go now, and tomorrow I will come to the same fence and eat hay.” If he sees me standing where he was caught, he will rush at me to bite me. You jump on me, and through me on her, so only you can catch her. And I’ll hold you back to make it easier to catch her.
So he let him go and began to ask the brothers:
- Brothers, are you sleeping?
- No.
- So stand up; have you seen anyone?
- No, we haven’t seen it. What about you, brother? - I don’t have anyone either.
- Well, let's go home.
And so they came home. When they arrived home, the king asked:
- Well, how is it, Ivan the Lesser - Big in Mind, have you seen anyone?
- No, and I didn’t see anyone the second night. Let's see what happens next.
This is how they got through the day. They're going for the night. Here again, of course, they came to this place to the priests; the brothers dispersed to their backyards and fell asleep. And Ivan sat down on the fence, dug in again - only his head stuck out - and sat there, watching for what would happen. And now I suddenly saw it—it was dawn, and the mare with thirty-two foals was running again. This foal ran up to him, stood still and began to eat. As soon as she saw it from afar, she ran to him. She came running and wanted to bite the foal. As he jumped, he rolled over him and grabbed her. And she rushed across the meadow according to this.
She ran around and around and started talking; - Well, Ivan the Lesser - Great in Mind, knew how to catch, and knew how to give work.
- We'll find it.
And he shouted to his brothers. The brothers jumped, they think the embryos are burning. The germs are standing. They mounted their horses and rode to the palace. They arrived at the palace, the king saw and was delighted - thirty-three horses, and what kind!
- Well, Ivan the Lesser - Big in Mind, well done, caught thieves. Now give me one horse, I’ll go for a ride, I really like to ride horses like that.
- No, Your Majesty, the horses are not bridled, not broken, you need to train them first, and then I give them to you.
I’ll go first with my brothers, go around, and then you’ll go.
- Well, okay, go with your brothers wherever you know. He says to the brothers:
- Well, brothers, where do you think you’ll go?
- We don’t know, Ivan the Lesser - Great in Mind.
- Come on, let's go get married.
- Come on, get married, come on!
And so they went to get married. So they come to visit one old grandmother.
- Well, grandma, how many daughters do you have? - Nine.
– This is not enough for us. Let's move on.
And so we moved on. They come to the second one. Ivan Menshoy is Great in Mind and asks:
- Well, how many daughters do you have, grandma?
- I'm eighteen.
- That’s not enough, let’s move on.
- Well, go to the third sister.
And so we moved on. They come to the third sister. And Ivan the Lesser - Big in Mind and asks:
- Well, how many daughters do you have, grandma?
- Yes, I have thirty-three daughters.
- Well, that's good. Will you give your daughters in marriage?
- I'll give it back.
They unharness the horses and come into the house. They went into the house, the old woman now set the table, brought the brides, and began to give her food and water. When she gave him something to drink, fed, and said:
- Well, my law is this: go now, go for a walk with your partner, then when you come, you’ll sleep, and then you’ll get married.
The brothers are now taking their brides and going for a walk. And Ivan went too. I just left the room and remembered about my mare. “I’ll go and have a look.”
The old woman asked:
- What are you doing, Ivan?
- Yes, I’ll go and look at the horses.
- What are you talking about, Ivan, the horses are all fed, they are standing in the stable.
- No, I’ll go and have a look.
And he went. And the bride stands, waits. She was smaller than everyone and more cunning than everyone. And so, when he approached the mare, he looked: the mare was standing completely different, her legs seemed to be knee-deep in blood. He asks the mare:
“Well, tell me, my filly, why are you standing up to your knees in blood, what misfortune do you feel over yourself or over me?”
- Above you, Ivan the Lesser - with a Great Mind. She tells him; - Listen, Ivan the Lesser - Great in Mind. When you go for a walk, I’ll give you three clubs. And your brothers, you will see, will run away in all directions. Don’t go to bed with her, okay, but pull out that stick and start beating her. You break this little stick, she will give you a small piece of wood. Then you break the second one and she will give you a flint. You start again. She will ask you: “Why are you Ivan the Lesser - Big in Mind, hitting me?” - “But this is how it should be.” And start hitting again. The third club came out, wave, she will give you a magic handkerchief. You take the handkerchief in your pocket and walk away, and all the brothers will follow you. Otherwise, all of you, brothers, will not get out of here. She is smaller than everyone and more cunning than everyone.
Then he went to the bride, took her hand and went into the garden. He comes into the garden and takes out the rods and starts beating her. He beat and beat and broke the rod, and she said:
- Well, why are you, Ivanushko, beating me? Here, I’ll give you a little piece of wood.
He takes the piece of wood and starts hitting again. He beat him, he beat him, he broke it again, she gives him a flint. He put it in his pocket and starts beating again. And before he finished her off, she said:
- Ivanushko, don’t hit me, I’m giving you a magic handkerchief.
As soon as he put it in his pocket, he saw that all the brothers were following him. Here they come to the house. The old woman runs out onto the porch and splashes in the valley:
- Eh, I didn’t succeed this time, I’ll catch it anyway!
He takes them to the third floor and seats them all in pairs. She sat them down next to them and began to give them wine. The brothers were already very drunk, and he said:
- We need to go see the horses. We drink, but what do our horses eat? Grandma says:
-Where are you going, Ivanushko? What do you want? The horses are standing and resting.
- No, we need to look.
So, of course, he comes to the stable; comes, looks, the mare is already standing almost up to her breasts in blood. He asks her:
- Why are you, my dear, standing on your chest in blood? What misfortune do you sense over yourself or over me?
- I, Ivan the Lesser - Great in Mind, sense adversity over you. Look, don't get drunk when you're drunk, don't look at your brothers. When you come from here, just drink a little. When you get drunk and drunk, she will send you all to bed. She will put black hats on you, and white hats on the girls. And at midnight a magic sword will roll from the shelf and cut off the heads of all of you brothers. And don’t sleep, but before midnight get up and change your hats: put white ones on the brothers and put them on yourself, and put black ones on the girls. And then, when this sword cuts off the girls’ heads, rip off their sundresses, jump out the window, get on your horses and ride. This is not a marriage for you.
And so he went away. He came and looked, the brothers were already lying under the table, some were dozing, some were still talking, and she was running around, giving treats. - Here, Ivan the Lesser - Big in Mind, you are somehow behind, drink, drink more!
It's okay, I'll get drunk soon.
Then she began to make the beds, and he pretended to be drunk. She laid down the brothers and him too. And so, of course, he brings all the black hats, puts them on them, and puts the white ones on the girls. She came out, locked it with three locks, and went to bed herself, and said:
- Well, now you have come to me, Ivan the Lesser - with a Great Mind.
Ivan quickly stood up, putting black hats on the girls, and white hats on the brothers, and he hid himself, lying down, and the brothers were still sleeping. And suddenly he hears: there was thunder and a magic sword rolled in and began to chop off the heads of black hats. He chopped it and rolled back. He stands up and starts shaking the brothers:
“Brothers, stand up, trouble is close, look what’s here, and we would have been cut down if I hadn’t put the hats on your heads.” Let's rip off our sundresses and leave, otherwise the old woman will become so we won't be able to live.
And so they tore off their sundresses, took them with them and began to descend. They went down, took the horses and rode off.
Here's an old woman jumping out of sleep in the morning:
- Oh, oh, that’s how cleverly Ivan the Lesser did it with his Mind! Still, he won’t leave me anywhere. He took my magic handkerchief, that’s why he left!
Now he sits in a fiery chariot and rolls after him. Vit Ivan the Lesser approaches the sea with a Great Mind, waved a magic handkerchief, a bridge across the sea became; let's go over the bridge. She comes to the sea, and he goes halfway across the sea. She jumped onto the bridge and followed. Here she stood halfway, and he moved across. He waved his magic handkerchief - the bridge was gone, she fell into the sea and screamed:
“Well, you’re lucky that you took the magic handkerchief from me, otherwise I would have caught up with you!” Then he said to the brothers:
“Well, brothers, you slept, drank, ate, and enjoyed yourself for three days, but I didn’t sleep, and I ate poorly.” I want to sleep.
He fell down to sleep under an oak tree, tied up the mare, and lay down next to her. He lay down, and the brothers began to say among themselves:
- And what, brothers, Ivan the Lesser - In Mind the Greater, had an ugly wife, she didn’t like him, so through this he killed our wives. Did the old woman really kill her daughters herself? He killed; we'll kill him.
And they come up and want to hit him with something. So the mare will give with her hoof - whom she crippled, whom she killed, whom she tore with her teeth and did not allow close. But Ivan is sleeping and doesn’t hear anything. When Ivan has had enough sleep and looks:
- What is it?
Mare says:
- But here’s what: your brothers wanted to kill you, that your wife was not good, you didn’t like her, and you killed all the girls, not a magic sword.
And here some brothers were still lying wounded. He approached the rest of these brothers.
- Well, brothers, what happened here?
- Yes, so and so. Of course, it’s not my fault, I came up and the mare wounded you, and the brothers wanted to kill you.
“You are fools, well, why should you suffer?” he took it and killed the rest.
He mounted the mare and rode off. So he drove up a little, arrived at the reserved royal meadow; mare and says:
- Listen, Ivan the Lesser - Big in Mind, let go of all my foals, and I alone will serve you and earn everything so that you will be happy.
He released all the foals, they rushed into the sea, and he drove to the royal court. When he arrived at the royal court, the king asked:
- Where do you have, Ivan the Lesser - Big in Mind, the rest of your horses?
- The rest of the horses? And the brothers, I don’t know where they went, ran away, now I don’t know, but I came to you.
- Well, okay, go to the stables.
Ivan Menshoi - With his mind, Bolshoy entered the stable. They gave him horses. He fed them, groomed them, and his horses were different - they were better than all the other grooms. And the tsar valued Ivan the Less very much - with the Greater Mind.
Where these grooms, you know, began to take offense at him.
Why be offended? Because he was highly valued. And so they began to think about how to find something, at least a little, so that he would not be in our state. They thought and thought, and finally came up with such a thing that they had learned earlier and heard that this king was unmarried until he was seventy years old. He wooed one princess, he wooed him, he wooed him, he destroyed so many troops, but he did not woo him, because she did not marry him. And they came up with such a thing that Ivan the Lesser, the Greater in Mind, boasts that he will get him a bride, a beautiful princess. Suddenly, now that the king has heard this thing, he now calls for Ivan.
- Well, Ivan the Lesser - Greater Mind, if you boast that you will get this bride whom I have long wanted as a wife - get it, if you don’t get it - your head is off your shoulders. If you get it, then I’ll give you a city with a suburb.
Ivan says:
- Listen, Your Majesty: did I say that? I don't know anything. How can I know, Your Majesty? I didn’t even see what you were, but where can I get it?
- Well, don’t talk, go!
He, of course, started crying and walked away. He comes to his mare and cries.
- Well, my dear filly, trouble has come to me.
And she says to him:
- Why are you crying, Ivanushko?
- How can I, dear mare, not cry? The king gave such an order to get him the beautiful princess, whom he had been trying to get by force for three years - but he could not get it. Yes, I don’t even know her, where is she, who knows. Oh-oh-oh! - That's enough, Ivan the Lesser - Big in Mind, don't be sad. This is not a service at all, but a service. And all the service is ahead. Hop on me and let's go. Of course, the road is not so familiar, well, we’ll find it.
Here we go. Whether they were riding close, far, low, high, Ivan, of course, doesn’t know, the mare carries it herself. And suddenly they come to this kingdom. Now the mare drives up to the to-ko garden, where this princess’s favorite garden was. The mare says:
“Here, listen, Ivan, now when I stop by, I’ll turn into such a beautiful apple tree, she won’t stand it, she’ll come to look at this apple tree; and you fell under the apple tree. When she comes, you grab her braids and hold on tightly. It will be very torn, and then we will leave this state.
And when she turned around, everything happened, and he sat down under the tree. Sitting. Suddenly this princess comes, of course, she was beautiful.
- Oh, what a beautiful apple tree! I've never seen anything like this before.
Suddenly Ivan the Lesser - Greater in Mind jumped out and grabbed her by the braids, she began to tear; he holds tightly.
- Oh, dear mare, where are you?
And now he found himself on a horse, and they were racing. Suddenly they rushed to that state. When he brought her to the king, he said:
“Well, your Majesty, if you wanted her as a wife, so I got her for you.”
- Well, well done. And so I give you a city with suburbs.
When the groom found out that he had gotten not only the beautiful princess, but also the city and its suburbs, they began to become even more arrogant, but there was nothing more they could do. Now, when he brought this princess, the king comes and says:
“Well, beautiful princess, I have long wanted you as my wife.” Now I propose to you that you marry me.
– Yes, it’s true, I don’t deny it. Since you came, then I need to marry you. But the thing is, I don't have a wedding dress. Until then, I won’t marry you until you get me a wedding dress.
- Well, where is your wedding dress, who can get it?
Princess says:
- Get it? Whoever got me should get the dress.
-Where is your wedding dress?
“But when I disappeared, got lost, my dad will take my wedding dress, take it to the cathedral, sing it and bury it in the ground who knows where.
The Tsar, without saying a word to her, now calls on Ivan the Less - with the Greater Mind:
- Well, Ivan the Lesser - Big in Mind, if you got me a wife, get her a wedding dress.
- What are you saying, Your Majesty, where is her wedding dress? I neither know nor have seen; where can I get it?
- Well, shut up, get it where you know, or else take your head off your shoulders!
Here, of course, Ivan the Lesser - the Greater Mind did not tell him anything more and went to the mare, crying.
- Why are you crying, Ivanushko?
- Yes, the king ordered to get a wedding dress, but I don’t know anything where they will bury him, he didn’t say, “Stop crying, sit on me, we must go quickly, otherwise, perhaps, they will really bury him.”
And they soon come to this state, the mare says:
- Listen, Ivan the Lesser - Big in Mind: you will walk around the city, see the beggars, and buy a basket from them or beg. So it’s better to buy from beggars than to beg. Then buy a caftan from them. Well, if they don’t sell it, then exchange yours and go beg for pieces under your windows. And if you ask for about a dozen pieces, go to the cathedral, and there the priests and bishops will perform the funeral service for her dress, it lies on the altar. Stand behind the door, and at this time I will run around the church like a golden horse. And from the church, when the monks there see me, the priests, sextons, deacons and all the latter come out to catch me, you take this dress, put it under the pieces. If you get it, you will leave the cathedral and say: “Give it, I’ll lure her to pieces.” Just don't let anyone come close to you. And I’ll run up to you, and they’ll say that you’ll catch it soon, give us the horse. And then I’ll come very close to you, jump on me, and we’ll leave, no one will know where.
So they talked and went their separate ways. He walked around the city. He comes to some beggars and says:
- Guys, sell me the basket.
- What do you need, good fellow?
- Yes, you need it, sell it.
- Well, come on.
So he paid them a ruble or fifty dollars and said:
- Sell me your caftan.
- Why do you need it, you’re already good.
“Sell and sell,” he says.
- Why sell? Let's change it.
- Let's.
So he handed over the caftan, took the basket and walked around the city. He asked for fifteen or twenty pieces and came to the cathedral. Suddenly a golden horse ran around the cathedral. When he saw the people in the cathedral and looked at them, and let’s run and run, everyone ran away, even the bishops - they all ran away to have money, there was no one left. At this time he enters the cathedral.
He enters the cathedral, of course, takes this dress and stashes it in pieces. He puts it in pieces and leaves the cathedral.
- Let me lure him to pieces.
Here he lures him closer and closer, he came very close. As soon as he jumps on him, the trace is gone, nowhere to be found. Of course, the priests and all the people come to the cathedral; take the dress and take it - it’s nowhere to be found.
- Well, whoever stole the princess stole the dress too. They relied on that.
And our Ivan is heading to his kingdom, no matter what. He comes to the king and says:
“Well, your Majesty, I got you a dress.”
- Well, Ivan, well done, I’m giving you another city, and let you own these cities.
Now the king comes to the princess and says:
“Well, beautiful princess, now you have nothing to do, you’ll have to marry me, I got you a wedding dress.”
“You got it, but the fact is that I won’t marry you until you get me a wedding ring and a carriage.”
-Where are your ring and carriage? I don't know. Tell me please, beautiful princess.
- My ring is in the box, the box is in the carriage, the carriage is in the ship, the ship is in the sea - at the bottom.
- Well, at the bottom, so who will get him out of there?
- Yes, whoever got the dress will get the carriage from there.
Now he again calls on Ivan the Lesser - with the Greater Mind.
- Well, Ivan the Lesser - Great in Mind, do me one more service, and then I’ll give you another city, and you’ll be a prince, owning this principality. Do me one more service: get the wedding ring and the carriage. The ring is in the box, the box is in the carriage, the carriage is in the ship, the ship is at sea - at the bottom.
- Why, your Majesty, I’m not a whale-fish, how can I get it in the sea?
- Well, don’t talk, otherwise your head will be off your shoulders!
And Ivan went to his mare and began to cry. He doesn’t even see the white light and doesn’t hear the path in front of him. He came to the mare, fell at his feet and cried, he couldn’t even utter a word. The mare says:
- Why are you, Ivan the Lesser - Big in Mind, crying like that? What kind of service did the king give you, tell me.
- Oh, you, my dear mare, where can we perform such a service, if he gave such a service? After all, we are not a fish, not a whale, we cannot go to the sea and come back from the sea. He orders him to get the wedding ring and the carriage. The ring is in the box, the box is in the carriage, the carriage is in the ship, the ship is at sea - at the bottom. Then you start thinking - where can I send it from the sea?
“Well, Ivan, I told you, it’s not a service, but a service; the whole service is ahead. Here comes the service. Well, now go to the king, I’ll tell you what to get. The road is not long for us, but it is sad. It’s not far away for you, but it’s far away and sad for me. Ask him for wine, a box of desserts, a harp, nuts and a card, and collect it all and come to me, then we’ll go.
And so, of course, he collected all this and comes to her. She tells him:
“Well, if you’ve collected all this, then get on me, and let’s go to those reserved meadows where you caught me.”
So she brought him to this backwater, sat him down and said herself:
- Well, Ivan the Lesser - Big in Mind, sit here for three days, and I will go to sea, harness myself to this carriage and return in three days. Well, just make sure you don't sleep. Play cards, have a glass, crack some nuts, play harp, but make sure you don’t sleep. If you fall asleep, then neither you nor I will survive. If my children, the horses, reach us, they will tear you and me apart. And if you manage to fall into the carriage and take the reins, then you will be happy.
And so with the words she threw herself into the sea and left. And Ivan remained sitting on the fence. And so Ivan sits for a day, cracks nuts, drinks a glass, and plays with the Guselki.
On the second day he began to feel sleepy. Nothing entertains him: no cards, no wine, no harp, no nuts. And on the third day he fell asleep completely, and so soundly that he didn’t even remember himself. He slept, he slept, he opened his eyes, and the mare with the carriage stopped in front of the barn, he just managed to jump into the carriage, grabbed the reins, - he heard the foals rumble:
- Well, fortunately, Ivan the Lesser - Great in Mind, that he managed to jump into the carriage in time and grab the reins, otherwise you would not have been alive, they would have torn you into small pieces!
And Ivan went and hid in the royal palace. When he arrived and said:
“Well, your Majesty, I got you a wedding ring and a wedding carriage, isn’t that enough for you?”
- Well, Ivan Menshoy is Great in Mind, well done. I appoint you as heir over these cities, and you will be a prince.
And he himself comes to the princess and says:
- Well, beautiful princess, I consoled you in every way, and got, as you wished, a wedding ring and a carriage. Now all we have to do is get married to you.
“It won’t take long to get married, and I always agree to get married, but here’s the thing.” My dad is never old, but you are old. When my dad is old, he looks younger, and he does it this way: he fills three cauldrons, one with cold water, another with boiled water, and the third with boiled milk and bathes. First in boiled milk, then in boiled water, and only then in cold water, and it comes out so young and beautiful that it becomes three times better than before.
This is what he thinks, of course:
“I don’t need a bath, but first I’ll do an experiment on Ivan.”
And he calls upon Ivan the Lesser - with the Greater Mind. When he called and said:
- Well, Ivan the Lesser - Big in Mind, do me another service: bathe in three cauldrons - in boiling milk, in boiling water, and then in cold water - and you will be young.
- I, Your Majesty, am not old anyway.
- Well, you will be beautiful.
- So what do you think, Your Majesty, I haven’t served you much, it’s clear that you also came up with the idea of eating me in milk?
- Well, don’t talk, otherwise your head will be off your shoulders!
Ivan said nothing more, he went and cried. He came to his mare, fell at his feet and cried. He couldn’t say anything, he just said:
“Well, forgive me, my dear filly, I won’t live,” and he can’t say anything more. The filly begins to ask him:
- Well, why did you cry, Ivanushko? Apparently the tsar gave you some other service?
- How can I not cry, how the king now plans to boil me in living milk, burn me in boiling water, now I won’t be alive and won’t see you again! Then the mare says to him:
- No, Ivan, it’s not a problem yet, as long as it doesn’t happen again. Now is your last trouble. Go out into the yard and take off your clothes. All the spectators will gather there to watch, the Tsar and the Princess, and the groom, and the rest of the audience. When you undress, take off your shirt, still in your underpants, say: “Well, bring me the mare to see her for the last time, anyway, I won’t see her again.” When they bring me, you get ready, and as soon as I walk around the cauldrons and bend my head over the cauldron where the milk is boiling, you immediately dive into this cauldron, and at that time I’ll go to the second and third cauldron, so you jump from cauldron to cauldron. And you will come out of the last cauldron so handsome that everyone will be jealous, and even the princess herself will be jealous of your beauty. And then the king will inevitably go for a swim.
And as Ivan comes into the yard and begins to undress, everyone gathered to watch. The Tsar and Princess and the entire royal retinue, down to the last groom. Then he took off his shirt and said:
“But, Your Majesty, let me look at my mare one last time.” How I drove it, got you everything, so I want to take a last look and then go for a swim.
- But, okay, servants, bring him a mare.
When the mare was brought in, she walked around the cauldrons, and as soon as she lowered her head into the first cauldron, he immediately dived into the milk. Meanwhile, the mare approached the second cauldron. And Ivan dived from the milk straight into the second cauldron, where there was boiling water, and from there into the third cauldron. And he came out so handsome that even though he had been handsome before, now he came out three times more handsome. Everyone was surprised, and the king became envious. He begins to undress (but somehow you emerge from the cauldron, Ivan has a good godfather, but you don’t have that mare). And he jumped into the first cauldron. Two hours have already passed, and that means they see that he’s already on. the pieces boiled there. The princess then approached Ivan, took his white hands and said:
- Well, Ivan the Less - Big in Mind, if you got me, you can own me. Let's go to the crown and then rule the throne.
And so they went to the crown. They got married, of course, Ivan the Lesser - with the Greater Mind he received the throne. He told these grooms, who were all informing on him, and hired others and hired others. Since then he has lived and lived well and knows no trouble. And I was there with him, I drank beer and wine, it flowed down my mustache, of course, it didn’t get into my mouth. They gave me a blue caftan there, I go and boast. Here I have a blue caftan, here I have a blue caftan, and a bird sits on a bush and says: “Blue caftan.” And I think: “Take off your caftan.” He took it off and came back without a caftan. This is the whole fairy tale, you can’t lie anymore.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru