Once upon a time there lived a man in Norway, and he had three sons - Per, Paul and Espen, nicknamed Askeladd, which means Espen the Dirty. And that man was so poor that he didn’t have a single shilling to his name. So he often said to his sons:
- Go around the world and earn your bread. Don't let yourself go hungry!
In the same district there was a royal castle, and right under the windows of the castle a green oak tree grew, so mighty, so branchy that it eclipsed the sunlight in the royal chambers. It became dark in the castle; everyone walks and bumps into each other. It has come to this - they sit by candlelight during the day. And then there was another problem: the rivers and streams in the country were drying up. There is no water in the kingdom, people are dying of thirst. What did the king not promise to the one who cuts down an oak tree and digs a well: countless amounts of money and a rich estate! But not a single young man was able to cut down that oak tree and dig a well.
The oak was not at all simple. They cut off a branch from it with an ax, and two others grow in its place. One young man will approach the oak tree, hit it with an ax - the oak tree will grow even more luxuriantly. Another one will come up and hit him with an ax - the branches will stretch even higher to the sky. And no one can dig a well either. The royal castle stood high, high in the mountains. There are just rocks underneath and steep ledges. They dig into the mountain an inch or a little deeper - the spade hits a hard stone.
Then the king ordered the heralds from all the church hills to sound the trumpet on all four sides:
“Whoever cuts down a branchy oak tree in the royal court and digs a well on a rocky mountain will receive a royal daughter as a wife and half a kingdom in addition!”
There were many who wanted to become related to the king! But no matter how much they swung and chopped with an ax, no matter how much they uprooted and dug with a pick and spade, it was all in vain. They hit it with an ax - and the oak grows more and more magnificently; they dig - and the rock becomes harder and harder.
The brothers also got ready for the journey. They decided to try their luck too. Their father did not resist their will. “They won’t get a princess and half a kingdom in addition,” he thought, “so maybe they’ll at least get a job in the service of a good person.” What more could you want?! Their father gave them a kind word, and Per, Paul and Espen Askeladd set off to seek happiness.
They walked and walked and reached a high mountain, its slope covered with spruce. And a steep cliff rises above the spruce forest. They hear: at the very top, someone is chopping and chopping with an ax.
- What a miracle? Who is this on the rock chopping with an ax? asks Espen Askeladd.
“Everything is a wonder for a smart guy like you,” said the brothers. - I found something to marvel at! A woodcutter stands on a rock and cuts down the forest!
“I still want to see what’s there,” says Espen Askeladd.
And he began to climb the mountain.
- You are just a little child! If only he had gained some sense first, and then he would have come with us! - his brothers shouted after him in their hearts.
At least it would help Espen. He climbs up the slope, to where the blows of the ax can be heard. He climbed a steep rock and saw: the ax itself was cutting down a pine trunk.
- Good day! - Espen Askeladd greeted. “Are you cutting down the forest here?”
- I! - the ax answers. “I’ve been cutting down the forest here for too many years now, Espen, I’ve been waiting for you.”
- And here I am! says Espen.
He takes the ax, knocks it off the ax handle and puts the ax and ax handle into his knapsack. He went down from the mountain to his brothers, and they began to mock and make fun of him:
- Well, what miracle did you see in the mountains?
- Is this really a miracle? One axe,” Espen replies. And the brothers walked on. They walked and walked and reached a high cliff. They hear someone at the very top breaking a stone and digging up the earth.
- What a miracle? Who is it on the rock that is chiseling stones and digging up the earth? asks Espen Askeladd.
- For a smart guy like you, everything is a wonder! - said the brothers. - I found something to marvel at! Haven't you ever heard how birds gouge trees?
“I heard that,” says Espen, “but I still want to see what it is.”
No matter how much his brothers mocked him, it didn’t matter to Espen. He climbed up a steep rock and saw: the spade itself was hollowing out the stone and digging up the earth.
- Good day! - Espen Askeladd greeted. “Is it you who are chiseling stones and digging earth here?”
“I am,” the spade answers. “I’ve been here for too many years now, I’ve been chiseling stones, digging earth, waiting for you, Espen.”
- And here I am! says Espen. He takes the spade, knocks it off the handle and puts the spade with the handle in his knapsack.
He went down from the cliff to his brothers, and Per and Paul asked him:
- Well, what miracle did you see on the rock?
- Is this really a miracle?! One spade,” Espen replies. And the brothers walked on. They walked and walked and came to a stream. They wanted to get a drink of water after a long journey.
The brothers bent over the stream and began to drink.
- What kind of miracle? Where does this stream come from? asks Espen Askeladd.
- Well, I'm completely crazy! Lost my last mind! Curiosity will get you into trouble. I found something to marvel at! Where does the stream come from? Have you never seen how water flows out of a spring?
“I guess I saw it,” says Espen, “but I still want to see where this stream runs from.”
He moved along the stream, and no matter how much his brothers called, no matter how much they made fun of him, Espen did not turn back. He walks and walks, and the stream becomes narrower and narrower, and now it flows in a very thin trickle. He walked a little more and saw: a walnut was lying, and water was oozing from it.
- Good day! - Espen Askeladd greets. - Is it from you that spring water oozes and a stream runs?
“Yes, from me,” the nut answers. “I can’t even count how many years I’ve been pushing water into the stream, waiting for you, Espen.”
- And here I am! says Espen. He takes a piece of moss, plugs the hole so that water does not flow out of the nut, and puts the nut in the knapsack.
Espen returned to his brothers, and they asked him:
- Well, what miracle did you see this time? You probably won’t find such a miracle in the whole world!
- Is this really a miracle?! “One hole, and water seeps through it,” Espen replies.
Here Per and Paul began to mock Espen again, but he didn’t care. And the brothers walked on. They walked and walked and finally came to the royal court.
And there were enough people there even without them. Do you remember that the king promised: “Whoever cuts down a branchy oak tree in the royal court and digs a well on a rocky mountain will receive the king’s daughter as a wife and half the kingdom in addition.” There are a lot of hunters here to get a reward, they crowd around the oak tree, and everyone tries to get forward. Someone breaks forward, swings, hits with an ax - and instead of one branch, two others grow. The oak tree has already become twice as wide and twice as tall as it was at first. And there’s nothing to say about the well. The earth is dug, the stone is chiseled, and the rock becomes harder and harder.
The king got angry and then imposed the following penalty: “Whoever begins to chop down an oak tree and does not cut it down, whoever digs a well and does not dig it, they will cut off his ears and send him to a distant island.” The older brothers scratched their heads: who knows how things will turn out. But they had high hopes for themselves and thought that they could do anything.
Per, the eldest, was the first to get down to business. He hit with an ax - instead of one branch, two others grew. He dug the ground, hit the stone - the rock became even harder. The royal servants seized Per, cut off his ears and exiled him to a distant island. Now Paul got down to business. He hit the ax once, twice, three times, and everyone saw that the oak tree had grown even more magnificent. He dug into the ground and smashed a stone - the rock became harder than iron. His royal servants also captured him, cut off his ears and exiled him to a distant island. Serves him right, he could have been more careful after his brother! Espen also wanted to get down to business.
The king got angry with him because of his older brothers and said:
- What, did you want to be like a branded sheep? We'll cut off your ears in no time, and you won't have to work.
“I still want to try my luck first,” Espen replies.
The king had to give him his permission. Here Espen took an ax out of his knapsack and planted it on the ax handle.
- Rub, axe! Espen ordered.
The ax began to chop down the oak tree, only chips flew in all directions. Before we had time to look back, the mighty oak tree collapsed to the ground. The castle became bright and cheerful. Espen finished with the oak, took out a spade and put it on the handle.
- Dig, spade! Espen ordered.
A spade began to dig a well on a rocky mountain, only lumps of earth and stones flew in all directions. Believe it or not, the spade dug a deep and wide well. Espen took out a nut, put it in a corner at the very bottom of the well and pulled out the moss plug.
- Leisure, water, run, water! Espen ordered.
Here water ran through the hole, poured out in a stream, and a little later the well was filled to the brim.
Here the king had to keep his word. He gave Espen his daughter and half the kingdom in addition.
Peru and Paul were lucky that they were left without ears. Otherwise it would be bitter for them to listen to the people praising Espen.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru