Once upon a time there lived a man, and he had a meadow somewhere on a slope, and in the meadow there was a barn, and hay was stored there. Only in recent years there weren’t many supplies there, because every year, on Midsummer’s night, when the grass is the juiciest and thickest, someone got into the habit of eating the entire meadow, as if a whole herd had passed through it. This happened once, and this happened twice, but the third time the owner got tired of it, and he told his sons that they needed to watch the barn so that they wouldn’t eat their grass, like in previous years; and he had three sons, only the third was, you know, Askeladden.
“Whoever of you goes, let him keep an eye out,” said the father.
First the eldest son went to guard the meadow.
“Well, now neither man, nor beast, nor the devil himself will touch my grass,” he thought.
Then evening came, the eldest son climbed into the hayloft and went to bed. Only suddenly in the middle of the night a terrible noise arose and the earth began to hum and tremble so much that the roof of the barn almost collapsed. The eldest son jumped up and ran as fast as he could, never even looking back. And someone ate all the grass again, just like in previous years.
The next year, on Midsummer night, the father again said that it was not their business to give all the grass to someone unknown.
“Let one of you go watch again, and let him watch carefully,” he said.
The middle son decided to try his luck. He climbed into the hayloft and went to bed, just like his brother. And again in the middle of the night a terrible noise arose and the earth shook even more than last year. The middle son heard this, got scared and ran away, as if he had been paid money for it.
In the third year it was Askeladden's turn. He got ready for the meadow, and his older brothers began to laugh at him.
“Well, you’ll probably save our hay!” No wonder all you can do is sit by the stove and dig in the ashes! - they said.
But Askeladen did not listen to them, but, as soon as evening came, he went to the meadow, climbed into the hayloft and lay down; and soon the noise arose again and the earth began to tremble. “Nothing, as long as it doesn’t get worse,” thought Askeladden. Then the earth shook even more, and the straws began to jump around Askeladen. “Nothing, as long as it doesn’t get any worse,” thought Askeladden. The earth shook again, so much so that Askeladden was afraid that the roof would fall on him. But it didn’t last long, and then everything around immediately became quiet. “I wonder if there will be noise again or not?” - thought Askeladden. But there was no more noise, everything was quiet. Askeladden lay down for a while and heard as if a horse was standing by the barn and chewing. He carefully looked out the door and saw: a horse standing and chewing grass, and such a big, smooth and beautiful horse as Askeladen had never seen in his life. There was also a saddle and a bridle and also a knight’s chain mail, and they were copper, and they sparkled. “Yeah, so you’re the one eating our hay!” thought Askeladden. “Well, I won’t let you do that again!”
He quickly took the flint, threw it over the horse, and the horse froze in its tracks. And he became so obedient that Askeladden could do whatever his heart desired with him. He mounted his horse and rode off to a place about which no one knew anything, and left his horse there.
He returned home, and his brothers began to laugh at him and ask how he spent the night.
- Admit it, you didn’t lie in the barn for long, even though you weren’t in a hurry to return home! - they said.
“I slept in the hayloft until the sun woke me up, and I didn’t see or hear anything. I can’t understand why you were scared there! - he answered the brothers.
- Well, let's see if you guarded the meadow well! - they said.
They went there and saw: the grass was as thick and tall as it was in the evening.
The next Midsummer night everything was exactly the same: the older brothers were afraid to go and guard the meadow, but Askeladden went. And exactly the same thing happened as last year. First there was a noise and the earth shook, then again, then a third time. And all three times are much, much stronger than last year. And then it became quiet again. And Askeladden heard someone chewing near the door. He looked out the door more carefully and saw: a horse was standing and chewing, and this horse was even bigger and sleeker than before. And he had a saddle on his back, and a bridle on his neck, and next to him lay a knight's chain mail made of pure silver, and it sparkled so much that it hurt his eyes. “Yeah, so you decided to eat our hay today,” thought Askeladden. “But I won’t let you do that!” He took the flint and threw it straight onto the horse’s mane, and the horse became as gentle as a lamb. Well, the guy took him to the same place where the first horse stood, and he returned home.
- Well, how was it today? Our weed is probably good? - the brothers asked.
“But of course,” Askeladden answered them. They went to the meadow and saw: the grass was still tall and thick. But this did not make them any kinder to Askeladden.
Now for the third time Midsummer's Night has come, and again the older brothers are afraid to go and guard the meadow. They were so scared when they were lying in the barn that they remembered it for the rest of their lives. And Askeladden took it and went. And everything happened exactly the same as last time and the time before last. Three times the earth shook more and more, and finally the guy was thrown from wall to wall; and then suddenly it became very quiet. Askeladden lay down for a while and heard someone chewing at the door. He looked out the door and saw: right next to the barn there was a horse, much larger and sleeker than the ones he had already caught; and on the horse there is a saddle and bridle and knightly armor made of pure red gold.
“Aha, so you’re the one who’s going to eat our hay today,” thought Askeladden, “but I won’t let you!” He took the flint and threw it over the horse; the horse froze as if he had been nailed to the ground, and now Askeladden could do whatever his heart desired with him. He took the horse to where the first two stood, and he himself returned home. The brothers began to laugh at him again.
“That’s right, you looked after the grass well,” they said, because Askeladden was still sleeping as he walked.
But Askeladden did not listen to them, but told them to go and see for themselves. They went and saw: the grass remained tall and thick this time.
The king of the country where Askeladden's father lived had a daughter, and he agreed to give her as a wife only to the one who climbed the glass mountain; this glass mountain was high, high and smooth as ice, and it stood near the royal palace itself. At the very top of this mountain the king's daughter will sit and hold three golden apples. And the one who climbs to the very top and takes the apples will receive a princess and half a kingdom in addition. So the king ordered the wind to be declared to the churches of his country and in all neighboring kingdoms.
And there was a princess so beautiful that whoever saw her, whether he wanted it or not, immediately fell in love with her. And it’s clear that all the princes and knights from all over the world wanted to get her and half the kingdom in addition. They rode up on their horses; the horses danced, and the knights’ armor shone, and everyone thought that he would certainly get the king’s daughter. And so when the appointed day came, the glass mountain was swarming with knights and princes, and everyone who could walk or crawl came to see who would get the princess; Askeladden’s brothers also went there, but they never wanted to take him with them.
“When they see us in such rags, and even black and dirty with ash, everyone will laugh at us,” they told him.
“Well, then I’ll go alone,” said Askeladden.
So Askeladden's brothers came to the glass mountain, and the knights and princes were already galloping on horses and trying so hard that the horses were all covered in soap. But this is of no use: as soon as the horse steps on the glass mountain, it immediately slides down; Not a single one managed to climb even an inch. It’s not surprising: the mountain was smooth, like window glass, and steep, like a wall.
However, everyone would not mind getting a princess and half a kingdom into the bargain - so they galloped and glided endlessly. In the end, the horses were so tired that they could no longer gallop, and they were so sweaty that foam was pouring off them, and there was nothing for the princes to do. The king wanted to announce that everything was postponed until another time, but as soon as he thought about it, at that very moment a new knight appeared on such a beautiful horse that no one had ever seen; and he was wearing copper chain mail, and the saddle and bridle were also copper, and it all glittered so much that it was painful to look at. The other knights shouted at him not to try in vain - he wouldn’t succeed anyway. But he did not listen to them, galloped straight to the glass mountain, and - up as if nothing had happened, and, no more nor less, rose a whole third, and then turned his horse and went down. The princess had never seen such a handsome knight, and while he galloped along the mountain, she sat and thought: “If only he could get up!” And when he turned his horse, she threw a golden apple after him, and it hit him in the armor on his leg. So he came down from the mountain and galloped off on his way, so fast that no one noticed where he was going. In the evening, all the knights and princes were called to the palace to find the one who had the golden apple. But no one had it; one after another the knights and princes came to the palace, and no one could show the apple. In the evening, Askeladden’s brothers returned home and told about everything: how at first no one could climb an inch up the glass mountain, and then a knight galloped up in copper armor, and they sparkled so much that it was painful to look at.
“This one knows how to gallop,” said Askeladden’s brothers, “he climbed a whole third of the glass mountain, and he could have gone higher if he wanted; As soon as he took and turned the horse, he apparently decided that it was enough for the first time.
“Oh, I wish I could take a look at him,” said Askeladden; He, as always, sat by the stove and dug in the ashes.
- Well, yes! - the brothers answered him. “The only thing missing was you, you dirty brute!”
The next day the brothers got ready to set off again, and Askeladden again asked to go with them; but they didn’t want to take him.
“You’re too dirty and disgusting,” they said.
“Well, if that’s the case, I’ll go alone,” said Askeladden.
Askeladen's brothers came to the glass mountain, and the knights and princes were already back on their horses - apparently, they had been shod again. Only this did not help - again, not a single one even managed to rise an inch. They completely drove their horses, and there was nothing more for them to do. And again the king wanted to announce that everything was being postponed until another time - maybe then things would go better. And then he decided to wait a little to see if a knight in copper armor would appear. As soon as he thought this, at that very moment a horse appeared, even more beautiful than that of a knight in copper armor, and a knight in silver armor sat on it, and the saddle and bridle were also silver, and it all sparkled so much that a radiance was spreading far around. Again the other knights shouted to him so that he would not try in vain; but he didn’t listen to them, he galloped straight to the mountain and up, and rose even higher than the first knight; but then he rose two-thirds, turned his horse and went down. And the princess liked him even more than the first; she sat and dreamed: “If only he would get up!” And when he turned his horse, she threw a second apple after him, and it hit him right in the leg and there in his armor and got stuck. So he descended from the glass mountain and galloped away, so quickly that no one could follow where.
In the evening, all the knights and princes were again invited to the palace to the king and princess, and again no one had the golden apple. The brothers came home and told everything; how everyone tried, but no one could climb the glass mountain.
“And then a knight appeared in silver armor, with a silver bridle,” they said, “this one apparently knows how to ride; he rose two-thirds of the way up and then turned his horse. What a deal! And the princess threw him a second golden apple.
“Eh, I wish I could take a look,” said Askeladden.
- You were missing there! The chain mail on him glowed like those coals. in which you dig, you dirty beast! - the brothers answered.
On the third day it was exactly the same again.
Again Askeladden asked along with his brothers, and again they did not want to take him. And again no one could even climb an inch up the glass mountain. Everyone was just waiting for the knight in silver armor; but there was neither a rumor nor a breath about him. And then the rider appeared, the horse under him was of such beauty that it was impossible to describe, and the armor, saddle and chain mail were made of pure gold and sparkled so much that the radiance radiated far, far from them. The other knights and princes did not even shout to him so that he should not try in vain - they could not utter a word from amazement at the sight of such beauty. He galloped straight to the mountain and flew up like a feather, so that the king's daughter did not even have time to wish that he would get to the top, but he was already there. He flew to the top, took the golden apple from the princess and immediately turned his horse, descended from the mountain and disappeared from sight, so that no one had time to come to his senses.
When Askeladden's brothers returned home in the evening, they told how again no one could climb the glass mountain.
And then they told about the knight in golden armor.
- That was great! “You can’t find another knight like him in the whole world,” they said.
“I wish I could take a look,” said Askeladden.
“Yes, his chain mail sparkled just like the coal heap in which you are always digging, you dirty brute!” - the brothers answered.
The next day - it was in the evening - all the knights and princes were invited to the king and princess, so that whoever had the golden apple would show it to everyone. But the guests came one after another - first the princes, and then the knights - and no one had the golden apple.
- Someone must have it! - said the king. “After all, we all saw with our own eyes how the horseman climbed the mountain and took it for himself!”
And he gave the order for all the inhabitants of the country to come to the palace, because he wanted to check if they had a golden apple. And they all came one after another, but no one had an apple. At the end, Askeladen’s brothers also came to the king. They were the very last, and the king asked if there was anyone else in the kingdom.
“Well, we have a brother,” they answered, “but he can’t have an apple: he never left the stove these days.”
“It’s all the same,” said the king. “Since everyone has been to the palace, let him come too.”
And so they brought Askeladen to the royal palace.
- Don't you have a golden apple? - asked the king.
“Yes, here’s one, here’s another, and here’s a third,” answered Askeladden and took all three apples out of his pocket one after another.
And then he threw off his dirty rags, and everyone saw the golden armor, and it shone so much that it hurt their eyes.
“Well, take my daughter and half the kingdom in addition, you deserve it all,” said the king.
They got married, and Askeladden got a beautiful princess as his wife.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru