There lived an old man and an old woman. They had six sons and one daughter. Once the father sent his sons to plow the field. The sons gathered and said:
“Let my sister bring us lunch to the arable land so that we don’t have to return home in the middle of the day.” The sister asks: “Where will you plow?”
Brothers say:
- And we will draw a furrow with a plow from the very house and straight to the field. Here you go along that furrow.
The brothers got ready and left.
They go and plow the furrow themselves.
And in the forest, near that field, there lived a snake. He saw that the brothers were paving a furrow, and guessed that this was a trail for someone. The serpent trampled that furrow and made a new one for his yard.
And at this time the mother prepared lunch for her sons and said:
- Bring it, daughter!
So the daughter brought lunch to the brothers. She left the house and walked along the snake furrow. And she walked until she entered the snakes’ yard. There the serpent grabbed her and said:
“Now you will always live with me, but forget your relatives: you will never return to them!”
At noon, the brothers unharnessed the oxen, sat down, waited, waited for dinner, but the sister still didn’t come. So they worked hungry until the evening.
They returned home in the evening and asked their mother:
- Why didn’t my sister bring us lunch? Mother says: “Alyonka brought you lunch a long time ago, but she still hasn’t come back.” I thought she would come back with you. Are you lost somewhere?
The brothers became alarmed: Maybe Alyonka was dragged away by that damned snake that lives in the forest? We must go look for her!
And all six of them walked along the furrow. They walk and walk, talking among themselves. They see a shepherd tending a herd of pigs.
- Great, uncle shepherd! - Great, guys! Where are you going? The brothers say: “Let’s go look for our sister.” Apparently, the damned snake dragged her away! “If you want to take your sister away from the snake, then roast and eat the largest boar from my herd!”
The brothers did not understand why this was necessary, but they did not argue. They slaughtered the largest boar, fried it, and began to eat it. They ate and ate and didn’t eat a fourth of it.
“Well,” says the shepherd, “since you all couldn’t eat one boar together, it’s better not to go to the snake.” Come home! If you go, you’ll never live!
His brothers did not listen and moved on. They walk and walk and see a shepherd grazing a herd of cows and oxen. The brothers stopped and greeted the shepherd:
- Great, uncle shepherd! - Great, guys! Where are you going? “We’re going to the snake, to take away my sister.” “If you want to take her away,” says the shepherd, catch the largest ox from my herd, fry it and eat it all!
The brothers caught the largest ox, slaughtered it, fried it, and began to eat it. They ate one piece at a time, but they couldn’t take anymore.
The shepherd tells them:
- You six couldn’t eat one ox, so, apparently, your strength is small and cannot be taken away from you | sister. You better come back when you're in good health.
His brothers did not listen. Let's go further. They walk and walk and see a herd of horses grazing near the road.
- Hello, uncle shepherd! - say the brothers. - Great, guys! Where are you going? We are going to that snake that lives in the dark forest. Damn it, he dragged our sister away. We'll help her out!
The shepherd pointed to the black stallion and said:
“Whoever of you catches this black stallion and mounts him will kill the snake and help his sister.” And whoever doesn’t catch it, better return home!
The brothers began to catch the stallion. They caught and caught, but didn’t catch.
- Come home! — the shepherd tells them. “No, let’s go help my sister!”
Let's move on. They went on and on and came to the serpent's court. They entered the yard, looked around, and began calling for their sister.
Alyonka, their sister, came out and said:
- My brothers, my dears! Why did you come here? After all, you cannot defeat this snake. When he flies home, he will destroy you all. Where can I hide you? Sit here in this stable.
As soon as the brothers hid in the barn, the earth began to hum and shake. The snake flew in, looked at everything, sniffed it and said:
- Ugh! ugh! It smells like human spirit! And Alyonka answered him: “What kind of people are here besides me?” You've flown around the world, smelled the human spirit. - Or maybe so! - says the snake. Alyonka began to ask him: “What would you do if my brothers came here?” Would you destroy them? “No,” the snake answers, “you wouldn’t destroy them.” How you would greet dear guests!
Alyonka was delighted, ran into the yard, opened the barn and said:
- Come out, brothers! They came out. The snake asks: “Well, how are you living, dear guests?” “Nothing.” “Come on, Alyonka, treat our dear guests.” Pack your lunch!
My sister served lunch. The snake swallows a whole ox carcass, but the brothers ate a piece at a time - they can’t take it anymore. Snake says:
- Now bring some nuts for a snack. Alyonka brought a bag of iron nuts. And the nuts are a fistful each. The serpent says to the brothers:
- Well, dear guests, let's gnaw some nuts! The snake knows how to crack the nuts one by one. And the brothers each took one nut and tried to bite it, but they couldn’t. The snake laughed and said:
- Well, guys, are we going to fight or make peace? - We're going to fight! - Then let's go to level ground, to the platform! We arrived at a smooth place, a platform. The kite blew and the platform became cast iron. The snake hit the brothers and drove all six of them into the cast-iron platform. Then he pulled everyone out, threw them into a deep hole, and filled the hole with a heavy stone...
The old man and the old woman waited and waited for their sons, but they were still not there.
“Well,” they say, “it’s obvious that they perished, disappeared, and will never return to us... We, the unfortunate ones, are the only ones left in this world!”
One day the old woman washed her clothes and went to the river to rinse. She is rinsing her clothes and sees a pea rolling along the shore. She picked up that pea, swallowed it and went home.
How long or how little time has passed - her son was born. The old people began to think about what to call it. The old woman remembered the pea that she found near the river and swallowed, and said:
- Let's call him Pokatygoroshka!
That's what they called it.
Pokatypea is growing beyond the years, beyond the days - by the hour, and by the minute. And he grew so big, so foldable and handsome! He is an assistant to father and mother in everything, and does not refuse any work.
One day the old man decided to dig a well near the hut. I started digging. And Little Pea digs with him. They dug and dug and came to a huge stone. The old man says:
“We need to call people for help, we can’t remove this stone alone!”
I went to call people. While the old man was walking and calling people, Pokatypea himself pulled out the stone. He stands there and throws a stone as if it were a small pebble. People came - they were amazed, they couldn’t believe their eyes: they had never seen such a strong man!
The old man and Pokatypea began to dig further. They dug and dug and unearthed an iron pin.
“I’ll go, dad, to the blacksmith,” says Pokatypea, “let him forge a mace for me from this pin!”
I came to the blacksmith and brought a pin. The blacksmith was surprised and thought:
“Is it possible to make a mace out of this pin?” And he forged a mace from his own iron. Little Pea comes and asks:
- Well, did you forge a mace? - Forged it. - And is it from my pin? - From yours.
Pokatygoroshka took the mace, returned home and said to his father:
“I’ll throw my mace into the sky and go to bed, and you’ll wake me up in twelve days.” When the mace falls down, I will catch it!
He went out into the yard and threw the mace up. After that he returned to the hut, lay down and fell asleep. Twelve days later the mace is flying down, buzzing with all its might! Pokatygoroshka's father woke him up. He came out and stuck out his little finger. The mace hit the little finger and crumbled into small pieces.
“No,” says Little Pea, “the blacksmith forged this mace not from my pin!”
He came to the blacksmith and ordered him to forge another mace - from his own pin.
“If you deceive me, I’ll smash you with a hammer on an anvil!”
The blacksmith shouted to his assistants:
- Sweep the forge quickly! Sift through the garbage, look for the pin: I threw it on the floor!
The assistants swept the forge, collected the garbage in a pile, and began to sift through it. They sifted through and found a pin.
The blacksmith took a pin, put it in the fire - and it began to grow before our eyes. The blacksmith began to forge. And he forged such a mace that even twenty young men could not lift it. And Little Pea took that mace with one hand, brought it to his yard and threw it into the sky. And he himself went to bed again for twelve days. On the thirteenth day the mace flies down, making a terrible noise.
Pokatygoroshka's father woke him up. He came out, put up his little finger, the mace hit his little finger - only bent a little.
“Well,” says Little Pea, “with such a mace you can go wherever you want!”
He came to the hut, sat down with his father and mother to have dinner. After dinner, he started a conversation:
- Did you have children before me? - We had six sons and a daughter, Alyonka. - Where are they?
The old people cried:
“They all died, disappeared... It was only because the damned snake destroyed them... “Well,” says Little Pea, “if that’s the case, I’ll go look for them and help them out.”
His father and mother began to dissuade him:
- Don't go, son! The six of them went, but didn’t return, and you alone will disappear completely! “No,” says Little Pea, “I won’t disappear.” How can I not help my blood brothers and sister out of trouble? It can't be! Sew me a bag and dry some crackers for the road!
There is nothing to do: his mother sewed him a travel bag and dried him some crackers. Pokatipea took his bag, took his mace, said goodbye to his father and mother and went to look for his sister and brothers.
As he walks and walks, he sees a shepherd tending a herd of pigs. Little Pea greeted the shepherd. The shepherd asks him:
- Where are you going, lad? - I’m going to the snake - to help out my sister and brothers. - The snake took them and will take you! Now, if you catch the biggest boar in my herd and eat it, you will defeat the snake! If you don’t eat it, I’d better pick it up and come home in good health!
Little Pea immediately caught the largest boar, killed it, fried it and ate it all. He thanked the shepherd and moved on. He walks and walks and looks at a shepherd grazing a herd of cows and oxen.
- Great, uncle shepherd! - Great, lad! Where are you going? - I’m going to the snake - to help out my brothers and sister! - Eh, do you have the strength? If you eat the biggest ox from my herd, then maybe you can help out. But no, it’s better not to go to the snake, you’ll disappear yourself!
Pokatipea killed the largest ox, roasted it and ate it whole, leaving only the bones. He thanked the shepherd and moved on.
He walks and walks and sees a shepherd guarding a herd of horses. He stopped and said hello:
- Great, uncle shepherd! - Great, lad! Where are you going? Little Pea told the shepherd where and why he was going. Shepherd says:
- Well, if you catch that black stallion over there and sit on it, you have the strength to kill the snake. If you don’t catch it, the snake will kill you!
Pokatipea caught the black stallion, grabbed him by the mane and just jumped on him - the stallion fell to the ground.
- Eh! - says Pokatypea. “You won’t get far on a horse like that!”
I said goodbye to the shepherd and moved on. I walked through the forest for a long time and saw a large, large yard. He entered the yard - quietly, looked into the house - quietly, there was no one to be seen (at that time a snake was flying around the world, attacking good people).
A girl came out and asked him:
- Why did you come here, lad? Who are you? - Eh, girl, girl! How slow-witted you are! I’m your brother Pokatypea, I came to kill the snake and take you and your brothers home! - What kind of brother are you to me! I don’t know you. “So I was born after you and your brothers disappeared!”
Little Pea told his sister about his father and mother. Then he asks:
-Where are our brothers? The girl began to cry: “The brothers came here, they wanted to help me out, but they all died here... The damned snake beat them half to death and threw them into a hole, and filled the hole with a heavy stone... And the same will happen to you... Better run away while he’s gone...
“Well,” answers Pokatypea, “I didn’t come here to run away.” I came to kill the snake and rescue you all from evil captivity.
As soon as he said it, the earth began to shake and hum.
- Oh, dear brother! - says Alyonka. “Hurry up: the kite is flying!” “No,” Pokatypea answers, “I won’t, but hide.” I didn't come to play hide and seek! A snake flew in and shouted:
- Ugh! Ugh! It smells like the human spirit! “How can you not smell it,” answers Pokatypea, “when I came to you!” “Well, lad, what do you want here?” Have you come to fight or make peace? - Do not put up with such a destroyer, but only fight! - says Pokatypea. “Ho-ho!” That's what you are! Okay, have it your way. Just need to have lunch first! - Well, I don’t mind!
The snake ordered dinner to be served. Olenka gave it.
“I’ll see how strong you are,” says the snake. - Can you eat a whole boar? - But look! - Pokatypea answers. And he ate the boar. The snake didn’t even have time to blink an eye.
- Will you eat a whole ox? - And this is not a difficult task. He even ate an ox. - Well done! - says the snake. “Now let’s see how you taste another treat.”
And he ordered a bag of iron nuts to be brought, a fist for each nut. They brought nuts. The snake gnaws two nuts, and Pokatypeas gnaws four.
As they gnawed all the nuts, the snake said:
- Well, should we fight or make peace? - Fight! - So let's go to a smooth place, to the platform. - Let's go.
We arrived at the site. The kite blew and the platform became copper. The snake says:
“You hit first.” “No,” answers Little Pea, “you hit first: after all, you’re the boss here, not me!”
So the snake hit Pokatygoroshka on the head and drove him up to his ankles into the copper platform.
Pokatipea pulled out his legs, swung his mace, struck the snake, and drove him into the copper up to his knees.
The snake broke out, swung, hit Pokatygoroshok with all his strength - and drove him up to his knees into the copper... He was happy, but early: Pokatygoroshok immediately pulled out his legs, contrived and hit the snake with a mace - he drove him into the copper up to his waist. The snake wanted to escape, but that was not the case: Pokatipea hit him with his mace again. He didn’t let me come to my senses - he hit me a third time and killed me to death...
After that he came to his sister and asked:
-Where did the snake hide our brothers? Alyonka led him to a stone - a huge stone, a hundred Cossacks could not move it. The little pea pushed him, the stone fell to the side and crumbled into small crumbs.
-Are you alive, my dear brothers? - asks Pokatypea.
And the brothers are so weak that they cannot answer.
Pokatipea pulled the brothers out of the hole, gave them strength to gather themselves, and led them all to their father and mother. And he burned down the snakes’ yard so that there would be no memory of the snake left.
When the father and mother saw all their children alive and healthy, they were overjoyed! They began to kiss them, hug them, and press them to their hearts.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru