Once upon a time there lived an old man, and he had three sons. Everyone called the youngest Ivanushka the Fool. Once the old man sowed wheat. The wheat was good, but someone just got into the habit of crushing and trampling that wheat.
So the old man says to his sons: “My dear children!” We must guard the wheat every night in turn, we must catch the thief!
The first night has arrived. The eldest son went to guard the wheat, but he wanted to sleep. He climbed into the hayloft and slept until the morning. He comes home in the morning and says: “I didn’t sleep all night, guarding the wheat!” I was all cold, but I didn’t see the thief.
On the second night the middle son went. And he also slept all night in the hayloft.
On the third night, it’s Ivan the Fool’s turn to go. He put the pie in his bosom, took the rope and went. He came to the field and sat down on a stone. He sits awake, chews the pie, and waits for the thief.
At midnight, a horse galloped into the wheat - one hair is silver, the other is golden, it runs - the earth trembles, smoke pours out of its ears, flames blaze from its nostrils. And that horse began to eat wheat. It doesn't eat as much as it tramples with its hooves. Ivanushka crept up to the horse and immediately threw a rope around his neck. The horse rushed with all his might - no such luck! Ivanushka jumped on him deftly and grabbed him tightly by the mane. The horse carried him and carried him across the field, galloped and galloped, but could not throw him off!
The horse began to ask Ivanushka: -? Let me go free, Ivanushka! I will do you a great service for this. “Okay,” Ivanushka answers, “I’ll let you go, but how will I find you later?” “And you go out into the open field, into a wide expanse, whistle three times with a valiant whistle, bark with a heroic cry: “Sivka-burka, prophetic kaurka, stand in front of me like a leaf in front of the grass!” - I’ll appear here.
Ivanushka released the horse and made him promise never to eat or trample wheat again. Ivanushka came home in the morning. “Well, tell me what you saw there?” - the brothers ask. -? I caught, - says Ivanushka, - a horse - one hair is silver, the other is gold. -? Where is the horse? -? Yes, he promised not to go to the wheat again, so I let him go.
The brothers didn’t believe Ivanushka and laughed at him to their hearts’ content. But since that night, no one has really touched the wheat...
Soon after that, the tsar sent messengers to all the villages and to all the cities, shouting: “Get ready, boyars and nobles, merchants and simple peasants, to the tsar’s court.” The Tsar's daughter Elena the Beautiful is sitting in her high mansion by the window. Whoever rides up to the princess on a horse and takes the gold ring from her hand, she will marry him!
On the indicated day, the brothers are going to go to the royal court - not to ride themselves, but at least to look at others. And Ivanushka asks them: -? Brothers, give me at least some horse, and I want to go and see Elena the Beautiful! -? Where are you going, you fool! Do you want to make people laugh? Sit on the stove and pour the ashes! The brothers left, and Ivanushka the fool said to his brothers’ wives: “Give me a basket, I’ll even go into the forest and pick some mushrooms!”
He took the basket and went as if picking mushrooms. Ivanushka went out into an open field, into a wide expanse, threw his basket under a bush, and he whistled with a valiant whistle and barked with a heroic shout: “Sivka-burka, prophetic kaurka, stand in front of me like a leaf in front of the grass!” The horse runs, the earth trembles, smoke pours out of its ears in a column, flames flare out of its nostrils. He came running and stood rooted to the spot in front of Ivanushka. —? Anything, Ivanushka? —? I want to look at the Tsar’s daughter Elena the Beautiful! - Ivanushka answers. “Well, get into my right ear, get out of my left!”
Ivanushka climbed into the horse's right ear, and came out into the left - and became such a fine fellow that he could not think of it, nor guess it, nor tell it in a fairy tale, nor describe it with a pen! He boarded the Sivka-burka and rode straight to the city. He caught up with his brothers along the road, galloped past them, and showered them with road dust.
Ivanushka galloped to the square - straight to the royal palace. He looks - apparently and invisibly to the people, and in a high mansion, by the window, sits Princess Elena the Beautiful. The ring sparkles on her hand - it has no price! And she is the most beautiful of beauties. Everyone looks at Elena the Beautiful, but no one dares to jump to her: no one wants to break their neck.
Here Ivanushka hit Sivka-burka on the steep sides... The horse snorted, neighed, jumped - only three logs short of the princess. The people were surprised, and Ivanushka turned Sivka and galloped away. Everyone shouted: “Who is this?” Who is this?
And Ivanushka is already gone. We saw where he galloped from, but did not see where he galloped off. Ivanushka rushed into an open field, jumped off his horse, climbed into his left ear, and climbed out into his right ear and became still Ivan the Fool.
He let Sivka-burka go, picked up a basket full of fly agarics and brought them home: -? Eva, what good mushrooms! Brothers' wives got angry with Ivanushka and started scolding him: -? What kind of mushrooms did you bring, fool? Only you alone can eat them! Ivanushka grinned, climbed onto the stove and sat.
The brothers returned home and told their wives what they had seen in the city: “Well, housewives, what a fine fellow came to the Tsar!” We've never seen anything like this before. He was only three logs short of reaching the princess. And Ivanushka was lying on the stove and chuckling: —?Dear brothers, wasn’t it I there?—?Where should you be, you fool! Just sit on the stove and catch flies!
The next day, the older brothers went to the city again, and Ivanushka took a basket and went to pick mushrooms. He went out into an open field, into a wide expanse, threw his basket, whistled with a brave whistle, barked with a heroic cry: “Sivka-burka, prophetic kaurka, stand in front of me like a leaf in front of the grass!” The horse runs, the earth trembles, smoke pours out of its ears in a column, flames flare out of its nostrils. He came running and stood in front of Ivanushka, rooted to the spot.
Ivanushka Sivka-burka climbed into the right ear, and climbed out into the left and became a fine fellow. He jumped on his horse and galloped to the courtyard. He sees that there are even more people in the square than before. Everyone admires the princess, but no one even thinks about jumping: they are afraid of breaking their neck! Here Ivanushka hit his horse on the steep sides. Sivka-burka neighed and jumped, only to be two logs short of the princess’s window.
Ivanushka turned Sivka and galloped off. We saw where he galloped from, but did not see where he galloped off. And Ivanushka is already in the open field. He let Sivka-burka go and went home. He sat down on the stove, sitting, waiting for his brothers.
The brothers come home and say: -? Well, housewives, the same fellow came again! He was only two logs short of reaching the princess. Ivanushka said to them: —?Brothers, wasn’t it I there?—?Sit, you fool, keep quiet!.. On the third day, the brothers are getting ready to go again, and Ivanushka says:—?Give me at least a bad horse: I’ll go with you too!—?Sit, you fool, at home! Only you are missing there! They said that and left.
Ivanushka went out into an open field, into a wide expanse, whistled with a brave whistle, barked with a heroic cry: -? Sivka-burka, prophetic kaurka, stand in front of me like a leaf in front of the grass! He came running and stood in front of Ivanushka, rooted to the spot. Ivanushka climbed into the horse’s right ear and came out into the left. The young man became a fine fellow and galloped off to the royal court.
Ivanushka galloped to the high tower, lashed Sivka-burka with a whip... The horse neighed more than ever, hit the ground with its hooves, jumped - and reached the window! Ivanushka kissed Elena the Beautiful on her scarlet lips, took the treasured ring from her finger and rushed off. They only saw him! Then everyone made a noise, shouted, waved their hands: -? Hold him! Catch him! But there is no trace of Ivanushka.
He released Sivka-burka and came home. One hand is wrapped in a rag. —? What happened to you? - ask my brother’s wives. -? Well, I was looking for mushrooms, I got stuck on a twig... And I climbed onto the stove.
The brothers returned and began to tell what and how it happened: —? Well, mistresses, that fellow jumped so hard this time that he jumped up to the princess and took the ring off her finger! Ivanushka is sitting on the stove and know your own thing: —? Brothers, wasn’t it me there? —? Sit down, fool, don’t talk in vain!
Then Ivanushka wanted to look at the princess’s precious ring. As soon as he unwound the rag, the whole hut began to shine!—? Stop fooling around with fire, you fool! - the brothers shout. “You’ll still burn the hut.” It’s time to drive you out of the house completely! Ivanushka didn’t answer them, but tied the ring with a rag again...
Three days later, the king again shouted the cry: so that all the people, no matter how many there are in the kingdom, gather at his feast and so that no one dares to stay at home. And whoever disdains the royal feast will have his head off his shoulders! There was nothing to do, the brothers went to the feast, taking Ivan the Fool with them. We arrived, sat down at oak tables, patterned tablecloths, drinking, eating, talking. And Ivanushka climbed behind the stove, into a corner, and sat there.
Elena the Beautiful walks around, treating the guests. She offers wine and honey to everyone, and she looks to see if anyone has her treasured ring on their hand. Whoever has the ring on his hand is her groom. But no one has a ring in sight...
She walked around everyone and came up to the last one - Ivanushka. And he sits behind the stove, his clothes are thin, his bast shoes are torn, one hand is tied with a rag. The brothers look and think: “Look, the princess is bringing wine to our Ivashka!”
And Elena the Beautiful handed Ivanushka a glass of wine and asked: -? Why is your hand tied, good fellow?
Elena the Beautiful was delighted, took Ivanushka by the hand, led her to her father and said: “Here, father, my groom has been found! They washed Ivanushka, combed his hair, dressed him, and he became not the fool Ivanushka, but a fine fellow, you wouldn’t even recognize him! There was no waiting and no reasoning - a merry feast and for the wedding! I was at that feast, I drank honey and beer, it flowed down my mustache, but it didn’t get into my mouth.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru