Three brothers went to the taiga to hunt. Night fell, and there was nothing to light a fire: they forgot the firewood at home. They see a light shining nearby.
“I’ll go get some fire,” said the elder brother and left.
They waited and waited for him, but they didn’t wait. The middle brother went and also disappeared.
Then the younger one went to see what had happened to the brothers. He approached the fire. An old man lies next to him, warming his back. The brothers are attached to two large larches.
“Why did you tie them to the larches like thieves?” the younger brother asked the old man.
“There was such an agreement,” answered the old man. “We agreed to tell each other tales.” If anyone is surprised, tie him to a tree. Let's try it with you?
“Come on,” the younger brother agreed and began: “I remember, I was born in the morning from my father and mother, and in the evening I went hunting.” I went into the taiga and a fly landed on my forehead. A big fly, the size of a two-headed heifer. I slapped myself on the forehead and caught a fly. He tore open her belly, then removed the skin and was surprised: there was a quarter of an arshin's worth of outer fat on her, and four fingers' worth of inner fat. I took the saddle off the horse, tied the reins to the
nek, then he lit a fire out of snow, made a spit out of ice and fried a fly. One chigir lubricated it with grease, but forgot to lubricate the other. Went to bed. This morning I woke up, there was one chigir, but I couldn’t find the other.
He went to his horse, and he was nowhere to be seen. I turned to the lake - my horse was swimming in the water. It turns out that I tied it not to a stump, but to the neck of a swan. A swan swims and leads a horse by the bridle. I took a wide stone and made a boat. I took a flat stone and made an oar. I got into the boat, rowed with an oar, and chased a swan. I chased and chased all over the lake, but I caught it by force. I untied the horse, but did not let go of the swan: I decided to take it with me. As soon as I untied the horse, the swan took off and picked me up. The swan flew and flew and flew into the sky. And life in heaven is the same as on earth. The people there are similar to us: some sow grain, others roam the sky with livestock.
I released the swan and began to walk on foot in one chigir. I walk across the sky, looking for the second chigir, it is nowhere to be found. I spent three years in the same chigir - I got tired of it. I decided to go home to earth. He wove a rope out of straw, found a hole in the sky and climbed out through it. My rope was not enough to reach the ground, and I hung in the air. For ten years he hung, swayed between heaven and earth. Then he decided: come what may, he released the lasso, fell headfirst and sank into the ground up to his heels.
He stayed in the ground for three years. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get out. I thought and thought and guessed: I ran home, took a coulter and dug myself out...
The younger brother talks, glances at the old man, and he lies there, warms his back, strokes his beard, and grins. “Okay,” the younger brother thinks, “I’ll catch you anyway,” and then he says:
- I came to the ulus. There is a feast in one yurt. I'm going there. The yurt is full of people. Everyone is drinking and having fun. I see my missing chigir walking among the guests, serving wine to everyone, and passing me by. I wink at him, but he doesn’t seem to notice. Once I endured it, twice, and then as soon as I slapped it on the neck, I kneaded it with my hands and put it on my leg... And behind you, old man, I owe my father six hundred rubles and my mother five hundred. When will you give this money back?
- What money?..
The old man realized it, but it was too late. His younger brother grabbed him and tied him to a tree. He freed the older brothers, captured the fire, and they went to their camp.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru