One hot summer day, at midday, three girls were swimming in the sea. One asks:
-Which of us will get married first?
The second one answers:
- The most beautiful one will marry first!
But the third girl remained silent. Soon she came out of the water and wanted to get dressed. Just as I was reaching for my white shirt, I shuddered: there was a snake lying on the shirt.
“Okay, really,” the girl asks, “get off your shirt.”
“Be engaged to me,” he answers, “then I’ll leave!”
- Why not get engaged? - the girl laughs. - Just slide off your shirt!
“Eh, no,” he doesn’t agree, “give me your ring.”
The girl took off the ring and gave it to the snake. At that same moment he disappeared with the ring into the depths of the sea.
The dear third girl cried bitterly, and her friends consoled her:
- What do snakes understand about brides?
But three weeks later he came for his bride. He emerged from the sea with great honor: he himself was sitting in a golden carriage, with a golden crown on his head. The harness sparkles like diamonds. The courtiers follow the carriage and play the kokle.
The girl saw this and ran to her parents:
- Father, mother, what should I do? He's come for me!
The parents were scared, they didn’t know what to do, what to say. But then some old woman advised them:
- What do snakes understand about brides? Give him the goose - he will be happy and go home.
The parents gave the goose instead of their daughter. He was overjoyed, took the goose and left. He is driving, and on the side of the road a titmouse sings:
- Hubby is carrying a goose!
It was then that he realized that he had been deceived.
Three weeks later he goes again to pick up his bride. This time he is out of sorts and angrily demands that the bride be given to him. But then the same old woman as last time gave advice:
- What do snakes understand about brides? Give him the goat, he will be happy and go home.
My parents gave me a goat instead of my daughter. I was overjoyed, took the goat and left. He is driving, and on the side of the road a titmouse sings:
- Hubby is carrying a goat!
It was then that he realized that he had been deceived again.
Three weeks later he goes for the third time to pick up his bride. But this time he is more menacing than a cloud, shouting that they should not dare to mock him again, otherwise they would suffer harm.
There was nothing to do, I had to give away my daughter. He was overjoyed, put the bride in the carriage and left. And on the side of the road a titmouse sings:
- The little hubby is taking his daughter-in-law!
The entire long procession, along with the bride, disappeared into the depths of the sea. A year later, the bride’s mother came to the sea and asked:
- Daughter, dear, tell me, tell me, how is your life?
A frog came out of the sea and answered:
- Your daughter is happy. She lives in a rich palace and nurses her little son!
The mother was delighted when she heard such news and went home.
The next year the mother of the bride came to the sea again and asked:
- Daughter, dear, tell me, tell me, how is your life?
A cancer came out of the sea and answered:
- Your daughter is happy. She lives in a rich palace and nurses her little daughter!
In the third year the mother of the bride came to the sea again and asked:
- Daughter, dear, tell me, tell me, how is your life?
Hearing this, the bride hugged her husband and asked him to let her and the children go to stay with their mother. I really didn’t want to let her go, but finally he allowed her to stay with her mother for three weeks.
The bride took her son and daughter in her arms and went to visit her mother. Two frogs pulled the carriage, and the pike was the coachman. The mother met her daughter, hugged her, and couldn’t get enough of her grandchildren.
The bride stayed with her mother for three weeks and returned to the sea.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru