Once upon a time there lived an old sorcerer, and he had a beautiful young wife. So the gypsy tramp wandered into those distant lands.
He wandered for a long time in search of happiness, but, apparently, he was not very lucky: he did not have a penny in his pocket, nor a horse, nor a cart with goods. And he had only one wealth: beauty and intelligence.
So this gypsy decided to earn extra money: he hired himself out as a worker for a sorcerer, to look after the horses and help with the housework.
One day he works, then another, and the gypsy begins to notice that the sorcerer’s wife is looking at him. Yes, and he fell in love with her. And everything would be fine if only the sorcerer could be fooled.
But he is a sorcerer and there is no hiding from him. The sorcerer didn’t like the fact that the gypsy was flirting with his wife, so he turned her into a horse and put her in the stable. And he ordered the gypsy to look after her.
“Now you can love her as much as you want,” said the sorcerer and left.
The gypsy is crying, but he can’t do anything. And suddenly he hears human speech:
- Don’t be sad, dear, God willing, everything will work out! I looked at the gypsies and was surprised. It was the sorcerer's horse that spoke to him. From then on, the gypsy worker became attached to this horse and looked after it so much that it was always a pleasure to look at it.
Meanwhile, the sorcerer decided to drive the gypsy out of the world and take revenge on him. So he calls him over and says:
- Listen, gypsy, go to the sea, swim to the island, light a fire there and wait. At exactly midnight the waves will part and magical horses harnessed to a carriage will ride ashore.
Come to this carriage, open the doors and look inside. I forgot my ring in that carriage. If you bring me this ring, so be it, I will break the spell on my wife and give her to you. If you don’t bring it, you blame yourself.
The gypsy became sad and went to the stable.
- What's wrong with you, my dear? - the horse asks him.
“So and so,” the gypsy answers, “I don’t know what to do.” The sorcerer will destroy me!
- Go to the sea, don’t be afraid, everything will be fine. And so that the magic horses don’t bite you to death, coat yourself with varnish. Once they bite you, their teeth will stick together.
At this point you go up to the carriage and take the ring, but don’t hesitate, but come back.
The gypsy did everything as the horse told him, and returned back with the ring.
“Well done, gypsy,” the sorcerer praised him, “I didn’t think that you would return alive.” Oh well! You'll have to disenchant your wife. Just look at yourself, you’re covered in steam, you should take a steam bath, otherwise what kind of beauty will look at you?
The gypsy got scared, sensing something bad, and went to the stable.
“Don’t worry, dear, but do as I tell you,” he heard the horse’s voice. “Now the sorcerer will boil milk in a cauldron and make you bathe in the hot milk.” But don't be afraid.
When you hear me neigh, feel free to throw yourself into the cauldron.
That’s how it all happened: the sorcerer boiled milk and ordered the gypsy to jump into the cauldron. The gypsy undressed and began to wait until the horse neighed.
- What are you doing, gypsy? Or have you changed your mind? - the sorcerer asks him. - Or maybe you were scared?
“I wasn’t afraid of anything, but according to our gypsy custom, before going to the bathhouse, you need to pray.”
“Well, pray,” says the sorcerer, “I’ll wait.” - And you know, he throws some wood under the boiler. The gypsy raised his hands to the sky and began to whisper:
- May the sun break you, damned sorcerer!..
And at that moment the horse neighed. The gypsy jumped into the cauldron, and when he jumped out of it, he was already as handsome as the world had ever seen.
Envy took over the sorcerer here.
“How is it that some poor gypsy became such a handsome man,” he thought, “but I’m an all-powerful sorcerer, and I can’t?!” The sorcerer jumped into a cauldron of boiling milk and immediately cooked in it. The horse's witchcraft instantly flew away, and she became a young and beautiful woman. And there was no end to their joy with the gypsy.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru