There lived a grandfather and a woman. The grandfather worked at the tar mill as a tar smoker, and the woman sat at home, spinning yarn. And they are so poor, they have nothing: what they earn is what they eat. So the woman pestered her grandfather - make and make, grandfather, a straw bull and tar him with resin.
- And what are you saying, stupid? What do you need such a bull?
- Do it, I already know what to do.
Grandfather had nothing to do, so he took a straw bull and tarred it.
We slept through the night. And the next morning the woman gathered yarn and drove the straw bull to graze, she sat down by the mound, spinning the yarn, and said:
- Graze, graze, bull, on the grass, while I spin the yarn! Graze, graze, little bull, on the grass, while I spin the yarn!
She spun and spun, and dozed off. And then a bear runs from a dark forest, from a dense forest. I ran into a bull.
- Who are you? - asks. - Tell! And the bull says:
“I’m a third-grade bull, made of straw, tarred with resin.”
Bear says:
- If you are straw, tarred with resin, give me resin to patch up your torn side.
The bull is okay, silent. Then the bear grabs him by the side and - let's peel off the tar. He peeled and peeled and got stuck with his teeth and couldn’t get through it. He pulled and pulled and dragged the bull God knows where!
Now the woman wakes up and the bull is gone: “Oh, I’m sad! But where did my bull go? Perhaps he’s already gone home.”
And in an instant the bottom and the comb are on the shoulders and - home. Lo and behold, a bear is dragging a bull through the forest, she goes to her grandfather:
- Grandfather, grandfather! And the bull brought us a bear. Go and kill him!
The grandfather jumped out, pulled the bear away, took it and threw it into the cellar.
The next day, before dawn, the woman gathered yarn and drove the bull to pasture. She sat down by the mound, spinning yarn and saying:
- Graze, graze, bull, on the grass, while I spin the yarn!
She spun and spun, and dozed off. And then from a dark forest, from a dense forest, a gray wolf runs out and - to the bull.
- Who are you? Tell me!
“I’m a third-grade bull, made of straw, tarred with resin!”
“If you are tarred with tar,” says the wolf, “give me some tar to tar your side, otherwise the damned dogs will strip you.”
- Take it!
The wolf immediately approached the bull, wanting to tear off the resin. He tore and tore, but got stuck with his teeth and couldn’t get it out: no matter how much he pulled back, nothing could be done. So he’s messing around with this bull.
The woman wakes up, but the bull is no longer in sight. I thought:
“Perhaps my little bull has wandered home,” and so she did.
Lo and behold, the wolf is dragging the bull. She ran and told her grandfather. Grandfather threw the wolf into the cellar.
On the third day the woman drove the bull to graze; I sat down by the mound and fell asleep. The fox is running.
- Who are you? - asks the bull.
“I’m a third-grade bull, made of straw, tarred with resin.”
“Give me some tar, my dear, to apply to my side: the damned greyhounds almost tore the skin off me!”
- Take it!
The fox is stuck with her teeth in the skin of the bull and cannot escape. Grandma told grandfather that grandfather threw the fox into the cellar.
And then the runaway bunny was caught.
That's how they gathered, the grandfather sat down over the hole in the cellar and let's sharpen the knife. And the bear asks him:
- Grandfather, why are you sharpening the knife?
“I want to skin you and sew sheepskin coats for myself and my wife from that skin.”
- Oh, don’t cut me, grandfather, it’s better to set me free: I’ll bring you a lot of honey.
- Well, look!
He took the bear and released it. He sat down over the hole and sharpened the knife again.
And the wolf asks him:
- Grandfather, why are you sharpening the knife?
“I want to skin you and sew you a warm hat for the winter.”
- Oh, don’t cut me, grandfather, I’ll bring you a flock of sheep for this.
- Well, look!
The grandfather and the wolf released. He sits and sharpens his knife again. The fox stuck out its muzzle and asked:
- Tell me, grandfather, be merciful, why are you sharpening the knife?
“The fox,” he says, “has a nice skin on its edge and a collar, I want to take it off.”
- Oh, grandfather, don’t skin me, I’ll bring you geese and chickens!
- Well, look!
He also released the fox. There is only one bunny left. Grandfather sharpens a knife for him too. The bunny asks him why, and he says:
“The bunny’s skin is soft and warm; I need mittens and a hat for the winter.”
- Oh, don’t cut me, grandfather, I’ll bring you earrings, ribbons, and a beautiful monastic, just let me go free!
He let him go too.
We slept through the night, and the next morning, before dawn, suddenly - knock-knock! - someone is at grandfather’s door. The woman woke up:
- Grandfather, and grandfather! And someone is scratching at our door, come out and have a look!
Grandfather came out and looked - and the bear had brought a whole hive of honey.
Grandfather took the honey and just lay down, and at the door again: knock-knock!
He went out, and the wolf drove the yard full of sheep. And then the fox soon brought chickens, geese and all sorts of birds.
The bunny pulled on ribbons, earrings, and a beautiful monastic. And the grandfather is happy, and the woman is happy. They took the sheep, sold them and bought oxen, and the grandfather began to cheat, but they became so rich that it was better not to.
And the bull, no longer needed, stood in the sun until it melted.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru