Equa-pyris lives with his grandmother. Although the grandson works for a living, he cannot get anything. He says to his grandmother:
- We should sow some grain! - You sow! - Grandma answers. I went and sowed. I went back and looked and said:
- It was born! He returned home and said to his grandmother:
“Our grains have sprouted, there will be a good harvest.” I went again, but it turns out everything was eaten. He came home and said:
“They ate all our harvest.”
Left again; I set a trap, then went home. He came, checked the trap and saw: a crane had fallen into the trap. Granddaughter says:
“He ate the grain I grew; I'll kill him for this! He took the stick, and the crane said:
- Don't hit me! If you kill me, it won't do you any good. Don't kill me! I will give you wealth and happiness.
-Where can I find you? “You will take off and fly away,” the granddaughter answers.
“No,” he says. “I’ll put up signs and you’ll follow my trail.”
He released his granddaughters and went to his grandmother. He says to his grandmother:
- Our entire harvest has been eaten. A crane got caught in the trap, but I let it go.
- Why did you let him go? - says the grandmother.
“He promised to give me wealth and happiness,” Equa-pyris answers the grandmother.
Equa-pyris went to look for the crane again. He walked and walked, came to the house, and entered. He looks: a man is lying and a woman is sitting. Here, melted fat and frozen fat are carried by chumans, and honey drinks are also carried. He ate and drank. Then the man stood up and asked:
- Has Equa-pyris come?
- Yes, I came.
Then the man went to the front corner of the house. I found a summer squirrel skin there, brought it to Ekva-pyris and gave it to him.
“Go home now,” says the man. “I have nothing more, so go home with this!” Give this gift of mine to your grandmother, let her put it back in its place and keep it!
Equa-pyris went home and gave the gift to his grandmother. We went to bed. We woke up in the morning. Equa-pyris stretched his hand; his hand felt warm; He stretched his leg and his leg felt warm.
Then he stood up and saw that there was not a single nail where sable skins and fox skins were not hanging.
Then Ekva-pyrys went out into the street and saw that people were building a house with a barn.
Equa-pyris lived like this for the day, the second day came. The city hero, the foreman of the city, came to him and asked for flour:
- Listen, friend, give me torment!
Эква-пырись дал ему муки.
The city hero ate bread baked from flour and came again and began to ask Ekva-pyrys for a summer squirrel skin.
- Will you give me the right price for it? - asks Equa-pyris.
“I’ll give you,” answers the city hero. Then Ekva-pyrys sold him a squirrel skin. Прожили день, легли спать. We woke up. Ekva-pyrys stretched his hand and his hand became cold; He stretched his leg and his leg became cold. I went out into the street - there were no people, the house and barn had disappeared.
Then Equa-pyris went to that man again. The man says:
– Что же ты так быстро вернулся? I gave you gifts, where did they go?
Ekva-pyris answers him:
“The city hero bought a summer squirrel skin and paid me well for it.”
Then the man again went to the front corner of the house, found a spring ermine skin there, brought it and gave it to Equa-whisker. He took the spring ermine skin and went home. Came. We went to bed again. Woke up. Потянул руку – руке его стало тепло; He stretched his leg and his leg felt warm. Then he stood up, looked around - there was no such nail on which the skins of sables and other animals would not hang. I went outside and looked and saw that people were working again.
Идет к нему городской богатырь, старшина города.
“The city hero is coming to us,” says the people.
- Is he coming to you? “He’s coming to me,” Equa-pyris answers.
The city hero, the foreman of the city, came to Ekva-pyris and said:
- Give me flour!
Ekva-pyrys gave him flour, he immediately went home. He stayed at home only one day, ate all the flour, the next day he came again and asked for a spring ermine skin. Equa-pyris again gave him the spring ermine skin.
This is how Equa-pyrys lives. Went to bed. Woke up. He stretched his hand - his hand felt cold; He pulled his leg - his leg felt cold. Got up. In front of him is a very dirty house, all covered with mold. Ekva-pyrys came out and everything disappeared in front of him again: there was no house, no barn, no people.
Then Ekva-pyris went to the same man for the third time. I came to him, he was at home.
- Why did you come again? - asks the man.
“I have nothing again, I gave everything to the city hero,” says Ekva-pyris.
Then the man got angry and began to scold him:
- I gave you wealth and happiness. You couldn’t even hold that in your hands; Now go home as you wish!
The equa-pyris was about to leave with nothing, but then the second man stopped him and said:
- Wait a minute, don’t go!
He himself went to the front corner of the house, took out a wolverine claw from there, brought it and gave the claw to Ekva-pyris.
- Go. When you return home, immediately go to the city hero, the elder of the city. Take your wolverine claw with you too. Ask him for flour. He will ask where you should put the flour. Then take out your claw and order the flour to be poured into it. The city hero will be surprised and say: Is it possible to put anything in such a small object? He will ask you to pour flour into the bag. You don’t agree, tell him that this amount is enough for you. Demand that flour be poured into the wolverine's claw. If you start pouring flour into the claw, no matter how much you pour, the claw will not be filled, and the barn will quickly become empty. Seeing this, the city hero will pray and ask you to pour his flour back into the barn. Don’t pour out the flour, stand your ground. Then the city hero will offer you to return the ermine skins and squirrel skins. If he says so, you’d rather pour the flour back into the barn, take your skins and go home.
Ekva-pyrys listened attentively, understood everything and went home. He came to his grandmother and decided to do everything as the man told him.
He went to the city hero, and people worked for him. ‘– City hero, Equa-pyris is coming to us! - people say.
The city hero jumped out into the street and said:
- Is Equa-pyrys coming to you? He's coming towards me. Equa-pyris has arrived.
- What do you want from me, why did you come? - asks the city hero, the foreman of the city.
“I need flour,” Equa-pyris answers.
“I’ll give you some flour, take it,” says the city hero, “do you have anything to put it in?”
“Yes,” answers Equa-pyris.
They went to the barn, where there was flour. The equa-pyris took out the wolverine's claw. City hero says:
– Will such a small bag suit you? Will you be full from so much flour? Better fill a full real bag. Bring the bag, I'm not sorry, I'll fill it full.
Equa-pyrys says:
- No, that’s enough for me.
They began to pour in flour. No matter how they lay it, no matter how they pour it, the wolverine’s claw is not filled. The barn had already begun to empty.
Then the city hero prayed:
- Well, stop adding flour, soon my barn will be completely empty. That's enough, I guess I'll be left without food. Take your ermine and squirrel skins and pour the flour back.
Equa-pyris poured the flour back into the barn, and the city hero, the foreman of the city, returned to him all the ermine and squirrel skins.
The equa-pyrys went home with the skins. Came. Went to bed with grandma. We woke up in the morning. Ekva-pyrys stretched his hand - his hand felt warm; He stretched his leg and his leg felt warm. He stood up, looked around the house, and saw that there wasn’t a nail in the house that didn’t have sable skins hanging on it, or the skins of other expensive animals. I went out into the street, and people were already cutting down, building a barn and a house, and they quickly built a barn. The equa-pyris entered it, and the barn was again completely empty. With that happiness, with that wealth, Ekva-pyris now lives and spends the winter.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru