Once upon a time there lived a king, and he had many sons. I don’t remember exactly how many of them he had, but the youngest couldn’t sit at home - he was so eager to leave home to see the world and show himself. Finally, the king gave in to his son’s persuasion and released him.
The king's son walked and walked and came to the giant's courtyard. The giant took him into his service. So in the morning the giant gets ready to graze his flock and says to the king’s son:
“Your job for today is to clean out the barn.” Clean it up and leave it at that. You're lucky, you got the owner - you couldn't find a kinder one. But if so, serve with zeal. Don’t even think about going into the rooms next door to the one where you spent the night. If you disobey, your head will not be blown off.
“It seems like he’s really kind,” the king’s son said to himself and began to pace around the room and sing funny songs. “And I still have time to clean the barn - I have more than enough time. I wish I could look into the other rooms! Is there something wrong there, otherwise why wouldn’t he allow me to go there?” And the king's son entered the first room. He entered and saw: a large cauldron hanging on the wall, and something was being cooked in it. But no matter how much the king's son looked, he did not see any fire under him.
"I wonder what's cooking here?" - he thought and stuck his head into the cauldron. At that very moment his hair became like copper.
- That's soup! Whoever tries it will immediately become handsome,” said the king’s son and entered the next room. There was also a cauldron hanging on the wall, and something was being cooked in it too. But even under this cauldron he did not see any heat.
“We need to smell this soup too,” said the king’s son and bent over the cauldron. Immediately his hair became like silver.
“They didn’t eat such good soup in my father’s palace,” the king’s son remarked. - I wonder what it tastes like?
- And the prince entered the third room. There was also a cauldron hanging on the wall, and something was being cooked in it too. He decided to smell this soup too. As soon as he put his head into the cauldron, his hair sparkled with pure gold, so that it was painful to look at.
“The further into the forest, the more firewood,” said the king’s son. - But if my master brews gold in this room, then what is he brewing in the next? - And he opened the door to the fourth room. This time there was no cauldron in the room, but a young girl was sitting on a bench in front of the prince - no less than the king’s daughter. But no matter whose daughter she was, he had never seen such a beauty in his life.
- Lord Jesus, what do you want here? - asked the girl who was sitting on the bench.
“This morning I hired myself here as a servant,” answered the king’s son.
- God save you from this place! - she tells him.
- Wow! And I thought that I had ended up with a kind owner! - said the king's son. “Today he gave me a very easy job—cleaning out the barn.” I’ll finish and I’ll be free!
- How do you think about taking on this matter! she asks. “If you hope to clean bread the way people usually do, then you won’t succeed.” As soon as you throw away a cake of manure, ten new ones will appear in its place. But I will teach you how to do it: first turn the cake over, and then pick it up with the handle of a shovel - it will fly into the pile on its own.
“Okay, I’ll do so,” the king’s son promised, and so he sat in the girl’s room all day, because not even an hour had passed before it became clear to both of them that they could not live without each other. That is why the first day that he served with the giant flashed by like one minute - you can be sure of that.
But then evening came, and the king’s daughter told him to go and clean the barn - the giant would never return.
He came to the barn and thought: “Well, let me check if the king’s daughter has deceived me?” I took the shovel and let's clean the barn the way the royal grooms cleaned the barn when he was with his father. Where there! He had to quit, because not even a minute had passed when such a pile of manure grew around him that he had no place to stand. Then he did as the king’s daughter taught him: he turned over the dung cake, picked it up with the handle of the shovel, and - lo and behold - the barn sparkled with cleanliness, as if it had been washed.
He went home - to the room in which the giant allowed him to be, and began to sing funny songs. The giant returned with his herd.
- Cleaned out the barn? - asks.
“Pure as glass, master,” the king’s son answers.
“I’ll go and have a look,” said the giant and headed into the barn. But everything was as the king's son said.
- No other way than you talked to my Miracle Maiden! You would never have thought of this on your own,” says the giant.
- Wonder Maiden? What kind of unprecedented thing is this, eh, master? - the king’s son was surprised, pretending to be a fool. - I wish I could take a look!
“The time will come, you’ll see,” the giant answers.
The next morning the giant gathered to graze the flock again and said to the king’s son:
“All your work for today is to bring home my horse, which is grazing in the pasture.” Bring it and you can walk all day. “You see how lucky you are - you ended up with a good owner,” the giant repeated. - But be careful not to go into those rooms that I spoke about yesterday. If you disobey, I’ll break your neck,” said the giant and went to graze the flock.
“Yes, you really are kind,” said the king’s son, “but I will still go into those rooms and talk with the Wonder Maiden, perhaps very soon she will become mine, and not yours.” - And he entered the girl’s room.
She asked him what order the giant gave him this time.
“It’s an empty matter,” answered the king’s son. “All it takes is getting up to the pasture and bringing the giant’s horse home.”
“And how are you going to tackle this?” - asked the Wonder Maiden.
- Just think, what an unprecedented thing - to ride home on horseback! - answered the king's son.
“That’s right, but it’s not easy to ride this horse,” said the Wonder Maiden. - Well, that’s okay, I’ll teach you what to do. As soon as he sees you, fire will burst out of his nostrils, and the flame will blaze so bright, as if from a resin torch. But don't be afraid! Take with you the bridle that hangs outside the door, and put the bridle in the horse’s mouth. The horse will immediately become so calm and obedient that you can easily drive him home. “Okay, I’ll do everything as you order,” said the king’s son, and he stayed with the Wonder Maiden, and they spent the whole day together and chatted about all sorts of things. But most of all they talked about how gloriously they would live when they ran away from the giant and were together; the pasture and the horse completely flew out of the king’s son’s head, and he would have completely forgotten about them if in the evening the Wonder Maiden had not reminded him of them and ordered him to bring his horse home before the giant arrived.
I had to obey him; He took the bridle that was hanging in the corner behind the door and went to the pasture. As soon as the horse noticed him, fire came out of his nostrils, a bright flame. But the king’s son chose the right moment, and as soon as the horse had time to jump up to him, he bridled it, and the horse stood rooted to the spot, and then, like a lamb, he followed the king’s son. And getting him into the stable was as easy as shelling pears - you can believe me.
The king's son returned to his room and let's sing funny songs.
In the evening the giant came home.
Did you bring your horse from the pasture? - asks.
- Yes, master. “I would have loved to ride him longer, but I came straight home and put him in the stable,” the king’s son replies.
“I’ll go have a look,” says the giant. He went to the stable and saw: the horse was standing in place, as the king’s son had told him.
- No other way than you talked to my Miracle Maiden! You would never have thought of this on your own,” says the giant again.
- Yesterday the Miracle Maiden, today the Miracle Maiden - what a miracle this is! “I wish I could look at her,” the king’s son replies, again pretending to be a fool.
“The time will come, you’ll see,” says the giant.
On the morning of the third day, the giant gathered to graze the flock again.
“Today you will go down to the underworld and bring me from there the tribute that they pay me from every brazier,” he punishes the king’s son. - And when you return, rest as much as your heart desires. You're lucky - you ended up with a kind owner! - And he left.
“You’re so kind that you find me one job that’s easier than another,” says the king’s son. - Well, never mind, I’ll still try to find your Miracle Maiden; you say she is yours, but perhaps she will dare to teach me how I can take up your commission. - And he entered the Miracle Maiden’s room.
The Miracle Maiden asked him what work the giant ordered him to do this time, and the king’s son told her how the giant told him to go down to the underworld and bring tribute from there.
- How do you think about getting down to business? - asks the Wonder Maiden.
- I hope you will help me. I've never been to the underworld before. But even if I knew the way there, I still don’t know how much tribute I should exact.
- Okay, I'll help you. You will reach a rock at the edge of the field, and you will see a hammer next to it. Take it and knock on the rock. A man will come out of the rock with flames coming out of his eyes and nose and ask you how much you want to take. Answer: as much as I can carry.
“Okay, I’ll do so,” the king’s son promised and spent the whole day with the Wonder Maiden. He would have been sitting with her if she had not reminded him that before the giant arrived he had to go down to the underworld.
He had to go on a journey, and he did everything exactly as the Miracle Maiden told him. He reached the rock, took a hammer and knocked on the rock. A man came out of the rock with flames escaping from his eyes and nose.
-What do you want? - asks.
“I came to collect tribute for the giant.”
- How much do you want?
“I never take more than I can carry,” answers the king’s son.
“It’s good that you didn’t take the horse and cart with you,” said the one who came out of the rock. - Follow me!
The king's son followed him into the mountain, and what: in front of him was a huge pile of gold and silver! He took as much as he could carry and went home.
And in the evening, before returning to the giant, the king’s son went to his room and let’s sing funny songs - exactly as before.
- Well, did you bring me tribute from the underworld? - asks the giant.
“Of course, master,” the king’s son answers.
-Where are you taking her? - asks the giant.
- Yes, behind the bench there is a bag of gold.
“I’ll go have a look,” says the giant and goes to the bench. He came up and saw: lying next to the bench was a bag filled with gold and silver, so full that as soon as the giant touched it, the gold and silver fell to the floor!
“No other way than you talked to my Miracle Maiden,” said the giant. - Well, look, if that’s the case, don’t blow your head off!
- Wonder Maiden? - the king's son was surprised. - Yesterday the Miracle Maiden, the day before yesterday the Miracle Maiden, and today you are at your own pace again, master. I wish I could look at this incredible thing!
“Well, wait until the morning, I’ll take you to her myself,” says the giant.
“Thank you, master,” the king’s son replies.
The next day the giant brought the king's son to the Wonder Maiden.
“Cut it into pieces and boil it in that big cauldron over there.” “When you see that the soup is ready, you will tell me,” said the giant, and he lay down to sleep on the bench, and immediately such snoring was heard that the mountains shook.
The Wonder Maiden took a knife, cut the king’s son’s finger and dropped three drops of blood onto the stool. She collected all the old rags, worn-out shoes and all the rubbish that came to hand, and put it all in the cauldron. And then she filled the box with gold, put a piece of rock salt on top and a bottle of water that hung near the door, took two golden chickens and a golden apple, and she and the king’s son ran as fast as they could away from the giant’s house.
They ran and ran and came to the sea. And then they boarded the ship and sailed away; where and how they got the ship - I never asked about it.
Meanwhile, the giant was still sleeping in the Wonder Maiden’s room. So he reached out and asked:
- Well, will the soup be ready soon?
“I just started cooking,” answered the first drop from the stool.
The giant turned over on his other side and fell asleep again and slept for a long, long time. But then he stretched out again and asked in a sleepy voice, without opening his eyes, just like the first time:
- Will it be cooked soon?
- Almost ready! - answered the second drop, and again the giant thought it was the voice of the Wonder Maiden. He turned over on his other side and began snoring again.
He slept, slept for many hours in a row; but then he stirred, stretched once or twice and asked:
- Is it really not cooked yet?
- Boiled! - answered the third drop.
Then the giant got up and began to rub his eyes, but no matter how much he rubbed them, he could not see the one who was talking to him. Then he began to loudly call the Miracle Maiden. Nobody answered him.
“I guess she didn’t go out for long,” the giant decided. He took the ladle and went to the boiler to taste the brew. But there was nothing in the cauldron except old soles, rags and other nasty things. And it’s all lumpy, you can’t tell whether it’s soup or porridge!
When the giant looked into the cauldron and realized what had happened, he became so furious that for a long time he could not come to his senses. And then he ran in pursuit of the king’s son and the Wonder Maiden, but there was no trace of them. He quickly rushed to the sea, but could not cross it.
“Well, it’s okay, I have a sure remedy against this,” said the giant. - All I have to do is click on my sea fluke - and everything is all right!
So he did. The fluke came running, lay down on the ground, took a few sips from the sea - and immediately there was so little water in the sea that the giant could easily see the ship, and on it the king’s son and the Wonder Maiden.
- Throw a piece of rock salt into the sea! - shouted the Wonder Maiden.
The king's son threw a stone overboard, and a mountain grew across the sea, so big and high - how could a giant overcome it!
“Well, it’s okay, I also have a sure remedy against this,” said the giant.
He took a drill and started drilling into the mountain so that the fluke could suck out the water again. But as soon as he drilled a hole in the mountain, as soon as the fluke lay down and began to drink, the Wonder Maiden and the king’s son set foot on the ground. Saved!
They decided to go home to the king's palace. But the king’s son never wanted the Wonder Maiden to walk.
- Don't go! - the Wonder Maiden asks him. “As soon as you come to your father’s palace, you will immediately forget me.”
“How can I forget you when we have experienced so much grief together and fallen in love with each other?” - the royal son answers her. “I’ll just bring a carriage drawn by seven horses, and you wait for me on the seashore.” The Wonder Maiden had to give in.
“But remember, when you come home,” she tells him, “don’t go to any of your relatives - go to the stables, take the horses, harness them and come here as soon as possible.” All your relatives will want to see you, but you move on as if you don’t see anyone, and especially don’t try to eat anything. If you don't listen to me, you'll bring us both great misfortune.
The king's son promised to do everything as she ordered.
He came home and saw: one of his brothers was celebrating a wedding; guests came to the palace in large numbers, apparently and invisibly, and everyone immediately surrounded the king’s son and began vying with each other to question him and invite him. But he didn’t seem to see anyone - he went straight to the stable, took out the horses and began harnessing them. They all saw that they could not persuade him to come into the house, and let’s drag all sorts of food and wine into the stable - all the best that was on the wedding table. But the king's son flatly refused to try anything - he was in a hurry to harness the horses. Then the bride’s sister hands him an apple and says:
“Since you don’t want to taste anything else, maybe at least eat an apple, because you’re probably starved and thirsty after a long journey.”
He took the apple from her and took a bite. And at that very moment I forgot both the Wonder Maiden and the fact that I had to go after her.
- Am I crazy? What do I need a horse and buggy for? he asked. He brought the horses back into the stable and went with the guests to the royal palace, and it just so happened that he decided to marry the bride’s sister, the one who treated him to an apple.
Meanwhile, the Wonder Maiden sat on the seashore and waited for the king’s son, but he still did not return. Then she decided to leave. She walked and walked and came to a small lonely hut that was nestled in the thick of the forest not far from the royal palace. She entered the hut and asked for shelter. And in the hut lived an evil old sorceress. At first, she never wanted to let the Miracle Maiden come to her, but the Miracle Maiden nevertheless persuaded her, promising to pay her properly. But how dirty and uncomfortable it was in the old woman’s hut - like in a pigsty! As soon as the Wonder Maiden looked around, she immediately got down to business to tidy up the room at least a little. The evil old woman did not like this, but the Wonder Maiden did not pay attention to her. She took out her golden box and threw several gold coins into the fire. The gold flashed with a dazzling light and illuminated the entire hut, and it became all gilded inside and out. And the old woman was so frightened that she rushed out of the hut, as if an evil spirit was chasing her. She was in such a hurry that she forgot to bow her head in the doorway - as soon as she hit her head on the doorframe, her head was blown off!
The next morning a Lensman was driving past. He looks and marvels: there is a golden hut standing in the thicket of the forest and sparkling in the sun. Imagine the landsman’s surprise when he entered the hut and saw a beautiful girl. The Lensman immediately liked her so much that he immediately wooed her and asked her to give him an answer as soon as possible.
“If you have a lot of money, then well...” answered the Wonder Maiden.
“I don’t have so few of them,” said the Lensman.
He went home to get the money, and in the evening he returned and threw a whole bag of money on the bench in front of the Wonder Maiden.
The Wonder Maiden saw so much money and agreed to become the Lensman’s wife. But before they had time to go to bed, the Miracle Maiden said:
“I forgot to turn the heat on in the stove.”
- Lord, don’t get up because of this! - answers the Lensman. - I'll do everything myself! “He jumped out of bed onto the floor and in one leap found himself at the stove.
“As soon as you pick up the poker, tell me,” the Miracle Maiden tells him.
“I’ve already taken it,” replies the Lensman.
- Well, since you are holding her, let her hold you until dawn and pour coals and hot ash on you! - says the Wonder Maiden.
So the Lensman stood all night near the stove and covered himself all over with hot coals and hot ash, and no matter how much he cried and begged for mercy, the coals and ash did not cool down. And when dawn broke and he regained his strength and was able to throw the poker away from him, he didn’t hesitate, you can believe me, and he ran out of the hut as fast as he could, as if the devil himself was chasing him, and everyone who met him on the way looked after him in surprise, because he was flying like crazy. If he had been robbed and beaten, even then he would hardly have looked worse! That’s why everyone looked at him in surprise, but he remained silent so as not to disgrace himself even more.
The next day a clerk walked past the hut. He saw how the hut in the forest thicket glittered and sparkled. I decided to go in and see who lives in the hut. He saw the beautiful hostess, fell in love with her more than the Lensman and immediately offered her his hand and heart.
The Miracle Maiden answered him the same as she answered the Lensman:
- If you have a lot of money, then well...
“I don’t have so few of them,” answered the clerk and rushed home.
In the evening he returned with a huge bag of money, put it on the bench in front of the Wonder Maiden, and she agreed to become his wife. So they go to bed, and the Miracle Maiden says:
“I completely forgot to lock the door at night, I’ll go and close it.”
- Lord, don’t get up because of this! - the clerk exclaimed, - lie down, I’ll close it myself. - And he quickly, like a grasshopper, jumped out of bed and rushed to the door.
“As soon as you grab the joint, tell me,” the Wonder Maiden asked him.
“Already grabbed it,” the clerk shouted from the door.
- Well, since you grabbed the door, let it grab you and hold you until dawn! - shouted the Wonder Maiden.
So it happened that the clerk danced all night, and it must be said that he had never had to do such dances before, and even after that he never wanted to repeat this dance in his life. All night he was tossed and thrown from one corner to another, so that he almost hurt himself to death. At first he began to swear, then he burst into tears and began to beg for mercy. But nothing helped him - until dawn. And at dawn the door let go of the clerk, and he rushed to run, both in joy and about the bag of money, and forgot about his matchmaking. And he was afraid of only one thing - that the door might jump after him! Those who met were amazed when they saw the clerk - he was rushing like crazy. What can I say, if a herd of sheep had gored him all night, he probably wouldn’t have looked so terrible,
On the third day I drove past Vogt. He also saw a golden hut in the thicket. And he wanted to go in and see who lived in the hut. And when he saw the Wonder Maiden, he fell in love so much that he immediately offered her his hand and heart. The Miracle Maiden answered him the same as she answered the other two:
- If you have a lot of money, then well...
“I don’t have so few of them,” Vogt answered. - Now I’ll run home after them.
So he did. And in the evening he returned and placed a huge bag of money in front of the Wonder Maiden - it was twice as large as the bag that the clerk had brought. Well, if so, he should be the husband of the Wonder Maiden.
But before they had time to go to bed, the Miracle Maiden tells him that she forgot to drive the calf into the barn. She'll have to get up and herd the calf.
- No way! - Vogt shouted. - I'll do everything myself!
And the fat Vogt easily, like a young man, jumped out of bed and went out into the yard.
- Hey, listen! As soon as you grab the calf’s tail, tell me,” the Wonder Maiden tells him.
- Got it! - Vogt shouted.
“You will hold on to the calf’s tail, and the tail will hold on to you, and you will ride all over the world until dawn,” said the Wonder Maiden.
And so it happened: the Vogt rushed headlong through the mountains and valleys, and the more he swore and shouted, the faster the calf started running. By the time it was dawn, Vogt had almost died from this jump, and he was so glad to finally let go of the calf’s tail that he forgot about the bag of money and everything else; He walked home more slowly than the judge and the clerk, but the slower he walked, the more convenient it was for people to stare and stare at him, they stared at themselves, and there was nothing special about it: such was the haggard and shabby appearance of the Vogt after the calf dance.
And a day later, a wedding was held in the royal palace: the eldest son was going to church with his bride, and the one who served with the giant was going to her sister. But as soon as they got into the carriage and wanted to leave the yard, the shaft in the harness suddenly broke. They fitted a new one - it also broke, they fitted another again - the same, although they chose the strongest wood. All the rollers broke, and there was no way for them to leave the yard, so everyone was very sad. And then the Lensman - he was also invited to the wedding - said:
“The Miracle Maiden lives behind the forest, and if you take from her the poker she is using in the oven, this poker will never break.”
They sent a messenger to the Maiden and ordered him to ask her if she would lend them her poker, which the Lensman had spoken about. The girl did not refuse them, they made themselves a new roller, and it did not break. But as soon as they set off from the yard, lo and behold, the bottom of the carriage shattered. They quickly inserted a new bottom, but no matter how they knocked it together or nailed it, it was all to no avail. Before they had time to insert a new bottom and hit the horses, it had already shattered into pieces. Things went even worse than with the roller. There is a clerk here - since the judge was invited to the wedding, why shouldn’t the clerk be there? - and says:
“The Wonder Maiden lives behind the forest, and if she lends you the door of her hut, this door will never break.”
Again they sent a messenger beyond the forest to the Wonder Maiden and again humbly asked to lend them a gilded door, the same one that the clerk had spoken about. Again the Maiden gave them the door without hesitation. But just as they were about to leave, lo and behold, the horses couldn’t move the carriage. At first they were harnessed by six horses, then they took eight horses, then ten, then twelve, but no matter how much they harnessed the horses, no matter how much the coachman drove them, it was all to no avail: the carriage seemed to be rooted to the spot. And time passed, and the brides and grooms had been waiting for a long time in the church, and everyone who had gathered in the royal castle was very sad; but then Vogt said that far beyond the forest, in a gilded hut, a Maiden lives, and if she lends them her calf, everything will be fine, because this calf will move any carriage, even if it is heavier than a mountain. They didn’t want to go to church on a calf, but there was nothing to do; they had to dispatch a messenger, and he asked the Miracle Maiden to lend them a calf, and the carriage moved off; the calf immediately started running at full speed, so that they didn’t even have time to come to their senses; first they fell, then they flew into the air, and when they arrived at the church, the calf spun like a top around the church, and they forced themselves out of the carriage. And the calf drove them back even faster: before they even knew it, the carriage stopped in the royal courtyard. As soon as they sat down at the table, the king’s son, the one who served with the giant, said: they say, it wouldn’t be a sin for them to invite to the table that Maiden who lives beyond the forest and who lent them the poker, the door and the calf.
“After all, without these things we still wouldn’t be able to leave the yard.” The king immediately agreed with him and sent five of his most faithful servants to the gilded house to convey the king’s low bow to the Wonder Maiden and ask if she would like to dine with the king at the wedding table.
“Say my regards to your king,” the Wonder Maiden answered them, “and tell him that if he is too good to come to me personally, then I am too good to come to him.”
The king himself had to get ready for the journey; The Wonder Maiden came with him to the wedding table. The king immediately realized that this girl was not simple, and seated her in a place of honor next to the younger groom.
They sat and sat at the table, and then the Wonder Maiden pulled out two golden chickens and a golden apple that she had taken from the giant, and put them on the table in front of her. The chickens immediately began to take this apple from each other.
“No, just look how they fight over the apple,” said the king’s son.
“That’s how you and I fought to get out,” answered the Wonder Maiden.
Then the king's son recognized her, and he was so happy that it is impossible to describe. And he ordered the bride’s sister, who slipped him the enchanted apple, to be tied to the tails of twenty stallions, and they tore her into pieces, into small, tiny ones, and then the prince had a real wedding with the Wonder Maiden, and although it was not sweet for the Lensman, the clerk and the Vogt to see this, they also walked on it to the end.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru