Once upon a time there lived a successful, strong, brave, kind king with his beautiful wife, the queen. His subjects adored him. His neighbors and rivals worshiped him. His wife was charming and gentle, and their love was deep and sincere. They had an only daughter whose beauty was equal to her virtue. The king and queen loved her more than life itself.
Luxury and abundance reigned everywhere in the palace, the king's advisers were wise, the servants were hardworking and faithful, the stables were full of the most thoroughbred horses, the cellars were filled with countless supplies of food and drink.
But the most amazing thing was that in the most prominent place, in the stable, stood an ordinary gray long-eared donkey, served by thousands of efficient servants. This was not just the king's whim. The point was that instead of the sewage that should have littered the donkey's bedding, every morning it was strewn with gold coins, which the servants collected daily. Life was so wonderful in this happy kingdom.
And then one day the queen fell ill. The skilled doctors who came from all over the world could not cure her. She felt that her hour of death was approaching. Calling the king, she said:
I want you to fulfill my last wish. When after my death you get married...
Never! - the king, who had fallen into grief, desperately interrupted her.
But the queen, gently stopping him with a gesture of her hand, continued in a firm voice:
You should get married again. Your ministers are right, you are obliged to have an heir and must promise me that you will agree to the marriage only if your chosen one is more beautiful and slimmer than me. Promise me this, and I will die in peace.
The king solemnly promised her this, and the queen died with the blissful confidence that there was no other woman in the world as beautiful as she.
After her death, the ministers immediately began to demand that the king marry again. The king did not want to hear about it, grieving for days about his dead wife. But the ministers did not lag behind him, and he, telling them the queen’s last request, said that he would marry if there was someone as beautiful as her.
The ministers began to look for a wife for him. They visited all the families that had daughters of marriageable age, but none of them could compare with the queen in beauty.
One day, sitting in the palace and grieving for his dead wife, the king saw his daughter in the garden, and darkness clouded his mind. She was more beautiful than her mother, and the distraught king decided to marry her. He informed her of his decision, and she fell into despair and tears. But nothing could change the madman's decision.
At night, the princess got into the carriage and went to her godmother Lilac the Sorceress. She calmed her down and taught her what to do.
Marrying your father is a great sin,” she said, “so we will do this: you will not contradict him, but you will say that you want to receive a dress the color of the sky as a gift before the wedding.” This is impossible to do, he will not be able to find such an outfit anywhere.
The princess thanked the sorceress and went home.
The next day she told the king that she would agree to marry him only after he got her a dress as beautiful as the sky. The king immediately summoned all the most skilled tailors.
Urgently sew a dress for my daughter that would make the blue vault of heaven pale in comparison,” he ordered. - If you do not follow my order, you will all be hanged.
Soon the tailors brought the finished dress. Light golden clouds floated against the background of the blue sky. The dress was so beautiful that next to it all living things faded.
The princess didn't know what to do. She again went to the Lilac Sorceress.
“Demand a dress in the color of the month,” said the godmother.
The king, having heard this request from his daughter, again immediately summoned the best craftsmen and gave them orders in such a menacing voice that they sewed the dress literally the next day. This dress was even better than the previous one. The soft shine of the silver and stones with which it was embroidered upset the princess so much that she disappeared into her room in tears. Lilac the Sorceress again came to the aid of her goddaughter:
Now ask him to wear a dress the color of the sun,” she said, “at least it will keep him busy, and in the meantime we’ll come up with something.”
The loving king did not hesitate to give all the diamonds and rubies to decorate this dress.
When the tailors brought it and unwrapped it, all the courtiers who saw it were immediately blinded, it shone so brightly and shimmered. The princess, saying that the bright shine gave her a headache, ran to her room. The sorceress who appeared after her was extremely annoyed and discouraged.
Well, now,” she said, “the most turning point in your destiny has come. Ask your father for the skin of his favorite famous donkey who supplies him with gold. Go ahead, my dear! The princess expressed her request to the king, and he, although he understood that this was a reckless whim, did not hesitate to order the donkey to be killed. The poor animal was killed, and its skin was solemnly presented to the princess, numb with grief.
Moaning and sobbing, she rushed to her room, where the sorceress was waiting for her.
Don’t cry, my child,” she said, “if you are brave, grief will be replaced by joy.” Wrap yourself in this skin and get out of here. Go as long as your feet go and the earth carries you: God does not abandon virtue. If you do everything as I command, the Lord will give you happiness. Go. Take my magic wand. All your clothes will follow you underground. If you want to put something on, tap the ground twice with your stick and what you need will appear. Now hurry up.
The princess put on an ugly donkey skin, smeared herself with stove soot and, unnoticed by anyone, slipped out of the castle.
The king was furious when he discovered her disappearance. He sent one hundred and ninety-nine soldiers and one thousand one hundred and ninety-nine policemen in all directions to find the princess. But it was all in vain.
Meanwhile, the princess ran and ran further and further, looking for a place to sleep. Kind people gave her food, but she was so dirty and scary that no one wanted to take her into their home.
Finally she ended up on a large farm, where they were looking for a girl who would wash dirty rags, wash pig troughs and take out the slops, in a word, do all the dirty work around the house. Seeing the dirty, ugly girl, the farmer invited her to hire him, believing that it was just right for her.
The princess was very happy, she worked hard day after day among the sheep, pigs and cows. And soon, despite her deformity, the farmer and his wife fell in love with her for her hard work and diligence.
One day, while collecting brushwood in the forest, she saw her reflection in the stream. The vile donkey skin she was wearing horrified her. She quickly washed herself and saw that her former beauty had returned to her. Returning home, she was again forced to put on the nasty donkey skin.
The next day was a holiday. Left alone in her closet, she took out her magic wand and, tapping it twice on the floor, summoned a chest of dresses to her. Soon, immaculately clean, luxurious in her sky-colored dress, covered in diamonds and rings, she admired herself in the mirror.
At the same time, the king's son, who owned this area, went hunting. On the way back, tired, he decided to stop to rest at this farm. He was young, handsome, beautifully built and kind-hearted. The farmer's wife prepared lunch for him. After eating he went to look around the farm. Entering a long dark corridor, he saw a small locked closet in the depths and looked through the keyhole. His surprise and admiration knew no bounds. He saw such a beautiful and richly dressed girl that he had never seen even in a dream. At that very moment he fell in love with her and hurried to the farmer to find out who this beautiful stranger was. He was told that in the closet lived a girl named Donkey Skin, so named because she was dirty and disgusting to such an extent that no one could even look at her.
The prince realized that the farmer and his wife knew nothing about this secret and there was no point in asking them. He returned to his home in the royal palace, but the image of a beautiful divine girl constantly tormented his imagination, not giving him a moment of peace. As a result, he fell ill and fell ill with a terrible fever. The doctors were powerless to help him.
Perhaps, they told the queen, your son is tormented by some terrible secret.
The excited queen hurried to her son and began to beg him to tell her the reason for his grief. She promised to fulfill his every wish.
“Mother,” the prince answered her in a weak voice, “on a farm not far from here lives a terrible ugly woman nicknamed Donkey Skin. I want her to personally make me a pie. Maybe when I taste it, I will feel better.
The surprised queen began to ask her courtiers who Donkey Skin was.
“Your Majesty,” one of the courtiers, who was once at this distant farm, explained to her. - This is a terrible, vile, black ugly woman who removes manure and feeds slop to pigs.
“It doesn’t matter what it is,” the queen objected to him, “perhaps this is a strange whim of my sick son, but since he wants it, let this Donkey Skin personally bake a pie for him.” You must get him here quickly.
A few minutes later the walker delivered the royal order to the farm. Hearing this, Donkey Skin was very happy about this occasion. Happy, she hurried to her closet, locked herself in it and, having washed and dressed in beautiful clothes, began to prepare a pie. Taking the whitest flour and the freshest eggs and butter, she began to knead the dough. And then, by accident or on purpose (who knows?), the ring slipped off her finger and fell into the dough. When the pie was ready, she put on her ugly, greasy donkey skin and gave the pie to the court walker, who hurried with it to the palace.
The prince greedily began to eat the pie, and suddenly he came across a small gold ring with an emerald. Now he knew that everything he saw was not a dream. The ring was so small that it could only fit on the prettiest finger in the world.
The prince constantly thought and dreamed about this fabulous beauty, and he was again seized by a fever, and even with much greater force than before. As soon as the king and queen learned that their son was very seriously ill and there was no hope for his recovery, they ran to him in tears.
My dear son! - cried the saddened king. - Tell us what do you want? There is no such thing in the world that we would not get for you.
“My dear father,” answered the prince, “look at this ring, it will give me recovery and heal me from sadness. I want to marry a girl for whom this ring will fit, and it doesn’t matter who she is - a princess or the poorest peasant girl.
The king carefully took the ring. He immediately sent out a hundred drummers and heralds to inform everyone of the royal decree: the girl on whose finger a gold ring is put will become the prince’s bride.
First the princesses came, then came the duchesses, baronesses and marquises. But none of them could put on the ring. They twisted their fingers and tried to put on the ring of the actress and the seamstress, but their fingers were too thick. Then it came to the maids, cooks and shepherdesses, but they too failed.
This was reported to the prince.
Did Donkey Skin come to try on the ring?
The courtiers laughed and replied that she was too dirty to appear in the palace.
Find her and bring her here,” the king ordered, “everyone without exception should try on the ring.”
Donkey Skin heard the beating of drums and the cries of heralds and realized that it was her ring that had caused such a commotion.
As soon as she heard a knock on her door, she
washed, combed her hair and dressed nicely. Then she put the skin on herself and opened the door. The courtiers sent for her, laughing, led her to the palace to the prince.
Is it you who live in a small closet in the corner of the stable? - he asked.
Yes, Your Highness,” answered the dirty woman.
Show me your hand,” the prince asked, experiencing unprecedented excitement. But what was the amazement of the king and queen and all the courtiers when, from under the dirty, stinking donkey skin, a small white hand poked out, onto whose finger a gold ring easily slipped, which turned out to be just right. The prince fell to his knees in front of her. Rushing to pick it up, the dirty woman bent down, the donkey skin slid off her, and everyone saw a girl of such amazing beauty that only happens in fairy tales.
Dressed in a dress the color of the sun, she shone all over, her cheeks would have been the envy of the best roses in the royal garden, and her eyes the color of the blue sky shone brighter than the largest diamonds in the royal treasury. The king beamed. The Queen clapped her hands with joy. They began to beg her to marry their son.
Before the princess had time to answer, Lilac the Magician descended from heaven, scattering the most delicate aroma of flowers around. She told everyone the story of Donkey Skin. The king and queen were immensely happy that their future daughter-in-law came from such a rich and noble family, and the prince, hearing about her courage, fell in love with her even more.
Wedding invitations have flown to different countries. The first one sent an invitation to the princess's father, but did not write who the bride was. And then the wedding day arrived. Kings and queens, princes and princesses came to see her from all sides. Some arrived in gilded carriages, some on huge elephants, fierce tigers and lions, some arrived on fast eagles. But the richest and most powerful was the princess's father. He arrived with his new wife, the beautiful widow queen. With great tenderness and joy, he recognized his daughter and immediately blessed her for this marriage. As a wedding gift, he announced that his daughter would rule his kingdom from that day forward.
This famous feast lasted for three months. And the love of the young prince and the young princess lasted for a long, long time, until one fine day it died along with them.
F or once upon a time there was a king and queen in the world. They were rich and had everything they wanted, but they had no children. The queen grieved day and night because of this and said:
I am like a field where nothing grows.
Finally, the Lord fulfilled her wish: a child was born to her, but it did not look like a human child, but it was a small donkey. When the mother saw this, she began to wail and complain that it would be better for her not to have a child at all than to have some donkey, and she ordered him to be thrown into the river to be eaten by the fish. But the king said:
No, since God sent him to us, then let him be my son and heir, and after my death he will sit on the royal throne and wear the royal crown.
So they began to raise the donkey. The donkey began to grow up, and his ears grew quickly. There was a donkey of a cheerful disposition, he kept jumping and playing, and he had such a passion for music that he once went to a famous musician and said:
Teach me your art so that I can play the lute as well as you.
“Oh, my dear sir,” answered the musician, “it will be difficult for you, your fingers are not at all adapted to such a task, they are too large, and I am afraid that the strings will not stand it.”
But no amount of persuasion helped - the donkey wanted to play the lute at all costs; he was stubborn and diligent, and in the end he learned to play as well as the teacher himself. One day the young heir went out for a walk and approached the well, looked into it and saw his donkey’s form in the mirror-clear water. And he was so sad because of this that he went to wander around the world and took as his companion only one faithful comrade. They wandered together in different places and finally came to one kingdom, where an old king ruled, who had an only daughter, and a great beauty at that. And the donkey said:
We'll be here for a while. - He knocked and shouted: - A guest is at the gate! Open the door, let me in!
But the door was not opened for him. And the donkey sat down at the gate, took his lute and played it with his two front legs, so beautifully. The gatekeeper widened his eyes in surprise, ran to the king and said:
A young donkey sits at the gate, plays the lute, and so well, like a learned master.
“So let the musician in here,” said the king.
But as soon as the donkey entered the castle, everyone began to laugh at such a player. And so they placed the donkey downstairs with the servants, where they fed him, but he got angry and said:
I'm not some common donkey, I'm a noble donkey.
And they say to him:
If so, then sit down with the soldiers.
No,” he says, “I want to sit next to the king.”
The king laughed and said cheerfully:
Okay, donkey, let it be your way, come to me.
And then the king asks:
Donkey, how do you like my daughter?
The donkey turned his head towards her, looked at her, nodded and said:
I really like it, it’s so beautiful that I’ve never seen anything like it.
“Well, sit next to her,” the king replied.
“This is just right for me,” the donkey answered and sat down next to her, ate and drank and behaved decently and neatly.
The noble donkey stayed at the royal court for quite some time and thought: “What’s the use of it, we still have to return home.” He became sad, came to the king and asked to let him go. But the king fell in love with him - and says:
What's wrong with you, dear donkey? You look so sad, are you planning to die or something? Stay with me, I will give you everything you want. Do you want gold?
“No,” the donkey answered and shook his head.
Do you want jewelry and decorations?
Do you want half of my kingdom?
And the king said:
If only I knew what could console you! Do you want my beautiful daughter as your wife?
“Oh, I would really like to have her,” said the donkey, and suddenly became so cheerful and joyful, because this was exactly what he wanted.
And a big and magnificent wedding was celebrated. In the evening, when the bride and groom were taken to the bedchamber, the king wanted to know whether the donkey would behave decorously, as it should, and so he ordered one of the servants to hide in the bedchamber. When the young couple were left alone, the groom bolted the door, looked around and, seeing that they were completely alone, suddenly threw off his donkey skin - and the beautiful young man stood in front of the queen.
“You see,” he said, “who I really am, now you see that I am worthy of you.”
The bride was delighted, kissed him and loved him with all her heart. But then morning came, he got up, pulled his animal skin over himself again, and not a single person could have guessed who was hiding under it.
And then soon the old king came and said:
Oh, our donkey is cheerful! But you’re probably sad,” he said to his daughter, “after all, you got a fake husband for your husband!”
Oh, no, dear father, I love him so much, as if he were the most beautiful in the world, and I want to live my whole life with him.
The king was surprised, but the servant, who was hiding in the bedchamber, came and told the king about everything.
And the king said:
I will never believe that this is true.
Then watch for yourself the next night, and you will see it with your own eyes. You know what, my king, hide the donkey skin from him and throw it into the fire - then the groom will have to show himself in his real guise.
Your advice is good,” said the king.
And in the evening, when the young people fell asleep, he made his way to their bedchamber and, going up to the bed, saw in the moonlight a stately young man sleeping, and the skin that had been removed was lying next to him on the floor. The king took it, ordered a large fire to be built in the courtyard and the skin was thrown into it, and he himself was present until it was all burned to the ground. But the king wanted to see how the young man would behave without the skin stolen from him, and he watched and listened all night.
When the young man had had enough sleep, it was just beginning to get light, he got up and wanted to pull the donkey skin over himself, but it was impossible to find it. He was frightened and said in sadness and fear:
I see that I need to run away from here.
He left the bedroom, but the king stood at the door and said to him:
My son, where are you rushing, what are you planning? Stay here, you are a handsome young man, and there is no need for you to leave here. I will give you half of my kingdom, and after my death you will inherit everything.
“If so, then I want a good beginning to have a good ending,” said the young man, “I’m staying with you.”
And the old king gave him half the kingdom; and when he died a year later, the young man received the entire kingdom, and after the death of his father another, and he lived in great pomp and splendor.
Once upon a time there lived a young hunter, who once went out into the forest to hunt. His soul was cheerful and joyful, he tore off a piece of paper and began to whistle on it, but suddenly an old, old, ugly old woman appeared in front of him, spoke to him and said:- Hello, dear hunter! You look so cheerful and contented, and I am suffering from hunger and thirst, give me alms.
The hunter took pity on the poor old woman, put his hand in his pocket and gave her what he could. He was about to go further, but the old woman stopped him and said:
- Listen, dear hunter, what I’ll tell you: I want to give you a gift for your kind heart. Continue on your path, and soon you will come to a tree, nine birds will sit on it, they will hold the cloak in their claws and snatch it from each other. Take your gun and shoot right in the middle: they will throw your cloak to the ground, but you will hit one of the birds, and it will fall dead to the ground. Take the cloak with you, it’s a magical cloak: if you put it on your shoulders, it will do everything you wish, and wherever you want to go, there you will end up. And take the heart out of a dead bird, swallow it whole, and every morning when you wake up, you will find gold under your pillow.
The hunter thanked the prophetic old woman and thought to himself: “She promised me wonderful things, if only all this would come true.” But he had not walked even a hundred steps when he heard a bird’s cry and chirping on the branches above. He looked up and saw a flock of birds that were tearing some kind of blanket with their beaks and claws, screaming, pecking at one another and fighting among themselves, as if each of them wanted to take it for themselves.
“This is an amazing thing,” said the hunter, “it turns out as the old woman said.” “He took the gun off his shoulder, put it down and shot right in the middle, and feathers began to fall all around.” Instantly all the birds scattered noisily, but one fell dead to the ground, and the cloak also fell to the ground. The hunter did as the old woman told him: he gutted the bird, took out its heart, swallowed it, and took the cloak home with him.
The next morning, as soon as he woke up, he remembered the promise and decided to check whether it had come true. He lifted the pillow - and gold flashed in front of him. The next morning he found another gold one, and it was like this every morning when he woke up. He collected a whole bunch of gold and finally thought:
“What do I need all this gold for if I’m still sitting at home? I’ll go wander around and see what’s going on in this world.”
He said goodbye to his father and mother, took his hunting bag and gun and set off to wander around the world. It happened to him one day to walk through a dense forest and when that forest ended, he saw that in front of him, on the plain, stood a slender castle. An old woman stood at the window of the castle with a girl of wonderful beauty and looked down. And that old woman was a witch, and she said to the girl:
“There’s a man coming out of the forest, he has a magical treasure inside him, we need to deceive this man, dear daughter: it’s more fitting for us to own that treasure than for him.” He has a bird's heart, and therefore every morning he has a golden one under his pillow. “The old woman explained to the girl how to deal with this matter, what game to play with him, and then she threatened her and said, looking at her angrily:
- And if you don’t listen to me, then you’ll have a bad time!
The hunter came closer, saw the girl and said to himself: “I have been wandering for so long that I would like to finally rest, it would be nice to go into this beautiful castle, I have plenty of money.” But, to tell the truth, the reason for this was that he saw a beautiful girl from afar.
He entered the castle; he was received there cordially and kindly treated. And then a little time passed, and he fell so in love with the witch’s daughter that he didn’t want to think about anyone else, and he kept looking into her eyes and did everything she wanted. And then the old woman said:
- And now we need to take the bird’s heart away from him, he won’t even suspect if he loses it.
They prepared the potion, and when it was ready, the old woman poured it into a goblet, gave it to the girl, and she had to offer it to the hunter.
“Take it, my dear,” said the girl, “and drink to my health.”
He took the goblet and just drank the drink when he immediately spat out a bird’s heart. The girl had to sneak it away, then swallow it, because the old woman wanted to have that heart. From then on, he stopped finding gold coins under his pillow; they were now under the girl’s pillow, and every morning the old woman took that gold one. And the hunter fell so madly in love with the girl that he only thought about how he could spend time with her.
And the old witch said:
- We have the bird’s heart, we will need to take away the magic cloak from him.
The girl replied:
- Let us leave the cloak to him, he has already lost all his wealth.
The old woman got angry and said:
- Yes, this is a magical cloak, such a one is rarely found in the world, I must have it at all costs.
She gave the girl advice on what she should do, and announced that if she did not listen to her, she would have a bad time. The girl did as the old woman told her. One day she stood by the window and began to look into the distance, as if she was very sad. The hunter asks her:
- Why are you standing here looking sad?
“Oh, my beloved,” answered the girl, “there stands a mountain of pomegranates, and there are beautiful precious stones in it.” And I have such a great desire to have them that when I think about it, I feel very sad. But who can get them? Only birds can fly to that mountain, but a person can never climb there.
“If this is the only thing you’re sad about,” said the hunter, “I’ll dispel your grief.”
He hugged the girl, covered her with his cloak and wished to get to the pomegranate mountain - and in an instant they were already sitting on its top. Noble stones sparkled everywhere, and it was so joyful to see it; and so they selected the most beautiful and most precious of them. But the old woman began to cast a spell, and suddenly the hunter’s eyes became heavy. He told the girl:
- Let's sit and rest for a while, I'm so tired that I can't stand anymore.
They sat down on the ground and he laid his head on her lap and fell asleep. As soon as he fell asleep, the girl untied the cloak from his shoulders, threw it over herself, collected grenades and various stones and wished to return home with them.
When the young man got enough sleep, he woke up and saw that his beloved had deceived him and left him alone in the wild mountains.
“Oh,” he said, “how strong is treason in the world!” - And he sat in grief and sadness, not knowing what to do now.
And this mountain belonged to wild and terrible giants, they lived there and were engaged in robbery. The hunter did not sit for long and soon noticed that three of them were approaching him. He lay down on the ground as if in a deep sleep. The giants approached, the first of them pushed him with his foot and said:
- What kind of worm is lying here on the ground and looking at everything?
The second one said:
- And you crush it with your foot.
But the third remarked contemptuously:
- Is it worth doing this! Leave him, let him live; he still won’t be able to stay here, and if he climbs to the very top of the mountain, the clouds will pick him up and drag him away with them.
They talked and passed by, but the hunter remembered these words well; and as soon as the giants were gone, he rose and climbed to the top of the mountain. He sat there for some time, and then a cloud floated up, grabbed him and carried him away. The cloud wandered across the sky for some time, then began to descend, and descended over a large walled vegetable garden, and the hunter softly sank to the ground, right among the cabbage beds and vegetables.
The hunter looked around and said:
- If only I could eat something now! I am so hungry that it will be difficult for me to go further, but here there are no apples, no pears, no berries of any kind, only greenery grows. Finally he thought: “In a pinch, I could eat a salad; it’s true that it’s not particularly tasty, but it will still help me.” He chose a good bunch for himself and began to eat; but as soon as he swallowed a few leaves, his soul suddenly became so strange, and he felt that he had completely changed. He grew four legs, a large head, two long ears, and he saw in horror that he had turned into a donkey. And since he still felt very hungry and, according to his current nature, the salad was exactly to his taste, he began to eat it with great greed. Finally he came across a different kind of lettuce, and as soon as he ate a little of it, he felt the transformation again, and his human image returned to him again.
The hunter lay down on the ground, got a good night's sleep, and his fatigue went away. He woke up the next morning, picked a bunch of evil lettuce and a bunch of good lettuce and thought: “This will help me achieve my goal and punish infidelity.” He hid both bunches of lettuce, climbed over the wall and went in search of his beloved's castle. He was lost for several days, but fortunately he found him again. He quickly painted his face a dark color, so that even his own mother would not have recognized him, then he headed to the castle and asked for an overnight stay there.
“I’m tired,” he said, “and I can’t go any further.”
The witch asked:
- Countryman, tell me, who are you? What are you doing?
He replied:
- I am a royal walker, I was sent in search of the most delicious salad that grows on earth. And I was lucky enough to find it; Now I carry it with me, but the sun is so hot that I am afraid that the tender salad will wither, and I don’t know if I can carry it.
When the old woman heard about the delicious salad, she wanted to try it, and she said:
- Dear fellow countryman, let me try this wonderful salad.
“Well, you can,” he answered. “I took two bunches with me, one of them is ready to give you,” he untied his bag and handed her the evil salad.
The witch did not suspect anything wrong, and at the sight of the new dish her mouth began to water, and she herself went to the kitchen and began to prepare it. When the salad was ready, she couldn't wait for it to be served, so she took two leaves and put them in her mouth. But as soon as she swallowed them, she immediately lost her human form, turned into a donkey and rushed into the yard. The maid came into the kitchen and saw the prepared salad standing there; she wanted to take it, but she wanted to taste it so much that, according to her old habit, she ate a few leaves. The witchcraft immediately took effect, and she, too, turned into a donkey and rushed to the old woman, and the salad dish fell to the ground.
The runner was sitting at that time with a beautiful girl; No one brought salad, but the girl also really wanted to try it, and she asked:
-Where is the salad?
The hunter thought: “But the grass, apparently, has already had an effect,” and answered:
- I'll go to the kitchen and find out.
He went downstairs and saw two donkeys running around in the yard, and the salad was lying on the floor.
“Okay,” he said, “we’ve already received our two shares,” and he picked up the lettuce leaves from the floor, put them on a dish and brought them to the beautiful girl.
“So that you don’t have to wait long,” he said, “I brought you this delicious food myself.”
She ate the salad and instantly, like those two, lost her human appearance, turned into a donkey and ran into the yard.
Then the hunter washed his face so that those turned into donkeys could recognize him, went down into the yard and said:
“Now get a reward for your infidelity,” and he tied all three to a rope, led them behind him and came to the mill.
He knocked on the window, the miller stuck his head out and asked what he wanted.
“Yes, I have three obstinate donkeys,” he answered, “I don’t want to keep them anymore.” If you agree to take them for yourself, provide them with food and a stable, and treat them as I tell you, I will pay you for it whatever you demand.
Miller said:
- Well, I agree. How should I handle them?
And the hunter explained that he must beat the old donkey - and it was a witch - three times a day, and feed him once; a younger donkey - and it was a maid - he must beat once a day and feed three times; the youngest - and she was a beautiful girl - should not be beaten, but should be fed three times a day - the hunter could not overcome his heart and allow the girl to be beaten. Then he returned back to the castle, and everything he needed was there.
A few days later an old miller appeared and said that he had to report that the old donkey, who had received only beatings and was fed once a day, had died.
“And the other two,” he continued, “although they haven’t died yet and receive their food three times a day, they are so sad that they will probably not live long.”
Then the hunter took pity, his anger cooled down, and he told the miller to bring them here. As soon as the donkeys appeared, he gave them some good salad to eat, and they turned back into people. The beautiful girl threw herself on her knees in front of him and said:
- Oh, my beloved, forgive me for everything that I did to you, my mother forced me to do this; it happened against my will, but I love you with all my heart. Your magic cloak hangs here in the closet, and to give you back your bird’s heart, I’ll take an emetic medicine.
But his thoughts were now completely different, and he said:
- Let it remain with you, now I don’t care, I want you to become my faithful wife.
And so they celebrated their wedding and lived happily together until their death.
Once upon a time there lived a young hunter, who once went out into the forest to hunt. His soul was cheerful and joyful, he tore off a piece of paper and began to whistle on it, but suddenly an old, old, ugly old woman appeared in front of him, spoke to him and said:
Hello, dear hunter! You look so cheerful and contented, and I am suffering from hunger and thirst, give me alms.
The hunter took pity on the poor old woman, put his hand in his pocket and gave her what he could. He was about to go further, but the old woman stopped him and said:
Listen, dear hunter, to what I tell you: I want to give you a gift for your kind heart. Continue on your path, and soon you will come to a tree, nine birds will sit on it, they will hold the cloak in their claws and snatch it from each other. Take your gun and shoot right in the middle: they will throw your cloak to the ground, but you will hit one of the birds, and it will fall dead to the ground. Take the cloak with you, it’s a magical cloak: if you put it on your shoulders, it will do everything you wish, and wherever you want to go, there you will end up. And take the heart out of a dead bird, swallow it whole, and every morning when you wake up, you will find gold under your pillow.
The hunter thanked the prophetic old woman and thought to himself: “She promised me wonderful things, if only all this would come true.” But he had not walked even a hundred steps when he heard a bird’s cry and chirping on the branches above. He looked up and saw a flock of birds that were tearing some kind of blanket with their beaks and claws, screaming, pecking at one another and fighting among themselves, as if each of them wanted to take it for themselves.
“This is an amazing thing,” said the hunter, “it turns out, as the old woman said.” “He took the gun off his shoulder, put it down and shot right in the middle, and feathers began to fall all around.” Instantly all the birds scattered noisily, but one fell dead to the ground, and the cloak also fell to the ground. The hunter did as the old woman told him: he gutted the bird, took out its heart, swallowed it, and took the cloak home with him.
The next morning, as soon as he woke up, he remembered the promise and decided to check whether it had come true. He lifted the pillow - and gold flashed in front of him. The next morning he found another gold one, and it was like this every morning when he woke up. He collected a whole bunch of gold and finally thought:
“What do I need all this gold for if I’m still sitting at home? I’ll go wander around and see what’s going on in this world.”
He said goodbye to his father and mother, took his hunting bag and gun and set off to wander around the world. It happened to him one day to walk through a dense forest and when that forest ended, he saw that in front of him, on the plain, stood a slender castle. An old woman stood at the window of the castle with a girl of wonderful beauty and looked down. And that old woman was a witch, and she said to the girl:
There’s a man coming out of the forest, he has a magical treasure inside him, we need to deceive this man, dear daughter: it’s more fitting for us to own that treasure than for him. He has a bird's heart, and therefore every morning he has a golden one under his pillow. “The old woman explained to the girl how to deal with this matter, what game to play with him, and then she threatened her and said, looking at her angrily:
And if you don’t listen to me, then you’ll have a bad time!
The hunter came closer, saw the girl and said to himself: “I have been wandering for so long that I would like to finally rest, it would be nice to go into this beautiful castle, I have plenty of money.” But, to tell the truth, the reason for this was that he saw a beautiful girl from afar.
He entered the castle; he was received there cordially and kindly treated. And then a little time passed, and he fell so in love with the witch’s daughter that he didn’t want to think about anyone else, and he kept looking into her eyes and did everything she wanted. And then the old woman said:
And now we need to take the bird’s heart away from him, he won’t even suspect if he loses it.
They prepared the potion, and when it was ready, the old woman poured it into a goblet, gave it to the girl, and she had to offer it to the hunter.
“Take it, my dear,” said the girl, “and drink to my health.”
He took the goblet and just drank the drink when he immediately spat out a bird’s heart. The girl had to sneak it away, then swallow it, because the old woman wanted to have that heart. From then on, he stopped finding gold coins under his pillow; they were now under the girl’s pillow, and every morning the old woman took that gold one. And the hunter fell so madly in love with the girl that he only thought about how he could spend time with her.
And the old witch said:
We have the bird's heart, we will need to take away the magic cloak from him.
The girl replied:
Let us leave the cloak to him, he has already lost all his wealth.
The old woman got angry and said:
Yes, this is a magical cloak, such a one is rarely found in the world, I must have it at all costs.
She gave the girl advice on what she should do, and announced that if she did not listen to her, she would have a bad time. The girl did as the old woman told her. One day she stood by the window and began to look into the distance, as if she was very sad. The hunter asks her:
Why are you standing here looking sad?
“Oh, my beloved,” the girl answered, “there stands a mountain of pomegranates, and there are beautiful precious stones in it.” And I have such a great desire to have them that when I think about it, I feel very sad. But who can get them? Only birds can fly to that mountain, but a person can never climb there.
“If this is the only thing you’re sad about,” said the hunter, “I’ll dispel your grief.”
He hugged the girl, covered her with his cloak and wished to get to the pomegranate mountain - and in an instant they were already sitting on its top. Noble stones sparkled everywhere, and it was so joyful to see it; and so they selected the most beautiful and most precious of them. But the old woman began to cast a spell, and suddenly the hunter’s eyes became heavy. He told the girl:
Let's sit and rest for a while, I'm so tired that I can't stand anymore.
They sat down on the ground and he laid his head on her lap and fell asleep. As soon as he fell asleep, the girl untied the cloak from his shoulders, threw it over herself, collected grenades and various stones and wished to return home with them.
When the young man got enough sleep, he woke up and saw that his beloved had deceived him and left him alone in the wild mountains.
“Oh,” he said, “how strong is treason in the world!” - And he sat in grief and sadness, not knowing what to do now.
And this mountain belonged to wild and terrible giants, they lived there and were engaged in robbery. The hunter did not sit for long and soon noticed that three of them were approaching him. He lay down on the ground as if in a deep sleep. The giants approached, the first of them pushed him with his foot and said:
What kind of worm is this lying here on the ground and looking at everything?
The second one said:
And you crush it with your foot.
But the third remarked contemptuously:
Is it worth doing this! Leave him, let him live; he still won’t be able to stay here, and if he climbs to the very top of the mountain, the clouds will pick him up and drag him away with them.
They talked and passed by, but the hunter remembered these words well; and as soon as the giants were gone, he rose and climbed to the top of the mountain. He sat there for some time, and then a cloud floated up, grabbed him and carried him away. The cloud wandered across the sky for some time, then began to descend, and descended over a large walled vegetable garden, and the hunter softly sank to the ground, right among the cabbage beds and vegetables.
The hunter looked around and said:
If only I could eat something now! I am so hungry that it will be difficult for me to go further, but here there are no apples, no pears, no berries of any kind, only greenery grows. Finally he thought: “In a pinch, I could eat a salad; it’s true that it’s not particularly tasty, but it will still help me.” He chose a good bunch for himself and began to eat; but as soon as he swallowed a few leaves, his soul suddenly became so strange, and he felt that he had completely changed. He grew four legs, a large head, two long ears, and he saw in horror that he had turned into a donkey. And since he still felt very hungry and, according to his current nature, the salad was exactly to his taste, he began to eat it with great greed. Finally he came across a different kind of lettuce, and as soon as he ate a little of it, he felt the transformation again, and his human image returned to him again.
The hunter lay down on the ground, got a good night's sleep, and his fatigue went away. He woke up the next morning, picked a bunch of evil lettuce and a bunch of good lettuce and thought: “This will help me achieve my goal and punish infidelity.” He hid both bunches of lettuce, climbed over the wall and went in search of his beloved's castle. He was lost for several days, but fortunately he found him again. He quickly painted his face a dark color, so that even his own mother would not have recognized him, then he headed to the castle and asked for an overnight stay there.
The witch asked:
Countryman, tell me who you are? What are you doing?
He replied:
I am a royal walker, I was sent in search of the most delicious lettuce that grows on earth. And I was lucky enough to find it; Now I carry it with me, but the sun is so hot that I am afraid that the tender salad will wither, and I don’t know if I can carry it.
When the old woman heard about the delicious salad, she wanted to try it, and she said:
Dear fellow countryman, let me try this wonderful salad.
Well, you can,” he answered. “I took two bunches with me, one of them is ready to give you,” he untied his bag and handed her the evil salad.
The witch did not suspect anything wrong, and at the sight of the new dish her mouth began to water, and she herself went to the kitchen and began to prepare it. When the salad was ready, she couldn't wait for it to be served, so she took two leaves and put them in her mouth. But as soon as she swallowed them, she immediately lost her human form, turned into a donkey and rushed into the yard. The maid came into the kitchen and saw the prepared salad standing there; she wanted to take it, but she wanted to taste it so much that, according to her old habit, she ate a few leaves. The witchcraft immediately took effect, and she, too, turned into a donkey and rushed to the old woman, and the salad dish fell to the ground.
The runner was sitting at that time with a beautiful girl; No one brought salad, but the girl also really wanted to try it, and she asked:
Where's the salad?
The hunter thought: “But the grass, apparently, has already had an effect,” and answered:
I'll go to the kitchen and find out.
He went downstairs and saw two donkeys running around in the yard, and the salad was lying on the floor.
“Okay,” he said, “we’ve already received our two shares,” and he picked up the lettuce leaves from the floor, put them on a dish and brought them to the beautiful girl.
So that you don’t have to wait long,” he said, “I brought you this delicious food myself.”
She ate the salad and instantly, like those two, lost her human appearance, turned into a donkey and ran into the yard.
Then the hunter washed his face so that those turned into donkeys could recognize him, went down into the yard and said:
Now receive a reward for your infidelity,” and he tied all three to a rope, led them along and came to the mill.
He knocked on the window, the miller stuck his head out and asked what he wanted.
“Yes, I have three obstinate donkeys,” he answered, “I don’t want to keep them anymore.” If you agree to take them for yourself, provide them with food and a stable, and treat them as I tell you, I will pay you for it whatever you demand.
Miller said:
Well, I agree. How should I handle them?
And the hunter explained that he must beat the old donkey - and it was a witch - three times a day, and feed him once; a younger donkey - and it was a maid - he must beat once a day and feed three times; the youngest - and she was a beautiful girl - should not be beaten, but should be fed three times a day - the hunter could not overcome his heart and allow the girl to be beaten. Then he returned back to the castle, and everything he needed was there.
A few days later an old miller appeared and said that he had to report that the old donkey, who had received only beatings and was fed once a day, had died.
And the other two,” he continued, “although they have not died yet and receive their food three times a day, they are so sad that they will probably not live long.
Then the hunter took pity, his anger cooled down, and he told the miller to bring them here. As soon as the donkeys appeared, he gave them some good salad to eat, and they turned back into people. The beautiful girl threw herself on her knees in front of him and said:
Ah, my beloved, forgive me for everything that I have done to you, my mother forced me to do this; it happened against my will, but I love you with all my heart. Your magic cloak hangs here in the closet, and to give you back your bird’s heart, I’ll take an emetic medicine.
But his thoughts were now completely different, and he said:
Let it remain with you, now I don’t care, I want you to become my faithful wife.
And so they celebrated their wedding and lived happily together until their death.
A tale of a king and queen who had plenty of everything except children. One day God sent the queen her first child. But the baby turned out to look more like a donkey than a person. The queen wanted to throw him to the fishes, but the king stopped her. So they began to raise their unusual son, who grew up smart and intelligent...
Donkey read
Once upon a time there lived a king and a queen. They were rich, and they had plenty of everything; There was only one thing - children - they did not have.
The queen, who was still young, lamented about this day and night and said: “I am like a field on which nothing grows!”
Finally, God granted their desire; but when the child was born, he did not look like other people, but looked more like a donkey. When the mother saw this, she began to scream and complain that it would be better for her not to have children at all than to give birth to a donkey.
And the Queen Mother, in despair and grief, ordered him to be thrown into the water to be eaten by fish.
The king canceled this command and said to his wife: “No, if God has given him, then let him be my son and heir, let him sit on my royal throne after my death and put on my royal crown.”
So they began to raise the donkey.
And he began to grow, and his ears also began to grow, so large and straight.
However, he was a cheerful donkey, he jumped around and played and especially loved music.
And so he thought, and thought, and decided, and went to one famous musician and said: “Teach me your art, so much so that I can play the lute no worse than you.” “Oh, my dear gentleman,” the musician answered him, “it won’t be easy for you, because your fingers are not built like that, and they are very large. I’m afraid that perhaps the strings won’t hold up.”
But all persuasion was in vain.
The donkey wanted to play the lute at all costs, and was also persistent and diligent.
Finally, after some time, he learned to play the lute no worse than the teacher himself. So the donkey went for a walk in thought.
He came to one well, looked into it and saw his reflection in the mirror-clear water. He was so saddened by this that he began to wander around the world and took only one faithful friend with him.
They wandered here and there and finally came to a kingdom ruled by an old king.
And that king had an only daughter, and such a beautiful maiden that it is impossible to describe.
The donkey said: “We’ll live here!”
He knocked on the gate and shouted: “The guest has arrived, open the door so that he can come in to you.”
And since they didn’t open the door for him, he sat down at the door, took his lute and let’s play it with his two front feet, and how good it is!
The gatekeeper's eyes bulged; ran to the king and said: “There, at the gate, sits a donkey and plays the lute no worse than a learned musician.” “Then let him in,” said the king.
When the donkey entered the king, everyone began to laugh loudly at this musician.
And so they sat the donkey downstairs with the servants at the table, and he was very dissatisfied with this and said: “I am not some simple donkey that is put in a stall, I am a noble donkey.”
Then they answered him: “If you are definitely noble, then sit down with the military people.” “No,” he said, “I want to sit at the king’s table.” The king laughed at this and said good-naturedly: “Let it be as he wishes. Donkey, come here!”
Then the king asked him: “Donkey, tell me, how do you like my daughter?”
The donkey turned his head to her, looked at her, nodded his head and said: “She is such a beauty, the likes of which I have rarely seen!” - “Well, then sit next to her!” - said the king. “That’s what I wanted!” - said the donkey and sat down near the princess, began to drink and eat and managed to behave quite neatly and well-mannered.
Having spent quite a long time at the royal court, the donkey thought: “No matter how long it takes, we still have to return home,” and sadly hung up his little head...
He went to the king and began to ask to go home. But the king managed to fall in love with him and said to him: “Donkey! Why did you make such a sour face? Stay with me, I will give you everything you want. Well, do you want gold? “No,” said the donkey and shook his head. “Well, then, would you like some jewelry and expensive jewelry?” - "No". - “Do you want half of my kingdom?” - “Oh no!” - “If only I could know how to please you! Well, do you want my beautiful daughter as your wife?” - "Oh yeah! - said the donkey. “That’s exactly what I want!” - and immediately became cheerful, because his most sincere wish was about to come true.
The wedding was celebrated noisily and cheerfully.
In the evening, when the newlyweds were taken to the bedchamber, the king wanted to find out whether the donkey would be able to treat his newlywed with courtesy and kindness, and he instructed one of his servants to look after him. And the servant saw how the donkey, left alone with the young woman, threw off the donkey skin and appeared as a handsome young man. “Now do you see,” he said, turning to the princess, “who I am? Do you see that I’m worth you?” And the newlywed was happy about this, kissed him and immediately fell in love with him.
The next morning, when he woke up, he immediately jumped up, put on his donkey skin again, and no one could have known who was hiding under this skin. Soon after that the old king came and said: “Hey! Look, how cheerful and cheerful the donkey is! But you, daughter, are probably saddened by the fact that your husband is not like other people?” - “Oh no, father, I loved him as much as if he were handsome, and I will not wish for another husband for the rest of my life.”
The king was very surprised by this, and the servant, whom he entrusted to look after the newlyweds, came and revealed to him everything that he saw. “This can’t be true!” - said the king. “So please don’t sleep next night - you’ll see for yourself; But do you know what, sir, take the donkey skin from him and throw it into the fire; then he will appear to everyone in his true form.” - “The advice is good!” - said the king, and that same night, when the young people went to bed, he crept to their bed and saw in the light of the month a beautiful young man lying in bed; and his skin was lying nearby on the floor.
The king took the skin with him, ordered a large fire to be built and threw the skin into it; and he himself stood by the fire until it burned to the ground. And since he wanted to see what the young man would do, he did not sleep all night and listened to everything.
Having slept, the young man got out of bed at dawn and wanted to pull on his skin, but could not find it anywhere. Then he got scared and said with sadness and anxiety: “Now I have to run.”
But he barely stepped out of the bedchamber when he came across the king, who said to him: “My son, where are you hurrying, and what is on your mind? Stay here, you are so handsome, and we must not part with you. Now I will give you half the kingdom, and after my death you will take possession of everything.” “Well, I wish that what started well would end well,” said the young man, “and I’m staying with you.”
The old king immediately gave him half the kingdom, and when a year later the king died, he got the whole kingdom, and after the death of his father he got another, and he lived happily ever after.
Published by: Mishka 08.11.2017 12:28 11.04.2018(4,33 /5 - 6 ratings)
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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - The Brothers Grimm
The tale of the king's beautiful daughter. The wicked stepmother owned a magic mirror that once said that Snow White was a thousand times more beautiful than her. The queen became angry and ordered Snow White to be taken into the forest and killed. The huntsman took pity on the girl and...
