Foreword. Russian folk legends

Rusy ... This word has absorbed the vastness of Baltic Sea to the Adriatic and from the Elbe to the Volga - open spaces fanned by the winds of eternity. That is why there will be references to various tribes, from southern to Varangian, although it mainly deals with the legends of Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians.

The history of our ancestors is bizarre and full of mysteries. Is it true that during the great migration of peoples, they came to Europe from the depths of Asia, from India, from the Iranian highlands? What was their common proto-language, from which, like from a seed - an apple, a wide noisy garden of dialects and dialects grew and blossomed?

Scientists have been puzzling over these questions for more than one century. Their difficulties are understandable: there is almost no material evidence of our deepest antiquity, as well as images of the gods. A. S. Kaisarov in 1804 in his "Slavic and Russian Mythology" wrote that in Russia there were no traces of pagan, pre-Christian beliefs, because “our ancestors very zealously took up their new faith; they broke, destroyed everything and did not want their offspring to be left with signs of delusion, which they had indulged in until then. "

The new Christians in all countries were distinguished by such intransigence, but if in Greece or Italy time saved at least a small number of marvelous marble statues, then wooden Russia stood among the forests, and as you know, the Tsar Fire, raging, did not spare anything: neither human dwellings, nor temples, nor wooden images of the gods, nor information about them, written by the most ancient runes on wooden tablets. And so it happened that only quiet echoes came to us from the distant pagan, when a bizarre world lived, bloomed, ruled.

The concept of "tradition" is understood quite broadly: not only the names of gods and heroes, but also everything wonderful, magical, with which the life of our Slavic ancestor was connected, is a conspiracy word, Magic power herbs and stones, concepts of heavenly bodies, natural phenomena and more.

The tree of life of the Slavs-Rus stretches its roots into the depths primitive eras, Paleolithic and Mesozoic. It was then that the first sprouts were born, the prototypes of our folklore: the hero Bear USHKO - half-man-half-bear, the cult of the bear paw, the cult of Volos-Veles, conspiracies of the forces of nature, tales of animals and natural phenomena nature (Morozko).

Primitive hunters initially worshiped, as it is said in the "Word about idols" (XII century), ghouls and berein, then the supreme ruler of the Rod and women in labor Lada and Lele - the deities of the life-giving forces of nature.

The transition to agriculture (IV-III millennium BC) was marked by the emergence of the earthly deity Mother of Cheese Earth (Mokosh). The tiller is already paying attention to the movement of the Sun, Moon and stars, counting according to the agrarian-magic calendar. There is a cult of the sun god Svarog and his offspring Svarozhich-fire, the cult of the sun-faced Dazhbog.

First millennium BC - the time of the emergence of the heroic epic, myths and legends that have come down to us in the guise fairy tales, beliefs, legends about the Golden Kingdom, about the hero - the winner of the Serpent.

In the following centuries on foreground in the pantheon of paganism, the thundering Perun, the patron saint of warriors and princes, comes to the fore. His name is associated with the flourishing of pagan beliefs on the eve of the formation of the Kiev state and during its formation (IX-X centuries). Here paganism became the only state religion, and Perun became the primordial god.

The adoption of Christianity almost did not affect the religious foundations of the village.

But even in cities, pagan conspiracies, rituals, beliefs, developed over the course of long centuries, could not disappear without a trace. Even princes, princesses and warriors still took part in public games and festivities, for example, in mermaids. The leaders of the squads visit the Magi, and their household is treated by prophetic wives and sorceresses. According to contemporaries, churches were often empty, and guslars, blasphemers (storytellers of myths and legends) occupied crowds of people in any weather.

TO early XIII century in Russia, a dual faith has finally developed, which has survived to this day, for in the minds of our people, the remnants of the most ancient pagan beliefs peacefully coexist with the Orthodox religion ...

The ancient gods were formidable, but fair and kind. They are kind of related to people, but at the same time they are called upon to fulfill all their aspirations. Perun struck the villains with lightning, Lel and Lada patronized the lovers, Chur guarded the borders of the possessions, well, the cunning Pripekalo looked after revelers ... The world of the pagan gods was stately - and at the same time simple, naturally merged with everyday life and being. That is why in no way, even under the threat of the most severe prohibitions and reprisals, the soul of the people could not renounce the ancient poetic beliefs. Beliefs that our ancestors lived with, who deified - along with the humanoid rulers of thunders, winds and the sun - and the smallest, weakest, most innocent phenomena of nature and human nature. As IM Snegirev, an expert in Russian proverbs and rituals, wrote in the last century, Slavic paganism is the deification of the elements. He was echoed by the great Russian ethnographer F. I. Buslaev: "The pagans made the soul related to the elements ..."

And even though the memory of Radegast, Belbog, Polele and Pozvizda has weakened in our Slavic clan, but even at that time the goblin jokes with us, the brownies help us, the water spirits are mischievous, the mermaids seduce - and at the same time they beg not to forget those in whom they fervently believed our ancestors. Who knows, maybe these spirits and gods really will not disappear, they will be alive in their higher, transcendental, divine world, if we do not forget them? ..

Legends and traditions, born in the depths of Russian folk life, have long been considered separate literary genre... In this regard, the famous ethnographers and folklorists of A. N. Afanasyev (1826–1871) and V. I. Dal (1801–1872) are most often referred to. MN Makarov (1789–1847) can be considered a pioneer of collecting old oral stories about secrets, treasures and miracles and the like.

Some narratives are divided into the most ancient - pagan (these include legends: about mermaids, goblin, water, Yaril and other gods of the Russian pantheon). Others - belong to the times of Christianity, more deeply explore folk life, but those are still mixed with the pagan worldview.

Makarov wrote: “Stories about the failures of churches, cities and so on. belong to something incomprehensible in our earthly upheavals; but the legends about the towns and settlements, is it not a pointer to the wanderings of the Russian land of the Russians? And did they belong to the Slavs only? " He came from an old noble family, owned estates in the Ryazan district. A graduate of Moscow University, Makarov wrote comedies for some time, was engaged in publishing. These experiments, however, did not bring him success. He found his true vocation in the late 1820s, when, as an official for special assignments under the governor of Ryazan, he began to write folk legends and legends. In his numerous business trips and wanderings in the central provinces of Russia, the "Russian legends" were formed.

In those same years, another “pioneer”, IP Sakharov (1807–1863), then a seminarian, while researching for Tula history, discovered the charm of “recognizing the Russian people”. He recalled: "Walking through the villages and villages, I looked at all the estates, listened to the wonderful Russian speech, collecting the legends of long-forgotten antiquity." Sakharov's occupation was also determined. In 1830-1835 he visited many provinces of Russia, where he was engaged in folklore research. The result of his research was the long-term work "Tales of the Russian People".

The folklorist PI Yakushkin (1822–1872), which was exceptional for its time (a quarter of a century long) with the aim of studying his work and everyday life, was reflected in his repeatedly republished “Travel Letters”.

In our book, undoubtedly, it was impossible to do without legends from the "Tale of Bygone Years" (XI century), some borrowings from church literature, "Abavegi of Russian superstitions" (1786). But it was the 19th century that was marked by a stormy surge of interest in folklore, ethnography - not only Russian and common Slavic, but also Proto-Slavic, which, in many ways, having adapted to Christianity, continued to exist in different forms folk art.

The most ancient belief of our ancestors is like scraps of old lace, the forgotten pattern of which can be established by scraps. Full picture no one has installed yet. Until the 19th century, Russian myths never served as material for literary works, unlike, for example, from ancient mythology... Christian writers did not consider it necessary to turn to pagan mythology, since their goal was to convert Christian faith pagans, those whom they considered their "audience."

Key to national awareness Slavic mythology Of course, the well-known "Poetic views of the Slavs on nature" (1869) by A. N. Afanasyev became.

Scientists of the 19th century studied folklore, church chronicles, and historical chronicles... They restored not only a number of pagan deities, mythological and fairytale characters, of which there are a great many, but also determined their place in the national consciousness. Russian myths, tales, legends were studied with a deep understanding of their scientific value and the importance of preserving them for future generations.

In the preface to his collection “Russian people. His customs, rituals, legends, superstitions and poetry "(1880) M. Zabylin writes:" In fairy tales, epics, beliefs, songs, there is a lot of truth about native antiquity, and in their poetry folk character century, with its customs and concepts. "

Legends and myths have influenced the development fiction... An example of this is the work of PI Melnikov-Pechersky (1819–1883), in which the legends of the Volga and Ural regions shimmer like precious pearls. To high artistic creation Undoubtedly, the "Unclean, Unknown and the Power of the Cross" (1903) by S. V. Maksimov (1831-1901) also applies.

V recent decades reissued forgotten in soviet period, and now deservedly enjoying wide popularity: "Life of the Russian people" (1848) A. Tereshchenko, "Tales of the Russian people" (1841-1849) I. Sakharov, "Old Moscow and the Russian people in historical terms with everyday life Russians "(1872) and" Moscow neighborhoods near and far ... "(1877) S. Lyubetsky," Tales and legends Samara Territory"(1884) D. Sadovnikov," People's Russia... All year round legends, beliefs, customs and proverbs of the Russian people ”(1901) by Apollo of Corinth.

Many of the legends and traditions given in the book are taken from rare editions available only in largest libraries country. These include: "Russian Legends" (1838-1840) by M. Makarov, "Zavolotskaya Chud" (1868) by P. Efimenko, " Complete collection ethnographic works "(1910-1911) A. Burtsev, publications from old magazines.

Changes made to the texts, most of which belong to XIX century, are insignificant, are of a purely stylistic nature.

ABOUT THE CREATION OF PEACE AND EARTH

God and His Helper

Before the creation of the world, there was only one water. And the world was created by God and his helper, whom God found in a water bubble. It was like that. The Lord walked on the water, and sees - a large bubble in which a certain person is seen. And that man prayed to God, began to ask God to break this bubble and release it free. The Lord fulfilled the request of this man, set him free, and the Lord asked the man: "Who are you?" “As long as no one. And I will be your helper, we will create the earth. "

The Lord asks this man, "How do you think to make the earth?" The man answers God: "There is land deep in the water, you need to get it." The Lord also sends his helper to water for land. The assistant fulfilled the order: he dived into the water and got to the ground, which he took a full handful of, and returned back, but when he appeared to the surface, there was no earth in the handful, because it was washed out with water. Then God sends him another time. But on another occasion the helper could not deliver the earth intact to God. The Lord sends him a third time. But the third time, the same failure. The Lord dived himself, took out the earth, which he brought to the surface, he dived three times and returned three times.

The Lord and the helper began to sow the ground they had gotten on the water. When they were all scattered, the earth became. Where the earth did not get, there remained water, and this water was called rivers, lakes and seas. After the creation of the earth, they created a dwelling for themselves - heaven and paradise. Then they created what we see and do not see in six days, and on the seventh day they lay down to rest.

At this time, the Lord fell fast asleep, and his assistant did not sleep, but figured out how he could make people remember him more often on earth. He knew that the Lord would roll him down from heaven. When the Lord was asleep, he stirred the whole earth with mountains, streams, abysses. God soon woke up and was surprised that the ground was so flat, but suddenly it became so ugly.

The Lord asks the helper: "Why did you do all this?" The assistant replies to the Lord: "Why, when a person goes and drives up to a mountain or an abyss, he will say:" Oh, damn you, what a mountain! "" And when he drives up, he will say: "Glory to you, Lord!"

The Lord was angry with his assistant for this and said to him: “If you are the devil, then be it from now on and finish them and go to the underworld, and not to heaven - and let your dwelling be not heaven, but hell, where those people will suffer with you who commit sin. "

I. N. Kuznetsov

Legends of the Russian people

FOREWORD

Legends and traditions, born in the depths of Russian folk life, have long been considered a separate literary genre. In this regard, the famous ethnographers and folklorists of A. N. Afanasyev (1826–1871) and V. I. Dal (1801–1872) are most often referred to. MN Makarov (1789–1847) can be considered a pioneer of collecting old oral stories about secrets, treasures and miracles and the like.

Some narratives are divided into the most ancient - pagan (these include legends: about mermaids, goblin, water, Yaril and other gods of the Russian pantheon). Others - belong to the times of Christianity, more deeply investigate the way of life of the people, but they are still mixed with the pagan worldview.

Makarov wrote: “Stories about the failures of churches, cities and so on. belong to something incomprehensible in our earthly upheavals; but the legends about the towns and settlements, is it not a pointer to the wanderings of the Russian land of the Russians? And did they belong to the Slavs only? " He came from an old noble family, owned estates in the Ryazan district. A graduate of Moscow University, Makarov wrote comedies for some time, was engaged in publishing. These experiments, however, did not bring him success. He found his true vocation in the late 1820s, when, being an official for special assignments under the Ryazan governor, he began to write down folk legends and traditions. In his numerous business trips and wanderings in the central provinces of Russia, the "Russian legends" were formed.

In those same years, another “pioneer”, IP Sakharov (1807–1863), then a seminarian, while researching for Tula history, discovered the charm of “recognizing the Russian people”. He recalled: "Walking through the villages and villages, I looked at all the estates, listened to the wonderful Russian speech, collecting the legends of long-forgotten antiquity." Sakharov's occupation was also determined. In 1830-1835 he visited many provinces of Russia, where he was engaged in folklore research. The result of his research was the long-term work "Tales of the Russian People".

The folklorist PI Yakushkin (1822–1872), which was exceptional for its time (a quarter of a century long) with the aim of studying his work and everyday life, was reflected in his repeatedly republished “Travel Letters”.

In our book, undoubtedly, it was impossible to do without legends from the "Tale of Bygone Years" (XI century), some borrowings from church literature, "Abavegi of Russian superstitions" (1786). But it was the 19th century that was marked by a stormy surge of interest in folklore, ethnography - not only Russian and common Slavic, but also Proto-Slavic, which, having largely adapted to Christianity, continued to exist in various forms of folk art.

The most ancient belief of our ancestors is like scraps of old lace, the forgotten pattern of which can be established by scraps. Nobody has established the complete picture yet. Until the 19th century, Russian myths never served as material for literary works, unlike, for example, ancient mythology. Christian writers did not consider it necessary to turn to pagan mythology, since their goal was to convert the pagans to the Christian faith, those whom they considered their "audience."

Of course, the well-known "Poetic views of the Slavs on nature" (1869) by A. N. Afanasyev became key for the national understanding of Slavic mythology.

Scientists of the 19th century studied folklore, church chronicles, and historical chronicles. They restored not only a number of pagan deities, mythological and fairy-tale characters, of which there are a great many, but also determined their place in the national consciousness. Russian myths, tales, legends were studied with a deep understanding of their scientific value and the importance of preserving them for future generations.

In the preface to his collection “Russian people. His customs, rituals, legends, superstitions and poetry "(1880) M. Zabylin writes:" In fairy tales, epics, beliefs, songs, there is a lot of truth about native antiquity, and their poetry conveys the folk character of the century, with its customs and concepts ".

Legends and myths also influenced the development of fiction. An example of this is the work of PI Melnikov-Pechersky (1819–1883), in which the legends of the Volga and Ural regions shimmer like precious pearls. The "Unclean, Unknown and Cross Power" (1903) by S. V. Maksimov (1831-1901) undoubtedly belongs to the high artistic creativity.

In recent decades, forgotten in the Soviet period, and now deservedly popular, have been reprinted: "Life of the Russian people" (1848) by A. Tereshchenko, "Tales of the Russian people" (1841-1849) by I. Sakharov, "Old Moscow and the Russian people in the historical relations with the everyday life of Russians "(1872) and" Moscow neighborhoods near and far ... "(1877) S. Lyubetsky," Tales and legends of the Samara region "(1884) D. Sadovnikov," People's Russia. All year round legends, beliefs, customs and proverbs of the Russian people ”(1901) by Apollo of Corinth.

Many of the legends and traditions given in the book are taken from rare editions available only in the largest libraries of the country. These include: "Russian Legends" (1838-1840) by M. Makarov, "Zavolotskaya Chud" (1868) by P. Efimenko, "Complete Collection of Ethnographic Works" (1910-1911) by A. Burtsev, publications from old magazines.

The changes made to the texts, most of which date back to the 19th century, are insignificant and are purely stylistic in nature.

ABOUT THE CREATION OF PEACE AND EARTH

God and His Helper

Before the creation of the world, there was only one water. And the world was created by God and his helper, whom God found in a water bubble. It was like that. The Lord walked on the water, and sees - a large bubble in which a certain person is seen. And that man prayed to God, began to ask God to break this bubble and release it free. The Lord fulfilled the request of this man, set him free, and the Lord asked the man: "Who are you?" “As long as no one. And I will be your helper, we will create the earth. "

The Lord asks this man, "How do you think to make the earth?" The man answers God: "There is land deep in the water, you need to get it." The Lord also sends his helper to water for land. The assistant fulfilled the order: he dived into the water and got to the ground, which he took a full handful of, and returned back, but when he appeared to the surface, there was no earth in the handful, because it was washed out with water. Then God sends him another time. But on another occasion the helper could not deliver the earth intact to God. The Lord sends him a third time. But the third time, the same failure. The Lord dived himself, took out the earth, which he brought to the surface, he dived three times and returned three times.

WONDERFUL THRILLING

Once, somehow, Christ assumed the form of an old beggar and walked through the village with two apostles. The time was late, towards night; he began to ask a rich man: "Let him go, little man, to spend the night with us." And the rich man says: “There are a lot of you beggars hanging around here! Why are you wandering around other people's yards? Only, tea, you can, but I suppose you don’t work ... ”- and flatly refused. “We even go to work,” the pilgrims say, “but a dark night caught us on the road. Let me go, please! We sleep under a bench at least. " - “Well, so be it! Go to the hut. " The wanderers were admitted; They were not fed with anything, they were not given anything to drink (the owner himself ate supper with his family, but did not give them anything), and they even had a chance to spend the night under a bench.

Early in the morning, the master's sons began to gather bread to thresh. Here is the Savior and says: "Let go, we will help you for the night, we will pray for you." “Okay,” said the man, “and it would be like that long ago! Better than just wandering around in vain! " So we went to thresh. They come, Christ and gutarit to the master's sons: "Well, scatter the adonya, and we will prepare the current." And he began with the apostles to prepare the current in his own way: they do not put one sheaf in a row, but sheaves of five, six, one on top of the other, and they put a whole half on top of it. “Yes, you, such and such, do not know the case at all! - the owners swore at them. - Why did you put on such a heap? " - “So they put in our side; the work, you know, is why the work is progressing more quickly, ”said the Savior and lit the sheaves put on the current. The owners scream and scold, they say, they have ruined all the bread. AN only straw burned, the grain remained intact and shone in great heaps, large, clean and so golden! Returning to the hut, the sons say to their father: so and so, father, they have ground, they say, the half-mouth. Where! and does not believe! They told him everything as it was; he is even more astonished: “It cannot be! the grain will disappear from the fire! " I went to have a look myself: the grain was lying in large heaps, but such a large, clean, golden - marvelous! So the pilgrims were fed, and they stayed one more night with the peasant.

The next morning the Savior and the apostles are going on their way, and the peasant gutturts them: "Help us one more day!" - “No, master, don't ask; nyokoli, pout to go to work. " And the elder son of the landlord says to his father on the sly: “Don't touch them, cistern; go without a hitch. We now and ourselves know how to hammer thresh. " The strangers said goodbye and left. Here is a peasant with his children went to the threshing floor; they took the sheaves and lit them; they think that the straw will burn, but the grain will remain. AN did not work out that way: all the bread was understood by fire, but from the sheaves it rushed to smash at various buildings; a fire started, so terrible that everything was naked and burned!

MIRACLE IN THE MILL

Once upon a time Christ came in thin beggarly clothes to the mill and began to ask the miller for holy alms. The miller was angry: “Go, go from here with God! A lot of you are dragged around, you can't feed everyone! " He didn’t give anything. It happened at that time - a peasant brought a small bag of rye to the mill to grind, saw a beggar and took pity: "Come syudy, I'll give it to you." And he began to pour bread out of the bag for him; poured, read, with a whole measure, and the beggar substitutes all his kitty. "What, or even pour some more?" - "Yes, if your grace will be!" - "Well, perhaps!" I poured it off a little more, but the beggar still substitutes his kitty. The peasant poured it on him for the third time, and he had very little left of the grain. “What a fool! How much I gave, - thinks the miller, - but I'll take more for the grinding; what will he have left? " OK then. He took rye from the peasant, fell asleep and began to grind; looks: a lot of time has passed, and the flour is still pouring in and pouring in! What a marvel! The whole grain was about a quarter, and the flour was thrown about twenty quarters, and there was still something left to grind: flour was pouring and pouring for himself ... The peasant did not know where to collect something!

Poor widow

It was long ago - Christ roamed the earth with the twelve apostles. They walked as if simple people, and it was impossible to admit that it was Christ and the apostles. So they came to a village and asked to sleep with a rich peasant. The rich peasant did not let them in: “There is a widow living there, she lets the poor; go to her. " They asked to spend the night with the widow, and the widow was poor and impoverished! She had nothing; only there was a tiny little piece of bread and a handful of flour; She also had a cow, and even that one without milk - had not calved by that time. “My fathers,” says the widow, “have a small hut, and you have nowhere to lie down!” - "Nothing, we'll rest somehow." The widow of the pilgrims has received, and does not know how to nourish them. “How can I feed you, my dear ones,” says the widow, “I just have one tiny little piece of bread and a handful of flour, but the cow has not brought the calf yet, and there’s no milk: I’m still waiting for it to calve ... on bread - on salt! " - “And, grandma! - Said the Savior, - do not twist, we will all be full. Let’s eat, we’ll eat some bread: everything, grandmother, is from God ... ”So they sat down at the table, began to have supper, they were all fed up with one crumb of bread, how many more slices of eva were left! “Here, grandma, you said that there would be nothing to feed,” said the Savior, “look, we are all full, and there are still some chunks left. Everything, grandmother, is from God ... ”Christ and the apostles spent the night with the poor widow. The next morning the widow says to her daughter-in-law: “Go and scrape the torment in the bin; maybe you can collect a handful for pancakes and feed the pilgrims. " The daughter-in-law went down and bears the torment of a decent mahot (clay

pot). The old woman won’t wonder where so much came from; it was just a little bit, but there was enough of a little pancake for pancakes, and even the daughter-in-law says: "There in the bins and the next time it remains." The widow baked blinks and treats the Savior and the apostles: "Eat, dear ones, what God sent ..." - "Thank you, grandma, thank you!"

They ate, said goodbye to the poor widow, and went on their way. They walk along the road, and to the side of them sits on a hillock grey Wolf; he bowed to Christ and began to ask himself food: “Lord,” he howled, “I want to eat! Lord, I want to eat! " “Go,” the Savior told him, “to the poor widow, eat her cow and calf.” The apostles doubted and said: “Lord, why did you order to slaughter a poor widow's cow? She so kindly accepted and fed us; she was so happy, expecting a calf from her cow: she would have milk - food for the whole family. " - "This is how it should be!" - answered the Savior, and - "* they went on. The wolf ran and killed the poor widow's cow; as the old woman found out about this, she humbly said:" God gave. God took it; his holy will! "

Here are Christ and the apostles, and towards them a barrel of money rolls along the road. The Savior says: "Roll, barrel, to the rich man in the yard!" The apostles doubted again: “Lord! it would be better if you told this barrel to roll into the yard to the poor widow; the rich have a lot of everything! " - "This is how it should be!" - the Savior answered them, and they went on. And the barrel of money rolled right into the yard of the rich peasant; the peasant took it, hid this money, but he himself is unhappy: "If only the Lord would send the same amount!" - Thinks to himself. Christ and the apostles walk and walk. At noon, it became very hot, and the apostles wanted to drink. “Jesus! we are thirsty, ”they say to the Savior. "Go," said the Savior, "along this path, you will find a well and get drunk."

The apostles went; walked, walked - and they see a well. They looked into it: there is something shameful, there is something filth - toads, snakes, frogs (frogs), there is something bad! The apostles, not getting drunk, soon returned back to the Savior. "Well, have you drunk some water?" - Christ asked them. "No, Lord!" - "From what?" - "Yes, you, Lord, showed us such a well that it’s scary to look into it." Christ answered them nothing, and they went ahead on their way. Walked, walked; the apostles again say to the Savior: “Jesus! we are thirsty. " The Savior sent them in the other direction: "You see a well, go and get drunk." The apostles came to another well: it’s good there! there is something wonderful! wonderful trees are growing, birds of paradise are singing, so I would not have left! The apostles got drunk - and the water is so clear, cold and sweet! - and turned back. "Why haven't you come for so long?" the Savior asks them. “We just got drunk,” the apostles answer, “but we spent only three minutes there.” “You were not there for three minutes, but for three whole years,” said the Lord. - What it is in the first well - it will be so bad in the next world for a rich peasant, and what it is in the other well - it will be so good in the next world for a poor widow! "

POP - ENVY EYES

Once upon a time there was a pop; his parish was large and rich, he collected a lot of money and carried it to the church to hide; went there, lifted the floorboard and hid it. Just a sexton and look at this; he slowly took out the priest's money and took every single penny for himself. A week has passed; the priest wanted to look at his goods; I went to the church and lifted the floorboard, lo and behold - but there was no money! The priest fell into great sadness; with grief and did not return home, but began to wander around the world - where the eyes are looking.

Here he walked, walked and met Nikolas the pleaser; at that time the holy fathers still walked the earth and healed all kinds of diseases. "Hello, old man!" - says the pop. "Hello! where is God taking? " - "I'm going where my eyes are looking!" - "Let's go together". - "And who are you?" - "I am God's wanderer." - "Well, let's go." We went along the same road together; a day goes by, another goes; all came what they had. Nicholas, the pleaser, had only one flour; the priest took it away at night and ate it. "Didn't you take my cornmeal?" - Asks Nikola the priest in the morning. “No,” he says, “I never saw her!” - “Oh, I took it! confess, brother. " The priest swore and swore that he did not take the broth.

"Now let's go this way," said Nikola the saint, "there is a master there, he has been raging for three years, and no one can cure him, let's take it." - “What a doctor I am! - the pop answers. “I don’t know this case.” - “Nothing, I know; you follow me; what I'm going to say - so you say. " So they came to the master. "What kind of people are you?" - they ask. “We are medicine men,” answers Nikola the saint. “We are medicine men,” the priest repeats after him. "Do you know how to heal?" “We can,” says Nikola the saint. “We can,” the priest repeats. "Well, treat the master." Nikola the saint ordered to heat the bathhouse and bring the patient there. Nikola the priest says: “Cut him right hand". - "What to cut for?" - "None of your business! chop away. " The priest chopped off the master's right hand. "Cut your left leg now." Pop chopped off his left leg as well. "Put it in the cauldron and stir." I put the pop in the cauldron - and let's stir. Meanwhile, the mistress sends her servant: "Come on, look what is going on over the master?" The servant ran to the bathhouse, looked and reported that the healers cut the master into pieces and cook in a cauldron. Then the lady became very angry, ordered to put up the gallows and, without hesitation for a long time, to hang both healers. They put up a gallows and took them to hang. The priest was frightened, he swears that he has never been a medicine man and did not take up treatment, but his comrade alone is to blame for everything. “Who can take you apart! you treated together. ”-“ Listen, - says the priest Nikola the saint, - last hour yours comes, tell me before you die: did you steal the prosvira from me? " “No,” the priest assures, “I didn’t take it.” - "So you didn't take it?" - "By God, I didn't!" - "Let it be your way." - "Wait," says the servants, "your master is coming." The servants looked around and saw: as if the master was walking and completely healthy. The lady was delighted, rewarded the doctors with money and let them go on all four sides.

So they walked and walked and found themselves in another state; they see - great sorrow throughout the country, and they learn that the daughter of the local king is raging. “Let's go to the princess to heal,” says the priest. "No, brother, you cannot cure a princess." - “Never mind, I’m going to heal, and you follow me; what I'm going to say - so you say. " We came to the palace. "What kind of people are you?" - asks the guard. “We are healers,” says the priest, “we want to treat the princess.” Reported to the king; the king called them in front of him and asks: "Are you exactly healers?" - "Like healers," - the priest answers. "Healers", - Nikola the pleaser repeats after him. "And you undertake to cure the princess?" - "We take it," the priest answers. “We’ll take it,” repeats Nikola the pleaser. "Well, heal." He made the priest heat the bathhouse and bring the princess there. As he said, they did so: they brought the princess to the bathhouse. “Ruby, old man, her right hand,” says the priest. Nikola the saint cut off the princess's right hand. "Cut your left leg now." I also chopped off my left leg. "Put it in the cauldron and stir." He put it in the cauldron and began to stir. The king sends to find out that he has become with the princess. When he was told that he had become with the princess, the king became angry and terrible, at that very moment he ordered to put up the gallows and hang both healers. They took them to the gallows. "Look," says the priest Nikola the pleaser, "now you were a doctor, you alone answer." - "What a doctor I am!" - and began to blame the old man, swears and swears that the old man is an intriguer in all evil, and he is not involved. “Why take them apart! - said the king. "Hang both of them." We took up the priest for the first; now they are preparing the loop. "Listen," says Nikola the saint, "tell me before you die: didn't you steal the prosvira?" - "No, by God, I didn't!" “Admit it,” he begs, “if you admit it, now the princess will get up healthy and nothing will happen to you.” - "Well, really, I didn't!" They have already put on a noose on the priest and want to raise it. "Wait," says Nikola the saint, "there is your princess." They looked - she was walking completely healthy, as if nothing had happened. The king ordered to reward the healers from his treasury and release them in peace. They began to allocate them with the treasury; the priest filled his pockets full, and Nicola the saint took one handful.

So they went on their way; walked, walked, and stopped to rest. "Take out your money," says Nikola the saint, "let's see who has more." He said and emptied his handful; conceived to pour out and pop his money. Only at St. Nicholas the saint has a bunch of everything growing and growing, everything growing and growing; and a bunch of priests does not add up at all. The priest sees that he has less money and says: "Let's share." - "Let's!" - answers Nikola the saint and divided the money into three parts: “This

Let the part be mine, this yours, and the third to the one who stole the prosvira. " “Why, I stole the prosvir,” says the priest. “What a greedy you are! two times they wanted to hang - and even then he did not repent, but now he confessed for the money! I don’t want to wander with you, take your goods and go alone where you know ”.

BEER AND BREAD

In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived a rich peasant; he had a lot of money and bread. And he lent all over the village to the poor peasants: he gave money out of interest, and if he gave bread, then return it all in full for the summer, and besides that, for every four-man work for him two days in the field. Once it happened: the temple holiday is approaching and the peasants began to brew beer for the holiday; only in this very village there was one peasant and such a poor man that there was not one poorer of him in the whole district. He sits in the evening, on the eve of the holiday, in his hut with his wife and thinks: “What to do? good people will start walking, having fun; but we don't have a piece of bread in our house! I would go to a rich man to ask for a loan, but he won’t believe it; and what to take from me, miserable, after? " I thought and thought, got up from the bench, stood in front of the icon and sighed heavily. "God! - says, - forgive me, a sinner; and there is nothing to buy oil, so that the icon lamp in front of the icon can be lighted up for the holiday! " A little later, an old man comes to his hut: "Hello, master!" - "Great, old man!" - "Can't I spend the night with you?" - “For what it is not allowed! spend the night, if you like; only I, my dear, have not a piece in the house, and there is nothing to feed you. " - “Nothing, master! I have three pieces of bread with me, and you give me a ladle of water: I’ll eat bread, and I’ll take a sip of water, and I’ll be full. ” The old man sat down on the bench ^ and said: “What, master, is he so depressed? in what grieved? " - “Eh, old man! - the owner answers. - How not to grieve me? God gave us - we have waited for the holiday, good people will start to rejoice and have fun, but my wife and I even roll around with a ball - everything is empty! " “Well, well,” says the old man, “go to a rich man and ask him for what you need on credit.” - "No I'm not going; all the same will not give! " “Go,” the old man pesters, “go boldly and ask him for a quaternary of malt; we will make beer with you. " - “Eh, old man! now it's late; when to brew beer here? celebrate tomorrow. " - “I’m telling you: go to a rich peasant and ask for a quaternary malt; he will give you right away! I suppose he won't refuse! And tomorrow for dinner we will have such beer, which has never happened in the whole village! " There is nothing to do, the poor man got ready, took the bag under his arm and went to the rich man. He comes to his hut, bows, dignifies by name and patronymic and asks to borrow a four-piece malt: I want to brew beer for the holiday. “What did you think before! - says the rich man. - When to cook now? there is only one night left before the holiday. " - “Nothing, darling! - answers the poor. "If your mercy will be, we will somehow cook ourselves with my wife, - we will drink together and dignify the holiday." The rich took him a quart of malt and poured it into a sack; the poor man lifted the sack over his shoulders and carried it home. He turned back and told how and what had happened. “Well, master,” said the old man, “you will have a holiday too. Is there a well in your yard? " “Yes,” says the man. “Well, here we are in your well and brew beer; take the sack and follow me. " They went out into the yard and straight to the well. "Pour it out here!" - says the old man. “How can you pour such good into a well! - the owner answers. - There is only one four, and that one should be lost for nothing! We will not do anything good, we will only confuse the water ”. - "Listen to me, everything will be fine!" What to do, the owner dumped all his malt into the well. “Well,” said the elder, “there was water in the well, make yourself a beer overnight! .. Now, master, let's go to the hut and go to bed, - the morning is wiser than the evening; and tomorrow for dinner there will be such beer that you will get drunk from one glass. " Now the morning has arrived; it's time for dinner, the old man says: “Well, master! now, get out more tubs, stand around the well and pour a little beer, and call everyone you envy to drink beer with a hangover. " The man rushed to the neighbors. "What did you need tubs for?" - they ask him. “Very much,” he says, “it is necessary; there is nothing to pour beer into. " Neighbors wondered: what does that mean! is he crazy? a piece of bread is not in the house, and he is also busy about beer! That's good, the peasant got twenty tubs, put a well around and began to pour - and such a beer became, whatever you think of, or guess, just say in a fairy tale! He poured all the tubs full, half-well, and in the well, as if nothing had disappeared. And he began to shout, inviting guests to the courtyard: “Hey, Orthodox! come to me to drink beer with a hangover; here is beer so beer! " People are looking at what a miracle is that? you see, he poured water from a well, but he calls for a beer; let's go in, let's see what kind of trick he got up to? So the peasants threw themselves to the tubs, began to scoop with a ladle, taste the beer; It really seemed to them this beer: "They never drank such a thing when they were born!" And the yard was full of people. And the owner does not regret, you know, he draws from the well and treats everyone completely. A rich man heard about this, came to the poor man's yard, tasted beer and began to ask the poor man: "Teach me, what trick did you create this kind of beer?" “But there’s no trick here,” answered the poor woman, “the simplest thing is,“ just as I brought you a quadruple of malt, I just poured it into the well: there was water, make a beer overnight! "-" Well, that's good! - thinks rich, - just toss and turn home, and I'll do it. So he comes home and orders his workers to carry the best malt from the barn and pour it into the well. How the workers began to haul from the barn, and stuck ten sluts of malt into the well. “Well,” thinks the rich man, “I’ll have better beer than the poor one!” The next morning, the rich man went out into the courtyard and hurried to the well, he drew it and looks: as there was water, so there is water! only became dimmer. "What! there must have been little malt; we must add, ”thinks the rich man, and ordered his workers to pour five more sluts into the well. They poured out another time; it didn't work, nothing helps, all the malt was gone for nothing. Yes, how was the holiday, and the poor man had only pure water in the well; the beer was gone.

Again the old man comes to the poor peasant and asks: “Listen, master! Have you sowed bread this year? " - "No, grandfather, I didn't sow any grain!" “Well, go now again to the rich peasant and ask him for every four-piece of bread; you and I will go to the field and sow ”. - “How to sow now? - answers the poor, - after all, winter is crackling in the yard! " - “Not your concern! do as I command. I brewed you beer, sow some bread! " He got together poor, went back to the rich man and begged him to borrow four pieces of every grain. He turned back and said to the old man: "Everything is ready, grandfather!" So they went out into the field, found the peasant's strip by signs - and let's scatter the grain over white snow... They scattered everything. "Tepericha," the old man said to the poor man, "go home and wait for summer: you will be with bread too!" As soon as the poor peasant came to his village, all the peasants found out about him that he was sowing bread in the middle of winter; they laugh at him - and only: “What a heart, he missed when to sow! I suppose I didn't guess in the fall! " OK then; waited for spring, it became warm, the snows melted, and green shoots began to sprout. "Give me," thought the poor man, "I'll go and see what is happening on my land." He comes to his lane, looks, and there are such sprouts that the soul does not rejoice! Not half as good on other people's tithes. "Glory to you. God! - says the man. "Tepericha and I will recover." Now the harvest time has come; good people began to remove bread from the field. Gathered and poor, he is busy with his wife and can not cope in any way; compelled to call the working people to his place of harvest and give his bread out of half. All the peasants marvel at the poor: he did not plow the land, he sowed in the middle of winter, and his bread grew so glorious. The poor peasant managed to do it and healed himself unnecessarily; if there is anything needed for the household, he will go to the city, sell a quarter or two of bread and buy what he knows; and paid his debt to the rich peasant in full. So the rich one thinks: “Let me sow it in winter; Perhaps the same glorious bread will be born on my strip. " He waited for the very day in which the poor peasant sowed last year, heaped several quarters of different bread into the sleigh, went out into the field and started sowing in the snow. Sowed the whole field; the weather just rose by night, blew strong winds and sowed all the grain from his land into foreign strips. In and spring is red; The rich man went to the field and saw: empty and bare on his land, not a single seedling could be seen, but near, in other people's strips, where it was not plowed, not sown, so green arose that it was dear! the richer thought: “Lord, I spent a lot on seeds - everything is no use; but my debtors have not plowed, not sown - and the bread grows by itself! I must be a great sinner! "

CHRIST BROTHER

Once upon a time there was a merchant with a merchant's wife - both are stingy and unmerciful to the poor. They had a son, and they decided to marry him. They got a bride and got married. “Eavesdrop, friend,” the young husband says, “a lot of baked and cooked things remained from our wedding; order all this to be put on a cart and take it to the poor: let them eat for our health. " The merchant's son just called the clerk and ordered all that was left of the feast to be given to the poor. As the father and mother found out about that, they were painfully angry with their son and daughter-in-law: "A kind, perhaps, they will distribute the entire estate!" - and drove them out of the house. The son went with his wife aimlessly. Walked, walked and came in thick dark forest... We came across a hut - it was empty - and remained to live in it.

A considerable time passed, Great Lent began;

now the post comes to an end. “My wife,” says the merchant’s son, “I’ll go into the forest, if I’ll manage to shoot what bird, so that there is something to break the fast for the holiday.” “Go!” - says the wife. He walked for a long time through the forest, did not see a single bird; began to toss and turn home and saw - lies human head covered in worms. He took this head, put it in his bag and brought it to his wife. She immediately washed it, cleaned it and put it in a corner under the icon. At night, just before the holiday, they lit a wax candle in front of the icons and began to pray to God, and when it was time for Matins, the merchant's son approached his wife and said: "Christ is Risen!" The wife replies: "Truly is risen!" And the head answers: "Indeed he is risen!" He says again and again for the third time: "Christ is Risen!" - and the head answers him: "Indeed he is risen!" He looks with fear and trembling: the head of the gray-haired old man has turned. And the elder says to him: “Be you my younger brother; come to me tomorrow, I will send a winged horse for you. " He said and disappeared.

The next day a winged horse stands in front of the hut. “My brother sent for me,” says the merchant's son, mounted his horse and set off on the road. Arrived, and the old man meets him. “Take a walk in all the gardens,” he said, walk in all the rooms; just do not go to this one, which is sealed with a seal ”. Here the merchant's son walked and walked in all the gardens, in all the upper rooms; finally approached the one that was sealed with a seal, and could not bear it: "Let me see what it is!" He opened the door and entered; looks - there are two boiling boilers; I looked into one, and my father was sitting in the cauldron and struggling to jump out of there; grabbed his son by the beard and began to pull him out, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not pull him out; only the beard remained in his hands. He looked into another cauldron, and there his mother was tormented. He felt sorry for him, took her by the braid - and let's drag her; but again, no matter how hard he tried, he did nothing; only the braid remained in his hands. And then he learned that this was not an old man, but the Lord himself called him younger brother... He returned to him, fell at his feet and begged for forgiveness that he had broken the commandment and visited the forbidden room. The Lord forgave him and let him go back on a winged horse. The merchant's son returned home, and his wife said to him: "Why did you stay with your brother for so long?" - "How long! I spent only one day. " - "Not one day, but three whole years!" Since then, they have become even more merciful to the poor brethren.

Egoriy the Brave

Not in an alien kingdom, but in our state, dear, there was a time - oh-oh-oh! At that time we have many kings, many princes, and God only knows whom to obey, they quarreled among themselves, fought and shed Christian blood freely. And then an evil Tatar came running in, filled the entire land of the Meshchera, built the city of Kasimov for himself, and he began to take the red girls and red maidens as his servants, converted them to his filthy faith and forced them to eat unclean mahanin food. Woe, and nothing more; tears, tears that have been shed! all the Orthodox scattered through the forests, made dugouts there and lived with wolves; the temples of God were all destroyed, there was nowhere for God to pray.

And so there lived a good peasant Antip, and his wife Marya was so beautiful that she could not write with a pen, only tell in a fairy tale. Antip and Marya were pious people, they often prayed to God, and the Lord gave them a son of unprecedented beauty. They named their son Yegor; he grew by leaps and bounds; Yegor's mind was not infant: it used to be that he hears a prayer and sings it in such a voice that the angels rejoice in heaven. He heard the schema-monk Hermogenes about the mind-mind of the infant Yegoriy, and begged him to teach the word of God from his parents. Mother and father cried, grieved, prayed and released Yegor into science.

And at that time there was some kind of Brahim Khan in Kasimov, and the people called him the Serpent Goryunych: he was so angry and cunning! it was just that the Orthodox did not have life from him. It used to go out hunting - to hunt a wild beast, no one gets caught, now they will kill; and Kasimov drags young and red maidens to his city. Once he met Antipas da Maryu, and he fell in love with her painfully;

now he ordered to grab her and drag her to the city of Kasimov, and Antipas immediately betrayed evil death... As Yegory learned about the unfortunate lot of his parents, he wept bitterly and began to pray fervently to God for his mother, and the Lord heard his prayer. This is how Yegoriy grew up, he decided to go to Kasimov-grad in order to save his mother from evil bondage; took a blessing from the schema-monk and set off on his way. How long, how short he walked, only came to the chambers of Brahimov and saw: evil infidels were standing and mercilessly beating his poor mother. Yegori fell at the feet of the khan himself and began to ask for his mother for his own; Brahim the formidable khan seethed with anger at him, ordered to seize him and give him over to various torments. Yegory was not afraid and began to send his prayers to God. Here the khan ordered to saw it with saws, to cut it with axes; saws knocked teeth, ax blades knocked out. The khan ordered to boil it in oozing resin, and Saint Yegoriy floats on top of the resin. The khan ordered to put him in a deep cellar; Yegoriy sat there for thirty years - he prayed to God; and then a terrible storm arose, the winds blew away all the oak boards, all the yellow sands, and Saint Yegor went out into the free light. I saw in the field - there was a saddled horse, and near there was a sword-kladenets, a sharp spear. Yegory jumped on his horse, got used to it and rode into the forest; I met many wolves here and let them go against Brahim the terrible khan. The wolves did not cope with him, and Yegoriy himself ran into him and stabbed him with a sharp spear, and freed his mother from evil bondage.

And after that, Saint Egorius built a cathedral church, started a monastery and himself wanted to work for God. And many went to that Orthodox monastery, and cells and townships were created around it, which to this day is known as Yegoryevsky.

ILYA THE PROPHET AND NIKOLA

It was long ago; Once upon a time there was a man. Nikolin always read the day, but in Ilyin no, no, and he will start working; Nicholas the saint will also serve a prayer service, and light a candle, but forgot to think about Elijah the prophet.

Once, Ilya the prophet walks with Nicholas in the field of this same peasant; They walk and look - in the green field there are such glorious that the soul does not rejoice. “There will be a harvest, so a harvest! - says Nikola. - Yes, and a man, really, good, kind, pious;

He remembers God and knows the saints! The good will get into the hands ... "-" But let's see, - answered Ilya, - how much more will we get! As soon as I set fire to lightning, as I knock out the whole field with hail, so your peasant will know the truth and read Ilyin's day. " Argued, argued and went in different directions. Nikola the pleaser is now to the peasant: “Sell,” he says, “as soon as possible to the Ilyin dad all your bread in the bud; otherwise nothing will remain, everything will be knocked out with hail. " The man rushed to the priest: “Would you buy bread on the vine, father? Selling the whole field; such a need for money has taken hold, take it out and put it down! Buy it, father! I will give it back for a cheap price. Bargained, bargained and bargained. The man took the money and went home.

Not much time passed: a formidable cloud gathered, moved in, a terrible downpour and hail burst over the peasant's cornfield, cut off all the bread like a knife - did not leave a single blade of grass. The next day, Elijah the Prophet and Nicholas walk past; and Ilya says: "Look how I ruined a peasant's field!" - "Muzhikovo? No brother! You ruined well, only this is the field of the Ilyin priest, and not the muzhik's. " - "How's the priest?" - “Yes, so; a man for a week will be like he sold it to Ilyin's dad and got all the money in full. That's it, tea, pop is crying for the money! " “Wait,” said Elijah the Prophet, “I'll fix the cornfield again, it will be twice as good as before.” We talked and went our own way. Nikola the pleaser again to the peasant: "Go, - he says, - to the priest, buy the field - you won't be at a loss." The man went to the priest, bows and says: “I see, father, the Lord God has sent misfortune on you - the whole field has been knocked out by hail, even if the ball rolls! So be it, let's half-and-half sin; I take back my field, and here's half of your money for poverty. " The priest was delighted, and immediately they shook his hands.

Meanwhile — where did that come from — the muzhik's field began to recover; from the old roots, new fresh shoots have gone. Rain clouds now and then rush over the field and water the earth; wonderful bread was born - high-rise and frequent; weed grass is not to be seen at all; and the ear is full, full, and bends to the ground. The sun has warmed and the rye has ripened - like gold stands in the field. The peasant pressed the sheaves a lot, put in a lot of heaps; I was about to carry and stack them in stacks. Elijah the Prophet with Nicholas goes to that again. He looked around the field merrily and said: “Look, Nikola, what a blessing! This is how I awarded the priest, he will never forget ... "-" Priest ?! No brother! grace is great, but this field is peasant; the priest will have nothing to do with it. " - "What you!" - “The right word! As the whole field was knocked out by hail, the peasant went to the Ilyinsky daddy and bought her back for half the price. “Wait,” said Elijah the Prophet, “I will take away all the ergot from the bread: no matter how many sheaves the peasant puts in, he won’t thrash the four at once.” - "Bad business" - thinks Nikola the pleaser; now he went to the peasant: "Look," he says, "when you begin to thresh bread, don't put more than one sheaf at a time on the current." The peasant began to thresh: every sheaf, then a quadruple of grain. I have filled all the bins, all the crates with rye, but there is still a lot left; he set up new barns and poured half of them. Somehow Ilya the Prophet walks with Nicholas

past his yard, looked back and forth and said: “Look what barns you brought out! Will you put something in them? " "But where did the peasant get so much bread?" - “Eva! he gave every sheaf of grain in fours; when he conceived to thresh, he put everything on the current one by one sheaf ”. “Eh, brother Nikola! - Ilya the prophet guessed; you retell all this to the peasant. " - “Well, I made it up; I will retell ... "-" As you want, and it's up to you! Well, the man will remember me! " - "What are you going to do to him?" - "And what I will do, I will not tell you." - "That's when trouble, so trouble comes!" - thinks Nikola the pleaser - and again to the peasant: "Buy," he says, "two candles, large and small, and do this and that."

The next day, Elijah the prophet and Nikola the saint in the form of wanderers walk together, and they meet a peasant: he carries two wax candles - one ruble and the other a penny. "Where, little man, are you keeping your way?" - asks Nikola the pleaser. - “Yes, I'm going to light a ruble candle for Elijah the Prophet, he was so merciful to me! The field was knocked out like a hail, so he did his best, but he gave a harvest twice as good as before ”. - "And what about a penny candle?" - "Well, this Nicole!" - said the man and walked on. “Here you, Ilya, say that I am retelling everything to the peasant; tea, now you can see how true it is! "

That was the end of the matter; Elijah the prophet took mercy, stopped threatening the peasant with misfortune; and the peasant began to live happily ever after, and from that time on, he equally read Ilyin's day and Nikolin's day.

KASIAN AND NIKOLA

Once in autumn time the man got stuck on the road. We know what kind of roads we have; and then it happened in the fall - there is nothing to say! Kasyan the saint walks by. The man did not recognize him - and let's ask: "Help, my dear, to pull out a cart!" - “Come on! - Kasyan the pleaser told him. - I have when to wallow with you! " And he went his own way. A little later, Nikola the pleaser walks right there. “Father,” the man yelled again, “Father! help to get the cart out. " Nikola is a pleaser and helped him.

Here came Kasyan the saint and Nikola the saint to God in paradise. "Where have you been, Kasyan the pleaser?" God asked. “I was on the ground,” he answered. - It happened to me to walk past a peasant whose cart is stuck; he asked me: help, he says, to pull out the cart; yes, I didn’t dirty the paradise dress ”. - "Well, where are you so dirty?" - God asked Nikola the pleaser. “I was on earth; I walked along the same road and helped the peasant to pull out the cart, ”answered Nikola the pleaser. “Listen, Kasyan,” God said then, “you didn’t help the peasant — for that in three years you will be served with prayer services. And you, Nikola the pleaser, for helping the peasant to pull out the cart, will be served with prayers twice a year. " Since then, it has become so: Kasyan has prayers in a leap year only, and Nikola twice a year.

GOLDEN STEP

In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there was one gypsy, he had a wife and seven children, and he lived to the point that there was nothing to eat or drink - not a piece of bread! He is lazy to work, but he is afraid to steal; what to do? Here the gypsy came out onto the road and stands in thought. At that time Yegor the Brave is on his way. "Great! - says the gypsy. - Where are you going? " - "To God." - "Why?" - "Behind the order: how to live, what to trade." - "Report to the Lord about me," says the gypsy, "what does he tell me to eat?" - "Okay, I will report!" - answered Yegoriy and went his own way. Here the gypsy was waiting for him, waited and only saw that Yegoriy was going back, now he asks: "Well, he reported about me?" “No,” says Yegoriy. "Why so?" - "Forgot!" So another time the gypsy went out onto the road and again met Yegoriy: he was going to God for an order. Gypsy and asks: "Report de about me!" - "Good," - said Yegoriy - and again forgot. The gypsy came out and for the third time on the road, saw Yegoriy and again asks: tell God about me! - "Ok I will tell". - "Yes, you, perhaps, will forget?" - "No, I won't forget." Only the gypsy does not believe: “Give,” he says, “to me your golden stirrup, I will hold it until you come back; and without that you will forget again. " Yegory untied the golden stirrup, gave it to the gypsy, and drove on with one stirrup. I came to God and began to ask: what should whom live, what trades? I received the order and wanted to go back; as soon as he began to mount the horse, he glanced at the stirrups and remembered about the gypsy. He turned back to God and said: "I got caught on the way to a gypsy and told me to ask what to eat?" - “And to the gypsy,” says the Lord, “it’s also a providence, if he takes something from someone and conceals it; his business is to deceive and run out! " Yegoriy sat on his horse and came to the gypsy: “Well, really, you, gypsy, did say! if you hadn’t taken the stirrups, you would have completely forgotten about you. ” - “That's what it is! - said the gypsy. - Now you will never forget me, as soon as you look at the stirrups - now you will remember me. Well, what did the Lord say? " - "And then he said: if you take something from someone - hide it and forget it, yours will be!" “Thank you,” the gypsy said, bowed and turned home. “Where are you going? - said Yegor, - give me back my golden stirrup. - "What stirrup?" - "Yes, you took from me?" - “When did I take from you? This is the first time I see you, and I didn't take any stirrups, by God, I didn't! " - the gypsy got worried.

What to do - fought with him, Yegor fought, and left with nothing! "Well, the truth was told by the gypsy: if I didn’t give the stirrups, I wouldn’t know him, but now I will remember him forever!"

The gypsy took the golden stirrup and went to sell. He was walking along the road, and the master was coming to meet him. "What, gypsy, are you selling stirrups?" - "For sale." - "What will you take?" - "One and a half thousand rubles." - Why is it so expensive? - "Because it is golden." OK!" - said the master; missed the pocket of a thousand. “Here's a thousand for you, gypsies - give the stirrups; and you will receive the rest of the money. " - “No, sir; I think I'll take a thousand rubles, but I won't give up the stirrups; when you get it what follows by agreement, then you will receive the goods ”. The master gave him a thousand and drove home. And as soon as he arrived, he immediately took out five hundred rubles and sent it to the gypsy with his man: "Give it back," he says, "this money to the gypsy and take the golden stirrup from him." Here comes a gentleman to a hut to a gypsy. "Great, gypsy!" - "Great, kind man! " - "I brought you money from the master." - "Come on, if you brought it." He took the gypsy five hundred rubles, and let's give him wine to drink: he gave him his fill, the gentleman began to get home and said to the gypsy: "Come on, the golden stirrup." - "Which?" -<«Да то, что барину продал!» - «Когда продал? у меня никакого стремена не было». - «Ну, подавай назад деньги!» - «Какие деньги?» - «Да я сейчас отдал тебе пятьсот рублев». - «Никаких денег я не видал, ей-богу, не видал! Еще самого тебя Христа ради поил, не то что брать с тебя деньги!» Так и отперся цыган. Только услыхал про то барин, сейчас поскакал к цыгану: «Что ж ты, вор эдакой, деньги забрал, а золотого стремена не отдаешь?» - «Да какое стремено? Ну, ты сам, барин, рассуди, как можно, чтоб у эдакого мужика-серяка да было золотое стремено!» Вот барин с ним дозился-возился, ничего не берет. «Поедем, - говорит, - судиться». - «Пожалуй, - отвечает цыган, - только подумай, как мне с тобой ехать-то? ты как есть барин, а я мужик-вахлак! Наряди-ка наперед меня в хорошую одежу, да и поедем вместе».

The master dressed him up in his own clothes, and they went to the city to sue. Here we arrived at the court; the master says: “I bought a golden stirrup from this gypsy; but he took the money, but he does not give the stirrups. " And the gypsy says: “Lord, judges! Think for yourself, where will the golden stirrup be taken from the seryak peasant? I have no bread at home! I don’t know what this gentleman wants from me? He will probably say that I am wearing his clothes too! " -<Да таки моя!» - закричал барин. «Вот видите, господа судьи!» Тем дело и кончено; поехал барин домой ни с чем, а цыган стал себе жить да поживать, да добра наживать.

SOLOMON PREMUDROY

After the crucifixion, Jesus Christ descended into hell and brought everyone out of there, besides Solomon the Wise alone. “You,” Christ said to him, “go out yourself with your wisdom!” And Solomon was left alone in hell: how can he get out of hell? I thought and thought and began to twist the wrapper. A little imp comes up to him and asks why he is winding the rope endlessly? “You will know a lot,” answered Solomon, “you will be older than your grandfather, Satan! see what! " Solomon swept the wrapper and began to measure it in hell. The devil again began to ask him, what is he measuring the hell for? “Here I will put a monastery, - says Solomon the Wise, - here is a cathedral church”. The devil got scared, ran at a run and told everything to his grandfather, Satan, and Satan took and drove Solomon the Wise out of hell.

SOLDIER AND DEATH

One soldier has served twenty-five years, but he is not retired any more! He began to think and wonder: “What does it mean? I have served God and the great sovereign for twenty-five years, I have never been in fines, but they are not allowed to retire; let me go where my eyes are looking! " I thought and thought and ran away. So he walked a day, and another, and a third, and met the Lord. The Lord asks him: "Where are you going, service?" - “Lord, I served twenty-five years by faith and righteousness, I see: resignation is not given - so I ran away; I'm going now where my eyes are looking! " - "Well, if you have served twenty-five years by faith and righteousness, then go to heaven - to the kingdom of heaven." A soldier comes to paradise, sees unspeakable grace and thinks to himself: that's when I'll live! Well, he just walked, walked to heavenly places, went up to the holy fathers and asked: would anyone sell tobacco? “What a service, tobacco! here is paradise, the kingdom of heaven! " The soldier fell silent. Again he walked, walked to heavenly places, another time he approached the holy fathers and asked: are they not selling wine where nearby? “Oh, you, service-service! what wine is there! here is paradise, the kingdom of heaven! "<...>"What a paradise here: no tobacco, no wine!" - said the soldier and left paradise.

He walks to himself and walks and again fell to meet the Lord. “In what,” he says, “paradise did you send me. God? no tobacco, no wine! " “Well, go on your left hand,” the Lord replies, “everything is there!” The soldier turned to the left and set off on the road. Unclean spirits are running: "Whatever, master service?" - “Wait ask; give first a place, then talk. " Here they brought the soldier to hell. "Is there tobacco?" - he asks the evil spirits. "Yes, servant!" - "Is there wine?" - "And there is wine!" - "Serve everything!" They handed him an unclean pipe filled with tobacco and half a bottle of pepper. The soldier drinks and walks, smokes his pipe, the radekhonek has become: here really is paradise so paradise! Yes, the soldier did not walk for long, the devils began to press him from all sides, it sickened him! What to do? started to fantasize, made a fathom, set the pegs and let's measure: he will measure out a fathom and hit the peg. The devil jumped up to him: "What are you doing, service?" - “Are you blind! Can't you see? I want to build a monastery. " How the devil rushed to his grandfather: "Look, grandfather, the soldier wants to build a monastery here!" Grandfather jumped up and ran to the soldier himself: "What, - he says, - are you doing?" “Can't you see, I want to build a monastery.” The grandfather got scared and ran straight to God: “Lord! what soldier did you send to hell: he wants to build a monastery here! " - “And what is it to me! Why do you accept such people? " - "God! take him fromsedov. " - “And how to get it! I wished it myself. " - “Ahti! - the grandfather yelled. "What are we poor people to do with him?" - "Go, peel off the skin of the imp and pull it on the drum, then get out of the heat and sound the alarm: he will leave!" The grandfather came back, caught the imp, tore off his skin, pulled on the drum. “Look,” he punishes the devil, “as a soldier will jump out of the heat, now lock the gates tightly, or else he won't burst in here again!” The grandfather went out the gate and sounded the alarm; the soldier, as he heard the drumbeat, began to flee from hell at breakneck speed, as if mad; He scared all the devils and ran out of the gate. He just jumped out - the gates slammed, and they locked it tightly. The soldier looked around: there was no one to be seen and no alarm to hear; went back and let's knock on the hell: “Open it up soon! - Shouts at the top of his lungs. - I’ll break the gates! ” - “No, brother, you won't break! - say the devils. - Go wherever you want, but we will not let you in; we have already survived by force! " The soldier hung his head and wandered aimlessly. Walked and walked and met the Lord. "Where are you going, service?" “I don’t know myself! "-" Well, where am I going to put you? sent to paradise - not good! I sent it to hell - and I didn't get along there! " - "Lord, put me at your door on the clock." - "Well, become." Became a soldier for hours. Death has come. "Where are you going?" the sentry asks. Death replies: "I am going to the Lord for the command, whom he will order me to kill." - "Wait, I'll go ask." He went and asked: “Lord! Death has come;

Whom will you show to kill? " - "Tell her to plague the oldest people for three years." The soldier thinks to himself: "Somehow, perhaps she will kill my father and mother: after all, they are old people." He went out and said to Death: "Go through the woods and for three years sharpen the oldest oaks." Death cried:

"For which the Lord was angry with me, sends oaks to sharpen!" And she wandered through the woods, sharpening the oldest oaks for three years; but when the time passed, she returned to God again for the command. "Why did you drag it?" the soldier asks. "For the command, whom the Lord will order to kill." - "Wait, I'll go ask." Again he went and asked: “Lord! Death has come; Whom will you show to kill? " - "Tell her to plague the young people for three years." The soldier thinks to himself: "A kind, perhaps, she will kill my brothers!" He came out and said to Death:

“Walk again through the same forests and for three whole years whip young oaks; so the Lord ordered! " - "Why is the Lord angry with me!" Death cried and went through the woods. For three years she has been sharpening all the young oaks, and when the time has passed, she goes to God; barely drags his legs. "Where?" the soldier asks. "To the Lord for a command, whom he will order to kill." - "Wait, I'll go ask." Again he went and asked: “Lord! Death has come; Whom will you show to kill? " - "Tell her to starve babies for three years." The soldier thinks to himself: “My brothers have children; so, perhaps, she will kill them! " He went out and said to Death: "Walk again through the same forests and gnaw the smallest oak trees for three whole years." - "Why is the Lord torturing me!" - Death cried and went through the woods. For three years she gnawed the smallest oak trees; but when time has passed, he goes back to God, barely moving his legs. “Well, now at least I will fight with a soldier, but I myself will reach the Lord! Why would he punish me for nine years? " The soldier saw Death and calls out: "Where are you going?" Death is silent, climbs onto the porch. The soldier grabbed her by the collar, does not let her. And they made such a noise that the Lord heard and went out: "What is it?" Death fell at his feet: “Lord, why was he angry with me? I suffered for nine whole years: I dragged myself through the woods, sharpened old oaks for three years, sharpened young oaks for three years, gnawed the smallest oak trees for three years ... I can hardly drag my legs! " - "It's all you!" - said the Lord to the soldier. "I'm sorry, Lord!" - “Well, go and wear it for nine years Death on the backs!

Death sat on horseback on a soldier. The soldier - there is nothing to do - took her on him, drove her and got worn out; pulled out a horn of tobacco and began to sniff. Death saw that the soldier was sniffing, and said to him: "Servant, let me smell the tobacco too." - “Here are the ones! climb into the horn and smell as much as you like. " - "Well, open your horn!" The soldier opened it, and only Death got in there - at that very moment he closed the horn and plugged it by the bootleg. I came back to the old place and stood at the clock. The Lord saw him and asks: "And where is Death?" - "With me". - "Where with you?" - "Right here behind the bootleg." - "Come on, show me!" - “No, Lord, I will not show it until it’s nine years old: is it a joke to wear it on the backs! it's not easy! " - "Show me, I forgive you!" The soldier pulled out the horn and just opened it - Death immediately sat on his shoulders. "Get off, if you didn't manage to ride!" - said the Lord. Death has climbed off. "Now kill the soldier!" - the Lord ordered her and went - where he knew.

"Well, soldier," says Death, "I heard the Lord ordered you to be killed!" - "Well? gotta die someday! just let me improve. " - "Well, fix yourself!" The soldier put on clean linen and brought a coffin. "Ready?" - asks Death. "Completely ready!" - "Well, lie down in the coffin!" The soldier lay down with his back up. "Not this way!" says Death. "What about?" - asks the soldier and lay down on his side. "Yes, it's not like that!" - "You can't please die for you!" - and lay down on the other side. “Oh, what you are, really! haven't you seen how people die? " - "That is what I have not seen!" - "Let me go, I'll distort you." The soldier jumped out of the coffin, and Death took his place. Then the soldier grabbed the lid, quickly covered the coffin and hammered iron hoops onto it; when he had pinned the hoops, he immediately lifted the coffin onto his shoulders and dragged it into the river. He dragged him into the river, returned to his original place and stood at the clock. The Lord saw him and asks: "Where is Death?" - "I let her into the river." The Lord looked - and she floats far on the water. The Lord set her free. "Why didn't you kill the soldier?" - “See, he is so cunning! you can’t do anything with it. ” - “Don't talk to him for a long time; go and kill him! " Death went and killed the soldier.

A passer-by was walking and begged to spend the night with a janitor. They fed him supper, and he lay down to sleep on the bench. This janitor had three sons, all married. After supper, they parted with their wives to sleep in special cages, and the old owner climbed onto the stove. A passer-by woke up at night and saw on. the table is a different reptile; he could not endure such shame, went out of the hut and went into the cage where the master's big son was sleeping; here you can see the baton beating from the floor to the ceiling. He was horrified and went to another cage, where the middle son was sleeping; looked, and between him and his wife lies a serpent and breathes on them. “Let me also test my third son,” thought a passer-by and went to another cage; then I saw a kunka: jumping from husband to wife, from wife to husband. Gave them calm and went to the field; lay down under the hay, and he heard it - as if some man in the hay was groaning and saying: “My stomach is sick! ah, my stomach is sick! " The passer-by got scared and lay down under the rye wort; and then a voice was heard, shouting: "Wait, take me with you!" The passer-by did not sleep, went back to the old man-owner in the hut, and the old man began to ask him: "Where was the passer-by?" He told the old man everything he had seen and heard: “On the table,” he says, “I found a different kind of reptile,“ because after supper your daughters-in-law did not collect and cover anything with their blessings; the big son's club is beating in the cage - this is because he wants to be a big one, but the little brothers do not obey: it is not the club that is beating, but his mind-reason; between the middle son and his wife the serpent saw him — this is because they have enmity against one another; I saw a kunka with my younger son - it means that he and his wife have the grace of God, they live in good harmony; I heard a groan in the hay - this is because if someone is tempted by someone else's hay, mows it down and sweeps it into one place with his own, someone else’s tady crushes his own, but moans his own, and it’s hard for his stomach; and that the ear cried out: wait, take me with you! - this which is not collected from the strip, it says: I will be lost, collect me! " And then a passer-by said to the old man: “Observe, master, your family: give your big son a pain and help him in everything; talk to your middle son with his wife so that they live better; Do not mow other people's hay, but collect the ears from the strips clean. " He said goodbye to the old man and went on his way.

THE DESERT AND THE DEVIL

There was a hermit, he prayed to God for thirty years: demons often ran past him. One of them, the lame one, defended far from his comrades. The hermit stopped the lame man and asked: "Where are you, devils, running?" The lame man said: "We run to the king for lunch." - “When you run back, bring me a salt shaker from the king; then I will believe that you dine there. " He brought some saltwort. The hermit said: "When you run back to the tsar to have dinner, run to me to take back the saltwort." Meanwhile, he wrote to the salt shaker: “You, king, ate without blessing; eat the devils with you! " The sovereign ordered that everyone should be blessed on the table. After that, the devils came running for dinner and could not come to the blessed table, burns them, and fled back. They began to ask the lame man: “You stayed with the hermit; right, you said to him that we go to dinner? " He said: "I brought him only one saltwort from the king." They began to fight the lame man for what he told the hermit. Here the lame man, in revenge, built a smithy against the hermitage's cell and began to remake the old people in the forge for the young. The hermit saw this and wanted to change himself: "Give it, he says, and I'll change!" Came to the smithy to the imp, says: “You can't

can they change me into a young one too? " - “Please,” the lame man replies and threw the hermit into the mountain; there he cooked and boiled it and pulled it out well done; put it in front of the mirror: "Look now - what are you like?" The hermit cannot stop looking at himself. Then he liked to marry. The lame man gave him a bride; both of them are not looking at each other, admiring not overlooking. Here we must go to the crown;

the imp says to the hermit: "Look, when the crowns begin to be applied, you do not be baptized!" The hermit thinks: how can one not be baptized when the crowns are being imposed? He did not obey him and crossed himself, and when he crossed himself, he saw that an aspen was bent over him, and there was a noose on it. If he had not crossed himself, he would have hung here on a tree; but God led him away from ultimate destruction.

HERMIT

There were three men. One man was rich; only he lived, he lived in this world, he lived two hundred years, everything does not die; and his old woman was alive, and his children, and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were all alive - no one dies; so what? not even one of the cattle was spent! And the other peasant was reputed to be unhappy, he had no luck in anything, because he was taken for any business without prayer; well, and wandered myself here and there to no avail. And the third peasant was a bitter, bitter drunkard; I drank everything clean from myself and began to drag around the world.

Once they got together again and all three set off to one hermit. The old man wanted to find out whether Death would soon come for him, and to the hapless and drunken man - how long would they grieve? They came and told everything that had become of them. The hermit took them out into the forest, to the place where three paths converged, and told the ancient old man to walk along one path, the unhappy one along the other, the drunkard on the third: there, they say, everyone will see his own. So the old man walked along his path, walked, walked, walked, walked and saw a mansion, so glorious, and in the mansion there are two priests; just approached the priests, they grumble to him: “Go, old man, dogma! as you return, you will die. " The unhappy man saw a hut on his path, entered it, and in the hut there was a table, on the table a corner of bread. The unhappy man got hungry, rejoiced at the edge, he stretched out his hand, but forgot to cross his forehead - and the edge disappeared at once! And the drunkard walked, walked along his path and came to the well, looked there, and in it there were reptiles, a frog and all kinds of shame! The unhappy man returned from the drunkards to the hermit and told him what they had seen. “Well,” said the hermit to the unhappy one, “you’ll get nicholas and you won’t be successful in anything until you get down to business, blessing and with prayer; and for you, - he said to the drunkard, - eternal torment is prepared in the next world - for the fact that you are drunk with wine, knowing neither fasts nor holidays! " And the old old man went home and only to the hut, but Death had already come for the soul. He began to ask: “Let me still live in the White World, I would give my wealth to the poor; give me a period of at least three years! " - “There is no time for you for three weeks, not for three hours, not for three minutes! says Death. - What did you think before - did not distribute? " So the old man died. He lived on earth for a long time, the Lord waited for a long time, but only when Death came, he remembered the beggars.

Tsarevich Eustafiy

In a certain state there lived a king. He had a young son, Tsarevich Eustathius; He did not like feasts, dances, or gulbis, but he loved to walk the streets and hang out with beggars, simple and poor people, and gave them money. The king became very angry with him, ordered him to be led to the gallows and put to cruel death. They brought the prince and they want to hang him. Here the prince fell on his knees before his father and began to ask for a term of at least three hours. The king agreed, gave him a term of three hours. In the meantime, Tsarevich Eustathius went to the locksmiths and ordered to make three chests soon: one gold, the other silver, and the third - simply split the ridge in two, hollow out with a trough and attach a lock. The locksmith made three chests and brought them to the gallows. The tsar and the boyars are looking at what will happen; and the prince opened the chests and showed: gold is filled with gold, silver is full of silver, and every abomination is imposed in wooden. He showed and again closed the chests and locked them tightly. The tsar became even more angry and asks Tsarevich Eustathius: "What kind of ridicule are you doing?" - “Sovereign Father! - says the prince. - You are here with the boyars, have you ordered to evaluate the chests, what are they worth? " The boyars appreciated the silver chest dearly, the gold one was more expensive, but they didn’t want to look at the wooden one. Eustathius the Tsarevich says: "Now open the chests and see what is in them!" Here the golden chest was opened, there are snakes, frogs and all kinds of shame; looked silver - and here too; they opened a wooden one, and trees with fruits and foliage grow in it, they emit sweet perfumes from themselves, and in the middle there is a church with a fence. The tsar was amazed and did not order to execute Tsarevich Eustathius.

DEATH OF THE RIGHT AND SINNED

One elder asked God to allow him to see how the righteous die. An angel appeared to him and said: "Go to such and such a village and you will see how the righteous die." The old man has gone; comes to the village and asks to spend the night in one house. The owners answer him: "We would be glad to let you in, old man, but our parent is sick, he is lying near death." The patient heard these speeches and ordered the children to let the stranger in. The elder entered the hut and settled down for the night. And the sick man called his sons and daughters-in-law, gave them parental instruction, gave his last forever indestructible blessing and said goodbye to everyone. And on the same night Death came to him with the angels: they took out the righteous soul, put it on a golden plate, sang "Like cherubim" and carried it to heaven. Nobody could see it; only one elder saw. He waited for the funeral of the righteous, served a panikhida and returned home, thanking the Lord that he allowed him to see the holy end.

After that, the elder asked God to allow him to see how sinners die; and there was a voice to him from above: “Go to such and such a village and you will see how they die

hazels ". The elder went to that very village and begged to spend the night with three brothers. So the owners went back to the hut from threshing and began to do their own thing, began empty chatting and singing songs; and Death came invisibly to them with a hammer in his hands and struck one brother in the head. "Oh, my head hurts! .. oh, my death ..." - he shouted and immediately died. The elder waited for the funeral of the sinner and returned home, thanking the Lord that he had made him see the death of the righteous and sinful.

The woman gave birth to twins. And God sends an angel to take the soul out of her. The angel flew to the woman; he felt sorry for the two small babies, he did not take the soul out of the woman and flew back to God. "What, took out the soul?" - the Lord asks him. "No, Lord!" - "What is so?" The angel said: “That woman, Lord, has two little babies; what will they eat? " God took the rod, struck a stone, and broke it in two. "Get in there!" - God said to the angel; the angel climbed into the crack. "What do you see there?" - asked the Lord. "I see two worms." - "Who feeds these worms, he would feed these two babies too!" And God took away the angel's wings, and sent him to earth for three years.

The angel was hired as farm laborers at the priest. Lives with him for a year and another; once the priest sent him somewhere for business. A farm laborer walks past the church, stopped - and let's throw stones at it, and he strives to get straight into the cross. Many, many people gathered, and everyone began to scold him; just a little missed! The farmhand went further, walked, walked, saw a tavern - and let God pray for it. “What a dolvan he is,” the passers-by say, “he is throwing stones at the church, and praying at the tavern! Such fools are not often beaten! .. ”And the farm laborer prayed and walked on. He walked, walked, saw a beggar - and well, scold him as a beggar. Passers-by heard that and went to the priest with a complaint: so and so, they say, your farm laborer walks through the streets - he only makes a fool, mocks at the shrine, swears at the poor. The priest began to question him: "Why did you throw stones at the church, prayed to God at the tavern!" The farm laborer says to him:

“I didn’t throw stones at the church, I didn’t pray to God at the tavern! I walked past the church and saw that the evil spirits for our sins are circling over the temple of God, and are molded on the cross; so I began to shove stones at her. And walking past the tavern, I saw a lot of people, they were drinking, walking, they did not think about the hour of death; and here I prayed to God that I would not allow the Orthodox to drunkenness and death. " - "And why did you bark at the poor man?" - “What a wretched! He has a lot of money, but everything walks around the world and collects mercy; only the straight beggars take their bread. That's why I called him a beggar. "

The farm laborer has outlived three years. Pop gives him money, and he says: “No, I don’t need money; you better show me off. " The priest went to see him off. Here they walked, walked, walked for a long time. And the Lord gave wings to the angel again; he rose from the ground and flew to heaven. It was only then that the priest found out who had served him for three whole years.

SIN AND REPENTANCE

Once upon a time there was an old woman, she had one son and one daughter. They lived in great poverty. Once the son went into an open field to look at the winter shoots; went out and looked around: there was a high mountain not far away, and on that mountain at the very top thick smoke was swirling. “What a miracle is this! - he thinks, - this mountain has been standing for a long time, I have never seen even a small smoke on it, but now, you see, how thick it has risen! Let me go and look at the mountain. " So I climbed the mountain, and it was steep, steep! - he climbed to the very top by force. He looks - and there is a large cauldron full of gold. "This is the Lord sent a treasure to our poverty!" - thought the guy, went to the boiler, bent down and just wanted to collect a handful - when a voice was heard: "Don't you dare take this money, otherwise it will be bad!" He looked back - no one was visible, and he thought: "That's right, it seemed to me!" Again he bent down and was just about to take a handful from the cauldron - when the same words were heard. "What? he says to himself. “There’s no one, but I hear a voice!” I thought and thought and decided to go up to the boiler for the third time. Again he bent down for the gold, and again a voice rang out: “You are told - don't you dare touch! and if you want to get this gold, then go home and commit a sin in advance with your own mother, sister and

My. Then come: all the gold - yours will be! "

The guy returned home and thought hard. The mother asks: “What's the matter with you? how sad you are! " She stuck to him, and so and so negotiate: the son could not resist and confessed about everything that happened to him. The old woman, when she heard that he had found a large treasure, from that very hour conceived in her thoughts how to manage to embarrass her son and lead him to sin. And on the first holiday, she called the godfather to her, talked with her and with her daughter, and together they came up with the idea of ​​giving the boy drunk to drink. They brought wine - and well, regale him; so he drank a glass, drank another, and a third, and got drunk to the point that he completely forgot and committed sin with all three: with his mother, sister and godfather. A drunken sea is knee-deep, but when I slept and remembered what a sin I had done, I wouldn't look at the light so easily! “Well, sonny,” the old woman says to him, “why should you grieve? Go up the mountain and carry the money into the hut. " The guy got together, climbed the mountain, Looks, the gold is intact in the cauldron, and glitters! What can I do with this gold? I would now give up my last shirt, if I could only get rid of my sin. " And a voice was heard: “Well, what else do you think? don't be afraid now, take it boldly, all the gold is yours! " The guy sighed heavily, wept bitterly, did not take a single kopeck and went wherever he could.

He walks on his own path, and whoever meets him asks everyone: does he know how to forgive him his grave sins? No, no one can tell him how to atone for grave sins. And out of terrible grief, he set off into robbery: everyone who only gets to meet, he asks: how to forgive him for his sins before God? and if he does not say, he immediately kills to death. He ruined many souls, he ruined both mother, and sister, and godfather, and in all - ninety-nine souls; and no one told him how to atone for grave sins. And he went into a dark dense forest, walked and walked and saw a hut - so small, cramped, all folded of turf; and in that hut, a hermit was escaping. I entered the hut; the skitnik and asks: "Where are you from, good man, and what are you looking for?" The robber told him. The skitnik thought and said: "There are many sins behind you, I cannot impose penance on you!" “If you don’t impose a penance on me, you cannot escape death; I have ruined ninety-nine souls, and with you there will be exactly one hundred. " He killed the hermit and went on. He walked and walked and got to the place where another hermitage was saving, and told him about everything. “Okay,” says the skitnik, “I’ll impose a penance on you, but can you bear it?” - "What you know, then order, even gnaw stones with your teeth - and I will do that!" The hermit took a burnt firebrand, led the robber up a high mountain, dug a hole there and buried the firebrand in it. "See," he asks, "the lake?" And the lake was at the bottom of the mountain, half a mile away. “I see,” says the robber. “Well, crawl to the entoma lake on your knees, carry water from there with your mouth and water this very place where the burnt firebrand is buried, and until then, water it until it sprouts and does not grow an apple tree out of it. When an apple tree grows from it, it blooms and brings a hundred apples, and you shake it, and all the apples fall from the tree to the ground, then know that the Lord has forgiven you all your sins. " The skitnik said and went to his cell to save himself as before. And the robber knelt down, crawled to the lake and took water in his mouth, climbed the mountain, poured the firebrand and crawled again for water. For a long, long time, he worked this way; a whole thirty years passed - and he knocked the road along which he was crawling with his knees, into the belt of depth, and a firebrand sprouted. Another seven years passed - and the apple tree grew, blossomed and brought a hundred apples. Then the wanderer came to the robber and saw him thin and thin: only bones! "Well, brother, shake the apple tree now." He shook the tree, and at once every single apple fell off; at that moment he himself died. The skitnik dug a hole for him and honestly betrayed him to the earth.

Dear Reader! Collected here short parables, fables and legends for children of elementary grades. They are redone, written in short sentences. Easy to read children. Fit for children of any class... Proverbs are added. If you have your own good parable, fable or legend - please send me. Or post it in the comments. Thanks! 🙂

Parable. Why be afraid?

One day a severe thunderstorm began. All the children ran home. And the smallest girl was not there.

Mom went to look for her. It was raining in the yard. Lightning flashed brightly. Thunder rumbled loudly.

Mom was scared. She closed her eyes from every lightning. And from every thunder she covered her head with her hands.

Mom found her daughter on the street. The girl was all wet. She jumped and danced in the rain. And when the lightning flashed, the girl lifted her face up. And smiled at the sky.

Mom was very surprised. She asked:

- Daughter! You are not afraid? Are you scared?

But the daughter replied in surprise:

- No, mom! I'm not scared! I don’t know what is there to be afraid of?

And then she said:

- Mama! Look! I dance, and the sky is taking pictures of me!

The same parable performed by Alexandra

Do not judge strictly, performance without rehearsal:

Two apples

The parable of not jumping to conclusions.

A little girl brought two apples from the street. Probably someone gave it.

- Mom, look what beautiful apples!
- Yes, beautiful! Will you treat? Mom asked.

The baby looked at the apples. And then she took a bite of one apple. I thought for a second and ... - bit the second.

Mom was surprised. And I thought:

- What a greedy girl I grow up. She began to eat both apples, but she never offered me one.

But to her surprise, the girl handed her mother one apple with the words:

- Mommy! Take this apple! It's sweeter! 🙂

Dear Reader!

Fable for children

The Lion and the Mouse Fable

The lion slept under a tree. And under this tree was Mouse's mink. The mouse began to climb out of the mink and woke up Lev. The lion woke up and caught the mouse. The mouse began to ask:

- Let go! I promise to help you when you ask me.

The Lion let go of the Mouse and laughed. He said:

- How can you help me? You're so small.

Time has passed. The hunters wounded the lion. They tied it up with a rope and decided to sell it to the zoo.

The lion growled strongly, but none of the animals came to the rescue. All animals were also afraid of hunters.

But the Mouse came running. She gnawed the rope at night. And Leo got free.

Then the Mouse said to Leo:

- Remember, you laughed at me that I was so small. You didn't believe that I could help you.

Leo said:

- Forgive me, Mouse, that I was laughing. I did not know that there are benefits from small animals.

Fable for children

Fable Dog and reflection

The dog walked along the plank across the river. She carried a bone in her teeth.

Suddenly the Dog saw her reflection in the water. She thought that there was another dog carrying its prey. And it seemed to the dog that that dog had a much larger bone than hers.

The dog threw his prey and rushed to take the bone from the reflection.

As a result, the Dog was left with nothing. And she lost her, and could not take away someone else's.

This fable is about a cowardly heart.
No matter how much you help the cowardly, he will still be afraid.

Mouse heart

Young speaker

Once upon a time there was a little Mouse who was unhappy because he was afraid of everything. But most of all he was afraid of getting into the paws of a cat.

The mouse came to the Wizard and began to ask him to make him a cat.

The wizard took pity on the mouse and turned him into a cat.

But then this cat became afraid of dogs.

The wizard turned the former mouse into a dog. But then he became afraid of wolves.

The wizard turned him into a wolf. But then he became very afraid of hunters.

And then the Wizard gave up. He turned him into a mouse again and said:

- Nothing will help you. Because you have the heart of a cowardly mouse.

The legend of the ring of King Solomon.

There is a legend about King Solomon.
This legend is about King Solomon and the magic ring. I think children will understand it as well as adults.

The sage gave King Solomon a magic ring. He put this ring on the king's finger and said:

"Never take off the ring!"

This ring bore the inscription:

"All will pass!"

When the king was sad, Solomon looked at the ring and read the inscription:

"All will pass!"

And the magic of the ring acted on the king. Solomon ceased to be sad.

The ring has always helped the king. Even when Solomon was angry, he also looked at the ring and read:

"All will pass!"

He smiled and calmed down.

But one day a great grief happened. Solomon looked at the ring and read the inscription. But he did not calm down, and even got angry. Then he first removed the ring from his finger and wanted to throw it away. But he saw that there was also an inscription inside the ring. He read:

"And that too will pass!"

Solomon calmed down and smiled.

He never removed his magic ring from his hand again. And he made an expensive gift to the sage.

Parable for children

Where did the zebra get the stripes? African legend.

Once upon a time, the zebra was one-color. She was as brown as an antelope. And Zebra didn't like that. But she didn't know what color she should be. She liked black and white.

Zebra took two brushes and two cans of paint: white and black.

Each time she painted herself, then black paint, then white. And so the stripes appeared. She never decided whether she should be white or black.

Then Zebra decided to take a dip to wash off the paint. But the paint was already so ingrained that it was impossible to get rid of it. Since then, Zebras have become black and white stripes.

The Legend of Narcissus.

It was a long time ago. Even when people did not have mirrors.

One young man was very handsome. And to see his beauty, he went to the stream to look at his reflection.

He looked at his reflection for a long time, and admired himself. Then a Fairy appeared from the forest and made a beautiful flower out of the young man. This beautiful flower remained on the bank of the stream, admiring its reflection.

And people began to say to those who often look into their reflection:

- Do not admire yourself for a long time, so as not to turn into a flower, like Narcissus

Parables for children

The legend of how the kangaroo got its name.

The famous navigator James Cook sailed to Australia. There he saw amazing animals that jumped in huge leaps on two legs.

The surprised captain asked a local resident:

- What is the name of this beast?

The native shrugged his shoulders because he didn’t understand anything.

Cook asked again:

- Who is this?- and pointed to the jumping animal.

The native replied:

- Kan garu.

In the local language, this meant: "I do not understand you".

Cook asked:

- Kangaroo?

The native nodded his head.

- Kan Garu

Cook wrote in his magazine that he saw amazing animals that run by jumping on two legs. And these animals are called: kangaroo.

Parables for children

The dispute between the Sun and Wind. Who is stronger?

The wind boasted of how strong it was. The sun decided to teach the Wind a lesson. It said:

- You see, there is an old man in a raincoat. Can you take off his cloak?
“Of course I can,” Wind replied.

The sun hid behind a cloud, and the wind began to blow. Stronger and stronger until finally it turned into a hurricane. But, the more the Wind blew, the more the traveler wrapped himself up in his cloak.

The sun said:

- Enough! Now it's my turn!

The wind died down and stopped.

And the Sun smiled at the traveler and warmed him with its rays. The old man cheered up, he felt warm - and he took off his cloak.

And the Sun said to the Wind:

- You see! There is another force.

Since then, the Wind has ceased to boast of its strength in front of the Sun.

Parables for children

Parable. How to divide equally?

Two brothers lived in the same village. Father will give them a field. And the brothers decided to divide the field in half.

They began to divide. It seemed to one that the other got most of it ... then on the contrary ... They could not draw a border. We thought and wondered ... we almost got to a fight ...

And they decided to turn to the Sage.

- Tell me, Sage ... How can we divide the field equally and peacefully among ourselves?

And the sage says:

- Do this. Let one brother divide the field in half as he decides to do it. And the second - let him choose from two halves: which part will be his, and which will go to his brother.

And so they did. One brother divided the field in half. He tried very hard to keep the halves the same. The second brother chose one half of the field. And he was also pleased. After this incident, the brothers began to divide everything in this way.

Parables for children

How to relate to your work.

Three workers were carrying bricks. A boy came up to them and asked:

- What are you doing?

The worker wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied:

- Don't you see that we are carrying bricks?
- But why?
- Kid, we have such a job.

The boy did not understand anything why people wear bricks. I went up to another worker and asked:

- What are you doing?

He rolled up his sleeves and said in a businesslike manner:

- Don't you see? - We earn money.
- What for?
- What do you mean why? I need money, otherwise I didn't go to this job.

Then the boy went up to the third worker.

- What are you doing?

The man smiled and said:

- Like what? We're doing a good job. We are building a house for good people. People will live happily in it. I am glad that I have already built many beautiful houses.

The boy thought about it. People do the same job for different reasons. And with different moods.

Children's parables

Fight with the Lion

The lion was resting in the shade of a large tree after a hearty meal. It was noon. Heat.

The Jackal approached the Lion. He looked at the resting Leo and timidly said:

- A lion! Let's fight!

But there was only silence in response.

The jackal began to speak louder:

- A lion! Let's fight! Let's arrange a battle in this clearing. You are against me!

The lion did not even pay attention to him.

Then the Jackal threatened:

- Let's fight! Otherwise, I'll go and tell everyone that you, Leo, were terribly frightened of me.

The lion yawned, stretched lazily and said:

- And who will believe you? Just think! Even if someone condemns me for cowardice, it is still much more pleasant than the fact that they will despise me. To despise for a fight with some kind of Jackal ...

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Parables for children

Fly and bee

The mosquito asked Mucha:

- Are there beautiful flowers somewhere nearby?

But Fly answered Komaru:

- There are no flowers here. But there are many good trash heaps. You should definitely fly to them. There are so many interesting things.

The mosquito flew. And I met the Bee. He asked:

- Bee! Where are the trash cans? I can't find them in any way.

And the Bee answers:

- I do not know. I saw only beautiful flowers nearby. Let's fly together and I'll show them to you.

Parables for children

Ghost tree.

There was a large withered tree not far from the road.

One night a thief was passing by on the road. He saw a tree in the dark. But this silhouette seemed to him in the form of a policeman. The thief got scared and ran away.

In the evening a lover passed by. He noticed a graceful silhouette from a distance and thought that it was his beloved who had been waiting for him for a long time. His heart beat with joy. He smiled and quickened his pace.

Once a mother with a child passed by a tree. The kid, frightened by terrible tales, thought that there was a ghost near the road and burst into tears.

But the tree has always been just a tree!

The world around us is a reflection of ourselves.

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Parables for children

What else could I become?

There were two brothers. One brother was a successful man who achieved fame for his good deeds. The other brother was a criminal.

One day, the police caught the offender and the case was taken to court. Before the court, a group of journalists surrounded him, and one asked a question:

- How did it happen that you became a criminal?
- I had a difficult childhood. My father drank, beat my mother and me and my brother. What else could I become?

After a while, several journalists approached the first brother, and one asked:

- You are known for your achievements and good deeds. How did you get it all?

The man thought about it, and then replied:

- I had a difficult childhood. My father drank, beat my mother, my brother and me. What else could I become?

Parables for children

ALL IN YOUR HANDS
Parable

Once upon a time, in the same city, there lived a great sage. The fame of his wisdom spread far around his hometown, people from afar came to him for advice.

But there was a man in the city who was jealous of its glory. Once he came to the meadow, caught a butterfly, put it between his closed palms and thought:

- I'll go to the sage and ask him: tell me, oh wisest, which butterfly is in my hands - alive or dead? - If he says dead, I will open my palms, the butterfly will fly away. If he says alive, I will close my palms and the butterfly will die. Then everyone will understand which of us is smarter.

And that's how it turned out. The envious person came to the city and asked the sage: "Tell me, wisest one, which butterfly is in my hands - alive or dead?"

Looking intently into the eyes, the sage said:

"All in your hands".

Parables for children

Parable. TOY MASTER

In a distant country there lived an old man who was very fond of children. He constantly made toys for them.

But these toys turned out to be so fragile that they broke faster than the child had time to play with them. Having broken another toy, the children were very upset and came to the master to ask for new ones. He gladly gave them others, even more fragile ...

Finally, the parents intervened. They came to the old man with a question:

- Tell us, oh, Wise One, why do you always give our children such fragile toys that the children cry inconsolably when they break them?

And then the sage said:

- It will take quite a few years, and someone will give these former children their heart. Maybe, having learned not to break fragile toys, they will be more careful with someone else's heart? ..

The parents thought for a long time. And they left after thanking Teacher.

Parables for children

Paper

The teacher called his students and showed them a sheet of white paper.

- What do you see here? The Sage asked.

“A point,” one answered.

All the other students nodded their heads as a sign that they also saw the point.

- Take a closer look, - said the Teacher.

But no matter how peered the disciples, they saw nothing but a black point.

And then the teacher said:

- You all saw a small black dot, and no one noticed a blank white sheet ...

- So, I still have something to teach you.

Parables for children

About trading methods

Once, an ancient old man in a skullcap and an oriental robe embroidered with an unusual ornament appeared at the bazaar. The old man was selling watermelons.

There was a sign above his merchandise:

“One watermelon - 3 rubles. Three watermelons - 10 rubles ”.

A bearded man comes up and buys a watermelon for three rubles ...

Then another watermelon for three rubles ...

And at parting he happily says to the seller:

- Look, I bought three watermelons, and paid only 9 rubles, not 10. You don’t know how to trade!

The old man looks after him:

- Yes! They buy three watermelons from me instead of one, and then teach me how to trade ...

Children's parables

The parable of the two wolves

Once upon a time, an old Indian revealed to his grandson one life truth.

- You see, there is a struggle in every person. This fight is very similar to the fight between two wolves. One wolf represents evil: envy, jealousy, regret, selfishness, greed, lies ... And the other wolf represents good: peace, love, hope, care, kindness, loyalty ... And other good human qualities.

The little Indian thought for a long time. And then he asked:

- Grandfather! Which wolf wins in the end? Bad wolf or kind?

The old Indian smiled faintly and replied:

- Remember: the wolf that you feed always wins.

Parables for children

A stupid boy

A little boy walks into a hairdresser. The hairdresser recognizes him immediately and tells his clients:

- Look, this is the stupidest boy among all in the world! Now I will prove it to you.

The hairdresser takes $ 1 in one hand and 25 cents in the other. Calls the boy and invites him to choose:

- Do you choose 1 or 25?
- Twenty five!

Everyone laughs. The boy gets 25 cents and leaves.

Soon, one client catches up with the boy and asks:

- Boy! Tell me, why did you choose 25 cents over $ 1? Are you really that stupid that you don’t realize that $ 1 is more than 25 cents?
- Good! And what will I have for this?
- Get another 25 cents.

The boy receives coins and says:

- Because the day I choose $ 1, I think the hairdresser will stop rejoicing. Visitors will have nothing to laugh about. I will become "smart", I will not be "stupid" anymore. And I can't get 25 cents every time.

Children's parables

The legend of the temple with a thousand mirrors

Many hundreds of years ago, high in the mountains, there was a Temple with a thousand mirrors. Many people went to see him.

Once, a dog entered this temple. Looking around, the dog saw a thousand dogs in the mirrors and, frightened, bared its teeth.

At that moment she saw a thousand grinning dogs. The dog growled. And the echo answered with a growl ..

With its tail between its legs, the dog jumped out of the temple, confident that evil dogs lived in this temple.

A month later, another dog came to the temple with a thousand mirrors.

She entered it and, looking in the mirrors, saw a thousand friendly and peaceful dogs. She wagged her tail. And I saw a thousand friendly dogs.

Barking joyfully, she left the temple with complete confidence that this Temple was full of friendly dogs.

• The world is often only a reflection of ourselves: if we look at the world with light and joy, then it also responds to us in the same way!

Parables for children

Apple bucket

The man bought himself a new house - a big, beautiful one - and a garden with fruit trees near the house. And an envious neighbor lived nearby in an old house.

One day a man woke up in a good mood, went out onto the porch, and there was a pile of rubbish.

What to do? Your own porch, you need to clean it. And also - to find out who it was. And I found out - an envious neighbor.

I wanted to go and have a fight, but after thinking it over, I decided to do it differently.

I went into the garden, picked up the ripeest apples and went to a neighbor.

The neighbor, hearing a knock on the door, thought maliciously: "Finally, my neighbor is angry!" Opens the door.

To his surprise, there was no one there, only apples. And there is a note on the apples:

The one who is rich in what is so and shares!

Children's parables

Bad words.

The two friends had a falling out. And one of them began to say bad words about his friend to everyone he knew.

But then he calmed down and realized that he was wrong. He came to a friend and began to ask him for forgiveness.

Then the second friend said:

- Good! I will forgive you. Only on one condition.
- What?
- Take a pillow and release all the feathers into the wind.

The first friend did just that. He ripped open the pillow. And the wind blew the feathers all over the village.

A satisfied friend came to another and said:

- Completed your task. Am I forgiven?
“Yes, if you put all the feathers back into your pillow.

But you yourself understand that it is impossible to collect all the feathers back. So the bad words that have already scattered throughout the village cannot be taken back.

Best regards, rhetoric coach Oleg Bolsunov.

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Short legends, parables, fables for primary children

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