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Russian folk tale “Geese and Swans” with illustrations by I. D. Sytin, 1916
An old man lived with an old woman; They had a daughter and a little son.
- Daughter, daughter! - says the mother, - we will go to work, bring you a bun, sew a dress, buy a handkerchief: be smart, take care of your brother, don’t leave the yard.
The elders left, and the daughter forgot what she was ordered to do: she sat her brother down on the grass under the window, and she ran outside, started playing, and took a walk.
Geese-swans swooped in, picked up the boy and carried him away on their wings. The girl came, and lo and behold, her brother was gone! She gasped, rushed back and forth - no. She called, burst into tears, lamented that it would be bad from her father and mother, but her brother did not respond!
She ran out into an open field and saw swan geese darting in the distance and disappearing behind the dark forest.
Geese-swans have long gained a bad reputation for themselves - they dragged small children; the girl guessed that they had taken her brother away and rushed to catch up with them.
She ran and ran and saw that there was a stove.
- Stove, stove! Tell me, where did the geese fly?
“Eat my rye pie, I’ll tell you.”
- Oh, my father doesn’t eat wheat!
The stove didn't say.
The girl ran further. She ran and ran and saw an apple tree standing there.
- Apple tree, apple tree! Tell me, where did the geese fly?
“Eat my forest apple, I’ll tell you.”
- Oh, my father doesn’t even eat garden vegetables!
The apple tree didn't say.
She ran further. She ran and ran and saw a river of milk flowing, the banks of jelly.
- Milk river, jelly banks! Where did the geese fly?
- Eat my simple jelly with milk - I’ll tell you.
- Oh, my father can’t even eat cream!
And she would have had to run through the fields and wander through the forest for a long time, but, fortunately, she came across a hedgehog; She wanted to push him, but she was afraid of getting hurt and asked:
- Hedgehog, hedgehog! Didn't you see where the geese flew?
- Over there! - the hedgehog pointed out.
The girl ran there, saw a hut standing on chicken legs, stood there and turned around.
Baba Yaga is sitting in the hut, and his brother is sitting on a bench, playing with golden apples.
His sister saw him, crept up quietly, grabbed him and carried him away; and the geese fly after her; They're about to catch up - where to go?
A milk river runs along the banks of jelly.
- Mother River, hide me!
“Eat my jelly with milk, then I’ll hide it.”
Nothing to do - I ate it.
The river put the girl and her brother under the bank, the geese flew by and didn’t notice.
The girl came out, thanked the milk river and again started running with her brother. And the geese have returned and are flying towards us.
What to do? Trouble! There is a forest apple tree.
- Mother Apple Tree, hide me!
- Eat my forest apple - then I’ll hide it!
The girl ate it quickly. The apple tree obscured it with branches and covered it with leaves; The geese flew by and didn’t see.
The girl came out and ran again with her brother, and the geese saw them and followed her; They just swoop down, they’re already beating with their wings, and before you know it, they’ll snatch your brother out of your hands! Fortunately, there is a stove on the road.
- Madam stove, hide me!
- Eat my rye pie - then I’ll hide it!
The girl quickly put the pie in her mouth, and she and her brother went into the oven, and hid in the mouth.
The geese flew and flew, screamed and shouted, and flew away with nothing.
And the girl jumped out of the oven with her brother and quickly ran home. It’s good that I managed to come running in time, otherwise my father and mother returned.
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I.
Once upon a time there lived a man and a woman.
They sowed wheat, harvested the crops, baked bread and took it to the market on weekends. And they had two children - Olyushka, the eldest, and Vanyushka, the youngest. So, one day, the parents got ready to go on the road - they loaded the bread onto the cart, and left the children at home and punished Olyushka: - You, daughter, look after your brother. Don't leave home. Otherwise, geese-swans will swoop in and take him to Baba Yaga behind the dark mountains, into a dense forest. If you fulfill our order, we will bring gifts from the market.
Olya listens to her father and mother, but does not hear. He only thinks about gifts. When her father and mother left, she sat her brother down at the window to play in the grass, and she ran off to her friends.
How long or how little time passes, Olyushka returns home. Look, my brother is gone. He looks left and right and calls out to him. Nobody responds. Then Olyushka cried bitter tears.
Suddenly, a mouse runs. He asks: “What are you crying about, little girl?” What are you grieving about? - How can I not cry? - Olyushka answers. - My little brother is missing! Nice brother! My father and mother told me to keep an eye on him, but I didn’t listen to them! Left him alone.
The mouse answers her: “Yes, a great tragedy happened.” And the geese and swans carried away your brother. To Baba Yaga, beyond the dark mountains, into the dense forest.
II.
Then Olyushka thanked the mouse and wandered off wherever she looked. So she goes and sees an apple tree . The heavy branches bent low to the ground. The apples on them are liquid, scarlet, and just look - they will fall.
Olyushka says: “Apple tree, apple tree, haven’t you seen where the swan geese have flown?”
The apple tree answers her: “Tie up my branches and taste my fruits.” It's hard for me to stand like this. Then I'll tell you. “I don’t have time to eat apples and tie up branches,” says Olyushka. She turned around and walked on, not knowing the road.
So she goes further and sees a river flowing - the banks of jelly . In one place, dry branches and stones attacked and blocked the riverbed. It's hard for water to get through them.
Olyushka says: “River, little river, have you seen where the swan geese have flown?” The river answers her: “And you free my riverbed and taste my jelly.” Then I'll tell you. “I have no time to drink jelly and remove branches,” says Olyushka. She turned around and walked on, not knowing the road.
It goes further. a stove by the road . Puffs and smokes. The pies just fall out of the valve. Olyushka says: “Stove, oh stove, haven’t you seen where the swan geese have flown?” The stove answers her: “Take out my pies, put them on a plate and try them yourself.” “I don’t have time to take out the pies and eat them,” says Olyushka. She turned around and walked on, not knowing the road.
III.
So she came to the dense forest. A dark forest, a wild forest. She sees a hut standing on the edge of the forest, and next to it her brother Vanyushka is sitting on the grass, playing with rejuvenating apples.
Olyushka approached him quietly, took his hand and wanted to run. But then a terrible shaggy head with a long nose poked out of the hut. That was Baba Yaga. She grabbed Olyushka with one hand and Vanyushka with the other and dragged her into the hut. “Now I’ll eat you both,” he says. - I’ll just be gone for a while. In the meantime, my daughter will roast you in the oven.
She said so and walked out. Her daughter remained - a dried-up, reed-thin old woman, a little younger than Baba Yaga. She says to the children: “Come on, sit down quickly!” I'll send you to the oven!
And Olyushka sits on her shoulder blade and spreads her arms and legs to the sides. It doesn't go into the oven. Then Baba Yaga's daughter got angry. Shouts: - Stupid girl! Why, you can’t even fit into the oven properly! “Show me,” says Olyushka. Well, the old woman sat down on her shoulder blade, tucked her arms and legs, and Olyushka instantly sent her into the oven and covered her with a damper. She grabbed her brother and ran away from the hut.
How long or short does it take Baba Yaga ? He smells meat coming from the oven. She took it out, ate it, and only then thought, “Where did my daughter go?” Suddenly look at the plate - and there is a copper ring, from my daughter’s finger. She realized then that Olyushka had deceived her. She became so angry that her teeth were clenched and from this terrible gnashing, the forest birds flew away from the trees.
Baba Yaga shouted: “Geese-swans!” My faithful helpers! Fly! Find it! Bring back the fugitives! The swan geese flew in like a gray cloud, a terrible cloud. And they rushed over the fields - to scour the forests.
IV.
Meanwhile, Olyushka and Vanyushka ran away from the black forest. Here they are running, and they see that the swan geese are catching up, they cannot escape. And a stove .
Olyushka begged: “Mother stove, hide us!” The stove answers her: “Take out my pies, put them on a plate and try them yourself.” Olyushka immediately took the pies out of the oven and put a pie in her brother’s mouth. And then she and her brother climbed into the oven. And as soon as she managed to close the damper behind her, geese and swans swooped in. They circled and circled, but not finding anything, they flew away further. Olyushka thanked the stove, took her brother’s hand and ran on.
How long or how little time passes, the geese-swans are catching up again. And ahead on the way there is a river - the banks of jelly . Olya begged: “Mother River, hide us.” The river answers her: “And you free my bed, and taste my jelly.” Then I'll hide it. Olyushka and Vanyushka immediately scattered pebbles and twigs in different directions and sipped the jelly. And just under the river’s sleeve the river had time to rise when geese and swans swooped down. They circled and circled, but found nothing, and continued flying. Olyushka thanked the river, took her brother’s hand and ran on.
How long or how little time passes, the geese-swans are catching up again. And there is an apple tree . Olya begged: “Mother Yablonka, hide us.” The apple tree answers her: “Tie up my branches and taste my fruits.” Then I'll hide it. Olya immediately tied up the branches, took an apple for herself and her brother, and only had time to stand under the spreading branches when the swan geese flew in. They circled around for a long time, screaming in terrible voices. But they never found anything. They returned to Baba Yaga with nothing. And Olyushka thanked the apple tree, took her brother and ran on. It's not far from home now.
They just came running, and then the father and mother returned from the market. Guests were brought in. They stroked Olya on the head and caressed her with kind words. Because she looked after her brother well.
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Fairy tale with pictures: Geese-swans Once upon a time there lived a husband and wife, and they had a daughter and a little son. “Daughter,” says the mother, “we’ll go to work, take care of your brother!” Don't leave the yard, be smart - we'll buy you a handkerchief. The parents went away, and the girl forgot what they were punishing her: she sat her brother on the grass under the window, and she started playing with her friends and completely forgot about her brother.
Geese-swans swooped in, picked up the boy, and carried him away on their wings. The girl returned, and lo and behold, her brother was gone! She gasped, rushed back and forth - no! She ran out into an open field and just saw: geese-swans darted in the distance and disappeared behind the dark forest. The girl rushed to catch up with them... She ran and ran, and saw that there was a stove.
- Stove, stove, tell me, where did the geese-swans fly? -Eat the pie, I’ll tell you. “I’m full,” the girl answered. He runs further and sees that the apple tree is standing. -Apple tree, tell me, where did the geese-swans fly? -Eat an apple, I’ll tell you. -Probably sour. - And she ran on.
She would have run like that, fine, the bunny met him and showed him where the geese had taken his little brother. In the thickest part of the forest she hovered a hut on chicken legs. Old Baba Yaga sits in the hut, spinning a tow, and her brother plays with golden apples on a bench. The girl entered the hut: - Hello, grandma! -Hello, girl! Why did she appear? -I got lost and went to warm myself. -Sit down while you spin the tow, and I’ll heat the bathhouse.
Baba Yaga gave her a spindle and left. The girl is spinning - suddenly a mouse runs out from under the stove and says to her: - Girl, give me some porridge, I’ll help you. The girl gave her porridge, the mouse told her: “Baba Yaga went to heat the bathhouse.” She will wash you, steam you, put you in an oven, fry you and eat you, and ride on your bones herself. The girl got scared, threw the spindle, grabbed her brother tightly and ran out of the hut. Baba Yaga heated the bathhouse and went after the girl. But there was no one in the hut. Baba Yaga shouted: “Geese-swans!” Hurry up and give chase! My sister took my brother away!...
A girl and her brother are running, and the geese are catching up with them. He sees an apple tree standing. -Mother Apple Tree, hide us! -Eat my apple, then I’ll hide it. The girl quickly ate the forest apple and said thank you. The apple tree shielded the children with its branches, covered them with leaves... The swan geese did not see, they flew past. The girl ran again.
The girl ran to the stove: “Madam stove, hide us!” -Eat my rye pie! The girl ate the pie, the stove hid them. The geese circled, screamed and flew away to Baba Yaga with nothing. And the girl said thank you to the stove and ran home with her brother. Then the father and mother came and brought gifts.
