In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived an old man and an old woman, and they had three sons. The youngest was called Ivanushka. They lived - they were not lazy, they worked from morning to night: they plowed the arable land and sowed grain.
Suddenly bad news spread in that kingdom-state: the filthy miracle Yudo was going to attack their land, destroy all the people, burn all the cities and villages with fire.
The old man and the old woman began to sunbathe. And the elder sons console them:
- Don’t worry, father and mother! Let's go to the miracle Yudo, we'll fight him to the death! And so that you don’t feel sad alone, let Ivanushka stay with you: he is still very young to go to battle.
“No,” says Ivanushka, “I don’t want to stay at home and wait for you, I’ll go and fight the miracle!”
The old man and the old woman did not try to dissuade him or hold him back. They equipped all three sons for the journey. The brothers took heavy clubs, took knapsacks with bread and salt, mounted good horses and rode off.
Whether the ride was long or short, they met an old man.
- Hello, good fellows!
- Hello, grandfather!
-Where are you going?
“We’re going with the filthy miracle-yud to fight, to fight, to defend our native land!”
- Good deed! Only for battle you need not clubs, but damask swords.
- Where can I get them, grandfather?
- And I’ll teach you. You go, good fellows, everything is straight. You will reach a high mountain. And in that mountain there is a deep cave. The entrance to it is blocked with a large stone. Roll away the stone, enter the cave and find damask swords there.
The brothers thanked the passerby and drove straight, as he taught them. They see a high mountain, with a large gray stone rolled down on one side. The brothers rolled away that stone and entered the cave. And there are all sorts of weapons there - you can’t even count them! They each chose a sword and moved on.
“Thank you,” they say, “to the person passing by.” It will be much easier for us to fight with swords!
They drove on and came to some village. They look - there is not a single living soul around, everything is burned out and broken. There is one small hut. The brothers entered the hut. The old woman lies on the stove and groans.
- Hello, grandma! - say the brothers.
- Hello, well done! Where are you headed?
“We are going, grandma, across the Smorodina River, across the Viburnum Bridge.” We want to fight the miracle jud and not allow it onto our land.
- Oh, well done, they have taken up a good deed! After all, he, the villain, ruined and plundered everyone! And he got to us. I was the only one who survived here... The brothers spent the night with the old woman, got up early in the morning and set off on the road again.
They drive up to the Smorodina River itself, to the Viburnum Bridge. All along the shore there are swords and broken bows, and human bones.
The brothers found an empty hut and decided to stay in it.
“Well, brothers, we’ve arrived in a foreign direction,” says Ivan, “we need to listen to everything and take a closer look.” Let's take turns going on patrol so that we don't miss the miracle Yudo across the Kalinovy Bridge.
On the first night, the elder brother went on patrol. He walked along the bank, looked across the Smorodina River - everything was quiet, he couldn’t see anyone, couldn’t hear anything. The elder brother lay down under a willow bush and fell asleep soundly, snoring loudly.
And Ivan lies in the hut - he cannot sleep, does not doze. As time passed past midnight, he took his damask sword and went to the Smorodina River.
He looks - his older brother is sleeping under a bush, snoring at the top of his lungs. Ivan did not wake him up. He hid under the Viburnum bridge, standing, guarding the crossing.
Suddenly the waters on the river became agitated, the eagles screamed in the oak trees - a miracle Yudo with six heads was approaching. He rode out to the middle of the Viburnum bridge - the horse stumbled under him, the black raven on his shoulder started, and behind him the black dog bristled.
The six-headed miracle Yudo says:
- Why, my horse, did you stumble? Why are you, black raven, perked up? Why are you, black dog, bristling? Or do you sense that Ivan is the peasant’s son here? So he wasn’t born yet, and even if he was born, he wasn’t fit to fight! I'll put him on one arm and slam him with the other!
Ivan, the peasant son, came out from under the bridge and said:
- Don’t boast, you filthy miracle! I didn’t shoot a clear falcon - it’s too early to pluck feathers! I didn’t recognize the good fellow - there’s no point in shaming him! Let's better try our strength: whoever overcomes will boast.
So they came together, drew level, and hit each other so hard that the earth began to roar all around. Miracle Yud was not lucky: Ivan, the peasant son, knocked off three of his heads with one swing.
- Stop, Ivan is a peasant son! - shouts the miracle Yudo. - Give me a break!
- What a vacation! You, miracle Yudo, have three heads, and I have one. Once you have one head, then we will rest.
And they got together again, and hit again. Ivan the peasant son cut off the miracle juda and the last three heads. He cut the body into small pieces and threw it into the Smorodina River, and put the heads under the viburnum bridge. He returned to the hut himself and went to bed.
In the morning the elder brother comes. Ivan asks him:
- Well, have you seen anything?
- No, brothers. Not even a fly flew past me!
Ivan didn’t say a word to him.
The next night the middle brother went on patrol. He walked and walked, looked around and calmed down. He climbed into the bushes and fell asleep.
Ivan didn’t rely on him either. As time passed past midnight, he quickly equipped himself, took his sharp sword and went to the Smorodina River. He hid under the viburnum bridge and began to keep watch.
Suddenly the waters on the river became agitated, the eagles screamed in the oak trees - the nine-headed miracle Yudo was approaching. He rode out to the middle of the Viburnum bridge - the horse stumbled under him, the black raven on his shoulder started, the black dog bristled behind him... Miraculously, the horse hit the sides with a whip, the crow hit the feathers, the dog hit the ears!
- Why, my horse, did you stumble? Why did you, black raven, perk up? Why are you, black dog, bristling? Or do you sense that Ivan is the peasant’s son here? So he wasn’t born yet, and even if he was born, he wasn’t fit to fight! I'll kill him with one finger!
Ivan, the peasant son, jumped out from under the viburnum bridge:
- Wait, miracle Yudo, don’t boast, get down to business first! Let's see whose will take it!
As Ivan swung his damask sword once or twice, he took off six heads from the miracle-yuda. And the miracle Yudo hit - he drove Ivan up to his knees into the damp earth.
Ivan the peasant son grabbed a handful of sand and threw it right into his enemy’s eyes. While Miracle Yudo was wiping and cleaning his eyes, Ivan cut off the other three heads. He cut the body into small pieces and threw it into the Smorodina River, and put the heads under the viburnum bridge. He returned to the hut himself. I lay down and fell asleep as if nothing had happened.
In the morning the middle brother comes.
“Well,” asks Ivan, “didn’t you see anything during the night?”
- No, not a single fly flew near me, not a single mosquito squeaked.
- Well, if so, come with me, dear brothers. I'll show you both a mosquito and a fly.
Ivan brought the brothers under the Viburnum bridge and showed them the miracle Yud’s heads.
“Look,” he says, “the flies and mosquitoes that fly here at night.”
The brothers felt ashamed.
“Sleep,” they say, “fell over...
On the third night, Ivan himself got ready to go on patrol.
“I,” he says, “are going to a terrible battle!” And you, brothers, don’t sleep all night, listen: when you hear my whistle, release my horse, and rush to my aid.
Ivan, a peasant son, came to the Smorodina River, stood along the Viburnum bridge, waiting.
As soon as it was past midnight, the damp earth began to shake, the waters in the river became agitated, violent winds howled, eagles screamed in the oak trees. The twelve-headed miracle Yudo drives out onto the Kalinovy Bridge. All twelve heads are whistling, all twelve are blazing with fire and flame. The miracle-yud's horse has twelve wings, the horse's hair is copper, the tail and mane are iron. As soon as he rode onto the Viburnum bridge, the horse stumbled under him, the black raven on his shoulder started, the black dog bristled behind him... Miracle Yudo hit the horse with a whip on the sides, the crow on the feathers, the dog on the ears!
- Why, my horse, did you stumble? Why did you, black raven, perk up? Why are you, black dog, bristling? Or do you sense that Ivan is the peasant’s son here? So he wasn’t born yet, and even if he was born, he wasn’t fit to fight! I just blow and there won’t be any dust left!
Here Ivan, the peasant son, came out from under the viburnum bridge:
- Wait, miracle Yudo, boast! How can you not disgrace yourself!
- Oh, so it’s you, Ivan, the peasant’s son? Why did you come here?
- Look at you, enemy strength, test your courage!
- Why should you try my courage? You are a fly in front of me!
Ivan, the peasant son of the miracle, answers:
“I didn’t come to tell you fairy tales or listen to yours.” I came to fight to the death, to save good people from you, damned one!
Here Ivan swung his sharp sword and cut off three heads of the miracle Yuda. Miracle Yudo picked up these heads, scratched them with his fiery finger, put them on their necks, and immediately the heads grew back as if they had never fallen from their shoulders.
Ivan had a bad time: the miracle Yudo deafens him with a whistle, burns him with fire, showers him with sparks, drives him knee-deep into the damp earth... And he chuckles:
“Would you like to rest, Ivan, the peasant’s son?”
- What kind of vacation? In our opinion - hit, slash, don’t take care of yourself! - says Ivan.
He whistled and threw his right mitten into the hut, where his brothers were waiting for him. The mitten broke the window, and the brothers were sleeping and didn’t hear anything.
Ivan gathered his strength, swung again, stronger than before, and cut off six heads of the miracle-yuda. Miracle Yudo picked up his heads, struck them with a fiery finger, put them to their necks - and again all the heads were in place. He rushed at Ivan and beat him waist-deep into the damp earth.
Ivan sees that things are bad. He took off his left mitten and threw it into the hut. The mitten has blown the roof off, and the brothers are sleeping and don’t hear anything.
For the third time, Ivan, the peasant son, swung and cut off nine heads of the miracle. Miracle Yudo picked up his heads, struck them with a fiery finger, put them to their necks - the heads grew back. He rushed at Ivan and drove him into the ground up to his shoulders...
Ivan took off his hat and threw it into the hut. From that blow the hut staggered and almost rolled over the logs. Just then the brothers woke up. They hear Ivanov’s horse neighing loudly and breaking from its chains. They rushed to the stable, released the horse, and ran after it themselves.
Ivanov’s horse galloped up and began to beat the miracle Yudo with its hooves. The miracle-yudo whistled, hissed, and began to shower the horse with sparks. Meanwhile, Ivan, the peasant son, crawled out of the ground, contrived and cut off the fiery finger of the miracle-juda. After that, let's chop off his heads. Knocked down every single one. He cut the body into small pieces and threw it into the Smorodina River. The brothers come running here.
- Oh, you! - says Ivan. “Because of your drowsiness, I almost lost my head.”
His brothers brought him to the hut, washed him, fed him, gave him something to drink and put him to bed. In the morning Ivan got up and began to dress and put on his shoes.
-Where did you get up so early? - say the brothers. “I wish I could rest after such a massacre!”
“No,” Ivan answers, “I have no time for rest: I’ll go to the Smorodina River to look for my sash,” I dropped it there.
- Hunting for you! - say the brothers. - Let's go into town and buy a new one.
- No, I need mine!
Ivan went to the Smorodina River, but did not look for the sash, but crossed to the other bank across the viburnum bridge and sneaked up unnoticed to the miraculous yuda stone chambers. He went up to the open window and began to listen - are they up to something else here?
He looks - three miraculous wives and his mother, an old snake, are sitting. They sit and talk.
The first one says:
- I will take revenge on Ivan, the peasant son, for my husband! I’ll get ahead of myself, when Ivan and his brothers start returning home, I’ll bring in the heat, and I’ll turn into a well. They will want to drink water and drop dead from the first sip!
- You came up with a good idea! - says the old snake.
The second one says:
“And I’ll run ahead and turn into an apple tree.” If they want to eat an apple, they will be torn into small pieces!
- And you came up with a good idea! - says the old snake.
“And I,” says the third, “will make them fall asleep and doze, and I myself will run ahead and turn myself into a soft carpet with silk pillows.” If the brothers want to lie down and rest, then they will be burned with fire!
- And you came up with a good idea! - said the snake. - Well, if you don’t ruin it, I myself will turn into a huge pig, catch up with them and swallow all three of them!
Ivan, the peasant son, overheard these speeches and returned to his brothers.
- Well, did you find your sash? - the brothers ask.
- Found.
- And it was worth spending time on it!
- It was worth it, brothers!
After that, the brothers got together and went home. They travel through the steppes, they travel through meadows. And the day is so hot, so sultry. I'm thirsty - I have no patience! The brothers looked - there was a well, and in the well a silver ladle was floating. The brothers say to Ivan:
- Come on, brother, let's stop, drink some cold water and water the horses!
“It is unknown what kind of water is in this well,” Ivan answers. - Maybe rotten and dirty.
He jumped off his horse and began to cut and slash that well with his sword. The well howled and roared in an evil voice. Then the fog descended, the heat subsided - I didn’t feel like drinking.
“You see, brothers, what kind of water there was in the well,” says Ivan.
They drove on. Whether it was a long or short drive, we saw an apple tree. There are large and ruddy apples hanging on it. The brothers jumped off their horses and wanted to pick apples. And Ivan ran ahead and started cutting down the apple tree right to the roots. The apple tree howled and screamed...
- Do you see, brothers, what kind of apple tree this is? Tasty apples on it!
The brothers mounted their horses and rode on. They rode and rode and became very tired. They look - a soft patterned carpet is spread out on the field, and there are down pillows on it.
- Let's lie down on the carpet, rest, take a nap for an hour! - say the brothers.
- No, brothers, it won’t be soft to lie on this carpet! - Ivan answers them.
The brothers were angry with him:
- What kind of a guide are you: this is not allowed, the other is not allowed!
Ivan didn’t say a word to them in response. He took off his sash and threw it on the carpet. The sash burst into flames and burned.
- It would happen to you too! - Ivan says to his brothers.
He went up to the carpet and let’s chop the carpet and pillows into small pieces. He chopped it up, scattered it to the sides and said:
- In vain, brothers, you grumbled at me! Lead the well, and the apple tree, and the carpet - all these were miracle wives of Yuda. They wanted to destroy us. But they failed: they all died!
The brothers moved on. They drove a lot or a little - suddenly the sky darkened, the wind howled, the earth began to roar: a huge pig was running after them. She opened her mouth to her ears - she wants to swallow Ivan and his brothers. Here the fellows, don’t be stupid, pulled out a pound of salt from their knapsacks and threw them into the pig’s mouth. The pig was delighted - she thought that she had captured Ivan, the peasant’s son and his brothers. She stopped and began to chew salt. And when I tried it, I rushed off in pursuit again. He runs, clicks his teeth. It's about to catch up...
Then Ivan ordered the brothers to gallop in different directions: one galloped to the right, the other to the left, and Ivan himself galloped forward. The pig stopped, doesn’t know who to catch up with first. While she was thinking and turning her muzzle in different directions, Ivan jumped up to her, picked her up and hit the ground with all his might. The pig crumbled into ashes, and the wind scattered those ashes in all directions.
Since then, all the miracles and snakes in that region have disappeared. People began to live without fear.
And Ivan, the peasant son, and his brothers returned home to their father and mother. And they began to live and live, plow the field and sow wheat.
Edited by Bulatov A.M.
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