There lived an old king. He was a rich king. He even had his own court sorceress, and the king was very proud of the miracles that this sorceress could do.
And then one day the king ordered to send a message to all parts of the kingdom with a promise to give his youngest daughter and half the kingdom in addition to whoever defeats the royal sorceress. But with the condition that if anyone undertakes this, but does not fulfill it, his head is off his shoulders.
There were three brothers in this kingdom. Their names were Bill, Tom and Jack. Their parents were poor people, and the whole family huddled in a wretched hut that stood in the most remote corner of the kingdom.
When the royal message reached them, all three brothers decided to try their luck.
The elder brother, Bill, was the first to go on the road. The journey was long, and his mother prepared more food for him to take with her.
And so Bill left his parents' house and walked until he met a gray-haired, hunched-over old man.
Good morning, Bill, the old man greeted him.
Morning as morning, - answered Bill.
Where are you heading? - asks a gray-haired, hunched old man.
What about you?
Why did you come? the king asks him.
Yes, I want to try - maybe I can defeat your sorceress, - Bill replies.
Then the king says:
Well, let's start the test, - and he calls his sorceress. - Let's see who wins!
Yes, there’s nothing to look at, ”Bill says, looking around at the wizened, little old woman.
It would be better if he thought before saying such impudent things. Heavier than a stone tower, an evil sorceress fell upon him, this wizened, little old woman. What's so amazing about that? She was much older than him, she must have been more than one thousand years old. And, of course, poor Bill's knees gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.
And so the second brother, Tom, got ready to go to the royal house. And his mother said to him:
Don't go, Tom, in case you don't come back either.
No, since I decided, I’ll go, ”said Tom.
His mother prepared food for him, and he set off, and also met a gray-haired, hunched-over old man, and then the same thing happened to him, because he did not want to tell the old man where he was going. The king, just like that time, called his sorceress and said to Tom: whoever defeats whom is the winner. And yet, if Tom wants, he can put someone else in his place. But Tom glanced at the wizened little old woman and boldly stepped forward. Well, of course, the same thing happened to him as to his older brother.
It was Jack's turn to go to the royal castle. And he asked his mother to prepare food for him on the road. But mother said:
Don't go, Jack, son! You are the only one we have left.
But Jack said he had to go. His mother wept so bitterly that she didn't prepare any food for him. And he took with him only dry bread and set off.
Soon he also met a gray-haired, hunched-over old man.
Good morning, Jack, the old man greeted him.
Good morning, father, Jack says, good morning, uncle.
Where are you going, Jack?
Yes, I'm looking for a ship that will go dry, uncle. Would you like to have breakfast with me, father?
First, take this stick, Jack, - says the old man, - and go along the same road that I came here. Walk until you reach a pure source. Dip this stick into the spring and hold until the water in the spring turns into wine. On the shore you will find a silver jug and a goblet. Next, figure out what to do. And by the time you get back here, the ship will be ready.
Well, Jack went and without difficulty found a clear spring, dipped his magic stick into it and held it there until the water turned into wine. He filled the silver jug with wine and returned to the old man. Together they had breakfast with dry bread and washed it down with wine. And the ship on wheels was already ready, and the old man said:
Get on that ship, Jack, say, "Sail, my ship, sail!" and the ship will sail. Don't forget, you must put on your ship anyone you meet on the way to the royal house. And also remember: everyone who boards your ship, you must ask his name.
So Jack got on the ship and said:
Sail, my ship, sail!
And the ship sailed. As they sailed through high mountains, Jack saw a man who felled thick trees with his back. Jack was surprised and asked:
Hey, what's your name?
Who-all-will overcome!
Who will conquer all? Of course you! Get on my ship.
Who-all-more-eat!
Who will eat the most? Probably you! Get on my ship.
Hey, what's your name? shouted Jack.
Who-everyone-more-drinks!
Who will drink the most? Drink to your health! Do you want to ride with us?
Whoever-drinks-more-of-all boarded the ship, and Jack said:
Sail, my ship, sail!
Hey, what's your name?
Who will overtake everyone!
Who will overtake everyone? Well, of course, you! Come join us on the ship.
The one who will drive them all also boarded the ship, and they sailed straight until they reached a man who was standing with a gun and aiming upwards, as if he wanted to shoot a hare in the sky.
Hey, what's your name? shouted Jack.
A sharpshooter boarded the ship too, and Jack said:
Sail, my ship, sail!
Hey, what's your name? Jack asked.
The king came out of the house and asked:
Why did you complain? Jack said:
I want to try my luck - maybe I can defeat your sorceress and win the heart of the youngest lady of the princess.
Do you remember the condition: if you or your assistants do not defeat my sorceress, your head will fly off your shoulders? the king asks.
How do I remember! Jack replied.
Well, then let's start the test, - says the king and calls his old sorceress.
And Jack called Who-Over-All-Will, and the first test ended in a draw, as you probably guessed.
Well, - says the king, - and now: who will eat more?
Jack without thinking twice called his friend Who-Eat-Most-Eat-All.
First, a bull was brought to them, and Who-more-of-all-eats swallowed it in an instant. Then two cows, then a few pigs, and finally half a dozen sheep.
Who-of-all-more-eats swallowed them instantly, while the old sorceress was just busy with the bull.
Well done, said the king. - But you will not be able to drink more than my sorceress!
Let's try, - said Jack and called his friend Who-the-most-drinks.
And he drank first the stream, then the lake, and soon reached the river. But the king felt sorry for the river, and he said:
All clear. And who will overtake whom?
Jack called Who-all-overtake, the king gave him and his sorceress an eggshell and told him to run to the ocean, scoop up salt water and return back. Someone who would overtake everyone ran first, of course, scooped up salt water, ran back and halfway met an old sorceress still with an empty shell.
Oh, I'm tired, - said the sorceress.
Me too, he said.
Let's sit down and rest, - she suggested, - you shouldn't strain yourself for the sake of others.
They chose a cozy green lawn and sat down to rest.
You put your head right here, - says the old woman, - and sleep for an hour.
But I must tell you that the old sorceress had such a magic bone in her pocket that it was worth putting a sleeping man under his head, and he would not wake up until this bone was taken away again. And so the sorceress waited until Who-everyone-distilled fell asleep soundly, and thrust this bone under his head. Then she poured the sea water from his shell into hers and ran back to the royal house.
And Jack was already starting to worry and asked his friend Who-sees-everyone-farther to see where Who-everyone-outsole. Who-everyone-sees further raised his hand to his eyes and immediately saw him.
He sleeps on a green lawn halfway from here, with a magic bone under his head. If you don't remove it, he won't wake up.
Who-everyone-further-shoots shot, knocked out a bone, and Who-everyone-overtakes immediately woke up. I woke up, jumped to my feet, grabbed an empty shell, ran to the ocean, scooped up salt water and halfway back caught up with the old woman as a sorceress. He deliberately pushed her arm, and the evil witch spilled all the salty sea water.
And what is the end of this story, you probably guessed it yourself. Jack and the younger princess got engaged sooner than the old sorceress had time to return to the royal castle. And when I left them, they were very satisfied and happy.
In one English small town lived a grandfather chimney sweep. He was very old, and the years of his life were gathered in a network of wrinkles on his face and overworked hands. But everyone who greeted him was amazed by his eyes: transparent gray, radiant, young, young.
It is often said that chimney sweeps are "invisible people". Chimney sweeps are not heard or seen, they go to their hard work when the whole city is still asleep, and return late at night, stained with soot and coal - how can you make out them.
Grandfather the chimney sweep also passed through the streets of the town at dawn, but he was recognized from afar by his rough working clothes, a black top hat and a coil of strong rope rope thrown over his shoulder.
Every passer-by bowed to grandfather the chimney sweep and wished him good day. He had been cleaning chimneys for so long that everyone forgot his real name and called grandfather Chimney Sweep-Kind-Soul.
One day the chimney sweep set out on a scalding frosty morning to another house. It turned out to be a smart mansion on a hill: he looked down on other houses, and his windows and doors were tightly closed, like a coat, buttoned up.
Chimney Sweep-Kind-Soul walked up the steps and rang a brass bell. A heavy door was opened for him and he was escorted into one of the rooms on the second floor to inspect the fireplace before going up to the roof.
In a cozy warm room, the chimney sweep saw two boys: one was older, the other younger; one had slicked back hair, the other had frizzy curls; one of them was in a green sweater, and the other in a red one.
Toys and beautiful things filled the room. In the corner against the wall, as if in a stable, wooden horses swayed, soldiers fought on a desk, a toy train rode merrily on the carpet by the fireplace, banging its wheels on rails.
The boys took their eyes off the game for a moment and nodded to the chimney sweep. He smiled at the children, brushed crystal snowflakes from his gray mustache, looked into the fireplace, grunted with satisfaction, and, having learned from the owners where the stairs to the attic, went upstairs.
The children had already forgotten about the strange guest and continued the game. But for some reason, the game did not work out for them: as soon as one of them, Leo, took up the engine, the little brother Theo got angry and took the engine for himself. If they pretended to ride horses, they argued loudly which of them was the best rider. If they played ball, then one wanted to kick the ball, and the second to throw.
Chimney Sweep-Kind-Soul was cleaning the chimney high on the roof. Everything was covered with ice, it was difficult to work, but he did all the work and went down the attic stairs to the house.
His face was smeared with soot, and the boys, seeing this, burst into laughter and began to tease grandfather:
- Dirty, dirty, dirty chimney sweep! they sang in unison.
The maid, burning with shame for the boys, respectfully brought a pitcher of water to the chimney sweeper and helped him to wash.
Chimney-sweep-Kind-Soul washed off the soot and carefully examined the guys. Then he spoke, and there was not a single note of irritation or anger in his voice:
- Boys, while I was cleaning the chimney, I heard all your quarrels through the fireplace and was surprised: you live in such prosperity, and yet you are such poor children.
Leo and Theo's eyes widened.
- Like this? We are not poor, our parents are the richest in our region.
The chimney sweep answered quietly:
- In your beautiful nursery and in your hearts there is no peace and harmony. You could not agree in good children's games, and a cruel joke against me united you. Is it supposed to be like that? Does evil bring people together?
The brothers felt embarrassed and lowered their eyes:
- We want to be friends with each other, but we do not always succeed. Sometimes such anger seizes, and there is nowhere to hide from it! How can we be?
The chimney sweep pointed at his soot-blackened hands.
- I am a simple person, not a scientist, I will explain to you this way: if the chimney is not cleaned of soot for a long time, it will become clogged and may break. So is the heart and soul of a person: if they are not cleansed of anger and resentment for a long time, a person can eventually become angry and cruel. I clean the chimney with my iron tools. And the heart and soul are cleansed after repentance, forgiveness and sincere tears.
Leo and Theo looked at each other and hugged tightly.
They asked for forgiveness from the chimney sweep for offending him.
They approached their mother and apologized for their naughty behavior.
Mom was touched and asked Dad's forgiveness for forgetting to make his favorite cabbage pie for dinner.
Papa relented and apologized to the cook for raising his voice to her.
Peace and tranquility reigned in the house on the hill.
... Chimney-sweep-Kind-Soul, throwing a heavy rope over his shoulder and adjusting his top hat, walked through the quiet sleeping town to his hut on the outskirts.
When he got home, he had supper of milk, bread, and cheese, and set the clock to the very early morning.
He had so many more houses to visit.
Collection of fairy tales - soon on Ridero!
tulip elves English folk tales
tulip elves
Cherry of Zennor
Elf workers
Fairy Nurse
Magic ointment
Legend of Pantannas
Chowder in an eggshell
Taffy Up Zion and the fairy circle
Per. N. Budur
tulip elves
In the West of England, not far from Tywi, lived a kind old woman. Her house stood on the edge of an elven field, where green circles could be seen in the grass. Now people say that these "fairy rings" appear from the fact that elves catch foals. Caught and ride them around and around all night. That's what people say. But the old woman thought differently. Her clean house stood in a wonderful garden full of fragrant flowers. There grew lavender and mallow, lilies and rosemary, levkoy and cloves, forget-me-nots and rue. But best of all was a large bed of tulips, which the old woman took special care of. When the tulips were in bloom, there was not a person who, passing by, would not stop to admire them.
The elves were very fond of the old woman and her garden!
One summer night, when the air was filled with the scent of white lilacs that grew under the old woman's window, she was awakened by strange sounds. At first she thought it was an owl hooting in the elm branches, but she soon realized that a hoarse owl could not make such gentle sounds.
“Yes, it looks like a lullaby,” the old woman was surprised and listened to the magic music.
But then she decided to get up and see what was happening in her garden. Illuminated by the pale light of the moon, bright tulips shook their heads to the beat of a lovely melody. They seemed to sing too.
The same thing happened on the second and third nights. At this point, the old lady realized what was going on. The elves brought babies to her garden and put them to sleep in tulips: one elf child per flower.
They lull their babies to sleep, - the old woman whispered touched. - Shh! Yes, here they are, my dear! The elf children have already fallen asleep, and the adult elves are going to prancing on my field.
And she was absolutely right.
It was not the foals trampling circles on the green grass at all, but the elves themselves, when they circled in dance to the sounds of magical music. But as soon as dawn began to turn red in the east, the elves hurried to the old woman in the garden for their children, and then became invisible and disappeared.
Oh my God! - the old woman was surprised. - Yes, the elves kiss their babies before taking them out of the flowers! How they love them!
She soon noticed that the tulips did not wither as quickly as the other flowers in the garden. It even seemed to her that they would never bloom at all. And one fine day, when the old woman bent over the tulips, she suddenly noticed that they became even more beautiful from the breath of the elves and smelled wonderful - like lilies and roses.
No one will pick a single tulip in my garden now, the old woman decided. - Even myself. Let them bloom for the joy of the elves!
It went on year after year.
And it's time for the old lady to die. It was a sad day for her garden, and the tulips hung their heads.
They really had reason to grieve, because the garden had passed into other hands. Its new owner didn't care about the elves and their babies. He looked after the garden only because of the fruits and berries. Pies with gooseberries, raspberries and plums turned out to be extremely tasty!
You should not pick gooseberries ahead of time, - his neighbor once said to the new owner of the garden. - It will bring you bad luck. Elves don't like it when their stuff is taken.
Elves? What nonsense? laughed the owner of the garden.
And you decided to dig up all the tulips? The old woman loved them very much. What do you want to plant there?
I'm going to plant a parsley patch there, if you're so interested!
Parsley? Oh my God! Don't you know it's a bad omen? I have only heard of one person who dared to plant a bed of parsley. Immediately afterwards, he fell ill and died.
What nonsense! - snorted the new owner of the garden.
And he dug up all the tulips, and planted parsley in their place. But the elves got angry and dried it up, and at the same time the whole old garden. They were very offended.
At night, they no longer cradled their babies in the tulip bed, but people sometimes heard them singing nearby. But now they came to the grave of the old woman, and their song was sad and sad. They always sang the night before the full moon.
No one cared for the grave old woman, but it never grew. As she looked after the elves' tulips, so they now looked after her grave. No one planted flowers there, but at night the old woman's favorite flowers always bloomed on the grave: rosemary and levkoy, lavender and forget-me-nots, sweet peas and ruga.
What is true and what is false, I do not know.
But I still trust you with this legend.
Cherry of Zennor
Old Honey lived with his wife and children in a small house of two rooms and a "bedroom" on the rocky coast of Tririn at Zennor. The old people had six children. They lived as well as they could, but not very well - they had only a few acres of meager land on which even a sheep could not feed.
There were a lot of shells lying around the house, and as if the poor family ate only scallops and oysters. But on weekdays, they had fish and chips for lunch, and on Sundays, occasionally, pork and gravy. White bread was baked at Christmas and Easter.
But the children were beautiful and healthy. One of the daughters was named Cherry. She ran as fast as a hare, and was very fond of playing pranks and joking.
One day a miller's son came to the city, tied his horse, and went to find out if anyone would take grain to the mill. Meanwhile, Cherry jumped on her horse and galloped to the rocks. The miller's son chased after her, but Cherry galloped to a rocky cliff, which no horse could climb, jumped to the ground and began to jump from stone to stone - then the hound could not keep up with her, not like the miller's son.
Cherry grew up, became a marriageable girl, but Cherry is no longer happy. Year after year, her mother promised her a new dress so that she could go to the fair and to festivities, but the family still did not have extra money. There was nothing for Cherry to go to church, or to her girlfriends, or anywhere else young girls go.
Cherry turned sixteen. One of her friends was bought a new dress with ribbons and lace, and she went to church in Nancledery in it. The girl told Cherry about this and also about how many guys wanted to take her home after the sermon. Cherry was very upset. And she told her mother that she had decided to go look for work in the villages in the valley of Toadneck and Zennor. Maybe it will be possible to earn money and buy an elegant dress, like other girls.
Then her mother asked her to look for a job in Toadneck first, so that they could see each other at least occasionally on Sundays.
Well, no, - Cherry objected to her. - I will never work in a village where cows chew rope from bells, and people eat fish and potatoes every day, and on Sundays - share with eel. [pai - Pie]
And one fine day, Cherry gathered her things, tied them in a bundle and got ready to go look for a job. She promised her father that she would try to settle closer to home and visit her parents more often. Old Honey asked to beware of pirates and robbers, but Cherry did not really pay attention to his words.
She went along the road to Ludgvan and Gyulval. As soon as the chimneys of Tririn disappeared from sight, she was frightened and wanted to return home, but changed her mind and went on.
She made her way to the Crossroads of Four Ways at the Lady Downs, sat on a rock by the roadside, and wept as if she had left home forever.
She burst into tears and decided that it would be best for her to immediately turn back home.
She wiped her eyes, raised her head and suddenly sees - an unfamiliar gentleman is walking towards her. She couldn't figure out where he came from, because only a few minutes ago the road to the Downs had been deserted.
The gentleman wished her " good morning”, he asked how to get to Twednak, and then asked where Cherry was going.
Cherry replied that she had just left home today to find a job, but something was restless in her heart, and therefore she decided to return to her parents.
I didn't think I'd be so lucky," said the gentleman. - I'm just looking for a girl to look after the house.
And he told Cherry that his wife had died, leaving him a son, a lovely boy, whom she could look after. She suits him very well. Neat and cute. He noticed, of course, that the dress was a patch on a patch, but she herself was as fresh as a rose, and all the seawater could not have made her purer. Poor Cherry would only reply to such speeches as "Yes, sir," but she herself did not understand half of what was said. Her mother taught her how to respond when a priest or some other gentleman addressed her, and she - just like now! She didn't understand what they were talking about.
The stranger said that he lived nearby, a little to the side, in a lowland, that she would have little work - to milk a cow and look after a child. And Cherry decided to go with him. On the way, he spoke to Cherry so friendly that the girl did not notice how time passed and where they were going.
But now they went along a dark alley, through the branchy trees of which not a single ray of sunlight could break through. There were greenery and flowers all around, and honey was in the air...
Long ago, there lived an old man - kind soul. He lived with his wife, also a kind old woman, in a small white house near Snowdon.
Every evening, after dinner, the old man took a slop bucket with cleanings, and as soon as he took some ten steps, he was already at the stone fence of his garden. Hop! And all the peelings behind the fence - and onion peel, and potato peel, and carrot tops, and all that sort of thing.
And the next morning, the neighbor's pig came and ate everything, grunting with pleasure.
The good old man's soul rejoiced, looking at her. Needless to say, he really was a kind old man.
And then one evening, just as the moon was just rising, the old man, as usual, went out into the garden. Ten steps - and he was already at his fence. But just as he was about to pour the garbage pail over the fence, he suddenly noticed that someone was standing nearby. Some stranger whom the good old man had never seen before. Such a wonderful little man. Dressed in all green, only the vest is bright red. The style of his dress was also somehow wonderful - the old man had never seen such a thing in his life. In addition, the stranger was very mowed down. But most of all, the old man was surprised by his huge, enormous feet.
- Woe to me, woe! said the strange stranger. "Is this how it's going to go on every night?" And he pointed to the garbage pail.
The old man was surprised:
- What is it? I've been doing this all my life, every God's evening!
- That's the trouble, that every evening! - said the strange stranger and sighed so heavily that the good old man felt sorry for him.
- Is it bad for anyone? - he asked.
- Worse than ever! - said the stranger.
- But not the neighbor's pig! retorted the warmly kind old man. “She is very fond of cleanings - and onion peels, and potato peels, and carrot tops, and all that kind of thing - and every morning she comes here for them.
“I know all this very well,” said the strange stranger, and again heaved a sigh. “Listen,” he continued, “would you like to stand on my feet?
- Get on your feet? - the old man was even more surprised. - How will this help you?
- And that will help! Then I can show you what the trouble is.
- Well, I'll try, - says the old man, because he was a kind soul.
“Thank God,” he thought, “that cross-eyed eccentric has such huge feet! You can really stand on them."
And so, holding on to the stone fence, the kind old man stood up to the wonderful stranger on his feet and looked over the fence - just where he poured a slop bucket every evening for thirty years of his life. And - about a miracle! As if he looked through the earth, as if it were not solid earth, but pure, transparent water, and saw there - no, just imagine! - a small white house, exactly like his own. But my God, how dirty he was! Its roof was covered with slops, onion skins clogged the chimney, potato skins lay on the steps, carrot tops floated in a clean bucket of water, and so on.
- That's the trouble! - said the old man. - Well, who would have thought!
“Yes, and all these cleanings through the chimney get into our room,” said the stranger, almost crying. - And so thirty years! My wife's heart is breaking with grief that she cannot clean our house.
- Here attack! - exclaimed the old man. - What to do?
- Think of something!
- I'll think of something. But what?
- I'll give you a day! Tomorrow I will come to you for an answer, but now get off my feet!
Before the good old man had time to take a few steps, the white house and the big-legged wonderful stranger disappeared as if they had never been.
When the old man returned home, his wife asked him why he was walking around like that in the moonlight. He told her everything.
- Oh, you, fathers! exclaimed the kind old woman. - Well, the poor thing got to clean and wash her house every God's day for thirty years in a row!
Almost all night the old man and the old woman sat by the fireplace. If they slept, then quite a bit - everyone thought and wondered how they should be.
And in the morning, as dawn broke, they both hurried to the fence and looked over it. But they didn’t see anything like that - neither a strange, big-legged little man, nor a small white house. Only the neighbor's pig. She dug the ground with a snout, but all in vain - no onion peel, no potato peels, no carrot tops - there was nothing on the ground. The old man felt so sorry for her!
And when evening came and the moon appeared, he went to the fence. A strange little man - you must have guessed that it was a brownie, one of those brownies that guard cleanliness in the house - yes, so a strange little man was already waiting for him there.
- Well, did you think of something? he asked after they had politely greeted each other.
- Invented! - said the kind old man.
- Did your wife approve of what you came up with?
- Approved! - said the old man.
- So what did you come up with?
- Move the door of our house to the other side!
And so he did.
Called the carpenter, Mr. Williams, and the bricklayer, Mr. Bill Davis - he himself was too old to handle such a job - paid them generously, and they moved the door of his house to the other side. And every evening, after supper, the old man - a kind soul - took a slop bucket, and as soon as he took some ten steps, he was already at the fence of his garden. Hop! II all cleaning behind the fence.
Behind the fence, but only on the other side!
Since then, probably, it has become a tradition that the door of the Welsh is on the wrong side.
Yes, but the old man, by the way, did not remain for nothing. With Mr. Williams, a carpenter, and with Bill Davis, a bricklayer, he paid honor with honor. And yet it turned out that he did not spend a penny.
- How so? - you ask.
And so that every Saturday, as soon as it got dark, the kind old man and his wife, also a kind old woman, found an old silver coin under their door.
