Sivka-burka
Once upon a time there lived an old man who had three sons. The older ones took care of the housework, were smart and dapper, but the younger one, Ivan the Fool, was so-so - he loved to go to the forest to pick mushrooms, but at home he sat more and more on the stove.
The time has come for the old man to die, so he punishes his sons:
- When I die, you go to my grave for three nights in a row, bring me bread.
This old man was buried. Night comes, the big brother has to go to the grave, but he is either lazy or afraid, so he says to the younger brother:
- Vanya, replace me this night, go to your father’s grave. I'll buy you a gingerbread.
Ivan agreed, took some bread, and went to his father’s grave. He sat down and waited. At midnight the earth parted, the father rises from the grave and says:
- Who is here? Are you my greatest son? Tell me what is happening in Rus': are dogs barking, are wolves howling, or is my child crying?
Ivan answers:
- It's me, your son. But in Rus' everything is calm.
The father ate bread and lay down in the grave. And Ivan headed home and picked mushrooms along the way. When his eldest son comes, he asks:
-Have you seen your father?
- Saw.
— Did he eat bread?
- Ate. I ate my fill.
The second night has arrived. The middle brother needs to go, but he is either lazy or afraid - he says:
- Vanya, go to your father for me. I'll weave bast shoes for you.
- OK.
Ivan took some bread, went to his father’s grave, sat down, and waited. At midnight the ground parted, the father rises and asks:
- Who is here? Are you my middle son? Tell me what is happening in Rus': are dogs barking, are wolves howling, or is my child crying?
Ivan answers:
- It's me, your son. But in Rus' everything is calm.
The father ate bread and lay down in the grave. And Ivan went home and picked mushrooms again on the way. The middle brother asks him:
— Did your father eat bread?
- Ate. I ate my fill.
On the third night it was Ivan’s turn to go. He said to the brothers:
- I walked for two nights. Now you go to your father’s grave, and I will rest.
The brothers answer him:
- What are you doing, Vanya, you became familiar there, you better go.
- OK.
Ivan took the bread and went. At midnight the earth parted, the father rose from the grave:
- Who is here? Are you my youngest son Vanya? Tell me what is happening in Rus': are dogs barking, are wolves howling, or is my child crying?
Ivan answers:
- Your son Vanya is here. But in Rus' everything is calm.
The father ate his fill of bread and said to him:
“You alone fulfilled my order, you were not afraid to visit my grave for three nights.” Go out into the open field and shout: “Sivka-burka, prophetic kaurka, stand in front of me like a leaf in front of the grass!” The horse will come running to you, you get into his right ear and get out of his left. You'll be a great guy. Get on your horse and ride.
Ivan took the bridle, thanked his father and went home, picking mushrooms again along the way. At home his brothers ask him:
-Have you seen your father?
- Saw.
— Did he eat bread?
“Father ate his fill and didn’t order anyone to come again.”
At this time, the king shouted a cry: all good fellows, single, unmarried, come to the royal court. His daughter, Incomparable Beauty, ordered to build herself a tower with twelve pillars, with twelve crowns. In this mansion she will sit on the very top and wait for someone to jump up to her and kiss her on the lips. For such a rider, no matter what his family, the king will give his daughter, Incomparable Beauty, as a wife, and half his kingdom in addition.
The Ivan brothers heard about this and said to each other:
- Let's try our luck.
So they fed the good horses oats, took them out, dressed themselves cleanly, and combed their curls. And Ivan sits on the stove behind the chimney and says to them:
- Brothers, take me with you to try your luck!
- Fool, bake! Better go into the forest to pick mushrooms, there’s no point in making people laugh.
The brothers mounted their good horses, shook their hats, whistled, whooped - only a column of dust. And Ivan took the bridle and went into an open field. He went out into an open field and shouted, as his father taught him:
- Sivka-burka, prophetic kaurka, stand in front of me like a leaf in front of the grass!
Out of nowhere the horse runs, the earth trembles, flames burst from its nostrils, and smoke pours out of its ears. He stood rooted to the spot and asked:
- What do you want?
Ivan stroked the horse, bridled it, got into his right ear, and out of his left ear and became such a fine fellow that he couldn’t even think of it, guess it, or write it with a pen. He mounted his horse and rode to the royal court. Sivka the Burka runs, the earth trembles, covers the mountains and valleys with his tail, and lets tree stumps run between his legs.
Ivan arrives at the royal court, and there are apparently and invisible people there. In a high mansion with twelve pillars and twelve crowns, at the very top in the window sits the princess Incomparable Beauty.
The king came out onto the porch and said:
“Which one of you, good fellows, can fly to the window on horseback and kiss my daughter on the lips, I will give her in marriage and half the kingdom in addition.”
Then the good fellows began to gallop. It’s high up there, it’s impossible to reach! Ivanov's brothers tried, but didn't make it to the middle. It was Ivan's turn.
He dispersed Sivka-burka, whooped, gasped, and jumped - but he didn’t get two crowns. It flew up again, scattered another time - it didn’t get one of the crowns. He spun around again, spun around, got the horse hot and galloped - like fire, he flew past the window, kissed the princess Incomparable Beauty on the sugary lips, and the princess hit him on the forehead with a ring and put a seal on him.
Then all the people shouted:
- Hold him, hold him!
And there was no trace of him. Ivan galloped into an open field, climbed into Sivka-Burka’s left ear, and came out of his right ear and became Ivan the Fool again. He let the horse go and went home, picking mushrooms along the way. He tied a rag around his forehead, climbed onto the stove and lay there.
His brothers arrive and tell him where they were and what they saw.
“They were good fellows, and one of them was better than all of them – he kissed the princess on the mouth while flying away on horseback.” They saw where they came from, but did not see where they went.
Ivan sits at the pipe and says:
- Wasn’t it me?
The brothers were angry with him:
- Fool - stupid and yelling! Sit on the stove and eat your mushrooms.
Ivan slowly untied the rag on his forehead, where the princess hit him with the ring - the hut was illuminated with fire. The brothers got scared and shouted:
- What are you doing, fool? You'll burn the hut!
The next day, the king invites all the boyars and princes, and ordinary people, both rich and poor, both old and small, to his feast.
Ivan's brothers began to gather for a feast with the Tsar. Ivan tells them:
- Take me with you!
- How can you, fool, make people laugh! Sit on the stove and eat your mushrooms.
The brothers mounted good horses and rode off, and Ivan went on foot. He comes to the king for a feast and sits in the far corner. Princess Incomparable Beauty began to walk around the guests. He brings the cup of honey and looks to see who has the seal on his forehead.
She walked around all the guests, approached Ivan, and her heart sank. I looked at him - he was covered in soot, his hair stood on end.
Princess Incomparable Beauty began to ask him:
- Whose are you? Where? Why did you tie your forehead?
- I hurt myself.
The princess untied his forehead - suddenly there was light throughout the entire palace. She screamed:
- This is my seal! That's where my betrothed is!
The king comes up and says:
- What a betrothed he is! He is bad, covered in soot.
Ivan says to the king:
- Let me wash my face.
The king allowed it. Ivan went out into the yard and shouted, as his father taught:
- Sivka-burka, prophetic kaurka, stand in front of me like a leaf in front of the grass!
Out of nowhere the horse runs, the earth trembles, flames burst from its nostrils, and smoke pours out of its ears. Ivan climbed into his right ear, came out of his left, and again became such a fine fellow that he could neither think of it, nor guess, nor write with a pen. All the people gasped.
The conversations here were short: a merry feast and a wedding.
Online reading of the book Russian Folk Tales by A. N. Afanasyev in three volumes. Volume 2 Sivko-burko
No. 179 [1]Recorded in the Shadrinsky district of the Perm province. state peasant A. N. Zyryanov. The manuscript is in the VGO archive (r. XXIX, op. 1, no. 32 a, pp. 18 vol. - 22; 1850). AT 530 (= AA 530A. Sivko-burko). The plot is widely known in all European countries. Its variants are taken into account by AT in recordings made in North and South America in French, English and Spanish, as well as in Afro-Asian (Arab, Turkish, Caucasian, Indian) folklore material. Russian variants - 60, Ukrainian - 41, Belarusian - 14. Variants similar to the East Slavic ones and significantly different from them are found in the folklore of many peoples of the Soviet Union (Bashk. tvorch., II, no. 18; Tat. tvorch., I, no. 65, 66, 80; Azerb.sk., pp. 124-135). Individual motives of this plot can be traced by researchers in Western European folklore and literary material, starting from the 13th century (see: Boberg JM Prinsessen pă glassbjoerget. - Danske Studier, 1928, pp. 16-53). The history of fairy tales on Western European cultural soil is associated with folk books of the late Middle Ages. In the 18th century The fairy-tale story about the liberation of the king's daughter, who was on a glass mountain, from a spell was processed in poetic form by the English poet Alexander Pope and the German poet K. F. Nikolai. This plot was uniquely reflected in Washington Irving’s short story “Prince Ahmed al Kamal” (1825). A literary adaptation of a Czech folk tale is Bozena Nemcova's tale “The Magic Sword” (1845). In East Slavic, especially Russian, folklore and popular print material, a very different type of plot type 530 prevails from Western European fairy tales about the glass mountain: three brothers take turns keeping watch at night at their father’s grave; the youngest (Ivan the Fool) receives from his deceased father the magic horse Sivka-Burka and thanks to him wins the grooms' competition - he gallops to the princess, who is in a high mansion, kisses her, receives a ring from her and ultimately marries her. The text of Afanasyev’s collection is typical for the tales of Sivka-burka. The first publications date back to the 18th century. (Medicine .., pp. 189-236; Timofeev, pp. 173-218). Folk tales of this type have been literary processed many times. The most successful of the adaptations are: “Sivka-burka” by K. D. Ushinsky and the fairy tale by A. N. Tolstoy under the same name. Research: Meletinsky, p. 133-142; Novikov, s. 112-113. Mythological interpretation of the fairy-tale image of Sivka-burka - see: Afanasyev. Poet. views, I, p. 616-628. Afanasyev made several minor amendments to the text, for example, in Afanasyev’s printed text “Where the hell should you be! Sit, you fool, on the stove” (in the manuscript: “Where the hell should you be, you fool, sit on the stove”); “after a little time” (in the manuscript: “After a little time”). See comment. to II volume of Afanasyev's fairy tales, ed. 1938 (p. 590).
Once upon a time there lived an old man; he had three sons, the third from Ivan the Fool, who did nothing but sit on the stove in the corner and blow his nose. The father began to die and said: “Children! When I die, you each take turns going to my grave to sleep for three nights,” and he died. The old man was buried. Night comes; The big brother needs to spend the night at the grave, but he is too lazy and afraid, so he says to his little brother: “Ivan is a fool! Go to your father’s grave and spend the night for me. You’re not doing anything!” Ivan the Fool got ready, came to the grave, and lies there; at midnight the grave suddenly parted, the old man came out and asked: “Who’s there? Are you a big son? - “No, father! I, Ivan the Fool." The old man recognized him and asked: “Why didn’t your son come?” - “And he sent me, father!” - “Well, your happiness!” The old man whistled and nut[2] Nut - shout, click. with a heroic whistle: “Sivko-burko, prophetic funnel!” Sivko runs, only the earth trembles, sparks fly out of his eyes, and a column of smoke comes out of his nostrils. “Here is a good horse for you, my son; and you, horse, serve him as you served me.” The old man said this and lay down in the grave. Ivan the Fool stroked and caressed Sivka and let him go, he went home. At home, the brothers ask: “What, Ivan the Fool, did you spend the night okay?” - “Very well, brothers!” Another night comes. The middle brother also does not go to spend the night at the grave and says: “Ivan the fool! Go to the priest’s grave and spend the night for me.” Ivan the Fool, without saying a word, got ready and drove off, came to the grave, lay down, and waited until midnight. At midnight, the grave also opened, the father came out and asked: “Are you the middle son?” “No,” says Ivan the Fool, “it’s me again, father!” The old man gave a nut in a heroic voice and whistled with a brave whistle: “Sivko-burko, prophetic funnel!” Burko runs, only the earth trembles, flames blaze from his eyes, and a column of smoke comes out of his nostrils. “Well, burko, as you served me, so serve my son. Go now!” Burko ran away; the old man went to his grave, and Ivan the Fool went home. The brothers ask again: “How did it feel, Ivan the Fool, did you spend the night?” - “Very well, brothers, okay!” On the third night it was Ivan’s turn; He didn’t wait around, got ready and went. Lies on the grave; at midnight the old man came out again, he already knew that Ivan the Fool was here, he gave a nut in a heroic voice, and whistled with a valiant whistle: “Sivko-burko, prophetic funnel!” The funnel runs, only the earth trembles, flames blaze from its eyes, and a column of smoke comes out of its nostrils. “Well, Voronko, as you served me, so serve my son.” The old man said this, said goodbye to Ivan the Fool, and went to his grave. Ivan the Fool stroked the funnel, looked and let go, and went home himself. The brothers ask again: “How did it feel, Ivan the Fool, did you spend the night?” - “Very well, brothers!”
Live; two brothers are timid[3]Working, but Ivan the Fool is doing nothing. Suddenly a cry from the king: if anyone tears the princess’s portrait from the house through many logs, he will give her in marriage. The brothers gather to see who will tear down the portrait. Ivan the Fool sits on the stove behind the chimney and shouts: “Brothers! Give me some kind of horse, I’ll go and have a look.” - “Eh! - the brothers got angry at him. - Sit, fool, on the stove; what are you going to do? Make people laugh, or something!” No, there is no retreat from Ivan the Fool! The brothers could not fight back: “Well, you fool, take that three-legged filly!”
They left on their own. Ivan the Fool followed them into an open field, into a wide expanse; he got down from the little mare, took her, slaughtered her, took off her skin, hung her on a cattle pasture, and threw away the meat; he whistled with a valiant whistle, and said in a heroic voice: “Sivko-burko, prophetic funnel!” Sivko runs, only the earth trembles, flames blaze from his eyes, and a column of smoke comes out of his nostrils. Ivan the Fool got in one ear - got drunk and ate, got out in the other - got dressed, he became such a fine fellow that even his brothers wouldn’t recognize him! He sat down on the sivka and went to tear off the portrait. There were no visible or invisible people here; They saw the young man and everyone started watching. Ivan the Fool overtook him with all his might, his horse jumped and the portrait was only missed by three logs. They saw where they came from, but didn’t see where they went! He let go of the horse, came home himself, and sat down on the stove. Suddenly the brothers arrive and say to their wives: “Well, wives, what a fine fellow he has come, we have never seen anything like this! The portrait was not reached only after three logs. We saw where he came from; they didn’t see where he went. He’ll come again…” Ivan the Fool sits on the stove and says: “Brothers, wasn’t I here?” - “Where the hell should you be! Sit, you fool, on the stove and wipe your nose.”
Time is running. The same cry from the king. The brothers began to gather again, and Ivan the Fool said: “Brothers! Give me a horse sometime." They answer: “Stay at home, fool! You will begin to transfer a horse to another!” No, they couldn’t fight back, they ordered to take the lame mare again. Ivan the Fool managed that one too, slaughtered it, hung the skin on the cattle, and threw away the meat; he whistled with a valiant whistle, and said in a heroic voice: “Sivko-burko, prophetic funnel!” Burko runs, only the earth trembles, flames blaze from his eyes, and a column of smoke comes out of his nostrils. Ivan the Fool climbed into the right ear - got dressed, jumped out to the left - became a fine fellow, jumped on his horse, rode off; I couldn't get the portrait only for two logs. They saw where they came from, but didn’t see where they went! Burka let him go, and he went home, sat down on the stove, and waited for his brothers. The brothers arrived and said: “Women! The same fellow came again, but he couldn’t get the portrait for only two logs.” Ivan the Fool says to them: “Brothers, wasn’t I here?” - “Sit down, fool! Where the hell was it!”
After a little while, the king called again. The brothers began to get ready, and Ivan the Fool asked: “Give me, brothers, some kind of horse; I’ll go and have a look.” - “Sit at home, you fool! How far will you transfer our horses?” No, they couldn’t fight back, they fought and fought, and they ordered to take the thin mare; they left on their own. Ivan the Fool managed that one too, stabbed it, abandoned it; he whistled with a valiant whistle, and said in a heroic voice: “Sivko-burko, prophetic funnel!” The funnel runs, only the earth trembles, flames blaze from its eyes, and a column of smoke comes out of its nostrils. Ivan the Fool climbed into one ear - got drunk and ate, came out in the other - dressed like a charmer, got on his horse and rode off. As soon as I reached the royal palace, I tore off the portrait and my fly. They saw where they came from, but didn’t see where they went! He also let go of the funnel, went home, sat on the stove, waiting for his brothers. The brothers arrived and said: “Well, mistresses! The same fellow caught up with him today and tore off the portrait.” Ivan the Fool sits behind the pipe and shouts: “Brothers, wasn’t I here?” - “Sit down, fool! Where the hell have you been!
After a little time, the tsar held a ball and convened all the boyars, governors, princes, Duma members, senators, merchants, townspeople and peasants. And Ivan’s brothers went; Ivan the Fool did not lag behind, he sat down somewhere on the stove behind the chimney, looking at him with his mouth open. The princess treats the guests, brings beer to everyone and watches to see if anyone wipes himself with his fly? - he is her fiancé. Only no one wiped themselves off; but Ivan the Fool didn’t see him, so he walked around. The guests left. The next day the king held another ball; again they did not find the culprit, who tore off the fly [5]Scarf, towel... On the third day, the princess also began to bring beer to the guests from her own hands; I walked around everyone, no one wiped themselves with their fly. “What is this,” she thinks to herself, “my betrothed is not here!” I looked behind the pipe and saw Ivan the Fool there; his dress is thin, covered in soot, his hair stands on end. She poured a glass of beer, brought it to him, and the brothers looked and thought: the princess brings beer to a fool! Ivan the Fool drank and wiped himself with his fly. The princess was delighted, took him by the hand, led him to his father and said: “Father! Here is my betrothed." The brothers here felt like a knife to the heart, they thought: “Why is this princess! Have you lost your mind? Leads a fool to betrothed." The conversations here are short: a merry feast and a wedding. Our Ivan here became not Ivan the Fool, but Ivan the Tsar’s son-in-law; he recovered, he cleaned himself up, he became a fine fellow, and people didn’t recognize him! It was then that the brothers learned what it meant to go to sleep at their father’s grave.
