Stepdaughter (Bashkir fairy tale): Fairy tale. Stepdaughter - Russian folk tales Read the fairy tale stepdaughter Russian folk tale

Good day to you, dear readers of the Russian Word blog!

Last time talking about fairy tales, we were talking about the different peoples of the world there are fairy tales with surprisingly similar plots. Such stories called vagrants. So today I invite you to read

Let's take a very popular all over the world story about an evil stepmother and a good stepdaughter.

TALES FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLES OF THE WORLD ABOUT THE STEPMOM AND THE STEPDAUGHTER

Typically the story goes like this: evil stepmother wants to get rid of stepdaughters, sets a lot of work, then kicks her out of the house.

But fate does not disregard the poor girl and sends her salvation in the form of some inanimate objects, supernatural beings, magical animals.

And the stepdaughter finds salvation thanks to her modesty, kindness, compassion, diligence, patience, endurance.

Russian folk tale "MOROZKO"

Everyone knows this wonderful Russian folk tale! Today I propose to re-read it one more time and consider the amazing illustrations by Marina Puzyrenko. Marina is a talented young artist from Kharkov. in 2011 she became a laureate of the Lesya Ukrainka State Prize.

There lived a grandfather and a grandmother.

The grandfather had a daughter, and the woman had a daughter. Everyone knows how stepmother to live: if you turn over - a bit and if you distrust - a bit. And my own daughter, whatever she does, they pat her on the head for everything:

Stepdaughter and watered and fed the cattle, carried firewood and water to the hut, heated the stove, chalked the hut - even before the light. You can’t please an old woman with anything - everything is wrong, everything is bad. The wind will at least make some noise and calm down, and the old woman disperses - it will not soon calm down. So the stepmother came up with the idea of ​​​​killing her stepdaughter.

Take her, take her, old man, - says to her husband, - wherever you want, so that my eyes do not see her! Take her to the forest, to the bitter cold.

The old man grieved, wept, but there was nothing to be done, the women could not be argued. Harness the horse:

Sit down, dear daughter, in the sleigh.

He took the homeless woman to the forest, dumped her in a snowdrift under a large spruce and left. The girl is sitting under a spruce, trembling, chills go through her. Suddenly he hears - not far away crackles on the Christmas trees, jumps from the Christmas tree to the Christmas tree, clicks. He found himself on that spruce under which the girl was sitting, and from above he asked her:

Are you warm, girl?

She takes a breath:

Frost began to descend lower, crackles more strongly, clicks:

She takes a breath:

Warmly, Morozushko, warmly, father.

He went down even lower, crackled more, clicked harder:

Are you warm girl? Are you warm, red? Are you warm, honey?

The girl began to ossify, moving her tongue a little:

Oh, it's warm, dear Morozushko!

Then he took pity on the girl; wrapped her in warm fur coats, warmed her with duvets. BUT stepmother she celebrates the wake, bakes pancakes and shouts to her husband:

Go, old bastard, take your daughter to bury!

The old man went to the forest, reaches that place, sees - under a large spruce his daughter is sitting, cheerful, ruddy, in a sable coat, all in gold and silver, and next to it is a box with rich gifts. The old man was delighted, put all the goods in the sledge, put his daughter in, and took her home. And at home the old woman bakes pancakes, and the dog is under the table:

The old woman will throw her a pancake:

Don't push like that! Say: the old woman's daughter is taken in marriage, and the bones are taken to the old man's daughter.

The dog will eat the pancake and again:

Tyf, tyf! They take the old man's daughter in gold, in silver, but they don't marry the old woman.

The old woman threw pancakes at her and beat her, the dog - all her own. Suddenly the gates creaked, the door opened, the stepdaughter entered the hut - in gold and silver, she shines. And behind it they carry a tall, heavy box. The old woman looked - and hands apart.

Harness, old bastard, another horse! Take, take my daughter to the forest to the same place.

The old man put the old woman's daughter in a sleigh, took her to the same place in the forest, dumped her into a snowdrift under a tall spruce, and left. The old woman's daughter is sitting, chattering her teeth. And it crackles through the forest, jumps from tree to tree, clicks, looks at the old woman's daughter:

Are you warm girl?

And she told him:

Oh, it's cold! Do not creak, do not crack, Morozko.

Frost began to descend lower, crackling more and clicking:

Are you warm girl? Are you warm, red?

Oh, hands, feet are frozen! Go away, Morozko.

Morozko went down even lower, hit harder, crackled, clicked:

Are you warm girl? Are you warm, red?

Oh, I'm quite cold! Get lost, damn Morozko!

Morozko got angry and got so angry that the old woman's daughter froze.

A little light the old woman sends her husband:

Hurry up soon, old bastard, go for your daughter, bring her in gold and silver.

The old man left.

And the dog under the table:

Tyf, tyf! The suitors will take the old man's daughter, and they will carry the bones in a bag to the old woman's daughter.

The old woman threw a cake at her:

Don't push like that! Say: the old woman's daughter in gold and silver is being taken.

And the dog is all his own:

Tyf, tyf! The old woman's daughter is carrying bones in a bag.

The gates creaked, the old woman rushed to meet her daughter. She turned away the matting, and her daughter lies dead in the sleigh. The old woman began to cry, but it's too late.

AT Russian folk tales about stepdaughter and stepmother(and there are a lot of variants of this tale; we give here only the most famous tale) reflected the ideas of the Russian people about family. The family in Christian morality is the foundation of the foundations.

In fairy tales like "Morozko" the negative attitude of the Russian people towards remarriages is expressed, because it is believed that children from the first wife always suffer. Therefore, the evil stepmother and her children in Russian folk tales are always punished. And the stepdaughter, who embodies all the best qualities of a virtuous daughter and just a girl, is always rewarded.

Let's see how images are revealed in the tales of other peoples. stepmothers and stepdaughters…

Tatar folk tale "ZUKHRA AND THE MONTH"

Once upon a time, there lived a husband and wife. And they had a daughter, her name was Zuhra.

They lived well - amicably and richly. But then his wife fell ill and died. Her husband buried her and married a young widow. She also had a daughter.

stepmother she was evil and disliked her stepdaughter Zuhra.

- Get some wood! Fire up the oven! Cook porridge! Wash the floors! Feed the cattle!

BUT stepmother is not enough, and her lazy daughter incites:

- Why is Zuhra sleeping at night?

And the stepmother came up with how to get rid of the stepdaughter. She placed a barrel without a bottom over an old dry well in the yard and said to Zuhra in the evening:

Don't go to sleep until the barrel is filled with water.

- How will I carry water at night? Zuhra asks.

- BUT! Do you still argue? the stepmother cried out and began to beat Zuhra.

Nothing to do. Zukhra took a yoke, buckets and went to the river. It was dark outside. In the darkness she scooped up water and carried it home. She carried water all night. But the barrel never filled up.

And in the morning stepmother woke up and again:

- Get some wood! Fire up the oven! Cook porridge! My floors! Feed the cattle!

The day ended, and again she forced Zuhra to carry water throughout the dark night. And again Zuhra could not fill the barrel with water.

And in the afternoon again the cries of the stepmother:

- Bring wood! Fire up the oven! Cook porridge! My floors! Feed the cattle!

The third night has come.

Stepmother says:

- You're all messing around! You cannot fill the barrel with water. Don't sleep, carry water.

The girl again took the yoke and buckets. Went outside. He sees - it became light. A moon appeared in the sky and smiles at her. But the girl does not look at him, she moves her legs with difficulty. She reached the river, filled the buckets with water, carried them home and wept bitter tears. And she does not see that a month follows her across the sky and admires the beauty of Zuhra.

The girl reached the barrel, poured water from the bucket into it, and fell exhausted on the barrel and wept bitterly. Looks - there is no bottom in the barrel. But deep in the well there is water, and in it the moon smiles. It was his reflection. The girl raised her head and sees - a month is above her in the sky. A very young and beautiful month.

- What is your name, beauty? he asks.

– Zuhra, she answers.

- Why are you crying, Zuhra? Who offended you?

And the girl shared her grief with the young moon, told him about her bitter life.

Help me, moon! Take me to you. I can no longer live with an evil stepmother.

- Guess three riddles, then I will help. On the pillow is half a spoon. Who is it?

One lamp among a thousand candles! Who is it?

- It's you, my beautiful month among thousands of stars!

- And half a loaf of bread over the roof. Who is it?

- It's you, my beautiful month!

And then the moon began to descend to earth. He stood next to the girl.

- Climb on me, Zuhra. I really like you. Let's live together.

The girl grabbed the moon with one hand, and hung a yoke with buckets on her shoulder with the other. And the moon rose with Zuhra to heaven. The stepmother ran out of the house, but it was already too late.

Since then, you can see a girl with a yoke and buckets on the moon. It is Zuhra who lives with his month for many, many years.

Ossetian folk tale "Stepmother and stepdaughter"

There lived a husband and wife. They lived very happily. Their daughter was born. The daughter was still small when her mother died. The father thought about his child and did not know what to do with him.

After some time, he agreed with one woman and married her. And after a while they had a daughter. The woman began to feed and raise two daughters. They grew up, and the orphan girl turned out to be an extraordinary beauty, and the stepmother's daughter was a freak, but they were the same height. The one who visited them did not pay any attention to the younger girl, but admired the older one, was amazed at her beauty, her good disposition.

When the stepmother realized this, she decided to expel the orphan from the house, fearing that her own daughter would be left in overdose. She began to think about how to get rid of her stepdaughter, but she did not yet know the mood of her husband. These thoughts did not leave her, and she decided:

Well, I will tell my husband, and if he agrees to destroy his daughter, then I will live with him, and if he does not agree, I will not.

So she said to her husband:

Either get your daughter out of the house, or I won't live with you!

Why is she bothering you? - said the husband. - She's an orphan. Why does she annoy you?

I don't like her, she said. - Whoever comes to us, everyone admires her and brings gifts to her, but no one pays attention to my daughter. Remove her, otherwise I don't want to live with you!

So she pestered him, and her husband had no other choice.

Pack your things in some suitcase, - he said to his orphan daughter, - dress up, tomorrow we will go somewhere in a wagon.

Overwhelmed by grief, he prepared the wagon and got into it with his daughter. They traveled to villages and cities. He showed his daughter everything possible. Then they got to an uninhabited side, noticed a large tree in the distance, and the father said to his daughter:

Let's rest a little under this tree so that our fatigue will pass.

He led the horses under a tree. They got off the wagon and lay down to sleep in the shade of a tree. Convinced that her daughter was asleep, her father took her suitcase from the wagon and placed it beside her. As he set off, the horses made a noise. The girl immediately woke up and screamed in fright. She rushed to the wagon and grabbed it. The suitcase remained in place under the tree. The father drove the horses quickly, and the daughter fell to the ground. For some time she looked after her weeping, and then she calmed down and fell into thought. She realized that her father had taken her out of the house to destroy her, gathered her strength and said:

I'll go to where my suitcase was left, and then we'll see.

She returned under the tree, found her suitcase, but could not figure out which way to go; she cries and thinks:

If I stay here alone for the night, what will I do? She noticed in the distance a shepherd who was tending a flock of sheep at the edge of the forest, and decided:

I will go to him, and if he turns out to be a man, he will direct me along some path.

And she went to the shepherd. The shepherd noticed her from a distance and was surprised:

Who could it be? What is this wonder?

The girl came up to him and turned to him with a greeting:

May your cattle multiply, good shepherd!

The surprised shepherd asks her:

Who are you? You are a woman, where are you going?

I myself don’t know where I’m going,” she answered, “but from a distance I noticed you and came up to you. I have no better choice, I ask you to change clothes with me. Everything I have on, I will give you, except for the shirt and underwear. I will show you the expensive things that are in my suitcase, and you give me your shepherd's clothes.

I change with you, - the shepherd agreed.

The girl told him:

Go behind a bush and undress there so that you cannot be seen, and then move to another bush. I'll dress in your clothes and leave mine under a bush. You will come and dress in my clothes, and in this way we will not see each other naked.

The shepherd went up to a bush, undressed and went to another bush, lay down there so that he could not be seen. The girl grabbed the clothes of a shepherd, dressed in it and turned out to be the spitting image of a teenager. And the shepherd dressed in her clothes.

And now I'm on my way," the girl told him. - Do me another favor: point out a rich man who can hire me.

The shepherd directed her not in the direction where he himself lived, but in the opposite direction.

Go in that direction, he said, and you will reach the rich man's shepherds. This rich man will hire you as a shepherd.

The girl thanked him and directed her way in the direction where the shepherd pointed her. A teenage girl in the clothes of a shepherd walked, walked and reached the shepherds of the rich man. One of them asks him:

Who are you, what do you represent?

I am hired as a laborer, - he answered, - and if you need a shepherd, then give me the opportunity to see your master so that I can talk to him.

The shepherd went to the rich man, his master, and said to him:

A teenager came to us looking for a job as a shepherd. How should we deal with him?

Bring him to me as soon as possible,” the rich man replied.

They brought a teenager to a rich man. The rich man looked at him, saw that he was young, and asked him:

Who are you, what do you need?

I am looking for a job as a shepherd. If you need a shepherd, then take me! You will be pleased with me, I know the work of a shepherd.

The rich man hired him, told him what he should do, and the teenager began to work as a shepherd. The owner looked closely at his work and made sure that he was a good shepherd.

After some time, the owner said to his new shepherd:

I will not part with you; I loved you like my son, and I give you my word that I will pay you a hundred heads of sheep a year.

The teenager agreed with this and began to live with the shepherds. Other shepherds fell in love with him. As the youngest, he served them when they were on their kutan, he baked cakes for them, brought water.

So he worked for ten years, and no one knew that it was a girl. She managed to show herself as a real young man.

Ten years later, the shepherd said to his master:

Now I'm leaving you. I am very pleased with you. Give me some cattle, I want to have my own kutan.

The owner told him:

Well done, live long! It's good that this came to your mind and that you are so active; I will give you more than what you should by agreement.

It was in the evening, and in the morning the rich man ordered the elder shepherd:

That shepherd will no longer work for us, and he needs to be paid. In ten years, a thousand sheep follow him, and they must be allocated to him.

The shepherds set to work and gave him his thousand sheep.

Thank you, - the teenager said to the owner, - you satisfied me completely. But I ask you for one more favor: I don’t know where is the best place to get a kutan, point me to another place.

Do you see this road? the owner told him. - Walk along its side and you will get to where seven roads converge. Settle down there, it will be very good for you, there is very good land.

The teenager went with his flock of sheep along this road and reached the place where seven roads converge. For the night he stopped there with a flock to rest. Morning has come. The sheep grazed, and he himself began to think over plans. Meanwhile, passers-by appeared on the road. They stopped, and the teenager started a conversation with them:

I'm going to build coats here, and I need workers.

He agreed with some of them. They quickly set to work, and he fenced off with a wattle fence an area that could fit up to a thousand sheep. Sheds were set up where sheep could be driven in for the night. And for himself he built a hut for ten people. He paid off the workers he hired and told them:

I need shepherds. Send me those who are willing to work as farmhands.

He found such, agreed with them, and they began to shepherd. He himself no longer went to shepherds. He had everything he needed. Every year his wealth increased, and he built large houses. Everyone who saw his kutans and flocks was surprised:

This is a rich, powerful shepherd, since he was able to build himself up like that!

He made one of his shepherds senior so that he himself would feel better. So he lived, who knows how long, how many years.

Once his father took it into his head to travel with his family, to see, to show her something. They sat on a cart and together began to travel around different regions and countries. And then one day God brought him to the place where seven roads converge. When my father saw such buildings in the bare desert, he decided to stop and spend some time there. He stopped his cart at the house and let them know about himself. Shepherds came to his call and asked:

What do you need?

We travel on long roads, he said. - It's getting late, and we're asking for shelter.

We will go to our master, ask him and tell you his answer, - said the shepherds.

One of the laborers went to the owner and said to him:

Some guests ask for shelter.

What guests?

Husband and wife, their daughter and driver, four in all. Hearing this, he got excited and said:

Get them on!

He ordered them to be placed in one room, and he secretly spied on them and found out that they were his relatives. He went into their room, greeted them and said:

The host is not as ready as the guest. Dinner is not yet ready (and he himself has already ordered to slaughter the kosart). You are itinerant, experienced people, and it would be nice if you told any stories. I'm here with the cattle and I don't see anything else, nothing reaches me.

I don't know any stories to tell, said the father.

And I don't know anything, - said the wife.

Then I myself will tell one story that I heard, - said the teenager.

Please, tell it to us.

And the teenager began the story:

Once upon a time there was a husband and wife, they lived very well. Their daughter was born. She was still a baby when her mother died...

So he told his whole story from beginning to end. The father immediately guessed everything, but did not interrupt him until he finished his story. And he, having finished, tore off his hat from his head, his hair fell apart, and in this way he opened up to them, concluding his story with the words:

This is me myself, you are my father, and you are my mother, and this is my sister.

The father was amazed, he could not utter a word. Then they rushed to her, began to hug her. By the time they came to their senses, dinner arrived in time. We had dinner, and then, after consulting, we decided to return home for the time being, and then come here again.

The girl, hiding everything from the elder shepherd, ordered him:

I'll go with them for now, and you manage without me until I return.

How long they lived at home, God knows. Then they returned and began to live together. And they live to this day.

Vietnamese fairy tale "STEPMOM AND STEPDAUGHTER"

One man had two wives and each wife had a daughter. He equally loved both daughters, and peace and harmony reigned in the family. But when the elder wife died, the younger one began to take care only of her daughter and treat her stepdaughter badly. Her own daughter ate delicious food and dressed beautifully, and the stepdaughter worked from morning to evening and even listened to scolding for this. The father felt sorry for the eldest daughter, but did not dare to intercede for her, because he was afraid of his wife.

Somehow the girl played with her friends and returned home late. evil stepmother locked the door and didn't let her in. The stepdaughter until then asked to open it to her until she became hoarse, but the stepmother insisted on her. The girl had to spend the night outside and sleep on the dew-covered grass. She caught a cold from the cold and damp and became seriously ill. The saddened father abandoned all his affairs and looked after his daughter, but as soon as he left, the stepmother and younger sister began to shower the poor girl with abuse and insults.

One day my father had to leave for a long time. Before leaving, he boiled a cauldron of rice and boiled an egg for his eldest daughter. This was spied on by the younger sister and immediately told her mother about everything.

The enraged stepmother came running, overturned the cauldron of rice, threw away the egg and kicked her stepdaughter out of the house. Not knowing who to seek protection and help from, the poor thing wandered aimlessly.

Women in the village sympathized with her and tried to help in whatever way they could - some with food, some with medicine. When the girl recovered, she went into the forest, made herself a hut there and dug up the ground near it.

Kind people helped her, and soon rice began to grow in her field, corn grew. She got pigs, chickens, worked hard and felt happy. But wild boars often came from the forest and spoiled the crops.

Hearing noise and grunting one night, the girl affectionately said to them:

Boars! If you want corn, eat the cobs, but don't touch the green sprouts: they haven't grown yet.

The boars obeyed her and since then the crops have not been spoiled. And once a tiger crept up and wanted to grab a pig. Feeling his approach and hearing how frightened the pigs rushed about in the barn, the girl said:

Tiger, if you come for a pig, take the big one, but don't touch the little pigs. They still have to grow up.

And the tiger, subdued, returned to the forest. But one night he appeared again and threw something out of his mouth near the house itself:

After three days, fill this place with earth, and after six days, remove it, ”he said at the same time.

The girl obeyed the tiger. After six days, she dug up the earth and saw a whole heap of shiny gold. Since then, life has become even easier for her.

The girl's father was very sad when he returned home and did not find his daughter. Once, when he was working in the field, a crow appeared above his house and croaked:

Karrr, karrr... take the black chest and the red chest, go get your daughter's gold!

The stepmother heard this, was very surprised and drove the crow away. And she said to her husband, as if a crow croaked: “Take a shovel with a black handle and a shovel with a red handle, go and bury your daughter!” The father was frightened, and the next morning at dawn he took shovels and went into the forest to look for the girl.

He cried all the way. It was then that he was surprised and delighted when he saw that the girl was healthy and her house was full of good things!

Rejoicing at the meeting, father and daughter shed happy tears. Upon returning, the father told everyone the story of his daughter. And the stepmother, having learned about wealth, felt envy.

She immediately took her daughter to the forest, built a house for her, brought her pigs, brought grain. She helped her cultivate the field, and when shoots appeared on it, she left her daughter alone and returned home.

At night, forest animals came to the field to feast. The girl scolded them as best she could, but she was afraid to go and drive them away. Seeing this, the animals grew bolder, and soon there was no trace left of the crops. Then, smelling the smell of pigs and chickens, the tiger came. And began to come every night. The girl trembled with fear, huddled in a corner, and was afraid to fall asleep. And the tiger, having dealt with the cattle, made his way into the house, tore the girl to pieces and went to bed.

The next morning, a crow flew to the house where the husband and wife lived and, sitting on the fence, croaked:

Karrr, karrr... take a black-handled shovel and a red-handled shovel, go bury your daughter!

The wife thought that the crow was lying, took a stone and drove it away. When her husband returned, she said to her husband, as if a crow had croaked: “Take a black chest and a red chest, go after your daughter’s gold!”

The husband believed, prepared the chests and went to the forest with his wife. But near the house it was quiet, the cattle disappeared. The father rushed to look around, and the stepmother immediately ran into the house. Seeing something yellow on the floor, she poked the tiger with her stick. He woke up, attacked his stepmother and tore her to pieces.

Slovenian fairy tale "Evil stepmother and kind stepdaughter"

An evil woman married a poor man who had a daughter named Maritsa.

She was born to that woman and her own daughter, and her mother began to cherish and protect her more than her eyes. And she could not stand her stepdaughter, diligent and obedient, she scolded her, tortured and beat her, and in order to get out of the world as soon as possible, she fed her like a dog with all sorts of leftovers, she was ready to treat her with a snake's tail, if it happened at hand; and put her to sleep in an old trough.

And Maritsa grows up meek and hardworking, and she herself turned out to be much more beautiful and comely than her own daughter. And the stepmother decided to drive her stepdaughter out of the yard.

Here she sends her daughter and stepdaughter to bleach their wool; she gave white wool to her daughter, and black wool to her stepdaughter.

“If your hair does not become as white as my daughter’s, it’s better not to return home, I’ll kick you out anyway!” she threatened Maritza.

The poor orphan was sad, she began to cry, and she says that she cannot do such a job, but the stepmother does not want to listen to anything. The stepdaughter realized that you could not pity her stepmother, put a bundle of wool on her back and, shedding bitter tears, wandered after her sister.

So they came to the river, threw down their burden and began to bleach their wool. As soon as they got down to business, out of nowhere a girl, white-faced and beautiful, and affectionately says this:

— Hello, girlfriends! Can't help you?

Stepmother's daughter and answers:

- I really need your help, my hair is already white, but our stepdaughter doesn’t succeed.

An unfamiliar girl approached the sad Maritza and said to her:

- Come on, come on! And you will not have time to look back, as your hair turns white.

Together they began to pull it and wash it, and in the blink of an eye the black wool became whiter than snow. As soon as they finished the work, the white-faced girlfriend disappeared somewhere. The stepmother was surprised when she saw the white wool, and became very angry - after all, there was nothing to drive the stepdaughter out of the house now.

A bitter winter has come. Frost hit. Evil stepmother thinks everything how to destroy a poor stepdaughter. Once she orders Maritza:

- Take a basket, go to the mountains and collect there ripe berries for the new year! You will not find berries - it is better to stay in the mountains.

The poor thing twirled, cried, and says:

- Where can I, miserable, get ripe berries in such a crackling frost?

Yes, all in vain - she had to take a basket and go to the mountains. Here she comes, all in tears, and twelve youths meet her. The girl greeted them politely. Yunaki answered kindly and asked:

“Why are you crying, dear girl, and where are you heading through the snow?”

The girl told them about her trouble.

Yunaki and say:

We will help you if you guess which month of the year is the best.

“Everyone is good, but still March is the best, because it brings us hope,” Maritsa answered.

The Junaks liked her answer and said:

“Go over there to that sunny valley and take as many berries as you like.”

Maritsa brought wonderful berries to her stepmother for the New Year and told how those youths who met in the mountains helped her. A few days later, when it got a little warmer, the stepmother said to her daughter:

- Go and you in the mountains for berries; if our messy girl has already met young people and been so affectionate with her, then they will even give you something for a long time.

The daughter dressed up better, took the basket and hurried to the mountains. Goes cheerful, contented. Twelve youths met her, and she said to them arrogantly:

Show me where the berries grow. You showed our stepdaughter.

Junkie respond:

- Good. Just guess which month of the year is the best.

“Everyone is bad, but March is the worst,” the stepmother’s daughter answered without hesitation.

As soon as she said this, suddenly thick clouds covered the sky, and all thunders and lightnings fell upon her at once. She rushed to run, and ran all the way to the house, she almost lost her breath. Yunaks were twelve months old.

In the meantime, a rumor about the kindness and beauty of Maritsa spread throughout the district, and one rich gentleman sent a message to his stepmother that on such and such a day he would come with his retinue to woo the girl.

Envy took her stepmother, that such happiness fell upon her stepdaughter, and not her daughter, and, without saying a word to the orphan, she decided to marry her daughter to the master. Here comes the appointed day. The unscrupulous stepmother drove her stepdaughter to sleep in the trough early. I cleaned the house, cooked dinner, dressed up my daughter and sat her at the table with knitting. Finally, the matchmakers arrived. The stepmother welcomes them cordially, leads them into the house and says, pointing to her daughter:

“Here is my dear stepdaughter.

But then there was a rooster, as if he were screaming at the top of his cock's throat:

“Kukareku, beautiful Maritza in the trough!” Kukareku, beautiful Maritza in the trough!

The matchmakers heard a cock crow and ordered to bring a real stepdaughter. And when they saw her, they could not take their eyes off - she was so handsome and friendly. They took her away that same evening. And the evil stepmother and her daughter were disgraced before the whole world.

The native daughter went about in smart dresses, and the stepdaughter - in tatters. Caress and pampering fell to the share of the native daughter, and mallets and menial work to the share of the stepdaughter. The stepdaughter carried water, and washed, and cooked dinner, and wove, and spun, and sheathed the whole house.

And my own daughter was lazy. She did not like to weave and spin, but she loved to feast on her heart's content.

Once a stepmother had a fight with a neighbor. The neighbor began to shout:

Don't tell me, teach your own daughter better! Look how lazy and picky she is! The time will come - any groom will marry your stepdaughter, but no one will take your daughter. Your daughter, before she lifts a finger, will think three times, and then she will change her mind anyway.

The stepmother never loved her stepdaughter, and after these words she hated her so much that she decided to get out of the world.

Here comes the cold winter. The stepdaughter works in the yard, and the stepmother and o-Khana warm themselves by the hearth.

Once o-Khana got tired from the heat and said:

Oh, how hot I got! I would like to eat something cold now.

Do you want some snow?

Snow doesn't taste good, but I want something cold and tasty.

O-Khana thought, and suddenly she clapped her hands:

Strawberries, I want strawberries! I want red, ripe berries!

O-Hana was stubborn. If she wants anything, give it to her. She raised a loud cry:

Mom, give me strawberries! Mom, give me strawberries!

O-Chiyo, O-Chiyo, come here! the stepmother called her stepdaughter.

And she was just washing clothes in the yard. He runs to the call of his stepmother, on the go he wipes his wet hands with an apron.

Her stepmother told her:

Hey, you lazybones, go quickly into the forest and collect ripe strawberries in this basket. And if you don’t pick up a full basket, don’t come back home. Understood?

But, mother, do strawberries grow in the middle of winter?

It doesn’t grow, but you remember one thing: if you come empty-handed, I won’t let you into the house.

The stepmother pushed the girl out the threshold and locked the door behind her tightly. O-Chiyo stood, stood and went to the mountains.

It's quiet in the mountains. Snow falls in flakes. Around the pines, like white giants, stand.

O-Chiyo is looking for strawberries in deep snow, and she herself thinks: “It’s true, my stepmother sent me here to perish. I will never find strawberries in the snow. I'll freeze here." The girl cried, she wanders, not understanding the road. Either he will climb, stumbling and falling, up a mountain, then he will slide into a hollow. Finally, from fatigue and cold, she fell into a snowdrift. And the snow fell thicker and thicker and soon covered a white mound above her.

Suddenly, someone called o-Chiyo by name. She raised her head. She opened her eyes. He sees: an old grandfather with a white beard is leaning over her.

Tell me, O-Chiyo, why did you come here in such a cold?

Mother sent me, ordered me to collect ripe strawberries, - the girl answered, barely moving her lips.

Doesn't she know that strawberries don't grow in winter? But don't worry, I'll help you. Come with me.

O-Chiyo got up from the ground. She suddenly felt warm and happy. The old man walks on the snow easily, easily. O-Chiyo runs after him. And here's a miracle: just before she fell into a loose snowdrift up to her waist, and now a strong, good road is spreading in front of her.

There are ripe strawberries in the clearing, - says the old man. - Collect what you need, and go home.

She looked at O-Chiyo and couldn't believe her eyes. Large red strawberries grow in the snow. The whole glade is strewn with berries.

Oh strawberries! O-Chiyo screamed.

Suddenly he looks: the old man has disappeared somewhere, only pines are standing around. “It can be seen that it was not a person, but a spirit - the guardian of our mountains,” O-Chiyo thought. - That's who saved me!

Thank you, grandfather! she shouted and bowed low, low.

Got full o-chiyo a basket of strawberries and ran home.

How did you find strawberries?! - the stepmother was amazed.

She thought that the hated stepdaughter was no longer alive. The stepmother grimaced and squinted in annoyance and gave her own daughter basket with berries.

O-Khana was delighted, sat down at the very hearth and let's put handfuls of strawberries in her mouth:

Good berries! Sweeter than honey!

Come on, come on, give it to me! - the stepmother demanded, but the stepdaughter was not given a single berry.

Tired o-Chiyo crouched by the hearth and dozed off. She didn't have long to rest. She hears someone shaking her shoulder.

Oh-chiyo, oh-chiyo! - shouts her stepmother in her ear. - Hey, you, listen, o-Khana doesn't want red berries anymore, she wants blue ones. Go quickly to the mountains, collect blue strawberries.

But, mother, it's already evening in the yard, and, gosh, there are no blue strawberries in the world. Don't drive me to the mountains, mother.

Aren `t you ashamed! You are the eldest, you should take care of your little sister. You found red berries, you will find blue ones too!

She pushed her stepdaughter out into the cold without any pity, and the door slammed shut behind her. O-Chiyo wandered into the mountains. And there was more snow in the mountains. Takes one step o-Chiyo - falls to the waist and cries, cries. Yes, that's enough, was it in a dream that she was picking fresh strawberries here? It became quite dark in the forest. Somewhere, wolves howled. She hugged the tree with her hands, pressed herself against it.

O-Chiyo! - suddenly a quiet call was heard, and, out of nowhere, a familiar grandfather with a white beard appeared in front of her. As if a dark tree suddenly came to life.

Well, O-Chiyo, did your mother like red strawberries? the old man asked her kindly.

O-Chiyo's tears flowed like a stream.

Mother sent me to the mountains again. He orders to bring blue strawberries, otherwise he won’t let me go home.

Here the old man's eyes flashed with an unkind gleam.

I took pity on you, that's why I sent red berries to your stepmother, and what did this villain come up with! Okay, I'll teach her! Follow me!

The old man took long strides forward. It goes - as if it flies through the air. The girl can hardly keep up with him.

Look, O-Chiyo, here is a blue strawberry.

Indeed, all the snow around glows with blue lights. Large, beautiful blue strawberries are scattered everywhere. She timidly plucked the first berry from O-Chiyo. Even at the bottom of the basket, it shone with a blue sheen. O-Chiyo picked up a full basket and ran home as fast as she could. Then the mountains parted by themselves and in an instant were far behind, and in front of the girl, as if from under the ground, her home grew. Knocked on the door o-Chiyo:

Open, mother, I found a blue strawberry.

How? Blue strawberry?! gasped the stepmother. - It can't be!

She thought the wolves had eaten her stepdaughter. And what! O-Chiyo not only returned alive and well, but also brought strawberries, which does not exist in the world. Reluctantly, the stepmother unlocked the door and could not believe her eyes:

Blue strawberries!

O-Khana snatched the basket from her sister's hands and let's eat the berries as soon as possible.

Ah, delicious! You can swallow your tongue! Blue strawberries are even sweeter than red ones. Try it too, Mom.

O-Chiyo began to dissuade her sister and stepmother:

Mother, sister, these berries are too beautiful. So they sparkle like lights. Don't eat them...

But o-Khana shouted angrily:

I ate, right, in the forest to satiety, but it’s not enough for you, you want everything to go to you alone! Found the fool!

And suddenly, how it barks, barks. He sees o-Chiyo: his stepmother and o-Hana have grown sharp ears and long tails. They turned into red foxes and so with barking and fled to the mountains.

O-Chiyo was left alone. Eventually, she got married and lived happily ever after. She gave birth to children. They collected a lot of red, ripe berries in the forest, but in winter no one else found strawberries under the snow - neither red nor blue.

Based on this Japanese fairy tale, the animated film "Strawberries under the Snow" was shot. Studio Soyuzmultfilm. Directed by Natalia Golovanova. I confess that I have not seen this cartoon before, although it was released in 1994. He seemed very nice to me. I post it here:

As you can see, the Japanese fairy tale, just like the previous one - the Slovenian one - is surprisingly similar to ... right! Tale-tale "12 months" S.Ya. Marshak!

But it's already not a folk tale, but an author's tale! Although it is assumed that Samuil Yakovlevich retold Greek folk tale"12 months". I couldn't find a variant of the Greek fairy tale. If you find it, please send it! We will definitely post it on the blog pages for comparison with Marshak's fairy tale. That would be interesting, wouldn't it?

Tales of the stepmother and stepdaughter often called New Year's fairy tales, because in almost all versions of the fairy tale among different peoples, the action takes place in the winter on New Year's Eve, when all sorts of miracles are possible. But this is a topic for a completely different article .. Let's talk about this another time? And that's all for today...

Goodbye! All the best!

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There lived an old man and an old woman. He had children of different mothers. This old woman did not like her stepdaughter, exhausting her both at home and in the field. She began to scold the old man. “Well, old dog! Wherever you want to take your children. I don't want to see them." The old man thinks: “Where can I put them?” The old woman answers him: “Though swords in the water, but so that I do not see them. And if you don’t drive them away, then I don’t want to live with you together. ” Well, the old man decided to take his daughter somewhere; packed her handbag, put her three shirts and whatever else she needed, and said to her: "Go, my daughter, wherever you want."

The unfortunate girl went out the gate, prayed to the church and went into the forest. He enters such a huge forest, such a dark one. She went into the very middle, she became bored, because she did not find any way in the forest, no residence. She went further through the woods, went to the path. I went along this path and sees a house ahead of me. She approaches the house and wonders: who lives here? She went up to the house; the people see no one there; I walked, walked around the house and in all the rooms, I could not find anything anywhere. She wanted to eat, she opened a simple rural table. She takes out the remaining pieces of bread, ate these pieces and hid behind the stove herself. Sitting behind the stove; He hears the noise of the people, the neighing of horses, the barking of dogs. She trembled with fright; they enter the yard, and one of them runs straight into the hut, followed by all the robbers. The booty was divided among themselves, what they got. And the ataman shouted at them: "Pick up dinner as soon as possible." Their batman poked himself into the table, he sees - the remaining pieces of bread are eaten; and he said to his comrades: "Well, brothers, we have someone, or there was: there were leftover pieces of bread on the table, but now they are gone." Now the ataman ordered to look in the yard and in the house: is there anyone. The girl was frightened and cried. Suddenly they find her, take her out from behind the stove; the ataman began to ask her: “Whose are you, where did you come from?” She told him everything in detail. The chieftain caressed her and said to her: “Well, live with us and be my sister!” He took off his cross, put it on her, and from her on himself, and said to his comrades: “Well, read this girl, everything is the same as me.” She began to live with them, wash their shirts, cook food and clean the rooms. The chieftain began to love this girl very much, began to dress her quite cleanly and everything, like her own sister. He entrusted her with the keys to all things, from the whole house.

At some time, her father went to the forest for firewood and got lost in the forest; he walked for a long time through the forest, suddenly comes to this house. Quite grown up. However, he went into the house, saw this girl, could not recognize her that she was his daughter; began to ask her: "Who lives here?" She began to say to him: “My dear father! Or you couldn't recognize me? I am your daughter." Then she told him everything. She arranged for him to dine, brings him four glasses of wine, he drank and dined quite well. Suddenly robbers enter the yard, found him in the hut, began to ask him: “Why did you come here, old man?” The girl answers them: “This is my father, he got lost and came here.” The robbers began to dine; invited him too. He dined with them. Suddenly the ataman began to ask: “Will you go home soon?” The old man replies: "Now, he says." Ataman and says: "Well, sister, send the guests to the village." - "Oh, brother, I don't know what to send." He ordered to take out various pieces, the remaining chintz, from the chest. "Here, he says, choose from these pieces for your stepmother, sister, and let's go." She chose and sent. The ataman gave the old man thirty-three silver rubles. “Just don’t tell anyone that we live here, otherwise you won’t live, and your whole village will not survive.”

Man lived in ancient times. He had a daughter, a son and a stepdaughter. The stepdaughter was not loved in the house, offended and forced to work hard, and then they decided to take her to the forest and throw her to be eaten by wolves. So the brother says to his stepdaughter:

- Come with me to the forest. You will pick berries, and I will chop wood.

The stepdaughter took a bucket, put a ball of thread in the bucket and went with her named brother to the forest.

They arrived in the forest, stopped in a clearing. Brother said:

"Go pick berries and don't come back until I've finished chopping wood." Return to the clearing only when the sound of the ax stops.

The girl took a bucket and went to pick berries. As soon as she was out of sight, the named brother tied a large mallet to a tree and left.

The girl walks through the forest, picks berries, sometimes stops, listens to how her named brother knocks with an ax in the distance, and goes on. She does not even realize that it is not her brother who knocks with an ax, but the mallet sways from the wind and hits the tree: knock-knock! Knock Knock!

“My brother is still chopping wood,” the girl thinks and calmly picks berries.

She took a full bucket. Already the evening had come, and the mallet stopped pounding.

The girl listened - it was quiet all around.

“It looks like my brother has finished his work. It’s time for me to return, too, ”the girl thought and returned to the clearing.

She looks: there is no one in the clearing, only fresh chips are turning white.

The girl began to cry and went along the forest path, wherever her eyes looked.

She walked, she walked. And so the forest ends. The girl went out into the field. Suddenly, the ball she was holding in her hands fell out and rolled rapidly. The girl went to look for the ball. Goes and says:

My ball rolled away, did anyone see it?

So the girl came to a shepherd who was tending a herd of horses.

- My ball rolled away, did you see it? the girl asked the shepherd.

- I saw, - the shepherd answered, - Work with me for one day: I will give you a horse, on it you will go to look for your ball. The girl agreed. All day long she looked after the herd, and in the evening the shepherd gave her a horse and showed her the way.

The girl went on a horse through the forests, through the mountains and saw a shepherd who was tending a herd of cows. The girl worked for him all day, got a cow for work and went on. Then she met a flock of sheep, helped the shepherds, for which she received a sheep. After that, she came across a herd of goats on the way. The girl helped the shepherd and received a goat from him.

The girl drives the cattle, and the day is already leaning toward evening. The girl was scared. Where to hide for the night? Fortunately, she saw a light nearby and was delighted: “Finally, I got to housing!”

The girl drove the horse and soon reached a small hut. And in this hut lived an ubyr witch. The girl entered the hut and sees: an old woman is sitting there. She greeted her and asked:

- My ball rolled away, did you see it?

You, girl, came from afar. First, rest and help me, and then ask about the ball,” said the ubyr.

The girl remained with the old ubyr woman. In the morning she heated the bath, called the old woman:

- Grandmother, the bath is ready, go wash.

- Thank you, daughter! Only I won't get to the bathhouse without your help. You take my hand, push me from behind with your knee, then I will budge, - the ubyr tells her.

“No, grandma, you can’t. You are already old, how can you push? I’d rather carry you in my arms,” the girl said. She lifted the old ubyr woman in her arms and brought her to the bathhouse.

“Daughter,” says the old woman, “take me by the hair, throw me on the shelf.”

“No, grandmother, you can’t do that,” the girl answered, she lifted the old woman and sat her on a shelf.

And the old ubyr woman says to her:

- Daughter, hit my back, but stronger, not with a steamed broom, but with its handle.

“No, grandma, it will hurt you,” the girl replied.

She steamed the old ubyr woman with a soft broom, and then carried it home in her arms and laid it on a downy feather bed.

“Something is scratching my head, my daughter. Comb my hair,” said the old Ubyr woman.

The girl began to comb her hair with a small comb, and she gasped - the old woman's hair is full of pearls and gems, gold and silver! The girl did not say anything to the old woman, but combed her hair and braided it into braids.

"And now, daughter?" amuse me, the old one, dance in front of me,” said the old Ubyr woman.

The girl did not refuse - she began to dance before the ubyr.

As soon as she finished dancing, the old woman had a new order ready:

- Go, daughter, to the kitchen - see if the dough in the kneader has come up.

The girl went to the kitchen, looked into the pot, and the pot was full to the brim with pearls and gems, gold and silver.

- Well, daughter, how did the dough come up? the ubyr asked as soon as the girl returned from the kitchen.

“That’s right, grandma,” the girl replied.

- That's good! And now fulfill my last request: dance one more time, - says the ubyr.

The girl did not say a word to the old woman, she danced in front of her again, as best she could.

The girl liked the old woman-ubyr.

“Now, daughter, you can go home,” she says.

“I would be glad, grandmother, but I don’t know the way,” the girl answered.

“Well, it’s easy to help such a grief, I’ll show you the way.” When you get out of my hut, go straight ahead, do not turn anywhere. Take this green box with you. Just don't open it until you get home.

The girl took a chest, mounted a horse, and drove a goat, a cow and a sheep in front of her. At parting, she thanked the old woman and set off.

The girl rides during the day, rides at night, she began to drive up to her native village at dawn.

And when she drove up to the house itself, the dogs barked in the yard:

“It looks like our dogs are freaking out!” - exclaimed the brother, ran out into the yard, began to disperse the dogs with a stick.

The dogs ran in different directions, but they do not stop yapping:

- They wanted to destroy the girl, but she will live richly! WOF WOF!

And they see the brother and sister - the stepdaughter drove up to the gate. She got off her horse, entered the house, opened the chest, and everyone saw that it was full of gold, silver, pearls and all kinds of precious stones.

The brother and sister became envious. And they decided to get rich too. They asked the stepdaughter about everything.

So my sister took a ball and went with her brother to the forest. In the forest, the brother began to chop wood, and the girl began to pick berries. As soon as the girl was out of sight, the brother tied a mallet to a tree and left. The girl returned to the clearing, but her brother was gone. The girl went through the forest. Soon she came to a shepherd who was tending a herd of horses.

- My ball rolled away, did you see it? the girl asked the shepherd.

“I did,” the shepherd replied. - Work for me for a day, I will give you a horse, and you will go to look for your ball on it.

“I don’t need your horse,” the girl answered and went on.

She reached a herd of cows, then a flock of sheep, a herd of goats, and did not want to work anywhere. And after a while she reached the hut of the old Ubyr woman. She entered the hut and said:

- My ball rolled away, did you see it?

“I saw it,” the old woman answers, “just go and heat a bath for me first.”

The girl heated the bath, returned to the old woman, and she said:

- Let's go, daughter, to the bath. You lead me by the hand, push me from behind with your knee.

- Good.

The girl took the old woman by the hands and let's push her knee from behind. So I took her to the bath.

In the bath, the old woman asks the girl:

- Float my back, daughter, only not with a soft broom, but with his handle.

The girl began to beat the old woman's back with the handle of a broom.

They returned home, the old woman said:

"Now comb my hair."

The girl began to comb the hair of the old woman and saw that her head was strewn with gold, silver and precious stones. The girl's eyes flared up, and she hastily began to fill her pockets with jewelry, even hiding something in her bosom.

“And now, daughter, dance,” the old woman asks.

The girl began to dance, and gold and precious stones fell from her pockets. The old ubyr woman saw it, didn’t say a word, only sent her to the kitchen to see if the dough in the kneader had risen.

A girl came to the kitchen, looked into the pot, and the pot was full of gold, silver, and gems to the very brim. The girl could not stand it, she again stuffed her pockets with gold and silver, and at the same time she thought: “Now I know how rich my sister is!”

When she returned, the old ubyr woman again made her dance, and again gold and silver fell from the girl's pockets.

After that, the old Ubyr woman said:

“Now, daughter, go home and take this black chest with you.” When you get home, open it.

The girl was delighted, picked up the chest, in a hurry did not even thank the old woman and ran home. Hurry, never stop.

On the third day, the native village appeared. When she began to approach the house, the dogs in the yard barked:

My brother heard, ran out into the yard, began chasing the dogs, and the dogs kept yapping:

- The girl wanted to be rich, but she didn’t have long to live! WOF WOF!

The girl ran home, did not greet anyone, rushed to open the chest. As soon as she threw back the lid, snakes crawled out of the chest and began to sting her.

Fairy tale evs

A long time ago, a huge kingdom was spread on the seashore. The rumor about his wealth went all over the world, and everyone in this kingdom lived happily. Only the king did not have happiness: all his sons, as soon as they were born, died. The king grew old, but he did not have an heir.
But one fine day, to the great joy of the king, the queen gave birth to a son. However, soon this joy was replaced by anxiety.
"How to protect my only son from an evil fate?" thought the king, and this thought haunted him.
To ward off evil spirits from his son, the king decided to keep his name a secret until he was an adult.
“Let the boy’s name be known only to his uncle and me.”
Time passed, the baby grew up and finally turned into a handsome and strong young man. And the king decided to marry him to a girl who could guess his name. Let the spirit itself, patronizing the young man, tell him the name of the one whom he considers worthy of the king's son!
Many dreamed of marrying off their daughter to the king's son; fathers bought the most beautiful clothes for their daughters, mothers worked all day around the girls, constructing intricate hairstyles for them. The richest stocked up with reliable amulets from sorcerers.
The girls, one after another, left their parental shelter and with rich gifts were drawn to the royal palace.
The will of the king reached the remote village where a girl named Akosiua lived. Akosiua was an orphan - her mother died long ago, and her father, a fisherman, died at sea, and now Akosiua grew up with her stepmother.
Her stepmother hated her only because Akosiua was more beautiful than any of the three stepmother's daughters. She had no equal in beauty in the whole region.
And the stepmother dreamed of marrying off one of her daughters to the king's son. She bought them all the most beautiful, and they began to gather in the palace.
And the stepmother ordered her stepdaughter:
Sort through the corn and millet, sweep the house and the yard, wash and clean everything, and then go wherever you want, even go to the palace - people are a laughing stock.
Akosiua sighed bitterly, but there was nothing to be done. She saw that Abra, Yaua and Ama had already dressed up and were setting off, and she ran up to them:
- My dear sisters! Don't be mad at me! I do not know the way to the palace, and I will have no one to ask. Help me! When you reach the fork, put a green twig of acacia on the road to the palace, and on the other road that leads to a dark forest, throw a dry palm branch.
The sisters promised to do everything as she asked, but when they reached the fork in the two roads, the most evil and ugly of the sisters, who hated the orphan more than her stepmother, said:
- What are we going to help the know-it-all? Look, she thinks she's the most beautiful in the world! Put a dried branch on the road to the palace, and let's throw a green branch on the road to the dark forest. Why should we be afraid! Even if she gets out of the forest alive and unharmed, let's say that they mixed up the branches. After all, she really does not know how to explain what she wants!
So the sisters did.
And poor Akosiua worked tirelessly in the meantime. She did everything that her stepmother punished, and then she decided to bake corn cakes - to treat the king. Akosiua thoroughly ground the corn kernels, made delicious cakes from the flour, wrapped them in fresh banana leaves and put them in her old, cracked dish.
The girl washed herself, put on shabby clothes and set off. As soon as I approached the fork in the road, a whirlwind hit! He picked up both twigs from the ground, whirled them around and threw the withered branch of the palm tree onto the road to the forest, and lowered the flowering twig of acacia onto the road to the palace. Akosiua followed it further.

She walked, walked, looks, the old man is standing. He called the girl
"My child, do you have anything to eat?" My strength is waning.
I met an old man and evil sisters, yes those. they gave him nothing, they only scolded him and went on their way. And the stepdaughter had a good heart. She thought, “Why does the king need my miserable corn cakes? He has so many of the most delicious dishes. And the poor old man, perhaps, will die if I do not share with him.
Akoshiua smiled kindly.
"Grandpa, that's all I have!" Eat for health! And she handed the old man her simple supplies.
The old man ate, thanked the girl for the treat, and then he says:
“My child, for your kindness, I will reveal to you the name of the prince. His name is Ketowoglo the Strong.
Akoshiua was surprised:
- How, grandfather, do you know the one that no one in the world knows?
But before she had time to finish, the old man was gone. It was then that Akosiua realized that she had met the spirit itself, the patron of the prince.
With a light heart, Akosiua walked on and did not stop until she reached the palace. In the square in front of the palace, she saw a huge crowd.
Young girls, one more beautiful than the other, in turn approached the uncle of the young prince and called the name of the king's son. And nearby, the musician beat the drum with all his might so that none of the girls could hear the answers of their rivals. What names were not called by the girls! Everything was in vain. No one could guess the secret name of the prince.
The turn of Akosiuy came up. It was then that one of the beauties began to make fun of her:
- Poor bastard! Are you and do you really hope to guess the name of the prince? After all, the spirit did not want to open it even to us, so rich and beautiful!
The ugly sisters of the poor stepdaughter immediately raised a cry:
"Get that bastard away!" How dare she come near us! Look, you want to dishonor us!
But the prince's uncle shouted sternly at the evil sisters and made a sign to the girl to approach:
Well, try and guess the name of my nephew. Akoshiua replied:
The prince was named Ketouoglo the Strong to protect him from evil spirits.
And my uncle exclaimed:
- Here is the chosen one of the guardian spirit! She will become the wife of the king's son!
So the poor stepdaughter married the young prince, and the stepmother's daughters returned home empty-handed.

In times long past, there was one evil, wicked woman. She had two girls: one was her own daughter, the other was her stepdaughter. The stepdaughter's name was Gulbika. The stepmother forced Gulbika to work day and night: spinning threads, pulling wool, washing linen. No matter how much Gulbika worked, she could not please her stepmother. Once she did not like the threads that Gulbika spun. The stepmother got angry and threw the ball away. Gulbika wept bitterly and began looking for the ball. She searched for a long time, but he was nowhere to be found, and she went to look for him on the road.
She asked everyone she met:

“There was some kind of ball rolling in that direction - yours, probably, was there,” the people answered her.
The girl went further, and now she met a shepherd who was tending cows.
“My round little ball has rolled away, haven’t you seen it?” she asked the shepherd.
- I saw it, daughter. Recently I rolled over there - probably yours was, - the shepherd answered.
Gulbika went further and met a shepherd who was tending horses.
She questioned him. He gave the same answer as before.
Weeping bitterly and wailing, she went further than Gulbik.
- My round ball, where have you gone? Will I find you soon? If I don't find it, how can I
back home? My stepmother will scold and beat me.
Gulbika walked and walked, but there was still no ball. She walked across the steppe, then along the river bank. Passed through terrible ravines and forests.
At last evening came. It became dark. Nobody was around. Only the terrible howling of animals was heard in the forest.
Suddenly Gulbika saw a light ahead. It flickered a little in the distance. The girl, while she was going to this light, had to go through deep ravines and dense thickets. She approached the light and saw a small hut. She looked in the window, and there an old woman was sitting and spinning wool. The girl timidly entered the hut.
- Hello, grandmother! - She greeted the old woman.
- Hello, daughter! Why did you come here?” asked the old woman.
- My grandmother, a round ball has rolled away. I went to look for him and wandered here. If I don’t find the ball, then my stepmother won’t let me into the house,” the girl replied.
“Okay, daughter, don’t worry in vain,” the old woman consoled her. “Stay with me for a few days, and then go home.”
“What am I going to do with you?” the girl asked.
“You take care of me, an old man, you will cook dinner for me,” the old woman answered.
- All right, grandmother, - the girl agreed and stayed with the old woman.
The next morning the old woman said to her:
- Daughter, there is millet in the barn. You ceiling it in flour and start pancakes the next day.
- And how to start, grandmother? - asked the girl.
- How do you do it, that's fine. Pour water, add flour and shake, - said the old woman.
The girl crushed the millet finely, started, the dough is very good.
- Grandmother, how to bake pancakes? - the girl asked.
- As you bake, so be it: let them burn and warp, let them warp and burn, - the old woman answered.
Gulbika baked sumptuous pancakes, smeared them with butter and treated the old woman.
The next day, the old woman said to the girl: -Daughter, I want to wash, I need to heat the bathhouse.
- And how to heat it, grandmother? - asked the girl.
- As soon as you heat it, it's all right: put firewood in the stove and set it on fire, - the old woman answered.
The girl thoroughly heated the bath and closed the pipe in time.
- Grandmother, the bath is ready, how can I bring you there? - the girl asked.
- Hold the hand and push in the neck, - the old woman answered.
The girl carefully lifted the old woman from her seat, took her by the arm, quietly and carefully led her to the bathhouse.
- And how to steam you, grandmother? - asked the gulbika.
“Beat me until you beat me with the handle of a broom,” the old woman answered.
Gulbika steamed her not with the handle of a broom, but with its fragrant leaves, washed her thoroughly and took her to the hut.
“Well, daughter, give me tea sometime, and then you will go home,” said the old woman.
Gulbika fed her to the full and gave her sweet tea to drink.
- Well, grandmother, I'll go home now, - the girl said after that.
- Okay, daughter, go, but first go up to the attic. There is one green chest. You take it for yourself and do not open it until you enter your house, - said the old woman.
The girl said goodbye to her, took the chest and, rejoicing at the gift, went home. When she began to approach the yard, their little dog ran out of the gateway and barked:

Gulbika was surprised at the dog's words and shouted:
- Go away, don't talk like that! - but she caressed her.
The dog did not obey and continued to yelp:
- Tyav, yap, yap, aunty went to die, and goes back alive and rich!
The stepmother heard the yapping of the dog and saw that the stepdaughter had returned home. She almost burst from envy and anger.
Gulbika entered the house, opened the chest, and could not believe her eyes: it was all full of gold and silver.
The stepmother saw this and decided: “Let my daughter get rich just like Gulbika.”
The mother took the ball of her own daughter and threw it out the door. The ball rolled away. Her daughter began to look for her ball, but did not find it. Then she, although she was afraid, went out into the field and went along the road. She, like her daughter, came across shepherds, and she asked everyone:
- My round little ball rolled away, did you see it?
She was answered:
- We saw, we saw, he was rolling in that direction. The girl walked and walked and reached the same old woman. And
the girl also stayed with her. Once an old woman said to her:
- Daughter, would you bake pancakes for me.
- And how to bake them, grandmother? - the girl asked.
“As you bake, it’s okay: let them burn and warp, let them warp and burn,” said the old woman.
The girl did just that. The pancakes were all burnt and warped.
The next day the old woman asked:
- Daughter, I want to wash, I need to heat the bathhouse.
“But how to melt it?” the girl asked.
“As soon as you heat it, it’s all right: put straw in the stove until it’s set on fire, and when it’s all burned, add more,” said the old woman.
The girl flooded the bathhouse with straw, not firewood. Without waiting for the smoke and fumes to go away, she closed it.
Then she entered the hut to take the old woman to the bathhouse, and said:
- Grandmother, the bath is ready, how can I take you there?
- Come on, take the hand and push in the neck, - said the old woman.
The girl did just that.
- Grandmother, how to steam you? - she asked in the bath.
- As you steam, it's fine. Take it to beat my back with the handle of a broom, - said the old woman.
The girl did just that. Then, just as she led her to the bathhouse, she took the old woman home: she held her hand and pushed her on the neck.
When they returned home, the old woman said:
- I, my daughter, wanted to drink after the bath. Give me some tea and then go home.
The girl gave the old woman some tea to drink. After that she said:
- Grandma, isn't it time for me to go home?
- Go, daughter, but not empty-handed. There is one yellow chest in the attic, you take it for yourself. Just don't open it until you enter your own hell, - said the old woman.
The girl took the yellow chest and went home. When she began to approach the yard, the little dog saw her, ran out of the gateway and barked:
- Yaw, yap, yap, aunty went to get rich, but comes with nothing!
The stepmother heard the yapping of the dog, became very angry with her and even beat her.
The girl entered the house, broke the lock on her chest and opened it.
And what did they see? It was all full of snakes and frogs. The snakes hissed out of the chest and began to sting them. The stepmother began to scream, but no one came to help. The dog not only did not forget the insult for the beatings, but also gloated and sentenced;
- You beat me, offended Gulbika, so let the snakes sting you!
She began to protect only Gulbika, who took pity and caressed her when her stepmother beat her.
The little dog grabbed all the snakes that crawled up to her stepdaughter and tore them apart.
Her stepmother and her daughter died from snake venom, but Gulbika and her dog remained alive and forgot about their stepmother forever.