Tales of the peoples of Eastern Siberia. Ethnic oral art on the example of fairy tales of the peoples of Siberia, the North and the Far East

Tales of the peoples of the North

DEAR FRIEND!

The book you are holding - storybook. These are fairy tales of different peoples of the Far North, Siberia and the Far East, living on a vast territory from the western to eastern borders of the Soviet Union, from the Kola Peninsula to Chukotka.

Downtrodden and backward in the past, in our country the peoples of the North are surrounded by attention and care. They created a unique culture, including rich oral folk art - folklore. Fairy tales are the most common genre of folklore.

A fairy tale brightened up the difficult existence of people, served as a favorite entertainment and recreation: they usually told fairy tales at their leisure, after a hard day. But the fairy tale also played an important educational role. In the recent past, fairy tales among the peoples of the North were not only entertainment, but also a kind of school of life. Young hunters and reindeer herders listened and tried to imitate the heroes who were glorified in fairy tales.

Fairy tales paint vivid pictures of the life and life of hunters, fishermen and reindeer herders, introduce them to their ideas and customs.

The heroes of many fairy tales are the poor. They are fearless, dexterous, quick-witted and resourceful (the Nenets tale "The Master and the Worker", the Udege - "Gadazami", the Even - "The Resourceful Shooter" and others).

Fairy tales feature various elements of magic, prophetic forces (as, for example, in the Ket fairy tales “The Small Bird” and “Alba and Khosyadam” or in the Chukchi fairy tale “The Almighty Katgyrgyn”), spirits are the masters of the elements (underwater kingdom, underground and heavenly worlds). , spirits of water, earth, forest, fire, etc.) (for example, in the Selkup fairy tale "The Mistress of the Fire", Oroch - "The Best Hunter on the Coast", Nivkh - "White Seal"), death and revival (for example, in Evenk fairy tale "How kites were defeated").

An important place in the folklore of the peoples of the North is occupied by fairy tales about animals. They explain the habits and appearance of animals in their own way (the Mansi tale “Why does the hare have long ears”, the Nanai - “How the bear and the chipmunk stopped being friends”, the Eskimo - “How the raven and the owl painted each other”), they talk about the mutual assistance of man and beast (the Mansi tale "The Proud Deer", the Dolgan - "The Old Fisherman and the Raven", the Nivkh - "The Hunter and the Tiger").

The main idea of the tale is simple: there should be no place on earth for suffering and poverty, evil and deception should be punished.

Dear friend! Read this book thoughtfully, slowly. When you read a fairy tale, think about what it is about, what it teaches. As the poet Vladimir Mayakovsky wrote: “A fairy tale is a fairy tale, but you draw a conclusion from a fairy tale.” So you think about what conclusion can be drawn from each fairy tale you read.

In the book you will meet words that you may not know. They are marked with an asterisk and you will find an explanation of them at the end of the book. These are mainly the names of household items, household utensils, clothing of various peoples of the North.

Read fairy tales slowly, as if you were telling them to your friends or younger brothers and sisters.

Look carefully at the illustrations for fairy tales. Think about what episode of the fairy tale they belong to, what kind of drawing you would draw for this or that fairy tale. Pay attention to the ornament, clothing, household items of different peoples.

We wish you success!

NENETS TALE

There lived a poor woman. And she had four children. The children did not obey their mother. They ran and played in the snow from morning to evening, but did not help their mothers. They will return to the tent, they will drag whole snowdrifts of snow on pims, and take the mother away. The clothes will be wetted, and the mother will be sushi. It was difficult for the mother. From such a life, from hard work, she fell ill. Lies in the plague, calls the children, asks:

Kids, give me water. My throat was dry. Bring some water.

Not once, not twice, the mother asked - the children do not go for water. Senior says:

I am without pims. Another says:

I am without a hat. The third one says:

I am without clothes.

And the fourth one doesn't answer at all. Their mother asks:

The river is close to us, and you can go without clothes. It dried up in my mouth. I am thirsty!

And the children ran out of the tent, played for a long time, and did not look at their mother. Finally, the older one wanted to eat - he looked into the chum. He looks: the mother is standing in the middle of the plague and putting on a malitsa. Suddenly the little girl was covered with feathers. The mother takes a board, on which the skins are scraped, and that board becomes a bird's tail. The thimble became an iron beak. Wings grew instead of arms.

The mother turned into a cuckoo bird and flew out of the tent.

Then the elder brother shouted:

Brothers, look, look: our mother is flying away like a bird!

The children ran after their mother, shouting to her:

Mom, mom, we brought you some water! And she replies:

Coo-coo, coo-coo! Late, late! Now the lake waters are in front of me. I fly to free waters!

The children run after their mother, they call her, they hold out a bucket of water.

The youngest son cries:

Mom mom! Come back home! For some water, drink!

The mother answers from afar:

Coo-coo, coo-coo! Too late, son! I will not return!

So the children ran after their mother for many days and nights - over stones, over swamps, over bumps. They cut their legs into blood. Where they run, there will be a red trace.

The cuckoo mother abandoned her children forever. And since then, the cuckoo has not built a nest for itself, has not raised its own children. And from that time on, red moss spreads along the tundra.

TALA THE BEAR AND THE GREAT WIZARD

SAMI TALE

Tala-bear got into the habit around the camp to stagger at night. He walks quietly, does not give a voice, lurks behind the stones - he waits: whether the stupid deer will fight off the herd, whether the puppy jumps out of the camp, whether the child.

However, no matter how you hide, but traces in the snow remain. The mothers saw those footprints, they said to the children:

Do not ride late in the moonlight from the hill! Tala bear is close. He grabs him, takes him to his stupid place, takes him to dinner.

The moon has risen, and naughty children are still rolling down the hill.

Tala-bear crawled out from behind a stone, opened his bag - kitty, set it across the road, and lay down further away.

The guys rolled down the hill and flew into the bear bag!

He grabbed Tal’s bag, put it on his shoulders, goes home, rejoices: “I’m carrying a full kitty of guys! Let's eat deliciously!"

He walked, walked, got tired, hung the bag on a spruce branch, he lay down under the tree and snored.

Tales of the peoples of the North

DEAR FRIEND!

The book you are holding in your hands is a collection of fairy tales. These are fairy tales of different peoples of the Far North, Siberia and the Far East, living on a vast territory from the western to eastern borders of the Soviet Union, from the Kola Peninsula to Chukotka.

Fairy tales paint vivid pictures of the life and life of hunters, fishermen and reindeer herders, introduce them to their ideas and customs.

The main idea of the tale is simple: there should be no place on earth for suffering and poverty, evil and deception should be punished.

Read fairy tales slowly, as if you were telling them to your friends or younger brothers and sisters.

We wish you success!

NENETS TALE

There lived a poor woman. And she had four children. The children did not obey their mother. They ran and played in the snow from morning to evening, but did not help their mothers. They will return to the chum, they will drag whole snowdrifts on pims, and take the mother away. The clothes will be wetted, and the mother will be sushi. It was difficult for the mother. From such a life, from hard work, she fell ill. Lies in the plague, calls the children, asks:

Kids, give me water. My throat was dry. Bring some water.

Not once, not twice, the mother asked - the children do not go for water. Senior says:

I am without pims. Another says:

I am without a hat. The third one says:

I am without clothes.

And the fourth one doesn't answer at all. Their mother asks:

The river is close to us, and you can go without clothes. It dried up in my mouth. I am thirsty!

The mother turned into a cuckoo bird and flew out of the tent.

Then the elder brother shouted:

Brothers, look, look: our mother is flying away like a bird!

The children ran after their mother, shouting to her:

Mom, mom, we brought you some water! And she replies:

Coo-coo, coo-coo! Late, late! Now the lake waters are in front of me. I fly to free waters!

The children run after their mother, they call her, they hold out a bucket of water.

The youngest son cries:

Mom mom! Come back home! For some water, drink!

The mother answers from afar:

Coo-coo, coo-coo! Too late, son! I will not return!

So the children ran after their mother for many days and nights - over stones, over swamps, over bumps. They cut their legs into blood. Where they run, there will be a red trace.

TALA THE BEAR AND THE GREAT WIZARD

SAMI TALE

Tales of the peoples of Siberia

Altai fairy tales

scary guest

There lived a badger. He slept during the day and went hunting at night. One night a badger was hunting. He had not had time to get enough, and the edge of the sky had already brightened.

Before the sun, a badger hurries to get into its hole. Without showing himself to people, hiding from the dogs, he walked where the shadow is thicker, where the earth is blacker.

The badger approached his dwelling.

Hrr ... Brr ... - he suddenly heard an incomprehensible noise.

"What's happened?"

Sleep jumped out of the badger, the hair stood on end, the heart almost broke the ribs with a knock.

"I've never heard such noise..."

Hrrr... Firrlit-fue... Brrr...

“Hurry, I’ll go back to the forest, I’ll call clawed animals like me: I alone don’t agree to die here for everyone.”

And the badger went to call all the clawed animals living in Altai for help.

Oh, I have a terrible guest sitting in my hole! Help! Save!

Animals came running, their ears drooped to the ground - in fact, the earth trembles from the noise:

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

All the animals' hair stood on end.

Well, badger, this is your house, you go first and climb.

The badger looked around - ferocious animals were standing around, urging, hurrying:

Go, go!

And they themselves tucked their tails in fear.

The badger's house had eight entrances and eight exits. "What to do? - thinks the badger. - How to be? Which entrance to your house to penetrate?

What are you standing for? - Wolverine snorted and raised her terrible paw.

Slowly, reluctantly, the badger wandered to the very main entrance.

Hrrrr! - took off from there.

The badger jumped back, hobbled to another entrance-exit.

Of all eight exits, it rumbles.

The badger began to dig for the ninth move. It's a shame to destroy your home, but you can't refuse - the most ferocious animals from all over Altai have gathered.

Hurry, hurry! - order.

It's a shame to destroy your home, but you can't disobey.

Sighing bitterly, the badger scratched the ground with its clawed front paws. Finally, a little alive with fear, he made his way to his high bedroom.

Hrrr, brrr, frrr...

Lounging on a soft bed, it was a white hare snoring loudly.

The animals could not stand on their feet with laughter, they rolled on the ground.

Hare! That's the hare! The badger was scared of the hare!

Ha ha ha! Ho-ho-ho!

From shame, where can you hide now, badger? What an army he gathered against the hare!

Ha ha ha! Ho-ho!

And the badger does not raise his head, he scolds himself:

“Why, when you heard a noise in your house, didn’t you look there yourself? Why did he go to the whole Altai to shout?

And know the hare sleeps and snores.

The badger got angry, but how he shoves the hare:

Go away! Who let you sleep here?

The hare woke up - his eyes almost popped out! - and the wolf, and the fox, lynx, wolverine, wild cat, even sable are here!

“Well,” the hare thinks, “come what may!”

And suddenly - jump badger in the forehead. And from the forehead, as from a hill, - again lope! - and into the bushes.

The badger's forehead turned white from the white hare belly.

From the hind hare paws there were white marks on the cheeks.

The animals laughed even louder.

Oh, barsu-u-uk, how beautiful you have become! Ho ha ha!

Come to the water, look at yourself!

The badger hobbled to the forest lake, saw his reflection in the water and cried:

"I'm going to complain to the bear."

Came and says:

I bow to you to the ground, grandfather bear. I ask you for protection. I myself was not at home that night, I did not invite guests. Hearing loud snoring, he was frightened ... How many animals he disturbed, he destroyed his house. Now look, from the hare's white belly, from the hare's paws - and my cheeks turned white. And the culprit fled without looking back. Judge this matter.

Are you still complaining? Your head used to be black as the earth, and now even people will envy the whiteness of your forehead and cheeks. It's a shame that I didn't stand in that place, that the hare didn't whiten my face. That's a pity! Yes, it's a pity...

And with a bitter sigh, the bear left.

And the badger still lives with a white stripe on his forehead and on his cheeks. It is said that he is accustomed to these marks and is already boasting:

That's how the hare tried for me! We are now friends forever and ever.

Introductory article, preparation of texts, notes, indexes of the section "Fairy tales" R.P. Matveeva, section "Tales about animals" T.G. Leonova. - Novosibirsk: VO "Nauka". Siberian publishing company, 1993. - 352 p.

The volume included 76 fairy tales and animal tales recorded from the 1890s to the 1980s. Most of the stories are being published for the first time. A significant place is given to modern records as living evidence of the once richest Siberian tradition.

The book contains works performed by famous masters and performers unknown to the reader.

In this volume you will also find fairy tales, the plots of which are widespread among East Slavic storytellers, including those in Siberia, and rare texts that have gone out of existence. In fairy tales, the Siberian flavor was fully manifested.

TABLE OF CONTENTS From the editorial board .................................................. .. 7 Russian fairy tales of Siberia .......................................... 10 TEXTS MAGIC TALES 1. About three heroes - Vechernik, Polunoshnik and Svetovik...... 52 2. Sunflower Beauty......................... ................ 79 3. Ivan Tsarevich and Martha Tsarevna ........................ ........ 91 4. Ivan the Tsar's son of golden curls .................. 99 5. Ivan Vdovin ................................................... 116 6 Seryozha the Merchant's Son............................... 124 7. [The Bear and the Three Sisters ] ................................... 138 8. [The sorcerer and his apprentice] ... ................................... 142 9. About Vanyushka .......... ....................................... 148 10. The old hunter and the cherished bird.... ........................... 150 11. About the merchant’s son…………………………………………. ........... 161 12. [Old Princess] ............................... ......... 168 13. [Vasilisa Vasilievna] .................................. ... 177 14. Worm ....................................... ....... 178 15. Bridegroom-hare .............................. ........... 183 16. [Vasilisa the Wise] ................................ ...... 187 17. Ivan the peasant's son ..................... 192 18. Bulat-well done .............................................. 196 19. Sivko, Burko, prophetic Kourko.................................. 204 20. Pigskin.... ............................................... 214 21. The Tale of Ivashka the lean ladle... .................... 217 22. [Magic Ring] ....................... .................. 223 23. Two brothers .............................. ...................... 235 24. Wonderful sheep....................... .................... 237 25. The old midwife .......................... .............. 238 TALES ABOUT ANIMALS 26. The Fox and the Cat ............................ ............... 240 27. The bear and the fox............... ....................... - 28. [Midwife Fox] ................... ................................. 241 29. Cat and fox .................. ................................. 242 30. The Fox and the Goat .................. ......................... 243 31. Fox, wolf and bear ................ ...................... 244 32. Breast, fox and magpie .................. ................... - 33. Fox and Petya-rooster....................... .................. 245 28. Cat and cockerel .......................... .............. 245 35. Hare and sheep. ............................................... 249 36. Black grouse ................................................. .... - 37. Bear and log ........................................ .... - 38. Friendship of a dog and a cat .............................. - 39. The cat and the fox .............................. ..... 251 40. [The Tale of the Wolf and the Pig] .................................. 253 41 . Horse and tiger .............................................. - 42. About the cat .............................................. ... 254 43. [The man and the bear] ....................................... .. 257 44. Wolf and fox .......................................... ....... - 45. About the fox and the wolf .................................... ...... 258 46. [For good with good] .................................... ..... 260 47. Bear - wooden leg.................................. 261 48. Sons. ................................................. 262 49. [About the fox] ........................................... ....... 263 50. About the cutting goat .............................. ......... 265 51. Turnip ............................... ................. 267 52. [Mouse and Sparrow] .......................... .................. 268 53. [Crane and Loon] .............................. ................ - 54. Sparrow ............................... ............... 269 55. [About Yersh Ershovich] ..................... .................... 270 56. Horsefly and mosquito ......................... ................... 271 57. [Terem flies] ........................ ......................... - 58. About the mouse and the bubble .................... .................... 274 59. The old man and the trembling [thrush] ..................... ................. - 60. Masha .............................. ............... 275 61. [About the rooster] ....................... ....................... - 62 .................................. 276 63. About the goat..................... ....................... 277 64. About the old man and the old woman, about the hen and the cockerel .......... ......... - APPENDICES Notes ....................................... .............. 286 Texts of fairy tales sounding on a gramophone record ...................... 302 1. About a cat and a dog .................................... - 2. [Stepdaughter] ........ .................................... 304 3. Ardent goat ......... ......................................... 305 List of abbreviations .......... ................................... 308 Index of fairy tale plots ........... ......................... . 310 Index of Plot Contamination ........................................ 326 Index of Names and Nicknames of Characters .................. ................... 327 Index of geographical names in fairy tales .................. 329 Index of names of storytellers .. .................................. 330 Index of names of collectors .................. .................................. 331 Index of places where fairy tales are recorded .............................. .............. 332 Dictionary of little-used and dialect words ................. 334 Alphabetical index of fairy tale names .......... .................. 339 References ............................... ............... 340 Summary .................................. ...................... 344

Buryat people

Buryats (self-name - Buryats), a people in the Russian Federation, one of the many peoples of Siberia. The main population of Buryatia (273 thousand people), also live in the Irkutsk region (80 thousand people), including in the Ust-Orda district (54 thousand people), in the Chita region (70 thousand people), including in the Aginsky district ( 45 thousand people), in the Far Eastern Federal District (10 thousand people). In total, there are 445 thousand people in the Russian Federation (2002). The Buryats also live in the north of Mongolia (35 thousand people) and in the northeast of China. The total number of Buryats is more than 500 thousand people.

During the period of the appearance of the first Russian settlers in the Baikal region, cattle breeding played a predominant role in the economy of the Buryat tribes; semi-nomadic among the western and nomadic among the eastern tribes. The Buryats raised sheep, cattle, goats, horses and camels. Additional types of economic activity were hunting, farming and fishing, which are more developed among the Western Buryats; on the coast of Lake Baikal there was a fishery for seals. Buryat beliefs - historically, the spiritual sphere of society was formed in Buryatia under the mutual influence of Buddhism, shamanism of the indigenous peoples and the Old Believers. From the end of the 16th century Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism) became widespread. From the middle of the XVII century. the first Orthodox churches and chapels appeared in Transbaikalia. (more about Buryat beliefs HERE http://irkipedia.ru/content/verovaniya_buryat)

Buryat men's and women's clothing differed relatively little. The lower clothing consisted of a shirt and trousers, the upper one was a long loose robe with a wrap on the right side, which was girded with a wide cloth sash or belt belt. Married women wore a sleeveless vest over their robes - udzhe, which had a slit in front, which was also made on a lining. Temple pendants, earrings, necklaces, and medallions were favorite adornments for women. The Buryat headdress is called malgay. Outerwear is called - degel. The shoes of the Buryats are gutul. The corners of the shelves, the bottom, the sleeves are decorated with a ribbon geometric ornament, and circular elements are scattered over the surface.

Folklore Buryat

The Buryats live in Buryatia (the capital is the city of Ulan-Ude), in the Chita and Irkutsk regions. In the territories where the Buryats now live, many tribes lived in the 17th century. Having merged, they formed the Buryat nation. In the 17th century, the Buryats became part of the Russian state.

Before the revolution, the Buryats used the Mongolian script. In 1931, its own script was created. The founder of Buryat literature is the outstanding writer Hotsa Namsaraev (1889-1959). Known poets Nikolai Damdinov (born in 1932), Dondok Ulzytuev (1936-1972). The Buryat folklore is rich, the heroic epic - "Alamzhi-Mergen", "Geser" is widely known.

The first researcher of Buryat ethnography and folklore was the exiled Decembrist Nikolai Bestuzhev (1791-1855), an artist and writer who lived from 1839 in a settlement in Selenginsk.

Buryat folklore - oral folk art, began to take shape back in pre-Chinggis Khan times, it was a form of knowledge of life, artistic perception of the world around. Buryat folklore consists of myths, uligers, shamanic invocations, legends, cult hymns, fairy tales, proverbs, sayings, riddles. Myths about the origin of the universe and life on earth. Uligers are epic poems of large size: from 5 thousand to 25 thousand lines. The content of the poems is heroic.

The history of the Buryat ethnos and its culture are closely connected with Central Asia. This is convincingly evidenced by the top folk poetic creation - the epic "Geser". The name of this epic hero - a champion of goodness and justice - sounds like a symbol of the common cultural and moral values of the peoples inhabiting the vast territory from the Himalayas to Baikal. No wonder the epic "Geser" is called the Iliad of Central Asia.

Tales of the Buryats

In the fairy tale tradition, on the basis of ethnic and linguistic commonality, the kinship of Mongolian, Buryat and Kalmyk fairy tales is clearly traced. An undoubted typological closeness is also found with the fabulous epic of the neighboring Turkic-speaking peoples - the Altaians, Tuvans, Khakasses and Yakuts. These similarities come from the original adequacy of the natural habitat, forms of farming and mentality of the historical ancestors of these peoples.

Let's fast forward for a moment to times past, to an old Buryat yurt, lost in the steppe space. In it, evening warmth emanates from the hearth and from the breathing of people who came to the yurt to listen to the famous storyteller in these parts - Ontokhoshin. He sits on the khoimor - the northern side of the yurt, traditionally intended for respected guests. From time immemorial, the word of art and performance skills have been highly valued in the steppe. No wonder there is a folk proverb, which in translation sounds something like this: "The storyteller sits on an honorary mat, and the singer sits on a hill."

Source: Children of the Beast Maana. Tales of the peoples of Siberia about animals./ Compiled by Erta Gennadievna. Paderina; artist H. Avrutis, - Novosibirsk: Novosibirsk book publishing house, 1988. - 144 p., ill.

CHICKEN AND CAT

“I like you, chicken,” the cat once said. “You are gray and I am gray, we need to make friends with you.”

The chicken did not believe her and said:

“I remember how your mother stole my chicken last year. Is it possible to rely on you? You know that I never offend anyone. And you cats are notorious bullies. If you can, then prove your loyalty, cat!

The cat did not find what to answer, and was very upset.

But a few days later the cat came to hunt for mice in the old threshing floor, where there was a haystack.

Suddenly the chicken cackled in fright and rushed under the haystack.

"What's happened? thought the cat. “Perhaps she needs help...”

The cat ran after her and saw that a hawk was falling on her from the sky. From a height, he did not notice the difference, because the cat and the chicken were both gray.

The cat quickly turned on its back, clinging to the hawk with its sharp claws. Then death came to him, the villain.

Then the hen came out of the shelter and said:

“Now I believe you, cat. Only a true friend can do that.

And someone still thinks that a cat and a chicken can never be friends!

MOUSE AND CAMEL

(Translated by A. Prelovsky)

One day a very big and very stupid camel got into an argument with a small but smart mouse.

I will see the sunrise before you,” said the camel.

No, I am, said the mouse.

Where are you! You are no bigger than my eyelash. I am a mountain compared to you. How can you compete with me!

They argued, argued, decided to make sure. They began to wait for the morning.

The camel reasoned thus: “I am a hundred times bigger than this mouse. So, I will notice the sunrise a hundred times faster. And since the earth is round, no matter where the sun rises from, I will still see it. And still the first!

Silly camel! He did not know that the sun always rises in the east!

The camel turned its face to the south and began to look. And the little mouse climbed up on the camel's hump and began to look to the east.

- Here it is, the sun! I saw you before! Oh you camel! the mouse screamed and jumped to the ground.

The camel turned around and saw that the sun had already risen and seemed to be laughing at him. He got terribly angry. Not on yourself, of course, but on the mouse.

He rushed in pursuit of her, wanted to trample her. But the clever mouse managed to hide in the ashes from yesterday's fire.

Since then, every time a camel sees ashes, he lies down and starts rolling on it. He gets smeared from head to toe, gets up satisfied and thinks that this time he has dealt with the hated mouse.

The mouse, you see, is to blame for being smarter than the camel!

WOLF

(Translated by G. Kungurov. Artist H. Avrutis)

The wolf ran to the river. Looks, the foal got stuck in the mud. The wolf wanted to eat him.

The foal groaned:

- You first pull me out, and then eat ...

The wolf agreed, pulled the foal out of the mud.

The foal looked around.

- Wait, wolf, don't eat me: I'm dirty. Let me dry, clean the dirt, then eat.

The foal dried up in the sun, cleansed itself. The wolf opened its mouth. The foal said:

“Look, wolf, I have a golden seal hidden in the hoof of my hind leg. Take it, you will become rich, everyone will envy you ...

The wolf rejoiced.

The foal raised its leg. The wolf began to look for a golden seal in the hoof.

The foal hit the wolf on the forehead so hard that the wolf turned his belly up. Cries, tears flow in streams.

The foal ran away.

The wolf got angry and thinks:

Why didn't I eat it right away? What is he to me - a son or a brother?

A stallion is grazing near the cattle. The wolf bared his teeth and grunted:

I will eat you!

Sit on my back, - says the stallion. - I'll give you a ride, then eat me.

The wolf sat on the stallion. He rushed faster than the wind. He ran under the hedge, and the wolf hit the top pole so hard that he fell off the stallion and lay like a dead man for a long time. He got up, staggering, trudged to the ulus.

Pigs grazed there, dug the ground.

The hungry wolf screamed:

- I'll eat you.

- You, wolf, first listen to how we sing.
And the pigs squealed loudly.

The men came running, the wolf barely carried his legs. He went back to the forest, and a hunting dog met him.

I'll eat you, says the wolf.

I saw the carcass of a goat, I was delighted. He sank his teeth into her and fell into a trap.

HARTAGAY

(Translated by A. Prelovsky)

In the most ancient times, the hunter Hartagai saw a flock of wild chickens in a clearing. Without thinking twice, Hartagai set up nooses and nets, and the chickens got caught in them. Hartagai brought them home and put them in a barn. The chickens guessed that Hartagai was going to cook dinner out of them, and prayed:

“Good Hartagai, don’t kill us!” For this we promise you to lay eggs. You will always be full, rich and satisfied with us.

Hartagai did not kill chickens.

But one day Hartagai heard that the chickens were conspiring to fly away when he went hunting again.

Hartagai took a knife and clipped the wings of the chickens, and put the feathers in his travel bag. And went to the taiga.

The chickens are sad. They flap their clipped wings, but they cannot rise into the sky. Then the rooster jumped on the fence and said:

Don't worry, chickens, all is not lost. In the morning I will ask Hartagai for our wings. If he doesn't give it back in the morning, I'll ask at noon. At noon he will not give it back - in the evening I will ask again. And if he doesn’t give it back in the evening, I’ll ask at midnight.

The rooster raised its head to the sky and crowed loudly. But Hartagai did not hear him: he was far away in the taiga.

One day, another cock crows, but Hartagai still does not return. Probably something bad happened to him. Whether the beast attacked, or something else. The hunter never returned.

And the chickens still hope to fly home, to their native wild-forest forests. That is why the rooster is still crowing - calling Hartagai, asking him for his wings. He calls in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening and at midnight.

PIG AND SNAKE

(Translated by A. Prelovsky. Artist H. Avrutis)

The greedy poisonous snake crawled every day to the old barnyard to bask in the sun and hunt at the same time. The ground was black, the snake was also black, it was difficult to notice it.

The rumor about the insidious snake spread far. Geese, calves, chickens - everyone began to bypass the old yard.

Only a fat, fat pig, as if nothing had happened, rummaged under the fence, swam in puddles and slept in the sun. She did not notice that she was left alone in the yard.

The goose tried to warn her of danger. And she answered him: “oink” and “oink”! The goose did not understand what the pig wanted to say to him, and left.

Everyone has already come to terms with the idea that sooner or later the pig will not get enough.

But something completely unexpected happened.

Once a pig was wandering around the yard, as usual, picking the ground with its nose and grunting with pleasure. And she was so carried away by this matter that she did not even notice how she stepped on a sleeping snake.

The snake woke up and remembered that she was hungry. The snake raised its narrow predatory head with a terrible forked sting and bit the pig on the side. But the pig did not feel pain - know yourself digging in the ground, the roots crunch on your teeth.

The snake got angry. Let's bite the pig anywhere, so fury has blinded her.

The evil snake did not know that its poisonous venom was not at all terrible for a pig. I did not know that a pig does not feel a bite at all.

The snake jumped around the pig for a long time until it noticed it. And when I noticed, I was very surprised:

What a big worm! Let me try...

I bit off the tip of the tail - delicious! And the pig ate the whole snake, nothing was left of it.

Thus came the end of the evil and terrible snake. Chickens, geese, calves - all returned again to their old barnyard.

But when they thanked the pig for delivering them from the snake, the pig answered: "oink" yes "oink"!

They did not understand what the pig wanted to say.

CRANE

(Translated by G. Kungurov. Artist H. Avrutis)

Collected crane birds from all over the world. He wanted to be their king. All the birds flocked, except for the smallest, her name was Buk-sergein. A beautiful bird, a songbird, like a nightingale.

The birds have been waiting for her for a long time. The crane stretched out its long neck, looking to see if a beautiful bird would soon arrive. The crane could not stand it and went to look for Buxergine. He met her, angrily asked:

Why don't you fly for so long? All birds are waiting for you.

I flew from a distant land, tired. You see - I sit, rest, feed.

The Crane was quite angry:

“Because of you, I still haven’t become a king!” - And he began to peck at Buxergine. She broke her right wing.

Buxergine wept, birds flocked, asking:

- What happened to you?

- Here the crane got angry with me, broke its wing, I can’t fly.

Then the birds chirped:

- ABOUT! We don't need such an evil king. He will break our wings.

The birds began to judge the crane and decided to punish him. They said:

- When the crane flies to warm lands and back, he must carry Buxergine on his back.

And now you can see: the crane is flying, and the little bird always sits on its back.

SNOW AND HARE

(Translated by A. Prelovsky)

Snow says to the hare:

Something gave me a headache.

You must be melting, that's why your head hurts, - the hare answered.

He sat down on a stump and wept bitterly:

I'm sorry, I'm sorry for you, snow. From the fox, from the wolf, from the hunter, I burrowed into you, hid. How will I live now? Any crow, any owl will see me, peck. I will go to the owner of the forest, I will ask him to keep you, snow, for me.

And the sun is already high, it's hot, the snow is melting, it runs in streams from the mountains.

The hare began to yearn, crying even louder. The owner of the forest heard the hare. He listened to his request and said:

- I can’t argue with the sun, I can’t save the snow. Change your white fur coat to a gray one, you will easily hide in the summer among dry leaves, shrubs and grass, no one will notice you.

The hare was happy.

Since then, he always changes his winter white coat for a summer one - gray.

Magpie and her chicks

Once a magpie turned to her chicks with the words:

“My children, you have already grown up, and it is time for you to get food and live your own life.

She said so and, leaving the nest, flew with the chicks to the neighboring grove. She showed them how to catch midges and insects, how to drink water from a taiga lake. But the chicks do not want to do anything themselves.

Let's fly back to the nest, they whimper. No worries, no hassles.

My children, - the magpie says again. - You have already become big, and my mother threw me out of the nest quite small ...

What if we all get shot with a bow? the chicks ask.

Don't be afraid, the magpie replies.

All this is so, - the chicks roared, - but what will happen if a person throws a stone at us? Any boy can do this without even aiming.

In order to take a stone, a person bends down, - the magpie answers.

And if a person has a stone in his bosom? the chicks asked.

Whoever, with his mind, has reached the idea of a stone hidden in his bosom, he will be able to escape death, - said the magpie and flew away.

THE HUNTER AND THE PEOPLE WIFE

(Source: Polar bear and brown bear: Tales of the peoples of Russia in the retellings of Mark Vatagin; compiled, introductory article and comment by M. Vatagin; Artists A. Kokovkin, T. Chursinova. - St. Petersburg: Republican publishing house of children's and youth literature " Lyceum, 1992. - 351 p.)

In former, distant times, a brave hunter, a well-aimed shooter lived in the world. He always hit without a miss, never came home empty-handed.

But then one day he walked through the forest all day and until the evening he did not meet either an animal or a bird. Tired, exhausted, he went to bed. He sleeps and sees a strange dream: a yellow fog fell on him, and then a motley fog approached. The hunter woke up and sees: a yellow fog is approaching him. He was frightened, grabbed his bow, put an arrow in, but a human voice was heard from the fog:

“Don't shoot me, brave hunter, I won't harm you. The fog became even thicker, denser and turned into a yellow snake with colorful rattling wings. The Spotted Serpent said:

Let's be friends, brave hunter, well-aimed shooter. I need your help. For many years I have been at war with the yellow-winged serpent and I cannot overcome it. Together we will defeat him.

I am ready to help you,” said the hunter.

Then let's go to the valley where the battle will be, - said the motley-winged serpent.

They came to a wide valley.

“Our battle will be long,” said the variegated serpent. “We will ascend to the sky three times and descend to the earth three times. When we rise for the fourth time, my enemy will overcome me, take over; when we go down, he will be at the top and I will be at the bottom. At this time, do not yawn: I will turn his yellow head towards you, and you shoot in his only eye. This eye is in his forehead, in the very middle of his forehead. Now hide in this hole, soon the yellow-winged serpent will rush from the sky right at me.

The hunter hid in a hole.

Soon, a yellow-winged serpent rushed from the sky. The battle has begun. The snakes, having grappled, rose three times to the sky, three times fell to the ground. The forces were equal. But now they rose to the sky for the fourth time, and the yellow-winged serpent overcame the motley-winged one. When they descended, the yellow-winged one was above and the variegated-winged one was below. But the motley-winged one quickly turned the head of his enemy to the hunter. The sharpshooter was just waiting for that. The string of his bow was drawn. A moment was enough for him to shoot an arrow and pierce the yellow eye of a yellow-winged serpent. And then a yellow poisonous fog fell on the ground, from which all the trees in the forest withered, and all the animals died. The hunter was saved by a variegated serpent. He covered his friend with mighty dense wings and kept him under them for three days and three nights until the yellow poisonous fog dissipated.

And when the sun shone again, the variegated serpent said:

We have defeated a formidable enemy. Thank you hunter. The yellow-winged serpent did a lot of harm. Every day he swallowed three beasts and devoured the fiery serpents, my subjects. If not for you, he would have killed me and devoured all the fire kites. Come visit me. You will see my palace, my subjects, my old parents.

The hunter agreed, and he and the serpent descended into a deep pit, and from there through an underground passage they got into a palace sparkling with gold and precious stones. On the floor lay fiery serpents coiled into coils. One room was followed by another, even richer. And so they came to the largest hall. In it, near the hearth, sat two old multi-winged snakes.

“These are my parents,” said the serpent. The hunter greeted them.

This hunter saved me and all my khanate,” said the serpent. “He killed our old enemy.

Thank you, said the snake's old parents. For this you will receive a reward. If you want, we will give you gold and precious stones, as much as you can carry. If you want, we will teach seven ten languages, so that you can understand the conversations of birds, animals and fish. Choose!

Teach me seventy languages, said the hunter.

Better take gold and jewels, said the snake's old parents. - For someone who knows seventy languages, life is not easy.

No, I don’t want gold, teach me languages,” the hunter asked.

Well, have it your way, said the old variegated serpent. “From now on you know seventy languages, from now on you hear the conversations of birds, fish and animals. But this is a secret. You must keep it from people. If you let it slip, you will die the same day.

The hunter left the Spotted Serpent Khanate and went home. He walks through the forest and rejoices: after all, he understands everything that animals and birds say among themselves. The hunter came out of the forest. Here is the yurt. "I'll go into it," he thinks. And the dog barks:

“Come here, traveler. Although this is a poor man's yurt, but our host is kind, he will treat you. We have only one cow, but the owner will give you milk, we have only one black ram, but the owner pays the last ram for the guest.

The hunter entered the poor man's yurt. The owner politely greeted him, seated him in a place of honor. The host's wife served the guest a bowl of milk. The poor man invited the hunter to spend the night, and in the evening killed a black ram for him. As they ate, the dog whined:

- Good guest, drop the lamb shoulder, I will grab it and run out, the owner will not be angry with you.

The hunter dropped his shovel. The dog grabbed her and ran away. And then she barked:

— A kind guest treated me to a delicious spatula. I will not sleep all night, I will guard the yurt.

The wolves came at night. They stopped near the poor man's yurt and howled:

Now we'll take the horse!

My master has only one horse, you can't eat it. If you come closer, I will raise a loud bark. The owner will wake up, his guest-hunter will wake up, and then you will be unhappy. Better go there, to the rich man, bully his fat gray mare, he has many horses, and his dogs are hungry, they will not want to bark at you.