Tales and legends of the peoples of the Caucasus. Tales of the peoples of the world, v.9

extracurricular activity

"Legends and Tales of the Peoples of the North Caucasus"

4th grade

teacher Lihonina Elena Vyacheslavovna

Orgmoment

Greetings, landing.

Main part

There are many beautiful places in the Caucasus. It is not for nothing that beautiful legends were born here.

Do you know the legend about how so many peoples appeared in the Caucasus?

Once, in ancient times, a god was walking through the mountains with a bag in which he collected all the languages ​​\u200b\u200bthat exist on our planet. But suddenly a strong wind blew, and God could not hold the heavy bag. Many languages ​​fell out of the bag and those that God did not have time to collect remained on this earth. And subsequently, from these languages, the peoples that inhabit the North Caucasus originated.

There are legends about the origin of mountains, lakes, healing springs.

Legend "And Beshtau was angry"

In ancient times, there was a boundless fertile steppe on Pyatigorye. It stretched from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea. The masters of the steppe were a powerful tribe of jigits-Narts, ruled by the gray-haired Elbrus, an old man with a fiery heart of a young man. The son of Beshtau grew up near Elbrus, brave, strong, outwardly pleasant. the young man met a dark-eyed girl named Mashuk, fell in love. Good, quiet disposition was a beauty. She also fell in love with Beshtau, because it was impossible not to love him. The lovers did not suspect, did not foresee that their happiness was never destined to come true. Old man Elbrus, having seen the bride of his son, lost his mind from love. The blood boiled and foamed in him, as in the old years of his youth. But how to make Mashuk respond to the belated feeling of the old man? And Elbrus decided to get rid of his son, sent him to war. However, he, safe and sound, returned home. To his great grief and indignation, he learned that his father had forcibly taken Mashuk as his wife. The heart of Beshtau blazed with anger. He rebelled against his father, raised the Narts to the battle. The tribe broke apart. young versus old. A battle broke out. Beshtau swung his hand and cut his father's head in two. Gathering the last strength, Elbrus rose and inflicted 5 mortal wounds on his son. Beshtau collapsed and turned to stone with a five-headed mountain. Seeing the death of her beloved, Mashuk rushed to him with loud sobs. Laughing maliciously at his dying moment, Elbrus hit her in the side with a dagger and threw him far into the steppe. And at the same moment he himself turned into a high forked mountain. Mashuk, who fell to her knees, turned to stone, the dagger wound inflicted on her is still called Failure. and in the steppe, raising the tip to the sky, the dagger froze like a stone block. Seeing all this, the warriors rushed at each other even more fiercely. the earth trembled, the seas churned from the fierce slaughter. and mother earth could not resist. She groaned, tossed, reared up. The army petrified with horror. In the place where the old man Elbrus fought, from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea, a mountain range arose, headed by Elbrus. And where the young fought - north of Elbrus - lay the chain lower, now decorated with green curls of forests. Here Beshtau and Mashuk. She cries, cries from that time, but the tears of the chopped heart of Beshtau do not reach her. And those tears are so sincere, so hot that they flow like healing springs, giving strength and health to people...

So you learned about the emergence of the mountains of the North Caucasus and about healing springs. Now listen to another legend called "The Curse of Old Temboth"

"There is a rock beyond Kislovodsk, which is called. "The Castle of deceit and love." Once there was a castle of the sovereign mountain prince Katai. From Elbrus to Kazbek, it was impossible to find a person richer than him. The prince was widowed early and lived in isolation. The princely was gloomy Kasai himself, lean, lanky, with a long hooked nose, looked like a kite, ready at any moment to rush at defenseless prey and peck at it.

And suddenly joy came to this gloomy house. Dauta, a beautiful daughter, has grown up. But beauty did not warm her. She was like snow on top of mountains: sparkling with diamonds, beautiful, but there was no heat from him. People said: "The young lady has a piece of ice instead of a heart."

And in the house of the old herdsman a young horseman was growing up. Ali Konov stood out among the guys with beauty and strength. He was a favorite of the village, the girls of the whole district stared at him. But in Ali's heart sank into Dauta.

Once on the day of Bairan, Kasai arranged big celebration so that my daughter can have some fun. The most beautiful and dexterous at the races was Ali. The proud princess wanted the young man to pay attention to her. And during the dance, the horseman invited the princess. And there was no more beautiful couple in the circle than them. Since then, they secretly began to meet. Only the moon and the fast river below, under the cliff, heard the whisper of lovers.

Soon the prince was visited by Zulkarney, the son of a rich prince from the Teberdinsky valley. He was stately, good-looking, and Dauta liked him. How could a miserable herdsman compare with him. The courtship of Zulkarkney was accepted, Dauta was happy. But how to tell Ali about his betrayal? Evening came. Ali anxiously waited for the princess. Here, finally, is Dauta. As always, they sat down over the cliff.

Dauta, you are not the same. Ile fell out of love? - Ali asked sadly.

I have come to you with bad news. Zulkarney asked me to marry him, and my father agreed. But I love you, it is useless to run: you will be killed. Let's just throw ourselves off this cliff and die together.

So spoke the sly princess, clinging to the young man. Ali, stunned by the news, watchedway downto the river rushing over the rocks. He didn't want a senseless death, he didn't want Dauta's death, what to do, where to find shelter?

And Dauta hugged Ali by the neck, kissed him saying: - Let's die, my love, let's die together!

Ali embraced her, and Dauta quietly took out a dagger hidden under her dress and plunged it into Ali's chest. The young man only managed to scream. The princess pushed the body into the abyss and calmly walked along the path to the castle.

And the next morning, Kasai and her daughter left for the village to prepare for the wedding. Zulkarney follows them.

Alarmed by the absence of Ali, the herdsmen began to look for him. A dagger wound in the chest revealed the whole truth to them. The light dimmed in the father's eyes. From grief, the old man was blind. And he cried, stretching out his hands to the castle: "Oh, cursed be this place, cursed are those who killed my son. May they now know neither peace nor happiness!"

And suddenly the sun faded, such a storm arose that people could not stand on their feet, an underground rumble was heard. And when the darkness dissipated, people froze, stricken with fear: the castle disappeared, crumbled to dust. Only the rock on which he stood now resembled the ruins of a building with its outlines. Snow fell from the sky, frost hit, a blizzard rose. People rushed about trying to save the herds, but their feet sank in snowdrifts and froze. With fearreportedI touch the servant about the trouble that happened. In a rage, the prince yelled:

Despicable lackeys, black bone! Ruined me! I'll kill everyone! Then Tembot came forward and said: - Don't shout, Kasai, don't be afraid! It was fate that avenged you for Ali Konov. Let your daughter Dauta answer to all of us, why did she kill my son?

Shut up, unfortunate! Kasai shouted and lashed Tembot with a whip so that the old man fell to the ground, without signs of life.

The crowd got excited. The herdsmen moved menacingly against the prince. Kasai pleaded, realizing that his end had come. -Don't touch me, I'll give you all the goodness. But nothing could contain the anger of the people. The poor executed their tormentor, and the ashes were scattered to the wind. Tembot and Ali were buried in the same grave, and they themselves dispersed in all directions. The abandoned village fell into disrepair, and now there are no traces of it. And the Teberda valley was visited by a terrible pestilence. No one was spared by the disease. Zulkarney and Dauta died in terrible agony. Thus was vile deceit punished. The curse of old Tembot came true.

Such is the legend, born in the gorge of Ali Konov under the measured roar of a fast river.

Guys, here you are acquainted with the legends that were created by different people and in different places.

But these are legends about mountains, about healing springs, but do you know anything about your hometown? How did it come about? Why was it named like that?

I hope you enjoy my story about geographical names. Now let's talk about fairy tales.

The fairy tale is an integral part of the spiritual life of the people. It reflects his past, the wisdom of age-old experience. The fairy tale teaches what people appreciate and will always appreciate: modesty, sincere generosity, respect for old age, readiness to help a person in need, love for a mother, for one’s native land, courage and fortitude. A fairy tale is always on the side of the honest and the brave. It affirms the victory of happiness and justice. And now the tale:

"Once upon a time there was a rich man named Shavdik-Adzhi. He hired a farm laborer, whose name was Savkhat, and promised him a good salary: work 15 measures of wheat. “Let me! I will pay him 15 measures,” the cunning rich man decided, “but then he will work for me from dawn to dusk, and did not give Savhat an hour of respite.

Finished eating, son, - he said to the farmhand in a sweet voice, - quickly get down to business. May your day not be in vain. And each time he added at the same time: Day - relatives of the month!

Savkhat saw that the greedy rich man, for his 15 measures, put the work of two laborers on him alone, but he was not simple either and kept saying to himself: “Nothing, nothing. Wait, I’ll show you, Shavdik-Adzhi, how the day is related to the month !" The suffering ended, and Savhat asked the rich man for a calculation. And Shavdik answers: We don’t have measurements on the farm, son. Measuring leaked!.. Go borrow someone and I'll measure your wheat. Savkhat left and soon returned not with a measure, but with a huge barrel

The neighbors didn’t even have measurements, he says. - So I'll judge this - took. We will measure her.

The rich man was confused: How is it, son ?! What a measure! This is... This is...

And you still ask, venerable Shavdik-Adzhi? The day is relatives to the month, and the barrel -brother measurements. Measure!

The rich man looked at his farmhand, at his strong hands, at his formidable face, realized that he would have to give in, and measured Savhat 15 full barrels of wheat.

Adyghe folk tales:

A beautiful girl lived in the village. Many wanted her as a wife. She said: “Whoever gets to the top of the stone will get my heart and hand. The girl was so beautiful (it’s impossible to look - her eyes hurt), and young men from all villages rushed to conquer this stone, but they all broke and soon there was a rumor that the girl brings misfortune. Somehow, at a holiday, young, strong horsemen decided to try to conquer this stone again. Suddenly, everyone saw an unfamiliar horseman galloping towards the stone. The horse, like an arrow, flew up a steep slope, fraught with many dangers. And when the horseman stopped the horse, trembling with tension, on the top of the stone, he took off his headdress and the bandage that hid his face, everyone saw that this was not a young man, but a girl. She said: "How long will our brothers die because of this girl, I stopped this bloodshed, the stone is now subdued."

A husband and wife lived in the same village. They lived to old age, but they had no children. And suddenly a boy was born to them.
“If happiness has come to us in old age, we will raise the boy not in an ordinary cradle - we will make it from elderberry,” the old people decided and went to the forest. They also took the child with them. They left him in a forest clearing, and they themselves went into the thicket.
At this time, a bear came out of the forest. He grabbed the child and disappeared into the bushes. When the old man and the old woman returned and did not find their son, they wept bitterly.
- The unfortunate dog bites, even if he sits on a camel, - said the old woman, - so it is with us. They could not save their son, whom they had been waiting for all their lives.
They cried and returned home.
And the bear began to raise the baby. He fed him only reindeer fat and fresh honey. The boy grew day by day, and the bear named him Batyr.
When Batyr grew up, the bear took him out of the den and led him to a large plane tree.
"Drop that tree up by the roots," he said.
Batyr grabbed the tree, began to pull it, swing it in different directions, but could not pull it out.
“Let’s go back to the lair, you haven’t become a man yet!” - said the bear and led Batyr back to the lair.
He began to give him more deer fat and honey. When a year had passed, the bear again brought the boy out of the lair. Again he led him to a large plane tree and said:
“Drop that tree up by the roots and plant it upside down in the ground. Batyr took hold of the tree and pulled it up by the roots. But he could not plant it upside down in the ground.
- You have not yet become the way I want, let's go back, - said the bear and took Batyr to the den.
For another year he fed his pupil deer fat and fresh honey, and then he decided to test his strength again. He brought Batyr to the age-old plane tree and said:
“Drop that tree up by the roots and plant it upside down in the ground. Batyr took hold of the tree with one hand, pulled it out of the ground and planted it with its top in the ground.
- Now you have become a real man, - said the bear, - let's go home.
He led the young man into the lair and took out some rags.
“Now listen to me, Batyr,” he said. – Your father and mother live in the nearest aul. You will go straight along this path and you will come to your aul. Go into every house and show these rags, whoever recognizes them is your father. Then you tell him: "I am your son, whom you lost in the forest many years ago."
Batyr took rags and went to the village. He walked down the street and suddenly saw an aul gathering. He approached the men and showed them the rags. They passed from hand to hand and finally got to Batyr's father. He immediately recognized the diapers in which his son was wrapped, hugged the young man and led him home.
Batyr began to live in the village. Together with his father, he worked in the field, and soon the swag about the extraordinary strength of the young horseman spread throughout the village. This swag came to psh. And they didn’t like pshi if one of the simple horsemen surpassed them in courage or bravery. I conceived of Batyr's lime. But he knew that he could not be overcome by force, and therefore he decided to use a trick.
The aul in which Batyr lived stood on the bank of the river. A blyag settled in this river, which blocked the flow of the river with its body, and the aul remained without water until the inhabitants brought a girl to him to be eaten. Having got the victim, he gave a little water, and then again dammed the river. So I decided to send Batyr to hell.
Batyr went to the monster. When he came close to him, the dragon pulled the air - but then Batyr threw himself into the reeds, began to cut them and tie them into bundles. Then he began to throw them into the gaping mouth of the blygo until he was sated. Only after that, Batyr jumped up to the place, saddled him and, holding on to his ears, rode him into the aul. Blyago roared all over the district, fire flew out of his nostrils - so that all the grass on the sides of the road burned down. When the villagers saw this, they jumped out of their yards and rushed into the nearest forest.
The batyr flew into the pshi yard for good reason and drove around it until he destroyed all the buildings. After that, he left the pshi's yard, killed the blago, and brought the inhabitants of the village back.
He hated the pshi Batyr even more, began to think about how to get rid of him. And he decided to send a horseman to the seven cannibals-inyzhs who lived on a high mound. He ordered Batyr to plow the land around the mound.
By order of the pshi, they gave Batyr a bunch of skinny bulls and an old plow and sent him to plow the land around the mound.
The emaciated bulls could not even move the plow, and Batyr began to shout loudly at them. Inyzhi heard his cry. The first inyzh came running - Batyr grabbed him, harnessed him to the plow and shouted at him even louder. Other inyzhi came running after them - and Batyr caught each one and harnessed it to a plow. Without rest, he plowed on inyzhs all day and all night, and by morning he finally finished plowing.
In the morning, the pshi sent his people to the mound to see if Batyr was alive or if the Inyzhi had eaten him.
From a distance, the envoys of pshi saw that Batyr was plowing on inyzhs.
- Allah, Allah, he harnessed the inyzhi to the plow, plows on them, and even shouts! - they said and ran to the village.
As he heard this pshi, he hated Batyr even more and decided to get rid of him at any cost.
Not far from the village, two wild boars settled in the forest. They terrified the inhabitants of the village - no one dared to go to the forest for firewood. Now pshi decided to send Batyr to that forest; he hoped that the brave horseman would not escape the boars alive. He ordered the unauts to give Batyr a blunt axe, a rotten rope, an old cart that would fall apart when riding, and bulls that would scatter as soon as they were unharnessed.
They did so, and Batyr went to the forest. As soon as he reached the forest and unharnessed the bulls, they ran back to the village. He took an ax - he does not chop. The horseman threw him away and began to pull out the trees with their hands along with the roots. He tore out several huge plane trees and began to put them in a cart - the cart fell apart. He wanted to tie the trees, the rope was torn to pieces. Then Batyr broke thin branches, tied the plane trees with them, tied them to the cart. Began to look for bulls, did not find. What to do? He dragged the trees on himself. At this time, a wild boar jumped out of the forest. Batyr grabbed him, harnessed him to the cart, sat on the firewood and drove off. I drove a little, with a roar another wild boar ran out of the forest.

The poor old widow had three dwarf sons, and they were so small that no one had ever seen anything like it: the eldest was three inches tall, the middle one was two, and the youngest was an inch.
There was nothing to eat at home, and so they went to work to feed themselves and their old mother. Once they were more fortunate than usual: they came home and brought with them in the form of earnings three goats and three loaves of bread. They considered their earnings to be real wealth and began to divide: of course, each had a goat and bread. The more you have, the more you want to have; so our dwarfs also took it into their heads to try their luck again: would they not earn enough so that they no longer need. The elder goes to work, taking with him a goat and bread. He goes along the big road, turns into all the auls and asks if they need a worker somewhere; at last, passing through the field, he noticed a giant plowing the earth.
- Do you need a worker? asked the dwarf. The giant looked at the dwarf, barely visible from the ground, and said mockingly:
- Perhaps, such a worker as you is just what I need; hire for a whole year: I won’t stand up for the price!
Bargained for a chest of gold.
- Well, since you have already hired me, then go to my house, roast your goat well and cut your bread into pieces; let's have dinner together!
The dwarf went to fulfill the order of his new master. The giant's wife did not interfere in anything and left the worker in charge, knowing, of course, how it would all end.
In the evening the giant came home and wanted to sit down at the table; but there was no chair or bench in the house.
“Go out into the yard and bring something to sit on.” But look, - added the owner, - that this thing was neither of stone, nor of earth, nor of wood!
No matter how much the worker searched, he could not find such a thing. When he returned, he noticed, to his annoyance, that everything he had prepared for both of them had been eaten by the owner. In his hearts he asks the owner:
Where did my share go?
- Excuse me, please, - the giant answered, - I was so afraid to eat; I'll eat you for a snack too! - With these words, he grabbed the dwarf and swallowed it.
The brothers waited a long time for the elder to return. Then the middle one, also wanting to try his luck, decided to go to work; the youngest stayed with the old woman's mother. It so happened that the middle one went the same way as the older one.
It is not surprising that he stumbled upon the same giant: he suffered the same fate as his older brother.
Finally, he decided to go to work Vershok. Since he also followed the same path, he also hired himself as a worker for the giant for the same wages for which his older brothers were hired. And the giant sent him to his house with the same assignment.
While the giant was plowing, he prepared supper from his goat and bread; he divided all this in half and immediately dug a small hole, which he covered with the grass he had cut. In the evening the giant came.
“Go outside and look for something to sit on.” But beware,” he added, “that this thing be neither of stone, nor of earth, nor of wood!
Vershok realized what was the matter, and dragged an iron plow with which the giant plowed.
- Sit down, dummy! Vershok said at the same time.
The giant was surprised at his ingenuity and began to greedily eat his share. Vershok, of course, could not eat as much as a giant, and what he did not eat he threw imperceptibly into the pit. The giant was more and more surprised, seeing the voracity of Vershk; he was still finishing his share when Vershok, having finished his, began puffing smugly and stroking his belly.
- Give me, please, another piece of your share, - said Vershok, - I'm so hungry for food!
“You already ate more than you should!” the giant replied with annoyance.
- What you? Vershok said. “I can still eat you!” The giant, narrow-minded in mind, nevertheless believed and chickened out. The next day the owner went to plow with his worker. The smart Vershok kept cheating on his master, pretending to be a strong man; the giant, in fact, worked, and Vershok only pretended that he himself was working, and shouted at the owner; the giant starved for whole days, and Vershok tasted his portion, which he hid in the pit. The giant, of course, was weary of all this, but it was already difficult for him to get rid of the clever dwarf, who had completely taken possession of him.
One evening they returned from the field; the owner hesitated in the yard, and meanwhile Vershok darted into the room and hid behind the hearth. The disgruntled owner came in and, thinking that Vershok was still busy in the barn, began to complain to his wife:
“You know, wife, our servant has extraordinary strength. But it's not about strength: he's smart beyond his height. He will destroy us both, - added the giant, - if we somehow do not put an end to him. That's what came to my mind: when he sleeps, we will nail him down with a heavy stone!
The owner and his wife set off to look for a suitable stone, while Vershok prepared a bundle of reeds, wrapped it all in a blanket and laid it on his bed; he hid himself in the same place. The giant and the giantess dragged a heavy stone and piled it on the dwarf's bed; the reeds began to crackle, and they imagined that it was the bones of a dwarf crackling.
“Well,” the giants said in one voice, “now we have finished with the damned worker!
Having got rid, as it seemed to them, of the worker, they lay down to sleep. Vershok also slept well in his corner. At dawn, he got up before everyone else, went to the bed of the giants and began to mock them.
“You thought, mindless giants,” said Vershok, “that you could easily deal with me; I have more power than both of you. This pebble, with which you thought to crush me, tickled me gloriously!
At this point, the giants were finally convinced that they could not cope with the smart dwarf, and therefore decided to pay him off as soon as possible and let him go home. They gave him a whole chest of gold instead of the promised chest.
“Here you are,” said the giant, “the payment for your service, even more than the due; get yourself home!
- What do you think, you kind of stupid, make me carry such a trunk; bring it yourself!

This is the end of our extracurricular activities. But first I want to ask you a few questions about the drawings,

Drawing with the castle "Deceit and love". What legend does this picture belong to? What is shown here? What happened to the heroes of this legend?

Drawing with Elbrus. To what legendthis appliespicture. What is shown here? What can you say about this legend? Canwhetherto act like Elbrus did?

Can you guess the heroes of the fairy tale in these drawings? Who is the bai here, and who is the laborer?

Now I see that you did not listen to my long story in vain. Later on on extracurricular activities you will learn a lot of new and interesting things. On this our the event has ended. Goodbye!

Fairy tales of the peoples of the North Caucasus For younger children GRASSHOUSE Fairy tales of the peoples of the North Caucasus Editor VV Bezbozhny. Artist V. V. Vtorenko. Art editor V. S. Ter-Vartanyan. Technical editor G. Ya. Gramotenko. Proofreaders E. E. Agafonova, V. Ya. Ponomarev CONTENTS Orphan (Kabardian fairy tale) Grasshopper (Kabardian fairy tale) Musil - Mukhad (Lak fairy tale) Blue bird (Dargin fairy tale) Fox and quail (Avar fairy tale) ORphan Early little Fatimat was left without a mother. The father buried his wife and brought a young widow, who had her own children, into the saklya. Little Fatima became very ill. The new mistress dressed up her own daughters in expensive dresses pampered them as best she could. And Fatimat got beatings, abuse and work. She even ate separately, sitting somewhere in the corner. They fed her scraps. The girl's clothes were worn out - only tatters. A little light she got up. She walked along the water to a mountain stream, kindled a fire in the hearth, swept the yard, milked the cows. Poor Fatimat worked from dawn until late at night, but she could not please her stepmother. The native daughters of the evil stepmother played with dolls, and Fatimat languished from overwork. One day, on a bright sunny day, she grazed cows and spun yarn. The sun was warm, the merry spindle was buzzing. But suddenly the wind came up and tore the yarn out of the girl's hands. Carried, swirled a bundle of wool and threw it to a distant cave. What was to be done? Do not return home empty-handed. The evil stepmother will beat you. And the orphan went to look for the loss. In a huge cave, where wool was brought by the wind, emegönsha lived from time immemorial1. She saw Fatimat, shouted: - Collect for me, girl, the silver that is scattered around! 1 Emegönsha is a giantess. The orphan looked around and saw that at the entrance to the cave everywhere pieces of silver were lying around. She collected everything to the last and gave it to the emegönsha. - Now take off your belt, show your pocket. And Fatima did it. The emegönsha was convinced that she had not concealed anything, that the girl had not hidden anything. - Okay. I'll go to bed, and you watch here. If white water flows through the cave, wake me up. The giantess fell into a sound sleep. And immediately it made a noise, bubbling over stones water , white as milk. Woke up Fatimat emegönsha. She woke up, washed the orphan's face with white water and led her to the mirror. The dirty girl looked in the mirror and gasped: she had never seen herself so beautiful. A face as clear as the sun burns, arms and shoulders whiter than moonlight, and expensive brocade robes sparkle with precious stones, gold and silver. Proud and cheerful, Fatimat said goodbye to the good emegönsha and drove her cows home. On the way, people could not see enough of its sparkling beauty. No one recognized the old mess in the girl. And the evil stepmother, as she saw it, almost burst out of annoyance. However, she didn't show it. She came to her senses and said affectionately: - Daughter, dear, where did you find such clothes, how did you become such a beauty? Innocent Fatimat told everything without concealment. The next morning the stepmother sent her daughter to graze the cows in the same place. And she spun yarn. The wind swooped in, tore out the spindle and carried it along with the wool to a distant cave. The stepmother's daughter ran after her and heard the voice of the emegyonsha from the dark cave: - Collect for me, daughter, the silver that is scattered around! She began to collect and hid the largest pieces in her pocket. - Now take off the belt, show your pocket! The stepmother's daughter turned out her pocket, and the silver fell out and rolled with a ringing on the stone floor of the cave. The emegyonsha frowned. “Okay,” he says, “I’m going to sleep. And you watch. As black water flows, wake me up. She fell into a sound sleep. And immediately the water began to seethe and rustle over the stones, black as soot on a shepherd's cauldron. The emegönsha woke up, washed the girl's face with black water and led her to the mirror. They buckled at that leg from fear. Half of her face is monkey and half is dog. She ran off in tears. People from it - in all directions. This is how the good emeghensha punished her stepmother and her daughter for anger and injustice. And the father kicked out the stepmother and stayed with the beautiful daughter. They lived quietly and happily. Grasshopper There lived a poor man named Grasshopper. No one really knew why he was called that. Once he went to a neighboring village to beg. On the way he got tired and sat down on a high mound to rest. Just in those places the Khan's herds grazed. The poor man saw that the herdsmen were sleeping, and the horses descended into a deep hollow. I thought and thought and moved on. When Grasshopper reached the neighboring village, there was turmoil: the horses of the formidable Khan disappeared without a trace! He realized that in this case you can earn money if you take it wisely. - If the great khan would allow me, according to the Kabardian custom, to tell fortunes on a handful of beans - I would find horses for him, - he said. His words reached the Khan. - Bring the braggart to me immediately! Khan ordered. Grasshopper's servants dragged him to the khan. The poor man scattered a handful of beans on the floor and pretends to guess. - No one captured your herds. I see how they graze in a deep valley, where it is difficult to penetrate even on foot. Two high mountains rise above that valley. If you send, sir, faithful people to the valley, I swear by Allah the All-Seeing, you will get back all the horses without loss. If I deceived - do not guess me more on this bean! Horsemen rushed there and after a while drove the herds safe and sound. The news of the miraculous soothsayer spread around all the surrounding villages. And in the yard of the khan again there was a loss: the khan's daughter lost a golden ring with precious stones. By order of the Khan, the Grasshopper was called. - Tell fortunes on the beans and find the ring, otherwise I'll hang it in the morning. “Why did I deceive him then and pretended to be a fortuneteller?” the poor man thought sadly. “Well, if I live just one more night, this will not harm me.” And he said to the khan: - Then order, O almighty khan, to give me private room . At night I will tell fortunes in it alone. - Your request is not difficult to fulfill, - the khan answered and ordered the Grasshopper to be locked in the most spacious chamber of the palace. The poor man did not close his eyes at night, he kept thinking about how they would hang him in the morning. In the dead of midnight, someone knocked on the window. - Who is there, why did you come? - Grasshopper asked and heard in response the voice of one of the Khan's maids: - It's me, a wonderful seer. Of course, you recognized me, unworthy. In the name of Allah, I pray, do not betray me to the formidable Khan. Have pity on the sinner, take the ring, but don't give it away. The Grasshopper cheered up. - I, - he says, - was thinking about you. If you had not come with the ring yourself, your head would have been lost. Well, now we will agree with you: let the white goose, whose wing is broken, swallow the ring, and when morning comes, I will order it to be slaughtered and take out the ring with precious stones. The maid was delighted, thanked him and left. And the Grasshopper went to bed. It's a bright morning. They took the Grasshopper out of the palace chambers into the courtyard, where almost all the inhabitants of the village had gathered. - What do you say, sorcerer? - Khan asked. - You asked me a simple task, sir, - the Grasshopper replied. - I thought I would have to search for a long time, but I found it quickly: the beans immediately discovered the truth. There is a ring in the goiter of your own white goose with a broken wing. A goose was caught, slaughtered and gutted. The khan looks, and in the goose's goiter is a golden ring. People were amazed at the art of the soothsayer, and the Khan generously endowed the Grasshopper and let him go in peace. A lot of time has passed since then. Once a khan went to visit the khan of another state and, as if inadvertently, boasted: - There is a wonderful person in my country: he will be able to reveal any secret, he will unravel everything, whatever you order. The owner did not believe. They argued for a long time, then finally decided to bet on a great wealth. The khan returned to his palace and summoned the Grasshopper. - I argued, - he says, - with my friend, the ruler of the neighboring khanate, that you will be able to open any secret. If you figure out what he orders, I will make you rich, you will become rich for life. If you can't figure it out, I'll order you to hang it. The khan took the Grasshopper with him and went to the neighboring khanate. They were received by their owner in Kunatskoy1. He himself went out into the street and returned, hiding something in his fist. 1 Kunatskaya - guest room. - Find out, soothsayer, what do I hold in my hand? The poor man shook his head and said to him: - Oh, poor, unfortunate Grasshopper, once he jumped, he escaped reprisals, another time he jumped, he left again, and on the third he got caught! The owner got angry and stamped his foot. - The devil, not a man could guess this! he cried, and unclenched his fist, from which a green grasshopper jumped out and chirped on the floor. The khan, who brought the poor man, was delighted that he won the mortgage, and, returning home, offered the Grasshopper so much good that it would be enough for a lifetime. But the Grasshopper refused. - Only three times I had the right to guess, - he said to the Khan. - I am no longer your servant. Until now, the Grasshopper lives in abundance and prosperity. MUSIL - MUHAD There lived or did not live one poor man, nicknamed Musil-Muhad. He had many children. So he sowed the field, and it was harvest time. Father and eldest daughter Raiganat went to the field. The girl began to reap, and Musil-Muhad knitted sheaves. And under one sheaf, he saw a large snake. “Musil-Muhad,” said the serpent, “marry your daughter to me, and you will be greatly benefited for this.” Musil-Muhad was so frightened that he was unable to tie the sheaf. The girl asked: - What are you doing, father? Why don't you knit a sheaf? - How to knit, my daughter? This serpent asks me to marry you to him, and promises me great benefits for this. - Well, it's better to stay without me than to starve the whole family, - the daughter answered. - Marry me to a snake, just ask how he will be able to please you. Then Musil-Muhad went up to the snake and said: - I will marry my daughter to you, but what will you please me? - And you and your family will not endure the need for anything all your life. After that, the serpent led the father and daughter to one field. There was a hole in the middle of this field. They entered the hole and descended the steps carved from stone. They saw a wide street, and on it houses-fortresses. All roads are guarded by azhdah1. 1 Azhdaha is a dragon. Seeing them, the azhdaha began to exhale fire. But the serpent made them bow. We entered the rooms, and there all things are made of gold and silver, the floors are covered with carpets. The serpent turned around and told Raiganat to put her foot on his tail. She stepped on the tail, and from the scales of the snake came a young man whose beauty cannot be described. The girl and father were overjoyed. The young man said: - Musil-Muhad, don't think about anything now, I am your son. Having opened the chest, he took out a tablecloth and turned to his father: - Take this tablecloth, go home and say: "Tablecloth, turn around!" - and all kinds of food will appear on it. When you finish eating, say: "Tablecloth, roll up!" Musil-Muhad went home and, as soon as he had gone halfway, could not stand it, threw the tablecloth on the ground and said: - Turn around, tablecloth! The tablecloth unfolded, and all sorts of dishes appeared on it, which only exists in the world. Musil-Muhad came home, called his wife and children to eat. The wife brought the children, asked: - Where is your food? I don't see anything yet. And where is Raganath? - Raiganat got married and lives happily. Look here, - he said, threw the tablecloth on the floor and said: - Tablecloth, turn around! The tablecloth was spread all over the room, and a variety of dishes, fruits and drinks appeared on it. - Eat what you want, drink what you want, treat whoever you want. Everyone was delighted and lived for several days as they wanted. And then the news about Raiganat and her husband spread throughout the village. Three envious people lived next to the Musil-Muhad family. They began to say: - What an amazing thing, Musil-Muhad immediately got fat, his children got better. Why did they get rich? And so they found out about the tablecloth and stole it one night. In the morning the children got up and started looking for a tablecloth to eat, but there is no tablecloth. That day they were hungry. Then Musil-Muhad went to his son-in-law and told him that the tablecloth had been stolen. The son-in-law gave him hand millstones and said: - If you order: "Millstones, millstones, spin!" - they will spin and grind flour. When you've had enough, say: "Millstones, millstones, stop." They will stop. Musil-Muhad took the millstone and went. When he went halfway, he put the millstones on the road and said: - Millstones, millstones, spin! The millstones began to spin, and flour fell out of them. Then he ordered them to stop. Almost dying of joy, he went home. He put millstones in a large room and said: - Millstones, millstones, spin! The whole room immediately filled with flour. And so they began to bake bread and eat, and sold the rest of the flour. But envious neighbors again stole millstones and flour. Again Musil-Muhad went to his son-in-law with tears and told that the millstones had been stolen. He gave him a donkey. - Go home and say: "Donkey-mosel, pur-mur" - and coins will fall out of it. Musil-Muhad went home with the donkey. He brought the donkey into the same large room, tied it to a strong nail and said: - Donkey-monkey, pur-mur. The room was filled with coins to the ceiling. He gave the donkey a full cup of dates and laid it on the coins. Musil-Muhad became even richer. But again, the same thieves managed to steal the donkey along with the coins. Musil-Muhad again went to his son-in-law and wept. The son-in-law asked: - Why did you come? What happened? - I swear, son-in-law, I'm already ashamed to go to you. Now the donkey has been kidnapped. - All right, my father. We can easily find all these things. The son-in-law brought three large sticks with sharp thorns. - Go home with these sticks, sit at the threshold and say: "Sticks-malki, tark-mark! On the head of those who stole the tablecloth, the millstone and the donkey. Rumble, do not stop until everything is brought home." Taking these sticks, Musil-Muhad went home and, when he had gone halfway, could not stand it and said: - Sticks-malki, tark-mark! And the sticks began to beat Musil-Muhad. “Oh, I said stop on purpose!” he shouted. The sticks stopped. He came home and sat at the threshold, and the thieves were already waiting for him. They approached and asked: - Neighbor, did you find the stolen one? We all mourn your loss. - How can I find the stolen? - answered Musil-Muhad. - Better sit down, I'll show you one thing. All the neighbors gathered and sat down beside him. Musil-Muhad put all three sticks in front of him and ordered: - Hey, sticks, thieves of my tablecloth, my donkey and my millstones - on the head until they bring these things to my house. Don't stop, tark mark, rumble! The sticks jumped up and began to beat the thieves. The thieves wanted to hide in their homes, and the sticks chased after them and beat them until they begged Musil-Muhad to save them and promised to return everything stolen. Musil-Muhad said: - It's none of my business. Until the stolen goods are returned to my house, the sticks will not stop. Then the thieves returned everything they had stolen and began to ask Musil-Muhad: - Have mercy, neighbor! Save us! “Palki, stop!” he ordered. After that, he put them in a corner and said: - Look, if a thief comes to me, beat him without stopping! Since then, thieves have been afraid of Musil-Muhad. And he lived with the children the way he wanted. BLUE BIRD In one country there lived a khan, and he had three sons. Once, when the khan was hunting, he sat down to rest near the spring. Suddenly a blue bird flew in. The khan looked at her and was blinded by her brilliance. The khan wandered through the forest for a long time and returned home by force. The khan called his sons and told them everything that had happened: - Vision will return to me only if, - the khan finished his story, - if at least one feather of a blue bird falls into my hands. And so the eldest son of the Khan went in search of a bird. He wandered around the world for a long time, but found nothing and returned home. After that, the second son went, but he, like Older brother, came back with nothing. Then the youngest son got ready to go. He wandered for a long time in search of a bird. Once the khan's son met a blind old man and told him his whole story. - I, too, went blind because of the blue bird, - answered the old man. - It is difficult to find it. But if you are not afraid of anything, I will give you one piece of advice. Get on that mountain. There is a courtyard surrounded by a fence, and a bridle hangs on the gate. Every evening a herd of horses comes there. You take the bridle and stand at the gate. From the whole herd, choose the horse that fits this bridle. Get on the horse and obey it in everything. The Khan's son thanked the old man and acted on his advice. As soon as the young man got on the horse, it started galloping and spoke in a human voice: - When we reach the fortress, I will jump into the courtyard through the high wall. Tie me to an iron post, and enter the house yourself. There you will see a hero and sit next to him. Soon the fortress appeared. The horse soared like a bird and jumped over the wall. In the middle of the courtyard stood an iron pillar that reached to the very sky. The young man tied the horse and entered the house. Seeing the hero, he sat down next to him. The hero was surprised: how could a guest enter him? So far, no one has been able to do this. The hero called his nukers1 and ordered them: 1 Nuker is a bodyguard. - In the evening, invite an uninvited guest to dinner and kill him! But the nukers could not do anything with the khan's son. Then they turned to an old fortune-teller. “You cannot defeat the guest,” said the fortune-teller, “because he is a Nart.” Tomorrow he will go fishing blue bird . 1Nart - a hero endowed with magical powers. The next morning, the Khan's son approached his horse. - A blue bird lives in the sky, - said the horse. - We will climb this iron pillar, and you will see a bird. You must grab her and hold her until she says, "For the sake of your horse, let me go." The Khan's son jumped into the saddle, and the horse galloped up the post. As soon as they reached the sky, the young man saw a blue bird and grabbed it. The bird beat in his hands for a long time and finally said: - Let me go for the sake of your horse, now I am yours. The young man released the bird, and she became completely submissive. Soon the khan's son, riding his horse and with a bird on his shoulder, descended the iron pillar to the ground. As soon as the young man jumped off the horse, the blue bird turned into a beautiful girl. The hero was very jealous of the sledge, but was powerless before him. The hero had to arrange a luxurious feast, and then the khan's son took the girl and went home. An hour later he was at his father's. It turned out that he received his sight at the moment when the young man grabbed the blue bird. They played a wedding, and the khan's son became the husband of the beauty. THE FOX AND THE QUAIL Once a hungry fox caught a fat quail and wanted to eat it. - Do not eat me, fox! - said the quail. - Be my named sister. - What else can you think of! - the fox was surprised. - Well, so be it, I agree. Just feed me once, make me laugh once and scare me once. Hurry, I'm very hungry! - Well, - said the quail, - I will feed you, make you laugh, scare you! The quail fluttered up and flew away. She saw a woman who was carrying lunch to the plowmen in the field, returned to the fox, ordered her to run after her. She brought the fox to the field and said: - Hide behind this bush! After that, she flew out onto the road and sat down. The woman saw the quail and wanted to catch it. She put the bundle with jugs on the road and began to catch up with the quail. The quail ran away a little and sat down again. The woman chased after her again. So the quail beckoned the woman until she was taken away from the road. Meanwhile, the fox untied the bundle, ate the whole dinner and left. The quail caught up with her and asked: - Are you full, fox? - Sat. - Well, now I'll make you laugh... Follow me! The quail flew closer to the plowmen, and the fox ran after it. And the plowmen got hungry, waited for dinner and stopped the bulls. The quail again hid the fox behind the bush and sat on the horn of the motley bull. - Look, look! - the drovers shouted to the plowman. - The quail sat on the horn of your bull ... Grab her! The plowman brandished his stick - he wanted to knock down a quail, and the quail - frr! - flew away. The blow fell on the bull's horns. The bull began to rush about in all directions, he frightened the other bulls. They smashed both plows and harness. The fox saw this and began to laugh. She laughed, laughed, laughed, laughed, laughed so hard that she was even tired. “Are you satisfied?” asks the quail. - Satisfied! - Well, lie here. Now I'll scare you, - said the quail. She flew in the direction where the hunter walked with dogs. The dogs saw the quail and rushed after it, and the quail began to lead them all over the field. Carried-carried and led directly to the fox. The fox - run, and the dogs - after her. They run on the heels, do not lag behind, completely drove the fox. The fox ran exhausted to its hole. Barely alive left, and the tail did not have time to hide. The dogs grabbed the fox's tail and tore it off. The fox got angry, found the quail and said: - You disgraced me in front of all my family. How can I live without a tail now? “You yourself asked me to feed you, make you laugh and scare you,” the quail replies. But the fox was so angry that she did not want to listen. She opened her mouth and grabbed the quail. The quail sees - it's bad. She says to the fox: - Well, eat me, I don't mind, just tell me before: is today Friday or Saturday? - And why do you need this? - Angrily shouted the fox and unclenched her teeth. And the quail needed only that: it escaped and flew away.

This volume includes fairy tales about animals, fairy tales and household tales of peoples living in the European part of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, the Baltic countries, and tales of the peoples of the Caucasus

TALES OF THE PEOPLES OF EASTERN EUROPE AND THE CAUCASUS
(Volume 9 from the series "Fairy tales of the peoples of the world in 10 volumes")

Fairy tale fold

In the series "Tales of the Peoples of the World" in 1988, the volume "Tales of the Peoples of Europe" was published, including the tales of the peoples of the countries of Western, Central and South-Eastern Europe. This volume includes fairy tales of the peoples of Eastern Europe living in the Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia), Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan. A significant place in the volume is occupied by folk tales Russian Federation. These are the peoples of the North (Karelians, Vepsians, Saami and others), and the Volga region (Tatars, Bashkirs, Udmurts, Mordovians, Maris, Komi, Chuvashs), and the North Caucasus, perhaps surpassing any other region of the world in the number of languages ​​and nationalities, even more extensive in area.

For many centuries these peoples had close historical, economic and cultural ties. This means that there has always been an intensive exchange of folklore works. Everyone knows that neighbors always learn from each other; they exchange songs, stories, and fairy tales, as a result of which the culture of each of them only becomes richer.

The reader who reads to the end the book lying in front of him will be convinced that, despite the compiler's desire to select the most original works, in fairy tales different peoples much in common. Of course, this is due not only and not so much to the interaction of the cultures of these peoples, but to the similarity of their historical destinies, and, consequently, both economic and cultural development.

This volume contains all the major varieties folk tale- magical, adventurous, domestic and about animals.

Fairy tales, or, as they are also called, fairy tales proper, occupy a central place in the folklore of any nation. A characteristic feature of the magical epic is the striking similarity of the plots of fairy tales of various peoples. The plots of such fairy tales as, for example, "Cinderella" or "Puss in Boots" are found in almost all peoples of the world, and therefore in folklore they are called international or wandering plots. However, fairy tales based on these plots are perceived by us as completely independent works. And this is because in the fairy tale of every nation, the international plot, while remaining recognizable, receives its own design, inherent only to this fairy tale. So, for example, the plot about the baked fool and the difficult tasks that he solves with the help of his wonderful assistants is framed in a completely different way in the Ukrainian fairy tale " flying ship", in the Belarusian "Wise Girl" and in the Georgian "The Tale of the Deer and Elena the Beautiful".

In addition, the so-called international plots in a number of fairy tales receive a peculiar development. So, in the Lithuanian fairy tale "Spruce - the Queen of Serpents", a story known to many peoples about how a girl becomes the wife of a person who takes the form of one or another animal or monster (in this case, a snake), has a completely original continuation. Unlike fairy tales of other nations, where the heroine's relatives burn the animal skin of their son-in-law, in Lithuanian they insidiously kill the snake. This also leads to an unconventional ending: with grief, the wife and children turn into trees - spruce, ash and aspen. In other words, a typically fairy tale is combined with an ancient myth about the origin of these trees.

In the Mari fairy tale "Dubolgó Picháy", the plot about the sleeping beauty received a peculiar design and development, and in the Lak "Zazá, the red cow" - the plot of "Cinderella". In addition, the heroes of each of these fairy tales live the way their creators lived, and this gives the fairy tale narrative a national identity.

The Kalmyk fairy tale "Three Brothers" is an example of how traditional plots are organically combined with original ones, reflecting the life of the people who created it. It has an unusual beginning: a mare, which the owners wanted to slaughter (it is known that the Kalmyks, like many other peoples, eat horse meat), ran away from them, found three boys, raised them and gave them herds of wonderful horses. Such a poeticization of a horse, which is capable of not only giving people countless herds, but also raising children - the future owners of these horses, is quite understandable in the folklore of the people, in whose life the horse has always played a huge role. This original beginning is naturally combined with the well-known story about how the youngest of the brothers gets wives for his older brothers and for himself, how envious and ungrateful brothers want to destroy him, and how happily everything ends.

Finally, in the folklore of every nation there are fairy tales with completely original plots: such is the Estonian fairy tale "Golden spinners", the Chuvash "How a peasant son worked for the sun" and many others that made up this volume.

But who does the people call the hero of a fairy tale, what features does it give? At the center of many fairy tales is a hero-hero, distinguished by a miraculous origin (in a Mari fairy tale, a childless old woman fashioned herself a boy out of dough - he was called Nonchyk-patyr, that is, "a hero from dough") or an extraordinary upbringing (the hero of the Georgian "Tale about Olenenko and Elena the Beautiful" was left by his parents in the forest and fed by a deer, the hero of the Kalmyk fairy tale "Three Brothers", as already mentioned, was raised by a wonderful mare). Even if it is told about the miraculous origin or extraordinary childhood of the hero, then in all cases it is emphasized that he has extraordinary strength, a sharp mind, and resourcefulness. Such are the hero of the Moldavian fairy tale "Fat-Frumos and the Sun", the hero from the Avar fairy tale "Sea Horse". The main thing is that the hero uses all his remarkable abilities for the benefit of people, even those who act treacherously with him. His distinguishing feature is justice: he fairly shares everything he gets with his brothers or friends.

The fairy tales about the hero-hero reflected the most ancient ideas about the supernatural relationship between man and animals, which is why animals or animals are often educators (or even parents) of fairy-tale heroes. A fairy-tale hero can be both a royal son and a peasant's son, but this does not really matter: he is always distinguished by fearlessness, determination in achieving his goal, kindness and generosity. The hero of a fairy tale often finds wonderful helpers precisely because he provides disinterested help to those who are in trouble: the hero of the Karachai fairy tale "The Adventures of a Hunter" saves the life of an eagle, goat, fish, marten and finds reliable friends in them.

Sometimes the virtues of one hero are, as it were, divided among several characters. So, in the Abaza fairy tale "Three Brothers" all the brothers are smart and fair. Thanks to this, they not only return the horse stolen from them, but also wisely divide the inheritance among the princely sons and receive a large allotment of land as a reward.

In the fairy tales of different peoples there is also a character similar to the Russian "A boy with a finger." The hero of the Jewish fairy tale "Boy Bebele" originated from a bean and this differs from his fairy tale counterparts. Otherwise, this is the same mischievous, cheerful, but at the same time smart and kind boy, as in the fairy tales of other peoples.

The hero of a fairy tale is endowed with the best human qualities. But even he would never have been able to achieve his goal if he had not had wonderful helpers, such as the beauty from the Kalmyk fairy tale "Three Brothers". Often, her beauty makes not only an ordinary person, but also a monstrous deva lose his mind: "As the deva looked at the beauty, he was blinded by her beauty, instantly melted away and gave up his spirit." But even more appreciates the people in the heroine of a fairy tale kindness, determination of character, readiness to help, the ability to manage the household, ingenuity. The miraculous abilities of the heroine are especially noted in the tale - such as understanding the language of birds and animals.

At the same time, the fairy tale severely condemns the heroine when she shows deceit towards the hero, cruelty towards others when she is rude and lazy (like the stepmother's daughter in the Lak fairy tale "Zaza, the red cow").

As you can see, the fairy tales of different peoples all together recreate the ideal, according to popular belief, image of a woman who has not only a beautiful appearance, but also a kind character, mind, and besides, a good housewife and faithful assistant to her fiancé or husband.

wonderful helpers fairy tale hero often the old women who met on the way of the hero perform (the Belarusian fairy tale "The Wise Girl", the Karelian "Black Duck", the Abkhazian "Santa Saadzha and Safa Saadzha", etc.). Often this is not a simple old woman, but an old giantess, the mother of monster divas hostile to the hero. In this case, she forces her sons to help the hero achieve his goal. The hero's assistants are also hostile, but defeated by him monsters.

Often, people endowed with extraordinary abilities come to the aid of the hero of a fairy tale, who can drink the sea, move mountains, listen to the earth - such as Obyedalo and Opivalo from the Ukrainian fairy tale "The Flying Ship".

Among animal helpers, one of the central places belongs to the horse. Often endowed with the gift of human speech, the horse is a wise adviser to his master.

Tales of the peoples of the North Caucasus

GRASSHOPPER (compilation)

Rostov-on-Don. Rostov book publishing house, 1986

ORPHAN

Kabardian fairy tale

Early little Fatimat was left without a mother. The father buried his wife and brought a young widow, who had her own children, into the saklya. Little Fatima became very ill. The new mistress dressed her own daughters in expensive dresses, pampered them as best she could. And Fatimat got beatings, abuse and work. She even ate separately, sitting somewhere in the corner. They fed her scraps. The girl's clothes were worn out - only tatters.

A little light she got up. She walked along the water to a mountain stream, kindled a fire in the hearth, swept the yard, milked the cows. Poor Fatimat worked from dawn until late at night, but she could not please her stepmother. The native daughters of the evil stepmother played with dolls, and Fatimat languished from overwork.

One day, on a bright sunny day, she grazed cows and spun yarn. The sun was warm, the merry spindle was buzzing. But suddenly the wind came up and tore the yarn out of the girl's hands. Carried, swirled a bundle of wool and threw it to a distant cave. What was to be done? Do not return home empty-handed. The evil stepmother will beat you. And the orphan went to look for the loss.

In a huge cave, where wool was brought by the wind, emegönsha lived from time immemorial. She saw Fatimat and screamed:

Collect for me, girl, the silver that is scattered around!

The orphan looked around and saw that at the entrance to the cave everywhere pieces of silver were lying around. She collected everything to the last and gave it to the emegönsha.

Now take off your belt, show your pocket. And Fatima did it. The emegönsha was convinced that she had not concealed anything, that the girl had not hidden anything.

OK. I'll go to bed, and you watch here. If white water flows through the cave, wake me up.

The giantess fell into a sound sleep. And immediately the water began to rustle, to boil over the stones, as white as milk.

Woke up Fatimat emegönsha. She woke up, washed the orphan's face with white water and led her to the mirror. The dirty girl looked in the mirror and gasped: she had never seen herself so beautiful. A face as clear as the sun burns, arms and shoulders whiter than moonlight, and expensive brocade robes sparkle with precious stones, gold and silver. Proud and cheerful, Fatimat said goodbye to the good emegönsha and drove her cows home.

On the way, people could not see enough of its sparkling beauty. No one recognized the old mess in the girl. And the evil stepmother, as she saw it, almost burst out of annoyance. However, she didn't show it. She came to her senses and said kindly:

Dear daughter, where did you find such clothes, how did you become such a beauty?

Innocent Fatimat told everything without concealment.

The next morning the stepmother sent her daughter to graze the cows in the same place. And she spun yarn. The wind swooped in, tore out the spindle and carried it along with the wool to a distant cave. The stepmother's daughter ran after her and heard the voice of the emegönsha from the dark cave:

Collect for me, daughter, the silver that is scattered around!

She began to collect and hid the largest pieces in her pocket.

Now take off the belt, show your pocket!

The stepmother's daughter turned out her pocket, and the silver fell out and rolled with a ringing on the stone floor of the cave. The emegyonsha frowned.

Okay, he says, I'm going to sleep. And you watch. As black water flows, wake me up.

She fell into a sound sleep. And immediately the water began to seethe and rustle over the stones, black as soot on a shepherd's cauldron.

The emegönsha woke up, washed the girl's face with black water and led her to the mirror. They buckled at that leg from fear. Half of her face is monkey and half is dog. She ran off in tears. People from it - in all directions.

This is how the good emeghensha punished her stepmother and her daughter for anger and injustice.

And the father kicked out the stepmother and stayed with the beautiful daughter. They lived quietly and happily.

GRASSHOPPER

Kabardian fairy tale

There lived a poor man named Grasshopper. No one really knew why he was called that. Once he went to a neighboring village to beg. On the way he got tired and sat down on a high mound to rest.

Just in those places the Khan's herds grazed. The poor man saw that the herdsmen were sleeping, and the horses descended into a deep hollow. I thought and thought and moved on.

When Grasshopper reached the neighboring village, there was turmoil: the horses of the formidable Khan disappeared without a trace! He realized that in this case you can earn money if you take it wisely.

Tales of the peoples of the North Caucasus

For younger age

Grasshopper Tales of the peoples of the North Caucasus

Editor V.V. Bezbozhny.

Artist V. V. Vtorenko.

Art editor V. S. Ter-Vartanyan.

Technical editor G. Ya. Gramotenko. Proofreaders E. E. Agafonova, V. Ya. Ponomarev

Orphan (Kabardian fairy tale)

Grasshopper (Kabardian fairy tale)

Musil - Muhad (Lak tale)

Blue bird (Dargin tale)

Fox and quail (Avar fairy tale)

Early little Fatimat was left without a mother. Father buried his wife and brought

into a saklya a young widow who had her own children. It got really bad

little Fatima. The new mistress dressed her native daughters in expensive dresses,

pampered them as best she could. And Fatimat got beatings, abuse and work. Even ate

she is alone, sitting somewhere in a corner. They fed her scraps. Clothes at

the girls are worn out - only rags.

A little light she got up. She walked along the water to a mountain stream, lit a fire in

hearth, swept the yard, milked the cows. Poor Fatimat labored from sunrise to

late at night, but she could not please her stepmother. The native daughters of the evil stepmother played

dolls, and Fatimat languished from overwork.

One day, on a bright sunny day, she grazed cows and spun yarn. Grelo

the sun, a merry spindle buzzed. But suddenly the wind came up and snatched from the hands

girls yarn. Carried, swirled a bundle of wool and threw it to a distant cave.

What was to be done? Do not return home empty-handed. Will beat the evil one

stepmother. And the orphan went to look for the loss.

In a huge cave, where wool was brought by the wind, lived from time immemorial

emegönsha1. She saw Fatimat and screamed:

Collect for me, girl, the silver that is scattered around!

1 Emegönsha is a giantess.

The orphan looked around and saw that at the entrance to the cave everywhere pieces of silver

lying around. She collected everything to the last and gave it to the emegönsha.

Now take off your belt, show your pocket. And Fatima did it.

The emegönsha was convinced that she had not concealed anything, that the girl had not hidden anything.

OK. I'll go to bed, and you watch here. If white water flows

cave, wake me up.

The giantess fell into a sound sleep. And immediately rustled, burbled over the stones

water white as milk.

Woke up Fatimat emegönsha. She woke up, washed the orphan's face white

water and led her to the mirror. The dirty girl looked in the mirror and gasped: never

She didn't see herself as beautiful. A face as clear as the sun burns, hands and

shoulders whiter than moonlight, and costly brocade robes sparkle with precious stones, gold and silver.

Proud and cheerful, Fatimat said goodbye to a kind emegyonsha and drove her

cows home.

On the way, people could not see enough of its sparkling beauty. None

I recognized the old mess in the girl. And the evil stepmother, as she saw, a little

vexation did not burst. However, she didn't show it. She came to her senses and said kindly:

Daughter, dear, where did you find such clothes, how did you become so

beauty?

Innocent Fatimat told everything without concealment.

The next morning the stepmother sent her daughter to graze the cows for the same

place. And she spun yarn. The wind swooped in, tore out the spindle and carried away along with

wool to a distant cave. The stepmother's daughter ran after her and heard a voice

emegönshi from the dark cave:

Collect for me, daughter, the silver that is scattered around!

She began to collect and hid the largest pieces in her pocket.

Now take off the belt, show your pocket! The stepmother's daughter turned out her pocket, and

the silver fell out and rolled with a clang across the stone floor of the cave. frowned

emegönsha.

Okay, he says, I'm going to sleep. And you watch. Like black water

flow, wake me up.

She fell into a sound sleep. And immediately the water began to seethe, rustling over the stones,

black as the soot on a shepherd's cauldron.

The emegönsha woke up, washed the girl's face with black water and led her to

mirror. They buckled at that leg from fear. Half of her face is monkey, and

half are dogs. She ran off in tears. People from her - in everything

This is how the kind emegyonsha punished her stepmother and her daughter for anger and

injustice.

And the father kicked out the stepmother and stayed with the beautiful daughter. They lived quietly and

happily.

GRASSHOPPER

There lived a poor man named Grasshopper. Nobody really knew why

so called. Once he went to a neighboring village to beg. By

tired on the road and sat down on a high mound to rest.

Just in those places the Khan's herds grazed. The poor man saw

the herdsmen are sleeping, and the horses have descended into a deep hollow. I thought and thought and went

When Grasshopper got to the neighboring village, there was turmoil: without a trace

the horses of the formidable khan are gone! He realized that in this business you can earn,

if you take it wisely.

Would the great khan allow me, according to the Kabardian custom, to tell fortunes on

a handful of beans - I would have found horses for him, - he said.

His words reached the Khan.

Bring the braggart to me at once! Khan ordered.

Grasshopper's servants dragged him to the khan. The poor man scattered a handful on the floor

beans and pretends to guess.

No one captured your herds. I see how they graze in the deep

valley, where it is difficult to penetrate even on foot. Towering above that valley are two tall

the mountains. If you send, sir, faithful people to the valley, I swear by Allah

all-seeing, you will get back all the horses without loss. If I cheated - no

guess me more on this bean!

Horsemen rushed there and after a while drove the herds to

safety and security. The news of the miraculous soothsayer spread all around

And in the yard of the khan again there was a loss: the khan's daughter lost

gold ring with precious stones. By order of the Khan, the Grasshopper was called.

Tell fortunes on the beans and find the ring, otherwise I'll hang you in the morning.

"Why did I deceive him then and pretended to be a fortuneteller?" thought sadly

poor man. - Well, I'll live at least one more night, this will not harm me. "And

Khan said:

Then order, O Almighty Khan, to give me a separate room. At night I

I will tell fortunes in it alone.

It is not difficult to fulfill your request, - the khan answered and ordered to lock

Grasshopper in the most spacious room of the palace.

The poor man did not close his eyes at night, he kept thinking about how they would hang him in the morning. AT

dead midnight someone knocked on the window.

Who is there, why did you come? - Grasshopper asked and heard a voice in response

one of the Khan's servants:

It's me, the wonderful seer. Of course, you recognized me, unworthy. Name

I pray to Allah, do not betray me to the formidable Khan. Have pity on the sinner, take the ring

just don't give it out.

The Grasshopper cheered up.

I, - he says, - was thinking about you. If you had not come with the ring yourself,

lost would be your head. Well, now we will agree with you: give

the ring to be swallowed by a white goose whose wing is broken, but like the morning

comes, I order him to slaughter and take out the ring with precious stones.

The maid was delighted, thanked him and left. And the Grasshopper went to bed.

It's a bright morning. They took the Grasshopper out of the palace chambers into the courtyard, where

almost all the inhabitants of the village gathered.

What do you say, sorcerer? - asked the khan.

You asked me a simple task, sir, - answered the Grasshopper. - I thought,

You will have to look for a long time, but I found it quickly: the bean grains immediately discovered the truth.

There is a ring in the goiter of your own white goose with a broken wing.

A goose was caught, slaughtered and gutted.

The khan looks, and in the goose's goiter is a golden ring.

People were amazed at the art of the soothsayer, and the Khan generously endowed the Grasshopper and

let go in peace.

A lot of time has passed since then. Once the khan went to visit the khan

another state and as if inadvertently boasted:

There is a wonderful person in my country: he will be able to reveal any secret,

everything will figure out whatever you say.

The owner did not believe. They argued for a long time, then finally decided to fight against

bet on great wealth.

The khan returned to his palace and summoned the Grasshopper.

I argued, - he says, - with my friend, the ruler of the neighboring

khanates that you can reveal any secret. If you figure out what he

I will give you orders, I will gold you, you will become a rich man for the rest of your life. Do not guess - I command

hang up.

The khan took the Grasshopper with him and went to the neighboring khanate. accepted them

owner in kunatskoy1. He himself went out into the street and returned, hiding something in his fist.

1 Kunatskaya - guest room.

Find out, soothsayer, what do I hold in my hand?

The poor man shook his head and said to him:

Oh, poor, unfortunate Grasshopper, once he jumped, he escaped reprisal,

another time he jumped - he left again, and on the third - he got caught!

The owner got angry and stamped his foot.

The devil, and not a man, could have guessed this! - he cried and opened his fist,

from which a green grasshopper jumped out and chirped on the floor.

The khan, who brought the poor man, was delighted that he won the mortgage, and,

returning home, he offered Grasshopper so much goodness that for life

would be enough.

But the Grasshopper refused.

Only three times did I have the right to guess, he said to the Khan.

not a servant.

Until now, the Grasshopper lives in abundance and prosperity.

MUSIL - MUHAD

There lived or did not live one poor man, nicknamed Musil-Muhad. He had

a lot of children.

So he sowed the field, and it was harvest time. Father with eldest daughter

Raiganat went to the field. The girl began to reap, and Musil-Muhad knitted sheaves. And so

under one sheaf he saw a large serpent.

Musil-Muhad, - said the serpent, - give me your daughter, and you for this

there will be a big benefit.

Musil-Muhad was so frightened that he was unable to tie the sheaf. Young woman

asked:

What are you doing, father? Why don't you knit a sheaf?

How to knit, my daughter? This snake asks me to marry you to him

married, and promises me great benefits for it.

Well, it's better to stay without me than to starve the whole family, -

answered the daughter. - Marry me to a snake, just ask what it is to you

can please.

Then Musil-Muhad approached the snake and said:

I will give you my daughter, but how will you please me?

And you and your family will not endure the need for anything all your life.

After that, the serpent led the father and daughter to one field. in the middle of it

the field was a hole. They entered the hole and descended the steps hewn from

stone. They saw a wide street, and on it houses-fortresses. All roads

protect azhdah.

1 Azhdaha is a dragon.

Seeing them, the azhdaha began to exhale fire. But the serpent made them bow.

We entered the rooms, and there all things are made of gold and silver, the floors are covered

carpets. The serpent turned around and told Raiganat to step on his foot.

tail. She stepped on the tail, and a young man came out of the snake scales,

whose beauty cannot be described. The girl and father were overjoyed.

The young man said:

Musil-Muhad, don't think about anything now, I am your son.

Opening the chest, he took out the tablecloth and turned to his father:

Take this tablecloth, go home and say: "Tablecloth, turn around!" - and on

she will have all kinds of food. When you finish eating, say: "Tablecloth,

roll up!"

Musil-Muhad went home and, as soon as he had gone halfway, could not stand it,

threw the tablecloth on the ground and said:

Turn around, tablecloth!

The tablecloth unfolded, and all sorts of dishes appeared on it, which only

is in the world.

Musil-Muhad came home, called his wife and children to eat. The wife brought the children

asked:

Where is your food? I don't see anything yet. And where is Raganath?

Raiganat got married and lives happily. Look here, he said.

he threw the tablecloth on the floor and said: - Tablecloth, turn around!

The tablecloth was spread all over the room, and a variety of

food, fruits and drinks.

Eat what you want, drink what you want, treat whoever you want.

Everyone was delighted and lived for several days as they wanted.

And then the news about Raiganat and her husband spread throughout the village.

Three envious people lived next to the Musil-Muhad family. They became

talk:

What an amazing thing, Musil-Muhad immediately got fat, he had children

recovered. Why did they get rich?

And so they found out about the tablecloth and stole it one night. Morning children

got up and started looking for a tablecloth to eat, but there is no tablecloth. On this day

they were hungry.

Then Musil-Muhad went to his son-in-law and told him that the tablecloth had been stolen.

The brother-in-law gave him hand millstones and said:

If you order: "Millstones, millstones, spin!" - they will spin and

grind flour. When you've had enough, say: "Millstones, millstones, stop."

They will stop.

Musil-Muhad took the millstone and went. When he got halfway, he put

millstone on the road and said:

The millstones began to spin, and flour fell out of them. Then he ordered

them to stop.

Almost dying of joy, he went home.

He put a millstone in the big room and said:

Millstones, millstones, spin!

The whole room immediately filled with flour.

And so they began to bake bread and eat, and sold the rest of the flour.

But envious neighbors again stole millstones and flour. Again Musil-Muhad with

he went to his son-in-law in tears and said that the millstones had been stolen. He gave him a donkey.

Go home and say: "Donkey-mosel, pur-mur" - and they will pour out of it

Musil-Muhad went home with the donkey. Brought the donkey to the same big

room, tied him to a strong nail and said:

Donkey-mosyol, pur-mur.

The room was filled with coins to the ceiling. He gave the donkey a full cup

dates and laid it on the coins.

Musil-Muhad became even richer. But again, the same thieves managed to kidnap the donkey

along with coins.

Musil-Muhad again went to his son-in-law and wept. The brother-in-law asked:

Why did you come? What happened?

I swear, son-in-law, I'm already ashamed to go to you. Now the donkey has been kidnapped.

Okay, my father. We can easily find all these things.

The son-in-law brought three large sticks with sharp thorns.

Go home with these sticks, sit at the threshold and say: "Sticks-malki,

tark mark! On the head to those who stole the tablecloth, the millstone and the donkey. Rumble,

don't stop until everything is brought home."

Taking these sticks, Musil-Muhad went home and, when he had gone halfway, did not

endured and said:

Sticks-malki, tark-mark!

And the sticks began to beat Musil-Muhad.

Oh, I said on purpose, stop! - he shouted.

The sticks stopped.

He came home and sat at the threshold, and the thieves were already waiting for him. Came up and

ask:

Neighbor, did you find what was stolen? We all mourn your loss.

How can I find what I have stolen?” answered Musil-Muhad. “Better sit down, I

I'll show you one thing.

All the neighbors gathered and sat down beside him. Musil-Muhad laid before him

all three sticks and ordered:

Hey, little sticks, to the thieves of my tablecloth, my donkey and my

millstones - on the head until they bring these things to my house. Without

stops, tark-mark, rumble!

The sticks jumped up and began to beat the thieves. The thieves wanted to hide themselves

at home, and the sticks chased after them and beat them until they became

beg Musil-Muhad to save them and did not promise to return everything stolen.

Musil-Muhad said:

This is none of my business. Until the stolen goods are returned to my house, the sticks will not

stop.

Then the thieves returned everything they had stolen and began to ask Musil-Muhad:

Have mercy, neighbor! Save us!

Sticks, stop!” he ordered. Then put them in a corner and

Look, if a thief comes to me, beat him without stopping!

Since then, thieves have been afraid of Musil-Muhad. And he and his children lived like

BLUE BIRD

In one country there lived a khan, and he had three sons. Once, when the khan was

hunting, he sat down to rest near the spring.

Suddenly a blue bird flew in. The khan looked at her and was blinded by her brilliance.

The khan wandered through the forest for a long time and returned home by force.

The khan summoned his sons and told them everything that had happened:

Vision will return to me only if - finished his khan

story - if at least one feather of a blue bird falls into my hands.

And so the eldest son of the Khan went in search of a bird. For a long time he wandered

light, but found nothing and returned home.

After that, the second son went, but he, like his older brother,

came back with nothing.

Then the youngest son got ready to go. He wandered for a long time in search of a bird.

Once the khan's son met a blind old man and told him all his

I, too, was blind because of the blue bird, - the old man answered. - It is difficult to find it. But

if you are not afraid of anything, I will give you one piece of advice. Get on that mountain. There

there is a courtyard surrounded by a fence, and a bridle hangs on the gate. Every evening there

a herd of horses arrives. You take the bridle and stand at the gate. From the whole herd

choose the horse that fits this bridle. Get on the horse and listen to it

The Khan's son thanked the old man and acted on his advice. Barely a youth

sat on the horse, as it galloped off and spoke in a human voice:

When we reach the fortress, I will jump into the courtyard through the high wall.

Tie me to an iron post, and enter the house yourself. There you will see a hero

and sit next to him.

Soon the fortress appeared. The horse soared like a bird and jumped over

through the wall. In the middle of the yard stood an iron pillar that reached right up to

sky. The young man tied the horse and entered the house. Seeing the hero, he sat down next to

The hero was surprised: how could a guest enter him? So far this

no one succeeded. The bogatyr summoned his nukers1 and ordered them:

1 Nuker is a bodyguard.

In the evening, invite an uninvited guest to dinner and kill him!

But the nukers could not do anything with the khan's son. Then they

turned to one old woman-fortune-teller.

You cannot defeat the guest, - said the fortune-teller, - because he is a Nart.

Tomorrow he will go to catch the blue bird.

1Nart - a hero endowed with magical powers.

The next morning, the Khan's son approached his horse.

The blue bird lives in the sky, said the horse. We will climb this

iron post and you will see a bird. You must grab it and hold it until then.

until she says, "For the sake of your horse, let me go."

The Khan's son jumped into the saddle, and the horse galloped up the post. How

as soon as they reached the sky, the young man saw a blue bird and grabbed it. For a long time

the bird beat in his hands, and finally said:

Let me go for your horse, I'm yours now.

The young man released the bird, and she became completely submissive. Soon the Khan's son

riding on his horse and with a bird on his shoulder, he went down the iron pole to

As soon as the young man jumped off the horse, the blue bird turned into a beautiful one.

girl. The hero was very jealous of the sledge, but was powerless before him. I had to

arrange a luxurious feast for the hero, and then the khan's son took the girl and

went home.

An hour later he was at his father's. It turned out that he received his sight in an instant,

when the young man grabbed the blue bird. They played a wedding, and the khan's son became a husband

beauties.

FOX AND QUAIL

Once a hungry fox caught a fat quail and wanted to eat it.

Don't eat me, fox! - said the quail. - Be my named sister.

What else can you think of! - the fox was surprised. - Well, so be it, I agree.

Just feed me once, make me laugh once and scare me once. Hurry, I

very hungry!

Well, - said the quail, - I will feed you, make you laugh, scare you!

The quail fluttered up and flew away.

She saw a woman who was carrying lunch to the plowmen in the field, returned to

fox, told her to run after her. She brought the fox to the field and said:

Hide behind that bush!

After that, she flew out onto the road and sat down.

The woman saw the quail and wanted to catch it. She put a bundle with

pitchers on the road and began to catch up with the quail. The quail ran a little and

sat down again. The woman chased after her again. So the quail beckoned the woman,

until I took her far from the road. And the fox, meanwhile, untied the knot,

I ate all my lunch and left.

The quail caught up with her and asked:

Are you fed up, fox?

Well, now I'll make you laugh... Follow me!

The quail flew closer to the plowmen, and the fox ran after it. BUT

the plowmen got hungry, waited for dinner and stopped the bulls.

The quail again hid the fox behind the bush and sat on the horn of the motley bull.

Look, look! - the drovers shouted to the plowman. - The quail sat on the horn

your bull... Grab her!

The plowman swung his stick - he wanted to knock the quail, and the quail -

frr! - flew away. The blow fell on the bull's horns. The bull began to rush into everything

hand, scared the other bulls. They smashed both plows and harness.

The fox saw this and began to laugh. She was laughing, she was laughing

I laughed, laughed, laughed so hard that I was even tired.

Are you satisfied? - asks the quail.

Satisfied!

Well, lie here. Now I'll scare you, - said the quail.

She flew in the direction where the hunter walked with dogs. Dogs

they saw a quail and rushed after it, and the quail began to lead them around

field. Carried-carried and led directly to the fox.

The fox - run, and the dogs - after her. They run on the heels, do not lag behind, at all

hunted the fox. The fox ran exhausted to its hole. Barely alive left, and the tail

didn't have time to hide. The dogs grabbed the fox's tail and tore it off.

The fox got angry, found a quail and said:

You have disgraced me in front of my entire family. How can I live without a tail now

You yourself asked me to feed you, make you laugh and scare, - answers

quail.

But the fox was so angry that she did not want to listen. She opened her mouth and

grabbed a quail.

The quail sees - it's bad. She says to the fox:

Well, eat me, I don't mind, just tell me before: Friday

today or saturday?

And why do you need this? - the fox shouted angrily and unclenched her teeth.

And the quail needed only that: it escaped and flew away.