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ILYA MUROMETZ
Ilya Murometz is the most famous of the mighty warriors, known as Bogatyrs, of the Russian "Bilyny" legends. This legendary hero was unable to move during his first 33 years of his life. Then one day he was visited in his house by the three Holy Old Men, who asked Ilya for some water. Ilya became furious, as he thought the Old Men were playing a joke on him when they commanded Ilya to get up, much to his own surprise, Ilya rose. From that moment on he became a warrior of extraordinary powers and the defender of the Holy Russia.
Among his most famous deeds are: the single handed destruction of the Tatar army, sleight of the town of Chernigov and the capture of the Evil Bandit the Nightingale Whistler, (also known as "Solovey Razboynik" ), who had the power of killing people with his whistle.
Ilya of Murom, a defender of the Lands of Russia, is portrayed a friend of the simple folk, a symbol of liberty and fairness, and sometimes as a raging rebel who dared to quarrel with the Duke of Kiev, and who almost destroyed the City of Kiev. In the end he returned to his senses, and Ilya Murometz became the Best Warrior and the Wisest Adviser to Duke Vladimir of Kiev.
THE LITTLE HAVROSHECHKA
There are good people in the world and some who are not so good. There are also people who are shameless in their wickedness.
The Little Havroshechka had the bad luck to fall in with such as these. She was an orphan and these people took her in and brought her up, only to make her work till she couldn't stand. She wove and spun and did the housework and had to answer for everything.
Now the mistress of the house had three daughters. The eldest was called One-Eye, the second Two-Eyes, and the youngest Three-Eyes. The three sisters did nothing all day but sit by the gate and watch what went on in the street, while the Little Havroshechka sewed, spun and wove for them and never heard a kind word in return.
Sometimes the Little Havroshechka would go out into the field, put her arms round the neck of her brindled cow and pour out all her sorrows to her.
"Brindled, my dear," she would say, "they beat me and scold me, they don't give me enough to eat, and yet they forbid me to cry. I am to have five pounds of flax spun, woven, bleached and rolled by tomorrow."
And the cow would say in reply, "My bonny lass, you have only to climb into one of my ears and come out through the other and your work will be done for you." And just as Brindled said, so it was. The Little Havroshechka would climb into one of the cow's ears and come out through the other, and behold! there lay the cloth, all woven and bleached and rolled. Little Havroshechka would then take the rolls of cloth to her mistress, who would look at them and grunt, and put them away in a chest and give the Little Havroshechka even more work to do.
And the Little Havroshechka would go to Brindled, put her arms round her and stroke her, climb into one of her ears and come out through the other, pick up the ready cloth and take it to her mistress again.
One day the old woman called her daughter One-Eye to her and said, "My good child, my bonny child, go and see who helps the orphan with her work. Find out who spins the thread, weaves the cloth and rolls it."
One-Eye went with the Little Havroshechka into the woods and she went with her into the fields, but she forgot her mother's command and she basked in the sun and lay down on the grass. And Havroshechka murmured, "Sleep, little eye, sleep!"
One-Eye shut her eye and fell asleep. While she slept, Brindled wove, bleached and rolled the cloth. The mistress learned nothing, so she sent for her second daughter, Two-Eyes.
"My good child, my bonny child, go and see who helps the orphan with her work."
Two-Eyes went with the Little Havroshechka, but she forgot her mother's commend and she basked in the sun and lay down on the grass. And the Little Havroshechka murmured, "Sleep, little eye! Sleep, the other little eye!" Two-Eyes shut her eyes and she dozed off. While she slept, Brindled wove, bleached and rolled the cloth.
The old woman was very angry and on the third day she told her third daughter, Three-Eyes, to go with the Little Havroshechka, to whom she gave more work than ever. Three-Eyes played and skipped about in the sun until she was so tired that she lay down o n the grass. And the Little Havroshechka sang out, "Sleep, little eye! Sleep, the other little eye!"
But she forgot all about the third little eye. Two of Three-Eyes' eyes fell asleep, but the third looked on and saw everything. It saw the Little Havroshechka climb into one of the cow's ears and come out through the other and pick up the ready cloth.
Three-Eyes came home and told her mother what she had seen. The old woman was overjoyed, and on the very next day she went to her husband and said, "Go and kill the brindled cow."
The old man was astonished and tried to reason with her. "Have you lost your wits, old woman?", he said. "The cow is a good one and still young."
"Kill it and say no more," the wife insisted.
There was no help for it, and the old man began to sharpen his knife. The Little Havroshechka found out all about it and she ran to the field and threw her arms around Brindled.
"Brindled, dearie," she said, "they want to kill you!"
And the cow replied, "Do not grieve, my bonny lass, but do what I tell you. Take my bones, tie them up in a kerchief, bury them in the garden and water them every day. Do not eat of my flesh and never forget me."
The old man killed the cow, and the Little Havroshechka did as Brindled had told her. She went hungry, but she would not touch the meat, and she buried the bones in the garden and watered them every day.
After a while an apple tree grew out of them, and a wonderful tree it was! Its apples were round and juicy, its swaying boughs were of silver, and its rustling leaves were of gold. Whoever drove by would stop to look, and whoever came near marveled.
A long time passed by and a little time. One day One-Eye, Two-Eyes and Three-Eyes were out walking in the garden. And who should chance to be riding by at the time but a young man, handsome and strong and rich and curly-haired. When he saw the juicy apples he stopped and said to the girls teasingly, "Fair maidens! Here I will marry that one of you three who brings me an apple off that tree."
And off rushed the sisters to the apple tree, each trying to get ahead of the others. But the apples which had been hanging very low and seemed within easy reach now swung up high in the air above the sisters' heads. The sisters tried to knock them down, but the leaves came down in a shower and blinded them. They tried to pluck the apples off, but the boughs caught in their braids and unplaited them. Struggle and stretch as they might, they could not reach the apples and only scratched their hands.
Then the Little Havroshechka walked up to the tree, and at once the boughs bent down and the apples came into her hands. She gave an apple to the handsome young stranger and he married her. From that day on she knew no sorrow, and she and her husband lived happily ever after.
THE GOLDEN FISH
Once upon a time, in a land far far away lived a very poor couple in a shack not far from the edge of the sea. Their only means of food was the fish that the old man caught in the sea. One morning, as was his usual routine, the fisherman took his fishing net down to the sea. But on this day something unusual happened, on this day the fisherman caught the Golden Fish. The Golden Fish begged for the fisherman to spare his life, and offered in return to grant the fisherman any wish he would like. But the kindhearted fisherman asked for nothing, and returned the Golden Fish to the sea. However, the fisherman's wife was not so kindhearted, she became irate when he related the story to her, and sent him back to the sea to catch the Golden Fish and to wish for a loaf of bread. The fisherman did as he was told, he caught the fish and wished for a loaf of bread. When he returned home he found a fresh baked loaf of bread on the table.
The fisherman's wife then decided that she wanted more than just a loaf of bread. The next morning she sent her husband to ask for a new. He returned home to find his wife with a new washtub, but she still wasn't satisfied.
The following day the husband was sent to the sea to find the magic fish and to wish for a new house. This wish was, like the ones before it, granted to the fisherman. But the fisherman was sent back again the next day to wish that his wife would become governor. This time he returned home to find his wife dressed in riches and ordering about servants. But the woman was still unhappy, and demanded to become Queen of all the land.
Eventually, even being Queen of all the land did not satisfy the wife, and so she sent her husband once last time to the sea to catch the Golden Fish and to wish that she would be ruler of the sea and of all creatures who live in it. The fisherman caught the fish, and made the wish. However, when he returned home his wife was dressed in her old rags, standing by her old broken washtub, inside the old shack, with not even a loaf of bread to eat.
THE GOLDEN HAIR GIRL
Many, many years ago there was a great magician, Poloza, who was known for as keeper of the Ural mountains' treasures. This magician had hundreds of guards who watched over all his gold, silver, and jewels he had. But living among such valuable possession, he treasured most of all his daughter the Golden Hair Girl, whom Poloza was guarding more than all his material riches.
Once upon a time Golden Hair met a handsome, nomad from the Bashkirian tribe, who was hunting nearby Poloza's Palace. They fell in love, decided to get married, and to go to live in the hunter's house.
However, Poloza was against letting his daughter live in the forest with the simple-folk Hunter-nomad and refused the marriage. Despite Poloza's refusal, the young Hunter decided to abduct Golden Hair. When he did so, the father twice returned his daughter back to the Palace using his magical powers.
The young hunter then went to seek advise from the magic wise owl, which lived deep in the forest. The owl explained to him that there was only one place where the magical powers of Poloza could not reach, and that was the large island, located in the middle of the Lake.
For the last time the young Hunter abducts the Golden Hair girl from her father's palace and takes her to the Island in the middle of the Lake. This time the magic powers of Poloza were unable to take the daughter away from the Hunter.
On this beautiful Island the couple found meadows and forests, herds of horses and sheep, wonderful gar-dens with flowers in bloom all year round, plenty of food, and all manners of comfort.
However, there was one condition that the magic wise owl told the hunter, and that was that both he and the Golden Hair girl were to be captives on this Island for eternity. Knowing this they still decided to live on this island.
Although, many centuries have passed, since these days even today the old folks living nearby the Lake say that sometimes at dawn, couples, walking along the bank of the Lake bank, can see the Island and the beautiful maiden sitting on a stone at the water's edge. She lets her hair down, and the water turns into pure gold.
THE FROG PRINCESS
In days gone by there was a King who had three sons. When his sons came of age the King called them to him and said, "My dear lads, I want you to get married so that I may see your little ones, my grand-children, before I die."
And his sons replied, "Very well, Father, give us your blessing. Who do you want us to marry?"
"Each of you must take an arrow, go out into the green meadow and shoot it. Where the arrows fall, there shall your destiny be."
So the sons bowed to their father, and each of them took an arrow and went out into the green meadow, where they drew their bows and let fly their arrows.
The arrow of the eldest son fell in the courtyard of a nobleman, and the nobleman's daughter picked it up. The arrow of the middle son fell in the yard of a merchant, and the merchant's daughter picked it up. But the arrow of the youngest son, Prince Ivan, flew up and away he knew not where. He walked on and on in search of it, and at last he came to a marsh, where what should he see but a frog sitting on a leaf with the arrow in its mouth. Prince Ivan said to it, "Frog, frog, give me back my arrow."
And the frog replied, "Marry me!"
"How can I marry a frog?"
"Marry me, for it is your destiny."
Prince Ivan was sadly disappointed, but what could he do? He picked up the frog and brought it home. The King celebrated three weddings: his eldest son was married to the nobleman's daughter, his middle son to the merchant's daughter, and poor Prince Ivan to the frog.
One day the King called his sons and said, "I want to see which of your wives is most skilled with her needle. Let them each sew me a shirt by tomorrow morning."
The sons bowed to their father and went out. Prince Ivan went home and sat in a corner, looking very sad. The frog hopped about on the floor and said to him, "Why are you so sad, Prince Ivan? Are you in trouble?"
"My father wants you to sew him a shirt by tomorrow morning."
Said the frog, "Don't be downhearted, Prince Ivan. Go to bed; night is the mother of counsel." So Prince Ivan went to bed, and the frog hopped out on to the doorstep, cast off her frog skin, and turned into Vasilisa the Wise, a maiden fair beyond compare. She clapped her hands and cried, "Maids and nurses, get ready, work steady! By tomorrow morning sew me a shirt like the one my own father used to wear!"
When Prince Ivan awoke the next morning, the frog was hopping about on the floor again, and on the table, wrapped up in a linen towel, the shirt lay. Prince Ivan was delighted. He picked up the shirt and took it to his father. He found the King receiving gifts from his other sons. When the eldest laid out his shirt, the King said, "This shirt will do for one of my servants." When the middle son laid out his shirt, the King said, "This one is good only for the bath-house." Prince Ivan laid out his shirt, handsomely embroidered in gold and silver. The King took one look at it and said, "Now this is a shirt indeed! I shall wear it on the best occasions."
The two elder brothers went home and said to each other, "It looks as though we had laughed at Prince Ivan's wife for nothing -- it seems she is not a frog, but a sorceress."
Again the King called his sons. "Let your wives bake me bread by tomorrow morning," he said. I want to know which one cooks the best."
Prince Ivan came home looking very sad again. The frog said to him, "Why are you so sad, Prince?"
"The King wants you to bake bread for him by tomorrow morning," replied her husband.
"Don't be downhearted, Prince Ivan. Go to bed; night is the mother of counsel."
Now those other daughters-in-law had made fun of the frog at first, but this time they sent an old henwife to see how the frog baked her bread. But the frog was cunning and guessed what they were about. She kneaded the dough, broke the top of the stove an d emptied the dough-trough straight down the hole. The old henwife ran back to the other wives and told them what she had seen, and they did as the frog had done.
Then the frog hopped out onto the doorstep, turned into Vasilisa the Wise, and clapped her hands and cried, "Maids and nurses, get ready, work steady! By tomorrow morning bake me a soft white loaf like the ones I ate when I lived at home."
Prince Ivan woke up in the morning, and there on the table he saw a loaf of bread with all kinds of pretty designs on it. On the sides were quaint figures -- royal cities with walls and gates. Prince Ivan was ever so pleased. He wrapped the loaf up in a linen towel and took it to his father. Just then the King was receiving the loaves from his elder sons. Their wives had dropped the dough into the fire as the old henwife had told them, and it came out just a lump of charred dough. The King took the loaf from his eldest son, looked at it and sent it to the servants' hall. He took the loaf from his middle son and did the same with that. But when Prince Ivan handed him his loaf the King said, "Now that is what I call bread! It is fit to be eaten onl y on holidays."
And the King bade his sons come to his feast the next day and bring their wives with them. Prince Ivan came home grieving again. The frog hopped up and said, "Why are you so said, Prince Ivan? Has your father said anything unkind to you?"
"Froggy, my frog, how can I help being sad? Father wants me to bring you to his feast, but how can you appear before people as my wife?"
"Don't be downhearted, Prince Ivan," said the frog. "Go to the feast alone and I will come later. When you hear a knocking and a banging, do not be afraid. If you are asked, say it is only your Froggy riding in her box."
So Prince Ivan went by himself. His elder brothers drove up with their wives, rouged and powdered and dressed in fine clothes. They stood there and mocked Prince Ivan: "Why did you not bring your wife? You could have brought her in a handkerchief. Where, indeed, did you find such a beauty? You must have searched all the marshes for her!"
The King and his sons and daughters-in-law and all the guests sat down to feast at the oaken tables covered with handsome cloths. All at once there was a knocking and a banging that made the whole palace shake. The guests jumped up in fright, but Prince Ivan said, "Do not be afraid, good people, it is only my Froggy riding in her box."
Just then a gilded carriage drawn by six white horses dashed up to the palace door and out of it stepped Vasilisa the Wise in a dress of sky-blue silk strewn with stars and a shining moon upon her head -- a maiden as fair as the sky at dawn, the fairest maiden ever born. She took Prince Ivan by the hand and led him to the oaken tables with the handsome cloths on them.
The guests began to eat, drink and make merry. Vasilisa the Wise drank from her glass and emptied the dregs into her left sleeve. Then she ate some swan meat and put the bones in her right sleeve. The wives of the elder princes saw her do this and they did the same.
When the eating and drinking were over, the time came for dancing. Vasilisa the Wise took Prince Ivan and tripped off with him. She whirled and danced, and everybody watched and marveled. She waved her left sleeve, and lo! a lake appeared! She waved her right sleeve, and white swans began to swim on the lake. The King and his guests were struck with wonder.
Then the other daughters-in-law went to dance. They waved one sleeve, but only splashed wine over the guests; they waved the other, but only scattered bones, and one bone hit the King right in the forehead. The King flew into a rage and drove both daughters-in-law away.
Meanwhile, Prince Ivan slipped out and ran home. There he found the frog skin and threw it into the fire. When Vasilisa the Wise came home, she looked for the frog skin but could not find it. She sat down on a bench, sorely grieved, and said to Prince Iva n, "Ah, Prince Ivan, what have you done? Had you but waited three more days I would have been yours forever. But now, farewell. Seek me beyond the Thrice-Nine Lands, in the Thrice-Ten Kingdom, where Koshchei the Deathless dwells." So saying, Vasilisa the Wise turned herself into a gray cuckoo and flew out of the window. Prince Ivan wept long and hard, then bowed in all four directions and went forth he knew not where to seek his wife, Vasilisa the Wise. How long he walked is hard to say, but h is boots wore down at the heels, his tunic wore out at the elbows, and his cap became battered by the rain. By and by he met a little man, as old as old can be.
"Good day, my lad," said the little old man. "Where are you going and what is your errand?"
Prince Ivan told him about his trouble.
"Ah, why did you burn the frog skin, Prince Ivan?" said the little old man. "It was not yours to keep or do away with. Vasilisa the Wise was born wiser than her father, and that made him so angry that he turned her into a frog for three years. Ah, well, it cannot be helped now. Take this ball of yarn and follow it without fear wherever it rolls."
Prince Ivan thanked the little old man and followed the ball of yarn. It rolled on and he came after. In an open field he met a bear. Prince Ivan took aim and was about to kill it, but the bear spoke in a human voice: "Do not kill me, Prince Ivan, for you may have need of me someday."
Prince Ivan spared the bear's life and went on farther. Suddenly he saw a drake flying overhead. He took aim with his bow, but the drake said in a human voice, "Do not kill me, Prince Ivan, for you may have need of me someday."
He spared the drake and went on. A hare came running by. Again Prince Ivan snatched his bow to shoot it, but the hare said in a human voice, "Do not kill me, Prince Ivan, for you may have need of me someday."
So he spared the hare and went on. He came to the blue sea and saw a pike lying on the sandy beach gasping for breath. "Ah, Prince Ivan," said the pike, "take pity on me and throw me back into the blue sea."
So he threw the pike into the sea and walked on along the shore. By and by the ball of yarn rolled into a forest, and there stood a little hut on hen's feet, turning round and round. "Little hut, little hut, turn your back to the trees and your face to me, please."
The hut turned its face to him and its back to the trees. Prince Ivan walked in, and there, sitting in the corner, was Baba-Yaga, the witch with a broom and a switch, a bony hag with a nose like a snag. When she saw him she said, "Ugh, ugh, Russian blood, never met by me before, now I smell it at my door. Who comes here? Where from? Where to?"
"You might give me meat and drink and a steam bath before asking questions," retorted Prince Ivan. So Baba-Yaga gave him a steam bath, gave him meat and drink, and put him to bed. Then Prince Ivan told her he was seeking his wife, Vasilisa the Wise.
"I know, I know," said Baba Yaga. "Your wife is now in the power of Koshchei the Deathless. It will be hard for you to get him back. Koshchei is more than a match for you. His death is at the point of a needle. The needle is in an egg; the egg is in a duck; the duck is in a hare; the hare is in a stone casket; the casket is at the top of a tall oak tree that Koshchei the Deathless guards as the apple of his eye."
Prince Ivan spent the night at Baba-Yaga's, and in the morning she showed him the way to the tall oak. How long he walked it is hard to say, but by and by he came to the tall oak tree with the stone casket at the top of it. But it was hard to reach.
Suddenly, up came the bear whose life he had spared, and pulled the tree out, roots and all. Down fell the casket and broke open. Out of the casket sprang a hare and scampered off as fast as it could. The other hare, whose life Prince Ivan had spared, gave chase, caught it and tore it to bits. Out of the dead hare flew a duck, and shot high into the sky. But in a twinkling, the drake, whose life Prince Ivan had spared, was at it. The duck dropped the egg, and down it fell into the blue sea.
At this Prince Ivan wept bitter tears. How could he find the egg in the sea? But all at once the pike, whose life Prince Ivan had spared, swam up with the egg in its mouth. Prince Ivan broke the egg, took the needle out, and set about breaking the point off. The more he bent it, the more Koshchei the Deathless writhed and screamed, but all in vain. Prince Ivan broke off the point of the needle and Koshchei fell down dead.
Prince Ivan went to Koshchei's white stone palace. Vasilisa the Wise came running out to meet him and kissed him deeply. And Prince Ivan and Vasilisa the Wise went back to their own home and lived in peace and happiness to a ripe old age.
THE FIRE BIRD
In a far away land a thief was stealing golden apples which had the power of bestowing youth and beauty from Tsar Berendey`s magic Garden. The guards of the Tsar were unable to stop this, for as hard as they tried, the thief always got away. None of the guards could even see this thief. The Tsar was frustrated for he needed the golden apples for himself, as he was married to a very beautiful young Queen.
The only person who spotted the thief was the Tsar's son, Prince Ivan Tsarevich. As the night came upon the Garden, the young Tsarevich hid under a water bucket and listened closely to every sound around him. At dawn, the Prince almost fell asleep, but the silence was broken by a magical being. The Prince pulled the water bucket up slightly so he could just see through the thin opening. And there it was; The Fire Bird.
In the depth of night the Fire Bird would fly into the garden with its feathers blazing with a silvery of golden sheen. Its eyes were shining like crystals and would light the place as brightly as a thousand burning fires. The Tsarevich crawled up to the unsuspecting bird, and rushed to grab it by the tail.
The next day Prince Ivan told his father the old Tsar, about the Fire Bird. He showed his father the only feather he had managed to get from the Bird's tail. As the Bird was too smart and flew away. From that day on the Tsar was obsessed with the idea of capturing the Fire Bird for himself. In order to find the Bird he sent his three sons on a journey to another Kingdom.
Ivan Tsarevich's adventure begins when after a long day's ride he falls asleep, only to awake in the morning and find his horse gone. Wondering through the woods he meets a gray wolf who confesses that he ate the horse. Grateful that Ivan had spared his life, Gray Wolf offers to let Ivan ride on his back. Grey Wolf takes Ivan to Tsar Afron's kingdom, where the Fire Bird is kept in a golden cage inside the Tsar's walled garden.
The Prince warned by the Gray Wolf to take only the bird, and not the cage, takes the cage as well and triggers an alarm. Captured by Tsar Afron, he is told that in order to have the Fire Bird he must pay for it with the Horse of the Golden Mane, which is in possession of Tsar Kusman.
The Gray Wolf carries Ivan to Kusman's palace and advises him to acquire the horse but not the bridle. Once again the Prince is tempted by the gold and diamonds in the bridle, so he ignores the advice. He again becomes captured by Kusman, who now says he will only give him the horse in exchange for the fair Princess Elena, who was residing with Tsar Dalmat.
This time the wolf does the work himself and seizes Elena. He brings her back to Ivan and the Prince falls in love with her. The wolf offers to trick Kusman by assuming Elena's shape and also to trick Afron too by assuming the form of the horse.
Ivan returns, with Elena, the horse and the Fire Bird, however when the wolf leaves him he is ambushed and killed by his brothers.
The wolf then returns and revives him with the Waters of Life and Death, the brothers are banished, and Ivan Tsarevich meets Tsar Berendey to tell his tragic story. When the Tsar's grief fades, the Prince marries Elena the Fair and they lived happily ever after.
ALYONUSHKA
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, a brother and sister walked together down a long road. The sister's name was Alyonushka, and her brother was called Ivanushka. The two had been walking a long time when they came to a cow's hoof filled with water. "May I drink form it sister?" Little Ivanushka asked. "No, or you will turn into a calf." Alyonushka answered. Little Ivanushka was very thirsty, but obeyed his sister. He obeyed her again when they came to a horse's hoof filled with water. Alyonushka told him that if he drank from it, he would turn into a foal.
The brother and sister walked along further, and Ivanushka became increasingly thirsty. Then they came upon a goat's hoof filled with water. "May I drink from it?" Ivanushka asked. Alyonushka once again was firm, "No, if you do you will turn into a kid." But this time the boy disobeyed his sister, and on his first sip turned into a little goat.
Alyonushka sat on the rode crying when a merchant drove by and inquired about her trouble. Alyonushka explained the situation to him, and he said that if she married him they could live happily with the goat. Alyonushka agreed, and so they lived happily this way for some time.
Then one day an evil witch tricked Alyonushka into going down to the river, where she tied a stone around her neck and threw her in. The witch then took on Alyonuska's form and lived as her for awhile. Only poor Ivanushka new the truth about his sister. Little did he know that the witch had plans for him too. When the wicked woman overheard him one day talking to his sister in the lake, she decided to ask the merchant to kill the little goat.
It was hard for the merchant to agree to kill Ivanushka, as he loved the goat like a person. But, begin deceived by the witch, he felt his wife's wishes to be the most important. Ivanushka asked the merchant if he could go to the river for one last drink before he died, and the merchant agreed. There at the river's edge the goat cried out to his sister, and she answered him that she couldn't help him with a stone tied around her neck. Neither the brother nor sister realized that this time a peasant had overheard their conversation, and was on his way to stop the merchant form killing Ivanushka.
Upon hearing the peasant's story, the merchant ran to the river, found Alyonushka, and took the stone from around her neck. The witch was then tied to a horse, which was turned loose in an opened field. The little goat was so happy that he turned three summersaults, and was changed back into a boy.
They lived happily ever after.
The broken vase
The young man was going to marry a beautiful girl. One day the girl said to him that tomorrow she will celebrate her birthday and invited him to her birthday. The young man was eager to make her a present, so he went to a present shop. There he saw many beutiful things. All the things he particularly liked the vases. But they were very expensive and as he had very small money he had to leave the shop without buying something. Making for the door he suddenly heard a noise: one of the vases fell on the floor and brake to pieces. A briliant idea came to his mind. He came up to counter and asked the saleman to wrap up the broken vase. The salesman got a little suprised, but made what the young man asked him to.
The young man, feeling very happy, took the parsel and went straight to the girls` place. By the time he entered the room the guests already gathered. Everybody were enjoying the party. Some of the people were dancing, others were talking, joking and laughing. Saying "A lot of happy returns of the day" the young man told the girl that he had bought a little present for her. With these words he began to unwrap the parcel. Suddenly he got pale and said, "I am afraid, I have broken it. There were so many people in the bus..." But when he unwrapped the parcel, he saw that the salesman has wrapped up each piece of the vase separately.
1. Find: (Past Perfect, Past Continuous, going to do smth., have to, adjectives, verbs)
2. He had little money, that`s why he…
He heard a noise and …
The young man wanted to…
When he came to the girl`s…
He was ashamed because…
Further actions of a girl(man)…
Your attitude to what he has done..
3. Make the text shorter (by half) without any harm to the meaning.
Sand and Stone
A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE."
They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one, who had been slapped, got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After the friend recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE."
The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"
The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."
LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND,
AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE
Love and Time
Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others, including Love. One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink, so all constructed boats and left. Except for Love.
Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out until the last possible moment.
When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help.
Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said,
"Richness, can you take me with you?" Richness answered, "No, I can't. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you."
Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. "Vanity, please help me!"
"I can't help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat," Vanity answered.
Sadness was close by so Love asked, "Sadness, let me go with you."
"Oh . . . Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!"
Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her.
Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come, Love, I will take you." It was an elder. So blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask the elder where they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the elder went her own way. Realizing how much was owed the elder,
Love asked Knowledge, another elder, "Who Helped me?"
"It was Time," Knowledge answered.
"Time?" asked Love. "But why did Time help me?"
Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, "Because only Time is capable of understanding how valuable Love is."
The frogs
Once two frogs fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died.
The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, "Did you not hear us?" The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.
This story teaches two lessons:
1. There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day.
2. A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill them.
Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path. The power of words... it is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in
difficult times. Special is the individual who will take the time to encourage another.
The Ant and the Grasshopper
In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.
"Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?"
"I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same."
"Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; "We have got plenty of food at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil.
When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger - while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew: It is best to prepare for days of need.
The Tortoise and the Hare
The Hare was once boasting of his speed before the other animals. "I have never yet been beaten," said he, "when I put forth my full speed. I challenge any one here to race with me."
The Tortoise said quietly, "I accept your challenge."
"That is a good joke," said the Hare; "I could dance round you all the way."
"Keep your boasting till you've won," answered the Tortoise. "Shall we race?"
So a course was fixed and a start was made. The Hare darted almost out of sight at once, but soon stopped and, to show his contempt for the Tortoise, lay down to have a nap. The Tortoise plodded on and plodded on, and when the Hare awoke from his nap, he saw the Tortoise just near the winning-post and could not run up in time to save the race.
Then the Tortoise said: "Slow but steady progress wins the race."
Why Did the Little Dog Die?
Once Mrs Reed decided to invite her friends for dinner and a game of cards. She was thinking what special dish to prepare for dinner, when her servant said that there was a man at the back door selling mushrooms.
The lady, followed by the little terrier, came down to the kitchen and found there a stranger with a basket over his arm. The lady paid the money at once. While the servant was emptying the basket, she dropped a mushroom and the terrier ate it. The guests arrived and were served a dish of mushrooms they liked very much. When they began to play cards, the lady noticed that the servant's eyes were read with tears. Mrs Reed asked her why she was crying. The girl said that the dog had died. The lady understood everything. She told the guests that the mushrooms she had offered them were poisonous. They all rang to the nearest hospital. The nurses were surprised when I hey low a group of patients in evening dresses.
When they arrived home, the lady asked where the terrier's body was. "The gardener has buried it and we didn't have time to put down the number of the car that ran over the poor pet," said the servant still crying.
THE FIRE ON THE HILL
Long, long ago there was a lake of cold water in Kenya. At night many animals came there to drink. But people never came to the lake at night: they were afraid the animals might kill and eat them.
A rich man who had a beautiful daughter, once said: "The young man, who will go to the lake in the evening and stay in the cold water till morning will have my daughter for his wife".
One poor young man loved the rich man's daughter very much, and she loved him. He said to his mother, "I shall try to stay at night in the lake and then marry the dear girl".
"No, no", the mother said, "you are my only son. The water in the lake is very cold, and the animals will eat you. Don't go there!"
She cried and cried, but her son said, "Mother, don't cry, I must try. I love her so much!"
So the young man went to the girl's father. He told him that he wanted to go to the lake and stay in the cold water all night. The rich man sent his servants to a place from which they could watch the young man.
When night came, the young man went to the lake. His mother followed him, but he didn't see her. There was a hill forty paces from the place, where the young man entered the water. The woman climbed up the hill and made up a fire there. The wild animals saw the fire and were afraid to go near that place.
The young man saw the fire too. He understood that his mother was there. He thought of his mother's love and it was easier for him to stay all night in the very cold water.
Morning came. The young man went to the rich man's house. The rich man saw him and said, "My servants say that there was a fire on the hill forty paces from the lake. It warmed you, and that is why you could stay all night in the water. So you can't marry my daughter. Good-bye". The young man was very angry. He went to the judge.
"Well", the judge said, "this is a very simple case".
The next morning the young man with his mother and the rich man with his servants came before the judge. There were many people there who wanted to hear the case.
The judge asked for a pot of cold water. Then he walked forty paces from the pot and made a fire. "Now", he said, "we shall wait a little until the water is warm". The people cried, "But the fire is so far away, it can't warm the water in the pot".
The judge said, "And how could that young man warm himself at a fire forty paces away?" So the case was over, and the young man married the rich man's daughter. They lived happily for many years.
AN INDIAN TALE
(a legend)
Long, long ago, when the world was young, the Sun, the Wind and the Moon were once invited to a dinner party by their friends. Their mother, who was not invited stayed at home.
The Sun and the Wind were bad little boys. They greedily ate a lot of food, and didn't think of their mother, who was left at home dying of hunger. But the good little Moon didn't forget her mother. Of each dish that was put before her, she kept a little to take away to her mother.
" Well, my children, what's the news? What have you brought for me?" asked the mother of the Sun, the Moon and the Wind when they came hack home late at night.
"What do you mean, woman?" shouted the son who was the eldest in the family. "What did you expect of us? I went to the dinner to eat and to enjoy myself. And not to get food for you."
"You are right, brother," said the Wind. "Mother doesn't even know how to eat, because she has no teeth in her mouth. In addition, we had such beautiful clothes on that we couldn't put anything into the pockets."
"Sit still, you bad boys and don't make mother angry," said the little Moon interrupting her brothers. "Stop talking to mother like that."
"Thank you, dear Moon Child," said the Sky. Then she turned to her sons in anger." You're ungrateful children. Listen to me, the eldest son. I know the people like you very much. Now if you are too gay, you will shine too hotly and they will not love you any longer. And you, little Wind, you'll be blowing in dry weather and people will hate you too. But you, my sweet daughter, you who thought of your mother, you'll always be calm, soft, and beautiful, and young men and women will always be full of love when they see you."
That is why the Sun is hated now when it shines too hotly, the Wind is hated when he blows too hard, but the Moon is always loved by everybody, especially by young people who are in love.
THE KIND WOODPECKER
Every bird has its song. Do you know why?
Once upon a time it was very quiet in the forest. In those days birds didn't know how to sing.
But one day someone came to the forest and began to give out songs among the birds. They made a big noise. Every bird wanted to get the most beautiful song.
"Can you give me a beautiful song?" asked a bird. "And I want a beautiful song too," said another bird. All the birds of the forest came to ask for songs.
Only the grey nightingale sat quietly in the tree. He didn't ask for a song. "I hope they will leave some song to me", thought he.
The woodpecker came later that day because he had had much work in the forest. He asked for a song too. "Give me a beautiful song, please," he said. "I'll meet the sun with it."
The woodpecker got a song too. The longest and the most beautiful. The woodpecker thanked and was ready to fly away when he saw the nightingale
"And what song did you get?" he asked the nightingale. "Sing it for me, will you?"
'There's no song left for him," the birds said. "He sat there quietly and didn't ask for anything."
The woodpecker saw that the nightingale was not happy because he had no song. So the woodpecker gave his song, the longest and the most beautiful, to the nightingale.
"I'll listen to other birds when I want to hear a song," he said. And so the kind woodpecker does not sing, he has no song. But all the birds in the forest like him all the same.
AN ARAB'S LEGACY
Far in the East there lived in old days an Arab who had three sons, whom he dearly loved. He also had seventeen beautiful horses that he loved dearly.
But one day the old Arab became very ill. Feeling that his death was near, he called his sons to give them his horses. To the eldest son he gave one half of his horses, to the second son - one third, and to the youngest - one ninth.
Then the sons met in the field to divide the animals but they did not know how to do it.
"How can I take one half of seventeen horses?" said the eldest son. "I cannot divide a living horse in two!"
"And how can I," asked the second son, "take one third of seventeen horses? But this is what my father wanted me to do."
"I also want to do what our father wanted us to do," said the youngest son. "But what is one ninth of seventeen horses?"
At that time an old man came riding on a horse. "May be he can tell us," they said hopefully. And to him they told their story. The man began to think. Several minutes passed before he spoke. At last the old man said:" Take my horse and there will be eighteen."
And they did so.
"The eldest son may now take one half of the horses," said the man. And the eldest son took away his nine horses. "Let the second son take one third as his own." And the second son called the horses, which he loved best, and the six animals came running to him. "Now the youngest son will take one ninth, which is two horses," again said the man.
"You divided the horses wonderfully. Now say what you want us to give you for it," said the eldest son.
"I shall take all the horses that are left," said the old man and he took his own horse and rode away.
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