Once upon a time there was a man. He had three sons, the younger was called Fool; he was despised, laughed at and always offended. Once the elder got ready to go into the forest - to chop wood, and his mother gave him a delicious butter cake and a bottle of wine, so that he knew neither hunger nor thirst. He came to the forest and now he met an old gray-haired man. The little man greeted him and said:

Give me a piece of pie in your pocket and a sip of wine - I'm very hungry and thirsty.

But the clever son replied:

If I give you the cake and the wine, then I myself will have nothing left. Go your way.

So the little man was left with nothing, and the smart son went on to himself. So he began to cut down a tree; hit him with an ax and hit himself right in the arm - he had to return home and bandage himself. And it all happened because of that gray-haired little man.

Then the middle son went into the forest, and his mother gave him, like the eldest son, a cake and a bottle of wine. He, too, met an old gray-haired man and asked him for a piece of cake and a sip of wine. But the middle son, also intelligent, replied:

If I give it to you, I will get less. Go your way.

So the little man was left with nothing, and the middle son went on to himself. But he was also punished: he hit a tree several times and hit him in the leg with an ax, so he had to carry him home in his arms.

Then the Fool says:

Allow me, father, to go to the forest to chop wood at least once.

Father answered:

Your brothers have already walked, but they only hurt themselves - where you really do not know anything about this matter.

But the Fool kept asking and begging, and the father finally said:

Well, go, maybe you will wiser in trouble.

And his mother gave him a pie, and it was mixed with water and baked in ashes, and a bottle of sour beer. Fool came to the forest; he also met an old gray-haired man, greeted him and said:

Give me a piece of cake and a sip from your bottle - I'm so hungry and very thirsty.

Fool answered:

But I have a cake baked on ash, and the beer is sour; but if this is to your taste, let's sit down and have a snack together.

They sat down; Fool took out his pie, which was baked on ash, but it turned out to be rich and tasty, and the sour beer became a good wine. They ate and drank, and the little man said:

Because you have a kind heart and you willingly shared it with me, I will reward you with happiness. There is an old tree, you cut it down, and between the roots there is something for you. - Then the little man said goodbye and left.

The Fool went, chopped down a tree, it fell, suddenly he sees - a goose is sitting on the roots, and the goose's feathers are all of pure gold. He picked up the goose, took it with him and went to the tavern, where he decided to spend the night. And the owner of the tavern had three daughters; when they saw a goose, they became curious what kind of an outlandish bird it was, and they wanted to get one of its golden feathers. The eldest thought: "The case will probably turn up, I will pull myself a golden feather." Only the Fool had gone away, she grabbed the goose by the wing, but then her fingers stuck to the wing like that. Soon the second sister came, and she had one thing on her mind: how to pull out a golden feather for herself; but as soon as she touched her sister, she immediately stuck to her. And then the third sister came to get herself a golden feather, but the sisters shouted to her:

For God's sake, stay away from us, back away!

But she did not understand why it was impossible to approach, and thought: "If my sisters are there, then I can also be with them," and as soon as she ran up and touched one of the sisters, she immediately stuck to her. So they had to spend the night near the goose.

The next morning, he took the Fool's goose under his arm and left, not worrying much about the three girls trailing behind him. All the time they had to run after the goose here and there, where the Fool's legs decide. They met a pastor in the field; he saw such a procession and says:

Shame on you, shameless girls! Why are you running after the guy, where is that good? - And he grabbed the younger by the hand, going to drag her away. But as soon as he touched her, he also stuck, and he himself had to run after them.

They soon met a clerk on the way; he saw the pastor hurrying after the three girls, was surprised and shouted:

Hey, mister pastor, where are you in such a hurry? Do not forget that today we still have to baptize the child, - and he ran up to the pastor, grabbed his sleeve and also stuck.

As the five of them ran after each other, they met two peasants returning with their hoes from the field; the pastor shouted to them to release him and the clerk. But as soon as the peasants touched the clerk, they too stuck, and there were now seven of them running after Fool and his goose.

Now the Fool came into the city, and the king ruled in that city; and he had a daughter, so stern and gloomy that not a single person could make her laugh in any way. And therefore the king announced a decree that whoever, they say, made her laugh, would marry her.

The Fool heard about this and went with his goose and a whole band of companions to the princess. She saw seven people running after each other, and she began to laugh so hard that it was difficult for her to stop. Then the Fool demanded her to be his bride, but the king did not like the future son-in-law. The king began to invent all sorts of excuses and told him to bring him such a person who could drink a whole cellar of wine. Then the Fool remembered the gray-haired man and thought that he could, perhaps, come to his aid. The Fool went to the forest and saw in the very place where he once chopped down a tree, a man; he was sitting, and it was evident from his face that he was greatly displeased. The Fool began to ask him why he was grieving. He replied:

Tortures me intense thirst, I can’t satisfy her in any way. Cold water I don’t drink, I’ve already emptied the barrel of wine, but for me it’s all the same, like a drop on a hot stone.

I can help you in this matter, - said the Fool. - Follow me, and you will get drunk.

The Fool took him to the royal basement. The little man sat down to the huge barrels and began to drink; he drank and drank until his stomach was swollen, and not even a day had passed since he drank the whole cellar.

A second time, the Fool demanded a bride for himself, but the king was angry that such a simple guy, whom everyone calls Fool, could take his daughter as his wife, and then set a new condition: the Fool must first find such a person who could eat a whole mountain of bread ...

Without hesitation, the Fool went straight to the forest; and there was a man sitting in that very place; he pulled his belt tighter, his face was sad, and he said:

I have already eaten a whole oven of sieve bread, but what is it for me when I have such a strong hunger! You can’t saturate my womb, and I have to tighten my belt tighter so that I don’t go to waste with hunger!

The Fool was delighted and said:

So get up and follow me: you’re eating your fill.

He brought him to the royal court, and at that time they brought all the flour from all over the kingdom there and baked a huge mountain of bread; Well, then the forest man came up and began to eat - and in one day the whole mountain of bread disappeared.

The third time Fool demanded a bride for himself, but the king wanted to get rid of him, and he demanded from Fool such a ship that he could sail on water and on land.

As soon as you come to me on that ship, ”he said to the Fool,“ you will immediately receive my daughter as a wife.

The Fool set off on a straight road into the forest; an old gray-haired man was sitting there, to whom he had once given his cake, and the little man said:

You fed me, gave me drink, I'll give you a ship for this; I do it because you felt sorry for me.

And he gave him a ship that could walk both by land and by sea. The king saw that ship and could not refuse to marry his daughter to the Fool. Here they played a wedding, and after the death of the king, the Fool inherited the whole kingdom and lived for many years happily with his wife.

Once upon a time there was a man who had three sons, and the youngest of them was called Fool, and everyone despised and ridiculed him and offended him at every opportunity.

It happened once that the elder had to go into the forest to chop wood, and his mother gave him a good cake and a bottle of wine in reserve, so that he would not starve and not know thirst.

When he came to the forest, an old gray man met him, wished him good morning and said: "I am hungry and thirst torments me - let me taste a piece of your pie and drink a sip of your wine."

The clever son replied: "If I let you taste my pie and take a sip of my wine, then I myself will have nothing left. Get out!" - and, not paying attention to the little man, he went further.

When he began to cut one tree, he soon struck with an ax and hit him on his own hand so awkwardly that he had to go home and bandage his hand. So the little gray man repaid him for his stinginess.

Then the second son went into the forest, and the mother, just like the eldest, gave him a pie and a bottle of wine as a reserve. And he, too, met an old gray little man and began to ask him for a piece of cake and a sip of wine.

But the second son also answered him very intelligently: "What I give you, I will lose it, get out!" - and, not looking back at the little man, went his own way.

And he was also punished for this: as soon as he had time to make a blow or two on a tree, he chopped at his own leg, so much so that he had to be taken down by my arms.

Then the Fool said: "Father, let me go to the forest just once and chop wood." - "What do you mean by this?

Here are your brothers and smarter than you, but what damage they have done to themselves! Do not go!"

The fool, however, begged and begged until the father said: "Come on, go! Perhaps your misfortune will teach you wisdom!" And his mother only gave him in reserve that a cake, baked on water in ash, and a bottle of sour beer.

He came to the forest, and he also met an old, gray little man and said: "I am hungry and thirsty, give me a piece of your cake and a sip of your drink."

The fool and answered him: "Yes, all I have is that a cake, mixed with water, and sour beer in the bottle; if you like it, then we will sit down and eat together."

So they sat down, and what was the Fool's surprise when he reached into his bosom for his cake, and took out an excellent pie, uncorked a bottle, and instead of sour beer, there was a good wine in the bottle!

They drank, ate, and the little man said to the Fool: "You have a good heart, and you willingly shared with me everything that you had; for that I want to endow you with happiness. Here is an old tree; cut it down and you will find a gift in the rhizome. ".

Then the little man said goodbye to the Fool.

The Fool went to the tree, chopped it down, and when it fell, he saw a golden goose in the rhizome of the tree. He picked up the goose, took it with him and went on the way to the hotel, where he thought to spend the night.

The innkeeper had three daughters; as they saw the golden goose, they wanted to take a closer look at what kind of outlandish bird it was, and get themselves at least one of its golden feathers.

The eldest thought: “I’ll find such a moment when I can snatch the feather from him,” and on the first occasion, when the Fool was absent somewhere, she grabbed the goose by the wing ...

But alas! Both the fingers and the whole hand of the girl stuck to the wing, as if soldered!

Soon after, another came up; she, too, only thought about how she could get herself a golden feather, but as soon as she touched her sister, she stuck to her, so that she could not tear herself away.

Finally a third came up with the same intention; and although the sisters shouted at her not to come up and not touch, but she did not obey them.

She thought that if they were there with the goose, why shouldn't she be there too?

And she ran up, and as soon as she touched her sisters, she stuck to them.

So they had to spend the whole night with the goose. The next morning, the Fool grabbed the goose under his armpit and went on his way, not in the least worried that three girls were dragging along after the goose, who had glued to the goose.

In the middle of the field, on the road, the pastor met them, and when he saw this strange procession, he said: "Yes, you should be ashamed, you mean girls! Aren't you ashamed to run after this young guy? Is this the way it is?"

At the same time, he grabbed the younger by the hand and wanted to pull it away; but as soon as he touched her, he stuck to her hand, and he himself was forced to run after the three girls.

A little later they met the clerk and, not without surprise, saw the mister pastor, who was trailing behind the girls. He immediately shouted: "Eh, mister pastor, where are you going so hastily to march? Do not forget that you and I still have to baptize today," and he also ran to the pastor, and grabbed his sleeve, but he stuck to the sleeve ...

When all five of them trailed in this way after the goose, they met two more peasants who were returning from the field with spades on their shoulders. The pastor called them over and asked to somehow release him and the clerk from this bundle. But as soon as they touched the clerk, they stuck to the bundle, and thus seven of them ran after the Fool and his goose.

So they came on their way to the city, where the king ruled, whose daughter was so thoughtful that no one could make her laugh. So the king issued a decree according to which the one who could make the royal daughter laugh, had to marry her.

The fool, hearing about such a decree, immediately went with his goose and all his retinue to the royal daughter, and when she saw these seven people who were running after the goose, she burst into loud laughter and for a long time could not calm down.

Then the Fool demanded that she be married to him, but the future son-in-law did not like the king, he began to invent various subterfuges, and finally said that he would give his daughter for him only when he brought him such a drink, which could have been one whole cellar drink up.

The fool remembered the little gray man, who, of course, could have helped him in this trouble, went to the same forest and at the place where he cut down the tree, saw the same little man, and he sat there very sad.

The fool asked him what kind of grief he had in his heart. He answered: "I am so thirsty that I can’t quench it with anything; my stomach cannot stand cold water; but I drank a barrel of wine; but what does this drop mean if you throw it out on a hot stone?" - "Well, so I can help you in grief, - said the Fool, - come with me, and I will quench your thirst."

He brought the little man to the royal cellar, and he threw himself on large barrels of wine, and drank and drank, so that his heels were swollen from drinking, and before the day had passed, he had already managed to drain the entire cellar.

The fool a second time demanded from the king his bride, but the king was angry that the mean fellow, whom everyone called Fool, dared to think about marrying his daughter; therefore the king set new conditions: before marrying the princess. The fool had to get him such a gourmand who could eat a whole mountain of bread alone.

The fool, without thinking twice, went straight to the forest, there he saw in the same place a little man who pulled himself up as much as possible with a belly with a belt and made a very sad face, saying: It's a trifle when such hunger torments me! My stomach is empty, and so I have to tighten my stomach with a belt as tight as possible so as not to starve to death. "

The fool was delighted to hear these speeches. "Come with me," he said, "I'll feed you your fill."

He led the little man to the court of the king, who ordered to take all the flour from his kingdom and ordered to bake a huge mountain of bread out of that flour; but the man in the forest seemed to stick to that mountain, began to eat, and in one day the mountains were gone!

Then the Fool for the third time began to demand his bride from the king, and the king once again tried to evade and demanded that the Fool get a ship that can move in the same way on the water and on the ground: "As soon as you come to me on that ship you will sail, - said the king, - so at once I will marry my daughter to you. "

The fool walked straight into the forest, saw a gray little man sitting there, with whom he shared his cake, and he said to him: "I drank and ate for you, I will give you such a ship as you need; I do all this because you were compassionate and compassionate towards me. "

Then he gave him a ship that could walk on land and water alike, and when the king saw that ship, he could no longer deny the Fool's hand to his daughter.

The wedding was played solemnly, and after the death of the king, the Fool inherited all of his kingdom and for a long time lived with his wife in contentment and harmony.

Once upon a time there was a man who had three sons, and the youngest of them was called Fool, and everyone despised and ridiculed him and offended him at every opportunity.

It happened once that the elder had to go into the forest to chop wood, and his mother gave him a good cake and a bottle of wine in reserve, so that he would not starve and not know thirst.

When he came to the forest, an old gray man met him, wished him good morning and said: "I am hungry and thirst torments me - let me taste a piece of your pie and drink a sip of your wine."

The clever son replied: “If I let you taste my cake and take a sip of my wine, then I myself will have nothing left. Get out! " - and, not paying attention to the little man, he went further.

When he began to cut one tree, he soon struck with an ax and hit him on his own hand so awkwardly that he had to go home and bandage his hand. So the little gray man repaid him for his stinginess.

Then the second son went into the forest, and the mother, just like the eldest, gave him a pie and a bottle of wine as a reserve. And he, too, met an old gray little man and began to ask him for a piece of cake and a sip of wine.

But the second son also answered him very intelligently: "What I give you, I will lose it, get out!" - and, not looking back at the little man, went his own way.

And he was also punished for this: as soon as he had time to make a blow or two on a tree, he chopped at his own leg, so much so that he had to be carried home in his arms.

Then the Fool said: "Father, let me go to the forest just once and chop wood." - “What do you mean by this? Here are your brothers and smarter than you, but what damage they have done to themselves! Do not go!"

The fool, however, begged and begged until the father said: “Come on, go! Perhaps your misfortune will teach you wisdom! " And his mother only gave him in reserve that a cake, baked on water in ash, and a bottle of sour beer.

He came to the forest, and he also met an old, gray-haired man and said: "I am hungry and thirsty, give me a piece of your cake and a sip of your drink."

Fool and answered him: “Yes, all I have is that a cake, mixed with water, and in the bottle sour beer; if you like it, then we will sit down and eat together. "

So they sat down, and what was the Fool's surprise when he reached into his bosom for his cake, and took out an excellent pie, uncorked a bottle, and instead of sour beer, there was a good wine in the bottle!

They drank and ate, and the little man said to the Fool: “You have a good heart, and you willingly shared with me everything that you had; for that and I want to endow you with happiness. Here stands an old tree; chop it down and you will find a gift in the rhizome. "

Then the little man said goodbye to the Fool.

The Fool went to the tree, chopped it down, and when it fell, he saw a golden goose in the rhizome of the tree. He picked up the goose, took it with him and went on the way to the hotel, where he thought to spend the night.

The innkeeper had three daughters; as they saw the golden goose, they wanted to take a closer look at what kind of outlandish bird it was, and get themselves at least one of its golden feathers.

The eldest thought: “I’ll find such a moment when I can grab a feather from him,” and on the first occasion, when the Fool was absent somewhere, she grabbed the goose by the wing ...

But alas! Both the fingers and the whole hand of the girl stuck to the wing, as if soldered!

Soon after, another came up; she, too, only thought about how she could get herself a golden feather, but as soon as she touched her sister, she stuck to her, so that she could not tear herself away.

Finally a third came up with the same intention; and although the sisters shouted at her not to come up and not touch, but she did not obey them.

She thought that if they were there with the goose, why shouldn't she be there too?

And she ran up, and as soon as she touched her sisters, she stuck to them.

So they had to spend the whole night with the goose. The next morning, the Fool grabbed the goose under his armpit and went on his way, not in the least worried that three girls were dragging along after the goose, who had glued to the goose.

In the middle of the field, on the road, the pastor met them, and when he saw this strange procession, he said: “Yes, shame on you, mean girls! Aren't you ashamed to run after this young guy? Is that the way it is? "

At the same time, he grabbed the younger by the hand and wanted to pull it away; but as soon as he touched her, he stuck to her hand, and he himself was forced to run after the three girls.

A little later they met the clerk and, not without surprise, saw the mister pastor, who was trailing behind the girls. He immediately shouted: “Eh, Mr. Pastor, where are you going so hastily to march? Do not forget that you and I still have to baptize today ”, - and he also ran up to the pastor, and grabbed his sleeve, but he stuck to the sleeve ...

When all five of them trailed in this way after the goose, they met two more peasants who were returning from the field with spades on their shoulders. The pastor called them over and asked to somehow release him and the clerk from this bundle. But as soon as they touched the clerk, they stuck to the bundle, and thus seven of them ran after the Fool and his goose.

So they came on their way to the city, where the king ruled, whose daughter was so thoughtful that no one could make her laugh. So the king issued a decree according to which the one who could make the royal daughter laugh, had to marry her.

The fool, hearing about such a decree, immediately went with his goose and all his retinue to the royal daughter, and when she saw these seven people who were running after the goose, she burst into loud laughter and for a long time could not calm down.

Then the Fool demanded that she be married to him, but the future son-in-law did not like the king, he began to invent various subterfuges, and finally said that he would give his daughter for him only when he brought him such a drink, which could have been one whole cellar drink up.

The fool remembered the little gray man, who, of course, could have helped him in this trouble, went to the same forest and at the place where he cut down the tree, saw the same little man, and he sat there very sad.

The fool asked him what kind of grief he had in his heart. He answered: “I am so thirsty that I can’t quench it with anything; my stomach cannot stand cold water; but I drank a barrel of wine; but what does this drop mean if you throw it out on a hot stone? " - "Well, so I can help you in grief," said the Fool, "come with me, and I will quench your thirst."

He brought the little man to the royal cellar, and he threw himself on large barrels of wine, and drank and drank, so that his heels were swollen from drinking, and before the day had passed, he had already managed to drain the entire cellar.

The fool a second time demanded from the king his bride, but the king was angry that the mean fellow, whom everyone called Fool, dared to think about marrying his daughter; therefore the king set new conditions: before marrying the princess. The fool had to get him such a gourmand who could eat a whole mountain of bread alone.

The fool, without thinking twice, went straight to the forest, there he saw in the same place a little man who pulled himself up as much as possible with a belly with a belt and made a very sad face, saying: “Right now I have eaten half a bit of sieve bread, but what can this a trifle when such hunger torments! My stomach is empty, and so I have to tighten my stomach with a belt as tight as possible so as not to die of hunger. "

The fool was delighted to hear these speeches. "Come with me," he said, "I will feed you your fill."

He led the little man to the court of the king, who ordered to take all the flour from his kingdom and ordered to bake a huge mountain of bread out of that flour; but the man in the forest seemed to stick to that mountain, began to eat, and in one day the mountains were gone!

Then the Fool for the third time began to demand his bride from the king, and the king once again tried to evade and demanded that the Fool get a ship that can move in the same way both on water and on land: “As soon as you come to me on that ship, - said the king, - so at once I will marry my daughter to you. "

The fool walked straight into the forest, saw a gray little man sitting there, with whom he shared his cake, and he said to him: “I drank and ate for you, but I will give you the ship you need; I do all this because you were compassionate and compassionate towards me. "

Then he gave him a ship that could walk on land and water alike, and when the king saw that ship, he could no longer deny the Fool's hand to his daughter.

The wedding was played solemnly, and after the death of the king, the Fool inherited all of his kingdom and for a long time lived with his wife in contentment and harmony.

Once upon a time there was a man who had three sons, and the youngest of them was called Fool, and everyone despised and ridiculed him and offended him at every opportunity.

It happened once that the elder had to go into the forest to chop wood, and his mother gave him a good cake and a bottle of wine in reserve, so that he would not starve and not know thirst.

When he came to the forest, an old gray man met him, wished him good morning and said: "I am hungry and thirst torments me - let me taste a piece of your pie and drink a sip of your wine."

The clever son replied: “If I let you taste my cake and take a sip of my wine, then I myself will have nothing left. Get out! " - and, not paying attention to the little man, he went further.

When he began to cut one tree, he soon struck with an ax and hit him on his own hand so awkwardly that he had to go home and bandage his hand. So the little gray man repaid him for his stinginess.

Then the second son went into the forest, and the mother, just like the eldest, gave him a pie and a bottle of wine as a reserve. And he, too, met an old gray little man and began to ask him for a piece of cake and a sip of wine.

But the second son also answered him very intelligently: "What I give you, I will lose it, get out!" - and, not looking back at the little man, went his own way.

And he was also punished for this: as soon as he had time to make a blow or two on a tree, he chopped at his own leg, so much so that he had to be carried home in his arms.

Then the Fool said: "Father, let me go to the forest just once and chop wood." - “What do you mean by this? Here are your brothers and smarter than you, but what damage they have done to themselves! Do not go!"

The fool, however, begged and begged until the father said: “Come on, go! Perhaps your misfortune will teach you wisdom! " And his mother only gave him in reserve that a cake, baked on water in ash, and a bottle of sour beer.

He came to the forest, and he also met an old, gray-haired man and said: "I am hungry and thirsty, give me a piece of your cake and a sip of your drink."

Fool and answered him: “Yes, all I have is that a cake, mixed with water, and in the bottle sour beer; if you like it, then we will sit down and eat together. "

So they sat down, and what was the Fool's surprise when he reached into his bosom for his cake, and took out an excellent pie, uncorked a bottle, and instead of sour beer, there was a good wine in the bottle!

They drank and ate, and the little man said to the Fool: “You have a good heart, and you willingly shared with me everything that you had; for that and I want to endow you with happiness. Here stands an old tree; chop it down and you will find a gift in the rhizome. "

Then the little man said goodbye to the Fool.

The Fool went to the tree, chopped it down, and when it fell, he saw a golden goose in the rhizome of the tree. He picked up the goose, took it with him and went on the way to the hotel, where he thought to spend the night.

The innkeeper had three daughters; as they saw the golden goose, they wanted to take a closer look at what kind of outlandish bird it was, and get themselves at least one of its golden feathers.

The eldest thought: “I’ll find such a moment when I can grab a feather from him,” and on the first occasion, when the Fool was absent somewhere, she grabbed the goose by the wing ...

But alas! Both the fingers and the whole hand of the girl stuck to the wing, as if soldered!

Soon after, another came up; she, too, only thought about how she could get herself a golden feather, but as soon as she touched her sister, she stuck to her, so that she could not tear herself away.

Finally a third came up with the same intention; and although the sisters shouted at her not to come up and not touch, but she did not obey them.

She thought that if they were there with the goose, why shouldn't she be there too?

And she ran up, and as soon as she touched her sisters, she stuck to them.

So they had to spend the whole night with the goose. The next morning, the Fool grabbed the goose under his armpit and went on his way, not in the least worried that three girls were dragging along after the goose, who had glued to the goose.

In the middle of the field, on the road, the pastor met them, and when he saw this strange procession, he said: “Yes, shame on you, mean girls! Aren't you ashamed to run after this young guy? Is that the way it is? "

At the same time, he grabbed the younger by the hand and wanted to pull it away; but as soon as he touched her, he stuck to her hand, and he himself was forced to run after the three girls.

A little later they met the clerk and, not without surprise, saw the mister pastor, who was trailing behind the girls. He immediately shouted: “Eh, Mr. Pastor, where are you going so hastily to march? Do not forget that you and I still have to baptize today ”, - and he also ran up to the pastor, and grabbed his sleeve, but he stuck to the sleeve ...

When all five of them trailed in this way after the goose, they met two more peasants who were returning from the field with spades on their shoulders. The pastor called them over and asked to somehow release him and the clerk from this bundle. But as soon as they touched the clerk, they stuck to the bundle, and thus seven of them ran after the Fool and his goose.

So they came on their way to the city, where the king ruled, whose daughter was so thoughtful that no one could make her laugh. So the king issued a decree according to which the one who could make the royal daughter laugh, had to marry her.

The fool, hearing about such a decree, immediately went with his goose and all his retinue to the royal daughter, and when she saw these seven people who were running after the goose, she burst into loud laughter and for a long time could not calm down.

Then the Fool demanded that she be married to him, but the future son-in-law did not like the king, he began to invent various subterfuges, and finally said that he would give his daughter for him only when he brought him such a drink, which could have been one whole cellar drink up.

The fool remembered the little gray man, who, of course, could have helped him in this trouble, went to the same forest and at the place where he cut down the tree, saw the same little man, and he sat there very sad.

The fool asked him what kind of grief he had in his heart. He answered: “I am so thirsty that I can’t quench it with anything; my stomach cannot stand cold water; but I drank a barrel of wine; but what does this drop mean if you throw it out on a hot stone? " - "Well, so I can help you in grief," said the Fool, "come with me, and I will quench your thirst."

He brought the little man to the royal cellar, and he threw himself on large barrels of wine, and drank and drank, so that his heels were swollen from drinking, and before the day had passed, he had already managed to drain the entire cellar.

The fool a second time demanded from the king his bride, but the king was angry that the mean fellow, whom everyone called Fool, dared to think about marrying his daughter; therefore the king set new conditions: before marrying the princess. The fool had to get him such a gourmand who could eat a whole mountain of bread alone.

The fool, without thinking twice, went straight to the forest, there he saw in the same place a little man who pulled himself up as much as possible with a belly with a belt and made a very sad face, saying: “Right now I have eaten half a bit of sieve bread, but what can this a trifle when such hunger torments! My stomach is empty, and so I have to tighten my stomach with a belt as tight as possible so as not to die of hunger. "

The fool was delighted to hear these speeches. "Come with me," he said, "I will feed you your fill."

He led the little man to the court of the king, who ordered to take all the flour from his kingdom and ordered to bake a huge mountain of bread out of that flour; but the man in the forest seemed to stick to that mountain, began to eat, and in one day the mountains were gone!

Then the Fool for the third time began to demand his bride from the king, and the king once again tried to evade and demanded that the Fool get a ship that can move in the same way both on water and on land: “As soon as you come to me on that ship, - said the king, - so at once I will marry my daughter to you. "

The fool walked straight into the forest, saw a gray little man sitting there, with whom he shared his cake, and he said to him: “I drank and ate for you, but I will give you the ship you need; I do all this because you were compassionate and compassionate towards me. "

Then he gave him a ship that could walk on land and water alike, and when the king saw that ship, he could no longer deny the Fool's hand to his daughter.

The wedding was played solemnly, and after the death of the king, the Fool inherited all of his kingdom and for a long time lived with his wife in contentment and harmony.
The brothers grimm

Once upon a time there was a man. He had three sons, the younger was called Fool; he was despised, laughed at and always offended. Once the elder got ready to go into the forest - to chop wood, and his mother gave him a delicious pastry and a bottle of wine for the journey, so that he would not know either hunger or thirst. He came to the forest and now he met an old gray-haired man. The little man greeted him and said:

Give me a piece of pie in your pocket and a sip of wine - I'm very hungry and thirsty.

But the clever son replied:

If I give you the cake and the wine, then I myself will have nothing left. Go your way.

So the little man was left with nothing, and the smart son went on to himself. So he began to cut down a tree; hit him with an ax and hit himself right in the arm - he had to return home and bandage himself. And it all happened because of that gray-haired little man.

Then the middle son went into the forest, and his mother gave him, like the eldest son, a cake and a bottle of wine. He, too, met an old gray-haired man and asked him for a piece of cake and a sip of wine. But the middle son, also intelligent, replied:

If I give it to you, I will get less. Go your way.

So the little man was left with nothing, and the middle son went on to himself. But he was also punished: he hit a tree several times and hit him in the leg with an ax, so he had to carry him home in his arms.

Then the Fool says:

Allow me, father, to go to the forest to chop wood at least once.

Father answered:

Your brothers have already walked, but they only hurt themselves - where you really do not know anything about this matter.

But the Fool kept asking and begging, and the father finally said:

Well, go, maybe you will wiser in trouble.

And his mother gave him a pie, and it was mixed with water and baked in ashes, and a bottle of sour beer. Fool came to the forest; he also met an old gray-haired man, greeted him and said:

Give me a piece of cake and a sip from your bottle - I'm so hungry and very thirsty.

Fool answered:

But I have a cake baked on ash, and the beer is sour; but if this is to your taste, let's sit down and have a snack together.

They sat down; Fool took out his pie, which was baked on ash, but it turned out to be rich and tasty, and the sour beer became a good wine. They ate and drank, and the little man said:

Because you have a kind heart and you willingly shared it with me, I will reward you with happiness. There is an old tree, you cut it down, and between the roots there is something for you. - Then the little man said goodbye and left.

The Fool went, chopped down a tree, it fell, suddenly he sees - a goose is sitting on the roots, and the goose's feathers are all of pure gold. He picked up the goose, took it with him and went to the tavern, where he decided to spend the night. And the owner of the tavern had three daughters; when they saw a goose, they became curious what kind of an outlandish bird it was, and they wanted to get one of its golden feathers. The eldest thought: "The case will probably turn up, I will pull myself a golden feather." Only the Fool had gone away, she grabbed the goose by the wing, but then her fingers stuck to the wing like that. Soon the second sister came, and she had one thing on her mind: how to pull out a golden feather for herself; but as soon as she touched her sister, she immediately stuck to her. And then the third sister came to get herself a golden feather, but the sisters shouted to her:

For God's sake, stay away from us, back away!

But she did not understand why it was impossible to approach, and thought: "If my sisters are there, then I can also be with them," and as soon as she ran up and touched one of the sisters, she immediately stuck to her. So they had to spend the night near the goose.

The next morning, he took the Fool's goose under his arm and left, not worrying much about the three girls trailing behind him. All the time they had to run after the goose here and there, where the Fool's legs decide. They met a pastor in the field; he saw such a procession and says:

Shame on you, shameless girls! Why are you running after the guy, where is that good? - And he grabbed the younger by the hand, going to drag her away. But as soon as he touched her, he also stuck, and he himself had to run after them.

They soon met a clerk on the way; he saw the pastor hurrying after the three girls, was surprised and shouted:

Hey, mister pastor, where are you in such a hurry? Do not forget that today we still have to baptize the child, - and he ran up to the pastor, grabbed his sleeve and also stuck.

As the five of them ran after each other, they met two peasants returning with their hoes from the field; the pastor shouted to them to release him and the clerk. But as soon as the peasants touched the clerk, they too stuck, and there were now seven of them running after Fool and his goose.

Now the Fool came into the city, and the king ruled in that city; and he had a daughter, so stern and gloomy that not a single person could make her laugh in any way. And therefore the king announced a decree that whoever, they say, made her laugh, would marry her.

The Fool heard about this and went with his goose and a whole band of companions to the princess. She saw seven people running after each other, and she began to laugh so hard that it was difficult for her to stop. Then the Fool demanded her to be his bride, but the king did not like the future son-in-law. The king began to invent all sorts of excuses and told him to bring him such a person who could drink a whole cellar of wine. Then the Fool remembered the gray-haired man and thought that he could, perhaps, come to his aid. The Fool went to the forest and saw in the very place where he once chopped down a tree, a man; he was sitting, and it was evident from his face that he was greatly displeased. The Fool began to ask him why he was grieving. He replied:

I am tormented by a strong thirst, I can not quench it in any way. I don’t drink cold water, I’ve already emptied the barrel of wine, but for me it’s all the same, like a drop on a hot stone.

I can help you in this matter, - said the Fool. - Follow me, and you will get drunk.

The Fool took him to the royal basement. The little man sat down to the huge barrels and began to drink; he drank and drank until his stomach was swollen, and not even a day had passed since he drank the whole cellar.

A second time, the Fool demanded a bride for himself, but the king was angry that such a simple guy, whom everyone calls Fool, could take his daughter as his wife, and then set a new condition: the Fool must first find such a person who could eat a whole mountain of bread ...

Without hesitation, the Fool went straight to the forest; and there was a man sitting in that very place; he pulled his belt tighter, his face was sad, and he said:

I have already eaten a whole oven of sieve bread, but what is it for me when I have such a strong hunger! You can’t saturate my womb, and I have to tighten my belt tighter so that I don’t go to waste with hunger!

The Fool was delighted and said:

So get up and follow me: you’re eating your fill.

He brought him to the royal court, and at that time they brought all the flour from all over the kingdom there and baked a huge mountain of bread; Well, then the forest man came up and began to eat - and in one day the whole mountain of bread disappeared.

The third time Fool demanded a bride for himself, but the king wanted to get rid of him, and he demanded from Fool such a ship that he could sail on water and on land.

As soon as you come to me on that ship, ”he said to the Fool,“ you will immediately receive my daughter as a wife.

The Fool set off on a straight road into the forest; an old gray-haired man was sitting there, to whom he had once given his cake, and the little man said:

You fed me, gave me drink, I'll give you a ship for this; I do it because you felt sorry for me.

And he gave him a ship that could walk both by land and by sea. The king saw that ship and could not refuse to marry his daughter to the Fool. Here they played a wedding, and after the death of the king, the Fool inherited the whole kingdom and lived for many years happily with his wife.