Fairy tale At the behest of the pike - Russian folk tale. Fairy tale
Russian folk tales adapted by A. Tolstoy
By magic
Once upon a time there lived an old man. He had three sons: two smart, the third a fool, Emelya.
Those brothers work, but Emelya lies on the stove all day, doesn’t want to know anything.
One day the brothers went to the market, and the women, daughters-in-law, let’s send him:
Go, Emelya, for water.
And he told them from the stove:
Reluctance...
Go, Emelya, otherwise the brothers will return from the market and won’t bring you gifts.
OK.
Emelya got down from the stove, put on his shoes, got dressed, took buckets and an ax and went to the river.
He cut through the ice, scooped up buckets and set them down, while he looked into the hole. And Emelya saw a pike in the ice hole. He contrived and grabbed the pike in his hand:
This will be a sweet soup!
Emelya, let me go into the water, I will be useful to you.
And Emelya laughs:
What will I need you for?.. No, I’ll take you home and tell my daughters-in-law to cook some fish soup. The ear will be sweet.
The pike begged again:
Emelya, Emelya, let me go into the water, I will do whatever you want.
Okay, just show me first that you’re not deceiving me, then I’ll let you go.
Pike asks him:
Emelya, Emelya, tell me - what do you want now?
I want the buckets to go home on their own and the water not to spill...
Pike tells him:
Remember my words, when you want something, just say: “By the command of the pike, according to my desire.”
Emelya says:
At the behest of the pike, at my will, go home yourself, buckets...
He just said - the buckets themselves and went up the hill. Emelya let the pike into the hole, and he went to get the buckets.
The buckets are walking through the village, the people are amazed, and Emelya walks behind, chuckling... The buckets went into the hut and stood on the bench, and Emelya climbed onto the stove.
How much or how little time has passed - his daughters-in-law say to him:
Emelya, why are you lying there? I would go and chop some wood.
Reluctance...
If you don’t chop wood, your brothers will return from the market and they won’t bring you gifts.
Emelya is reluctant to get off the stove. He remembered about the pike and slowly said:
According to the pike's command, according to my desire - go, get an ax, chop some firewood, and go into the hut yourself and put the firewood in the oven...
The ax jumped out from under the bench - and into the yard, and let’s chop wood, and the firewood itself goes into the hut and into the stove.
How much or how much time has passed - the daughters-in-law say again:
Emelya, we no longer have firewood. Go to the forest and chop it up.
And he told them from the stove:
What are you up to?
What are we doing?.. Is it our business to go to the forest for firewood?
I don't feel like...
Well, there won't be any gifts for you.
Nothing to do. Emelya got down from the stove, put on his shoes, and got dressed. He took a rope and an ax, went out into the yard and sat in the sleigh:
Women, open the gates!
His daughters-in-law tell him:
Why did you, fool, get into the sleigh without harnessing the horse?
I don't need a horse.
The daughters-in-law opened the gate, and Emelya said quietly:
At the behest of the pike, at my will, go, sleigh, into the forest...
The sleigh drove through the gate on its own, but it was so fast that it was impossible to catch up with a horse.
But we had to go to the forest through the city, and here he crushed and crushed a lot of people. The people shout: "Hold him! Catch him!" And you know, he’s pushing the sleigh. Arrived in the forest:
At the behest of the pike, at my will - an axe, chop some dry wood, and you, woodworkers, fall into the sleigh yourself, tie yourself up...
The ax began to chop, split dry trees, and the firewood itself fell into the sleigh and was tied with a rope.
Then Emelya ordered an ax to cut out a club for himself - one that could be lifted by force. Sat on the cart:
At the behest of the pike, at my will - go, sleigh, home...
The sleigh rushed home. Again Emelya drives through the city where he crushed and crushed a lot of people just now, and there they are already waiting for him. They grabbed Emelya and dragged her off the cart, cursing and beating her. He sees that things are bad, and little by little:
At the behest of the pike, at my will - come on, club, break off their sides...
The club jumped out - and let’s hit. The people rushed away, and Emelya came home and climbed onto the stove.
Whether long or short, the king heard about Emelin’s tricks and sent an officer after him to find him and bring him to the palace.
An officer arrives in that village, enters the hut where Emelya lives, and asks:
Are you a fool Emelya?
And he from the stove:
What do you care?
Get dressed quickly, I will take you to the king.
And I don't feel like...
The officer got angry and hit him on the cheek.
And Emelya says quietly:
At the behest of the pike, at my will, a club, break off his sides...
The baton jumped out - and let’s beat the officer, he forcibly carried off his legs.
The king was surprised that his officer could not cope with Emelya, and sent his greatest nobleman:
Bring the fool Emelya to my palace, otherwise I’ll take his head off his shoulders.
The great nobleman bought raisins, prunes, and gingerbread, came to that village, entered that hut and began asking his daughters-in-law what Emelya loved.
Our Emelya loves it when someone asks him kindly and promises him a red caftan - then he will do whatever you ask.
The great nobleman gave Emelya raisins, prunes, and gingerbread and said:
Emelya, Emelya, why are you lying on the stove? Let's go to the king.
I'm warm here too...
Emelya, Emelya, the king will give you good food and drink - please, let's go.
And I don't feel like...
Emelya, Emelya, the Tsar will give you a red caftan, a hat and boots.
Emelya thought and thought:
Well, okay, you go ahead, and I’ll follow behind you.
The nobleman left, and Emelya lay still and said:
At the behest of the pike, at my desire - come on, bake, go to the king...
Then the corners of the hut cracked, the roof shook, the wall flew out, and the stove itself went down the street, along the road, straight to the king...
The king looks out the window and marvels.
At the behest of the pike is a Russian folk tale that is loved in almost every family. She talks about the peasant boy Emel. He loved to lie on the stove, and did any work with reluctance. One day, when he went to fetch water, a pike fell into his bucket. To Emelya’s surprise, she spoke in a human voice and even promised to fulfill his wishes in exchange for her own freedom. Find out with your children from the fairy tale what has changed in the guy’s life after this meeting. She teaches hard work, attention, dexterity, responsibility for one’s words and the ability to understand one’s desires in a timely manner.
Once upon a time there lived an old man. He had three sons: two smart, the third - the fool Emelya.
Those brothers work, but Emelya lies on the stove all day, doesn’t want to know anything.
One day the brothers went to the market, and the women, daughters-in-law, let’s send him:
- Go, Emelya, for water.
And he told them from the stove:
- Reluctance...
- Go, Emelya, otherwise the brothers will return from the market and won’t bring you gifts.
- OK.
Emelya got down from the stove, put on his shoes, got dressed, took buckets and an ax and went to the river.
He cut through the ice, scooped up buckets and set them down, while he looked into the hole. And Emelya saw a pike in the ice hole. He contrived and grabbed the pike in his hand:
- This ear will be sweet!
“Emelya, let me go into the water, I’ll be useful to you.”
And Emelya laughs:
- What will I need you for?.. No, I’ll take you home and tell my daughters-in-law to cook some fish soup. The ear will be sweet.
The pike begged again:
- Emelya, Emelya, let me go into the water, I will do whatever you want.
“Okay, just show me first that you’re not deceiving me, then I’ll let you go.”
Pike asks him:
- Emelya, Emelya, tell me - what do you want now?
— I want the buckets to go home on their own and the water not to spill...
Pike tells him:
- Remember my words: when you want something, just say:
“At the behest of the pike, at my will.”
Emelya says:
- At the behest of the pike, at my will - go home, buckets...
He just said - the buckets themselves and went up the hill. Emelya let the pike into the hole, and he went to get the buckets.
The buckets are walking through the village, the people are amazed, and Emelya walks behind, chuckling... The buckets went into the hut and stood on the bench, and Emelya climbed onto the stove.
How much time has passed, or not enough time - his daughters-in-law say to him:
- Emelya, why are you lying there? I would go and chop some wood.
- Reluctance...
“If you don’t chop wood, your brothers will return from the market and they won’t bring you gifts.”
Emelya is reluctant to get off the stove. He remembered about the pike and slowly said:
“According to the pike’s command, according to my desire, go, take an ax, chop up some firewood, and for the firewood, go into the hut yourself and put it in the oven...”
The ax jumped out from under the bench - and into the yard, and let’s chop wood, and the wood itself goes into the hut and into the stove.
How much or how much time has passed - the daughters-in-law say again:
- Emelya, we no longer have firewood. Go to the forest and chop it up.
And he told them from the stove:
- What are you talking about?
- What are we doing?.. Is it our business to go to the forest for firewood?
- I don’t feel like...
- Well, there won't be any gifts for you.
Nothing to do. Emelya got down from the stove, put on his shoes, and got dressed. He took a rope and an ax, went out into the yard and sat in the sleigh:
- Women, open the gates!
His daughters-in-law tell him:
- Why did you, fool, get into the sleigh without harnessing the horse?
- I don't need a horse.
The daughters-in-law opened the gate, and Emelya said quietly:
- At the behest of the pike, at my desire - go, sleigh, into the forest...
The sleigh drove through the gate on its own, but it was so fast that it was impossible to catch up with a horse.
But we had to go to the forest through the city, and here he crushed and crushed a lot of people. The people shout: “Hold him! Catch him! And you know, he’s pushing the sleigh. Arrived in the forest:
- At the behest of the pike, at my wish - an ax, chop some dry firewood, and you, firewood, fall into the sleigh yourself, tie yourself up...
The ax began to chop, chop dry firewood, and the firewood itself fell into the sleigh and was tied with a rope. Then Emelya ordered an ax to cut out a club for himself - one that could be lifted by force. Sat on the cart:
- At the behest of the pike, at my desire - go, sleigh, home...
The sleigh rushed home. Again Emelya drives through the city where he crushed and crushed a lot of people just now, and there they are already waiting for him. They grabbed Emelya and dragged her off the cart, cursing and beating her.
He sees that things are bad, and little by little:
- At the behest of the pike, at my will - come on, club, break off their sides...
The club jumped out - and let’s hit. The people rushed away, and Emelya came home and climbed onto the stove.
Whether long or short, the king heard about Emelin’s tricks and sent an officer after him to find him and bring him to the palace.
An officer arrives in that village, enters the hut where Emelya lives, and asks:
- Are you a fool Emelya?
And he from the stove:
- What do you care?
“Get dressed quickly, I’ll take you to the king.”
- But I don’t feel like...
The officer got angry and hit him on the cheek. And Emelya says quietly:
- At the behest of the pike, at my will - a club, break off his sides...
The baton jumped out - and let’s beat the officer, he forcibly carried off his legs.
The king was surprised that his officer could not cope with Emelya, and sent his greatest nobleman:
“Bring the fool Emelya to my palace, otherwise I’ll take your head off your shoulders.”
The great nobleman bought raisins, prunes, and gingerbread, came to that village, entered that hut and began asking his daughters-in-law what Emelya loved.
“Our Emelya loves it when someone asks him kindly and promises him a red caftan, then he will do whatever you ask.”
The great nobleman gave Emelya raisins, prunes, and gingerbread and said:
- Emelya, Emelya, why are you lying on the stove? Let's go to the king.
- I’m warm here too...
“Emelya, Emelya, the Tsar will give you good food and water, please, let’s go.”
- But I don’t feel like...
- Emelya, Emelya, the Tsar will give you a red caftan, a hat and boots.
Emelya thought and thought:
- Well, okay, you go ahead, and I’ll follow behind you.
The nobleman left, and Emelya lay still and said:
- At the behest of the pike, at my desire - come on, bake, go to the king...
Then the corners of the hut cracked, the roof shook, the wall flew out, and the stove itself went down the street, along the road, straight to the king.
The king looks out the window and wonders:
- What kind of miracle is this?
The greatest nobleman answers him:
- And this is Emelya on the stove coming to you.
The king came out onto the porch:
- Something, Emelya, there are a lot of complaints about you! You suppressed a lot of people.
- Why did they climb under the sleigh?
At this time, the tsar’s daughter, Marya the Princess, was looking at him through the window. Emelya saw her in the window and said quietly:
- At the behest of the pike, at my desire - let the king’s daughter love me...
And he also said:
- Go, bake, go home...
The stove turned and went home, went into the hut and returned to its original place. Emelya is lying down again.
And the king in the palace is screaming and crying. Princess Marya misses Emelya, cannot live without him, asks her father to marry her to Emelya. Here the king became upset, became upset and said again to the greatest nobleman:
- Go, bring Emelya to me, alive or dead, otherwise I’ll take your head off your shoulders.
The great nobleman bought sweet wines and various snacks, went to that village, entered that hut and began to treat Emelya.
Emelya got drunk, ate, got drunk and went to bed. And the nobleman put him in a cart and took him to the king.
The king immediately ordered a large barrel with iron hoops to be rolled in. They put Emelya and Princess Marya in it, tarred them and threw the barrel into the sea.
Whether for a long time or for a short time, Emelya woke up and saw that it was dark and cramped:
- Where am I?
And they answer him:
- Boring and sickening, Emelyushka! We were tarred in a barrel and thrown into the blue sea.
- And who are you?
- I am Princess Marya.
Emelya says:
- At the behest of the pike, at my will - the winds are violent, roll the barrel onto the dry shore, onto the yellow sand...
The winds blew violently. The sea became agitated and the barrel was thrown onto the dry shore, onto the yellow sand. Emelya and Marya the Princess came out of it.
- Emelyushka, where will we live? Build any kind of hut.
- But I don’t feel like...
Then she began to ask him even more, and he said:
- At the behest of the pike, at my will - line up, a stone palace with a golden roof...
As soon as he said, a stone palace with a golden roof appeared. There is a green garden all around: flowers are blooming and birds are singing. Princess Marya and Emelya entered the palace and sat down by the window.
- Emelyushka, can’t you become handsome?
Here Emelya thought for a moment:
- At the behest of the pike, at my desire - to become a good fellow, a handsome man...
And Emelya became such that he could neither be told in a fairy tale nor described with a pen.
And at that time the king was going hunting and saw a palace standing where there was nothing before.
“What kind of ignoramus built a palace on my land without my permission?”
And he sent to find out and ask: “Who are they?” The ambassadors ran, stood under the window, asking.
Emelya answers them:
“Ask the king to visit me, I’ll tell him myself.”
The king came to visit him. Emelya meets him, takes him to the palace, and seats him at the table. They begin to feast. The king eats, drinks and is not surprised:
-Who are you, good fellow?
- Do you remember the fool Emelya - how he came to you on the stove, and you ordered him and your daughter to be tarred in a barrel and thrown into the sea? I am the same Emelya. If I want, I will burn and destroy your entire kingdom.
The king was very frightened and began to ask for forgiveness:
- Marry my daughter, Emelyushka, take my kingdom, but don’t destroy me!
Here they had a feast for the whole world. Emelya married Princess Marya and began to rule the kingdom.
Once upon a time there lived an old man. He had three sons: two smart, the third - the fool Emelya.
Those brothers work, but Emelya lies on the stove all day, doesn’t want to know anything.
One day the brothers went to the market, and the women, daughters-in-law, let’s send him:
Go, Emelya, for water.
And he told them from the stove:
Reluctance...
Go, Emelya, otherwise the brothers will return from the market and won’t bring you gifts.
OK.
Emelya got down from the stove, put on his shoes, got dressed, took buckets and an ax and went to the river.
He cut through the ice, scooped up buckets and set them down, while he looked into the hole. And Emelya saw a pike in the ice hole. He contrived and grabbed the pike in his hand:
This will be a sweet soup!
Emelya, let me go into the water, I will be useful to you.
And Emelya laughs:
What will I need you for?.. No, I’ll take you home and tell my daughters-in-law to cook some fish soup. The ear will be sweet.
The pike begged again:
Emelya, Emelya, let me go into the water, I will do whatever you want.
Okay, just show me first that you’re not deceiving me, then I’ll let you go.
Pike asks him:
Emelya, Emelya, tell me - what do you want now?
I want the buckets to go home on their own and the water not to spill...
Pike tells him:
Remember my words: when you want something, just say:
"At the behest of the pike, at my will."
Emelya says:
At the behest of the pike, at my will, go home yourself, buckets...
He just said - the buckets themselves and went up the hill. Emelya let the pike into the hole, and he went to get the buckets.
The buckets are walking through the village, the people are amazed, and Emelya walks behind, chuckling... The buckets went into the hut and stood on the bench, and Emelya climbed onto the stove.
How much or how little time has passed - his daughters-in-law say to him:
Emelya, why are you lying there? I would go and chop some wood.
Reluctance...
If you don’t chop wood, your brothers will return from the market and they won’t bring you gifts.
Emelya is reluctant to get off the stove. He remembered about the pike and slowly said:
According to the pike's command, according to my desire - go, get an ax, chop some firewood, and for the firewood - go into the hut yourself and put it in the oven...
The ax jumped out from under the bench - and into the yard, and let’s chop wood, and the firewood itself goes into the hut and into the stove.
How much or how much time has passed - the daughters-in-law say again:
Emelya, we no longer have firewood. Go to the forest and chop it up.
And he told them from the stove:
What are you up to?
What are we doing?.. Is it our business to go to the forest for firewood?
I don't feel like...
Well, there won't be any gifts for you.
Nothing to do. Emelya got down from the stove, put on his shoes, and got dressed. He took a rope and an ax, went out into the yard and sat in the sleigh:
Women, open the gates!
His daughters-in-law tell him:
Why did you, fool, get into the sleigh without harnessing the horse?
I don't need a horse.
The daughters-in-law opened the gate, and Emelya said quietly:
At the behest of the pike, at my will, go, sleigh, into the forest...
The sleigh drove through the gate on its own, but it was so fast that it was impossible to catch up with a horse.
But we had to go to the forest through the city, and here he crushed and crushed a lot of people. The people shout: "Hold him! Catch him!" And you know, he’s pushing the sleigh. Arrived in the forest:
At the behest of the pike, at my will - an axe, chop some dry wood, and you, woodworkers, fall into the sleigh yourself, tie yourself up...
The ax began to chop, chop dry firewood, and the firewood itself fell into the sleigh and was tied with a rope. Then Emelya ordered an ax to cut out a club for himself - one that could be lifted by force. Sat on the cart:
At the behest of the pike, at my will - go, sleigh, home...
The sleigh rushed home. Again Emelya drives through the city where he crushed and crushed a lot of people just now, and there they are already waiting for him. They grabbed Emelya and dragged her off the cart, cursing and beating her.
He sees that things are bad, and little by little:
At the behest of the pike, at my will - come on, club, break off their sides...
The club jumped out - and let’s hit. The people rushed away, and Emelya came home and climbed onto the stove.
Whether long or short, the king heard about Emelin’s tricks and sent an officer after him to find him and bring him to the palace.
An officer arrives in that village, enters the hut where Emelya lives, and asks:
Are you a fool Emelya?
And he from the stove:
What do you care?
Get dressed quickly, I will take you to the king.
And I don't feel like...
The officer got angry and hit him on the cheek. And Emelya says quietly:
At the behest of the pike, at my will, a club, break off his sides...
The baton jumped out - and let’s beat the officer, he forcibly carried off his legs.
The king was surprised that his officer could not cope with Emelya, and sent his greatest nobleman:
Bring the fool Emelya to my palace, otherwise I’ll take his head off his shoulders.
The great nobleman bought raisins, prunes, and gingerbread, came to that village, entered that hut and began asking his daughters-in-law what Emelya loved.
Our Emelya loves it when someone asks him kindly and promises him a red caftan - then he will do whatever you ask.
The great nobleman gave Emelya raisins, prunes, and gingerbread and said:
Emelya, Emelya, why are you lying on the stove? Let's go to the king.
I'm warm here too...
Emelya, Emelya, the Tsar will give you good food and water, please, let’s go.
And I don't feel like...
Emelya, Emelya, the Tsar will give you a red caftan, a hat and boots.
Emelya thought and thought:
Well, okay, you go ahead, and I’ll follow behind you.
The nobleman left, and Emelya lay still and said:
At the behest of the pike, at my desire - come on, bake, go to the king...
Then the corners of the hut cracked, the roof shook, the wall flew out, and the stove itself went down the street, along the road, straight to the king.
The king looks out the window and wonders:
What kind of miracle is this?
The greatest nobleman answers him:
And this is Emelya on the stove coming to you.
The king came out onto the porch:
Something, Emelya, there are a lot of complaints about you! You suppressed a lot of people.
Why did they crawl under the sleigh?
At this time, the Tsar’s daughter, Marya the Princess, was looking at him through the window. Emelya saw her in the window and said quietly:
According to the pike's command, according to my desire - let the king's daughter love me...
And he also said:
Go bake, go home...
The stove turned and went home, went into the hut and returned to its original place. Emelya is lying down again.
And the king in the palace is screaming and crying. Princess Marya misses Emelya, cannot live without him, asks her father to marry her to Emelya. Here the king became upset, became upset and said again to the greatest nobleman:
Go, bring Emelya to me, alive or dead, otherwise I’ll take his head off his shoulders.
The great nobleman bought sweet wines and various snacks, went to that village, entered that hut and began to treat Emelya.
Emelya got drunk, ate, got drunk and went to bed. And the nobleman put him in a cart and took him to the king.
The king immediately ordered a large barrel with iron hoops to be rolled in. They put Emelya and Princess Marya in it, tarred them and threw the barrel into the sea.
Whether for a long time or for a short time, Emelya woke up and saw that it was dark and cramped:
Where am I?
And they answer him:
Boring and sickening, Emelyushka! We were tarred in a barrel and thrown into the blue sea.
And who are you?
I am Princess Marya.
Emelya says:
At the command of the pike, at my will - the winds are violent, roll the barrel onto the dry shore, onto the yellow sand...
The winds blew violently. The sea became agitated and the barrel was thrown onto the dry shore, onto the yellow sand. Emelya and Marya the Princess came out of it.
Emelyushka, where will we live? Build any kind of hut.
And I don't feel like...
Then she began to ask him even more, and he said:
At the command of the pike, at my will - line up, a stone palace with a golden roof...
As soon as he said, a stone palace with a golden roof appeared. There is a green garden all around: flowers are blooming and birds are singing. Princess Marya and Emelya entered the palace and sat down by the window.
Emelyushka, can’t you become handsome?
Here Emelya thought for a moment:
At the behest of the pike, at my desire - to become a good fellow, a handsome man...
And Emelya became such that he could neither be told in a fairy tale nor described with a pen.
And at that time the king was going hunting and saw a palace standing where there was nothing before.
What kind of ignoramus built a palace on my land without my permission?
And he sent to find out and ask: “Who are they?” The ambassadors ran, stood under the window, asking.
Emelya answers them:
Ask the king to visit me, I will tell him myself.
The king came to visit him. Emelya meets him, takes him to the palace, and seats him at the table. They begin to feast. The king eats, drinks and is not surprised:
Who are you, good fellow?
Do you remember the fool Emelya - how he came to you on the stove, and you ordered him and your daughter to be tarred in a barrel and thrown into the sea? I am the same Emelya. If I want, I will burn and destroy your entire kingdom.
The king was very frightened and began to ask for forgiveness:
Marry my daughter, Emelyushka, take my kingdom, but don’t destroy me!
Here they had a feast for the whole world. Emelya married Princess Marya and began to rule the kingdom.
That's
In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived an old man and an old woman... Many folk tales begin with this leisurely proverb. The word “fairy tales” itself comes from the verb to say: In the remote past, throughout vast Russia, in snow-covered huts in the dim light of a splinter, our distant ancestors composed and told their fairy tales.
There are so many miracles and fascinating fables in folk tales: there is a fire-breathing dragon with seven heads, and a talking Gray wolf, and the evil Baba Yaga... But the main characters of fairy tales and epics are not they, but brave and courageous people - Ivan Tsarevich and Vasilisa A wise, dashing retired soldier and a cunning farmhand, or a simple peasant son. At first glance, there is nothing remarkable about the peasant. He is dressed in a homespun overcoat, on his head is a well-worn cap, on his feet are worn bast shoes, and he does not speak very well. It is not surprising that sometimes he is considered a klutz, almost a fool. But the peasant son is not very offended by this, anyone, but he knows his own worth and does not particularly pursue easy fame, does not waste his strength on trifles.
However, as soon as someone gets into trouble, the peasant’s son, throwing an old army coat over his shoulders, sets off on his journey. And no matter how far he has to go, he will definitely come to the rescue of the offended and oppressed, and save a person from misfortune... On his way, the peasant son meets either the Gray Wolf, or Baba Yaga, or some other monster . Each of these meetings is nothing more than a test, a test of the hero’s spiritual strength, his kindness, and generosity.
For centuries, people have been creating their own fairy tales. In the last century, writers became interested in folk tales. They walked around villages and villages and wrote down songs, fairy tales, which were from famous storytellers - storytellers. One of the greatest experts on Russian folk tales was the tireless collector of folklore A. N. Afanasyev (1826-1871). He devoted his entire life to this matter. Afanasyev wrote down several hundred fairy tales, among them the fairy tale “At the Command of the Pike.”
This fairy tale is funny and mischievous. Here the stove goes to visit the king, the ax chops wood by itself, and the sleigh without a horse goes into the forest. All these miracles, which greatly alarmed the father-tsar, were performed by none other than Emelya the Fool. Emelya lies on the stove and says: “By the command of the pike, according to my desire,” and they begin to play tricks on things. To top it all off, Emelya the Fool decided to marry the Tsar’s daughter... Whatever he undertakes, everything works out for him, and the “pike’s word” is to blame. So, with the help of a magical proverb, a simple peasant forced himself to be respected and defeated not only the tsar’s officer, but also the tsar himself... So much for Emelya the fool!
B. Zabolotskikh
The main character of the fairy tale, Emelya, absorbed both the negative and positive qualities of an ordinary Russian guy of his time.
Unknown author
Some fairy tales appear on their own, others are invented by writers. How did the story called “At the Pike’s Command” come about? The fairy tale, the author of which is still unknown, is a product of folk art. It had several variations and was told differently in different regions.
The Russian ethnographer Afanasyev, following the example of the Brothers Grimm or Charles Perrault, decided to organize a voyage around the country and collect scattered legends into one voluminous work, so to speak, to systematize the national heritage. He slightly changed the title of the story and generalized certain elements that differed depending on the region. Thanks to this, the fairy tale “Emelya and the Pike” gained popularity.
The next person to take on the familiar plot was Alexei Tolstoy. He added literary beauty to the folk epic and returned the work to its old title, “At the Command of the Pike.” The fairy tale, the author of which tried to make it more interesting for children, quickly spread throughout Moscow and St. Petersburg, and local theaters even added a new play to their repertoire.
Main characters
The main character of this legend is a certain not very efficient young guy Emelya. It contains those negative qualities that prevent him from leading a good life:
frivolity;
indifference.
However, when he shows his intelligence and kindness, he comes across real luck - a pike from the ice hole.
The second character, literally the antipode of Emelya, is the pike. She is smart and fair. Fish is called upon to help a young man in his personal development, to direct his thoughts in the right direction. As is expected in such situations, Emelya and the pike became friends.
The third hero appears as a villain. The Tsar is a busy man, leading a state of many millions, whom Emelya forces with his antics to descend to the level of a commoner. The fairy tale “About Emelya and the Pike” endowed him with an envious character.
The Tsar's daughter is a prize for the main character for taking the path of correction.
Story
The fairy tale "Emelya and the Pike" begins with an introduction to the main character. He is so stupid and extremely lazy that everything assigned to him has to be remade by other people.
Emelya's daughters-in-law asked him for help through long persuasion. Nevertheless, as soon as someone promises him a reward for what he does, he will immediately set to work with double strength.
And suddenly one fine day Emelya takes out a magic pike from the hole. She offers him her service in exchange for life. The guy immediately agrees.
Magical help
After the pike becomes his magical subordinate, Emelya lives even better than before. Now he doesn’t even have to carry out very simple tasks.
Magical powers chop wood, walk on water and even beat up his enemies. Emelya remains very pleased with what is happening. He's so lazy that he doesn't even want to get up from the stove. Pike helps him in this too, turning the stove into the first prototype of a mechanical vehicle.
During such walks on horseback, Emelya can run over several peasants who come across along the road. He justifies himself by saying that people themselves jumped under his stove.
It seems that he does not repent at all of what he did. The fairy tale "About Emelya and the Pike" contains a hidden moral.
Tsar and Emelya
Having heard about an unprecedented miracle, a self-propelled stove, and even about the cool disposition of its owner, the Tsar decides to call Emelya to his place.
Reluctantly, the “hero” appears to look at the master’s mansions. But this trip changes the guy's whole life.
In the royal palace he meets the queen. At first, she also seems quite capricious and lazy. But Emelya decides that it’s time for him to settle down and wants to call her to be his wife.
The master's daughter does not agree at first. The monarch himself opposes such a union, harboring hopes that his daughter will marry only a noble person or a foreign king.
Emelya asks the pike to bewitch the naughty princess. As a result, the young man achieves his goal. The girl agrees. They are getting married.
The angry king locks the eternally in love couple in a barrel and throws them into the sea. Emelya asks the pike to save them. She makes sure that the barrel arrives at the shore, and they get out of it.
The guy asks the pike to build himself a huge palace, and turn himself into a handsome man. The magic fish makes wishes come true.
The happy newlyweds live happily ever after until an angry king comes to visit them. His palace is much smaller than Emelya's. The main character graciously forgives the sovereign for the entire past. He invites him to have lunch with them. During the banquet, Emelya confesses to him who he really is. The king remains amazed at the young man's dexterity and intelligence. Now he understands that this is exactly the guy who should have married his daughter.
“At the command of the pike” is a kind and instructive fairy tale. Its end leaves no specific direction for action. On the contrary, everyone must think for themselves and decide for themselves what is right in life and what is not worth doing.
“At the command of the pike” (Russian fairy tale): analysis
This story is somewhat reminiscent of the dream of the Slavic peoples, with the help of magical powers, to get everything they want without straining too much.
At the same time, Emelya managed to catch a pike only on his own, when he finally began to do at least something conscientiously.
Before the eyes of the readers, a complete quitter evolves into a hardworking, decent person. Having received sufficient motivation in the form of love for the princess, he forgets about the desire to remain a lazy person, to live only for his own pleasure, and gets down to business.
If the pike does not make much of an impression on him, he initially takes her for granted, then the girl’s first refusal awakens feelings in him.
At that moment, when Emelya on the stove begins to crush passers-by, according to many researchers of the fairy tale, the guy begins to show royal traits. After this incident, even the monarch turned his attention to him.
It is possible that our ancestors, who created the fairy tale, saw in Emelya’s last external transformation also internal changes for the better.
When he became more beautiful, he was able to forgive and understand the king, and became kinder and more attentive to others. People with visible distinctive marks on their faces were usually considered bad or even familiar with evil spirits.
As long as Emelya looked like an ordinary, not very pleasant guy, he could not become a king. With the acquisition of inner beauty, everything immediately changed.
Traditional Russian fairy tales always have a hopeful ending. Most likely, this is how the peasants of that time imagined their happiest day.
"At the behest of the pike"
The catchphrase of the entire fairy tale is “At the command of the pike, at my will.” This is a kind of spell that summons a magic pike. By uttering these words, Emelya gets everything she wants. “At the behest of the pike,” that is, just like that. Without putting any effort into it. Despite the fact that the fairy tale is called “Emelya and Pike,” it was popularly renamed in honor of these magic words.
Pike teaches the guy this secret spell. And as soon as it sounds, magic begins to work, wherever Emelya is. Either on the stove or under water. In the barrel he is saved by the phrase “at the behest of the pike.” The tale runs through it as its main thread.
These words immediately became a proverb among the people. They mean an attempt to do something not with one’s own hands, but at someone else’s, most often magical, expense.
Fairy tale in pop culture
When the story was first published in large numbers and could be read by many, it immediately became popular.
The fairy tale "Emelya and the Pike" even became the basis for a film of the same name. The children's film was made in 1938. The then famous Alexander Rowe was responsible for directing. Certain elements of the script were taken from Elizaveta Tarakhovskaya’s play “Emelya and the Pike.” The fairy tale in its interpretation was adapted to modern realities, but the moral remained the same.
Director Ivanov-Vano made a cartoon based on the same fiction in 1957. And once again Tarakhovskaya’s play was taken in 1970, for a new film adaptation by Vladimir Pekar.
The third cartoon was created by Valery Fomin, already in 1984.
The fairy tale "Emelya and the Pike" was immortalized on GDR stamps in 1973. Each of the six stamps depicts one of the scenes.
The mentions of Emelya themselves became popular. The main character of the tale began to be associated with a lazy person seeking to gain wealth without doing anything.
“Emelya and the Pike” is a fairy tale, the author of which is unknown, did not want to immortalize himself and remain in the memory of his descendants, did not strive for fame, wealth, fame. Nevertheless, his image perfectly demonstrates what a good person should be.
