Latvian folk tales. Favorites

Everyone can sleep, but I can’t. Is it really not a single one? alive soul won’t say: “Miracle bird, go to sleep too!”? The middle brother heard this, took pity on the bird and said:

Wonder bird, go to sleep!

At that same moment, the miracle bird hit him with its wing, and the middle brother turned into a birch tree. In the morning, the younger brother approached the bridge and saw that the notch had turned red. He instantly got ready distant state, and the king tells him that the brothers went for the miracle bird, but did not return from the garden. The younger brother went into the garden, looked here, looked there - there were no brothers, no linden tree with three tops. Finally, he looked into the dense birch forest and saw: there was a linden tree, but there were no brothers, only the grass in the clearing seemed to have been crushed. The younger brother hid himself in the thick grass, so that he could reach the golden cage, and waited. It's quiet around. But as soon as the sun set, the whole garden was filled with chirping, as if thousands of birds were singing. Then the miracle bird flew in. She sat down on the golden cage, looked around and spoke plaintively and plaintively:

Everybody sleeps! Is it really possible that not a single living soul will say: “Wonderful bird, go to sleep too!”? The younger brother is silent, doesn’t say a word. The miracle bird waited a little and spoke even more pitifully:

Everyone can sleep, but I can’t. Is it really possible that not a single living soul will say: “Wonderful bird, go to sleep too!”? The younger brother didn't say a word. The miracle bird waited a little longer and sobbed loudly:

Everyone is sleeping, but I can’t. Is it really possible that not a single living soul will say: “Wonderful bird, go to sleep too!”?

At this point, the younger brother could no longer bear to remain silent. He almost responded, but, fortunately for him, the miracle bird got tired of complaining, and she jumped into the golden cage. Here the younger brother realized that it was better for him to remain silent. In the cage, the miracle bird looked around: no one was visible or heard nearby, she put her beak in her feathers and calmly fell asleep.

Then the younger brother quietly stood up and right hand carefully pushed it through the cage door. As soon as he removed the ring from the bird’s left paw, he immediately with his left hand - clap! - closed the cage door. The miracle bird wakes up, breaks out of its cage, hits the bars, jumps and screams as if a great misfortune has befallen. She struggled for a long, long time, only at dawn she calmed down, hung her head and said:

You took off my ring, now I'm yours!

Tell me, miracle bird, where are my brothers?

The two birch trees next to you are your brothers!

Tell me, miracle bird, who are all the other birches?

The rest of the birches are people too.

Tell me, miracle bird, how can I turn these birches into people again?

Go away to birch grove and look carefully, you will see a pile of sand. If you pour three handfuls of that sand onto each birch tree, the birches will turn into people. That's what the younger brother did. He first revived his brothers, and the brothers helped revive others. But the three of them couldn’t cope, so other people began to help carry the sand. And so the birch trees disappeared one after another, until the whole grove came to life and the whole garden began to shake from the human bustle. Everyone crowded around younger brother and for joy they do not know what to do. The younger brother decided to amuse the rescued.

He asked the miracle bird if she could sing as she sang just now. The miracle bird sang. What a voice!

Three days later, everyone parted: the brothers went in one direction, the rest - in the other. At noon the brothers approached the sea. The older brothers want to go further, but the younger one is tired. He lay down on the very shore of the sea and fell asleep. The older brothers saw this and decided to steal the miracle bird and throw their younger brother, the savior, into the waves of the sea. They did it as they decided. The miracle bird fell into their paws, but they completely forgot about the ring; it remained on his brother’s finger. The older brothers returned home to their father and began to brag about how they got the miracle bird and how they worked hard looking for it, but where the younger brother went, they don’t even know. The brothers hoped that the miracle bird would perform all sorts of miracles for them, but without a ring the bird did not listen to any orders, it sat there, ruffled. The older brothers live at home with their father, and they have little grief, and the old father, every time he remembers his youngest, bursts into tears. Just don’t cry, you won’t bring your son back. But the old man grieved in vain - his beloved son did not drown in the depths of the sea.

The mermaids picked him up light hands with their own and carried away to the rich amber palace of the queen of the sea. The queen liked the handsome young man, and she married him.

They lived happily. But one day the mermaids said that they heard the plaintive cry of the old king. The old man’s son felt sorry, and he decided to leave the Amber Palace for a while to console his father. The youngest son rubbed the ring of the miracle bird. At that same moment, the ring turned into a golden bridge from the amber palace to royal castle. The father saw his son safe and sound and did not know what to do with joy. Then the miracle bird sang and told the king what the eldest sons had done to the youngest. They fell to their knees before their father and younger brother and asked for mercy on them. The younger brother has a good heart, he forgave his brothers and persuaded his father not to be angry with his older sons.

For three days the youngest son stayed with his father in the palace, for three days he talked about his happiness, and on the fourth day, just as the sun rose, he took the miracle bird and returned back to the amber palace. As soon as the amber gates were opened, the golden bridge again turned into a ring.

SMART SON

Once upon a time there lived a peasant, and he had one and only son. The peasant sent his son to different schools learn wisely. One day, on the roof of his father's house, a raven croaked. The father asks his son:

What is the raven cawing about? You have been trained in all sorts of wisdom, you should know.

How should I know? - the son answers. I didn’t study at the Raven school. Then the father sent his son to Raven’s school for one year. Towards the end of the year a raven flew to his father and said:

I am your son from the raven school, tomorrow you must come for me. There are many students there, all of them turned into ravens. Do you recognize me in such a flock of ravens? If you don't find out, I'll have to stay there. Remember how to recognize me. We will all have to sit on a long pole. The first time I will be third from this end, the second time I will be fifth, and the third time a fly will fly near my eye. The raven said this and flew away. The next day my father went to Raven’s school. The crows have already settled on the perch. The father needs to guess which one in the row is his son.

Third! - the father showed.

That's right, you guessed it! After this, the crows scattered, mixed up and sat down on the perch again. Again the father has to guess.

Fifth! - the father showed.

That's right, you guessed it!

Again the crows got mixed up, and again my father had to guess. The father sees: a fly flew past one raven’s eye.

This! - he says. The raven turned into his son, and they went home across the sea. As they sailed across the sea, a raven croaked at the top of the mast.

You studied at the raven school. Tell me, what is this raven cawing about? - asks the father.

Oh, father, if I told you what this thief is croaking about, you would throw me into the sea. I can't tell you this.

The father was angry with his son for such an answer and in anger threw him into the sea. Whatever you say or don’t say, it’s the same ending. However, the son did not drown, turned into a fish, swam to the shore and turned into a man again. He met an old man on the shore and settled in his house. He lived, lived for some time, and one day said to the old man:

Tomorrow I will turn into a songbird, you take me to the city and sell me. Just remember: don’t sell the cage! The next day the old man took the bird to the city. He met the king's daughter. She heard how beautifully the bird sang and bought it for a lot of money. But the old man didn’t sell the cage. The king's daughter took the bird and went to buy a new cage. While she was talking with the seller, the bird escaped and flew home before the old man. Soon the young man speaks to the old man again.

Smart son

Once upon a time there lived a peasant, and he had one and only son. The peasant sent his son to different schools to study wisely. One day, on the roof of his father's house, a raven croaked. The father asks his son:
-What is the raven cawing about? You have been trained in all sorts of wisdom, you should know.
- How should I know? - the son answers. I didn’t study at the Raven school.
Then the father sent his son to Raven’s school for one year.
Towards the end of the year a raven flew to his father and said:
- I am your son from the raven school, tomorrow you must come for me. There are many students there, all of them turned into ravens. Do you recognize me in such a flock of ravens? If you don't find out, I'll have to stay there. Remember how to recognize me. We will all have to sit on a long pole. The first time I will be third from this end, the second time I will be fifth, and the third time a fly will fly near my eye.
The raven said this and flew away. The next day my father went to Raven’s school. The crows have already settled on the perch. The father needs to guess which one in the row is his son.
- Third! - the father showed.
- That's right, you guessed right!
After this, the crows scattered, mixed up and sat down on the perch again. Again the father has to guess.
- Fifth! - the father showed.
- That's right, you guessed right!
Again the crows got mixed up, and again my father had to guess. The father sees: a fly flew past one raven’s eye.
- This! - he says.
The raven turned into his son, and they went home across the sea.
As they sailed across the sea, a raven croaked at the top of the mast.
- You studied at the raven school. Tell me, what is this raven cawing about? - asks the father.
- Oh, father, if I told you what this thief is croaking about, you would throw me into the sea. I can't tell you this.
The father was angry with his son for such an answer and in anger threw him into the sea. Whatever you say or don’t say, it’s the same ending. However, the son did not drown, turned into a fish, swam to the shore and turned into a man again. He met an old man on the shore and settled in his house. He lived, lived for some time, and one day said to the old man:
- Tomorrow I will turn into a songbird, you take me to the city and sell me. Just remember: don’t sell the cage!
The next day the old man took the bird to the city. He met the king's daughter. She heard how beautifully the bird sang and bought it for a lot of money. But the old man didn’t sell the cage. The king's daughter took the bird and went to buy a new cage. While she was talking with the seller, the bird escaped and flew home before the old man.
Soon the young man again says to the old man:
- Tomorrow I will turn into a bull. Take me to the city and sell me. Just don't sell the rope!
That's what the old man did: he sold the bull without a rope. The buyer began to look for a new rope, and meanwhile the bull broke free and ran home.
Soon the young man again says to the old man:
- Tomorrow I will turn into a horse. Take me to the city and sell me. Just remember: don’t sell the golden bridle!
The old man took the horse to the city. But then greed overwhelmed him, and he sold the golden bridle with his horse. And the sorcerer bought the horse, he taught the ravens all sorts of miracles at school. The sorcerer brought the horse home, took it to the stable and ordered the groom to feed him worse food.
Fortunately, the groom disobeyed the sorcerer and fed the horse as much as he could, and then released him completely. The horse rushed off, and the sorcerer followed him. They ran and ran and reached the seashore. By the sea, the horse turned into a fish, and so did the sorcerer, and they swam across the sea.
On the other side stood Royal Palace, and in front of the palace the three royal daughters beat the laundry with rollers. The first fish jumped out onto the shore, to the princesses, and turned into a diamond ring. The youngest princess was the first to see the ring, put it on her finger and ran home. In the upper room, the ring turned into a young man. He told the girl about everything that had happened and what would happen again. He said that musicians and a sorcerer would come to the palace in the evening. For the game he will demand a diamond ring. But you can’t give him the ring.
As the young man said, that’s how it all happened. Skilled musicians came to the palace in the evening and played so well - you will be able to listen to them. They finished playing, the king asked what payment they wanted for the game.
- We don’t need anything, just give us the diamond ring that’s yours youngest daughter wears.
- Well, take it! - the king agreed.
But the girl doesn’t give up the ring anyway. So the musicians left with nothing.
The young men's ring turned around again, and he said to the youngest princess:
- Tomorrow the musicians will come again and ask for a diamond ring for playing. If you can’t fight them off, throw the ring under the chair!
That's how it all happened. The next day the musicians came and played even better than the day before. They finished playing and demanded a ring as payment. The princess does not give up the ring. If he doesn’t give it in a good way, they want to take it away by force. Here the youngest princess tore the ring off her finger and threw it under the chair. The musicians instantly turned into ravens and grabbed the ring. And the ring turned into a hawk, and they began to fight. But the hawk turned out to be stronger and drove the ravens away.
The hawk turned into a young man and married the youngest royal daughter. The king gave him the kingdom, and the young man lived happily.

The month of military-patriotic education is over, but the problems of boys growing up remain.

How to save them from infantilism? The word is to mothers.

Do children need greenhouse conditions?

My name is Natalya. There are two boys in our family today: Anton and Egor. The difference between them is ten years. I raised Antoshka myself, Egor - together with his dad Igor.

I don’t have a single recipe for all cases. She raised her eldest son the same way our parents did at one time. If he did something wrong, he punished him: he put him in a corner to think about his behavior, once every five years, the strap to the butt came to visit. After the divorce from Anton’s father, I had to work a lot, go to work on weekends, and take documents home. Make money, in a word.

At the age of six Antosha was already a good helper around the house: washing dishes, vacuuming. We did homework together only in first grade. However, in the transition period, when the boy became a teenager, everything turned upside down... My Antosha, kind and flexible, began to look like a hunted wolf cub. What it was is still unclear to me. I didn’t restrict his freedom, I didn’t kick out his friends... I didn’t allow him to hang out until midnight, but a couple of times he and the boys were detained by the police for violating the curfew (high school students were allowed to hang out without adults until 10 p.m.). I was overcome by terrible fantasies about the bad company in which, as it seemed to me, my son had fallen. I cried, made a fuss, but didn’t raise my hand anymore: an adult guy, taller than me... I then re-read a bunch of books on psychology, went to consultations with specialists, and barely survived this period. But I realized that I cannot live my life for my son, he himself must bear responsibility for his actions.

My boy has quietly matured and become more independent. I myself decided to serve in the army immediately after school, but I couldn’t convince him not to go. However, nothing terrible happened, the year flew by like one day. Anton served, now he is studying at Tyumen University as a full-time student at a faculty related to information security. On yesterday's school graduates looks with a bit of irony: they say, they won’t let the teacher into the classroom, they fly ahead, behave like children. And I'm happy for him.

How to get rid of "mommy"?

The fear experienced while the elder was growing up, of course, affected his upbringing youngest son. I followed the lead of smart psychologists, began to feel sorry for the child more, punish him less, talk and explain a lot. I'm afraid that in this way I am tying him more and more tightly to myself, that he will always depend on his father and me...

Moreover, I understand that my intense attention is somehow not working as it should. Not the way I want: there is a lot of talk, but little to do... The youngest does not always fulfill his duties around the house. We sit over textbooks together, sometimes for two or three hours. Now Egor is only in third grade, but what will happen next?..

Society, by the way, has also changed. With children already in kindergarten give lectures about their rights, forgetting to mention their responsibilities. I understand that it’s too early for Igor and I to talk about the results of our upbringing, but I hope I’m right folk wisdom: for one beaten one they give two unbeaten ones. The main thing is that the guy grows up surrounded by his parents and that I am done with this status - “single mother”. I'll tell you, based on my experience: for me single-parent family, one way or another, dysfunctional.

Maternal priorities

Raising a boy “like a man” is for every mother - difficult topic. And ideally, for this you just need a real positive example. However, in life everything is much more prosaic, and we, as they say, do not choose life’s circumstances. Olga Zhivaya talks about her son Oleg.

I don't do training

In general, I myself consider men from the category mama's boys, and this is the most disgusting thing you can turn your son into. Therefore, I try to teach Oleg independence very early age. In principle, he copes with this quite well. He can go to the doctor himself, he can go to the hairdresser himself, he can go to the gym, to the store, to the dry cleaner. This has been our practice for a long time. If I stay late at work or even suddenly leave town for a day or two, I know that my son - he is now 16 - is quite capable of taking care of himself. In the everyday sense, certainly.

Overprotection and protecting the child from all life’s difficulties are not my maternal priorities. I also don’t like his successes, achieved at any cost. Or pathological submissiveness and obedience, so convenient and desirable for other mothers.

- “You have to decide for yourself” - I think this is a good message when communicating with your teenage son. There is no need to mold anything from your children, imposing on them own desires, your system of values, realizing through them what you yourself have not achieved in life. Boys need to be supported in their endeavors, their shortcomings accepted, without trying to polish their character. Even if the child does not always meet our expectations in everything... Still, one day he will become what I imagined him to be.

Don't diminish the fact of growing up

I also try to remember that my son is not my property and not my toy. He does not belong to me, no matter how subconsciously or consciously I want it. Now I have to be his friend, then let him go and let him go his own way. Therefore, I am internally happy when he has the determination and courage to defend his boundaries, his space - in the yard, at school, in our house. A guy must have a core, character. In general, it is not customary for our family to dissolve drooling and snot: I teach him to perceive objective life difficulties not as a tragedy or trouble, but as a chance for growth. The obstacle must be overcome and move on. I note with satisfaction that to them - life's difficulties– my son today really treats things much more simply and easily than, say, I myself did at his age.

Photo courtesy of Natalia Shcheglova

There was a peasant, and he had one and only son. The peasant sent his son to different schools to study wisely. One day, on the roof of his father's house, a raven croaked. The father asks his son:

What is the raven cawing about? You have been trained in all sorts of wisdom, you should know.

How should I know? - the son answers. I didn’t study at the Raven school.

Then the father sent his son to Raven’s school for one year.

Towards the end of the year a raven flew to his father and said:

The raven said this and flew away. The next day my father went to Raven’s school. The crows have already settled on the perch. The father needs to guess which one in the row is his son.

Third! - the father showed.

That's right, you guessed it!

After this, the crows scattered, mixed up and sat down on the perch again. Again the father has to guess.

Fifth! - the father showed.

That's right, you guessed it!

Again the crows got mixed up, and again my father had to guess. The father sees: a fly flew past one raven’s eye.

This! - he says.

The raven turned into his son, and they went home across the sea.

As they sailed across the sea, a raven croaked at the top of the mast.

You studied at the raven school. Tell me, what is this raven cawing about? - asks the father.

Oh, father, if I told you what this raven is cawing about, you would throw me into the sea. I can't tell you this.

Tomorrow I will turn into a songbird, you take me to the city and sell me. Just remember: don’t sell the cage!

The next day the old man took the bird to the city. He met the king's daughter. She heard how beautifully the bird sang and bought it for a lot of money. But the old man didn’t sell the cage. The king's daughter took the bird and went to buy a new cage. While she was talking with the seller, the bird escaped and flew home before the old man.

Soon the young man again says to the old man:

Tomorrow I will turn into a bull. Take me to the city and sell me. Just don't sell the rope!

That's what the old man did: he sold the bull without a rope. The buyer began to look for a new rope, and meanwhile the bull broke free and ran home.

Soon the young man again says to the old man:

Tomorrow I will turn into a horse. Take me to the city and sell me. Just remember: don’t sell the golden bridle!

The old man took the horse to the city. But then greed overwhelmed him, and he sold the golden bridle with his horse. And the sorcerer bought the horse, he taught the ravens all sorts of miracles at school. The sorcerer brought the horse home, took it to the stable and ordered the groom to feed him worse food.

Fortunately, the groom disobeyed the sorcerer and fed the horse as much as he could, and then released him completely. The horse rushed off, and the sorcerer followed him. They ran and ran and reached the seashore. By the sea, the horse turned into a fish, and so did the sorcerer, and they swam across the sea.

On the other bank stood the royal palace, and in front of the palace three royal daughters were beating linen with rollers. The first fish jumped out onto the shore, to the princesses, and turned into a diamond ring. The youngest princess was the first to see the ring, put it on her finger and ran home. In the upper room, the ring turned into a young man. He told the girl about everything that had happened and what would happen again. He said that musicians and a sorcerer would come to the palace in the evening. For the game he will demand a diamond ring. But you can’t give him the ring.

As the young man said, that’s how it all happened. Skilled musicians came to the palace in the evening and played so well - you will be able to listen to them. They finished playing, the king asked what payment they wanted for the game.

We don’t need anything, just give us the diamond ring that your youngest daughter wears.

Well, take it! - the king agreed.

But the girl doesn’t give up the ring anyway. So the musicians left with nothing.

The young men's ring turned around again, and he said to the youngest princess:

Tomorrow the musicians will come again and ask for a diamond ring for playing. If you can’t fight them off, throw the ring under the chair!

That's how it all happened. The next day the musicians came and played even better than the day before. They finished playing and demanded a ring as payment. The princess does not give up the ring. If he doesn’t give it in a good way, they want to take it away by force. Here the youngest princess tore the ring off her finger and threw it under the chair. The musicians instantly turned into ravens and grabbed the ring. And the ring turned into a hawk, and they began to fight. But the hawk turned out to be stronger and drove the ravens away.

The hawk turned into a young man and married the youngest royal daughter. The king gave him the kingdom, and the young man lived happily.

Then the father sent his son to Raven’s school for one year.

Towards the end of the year a raven flew to his father and said:
- I am your son from the raven school, tomorrow you must come for me. There are many students there, all of them turned into ravens. Do you recognize me in such a flock of ravens? If you don't find out, I'll have to stay there. Remember how to recognize me. We will all have to sit on a long pole. The first time I will be third from this end, the second time I will be fifth, and the third time a fly will fly near my eye.

The raven said this and flew away. The next day my father went to Raven’s school. The crows have already settled on the perch. The father needs to guess which one in the row is his son.

- Third! - showed the father.
- That's right, you guessed right!

After this, the crows scattered, mixed up and sat down on the perch again. Again the father has to guess.

- Fifth! - showed the father.
- That's right, you guessed right!

Again the crows got mixed up, and again my father had to guess. The father sees: a fly flew past one raven’s eye.

- This! - he says.

The raven turned into his son, and they went home across the sea.

As they sailed across the sea, a raven croaked at the top of the mast.

- You studied at the raven school. Tell me, what is this raven cawing about? - asks the father.
- Oh, father, if I told you what this raven is cawing about, you would throw me into the sea. I can't tell you this.

Soon the young man again says to the old man:
- Tomorrow I will turn into a bull. Take me to the city and sell me. Just don't sell the rope!

That's what the old man did: he sold the bull without a rope. The buyer began to look for a new rope, and meanwhile the bull broke free and ran home.

Soon the young man again says to the old man:
- Tomorrow I will turn into a horse. Take me to the city and sell me. Just remember: don’t sell the golden bridle!

“We don’t need anything, just give us the diamond ring that your youngest daughter wears.”
- Well, take it! - the king agreed.

But the girl doesn’t give up the ring anyway. So the musicians left with nothing.

The young men's ring turned around again, and he said to the youngest princess:
“Tomorrow the musicians will come again and ask for a diamond ring for playing.” If you can’t fight them off, throw the ring under the chair!

The hawk turned into a young man and married the youngest royal daughter. The king gave him the kingdom, and the young man lived happily.