"Scary tales. Stories full of horror and horror (collection) "Ramsey Campbell, Jun Lindquist, Brian Lumley and others
I love anthologies of scary stories... The undoubted advantage of such collections is variety, but the disadvantage is that the compilers often mix successful stories with frankly weak and delusional things in one pot.
To the book "Scary tales. Stories full of horror and horror" included, firstly, sixteen author's fairy tales from brothers Grimm, some of which I was still unfamiliar with, and read with pleasure, especially "The tale of a good fellow who knew no fear." All the selected fairy tales are clearly not retellable for children; they will give goosebumps even to an adult! Thus, at least half of the anthology can be considered successful.
After each “Grimm” fairy tale, we are offered free imagination from modern masters of the genre - Brian Lumley, Neil Gaiman, Tanita Lee and others.
Introduction
Don't scare the children. Stephen Jones
Naughty child
Guess my name. Ramsey Campbell
Singing bone
In the distance, to the dim sea. Neil Gaiman
Rapunzel
Open your window, Goldilocks. Tanita Lee
hare bride
On the other side of the line. Garth Nicks
Hansel and Gretel
Hunger. Robert Shearman
Three little woodsmen
Look inside. Michael Marshall Smith
A tale about a good fellow who knew no fear
Fräulein Fearless. Markus Heitz
Cinderella
Ash boy. Christopher Fowler
Brownies. Fairy tale first
Werewolf. Brian Lumley
Mermaid in the pond
Brocade drum. Reggie Oliver
Robber Groom
At the Weeping Gate. Angela Slatter
Frau Truda
Shaggy Peter and his friends. Brian Hodge
Brownies. The second tale
Chain of Artemis. Peter Crowther
Old woman of the forest
Secretive people. Joanne Harris
Rumpelitstiltskin
Come to me. Jun Ajvide Lindqvist
Small shroud
Acknowledgments
Of the fifteen modern stories, I remember and liked nine. Of the remaining two, they were frankly disgusting and unpleasant, the rest were so-so... But all the fairy tales are easy to read, I had no desire to abandon the book.
The genre of “old fairy tales in a new way” is not new. I love fairy tales, and modern interpretations of familiar plots from childhood amuse me, which is why I liked the book. I'm taking off a star for the presence of "passable" stories. And the imperishable from the Brothers Grimm is, of course, “five”!
Illustrations (+ cover) - from Oscar-winner Alana Lee (scenery for "The Lord of the Rings" )
It's a pity that there are few of them. The pages in the book are white, I didn’t notice any typos. In general, I’m more glad than not that the collection fell into my hands!
Another collection of Scary Stories
Scary tales. Stories full of horror and horror (collection) Ramsey Campbell, Jun Lindqvist, Brian Lumley and others
(No ratings yet)
Title: Scary Tales. Stories full of horror and horror (collection)
Author: Ramsey Campbell, Jun Lindquist, Brian Lumley, Reggie Oliver, Marcus Heitz, Joanne Harris, Tanith Lee, Angela Slatter, Garth Nix, Peter Crowther, Robert Shearman, Christopher Fowler, Brian Hodge, Neil Gaiman, Michael Smith, Stephen Jones
Year: 2013
Genre: Horror and Mystery, Foreign Fantasy
About the book “Scary Tales. Stories full of horror and horror (collection) "Ramsey Campbell, Jun Lindquist, Brian Lumley and others
Probably, the love for books begins in early childhood, and the first literary genre that a future avid bookworm becomes acquainted with is, of course, fairy tales. Almost any adult can remember many fairy tales, even if he has not read or heard them for many years. This is the peculiarity of this genre. It is unique, unlike any other. This is a whole life in miniature, told seemingly not seriously, seemingly about completely abstract things, but having the deepest philosophical meaning. In addition, in fairy tales of any type there is always something magical. Perhaps this is the reason they are so popular among children. And since adults are just grown-up children, fairy tales are equally and invariably loved by all people, regardless of age. And this is truly wonderful.
Since fairy tales appeared long before people began to save their fantasies on paper, the usual way of transmitting amazing stories was the so-called “word of mouth.” At first, folklore developed very rapidly, but soon it was noticed that much of what is passed from parents to children gradually begins to be forgotten and disappear. So at the beginning of the 19th century, the now famous brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, began collecting folk tales that wandered throughout Europe. Their goal was to preserve unique folk art for future generations and preserve history. It is worth noting that the Brothers Grimm also became the authors of the first collections in the horror style, which today have gained extraordinary popularity.
We present to your attention a unique collection called “Scary Tales. Stories full of horror and horror." The title is truly intriguing, sparking the curiosity of every horror fan. The collection contains tales from such famous authors as: Ramsey Campbell, Jun Lindquist, Brian Lumley, Reggie Oliver, Marcus Heitz, Joanne Harris, Tanith Lee, Angela Slatter, Garth Nix, Peter Crowther, Robert Shearman, Christopher Fowler, Brian Hodge, Neil Gaiman, Michael Smith, Stephen Jones.
What is special about this collection? It's simple. Each of the listed writers, of course, is not fully the real author of the fairy tales and fairy-tale plots he describes. The highlight of this book is that these unsurpassed authors offer their own interpretation of well-known fairy tales. The collection “Scary Tales” will present well-known works from a completely new angle. And if we take into account that most fairy tales are good, then the book promises a strong intensity of passions and a considerable surge of adrenaline. Read and enjoy, the collection is completely non-standard.
On our website about books lifeinbooks.net you can download for free without registration or read online the book “Scary Tales. Stories full of horror and horror (collection)" by Ramsey Campbell, Jun Lindquist, Brian Lumley and others in epub, fb2, txt, rtf, pdf formats for iPad, iPhone, Android and Kindle. The book will give you a lot of pleasant moments and real pleasure from reading. You can buy the full version from our partner. Also, here you will find the latest news from the literary world, learn the biography of your favorite authors. For beginning writers, there is a separate section with useful tips and tricks, interesting articles, thanks to which you yourself can try your hand at literary crafts.
Scary tale for children
About the swing
One boy had a long nose. And his name was Yegor. One day Yegor came out into the yard and immediately sat down on the swing. And he began to swing - up and down, up and down. And back and forth. He rode for two hours and still wasn’t enough for him.
Other children in the yard began to ask:
- Yegorka! Let us have a ride too!
But Yegor did not answer, but only began to sway even more strongly - up and down, up and down. And back and forth. Only the long nose flashes. Then the other children joined hands and began to sing a teaser that they themselves had composed:
“Egor has a long nose,
"I've grown attached to the swing!"
Yegor was offended, but did not get off the swing. And the children were also offended and went to eat pancakes with sour cream. Egor swayed some more and decided that it was time to go home and eat something, but he couldn’t stop - the swing didn’t want to let him go! He was already spinning and screaming - nothing helps. The swing rocked even more and creaked so much that the sour cream on the other children's pancakes turned sour.
Then the Little Sorceress came out into the yard and shouted:
- Yegorka! Let's ride!
“I would give it,” Yegor answered, “but I can’t get off the swing!”
- Why? What's happened?
- Yes, I was swinging and swinging, and other children began to tease me with the Long Nose and also that I was attached to the swing. Help me!
- You've been bewitched! - exclaimed the Little Sorceress.
- Well, break the spell on me!
“It’s not so simple, we need to come up with a spell that will stop the swing,” answered the Little Sorceress and sat down to think on the edge of the sandbox.
And Yegor kept rocking and screaming.
At this time, a policeman was walking by, who immediately realized that something was wrong. The policeman grabbed the swing to save Yegor, but only he himself stuck to it and they began to swing together.
“I think I’ve come up with an idea,” the Little Sorceress said quietly, “let’s try it now.” - And she muttered quickly and quickly:
“Swing-swing, forgive Egor
And let me go home as soon as possible.”
Then something jingled and the swing stopped. Yes, so quickly that the policeman fell into the flowerbed in surprise, and Yegor fell on him. Then Yegor jumped up and ran home to eat pancakes with sour sour cream. And the policeman smiled and went to his department to write a report about the boy’s rescue.
And the Little Sorceress sat down on the swing and began to swing - up and down, up and down. And back and forth. And when the next morning Yegor went out into the yard, she immediately gave way to him. Well... almost immediately.
Vyacheslav Svalnov
***
A very scary tale
In one Sicilian city, boys began to disappear at night (girls if you are talking about the girls in the ward), and only boys (girls if you are talking about the girls in the ward) who did not sleep after the rising of the moon disappeared.
Moms and dads shed many tears until the terrible secret was revealed.
The fact is that at night a ship with blood-scarlet sails entered the bay. At night, sailors went to the shore in boats. Finding an awake boy/girl on the shore in some house, they lulled the child to sleep and took him away.
The ship's crew was cursed and in order to get rid of the curse it was necessary to collect a collection of 239 small children's brushes.
On the ship, a terrible doctor cut off his hand while the child was under anesthesia.
The child, waking up from anesthesia and not yet understanding what was happening, looking at the stump, asked the doctor:
- Uncle, where is my pen?
To which the doctor replied:
- Here she is.!!! Here she is!!! Here she is!!!
The last line is staged to the closest child... You simply shake your brush in front of his face.
The children are immediately scared, but then they start laughing.
***
Gvozdik
Once upon a time there lived a mother and daughter. Nobody came to them because they had a nail sticking out in the floor. He stuck out in the very middle of the room and the girl had to walk around him all the time. The girl often asked her mother:
- Mom, let's pull out this nail!
- What are you, daughter! Never, ever touch that nail. And never invite anyone into your house.
- And why?
- Because someone will want to pull out this nail, and then trouble will follow!
- What will happen?
- It’s better not to ask me, daughter. A terrible, terrible misfortune will happen.
And the girl stopped asking. Years passed like this. The girl grew up and wanted to invite guests.
And then one terrible, terrible autumn evening, the girl’s mother went to the cemetery to get some fresh air; and the girl called the guests. The guests began to dance, but the nail kept getting in the way. Then the guests said:
- Let's pull out this nail!
And the girl screamed:
- It is forbidden! No need! Something terrible is going to happen!
But the guests laughed at the girl and, seizing the moment, pulled out the nail. And then there was a terrible roar. Some time later the doorbell rang. The girl wanted to open the door, but the guests shouted:
- No need! Do not open!
The girl was a pioneer and therefore still opened it. A woman dressed all in black stood on the threshold. She immediately began to enter the apartment. She kept coming in and coming in, and the guests and the girl backed away and backed away until the apartment ran out.
“What have you done...” said the black woman in a quiet, creaky voice, like a dead man’s. - What have you done. - she repeated a little louder. “Under this floor, in my apartment...” and then she screamed in some terrible inhuman voice. - ... the chandelier fell down!!!
Agafya Knyazhinskaya
***
Seven-flowered flower
Once upon a time there lived a girl, Zhenya. And then one day on New Year’s Eve she received a seven-flowered flower as a gift from Santa Claus. Zhenya was delighted, and in the evening she went to the disco. She tore a red petal from a seven-flowered flower and said:
- I want to have sausage! - and began to hang out at the disco. Five hours later, Zhenya got tired of the sausage, she tore off an orange petal and said:
“I wish I didn’t have sausage,” and immediately stopped sausage. She sat for a while and felt sad. Then she tore off a yellow petal and said:
- I want me to have fun! - and she felt so happy that it’s impossible to retell that she soaked in joy. When there was no one to amuse, Zhenya tore off a green petal and said:
“I don’t want me to have fun,” and she immediately stopped having fun. Zhenya looked around at the floor strewn with young corpses and decided to punish herself. She tore off a blue petal and said:
“I want to be sad,” and immediately began to cry.
Zhenya reached her yard, knee-deep in tears. In the yard, she saw a neighbor’s boy, Vitya, who was trying to climb onto a bench so as not to get his shoes wet. Zhenya had long liked Vitya for his beautiful crutches. She wanted the same ones, covered with skillful intricate carvings, trimmed with gold and ivory, studded with diamonds, rubies and emeralds, but, unfortunately, she was not lame, like Vitya.
Now that Zhenya was feeling so bad, it seemed to her that Vitya was not happy enough. Maybe he needs something else besides crutches? My wife was prevented from thinking by the tears flowing from her eyes in continuous streams. She groped and tore off the blue petal and quickly said:
“I want me not to be sad,” and, having stopped crying, she swam up to Vita.
- Hello, Vitya. I've been wanting to tell you for a long time that you're a cool dude, and I want to do something cool for you so that you don't become a pussy on this bench.
With these words, Zhenya tore off the purple petal and said:
- I want Vitya to have sausage...
And the good girl didn’t have any more petals...
Agafya Knyazhinskaya
See other topics from this section here -
Tales of the Dead
Queen Witch
A Witch's Tale
Violinist in Hell
The Tale of the Wicked Wife
Death of a Miser
The runaway soldier and the devil
Tales of the Dead
A man with pots was driving at night; rode and rode, his horse was tired and
stopped just opposite the cemetery.
The man unharnessed his horse, let it go onto the grass, and he lay down on one of the graves;
He just can’t sleep for some reason. He lay and lay, and suddenly a grave began to lie beneath him.
dissolve; he sensed it and jumped to his feet.
So the grave dissolved, and a dead man came out of there with a coffin lid in
white shroud; went out and ran to the church, put the lid in the door, and himself
The man was a brave man; took the coffin lid and stood near his
carts, waiting - what will happen?
A little later the dead man came and grabbed it, but there was no lid; followed the trail
get there, got to the man and said:
Give me back my lid, or I'll tear it to shreds!
What's the ax for? - the man answers. - I'll chop you up into little pieces myself.
Give it up, good man!
The dead man asks him.
Then I'll give it to you when you say:
where were you and what were you doing?
And I was in the village; killed two young guys there.
Well, tell me now: how can they be revived? The dead man involuntarily says:
Cut off the left hem from my shroud and take it with you; how will you get there
house where the guys are dead, pour hot coals into a pot and put them there
a scrap of shroud and shut the door; from that smoke they will now come to life.
The man cut off the left hem of the shroud and gave away the coffin lid.
The dead man approached the grave - the grave dissolved; began to descend into it -
suddenly the roosters crowed, and it did not have time to close properly: one end of the lid
remained outside.
The man saw it all, noticed everything. It began to dawn; he harnessed the horse and
went to the village.
He hears crying and screams in one house; enters there - two guys are lying dead.
Do not Cry! I can revive them.
Come to life, dear; “We’ll give you half of our goods,” the relatives say.
The man did everything as the dead man taught him, and the guys came to life.
The relatives were delighted, but the man was immediately grabbed and tied up with ropes -
No, doc! We will introduce you to the authorities; if you managed to revive, it means you
and he killed me!
What are you, Orthodox!
Fear God! - the man screamed and told everything that happened to him at night.
So they let the village know, people gathered and rushed to the cemetery, they found
the grave from which the dead man came out was dug up and driven straight into his heart
an aspen stake so that he no longer gets up and kills people; and a great guy
awarded and sent home with honor.
They released one soldier on leave to his homeland; here he walked, walked, for a long time
or briefly, and began to approach his village.
Not far from the village there lived a miller at a mill; in the old days a soldier drove with
great acquaintance with him; Why not go see a friend? Came in; the miller met
him kindly, now he brought some wine, they began to drink and talk about their lives
interpret. It was late in the evening, but when the soldier stayed with the miller,
it got dark. The soldier is getting ready to go to the village; and the owner says:
Servant, spend the night with me; now it’s too late, and perhaps there won’t be any trouble
What's so?
God punished! Our terrible sorcerer has died; rises from the grave at night,
wanders around the village and does things that strike fear into the bravest ones! How would he
I didn't bother you!
Nothing! A soldier is a government man, and government property neither sinks in water nor
does not burn in fire; I’ll go, I really want to see my family as soon as possible.
Set off; the road went past the cemetery. He sees a light on one grave
What's happened? Let me see.
He comes up, and the sorcerer sits near the fire and wears his boots.
Hello, brother! - the servant shouted to him. The sorcerer looked and asked:
Why are you here?
Yes, I wanted to see what you were doing.
The sorcerer quit his job and invites the soldier to the wedding:
Let's go, brother, let's take a walk - there's a wedding in the village!
They came to the wedding, started giving them water and treating them in every possible way. The sorcerer drank-drank,
walked and walked and got angry; drove all the guests and family members out of the hut, put them to sleep
married, took out two vials and an awl, wounded the groom’s hands with the awl and
brides and collected their blood. He did this and said to the soldier:
Now let's get out of here.
So let's go. On the road, a soldier asks:
Tell me, why did you put blood in the vials?
In order for the bride and groom to die; tomorrow no one will see them
will get it! I'm the only one who knows how to revive them.
It is necessary to cut the heels of the bride and groom and pour them into those wounds again
blood - to each his own: in my right pocket the blood of the groom is hidden, and in
left bride.
The soldier listened and did not say a word; and the sorcerer still boasts:
“I,” he says, “will do whatever I want!”
As if it’s impossible to get along with you?
How can you not? Now, if only someone gathered a hundred cartloads worth of aspen wood
Yes, if he burned me at this stake, maybe he would have dealt with me! Just burn
I need to skillfully; at that time snakes, worms and various things will crawl out of my womb
reptiles, jackdaws, magpies and crows will fly; they must be caught and thrown into the fire:
if even one worm gets away, then nothing will help! I'm in that worm
I'll slip away!
The soldier listened and remembered.
They talked and talked and finally reached the grave.
Well, brother,” said the sorcerer, “now I will tear you apart; otherwise you're all
tell me.
Come to your senses! How can I be torn? I serve God and the sovereign.
The sorcerer gnashed his teeth, howled and rushed at the soldier, who grabbed
saber and began to hit him backhand.
They fought and fought, the soldier was almost exhausted; eh, he thinks, not for a penny
Suddenly the roosters crowed - the sorcerer fell lifeless. The soldier took it out
he pocketed the vials of blood and went in to see his relatives.
He comes and says hello; relatives ask:
Have you seen, servant, what anxiety?
No, I haven't seen it.
That's it! And in our village there is grief: the sorcerer got into the habit of walking.
We talked and went to bed; The next morning the soldier woke up and began to ask:
They say you are having a wedding somewhere? Relatives respond:
There was a wedding of a rich man, only the bride and groom
They died this night, but why is unknown.
Where does this guy live?
They showed him the house; he went there without saying a word; comes and finds
the whole family is in tears.
What are you grieving about?
So and so, servant!
I can revive your young ones, what will you give?
Yes, at least take half of the estate!
The soldier did as the sorcerer taught him and revived the young; instead of
crying, joy and fun began.
The soldier was treated and rewarded.
He turns left around and marches to the headman; ordered him to gather the peasants and
prepare one hundred cartloads of aspen firewood.
So they brought the firewood to the cemetery, piled it in a heap, pulled the sorcerer out
graves, placed on a fire and lit; and the people surrounded them - all with
brooms, shovels, pokers. The fire burst into flames, and the sorcerer began
burn; his womb burst, and snakes, worms and various reptiles crawled out, and
crows, magpies and jackdaws flew from there; the men beat them and throw them into the fire,
not a single worm was allowed to escape. So the sorcerer burned! The soldier immediately
collected his ashes and scattered them to the wind.
From that time on there was silence in the village; the peasants thanked the soldier
the whole world; he stayed in his homeland, walked to his fill and returned to the royal
service with money. He served his term, retired and became
to live and live, to gain good things, to do bad things.
The soldier asked to go on leave - to visit his homeland, see his parents, and
went on the road. One day passed, another went, and on the third he wandered into a dense forest. Where
spend the night here? I saw two huts standing at the edge of the forest, went to the last one and found
there's an old woman at home.
Hello, grandma!
Hello, servant!
Let me sleep for the night.
Go, only you will be restless here.
What? Is it cramped in your place?
This, grandma, is nothing; a soldier needs a little space; somewhere in the corner
I’ll lie down, just not in the yard!
Not so, servant! You have come to sin...
What sin?
And here's what: in a neighboring hut, an old man recently died - a big one.
witch; and every night he roams through other people's houses and eats people.
Eh, grandma, God won’t give it away, the pig won’t eat it. The soldier undressed and had dinner
and climbed onto the floor; He lay down to rest and put the cleaver next to him. Exactly at
twelve o'clock all the locks fell and all the doors opened; enters the hut
the dead man in a white shroud and rushed at the old woman.
Damn you, why are you here?
The soldier shouted at him.
The sorcerer left the old woman, jumped up on the floor and started to fuss about the soldier.
He chopped it with a cleaver, chopped it, chopped it, beat off all the fingers on his hands, but he still couldn’t
get better. They grappled tightly, and both fell from their shelves to the floor; witch
to the bottom, but the soldier got to the top; The soldier grabbed him by the beard and until then
treated him with a cleaver until the roosters crowed. At that very moment the sorcerer became dead;
lies there, untouched, like a wooden block.
The soldier pulled him out into the yard and threw him into the well - head down, feet
up. Lo and behold, the sorcerer has nice new boots on his feet, nailed,
smeared with tar! “Oh, it’s a pity, they’ll be wasted,” the soldier thinks, “let me
I’ll take them off!” He took off the dead man’s boots and returned to the hut.
“Oh, little servant,” says the old woman, “why are you leaving him?”
Did you take off your boots?
Duck, should we just leave it there? Look at those boots! Who doesn't
if necessary - a ruble of silver will give; but I’m a walking person, I like them very much
will come in handy!
The next day the soldier said goodbye to his hostess and moved on; only with
that very day - wherever he goes to spend the night, exactly at twelve o'clock at night
a sorcerer appears under the window and demands his boots.
“I,” he threatens, “will not leave you anywhere; I will walk with you all the way; on
I won’t give my homeland rest, I’ll torture you in the service!
The soldier could not stand it:
What do you want, damn it?
Give me my boots! The soldier threw his boots out the window:
Here, get away from me, evil spirit! The sorcerer picked up his boots,
whistled and disappeared from sight.
In ancient times, there lived in the same village two young guys; lived
They were friends, they had conversations together, they considered each other as their own brothers.
They made the following agreement among themselves: whichever of them would marry first,
to invite his friend to the wedding; whether he lives or dies - that's all
A year after that, one young man fell ill and died; and after a few
His friend had been planning to get married for months.
He gathered himself with all his kin and went for the bride.
They happened to be driving past a cemetery; I remembered my friend's fiance,
I remembered the old agreement and ordered the horses to be stopped.
“I,” he says, “will go to my friend’s grave and ask him to come to me.”
to go to a wedding; he was my true friend!
He went to the grave and began to call:
Dear comrade! I ask you to come to my wedding. Suddenly a grave
dissolved, the deceased stood up and said:
Thank you, brother, for keeping your promise! Rise to joy
to me; Let's drink a glass of sweet wine with you.
I would go in, but the train is standing, people are waiting. The dead man answers:
Eh, brother, it won’t take long to drink a glass. The groom went down to the grave;
the deceased poured him a cup of wine, he drank - and a whole hundred years passed.
Drink, darling, another cup!
I drank another - two hundred years passed.
Well, my friend, drink a third and go with God, have your wedding!
I drank the third cup - three hundred years passed. The deceased said goodbye to his
comrade; the coffin closed, the grave became level. The groom looks on; where was
cemetery, it became a wasteland; there is no road, no relatives, no horses, everywhere
overgrown with nettles and tall grass. I ran to the village - and the village was no longer the same:
The houses are different, the people are all strangers.
I went to the priest - and the priest was not the same; told him how and what happened.
The priest began to consult the books and found that three hundred years ago
ago there was such a case: on the wedding day the groom went to the cemetery and
disappeared, and his bride later married someone else.
In one village there lived a husband and wife; they lived cheerfully, in agreement, lovingly;
all the neighbors envied them, and good people, looking at them, rejoiced. Here
the hostess became heavy, gave birth to a son, and died from that birth.
The poor man grieved and cried, most of all he was worried about the child: how
Now feed him, raise him without his own mother? Hired some old lady
follow him; everything is better.
Just what kind of parable? During the day the child does not eat, always screams, nothing
no comfort; and night comes - it’s as if he’s not there, sleeping quietly and peacefully.
Why is this so? - the old woman thinks.
Let me stay awake at night, maybe I'll scout out.
Just at midnight she hears: someone opened the doors slowly and
walked up to the cradle; the baby became quiet, as if he was suckling.
The next night and the third the same thing again.
She began to talk about it to the peasant; he gathered his relatives and began
advice to keep. Here's what we came up with:
not sleeping for one night and spying: who is walking around and feeding the child?
In the evening everyone lay down on the floor, lit a light in their heads
candle and covered it with a clay pot.
At midnight the door to the hut opened, someone approached the cradle - and the child
quieted down. At this time, one of the relatives suddenly opened a candle - they looked:
the deceased mother, in the very dress in which she was buried, is kneeling,
leaning towards the cradle and feeding the child with a dead breast.
As soon as the hut was illuminated, she immediately stood up and looked sadly at
her little one and quietly left without saying a single word to anyone. Everyone who is her
I saw they turned to stone, and the little one was found dead.
Queen Witch
In a certain kingdom there lived a king; this king had
sorceress daughter. There was a priest living at the royal court, and the priest had a son
ten years old and every day he went to one old woman to learn to read and write. Once
he happened to be leaving school late in the evening; passing by the palace, he looked
for one window. The princess is sitting at that window, cleaning up: she took off her
I lathered my hair with soap, washed it with clean water, combed my hair with a comb,
I braided my hair and then put my head back in its old place. The boy was amazed:
“Look, how cunning! A straight witch!” Returned home and became everything
tell how he saw the princess without a head.
Suddenly the royal daughter became ill, called her father and began
to punish him:
If I die, then force the priest's son to sit over me for three nights in a row.
The princess died, they put her in a coffin and carried her into the church.
The king calls the priest:
Do you have a son?
Yes, Your Majesty.
Let him, he says, read the psalter over my daughter for three nights in a row.
The priest returned home and told his son to get ready.
In the morning Popovich went to study, I was sitting over a book, so boring.
What are you sad about? - the old lady asks him.
How can I not be sad if I am completely lost?
What's wrong with you? Speak clearly.
I told you this before!
Just don’t be afraid, here’s a knife for you; when you come to church, look around
Circle yourself, read the psalter and don’t look back. Whatever it is, what
no matter what passions appear, know yours, read and read! And if back
If you look back, you will completely disappear!
In the evening a boy came to church, drew a circle around him with a knife and
began to read the psalter. Twelve o'clock struck, the lid rose from the coffin,
The princess got up, ran out and shouted:
Oh, now you’ll know how to spy on people under my windows
tell!
She started throwing herself at Popovich, but she couldn’t get across the circle; here
she began to let out various passions; I just did everything - he reads everything yes
reads, doesn’t look back.
And as it began to get light, the princess rushed into the coffin and with all her might
fell into it - at random!
The next night the same thing happened; Popovich was not afraid of anything, until the
I read the light non-stop, and in the morning I went to the old woman. She asks:
Well, did you see the passion?
I saw it, grandma!
Today it will be even worse!
Here's a hammer and four nails - hammer them into the four sides of the coffin,
In the evening Popovich came to church and did everything as she taught
old lady. Twelve o'clock struck, the coffin lid fell to the floor, the princess
got up and began to fly in all directions and threaten the priest; then she let on
great passions, and now even more: it seems to the priest’s son that in church
a fire broke out and the flames engulfed all the walls; and he stands and reads,
doesn't look back.
Before dawn, the princess threw herself into the coffin, and immediately there was no fire.
it happened - all the obsession disappeared!
In the morning the king comes to the church, looks - the coffin is open in the coffin
The princess lies with her back up. - What's happened? - asks the boy.
He told him how and what happened. The king ordered his daughter to be killed
an aspen stake in the chest and bury it in the ground, and awarded the priest with treasury and
different lands.
A Witch's Tale
began to ask:
stern and goes to the hut.
she wandered and ran away.
severed hand.
Violinist in Hell
Once upon a time there lived a man, he had three sons. He lived richly, collected two boilers
money - one buried in the barn, the other in the gate. This guy died, but about
I didn't tell anyone the money.
Once there was a holiday in the village; The violinist was going out for a party and suddenly
fell through the ground; failed and went to hell, right where
the rich man was suffering.
Hello, friend!
The violinist speaks. The man answers him:
You got here wrong!
This is hell, and I'm sitting in hell.
Why did you end up here, uncle?
For money! I had a lot of money, I didn’t give it to the poor, two boilers in the ground
buried Now they will torment me; beat with sticks, torment with claws.
What should I do? Perhaps they will torture me too!
Go and sit on the stove behind the chimney and don’t eat for three years - you’ll survive!
The violinist hid behind a pipe; They weren’t ours, they started beating the rich guy
yes sentence:
Here you go, rich man! He accumulated a ton of money, but failed to hide it; there
buried them, it’s too much for us to guard! Horses ride around the gates
They smashed our heads with horseshoes, and in the barn they threshed us with flails.
Only it wasn’t ours who left, the man said to the violinist:
If you leave here, tell my children to take the money: one
the cauldron was buried at the gate, and the other in the barn, and so that they were distributed to the poor
Then a whole hut that wasn’t ours came running and asked the rich man:
What smells of Russian spirit to you? The man says:
It was you who walked around Rus' and gained the Russian spirit!
No matter how it is!
They began to search, found the violinist and shouted:
Ha ha ha, the violinist is here!
They pulled him off the stove and forced him to play the violin. He played for three years, and
it seemed to him three days; got tired and said:
What a wonder! It used to be that I would play and in one evening I would break all the strings, and
Now I'm playing for the third day - and everyone is safe. God bless!
As soon as he said it, all the strings burst.
Well, brothers,” says the violinist, “you can see for yourself: the strings have broken, not
than to play!
Wait,” said one unclean one, “I have two riots of strings, I’ll tell you
He ran and brought it; the violinist took the strings, pulled and again just said:
"God bless!" -Both riots burst.
No, brothers, your strings are not good for me; I have my own houses
let me go! It’s not our people who won’t let him in:
You will go away! - They say.
If you don’t believe me, then send someone with me to accompany me.
It was not ours who chose one and sent him with a violinist. The violinist came to the village;
He hears: a wedding is being celebrated in a remote hut.
Let's go to the wedding!
We entered the hut; Then everyone recognized the violinist and asked:
Where have you been, brother, for three years?
I was in the next world!
We sat and walked, but it wasn’t ours who called the violinist:
Time to go! And that one:
Wait a little longer; Let me play the violin and amuse the young people.
They sat until the roosters crowed; It’s not ours that’s missing, it’s the violinist
began to say to the sons of the rich man:
Your father ordered you to take the money: one pot at the gate is buried, and
the other was in the barn, and ordered all this money to be distributed to the poor.
So they dug up both cauldrons and began distributing money to the poor brethren: with what
The more they are distributed, the more they are added.
We took these boilers to the intersection:
whoever drives by, everyone takes from there as much as he can grab with his hand, and the money
everything doesn't come true. They submitted a petition to the sovereign; he ordered: in some
There was a detour road in the city - about fifty versts, but if you go straight,
then only five miles, and the sovereign ordered to build a straight bridge.
So they built a bridge for five miles, and for that purpose they emptied both boilers.
In those days, a certain girl gave birth to a son and left him from an early age;
This baby didn’t eat or drink for three years, and God’s angel still walked with him.
A baby came to the bridge and said:
Oh, what a glorious bridge!
May God grant him the kingdom of heaven, with whose money it was built.
The Lord heard this prayer and ordered his angels to release the rich man
a guy from hell.
Once upon a time there lived a rich merchant Marco - he was never stingier! One day he went
walk; Walking along the road, I saw a beggar: an old man was sitting and asking for alms:
Give it, Orthodox, for Christ's sake!
Marco Rich passed by.
A poor man at that time followed him, took pity on the beggar and gave him
a pretty penny.
The rich man seemed ashamed, he stopped and said to the man:
Listen, fellow countryman, lend me a pretty penny; I want to give it to the poor, yes
no small ones! The man gave it to him and asked:
When should you come to collect your debt?
Come tomorrow!
The next day the poor man goes to the rich man for his penny. Came to his
wide yard:
What, Marco Rich is home?
At home! What do you need? - asks Marco.
I came for a penny.
Ah, brother, come later; Well, really, there are no small ones.
The poor man bowed and back.
“I,” he says, “will come tomorrow.”
The next morning comes - the same thing again:
There is no small money at all, if you want, give it in change... or else
come back in two weeks.
Two weeks later the poor man goes to the rich man again, and Marco the Rich sees
him out the window and says to his wife:
Listen, wife! I will strip naked and lie down under the saints; and you cover me
canvas, sit and cry as if over a dead person. When the man comes to collect the debt,
tell him that I died today.
Okay, as the husband ordered, so the wife did: sit and burn
bursts into tears. A man comes to the room, she asks him:
What do you want?
“For a debt to Mark the Rich,” the poor man answers. - Well, man, Marco
The rich man ordered to live long; just died now.
Rest in peace!
Let me, mistress, for my little penny I will serve him - even a sinful body
With this word, he grabbed the cast iron with hot water and let's Mark Bogaty
scald with boiling water. Marco can barely stand it, wincing and kicking his legs.
Jump, don’t jump, give me a penny! - says the poor man.
Washed and equipped as needed.
Well, mistress, buy a coffin and have it taken out to church; I'll stand over him
They put Mark the Rich in a coffin and carried him into the church; and the man stood over
It was dark night. Suddenly the window opens and they climb into the church
robber thieves; the man hid behind the altar.
The thieves climbed in and began to divide the loot among themselves; everything is divided, all that remains is
a golden saber - everyone drags it to themselves, no one gives in. Poor guy jumps out
as he shouts:
What are you arguing about? Whoever cuts off a dead man's head will have a saber!
Marco Bogaty jumped up, not himself. The thieves got scared and abandoned their
treasury and started to run.
Well, man,” says Marco, “let’s divide the money.”
Divided equally; both got a lot.
How about a pretty penny? - asks the poor man.
Eh, brother, you see for yourself - there are no small ones! Still didn’t give it to Marco Bogaty
pennies.
The Tale of the Wicked Wife
Late in the evening one Cossack arrived in the village, stopped at the last hut and
began to ask:
Hey, master, let me spend the night!
Go if you are not afraid of death.
“What kind of speech is that!” - the Cossack thinks, put the horse in the barn, gave it to him
stern and goes to the hut.
He looks - men, women, and little children - everyone is crying bitterly, yes
they pray to God; They prayed and began to put on clean shirts.
Why are you crying? - asks the Cossack.
Yes, you see,” the owner answers, “in our village death walks at night,
no matter which hut he looks in, the next morning put all the inhabitants in coffins and take them to
churchyard This night it's our turn.
Eh, master, don't be afraid; God won't give it away, the pig won't eat it. The owners died
sleep; and the Cossack is on his own mind - and does not close his eyes. It opened at midnight
window; a witch appeared at the window - all in white, took an asperiment, stuck her hand out
into the hut and was just about to sprinkle it - when suddenly the Cossack waved his saber and
cut off her arm right up to the shoulder. The witch groaned, squealed, like a dog
she wandered and ran away.
And the Cossack picked up the severed hand, hid it in his overcoat, washed away the blood and
went to sleep. In the morning the owners woke up and looked - every single one of them was alive -
healthy and incredibly happy.
Do you want, - says the Cossack, - I will show you death? Gather everyone quickly
centurions and foremen, let's go around the village to look for her.
Immediately all the centurions and foremen gathered and went home; there's no
no here, we finally got to the sexton's hut.
Is your whole family here? - asks the Cossack.
No, darling! One daughter is sick and lies on the stove. The Cossack looked at the stove,
and the girl’s hand was cut off; then he announced everything as it was, took it out and showed
severed hand.
The world rewarded the Cossack with money, but ordered this witch to be drowned.
Death of a Miser
Once upon a time there lived a stingy old man; had two sons and a lot of money;
heard death, locked himself alone in the hut and sat on the chest, began to swallow gold
money is banknotes and so he ended his life.
The sons came, laid the dead man under the holy icons and called the sexton
Suddenly, at midnight, an unclean man appears in the form of a man,
on the dead old man's shoulder and said:
Hold it, sexton, halfway! And the old man began to be afraid:
The money is yours, and the bag is mine!
He carried it and became invisible.
The runaway soldier and the devil
The soldier asked for leave, got ready and went on a hike. Walked, walked, didn't
apparently there is no water anywhere to wet his crackers and on the way on the road
have a snack, but my belly has long been empty. There is nothing to do - I dragged myself further; lo and behold -
a stream was running, went up to this stream, took out three crackers from his knapsack and put them
in water. Yes, the soldier also had a violin; in his spare time he is different on her
played songs, boredom
accelerated. So the soldier sat down by the stream, took the violin and started playing.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the unclean one comes to him in the form of an old man, with a book
Hello, Mr. Service!
Hello, good man!
The devil winced as the soldier called him a kind man.
Listen, buddy, let's switch: I'll give you my book, and you give me
Eh, old man, what do I need your book for? I served at least ten years
sovereign, but I have never been literate; I didn’t know before, but now I have to learn
Nothing, servant! I have such a book - whoever looks at it, everyone
Well, let me try!
literacy, was delighted and immediately exchanged his violin. The unclean one took
violin, began to move the bow, but things didn’t go well - there was no
Listen, brother,” he says to the soldier, “stay as my guest for the day.”
three and teach me to play the violin; I'll thank you!
No, old man,” the soldier answers, “I need to go home, and in three days I
I'll go far.
Please, servant, if you stay and teach me to play the violin, I
I’ll deliver you home in one day - I’ll take you on a postal troika.
The soldier sits in thought: to stay or not? And he takes out the crackers from
stream - wants to have a snack.
“Eh, service brother,” says the unclean one, “your food is bad; eat it
He untied the bag and took out white bread, fried beef, vodka and all sorts of
snacks: eat - I don’t want it!
The soldier ate and drank and agreed to stay with that unfamiliar old man
and teach him to play the violin. He stayed with him for three days and asked to go home;
The devil leads him out of his choir - three good horses stand in front of the porch.
Sit down, soldier! I'll deliver it right away.
The soldier got into the cart with the devil; how the horses picked them up, how they carried them -
Only miles flash in your eyes! They brought it in spirit.
Do you recognize this village? - asks the unclean one.
“How can you not find out!” the soldier answers. “After all, in this village I was born and
Well, goodbye!
The soldier got off the cart, came to his relatives, and began to greet them
and tell about himself when he was released from the regiment and for how long.
It seemed to him that he had only been visiting the evil one for three days, but
actually stayed with him for three years; the vacation period ended a long time ago, and
in the regiment, tea, they consider him on the run.
The soldier became afraid and didn’t know what to do! And revelry doesn’t come to mind! Came out
for the outskirts and thinks: “Where to go now? If you go to the regiment - so there
they drive you through the gauntlet. Eh, unclean one, you played a nice joke on me." Only
uttered this word, and the unclean one was right there.
Don't worry, soldier! Stay with me - after all, you have a life in your regiment
unenviable, they feed you breadcrumbs and beat you with sticks, but I’ll make you happy...
Do you want me to make you a merchant?
That’s okay: the merchants live well, let me try my luck too!
The unclean one made him a merchant, gave him a large shop in the capital city with
various expensive goods and says:
Now, brother, goodbye! I will leave you far away, in
the thirtieth state; the king there has a beautiful daughter
Marya the Princess; I will torture her in every possible way!
Our merchant lives, does not worry about anything; happiness just falls into the yard; V
Trade is such a task for him that he couldn’t ask for anything better! He became different
merchants are jealous. “Let’s ask him,” they say, “what kind of person he is, and
where did you come from, and can you negotiate? After all, he took away all our trade -
let him be empty!" They came to him, began to interrogate him, and he answered them:
You are my brothers! Now I have a lot to do, I have no time with you
talk; come tomorrow and find out everything.
The merchants went home; and the soldier thinks what to do? As an answer
give? I thought and thought and decided to quit my shop and leave the city at night.
So he took all the money he had and went to the thirties
state.
He walked and walked and came to the outpost.
What kind of person? - the sentry asks him. He answers:
I am a healer; I am going to your kingdom because your king’s daughter is sick;
I want to cure her.
The sentry reported this to the courtiers, the courtiers brought it to the king himself,
The king called to the soldier:
If you cure my daughter, I will marry her to you.
Your Majesty, order me to give three decks of cards, three bottles of wine
sweets and three bottles of hot alcohol, three pounds of nuts, three pounds
lead bullets and three bunches of burning wax candles.
Okay, everything will be ready!
The soldier waited until evening, bought himself a violin and went to the princess; lit in
there were candles in her rooms, he began to drink, walk, and play the violin.
At midnight the unclean one comes, heard the music and rushed to the soldier:
Greetings, brother!
Great!
What do you drink?
I'm sipping some kvass.
Give it to me!
Please! - and brought him a full glass of hot alcohol; the devil drank - and
rolled his eyes under his forehead:
Eh, he takes it hard! Let me have something to snack on.
Here are the nuts, take them and eat them! - says the soldier, and he himself has lead bullets
palms off. The devil gnawed and gnawed, only breaking his teeth. They began to play cards;
By now this and that - time has passed, the roosters have crowed, and the evil one has disappeared. Asks
king princess:
What was it like to sleep at night?
Thank God it's calm!
And the next night passed in the same way; and by the third night the king’s soldiers ask:
Your Majesty! Order fifty pounds of pincers to be forged and made
three copper rods, three iron rods and three tin rods.
Okay, everything will be done!
In the dead of midnight the unclean one appears.
Hello, serviceman! I came to see you again for a walk.
Hello! Who wouldn't be glad to have a cheerful comrade! We started drinking and partying.
The unclean one saw the pincers and asks:
What is it?
Yes, you see, the king took me into his service and forced the musicians to
teach violin; and they all have crooked fingers - no better than yours, you have to
straighten the ticks.
“Oh, brother,” the unclean one began to ask, “can’t I straighten it out too?
fingers? I still don’t know how to play the violin.
Why is it not possible? Put your fingers here.
The devil put both hands into pincers; the soldier pressed them, squeezed them, then grabbed them
twigs and let's treat him; beats and says: “Here’s a merchant for you!”
The devil prays, the devil asks:
Let me go, please! I won’t come within thirty miles of the palace.
And you know he scourges. The devil jumped, jumped, spun, spun, violently
broke free and said to the soldier:
Even though you marry the princess, you will not leave my hands! Only
If you drive thirty miles from the city, I’ll capture you now!
He said and disappeared.
So the soldier married the princess and lived with her in love and harmony; A
A few years later the king died, and he began to rule the entire kingdom. In one
About time the new king and his wife went out into the garden for a walk.
“Oh, what a glorious garden!” he says.
What a garden this is! - the queen answers. “We have another one outside the city.”
garden, about thirty versts from here, there is something to admire there!
The king got ready and went there with the queen; he just got out of the stroller,
and the unclean one towards:
Why are you there? Have you forgotten what you were told? Well, brother, it's my own fault,
Now you can't escape from my clutches.
What to do! Apparently, this is my fate! Let me at least with my young wife
say goodbye.
Say goodbye, and hurry up!..