The Flying Ship is a Russian folk tale about how the youngest son, a fool, turned out to be the smartest and luckiest, built the Flying Ship, found good friends and married the Tsar’s daughter. The fairy tale The Flying Ship can be read online or downloaded in PDF and DOC format.
Brief summary of the tale You can start with the fact that three sons grew up in one family, the two eldest were favorites and handsome, and the youngest was a fool in a holey shirt, always deprived. And then the news came that the king would give his daughter in marriage to the one who would build a ship that sails not only by sea, but also by air. The eldest sons gathered in the forest to build a flying ship. They chopped and sawed wood, but they don’t know what to do next. An old man approached them and asked: do they need help? but the brothers drove the old man away, quarreled among themselves, and returned home with nothing. The youngest son was going to the forest, no one believed in him, but they just grinned: Where are you going, you fool - the wolves will eat you along the way! . But the fool took an ax, found the tallest pine tree in the forest and began to chop it down. Then an old man comes up to him and asks what he’s up to doing? The guy was very polite to his grandfather, he told him everything, and he told him how to make a ship. The ship turned out to be really flying, a fool got into it, and the old man said to him: on the way, put everyone you meet in your ship! . So on his way he met various people with amazing abilities, whom he took with him on the orders of the old man. When they flew to the king, they came across deception and a cunning royal plan. But having such friends, the fool easily got out of all difficult situations, married the princess, and punished the deceiver king.
Read the fairy tale The Flying Ship not only very interesting, but also educational for children of any age. The fairy tale teaches the fact that sometimes a person in whom no one believes turns out to be successful and achieves certain heights. Also, the younger son’s attitude towards the old man shows that elders need to be respected and listened to their advice. Thanks to his open and kind character, the fool finds many loyal friends who came to the rescue in difficult times. The fairy tale also teaches what not to do through the example of the king, who did not keep his word and paid for it.
The fairy tale The Flying Ship is a clear example of many folk proverbs about politeness and kindness. They fear arrogance, but honor politeness, A kind word costs nothing to oneself, but gives a lot to another, To bow is useful in the future, For a good person - a hundred hands, A bow cannot break the waist, Thank you is a great deed, A kind word is more valuable than wealth.
Proverbs about respect for elders: He who does not respect his elders knows no respect, Respect your elders, educate your younger ones, The advice of older people does not give you a headache, Learn wisdom from the one who wore out your shirt before, Whoever did not listen to your elders fell into a big hole, The young one works, the old mind gives, Listen to what the old people say, The young is handsome, the old is smart, The old is smart, although not strong.
Proverbs about friendship: Without misfortune, you won’t recognize a friend, Friendship is paid for with friendship, It’s not years that bring people together, but minutes, You can’t buy friends with money, A man without a friend is like the earth without water, Friendship is care and help is strong, A friend in trouble is a doubly friend.

There was an old man and an old woman. They had three sons. The two older ones are lazy: all they care about is how to dress up, drink and eat sweets, sleep for a long time, but work is not on their minds. The younger brother, Ivan, was quiet, meek and hard-working. He got up earlier than everyone else and was the last to go to bed. And he worked with his father in the fields, and helped his mother manage the house, he didn’t chase after a party, he drank and ate whatever he had to, he didn’t ask for new clothes, but walked around in his brother’s cast-offs. Ivan slept on the stove.

His brothers laughed at him, considered him a fool and nicknamed him Ivan Zapechny. And after the brothers, the neighbors, and even the father and mother, laughed at Ivan.

He was not offended by this, he worked from morning to evening, and on holidays he lay on the stove.

At that time, the king decided to marry his daughter off and sent messengers to all the cities and all the volosts.

Messengers are traveling to all ends and calling out:
- If such a skilled craftsman is found who can make a flying ship and fly to the palace on that ship, he will be the king’s son-in-law. In six weeks, the grooms will have a viewing party at the royal feast.

The older brothers, when they heard the cry, began to get ready for the journey:
“We’ll build or not build a flying ship, but at least we’ll feast with the king, show ourselves and look at people.”

The old man and the old woman considered their eldest sons to be smart and reasonable, they doted on them and allowed them everything. And this time neither the father nor the mother said a word against them, they began to equip their sons for the journey. The mother baked plantains and gave her some sweet liqueur. And the father got hold of everything that the artisans needed. The brothers said goodbye to their parents and set off on their journey.

We walked about a dozen miles, and the elder brother said:
“We won’t find any better scaffolding than here.” Let's cut down trees and build a flying ship.
“First you need to have a drink and a snack, and only then get down to business,” answers the middle brother.

And as soon as the brothers had time to sit down and take off their knapsacks, suddenly, as if out of the ground, an old, old old man appeared in front of them, barely able to stand on his feet:
- Feed me, good fellows, maybe I’ll be of some use to you.

The old man disappeared at that very moment, as if he had never been there. And the brothers drank some sweet liqueur, ate some pies and fell down to rest. They slept and slept, woke up and began to cut down timber and build a flying ship.

No matter how much they fought, no matter how hard they worked, they ruined a lot of the forest, but they couldn’t build anything.
“There’s very little time left, we don’t have time to mess around, otherwise we won’t have time for the royal feast,” says the elder brother.

The middle brother doesn’t want to work at all. He answers:
- We just toiled in vain. Have you ever heard of ships flying? Let's go on foot, we'll still have time to get there on time.

They threw up their knapsacks and went to the capital city. And at that time Ivan Zapechny asked his father and mother:
- Father and mother, let me go to the royal feast!

Parents say:
- Lie down, Ivan, on the stove! Should you go to the royal feast when you have neither clothes nor shoes, and you yourself are covered in dirt and ash!
And Ivan repeats his own:
- Let me go, I’ll go, and if you don’t let me go, I’ll go.
Mother and father got angry and began to scold their son:
- Well, go, go, make good people laugh! Let the princess have fun, looking at you, at the groom!

His mother put a piece of stale bread into his knapsack and poured some spring water into the bag.

Ivan got down from the stove, took his knapsack and, wearing old pants and an old shirt, walked off.

The neighbors laugh:
- Look, look, Ivan Zapechny has gone to woo the Tsar!

And the good fellow walked and walked and reached the place where the older brothers were building a flying ship. He sat down on a tree stump. And suddenly, out of nowhere, as if a mushroom had grown out of the ground, an old, old old man stood in front of him - he could barely stand on his feet.
- Good man, feed and drink me, an old man, maybe I’ll be useful to you.
“I would be glad with all my soul, grandfather, to feed you, give you something to drink, and would you like to drink and eat: after all, all I have is stale bread and water,” said Ivan Zapechny and began to take off his knapsack.
- Thank you, well done, for your kind words! - said the old man. - Get what you have.

At that time, Ivan untied his knapsack, looked and couldn’t believe his eyes: what is it? Instead of a stale crust - a soft wheat loaf, and instead of water in the tueska - fresh, fragrant honey. He looks at the loaf and the honey, then at the old man, and the old man grins:
- Treat your guest, well done, and don’t forget yourself.

They drank and ate. The old man spoke:
“I know where you are going, and I will help you in any way I can.” If you're not afraid of work and don't chase sleep, I'll teach you how to build a flying ship.

The old man handed Ivan a bag:
- There is everything we need here. Let's go, it's time to get down to business, we have very little time.

The old man chose three trees in the forest:
- Cut down these trees! I can tell you and show you, but you will have to work alone. My time is up: my arms are weak and I have no strength at all.

Ivan set to work: for three days and three nights he did not lay down his hands and did not close his eyes. At the end of the third day the old man says:
- Now rest, and I’ll get to work on the finishing.

How long or how long has Ivan been sleeping and sleeping, the old man wakes him up:
- Get up, good fellow, dear friend. It's time for you to hit the road.

Ivan opened his eyes and saw: a completely ready flying ship was rocking at anchor. The sails on the ship are silk, the masts are silver.

In parting, the old man said:
- Call everyone you meet along the way to be your comrades.

Ivan climbed onto the ship, and the ship soared above the standing forest, just below the walking cloud. The good fellow flew to the royal feast.

Whether he was flying close or far, he saw an old man below. The old man put his ear to the ground and lay listening.
-What are you listening to, grandpa? - asks Ivan.
“I heard and am listening to see if the king’s guests have gathered for a feast,” the old man answers.
- Let's fly with me, I heard!
- Thank you, otherwise I’m completely tired.

They flew for a long time or a short time, and saw an old man below. An old man is jumping along the road on one leg, and his other leg is tied up.
- Why are you jumping on one leg, grandpa? - asks Ivan.
“I’m going to the royal feast, and if I untie my other leg, I’m so afraid that I’ll slip past the city.” I am, after all, the fastest Speedwalker in the world.
- Get on our ship!

Skorokhod sat down, and there were three of them.

They fly and see: an old man stands on the road below and takes aim with a gun, but nowhere is there a bird or an animal to be seen.
- Who are you aiming at, grandpa?
“But far away, in the thirtieth kingdom, a capercaillie bird sits on a branch, so I want to shoot that capercaillie as a gift to the king,” the old man answers. - I was shot.

Then Ivan began to call him:
- Get on the ship, we'll fly to the royal feast.
- Well, thank you! - the old man answers. “That’s exactly where I need to go.”

The old man boarded the ship, and there were four of them.

They flew close or far and overtook another old man.
“Eh, grandfather, where are you going, where are you heading,” asks Ivan, “and what should they call you by name?”
- My name is Moroz Morozovich, and where I’m going and where I’m from, don’t ask me, don’t torture me. Better take me on the ship, maybe I’ll be useful to you.
- Sit down, grandfather, sit down! Let's fly to the royal feast. Moroz Morozovich boarded the ship, and soon they arrived in the capital city.

In the city, people apparently and invisibly gathered for the royal feast - for the grooms' viewing.

People saw a ship flying: the sails on the ship were silk, the masts were silver - and they shouted:
- That's who the groom is! That's who should be the king's son-in-law!

They began to throw their hats up.

The flying ship landed directly on the royal court.

The nearby boyars ran out of the chambers, followed by the tsar and queen himself, and after them the princess with the nannies and the hay girls. They run to meet the groom.

Ivan threw anchor, the ship stopped and rocked. They began to descend from the ship. They heard shooting, Skorokhod and Moroz Morozovich, and Ivan Zapechny descended after them. Ivan’s pants are patched, his shirt is torn, he’s covered in shavings and paint. The nearby boyars ask:
-Where is the groom? Who built the flying ship? The old men made way and pointed at Ivan:
- It was he, Ivan Zapechny, who built such a flying ship.

The queen looked at the groom, clasped her hands, burst into tears, then rushed to her daughter, began to hug the princess, and began to cry:
- Oh, I feel so sick! For whom did we raise our white swan, take care of it better than the eye, and cherish it? For an unwashed hillbilly?
Following the queen, the princess and her mothers and nannies began to scream and cry.

The king heard the queen’s lamentations and began to sob himself. Then he waved his arms, stamped his feet, shook his beard, and shouted at the matchmakers:
- Why are you making fun of me? Show me the real groom! Bring the fellow who built the flying ship!

Meanwhile, people came running in - you couldn’t even glance at them. Everyone who came to the royal feast has arrived, and all the townspeople do not take their eyes off the flying ship and Ivan. And the king shouts:
“I won’t believe in my life that a man built a flying ship!”

The old men parted, bowed to all four sides, and especially to the Tsar and Tsarina:
- The ship was built by Ivan Zapechny, he is the groom.

And all the people shouted:
- The royal word is inviolable: whoever built the flying ship will be the royal son-in-law! Here the princess stamped her foot:
- I don’t want to marry such a groom!

The queen heard those words and began to cry more than ever. The mother, the nanny and the hay girls grabbed her by the arms and took her to the tower.

And the king fell silent, standing threateningly. Then he waved his hand:
- Well, dear guests, apparently so be it. Let's begin to feast and celebrate the princess's crown.

The guests sat down at oak tables. They sit and feast. And the tsar and his fellow boyars are at a special table: they don’t drink, they don’t eat, they think.
- How can we drive Ivan Zapechny, a hillbilly peasant, out of the world? And I will have a flying ship, and there will be no loss for me, the king: I will choose a son-in-law from a noble family,” says the king.

The oldest boyar rose from his seat and bowed to the waist:
- Don’t order me, an old man, to be executed, king, let me say the word!
- Speak, boyar, we will listen.
- Tsar-sovereign, order the groom to get a bird from distant lands, in the thirtieth kingdom, and give him one hour. If he doesn't bring it on time, we'll cut off his head in an hour.

They gave Ivan the royal order.
- Don’t worry, good fellow! - says Strelyalo. “I’ll shoot that bird, and Skorokhod will run after it in half an hour - and the whole thing will be done.”

With those words, he took aim and fired, and Skorokhod untied his leg and at that very moment disappeared from sight, as if the wind had blown him away.

Heard put his ear to the ground and said:
- I've already run half the way.

A minute later I listened again:
- He picked up the bird and turns it back.

And the feast goes on as usual: the guests drink, eat, praise the bride and groom, and some have already started singing. Ivan and his squad are waiting. The hour is already running out, and Skorokhod is nowhere to be found.

Then Heard again put his ear to the ground and said:
- Sleeping, so-and-so, halfway there! I hear him snoring.

He grabbed the shotgun, took aim and fired. A minute later, Skorokhod came running and brought an overseas bird. They gave the bird to the king. And Skorokhod caught his breath and said:
“I ran there in an instant, took the bird, and on the way back I decided to take a nap for half an hour: anyway, I think I’ll arrive ahead of schedule.” Yes, I fell asleep so soundly that if a branch had not fallen from the tree and woke me up, I would have slept until the evening!

And the Tsar, when he found out that Ivan had gotten the bird, flew into a rage, threw the crown to the ground, became enraged, and shouted at the boyars:
- Go and herd pigs if you can’t control a man!
- Tsar-Sovereign, change your anger to mercy! - the boyars bow. “We will kill Ivan Zapechny from the world, don’t trample on his green grass anymore!” Do you have a bathhouse? Order that bathhouse to be heated, and Ivan and his squad were ordered to wash themselves there. They will go there and not come back - they will burn alive.

They burned twelve cartloads of birch firewood, heated up the bathhouse - you can’t get close!

The Tsar called Ivan and the old men:
- Well, betrothed son-in-law, and you, dear matchmakers, go wash and take a steam bath today. Tomorrow we will take the bride and groom to the wedding ceremony.

They locked them in the bathhouse, and it was so hot there that they couldn’t breathe.

Moroz Morozovich blew, spat in one corner and in another, and immediately the heat diminished; he blew, spat in the third corner and in the fourth and completely cooled the bathhouse.

How much or how little time has passed, the king sends his servants:
- Go, collect the men’s bones and bury them.

The royal servants opened the bathhouse - and they couldn’t believe their eyes: Ivan and the old men were alive and well, sitting there quarreling:
- Well, what’s the point of washing in such a bathhouse, if all the walls are covered with frost, even if the cockroaches are freezing!

The servants got scared and rushed away from the bathhouse. Ivan Zapechny jumped off the regiment:
- Eh, if only you had an army, I would show the king how to joke with me!
“That won’t be the case,” Shooter says. “Let’s go to the field.”

They went out to the square, waved his gun once, twice and a third time - and, out of nowhere, an army of horse and foot fell down. The regiments are marching, beating drums, shouting “hurray,” and firing guns.

Ivan led the regiments to the royal palace. The king saw the army, and in front of Ivan with the old men, he ran out onto the red porch, stamped his foot, clasped his hands:
- Oh, apparently, troubles cannot be avoided - you need to marry your daughter to a man, what are you going to do! Well, it won’t be me if I forget this dishonor. There is a lot of time ahead - I will exhaust it.

I heard those speeches, overheard them, retold them to Ivan Zapechny and added:
- Look, don’t give in to persuasion or kind words, otherwise the king will harass you.
“I can see for myself what’s on his mind.” I went to the wrong place to look for a bride! Now I see for myself how to talk to the king.

At that time the army approached the very gates. The king ran out to meet him, affectionate and friendly himself:
“We have everything ready, we’re just waiting for the groom.” It's high time to go to the crown.

Ivan Zapechny grinned and said:
- He joked with me - and it will be. Get out of our kingdom as quickly as possible, so that the spirit of the king is not here!

Ivan Zapechny drove out the king and the boyars and began to rule that kingdom himself.

flying ship

A grandfather and a woman lived in the same village. They had three sons: two were smart, the third was a fool. Old people love and pity smart people, the woman gives them clean shirts every week, but the fool keeps scolding and laughing at him.

But the fool is not offended, lies on the stove in a dirty shirt and sings songs. If a woman gives him something to eat, he will eat; if he forgets to give it, he won’t ask; he will fall asleep hungry.

And then the following news came to their village: it was as if the king was inviting the entire kingdom to his feast. And if someone builds a flying ship and flies on it to the king, the king will give his daughter for him. Smart brothers say to each other:

“We still can’t build a flying ship, but we’ll go to the royal feast and see the world.”

The fool asks them:

- Take me with you too.

“Where are you going,” the brothers say, “to feast with the king himself!” Your job is to lie on the stove!

The old men blessed their smart sons for the journey. The old woman baked them white bread and roasted a pig... They left.

Fool says:

- And I will go after my brothers. I really want to go to the king for a feast.

The old woman replied:

- The wolves will eat you along the way. That's who will have a feast!

But the fool doesn’t back down: I’ll go, and that’s it!

The old woman got angry:

- Go and don’t come back, forget that you are our son!

She put the fool in a bag of black stale bread and saw her off.

A fool is walking along the road. Suddenly, an old man came towards me, his head was white, his beard reached to his knees.

“Hello, grandfather,” says the fool.

- Hello, son.

- Where are you going?

“I walk around the world, helping good people out of trouble. And where are you going?

- And I’m going to the king for a feast. They say that the king will give his daughter to the one who builds a flying ship.

-Can you really build such a ship?

“No,” says the fool. - Where am I!

- Why are you going then?

“I’m following my brothers, I want to try my luck.”

“Well,” says the grandfather. - And that’s the point. In the meantime, let's sit down and have a bite. Whatever you have in your bag, take it out!

“Oh, grandpa,” says the fool, “I only have black stale bread, you won’t eat it.”

- Take it out and we’ll see.

The fool reached into the bag, took out the bread, and it was as white and fluffy as only gentlemen have. The guy is surprised, and the grandfather grins. They ate, rested, the grandfather thanked the fool for the treat and said:

“Now go into the forest, choose a thick oak tree, hit it three times with an ax and go to bed.” The ship will be built for you. You wake up, and the ship is ready! Get on it and fly to the king for a feast. Don’t forget: take with you everyone you meet along the way.

The fool thanked his grandfather and went into the forest. There he found a thick oak tree, hit it with an ax three times and went to bed. And when he woke up, he saw: standing in front of him was a ship, itself golden, with silver masts, silk sails, inflated by the wind! The fool, without thinking twice, jumped into the ship, and it took off as if it was just waiting for him. The fool flies under the very clouds, flies, and he keeps looking at the ground. Suddenly he sees: a man has his ear to the ground.

The fool came down to him.

- Hello, lad.

- What are you doing here? What are you listening to?

“I’m listening to see if people have gathered at the king’s feast.”

-Where are you going?

- There, to the king.

“Then sit down with me, I’ll give you a ride.”

The listener sat down and they flew off.

They fly and fly, and suddenly they see a man on the road - one leg tied to his ear, and jumping on the other leg. We went down to him.

- Hello, good man!

- Hello, good people.

- Why are you jumping on one leg?

“I am Skorokhod,” he says. “If I run on two legs at once, I’ll cover the whole earth in an instant.”

-Where are you going?

- To the king for a feast.

-Then sit down with us. He sat down and flew off again.

They fly and fly, and suddenly they see: a shooter is standing on the road, his bow is drawn, and there is no game around, the field is clean. And they went down to him.

- Hello, good man. Where do you aim when there is no game in sight?

“You can’t see it, but I can see it.”

- Where?

“A hundred miles from here, a wood grouse is sitting on a dry branch. I want to shoot him.

- Leave the wood grouse, sit down with us.

The shooter sat down, they were flying again. They see a man carrying a full sack of bread.

-Where are you going, good man?

- To the king for a feast.

- Why bread? Do you think the king has little bread?

- The king's bread is enough for me. And with this bread I can eat.

- Get on our ship.

An old man walks nearby, as if looking for something.

-What are you looking for, grandfather? - asks the fool.

“I’m looking for water, I want to drink.”

Once upon a time there lived an old man and an old woman. They had three sons - the two eldest were considered smart, and everyone called the youngest a fool. The old woman loved her elders - she dressed them cleanly and fed them delicious food. And the youngest walked around in a holey shirt, chewing black crust.

He, the fool, doesn’t care: he doesn’t understand anything, he doesn’t understand anything!

One day the news reached that village: whoever builds a ship for the king that can sail the seas and fly under the clouds, the king will marry his daughter to him.

The older brothers decided to try their luck.

Let us go, father and mother! Perhaps one of us will become the king's son-in-law!

The mother equipped her eldest sons, baked them white pies for the journey, fried and cooked some chicken and goose:

Go, sons!

The brothers went into the forest and began to cut down and saw trees. They chopped and sawed a lot. And they don’t know what to do next. They began to argue and swear, and the next thing they knew, they would grab each other’s hair.

An old man came up to them and asked:

Why are you guys arguing and swearing? Maybe I can tell you something that will help you?

Both brothers attacked the old man - they did not listen to him, cursed him with bad words and drove him away. The old man left. The brothers had a fight, ate all their provisions that their mother gave them, and returned home with nothing...

As soon as they arrived, the youngest began to ask:

Let me go now!

His mother and father began to dissuade him and hold him back:

Where are you going, you fool, the wolves will eat you along the way!

And the fool knows his own thing repeats:

Let me go, I’ll go, and don’t let me go, I’ll go!

Mother and father see that there is no way to deal with him. They gave him a crust of dry black bread for the road and escorted him out of the house.

The fool took an ax with him and went into the forest. I walked and walked through the forest and spotted a tall pine tree: the top of this pine rests on the clouds, only three people can grasp it.

He cut down a pine tree and began clearing its branches. An old man approached him.

“Hello,” he says, “child!”

Hello, grandpa!

What are you doing, child, why did you cut down such a big tree?

But, grandfather, the king promised to marry his daughter to the one who would build him a flying ship, and I am building it.

Can you really make such a ship? This is a tricky matter, and perhaps you won’t be able to handle it.

The tricky thing is not tricky, but you have to try: you see, and I succeed! Well, you came by the way: old people, experienced, knowledgeable. Maybe you can give me some advice.

The old man says:

Well, if you ask for advice, listen: take your ax and chop this pine tree from the sides: like this!

And he showed how to trim.

The fool listened to the old man and hewed the pine the way he showed. He is cutting, and it’s amazing: the ax moves just like that, just like that!

Now, says the old man, trim the pine from the ends: like this and like that!

The fool doesn’t let the old man’s words fall on deaf ears: as the old man shows, so he does.

He finished the work, the old man praised him and said:

Well, now it’s not a sin to take a break and have a little snack.

Eh, grandpa,” says the fool, “there will be food for me, this stale piece of meat.” What can I treat you with? You probably won’t bite my treat, will you?

“Come on, child,” says the old man, “give me your crust!”

The fool gave him some crust. The old man took it in his hands, examined it, felt it, and said:

Your little bitch is not so callous!

And he gave it to the fool. The fool took the crust and couldn’t believe his eyes: the crust turned into a soft and white loaf.

After they had eaten, the old man said:

Well, now let's start adjusting the sails!

And he took out a piece of canvas from his bosom.

The old man shows, the fool tries, he does everything conscientiously - and the sails are ready, trimmed.

Now get into your ship,” says the old man, “and fly wherever you want.” Look, remember my order: on the way, put everyone you meet on your ship!

Here they said goodbye. The old man went his way, and the fool boarded the flying ship and straightened the sails. The sails inflated, the ship soared into the sky, and flew faster than a falcon. It flies a little lower than the walking clouds, a little higher than the standing forests...

The fool flew and flew and saw a man lying on the road with his ear pressed to the damp ground. He came down and said:

Hello, uncle!

Nice, well done!

What are you doing?

I listen to what is happening at the other end of the earth.

What's going on there, uncle?

Wow, what an earworm you are! Get on my ship and we'll fly together.

Rumor did not make excuses, boarded the ship, and they flew on.

They flew and flew and saw a man walking along the road, walking on one leg, and the other leg tied to his ear.

Hello, uncle!

Nice, well done!

Why are you jumping on one leg?

Yes, if I untie my other leg, I’ll cross the whole world in three steps!

You're so fast! Sit down with us.

The speedboat did not refuse, climbed onto the ship, and they flew on.

You never know how much time has flown by, and lo and behold, there’s a man standing with a gun, taking aim. It’s unknown what he’s aiming at.

Hello, uncle! Who are you aiming at? No animal or bird is visible around you.

What are you! Yes, I won’t shoot close. I’m aiming at a black grouse that’s sitting on a tree about a thousand miles away. This is how shooting is for me.

Sit down with us, let's fly together!

They flew and flew and saw: a man was walking, carrying a huge sack of bread behind his back.

Hello, uncle! Where are you going?

I'm going to get some bread for lunch.

What more bread do you need? Your bag is already full!

Whats up! Put this bread in my mouth and swallow it. And to eat my fill, I need a hundred times that amount!

Look what you are! Get on our ship and we'll fly together.

They fly over forests, they fly over fields, they fly over rivers, they fly over villages and villages.

Lo and behold: a man is walking near a large lake, shaking his head.

Hello, uncle! What is it you are looking for?

I'm thirsty, so I'm looking for somewhere to get drunk.

There's a whole lake in front of you. Drink to your heart's content!

Yes, this water will only last me one sip.

The fool marveled, his comrades marveled and said:

Well, don't worry, there will be water for you. Get on the ship with us, we will fly far, there will be plenty of water for you!

It is unknown how long they flew, they just see: a man is walking into the forest, and behind his shoulders is a bundle of brushwood.

Hello, uncle! Tell us: why are you dragging brushwood into the forest?

And this is not ordinary brushwood. If you scatter it, a whole army will immediately appear.

Sit down, uncle, with us!

They flew and flew, and lo and behold: an old man was walking, carrying a sack of straw.

Hello, grandpa, gray little head! Where are you taking the straw?

Is there really not enough straw in the village?

There is a lot of straw, but there is no such thing.

What is it like for you?

Here's what it is: if I scatter it in the hot summer, it will suddenly become cold: snow will fall, frost will crackle.

If so, the truth is yours: you won’t find such straw in the village. Sit down with us!

Kholodillo climbed into the ship with his sack, and they flew on.

They flew and flew and arrived at the royal court.

The king was sitting at dinner at that time. He saw a flying ship and sent his servants:

Go ask: who flew on that ship - which overseas princes and princes?

The servants ran up to the ship and saw that ordinary men were sitting on the ship.

The royal servants did not even ask them who they were and where they came from. They returned and reported to the king:

Anyway! There is not a single prince on the ship, not a single prince, and all black bones are simple men. What do you want to do with them?

“It’s shameful for us to marry our daughter to a simple man,” the Tsar thinks. “We need to get rid of such suitors.”

He asked his courtiers - princes and boyars:

What should we do now, what should we do?

They advised:

It is necessary to ask the groom various difficult problems, maybe he won’t solve them. Then we will turn the corner and show him!

The king was delighted and immediately sent his servants to the fool with the following order:

Let the groom get us, before our royal dinner is over, living and dead water!

The fool thought:

What am I going to do now? Yes, I won’t find such water in a year, or maybe even my whole life.

What am I supposed to do? - says Skorokhod. - I’ll handle it for you in a moment.

He untied his leg from his ear and ran across distant lands to the thirtieth kingdom. I collected two jugs of living and dead water, and thought to myself: “There’s a lot of time left ahead, let me sit for a while and I’ll be back in time!”

He sat down under a thick, spreading oak tree and dozed off...

The royal dinner is coming to an end, but Skorokhod is gone.

Everyone on the flying ship was sunbathing - they didn’t know what to do. And Slukhalo put his ear to the damp earth, listened and said:

What a sleepy and drowsy one! He sleeps under a tree, snoring with all his might!

But I’ll wake him up now! - says Strelyalo.

He grabbed his gun, took aim and shot at the oak tree under which Skorokhod was sleeping. Acorns fell from the oak tree - right on Skorokhod’s head. He woke up.

Fathers, yes, no way, I fell asleep!

He jumped up and at that very moment brought jugs of water:

Get it!

The king stood up from the table, looked at the jugs and said:

Or maybe this water is not real?

They caught a rooster, tore off its head and sprinkled it with dead water. The head instantly grew larger. They sprinkled it with living water - the rooster jumped to his feet, flapping his wings, “cuckoo!” shouted.

The king became annoyed.

Well,” he says to the fool, “you have completed this task of mine.” Now I'll ask another one! If you are so clever, you and your matchmakers will eat in one sitting twelve roasted bulls and as much bread as was baked in forty ovens!

The fool became sad and said to his comrades:

Yes, I can’t even eat one piece of bread all day!

What am I supposed to do? - says Obedalo. - I can handle both the bulls and their grain alone. It won't be enough yet!

The fool ordered to tell the king:

Drag the bulls and the grain. Let's eat!

They brought twelve roasted bulls and as much bread as had been baked in forty ovens.

Let's eat the bulls, one by one. And he puts bread in his mouth and throws loaf after loaf. All the carts were empty.

Let's do more! - Obedalo shouts. - Why did they supply so little? I'm just getting the hang of it!

But the king has no more bulls or grain.

Now,” he says, “there is a new order for you: to drink forty barrels of beer at a time, each barrel containing forty buckets.”

“I can’t even drink one bucket,” says the fool to his matchmakers.

What a sadness! - Opivalo answers. - Yes, I’ll drink all their beer alone, it won’t be enough!

Forty barrels were rolled in. They began to scoop up beer in buckets and serve it to Opivale. He takes a sip - the bucket is empty.

What are you bringing me in buckets? - says Opivalo. - We'll be messing around all day!

He picked up the barrel and emptied it immediately, without stopping. He picked up another barrel - and the empty one rolled away. So I drained all forty barrels.

Isn’t there, he asks, another beer? I didn't drink to my heart's content! Don't get your throat wet!

The king sees: nothing can take the fool. I decided to destroy him with cunning.

Okay,” he says, “I’ll marry my daughter to you, get ready for the crown!” Just before the wedding, go to the bathhouse, wash and steam thoroughly.

And he ordered the bathhouse to be heated.

And the bathhouse was all cast iron.

They heated the bathhouse for three days, making it red hot. It radiates with fire and heat; you can’t approach it within five fathoms.

How will I wash? - says the fool. - I'll burn alive.

Don’t be sad,” Kholololo answers. - I'll go with you!

He ran to the king and asked:

Would you allow me and my fiancé to go to the bathhouse? I'll lay out some straw for him so he doesn't get his heels dirty!

What to the king? He allowed: “That one will burn, that both!”

They brought the fool with the Refrigerator to the bathhouse and locked him there.

And Kholodilo scattered straw in the bathhouse - and it became cold, the walls were covered with frost, the water in the cast iron froze.

Some time passed and the servants opened the door. They look, and the fool is alive and well, and the old man too.

“Eh, you,” says the fool, “why don’t you take a steam bath in your bathhouse, how about riding on a sled!”

The servants ran to the king. They reported: So, they say, and so. The king was tossed around, he didn’t know what to do, how to get rid of the fool.

I thought and thought and ordered him:

Place a whole regiment of soldiers in front of my palace in the morning. If you do, I’ll marry my daughter to you. If you don’t throw me out, I’ll throw you out!

And on his own mind: “Where can a simple peasant get an army? He won't be able to do this. That’s when we’ll kick him out!”

The fool heard the royal order and said to his matchmakers:

You, brothers, have helped me out of trouble more than once or twice... And now what are we going to do?

Eh, you found something to be sad about! - says the old man with brushwood. - Yes, I’ll field at least seven regiments with generals! Go to the king, tell him - he will have an army!

The fool came to the king.

“I will carry out,” he says, “your order, only for the last time.” And if you make excuses, blame yourself!

Early in the morning, the old man with brushwood called the fool and went out into the field with him. He scattered the bundle, and a countless army appeared - both on foot and on horseback, and with cannons. Trumpeters blow trumpets, drummers beat drums, generals give commands, horses beat their hooves into the ground...

The fool stood in front and led the army to the royal court. He stopped in front of the palace and ordered the trumpets to be blown louder and the drums to be beaten harder.

The king heard it, looked out the window, and became whiter than a sheet of paper in fright. He ordered the commanders to withdraw their troops and go to war against the fool.

The governors brought out the tsar's army and began to shoot and fire at the fool. And the foolish soldiers march like a wall, crushing the royal army like grass. The commanders got scared and ran back, followed by the entire royal army.

The king crawled out of the palace, crawled on his knees in front of the fool, asking him to accept expensive gifts and marry the princess as soon as possible.

The fool says to the king:

Now you are not our guide! We have our own mind!

He drove the king away and never ordered him to return to that kingdom. And he himself married the princess.

The princess is a young and kind girl. There is no fault on her!

And he began to live in that kingdom and do all sorts of things.

Young lover of literature, we are firmly convinced that you will enjoy reading the fairy tale “The Flying Ship” and you will be able to learn a lesson and benefit from it. The story takes place in distant times or “A long time ago” as people say, but those difficulties, those obstacles and difficulties are close to our contemporaries. “Good always triumphs over evil” - creations like this one are built on this foundation, laying the foundation for our worldview from an early age. Here you can feel harmony in everything, even the negative characters seem to be an integral part of existence, although, of course, they go beyond the boundaries of what is acceptable. The dialogues of the characters are often touching; they are full of kindness, kindness, directness, and with their help a different picture of reality emerges. Reading such creations in the evening, the pictures of what is happening become more vivid and rich, filled with a new range of colors and sounds. When faced with such strong, strong-willed and kind qualities of the hero, you involuntarily feel the desire to transform yourself for the better. The fairy tale “The Flying Ship” is definitely worth reading for free online; it contains a lot of kindness, love and chastity, which is useful for raising a young person.

F or your own grandfather and grandmother. And they had three sons: two were smart, and the third was a fool. They pity and pity the smart ones, the woman gives them white shirts every day, but they still scold and laugh at the fool. And he lies on the stove in a black shirt; as soon as they give him something, he will eat, but if he doesn’t, he will go hungry.
But then a rumor spread that it was like this: a royal decree had come that they would gather at the king’s for a feast, and whoever builds such a ship so that he can fly himself, let him fly on that ship, the king will give his daughter to him.
Smart brothers consult among themselves:
“Shouldn’t we go too, maybe our happiness awaits us there!”
They consulted and asked their father and mother:
“We’ll go,” they say, “to the king for a feast: if we lose, we won’t lose anything.”
The old people - there was nothing to do - took it and got them ready for the journey, the woman baked them white pies, roasted a pig, and gave them a bottle of wine.
The brothers went into the forest. They cut down a tree there and began to think about how to build a flying ship here.
An old grandfather, as old as milk, white, with a beard to his waist, comes up to them.
- Hello, sons! Let the fire light the pipe.
“We have no time, grandfather, to bother with you.” And they began to think again.
“You’ll make a good pig trough, children,” said the old man. “But you won’t be able to see the princess like your ears.”
He said - and disappeared, as if he had never existed. The brothers thought and thought and racked their brains, but nothing came of it.
“We’ll go to the king on horseback,” says the elder brother. “We won’t marry the princess, but we’ll just take a walk.”
The brothers mounted their horses and rode off. And the fool sits on the stove and also asks:
“I’ll go where the brothers went!”
- What did you come up with, you fool? - says the mother. - The wolves will eat you there!
“No,” he says, “they won’t eat it!” I'll go!
His parents laughed at him at first, and then started scolding him. Where is it? They see that nothing can be done with a fool, and finally they say:
- Well, go, but so that you don’t come back and don’t admit that you are our son.
The woman gave him a bag, put black stale bread in it, gave him a bottle of water and escorted him out of the house.
So he went.
He goes on his way and suddenly meets his grandfather on the road: such a gray-haired grandfather, his beard is completely white - right down to his waist!
- Great, grandfather!
- Great, son!
-Where are you going, grandfather? And he says:
“I walk around the world, helping people out of trouble.” And where are you going?
- I'm going to the king for a feast.
“Can you,” asks the grandfather, “know how to make a ship so that it can fly?”
“No,” he says, “I can’t!”
- So why are you going?
“Who knows,” he says, “why?” If I lose it, I won’t lose it, but maybe my happiness is lying somewhere somewhere.
“Sit down,” says the grandfather, “get some rest and let’s have lunch.” Get out what's in your bag!
- Eh, grandpa, there’s nothing here, the bread is so stale that you can’t even bite it.
- Nothing, get it!
So the fool gets it, and suddenly from that black bread the pies became so white that he had never seen anything like them: like the lords’. The fool was surprised, and the grandfather grinned.
They spread the scrolls on the grass, sat down, and let's have lunch. We had a proper lunch, the grandfather thanked the fool and said:
- Well, listen, son: now go into the forest and find the largest oak tree with branches growing crosswise. Hit it with an axe, and quickly fall flat and lie there until someone calls you. Then,” he says, “a ship will be built for you, and you get on it and fly where you want, and along the way, pick up whoever you meet there.”
The fool thanked his grandfather and said goodbye. The grandfather went his way, and the fool went into the forest.
He entered the forest, approached an oak tree with branches growing crosswise, hit it with an ax, fell flat and fell asleep... He slept and slept... And after a while he heard someone waking him up:
- Get up, your happiness is already ripe, get up!
The fool woke up and looked - there was already a ship in front of him: it was golden, the rigging was silver, and the silk sails were just swelling - just to fly!
So, without thinking for a long time, he boarded the ship. That ship rose and flew... How it flew below the sky, above the earth - and you can’t catch it with your eyes.
He flew and flew and saw: a man crouched on the road with his ear to the ground and listened. The fool called out:
- Great, uncle!
- Great, brother!
- What are you doing?
“I’m listening,” he says, “to see if people have already gathered at the king’s feast.”
- Are you going there?
- There.
- Sit down with me, I’ll give you a ride.
He sat down. They flew off.
They flew and flew and saw: a man was walking along the road - one leg was tied to his ear, and he was jumping on the other.
- Great, uncle!
- Great, brother!
- Why are you jumping on one leg?
“Because,” he says, “if I untie the second one and step once, I will cross the whole world.” But I,” he says, “don’t want...
-Where are you going?
- To the king for a feast.
- Sit down with us.
- OK.
He sat down and flew off again.
They flew and flew and saw: a shooter was standing on the road and taking aim with a bow, but neither a bird nor an animal was visible anywhere.
The fool shouted:
- Great, uncle! Where are you aiming? No bird or animal is visible anywhere!
“You can’t see it, but I can see it!”
- Where do you see that bird?
“Hey,” he says, “there, a hundred miles away, he’s sitting on a dry pear tree!”
- Sit down with us!
He sat down. Let's fly.
They flew and flew and saw: a man was walking and carrying a full sack of bread behind his back.
- Great, uncle!
- Great!
- Where are you going?
“I’m going,” he says, “to get bread for dinner.”
- Yes, you already have a full bag!
“But there’s not enough for me to have breakfast here.”
- Sit down with us!
- OK!
This one sat down too. Let's fly.
They flew and flew and saw: a man walking near the lake, as if looking for something.
- Great, uncle!
- Great!
- Why are you walking here?
“I’m thirsty,” he says, “but I can’t find water.”
- So there’s a whole lake in front of you, why don’t you drink?
- Eh, how much water is there! Even one sip is not enough for me.
- So sit down with us!
- OK.
He sat down and they flew off.
They flew and flew and saw: a man was walking into the village and carrying a sack of straw.
- Great, uncle! Where are you taking the straw?
“To the village,” he says.
- Isn’t there straw in the village?
“Yes,” he says, “but not like that!”
- Isn’t this one simple?
“And this,” he says, “no matter how hot the summer is, as soon as you scatter this straw, then immediately - out of nowhere - frost and snow.”
- Sit down with us! He sat down and flew on. They flew and flew and saw: a man was walking into the forest and carrying a bundle of firewood behind his back.
- Great, uncle!
- Great!
-Where are you taking the firewood?
- In the forest.
- Hey! Isn't there any firewood in the forest?
- Why not? There are, he says, but not like that.
- Which ones?
“There,” he says, “they are simple, but these are such that as soon as you scatter them, then immediately - out of nowhere - an army is in front of you!”
- Sit down with us!
And he agreed, sat down, and flew off.
Whether they flew for a long time or not for long, they arrived at the king’s feast. And there, in the middle of the courtyard, the tables are set, covered, barrels of honey and wine are high: drink, eat, whatever you want! And almost half the kingdom of people came together: the old, the young, the gentlemen, and the poor. Like going to the market. The fool arrived with his friends on a ship and sat down in front of the king's windows. They got off the ship and went to dinner.
The king looks out the window and sees: a golden ship has arrived! He says to his lackey:
- Go ask who arrived on the golden ship.
The footman went, looked, and came to the king:
“Some,” he says, “ragged men!”
The king doesn't believe it.
“It can’t be,” he says, “that the men would arrive on a golden ship!” You probably didn't try.
He took it and went to the people himself.
“Who,” he asks, “came here on this ship?”
The fool stepped forward:
- I! - speaks.
When the king saw that he had a scroll - patch on patch, trousers - his knees were hanging out, he grabbed his head: “How is it possible that I would give my daughter for such a man!”
What to do? And let him give orders to the fool.
“Go,” he says to the footman, “tell him that even though he arrived on a ship, if he doesn’t get medicinal and healing water while the people have lunch, not only will I not give up the princess, but the sword will be his head off his shoulders!”
The footman went.
And Listeno, the same one who had his ear to the ground, overheard what the king was saying and told it to the fool. The fool sits on a bench at the table and is sad: he does not eat, does not drink. Skorokhod saw this:
“Why don’t you eat,” he says?
- Where can I eat?
And he said this and that:
“The king ordered me to get medicinal and healing water while the people were having lunch... How will I get it?”
- Do not worry! I'll get it for you!
- Well look!
A footman comes and gives him a royal order, but he has long known how and what.
“Tell me,” he answers, “what I’ll bring!” Skorokhod untied his leg from his ear and, as soon as he waved, he jumped to the medicinal and healing water in an instant.
I dialed in, but was very tired. “Well,” he thinks, “by the time lunch is over, I’ll have time to return, and now I’ll sit under the mill and rest a little.”
I sat down and fell asleep. People are already finishing lunch, but he’s not there. The fool sits neither alive nor dead. Gone!” - thinks.
Listener put his ear to the ground - let's listen. He listened and listened and said:
- Don’t be sad, he’s sleeping under the mill, so he’s dashing!
- What are we going to do now? - says the fool. - How can we wake him up? And the shooter says:
- Don't be afraid: I'll wake you up!
He pulled the bow and as soon as it fired, even chips fell from the mill... The fast walker woke up - and quickly went back! People are just finishing lunch, and he brings that water.
The king does not know what to do. Let's give the second order: if he eats six pairs of roasted oxen and forty ovens of bread at one time, then, he says, I will give my daughter to him, and if he doesn't eat it, so here it is: my sword - and his head is off his shoulders!
I listened and overheard this and told the fool.
- What should I do now? I won't eat even one loaf of bread! - says the fool. And again he became sad and cried. And Obedailo says:
“Don’t cry, I’ll eat for everyone, and it won’t be enough.”
The footman comes: so and so.
“Okay,” says the fool, “let them give it!” So they roasted six pairs of oxen and baked forty ovens of bread.
As soon as he started eating, he ate everything clean and asked for more.
“Eh,” he says, “not enough!” If only they had given me a little more...
The king sees that things are bad. Again the order was given that this time he should drink twelve barrels of water in one breath and twelve barrels of wine, but if he doesn’t drink: here is the sword - his head is off his shoulders!
Listener overheard and told. The fool is crying again.
“Don’t cry,” says Opivailo, “I’ll drink, and it won’t be enough.”
Here they rolled out twelve barrels of water and wine.
As soon as he started drinking, Opivailo drank every drop, and he chuckled.
“Eh,” he says, “not enough!”
The Tsar sees that he can’t do anything, and he thinks to himself: “We need to kill him, this guy!”
So he sends a lackey to the fool:
- Go and say: the king said that you should go to the bathhouse before the wedding.
Meanwhile, he orders another footman to heat the cast-iron bathhouse: “There he, so-and-so, will bake!” The footman heated the bathhouse enough to bake the devil himself.
They told the fool. He goes to the bathhouse, followed by Frost and the straw. There Frost crushed the straw - and immediately it became so cold that the fool climbed onto the stove and fell asleep, because he was completely chilled. The next day the footman opens the bathhouse and thinks that all that remains from the fool is ashes. And he lies on the stove and no matter what. The footman woke him up.
“Wow,” he says, “how soundly I slept!” Nice bath you have!
They told the king that it was like this: he slept on the stove, and the bathhouse was so cold, as if it had not been heated all winter. The king began to worry: what should I do? I thought and thought and thought and thought...
Finally he says:
- The neighboring king is coming to war against us. So I want to test the suitors. Whoever gets me a regiment of soldiers by morning and leads them into battle himself, I will give my daughter in marriage to him.
Listener overheard this and told the fool. The fool sits and cries again:
- What should I do now? Where will I get this army?
Goes to the ship to visit friends.
“Help, brothers,” he says, “otherwise I’m completely lost!”
- Do not Cry! - says the one who was carrying firewood into the forest. - I will help you out.
A footman arrives and gives the royal order.
“Okay, I’ll do it,” says the fool. “Just tell the king that if he doesn’t give up his daughter now, then I’ll go to war against him.”
At night, the fool's friend led him into the field and carried with him a bundle of firewood. How he began to scatter that firewood there, so that every log became a soldier. And so the whole regiment was thrown away.
In the morning the king wakes up and hears: they are playing. He is asking:
- Who is playing this early?
“This,” they say, “is the one who arrived on the golden ship, training his army.”
And the fool has become such that you can’t even recognize him: his clothes simply sparkle, and he himself is so handsome, who knows!
He leads his army, and he himself rides in front on a black horse, followed by the foreman. Soldiers in the ranks - like a selection!
A fool led an army against the enemy. And he began to slash right and left so that he defeated all the enemy soldiers. Only at the very end of the battle he was wounded in the leg.
Meanwhile, the king and his daughter drove up to watch the battle.
The princess saw the bravest warrior wounded in the leg and tore the scarf into two halves. She kept one half for herself, and bandaged the wound of that brave warrior with the other.
The battle is over. The fool got ready and went home.
And the king threw a feast and decided to invite the one who defeated his enemies to visit him.
They searched and searched all over the kingdom - there was nothing like this anywhere.
Then the princess says:
“He has a sign: I bandaged his wound with my handkerchief.”
They started searching again.
Finally, two of the king's servants came to the fool. They look, and indeed one of his legs is bandaged with the princess’s scarf.
The servants grabbed him and started dragging him to the king. And he didn’t move.
“At least let me wash myself,” he says. “Where can I go to the Tsar, so dirty!”
He went to the bathhouse, washed himself, put on the clothes in which he fought, and again became so handsome that the servants even opened their mouths.
He jumped on his horse and rode off.
The princess comes out to meet her. I saw and immediately recognized the one whose wound I had bandaged with my handkerchief.
She liked him even more.
Here they got married and celebrated such a wedding that smoke went straight into the sky.
Here's a fairy tale for you, and a bunch of bagels for me.