Read the fairy tale Geese-Swans with pictures
Once upon a time there lived a husband and wife. They had a daughter, Mashenka, and a son, Vanyushka. Once father and mother got together in the city and said to Masha: “Well, daughter, be smart: don’t go anywhere, take care of your brother.” And we will bring you some gifts from the market.
So the father and mother left, and Masha sat her brother down on the grass under the window and ran outside to her friends.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, swan geese swooped in, picked up Vanyushka, put him on his wings and carried him away.
Masha returned, lo and behold, her brother was gone! She gasped, rushed here and there - Vanyushka was nowhere to be seen. She called and called, but her brother did not respond. Masha began to cry, but tears cannot help her grief. It’s her own fault, she must find her brother herself. Masha ran out into the open field and looked around. He sees geese-swans darting in the distance and disappearing behind the dark forest. Masha guessed that it was the swan geese that carried her brother away and rushed to catch up with them.
She ran and ran and saw a stove standing in the field. Masha to her: “Stove, stove, tell me, where did the swan geese fly?”
“Throw some wood at me,” says the stove, “then I’ll tell you!” Masha quickly chopped some firewood and threw it into the stove.
The stove told me which way to run. Masha ran further. He sees an apple tree, all hung with ruddy apples, its branches bent down to the ground. Masha to her: - Apple tree, apple tree, tell me, where did the geese-swans fly?
- Shake my apples, otherwise all the branches are bent - it’s hard to stand! Masha shook the apples, the apple tree raised its branches and straightened its leaves. Masha showed the way.
Masha runs further and sees: a milk river flows - the banks of jelly. Masha to her: - Milk river - jelly banks, where did the swan geese fly?
“A stone fell into me,” the river answers, “it prevents the milk from flowing further.” Move it to the side - then I’ll tell you where the geese and swans flew. Masha broke off a large branch and moved the stone.
The river began to gurgle and told Masha where to run, where to look for geese and swans. Masha ran and ran and came running to a dense forest. She stood at the edge of the forest and doesn’t know where to go now, what to do. He looks and sees a hedgehog sitting under a tree stump. “Hedgehog, hedgehog,” asks Masha, “have you seen where the geese and swans are flying?” The hedgehog says: “Wherever I swing, there you go too!”
He curled up into a ball and rolled between the fir trees and birches. It rolled and rolled and rolled towards the hut on chicken legs. Masha looks - Baba Yaga is sitting in that hut, spinning yarn. And Vanyushka is playing with golden apples near the porch.
Masha quietly crept up to the hut, grabbed her brother and ran home. A little later, Baba Yaga looked out the window: the boy was gone! She called to the swan geese: “Hurry, swan geese, fly in pursuit!”
The swan geese took off, screamed, and flew. And Masha runs, carrying her brother, but can’t feel her feet under her. I looked back and saw geese and swans... What should I do? She ran to the milk river - the banks of jelly. And the swan geese scream, flapping their wings, chasing her... “River, river,” Masha asks, “hide us!”
The river planted her and her brother under a steep bank and hid her from the swan geese. The geese-swans did not see Masha, they flew past.
Masha came out from under the steep bank, thanked the river and ran again. And the swan geese saw her - they returned and flew towards her. Masha ran up to the apple tree: “Apple tree, apple tree, hide me!”
The apple tree covered it with branches and covered it with leaves. The geese-swans circled and circled, did not find Masha and Vanyushka and flew past.
Masha came out from under the apple tree, thanked her and started running again! She runs, carrying her brother, and it’s not far from home... Yes, unfortunately, the geese-swans saw her again - and well, after her! They cackle, they fly, they flap their wings right over their heads - just look, Vanyushka will be torn out of his hands... It’s good that the stove is nearby. Masha to her: “Stove, stove, hide me!”
The stove hid it and closed it with a damper. The swan geese flew up to the stove, let’s open the damper, but that didn’t happen. They stuck their heads into the chimney, but didn’t get into the stove; they only smeared their wings with soot.
They circled, circled, screamed, screamed, and came back empty-handed to Baba Yaga... And Masha and her brother got out of the stove and ran home at full speed. She ran home, washed her brother, combed his hair, sat him down on a bench, and sat down next to him. Soon the father and mother returned from the city and brought gifts.
IV.
Meanwhile, Olyushka and Vanyushka ran away from the black forest. Here they are running, and they see that the swan geese are catching up, they cannot escape. And a stove .
Olyushka begged: “Mother stove, hide us!” The stove answers her: “Take out my pies, put them on a plate and try them yourself.” Olyushka immediately took the pies out of the oven and put a pie in her brother’s mouth. And then she and her brother climbed into the oven. And as soon as she managed to close the damper behind her, geese and swans swooped in. They circled and circled, but not finding anything, they flew away further. Olyushka thanked the stove, took her brother’s hand and ran on.
How long or how little time passes, the geese-swans are catching up again. And ahead on the way there is a river - the banks of jelly . Olya begged: “Mother River, hide us.” The river answers her: “And you free my bed, and taste my jelly.” Then I'll hide it. Olyushka and Vanyushka immediately scattered pebbles and twigs in different directions and sipped the jelly. And just under the river’s sleeve the river had time to rise when geese and swans swooped down. They circled and circled, but found nothing, and continued flying. Olyushka thanked the river, took her brother’s hand and ran on.
How long or how little time passes, the geese-swans are catching up again. And there is an apple tree . Olya begged: “Mother Yablonka, hide us.” The apple tree answers her: “Tie up my branches and taste my fruits.” Then I'll hide it. Olya immediately tied up the branches, took an apple for herself and her brother, and only had time to stand under the spreading branches when the swan geese flew in. They circled around for a long time, screaming in terrible voices. But they never found anything. They returned to Baba Yaga with nothing. And Olyushka thanked the apple tree, took her brother and ran on. It's not far from home now.
They just came running, and then the father and mother returned from the market. Guests were brought in. They stroked Olya on the head and caressed her with kind words. Because she looked after her brother well.
Russian folk tale Geese and Swans
There lived a man and a woman. They had a daughter and a little son.
“Daughter,” the mother said, “we’ll go to work, take care of your brother?” Don't leave the yard, be smart - we'll buy you a handkerchief.
The father and mother left, and the daughter forgot what she was ordered to do: she sat her brother down on the grass under the window, ran outside, started playing, and went on a spree. Geese-swans swooped in, picked up the boy, and carried him away on their wings.
The girl returned, and lo and behold, her brother was gone! She gasped, rushed here and there, no! She called to him, burst into tears, lamented that bad things would happen from her father and mother, but her brother did not respond.
She ran out into an open field and only saw: swan geese darted in the distance and disappeared behind the dark forest. Then she realized that they had taken away her brother: geese-swans had long had a bad reputation - that they played pranks, carried away small children.
The girl rushed to catch up with them. She ran and ran and saw that there was a stove.
- Stove, stove, tell me, where did the geese-swans fly?
The stove answers her:
“Eat my rye pie, I’ll tell you.”
- I’ll eat rye pie! My father doesn’t even eat wheat...
The stove didn't tell her. The girl ran further - there was an apple tree.
-Apple tree, apple tree, tell me, where did the geese and swans fly?
“Eat my forest apple, I’ll tell you.”
“My father doesn’t even eat garden ones... The apple tree didn’t tell her.” The girl ran further. A milk river flows on the banks of jelly.
—The Milk River, the banks of jelly, where did the swan geese fly?
- Eat my simple jelly with milk - I’ll tell you.
“My father doesn’t even eat cream... She ran for a long time through the fields and forests. The day is approaching evening, there is nothing to do - we need to go home. Suddenly he sees a hut standing on a chicken leg, about one window, turning around.
In the hut, the old Baba Yaga is spinning a tow. And my brother is sitting on the bench, playing with silver apples. The girl entered the hut:
- Hello, grandma!
- Hello, girl! Why did she appear?
“I walked through mosses and swamps, got my dress wet, and came to warm up.”
-Sit down while you spin the tow. Baba Yaga gave her a spindle and left. The girl is spinning - suddenly a mouse runs out from under the stove and says to her:
“Girl, girl, give me some porridge, I’ll tell you something nice.”
The girl gave her porridge, the mouse said to her:
-Baba Yaga went to heat the bathhouse. She will wash you, steam you, put you in an oven, fry you and eat you, and ride on your bones herself.
The girl sits, neither alive nor dead, crying, and the mouse tells her again:
“Don’t wait, take your brother, run, and I’ll spin the tow for you.”
The girl took her brother and ran. And Baba Yaga comes to the window and asks:
-Maiden, are you spinning?
The mouse answers her:
- I’m spinning, grandma... Baba Yaga heated the bathhouse and went after the girl. And there is no one in the hut. Baba Yaga shouted:
-Swan geese! Fly in pursuit! My sister took my brother away!..
The sister and brother ran to the milk river. He sees geese-swans flying.
-River, mother, hide me!
-Eat my simple jelly.
The girl ate and said thank you. The river sheltered her under the jelly bank.
The geese-swans did not see it, they flew past. The girl and her brother ran again. And the geese-swans returned to meet us, they are about to see. What to do? Trouble! The apple tree is standing...
-Apple tree, mother, hide me!
-Eat my forest apple. The girl quickly ate it and said thank you. The apple tree shaded it with branches and covered it with leaves.
The geese-swans did not see it, they flew past. The girl ran again. He runs, he runs, he’s not far away. Then the geese-swans saw her, cackled - they swooped in, beat her with their wings, and look, they would tear her brother out of her hands. The girl ran to the stove:
- Stove, mother, hide me!
-Eat my rye pie.
The girl rather put the pie in her mouth, and she and her brother went into the oven, sat down in the stomata.
The geese-swans flew and flew, screamed and shouted, and flew away empty-handed to Baba Yaga.
The girl said thank you to the stove and ran home with her brother.
And then the father and mother came.
