The Shepherd and the Snake

Whether it happened or not, there once lived a husband and wife. They lived very poorly. They had only one son. The son said:
"Dear parents, we have nothing, not even food. I will go find work to earn at least something to eat."
"Very well," said the parents.

The son went on his way. He walked and walked until he came to a rich man and hired himself as a shepherd to tend sheep. The shepherd served honestly, and the owner's flock grew. After a year, the shepherd said to the owner:
"Let me go home for a while to visit my old parents."

The owner let the worker go, gave him sheep, butter, meat, and cheese, and sent him to his family. The shepherd rode home on his horse. As he rode, he saw a snake stretched across the road, so much so that the horse was about to crush it. The shepherd dismounted, picked up the snake, carefully moved it to the side of the road, and said:
"Why are you lying in the way? Someone might crush you or kill you!" He mounted his horse again and rode on.

He arrived home, stayed for a while, and then set off back to his master. As he rode, he saw the snake lying across the road again. The shepherd jumped off his horse, picked it up carefully, moved it to the side of the road, and said:
"Don't lie on the road, poor thing. You'll get killed—don't you understand?" He mounted his horse and rode on. Suddenly, he heard the snake calling him:
"Hey, wait!"
The shepherd stopped. The snake crawled up to him and said:
"Will you not be afraid if I blow into your mouth?"

The shepherd was not afraid. The snake blew into his mouth, and the shepherd became a sorcerer—he could understand everything: the rustling of leaves, the roar of water, the singing of birds, and the speech of all animals—oxen, bulls, cows, and sheep.

The shepherd returned to his master, served another year, and then said:
"Let me go, master. Give me what I've earned and release me. It's time for me to go home and take care of my old parents."
"Go," said the master. "Throw your shepherd's staff into the flock, and whatever remains on this side will be yours."

The shepherd threw his staff, went to drive the flock, and heard an old sheep calling a young ram:
"Come here, why are you stuck there?" And the ram replied:
"Ah, mother, if our shepherd knew what I am, he wouldn't leave me behind."
The shepherd heard this and remembered the ram. They divided the flock, and the ram went to the master. The shepherd said:
"I had one tame ram, my favorite. He ended up with you. Give him to me, and take all my flock in exchange."
"Take your ram, I don't mind," said the master.

The shepherd took the ram, bid farewell to the master, thanked him, and drove his sheep away. As he passed through a village with his flock, he saw grain spread out to dry, with birds bustling around—some pecking at the grain on the mats, others picking up what had spilled on the road. Nearby sat a beautiful girl guarding the grain.

One bird, pecking at the grain on the mats, raised its head and said to its companions:
"Hey, you fools, why are you pecking at the ground? Come here while they haven't cleared it away or chased us off. What's spilled there is ours anyway and won't escape us."

The shepherd heard this and laughed.

The girl looked at the shepherd, took a liking to him, and he to her. The shepherd went on, returned home, built himself a new house, and decided to marry. He remembered the girl who had guarded the grain, found her, and took her as his wife.

They lived happily. But soon their happiness was clouded. The wife pestered her husband: "Tell me, tell me, what made you laugh that time when you were driving the sheep through the village?"
The shepherd wouldn't tell her, knowing that if he spoke, he would die. But the wife wouldn't leave him alone: "Tell me, tell me," even though she knew it would kill her husband.

The shepherd slaughtered six sheep, baked bread, and prepared everything for his own funeral. He decided to tell her everything—his wife had worn him down. Before doing so, he went to pen the sheep and heard the ram say:
"Listen to what I have to tell you."
"What is it?" asked the sheep.
"Our master is preparing his own funeral—his wife keeps pestering him to tell her something he mustn't say. If he tells her, he'll die by morning. If I were him, I'd deal with such a wife like this: I'd take a big, knotted stick and teach her a lesson so she'd forget even her own birthday..."

The shepherd went, cut a good knotted stick, returned home, and began to teach his wife a lesson. His wife lay in bed for a week, groaning. On the eighth day, she carried away both her sorrow and his.

↑ To the top

The Shepherd and the Snake

More fairy tales