The Wonderful Hat

Whether it happened or not, there once lived a poor peasant with his elderly mother. They lived in great poverty.

One day, the son said:

"Mother, I can't bear living like this anymore! I will go out into the world and either find something good or lose my life—either way, it will be better than this."

"Very well," said the mother. "Go, my brave son, and seek our fortune! And no matter what happens, I will always wait for you. I have no one but you."

So he got up and left. He walked, not knowing where he was going. Tired, he sat down to rest by the roadside. He saw a traveler approaching.

"Greetings to you!" said the traveler.

"And to you," replied the peasant.

"Why do you look so sad?" asked the traveler.

"How can I not be sad?" said the peasant. "Sit down, and I'll tell you."

The traveler sat down, and the poor man told him how he lived and why he had left home:

"I have an old mother. That's all I have. I asked her permission to leave, and now I'm wandering, searching. If something comes my way, good; if not, I won't return home alive."

But the traveler was an evil sorcerer. The sorcerer wanted to take advantage of the peasant's desperation and send him on a dangerous mission. So the sorcerer said:

"Well, if that's the case, I'll tell you something, but know this: it's a difficult task, and not everyone can accomplish it."

"Tell me," begged the peasant.

The sorcerer explained:

"Go straight ahead. After about a mile, you'll see a tall cliff. This cliff opens once every seven years. Approach it and wait—it will soon open. When it does, rush inside. There, you'll find a hat hanging. Grab it and hurry out. But beware—take nothing else, or the cliff will close, and you'll be trapped inside for seven years."

The peasant thanked the traveler and boldly set off toward the cliff.

After walking about a mile, he saw the cliff.

The peasant thought, "This must be the one."

He approached it and waited to see what would happen.

Suddenly, the cliff opened. The peasant rushed inside, saw the hat, grabbed it, and tore it from the wall. He looked around, and there—oh, what wonders! His eyes wandered. He saw grapes—such grapes! And the peasant was hungry; he hadn't eaten for days. He couldn't take his eyes off the grapes.

The peasant couldn't resist.

"Ah, whatever happens, I won't die of hunger!" he reached out and picked a bunch of grapes.

As soon as he did, the cliff closed, and he was left alone in the darkness.

For seven years, the cliff did not open. For seven years, the peasant sat alone in the dark. But finally, exactly seven years later, the cliff opened. The peasant rushed out, just in time, and the cliff closed behind him.

He sat down by the cliff to catch his breath. He sat there, not knowing what to do. He didn't even know the power of the hat he had taken.

He lay down in the shade, using the hat as a pillow, and thought:

"Ah, I have this hat, and it's soft under my head. If only I had a carpet to lie on, I could sleep well."

No sooner had he thought this than a carpet appeared out of nowhere.

The peasant spread it out, lay down, and said to himself:

"How is my mother now? I left her all alone, poor thing. If only I could be home with her right now."

As soon as he said this, the carpet rose into the air with the peasant and his hat, flew through the sky, and landed right by their house.

The peasant realized the power of the hat.

"This is some hat!" he said. "Come on, my hat, if you can, build me a house here in the yard, one even better than the king's."

No sooner had he spoken than a grand palace appeared in the yard, more magnificent than anything imaginable. The peasant entered the palace, lay down, and rested.

Morning came. The peasant's mother looked out from her hut and saw a palace standing in their yard.

The old woman cried:

"Who built this house in our yard and took over all our land?"

The neighbors were amazed—how could such a palace be built in one night?

The peasant got up, went outside, and approached his mother:

"Why are you crying, Mother?"

"How can I not cry, my son?" said the old woman. "Someone has built a palace in our yard and taken over all our land."

"Don't worry, Mother," said the son. "This is our new home. And now we will never go hungry again."

The mother was overjoyed. They entered their new home and began to live without want. For the first time in their lives, they could eat their fill and sleep on soft, comfortable beds.

On the third day, the son said:

"Mother, I have something to tell you."

"What is it, my dear son?" asked the happy mother.

"Well, the king has a beautiful daughter. Go to him and say: I have a son. Don't praise or criticize me too much, just say that I ask for his daughter's hand in marriage."

"I won't go," said the frightened mother. "What are you thinking? The king will kill me for this, cut off my head."

But the son wouldn't let her rest:

"Go, just go!"
The mother thought:

"Well, I’ll go, come what may. If he kills me, so be it, nothing worse can happen. But I so wish happiness for my son! I don’t even regret my old head for my son’s sake."

She said goodbye to her son and went to the king.

She arrived at the palace. The king’s guards looked out and saw an old woman wandering near the palace. They asked:

"What are you looking for here, mother?"

"I want to see the king," said the old woman.

The king of that land was powerful, kind, and caring, so he had ordered his guards to always bring anyone who asked for him to his presence.

They led the old woman to the king.

The king asked her:

"What do you need? What business do you have with me?"

"This is my business," said the old woman. "My son asks for your daughter’s hand in marriage."

"What are you saying! What kind of son do you have that my beloved only daughter, my princess, my dear clever and beautiful girl, whom I’ve cared for in every way since her birth, should become his wife?"

"No, no, give her to us!" repeated the old woman.

"Well then, go and tell your fine young son: if he is such a great fellow that he deserves to marry my only daughter, let him plant gardens on both sides of the road that leads from my palace to your home."

"Very well," said the old woman.

She went back to her son.

"What did the king say?" asked her son.

The mother told him:

"At first, the king was very surprised, but then he said: if he is such a fine fellow, let him plant gardens from his house all the way to the palace, on both sides of the road!"

"That’s nothing," said the son. "You go and rest, I’ll take care of it myself."

He stood up, took his hat, and said:

"Come on, my hat, if you can, plant gardens on both sides of the road from my house to the king’s palace, and let everything be ready by morning!"

Morning came.

The king looked out of the window—beautiful gardens adorned both sides of the road!

The son said to his mother:

"Go and tell the king: ‘Now can your daughter become my son’s wife?’"

The old woman went to the king.

"Well," she said, "now can your daughter marry my son?"

The king thought carefully, not wanting to make a mistake, and replied:

"Go and tell your son: ‘If you are such a fine fellow, pave the entire road from your house to my palace with pure marble by morning.’"

The old woman went back to her son.

"What did he say?" asked the son.

The mother told him what the king demanded.

The son said to his hat:

"Come on, my hat, if you can, pave the road from our house to the king’s palace with pure marble."

In the morning, he looked out—the road, as far as the eye could see, was paved with marble.

The son sent his mother to the king again for an answer. She went and said to the king:

"Now can your daughter marry my son?"

The king said:

"It seems your son truly is a fine fellow. Go and tell him: ‘If you can cover this marble road from your house to my palace with carpets, then come and take my daughter.’"

The mother returned and told her son what the king had ordered.

"Very well," said the son. "Go to sleep, this is my task."

He stood up, took his hat, and said:

"Come on, my hat, if you can, cover the entire road from my house to the king’s palace with carpets by morning."

In the morning, the son looked out—the entire road was covered with carpets. He gathered his friends and went to the king for his bride.

They arrived, and the king gave his daughter to him in marriage. The princess, who was strong, handsome, and brave, immediately took a liking to this poor peasant. He was exactly the kind of husband the beautiful princess had always dreamed of—and finally, he had come to propose to her. She could not have wished for anyone better in her life.

The princess confessed her love to her father, the king, who had no choice but to set a wedding date.

They celebrated the wedding, and the next morning, the son-in-law said to the king:

"Let’s go to my place now, and bring all your courtiers and all your troops."

The king thought:

"My son-in-law is good, strong, and not bad-looking, and he’s smart and brave, but how can he feed all my troops? And my gluttonous courtiers too? Well, I’ll go and see. Just in case, I’ll bring all the necessary supplies for the troops and the retinue, so as not to embarrass my son-in-law, and I’ll bring my royal tents to accommodate my people."

The king set off, along with his entire army and all his courtiers. They carried all sorts of royal supplies with them.

They arrived, and indeed, the house was magnificent, like a palace. They entered, but inside there were only empty tables—no food, no drink. The king was about to order his own provisions to be brought in.

But then the son-in-law took his hat and said:

"Come on, my hat, if you can, fill this table with food and drink, as befits a king."

Suddenly, dishes and wine appeared, everything one could desire, all there. The king feasted with his guests for three days, and on the fourth day, he bid farewell and returned to his palace. He felt ashamed for having brought his royal provisions with him to his incredibly wealthy son-in-law's home for no reason.

The husband, his wife, and his old mother stayed behind, living without any needs or worries.

One day, the husband decided to go hunting and said to his wife:

"I’ll go hunting, and you and mother stay home. I’ll return soon and bring plenty of delicious game for you."

He got up, took his rifle, his hunting dogs, and set off.

Meanwhile, the evil sorcerer, who had once advised the poor man on how to obtain the magical hat, found out that the poor man had not perished and had returned—and not empty-handed. When he learned about the former poor peasant’s new happy life, he was consumed by black envy. He thought, "How can I get my hands on that magical hat?"

The sorcerer took a new, fancy hat and approached the palace-like house, shouting:

"New hats for sale, old hats bought! Exchange old hats for new ones for free!"

The beautiful princess, however, did not know the power of her husband’s hat—her love-struck husband had forgotten to tell her about this important secret in his joy.

So the caring princess thought:

"Let me exchange this old hat for a new one and surprise my beloved husband, who does so much good for me."

She called out to the traveler:

"Wait, wait, come here!"

He approached, and she brought out the marvelous hat, saying:

"Will you exchange this old hat for a new one?"

"Well," said the sorcerer, "it’s not worth much, but take it, since I promised."

She happily took the new, beautiful hat in exchange for the old one and went back inside.

Meanwhile, the sorcerer took the magical hat obtained by the brave poor man and said:

"Come on, hat, if you can, take this entire house with the beauty—and me—far away from here."

As soon as he said this, the house rose and flew away to where he directed.

Only the old woman was left in the old shack. She lived in the same poverty as before.

When the son returned from the hunt, there was no house, no beloved wife! Only his hungry mother crying on the doorstep of the miserable shack.

But the former poor man did not cry. He was not about to give up what was his without a fight. He took his trusty rifle, sharp saber, and his pack of hunting dogs and boldly set out to search.

He walked and walked, searching everywhere for his wife.

Meanwhile, the beautiful wife wept, grieving for her beloved husband, cursing the evil sorcerer, but unable to do anything.

The husband searched and searched until he came to a tall, mysterious mountain. He looked up and saw his house there.

He approached, but the sorcerer’s hidden forces prevented him from getting closer. He sat down near the house and wept.

His wife looked out, saw her beloved husband, and called out to him, crying and wailing.

The husband said:

"Go and fetch my old hat, throw it to me as hard and far as you can, so it can cross the sorcerer’s forbidden boundary."

She went, retrieved the hat, and threw it to him with all her might, overcoming the sorcerer’s barrier.

He took the magical hat in his hands, and all the sorcerer’s powers gave way before him.

He entered the house and said:

"Come on, my hat, I know your power—lift this house and take it back to its old place, to my yard."

Was it hard for the hat? In two minutes, the house was moved and stood in the yard in front of the old woman’s shack.

And the brave husband and his faithful wife were back in their home, in their old place.

Meanwhile, the evil sorcerer lay in the stolen house, asleep, unaware of anything.

The faithful, loving wife showed her husband the room where the evil sorcerer was sleeping and resting. The brave husband entered the room, lifted the evil sorcerer from his bed with one mighty hand, struck him with his saber, cutting him in half, then chopped him into small pieces and fed him to his hunting dogs.

Finally, the house was back in its place. The old mother, who had no one else, was overjoyed when she saw her son and his wife back in their yard.

And they all lived together happily ever after. No one in the world could disturb their happiness.

The mother of the former peasant, now a grandmother, had more and more beautiful grandchildren, whom she loved dearly.

The loving old king, who adored his daughter and son-in-law, often visited their kind and strong family to rest and regain his strength.

And when the king grew very old, he passed his royal crown to his brave son-in-law and his faithful wife.

By that time, the brave husband and his beloved wife, now king and queen, had many good and clever children. And during their reign, even more beautiful children were born.

And to every newborn, the whole family would sing a lullaby:

Sleep, our beautiful child,
Hush-a-bye, hush-a-bye... Fairy girl