The Straw Bullock

Once upon a time, there lived an old man and an old woman. The old man worked as a tar distiller at a tar distillery, while the old woman stayed at home, spinning yarn. They were very poor and had nothing: whatever they earned, they ate. So, the old woman kept pestering the old man: "Make me a straw bull, old man, and tar it with tar."

- "What are you saying, you silly woman? What do you need such a bull for?"

- "Make it, I know what I need it for."

The old man had nothing else to do, so he made a straw bull and tarred it.

They slept through the night. In the morning, the old woman gathered her yarn and drove the straw bull out to pasture. She sat down by a mound, spinning her yarn and chanting:

- "Graze, graze, little bull, on the grass, while I spin my yarn! Graze, graze, little bull, on the grass, while I spin my yarn!"

She spun and spun, and then she dozed off. Suddenly, from the dark forest, from the dense woods, a bear came running. It stumbled upon the bull.

- "Who are you?" the bear asked. "Speak!" And the bull replied:

- "I am the straw bull, made of straw, tarred with tar."

The bear said:

- "If you are made of straw and tarred with tar, give me some tar to patch up my torn side."

The bull said nothing, remaining silent. Then the bear grabbed the bull's side and started tearing off the tar. It tore and tore, but its teeth got stuck, and it couldn't pull them out. It tugged and tugged, and finally dragged the bull off to who knows where!

The old woman woke up and saw that the bull was gone. "Oh, woe is me! Where has my bull gone? Perhaps it has already gone home."

She quickly gathered her distaff and comb, slung them over her shoulder, and headed home. She looked and saw the bear dragging the bull through the woods. She ran to the old man:

- "Old man, old man! The bull has brought us a bear. Go and kill it!"

The old man rushed out, wrestled the bear away, and threw it into the cellar.

The next day, before dawn, the old woman gathered her yarn and drove the bull out to pasture again. She sat by the mound, spinning her yarn and chanting:

- "Graze, graze, little bull, on the grass, while I spin my yarn!"

She spun and spun, and then she dozed off. Suddenly, from the dark forest, from the dense woods, a gray wolf came running and approached the bull.

- "Who are you? Speak!"

- "I am the straw bull, made of straw, tarred with tar."

- "If you are tarred with tar," said the wolf, "give me some tar to patch up my side, for the cursed dogs have torn it."

- "Take it!"

The wolf quickly approached the bull, wanting to tear off some tar. It tore and tore, but its teeth got stuck, and it couldn't pull them out. No matter how hard it tugged, it couldn't free itself. So, it struggled with the bull.

The old woman woke up and saw that the bull was gone again. She thought:

- "Perhaps my bull has wandered home," and she set off.

She looked and saw the wolf dragging the bull. She ran and told the old man. The old man threw the wolf into the cellar too.

On the third day, the old woman drove the bull out to pasture again. She sat by the mound and fell asleep. A fox came running.

- "Who are you?" it asked the bull.

- "I am the straw bull, made of straw, tarred with tar."

- "Give me some tar, dear, to patch up my side: the cursed hounds almost tore off my skin!"

- "Take it!"

The fox's teeth got stuck in the bull's tarred hide, and it couldn't free itself. The old woman told the old man, and he threw the fox into the cellar too.

Then they caught a little hare.

When they had gathered all of them, the old man sat by the cellar door and began sharpening his knife. The bear asked him:

- "Old man, why are you sharpening your knife?"

- "I want to skin you and make fur coats for me and the old woman."

- "Oh, don't kill me, old man. Let me go free, and I'll bring you lots of honey."

- "Alright, we'll see!"

And he let the bear go. He sat by the cellar door again, sharpening his knife.

The wolf asked:

- "Old man, why are you sharpening your knife?"

- "I want to skin you and make a warm hat for the winter."

- "Oh, don't kill me, old man. I'll bring you a flock of sheep."

- "Alright, we'll see!"

And he let the wolf go. He sat down again, sharpening his knife. The fox poked its head out and asked:

- "Tell me, old man, why are you sharpening your knife?"

- "The fox has a fine fur, good for a collar and a hat. I want to skin you."

- "Oh, old man, don't skin me. I'll bring you geese and chickens!"

- "Alright, we'll see!"

And he let the fox go. Only the hare remained. The old man sharpened his knife, and the hare asked why. He said:

- "The hare has soft, warm fur. It will make good gloves and a hat for the winter."

- "Oh, don't kill me, old man. I'll bring you earrings, ribbons, and a beautiful necklace, just let me go free!"

And he let the hare go too.

They slept through the night, and in the morning, before dawn, there was a knock at the door. The old woman woke up:

- "Old man, old man! Someone is scratching at our door, go and see!"

The old man went out and saw that the bear had brought a whole beehive full of honey.

The old man took the honey and had just lain down when there was another knock at the door.

He went out and saw that the wolf had driven a whole flock of sheep into the yard. Soon after, the fox brought chickens, geese, and all sorts of birds.

The hare brought ribbons, earrings, and a beautiful necklace. The old man and the old woman were delighted. They sold the sheep, bought oxen, and the old man began trading. They became so rich that they couldn't have wished for more.

As for the bull, since it was no longer needed, it stood in the sun until it melted away.

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The Straw Bullock

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