Fairy tale Donkey. Read online, download

Once upon a time there lived a successful, strong, brave, kind king with his beautiful wife, the queen. His subjects adored him. His neighbors and rivals worshiped him. His wife was charming and gentle, and their love was deep and sincere. They had an only daughter whose beauty was equal to her virtue. The king and queen loved her more than life itself.

Luxury and abundance reigned everywhere in the palace, the king's advisers were wise, the servants were hardworking and faithful, the stables were full of the most thoroughbred horses, the cellars were filled with countless supplies of food and drink.

But the most amazing thing was that in the most prominent place, in the stable, stood an ordinary gray long-eared donkey, served by thousands of efficient servants. This was not just the king's whim. The point was that instead of the sewage that should have littered the donkey's bedding, every morning it was strewn with gold coins, which the servants collected daily. Life was so wonderful in this happy kingdom.

And then one day the queen fell ill. The skilled doctors who came from all over the world could not cure her. She felt that her hour of death was approaching. Calling the king, she said:

I want you to fulfill my last wish. When after my death you get married...

Never! - the king, who had fallen into grief, desperately interrupted her.

But the queen, gently stopping him with a gesture of her hand, continued in a firm voice:

You should get married again. Your ministers are right, you are obliged to have an heir and must promise me that you will agree to the marriage only if your chosen one is more beautiful and slimmer than me. Promise me this, and I will die in peace.

The king solemnly promised her this, and the queen died with the blissful confidence that there was no other woman in the world as beautiful as she.

After her death, the ministers immediately began to demand that the king marry again. The king did not want to hear about it, grieving for days about his dead wife. But the ministers did not lag behind him, and he, telling them the queen’s last request, said that he would marry if there was someone as beautiful as her.

The ministers began to look for a wife for him. They visited all the families that had daughters of marriageable age, but none of them could compare with the queen in beauty.

One day, sitting in the palace and grieving over his dead wife, the king saw his daughter in the garden, and darkness clouded his mind. She was more beautiful than her mother, and the distraught king decided to marry her. He informed her of his decision, and she fell into despair and tears. But nothing could change the madman's decision.

At night, the princess got into the carriage and went to her godmother Lilac the Sorceress. She calmed her down and taught her what to do.

Marrying your father is a great sin,” she said, “so we will do this: you will not contradict him, but you will say that you want to receive a dress the color of the sky as a gift before the wedding.” This is impossible to do, he will not be able to find such an outfit anywhere.

The princess thanked the sorceress and went home.

The next day she told the king that she would agree to marry him only after he got her a dress as beautiful as the sky. The king immediately summoned all the most skilled tailors.

Urgently sew a dress for my daughter that would make the blue vault of heaven pale in comparison,” he ordered. - If you do not follow my order, you will all be hanged.

Soon the tailors brought the finished dress. Light golden clouds floated against the background of the blue sky. The dress was so beautiful that next to it all living things faded.

The princess didn't know what to do. She again went to the Lilac Sorceress.

“Demand a dress in the color of the month,” said the godmother.

The king, having heard this request from his daughter, again immediately summoned the best craftsmen and gave them orders in such a menacing voice that they sewed the dress literally the next day. This dress was even better than the previous one. The soft shine of the silver and stones with which it was embroidered upset the princess so much that she disappeared into her room in tears. Lilac the Sorceress again came to the aid of her goddaughter:

Now ask him to wear a dress the color of the sun,” she said, “at least it will keep him busy, and in the meantime we’ll come up with something.”

The loving king did not hesitate to give all the diamonds and rubies to decorate this dress.

When the tailors brought it and unwrapped it, all the courtiers who saw it were immediately blinded, it shone so brightly and shimmered. The princess, saying that the bright shine gave her a headache, ran to her room. The sorceress who appeared after her was extremely annoyed and discouraged.

Well, now,” she said, “the most turning point in your destiny has come. Ask your father for the skin of his favorite famous donkey who supplies him with gold. Go ahead, my dear! The princess expressed her request to the king, and he, although he understood that this was a reckless whim, did not hesitate to order the donkey to be killed. The poor animal was killed, and its skin was solemnly presented to the princess, numb with grief.

Moaning and sobbing, she rushed to her room, where the sorceress was waiting for her.

Don’t cry, my child,” she said, “if you are brave, grief will be replaced by joy.” Wrap yourself in this skin and get out of here. Go as long as your feet go and the earth carries you: God does not abandon virtue. If you do everything as I command, the Lord will give you happiness. Go. Take my magic wand. All your clothes will follow you underground. If you want to put something on, tap the ground twice with your stick and what you need will appear. Now hurry up.

The princess put on an ugly donkey skin, smeared herself with stove soot and, unnoticed by anyone, slipped out of the castle.

The king was furious when he discovered her disappearance. He sent one hundred and ninety-nine soldiers and one thousand one hundred and ninety-nine policemen in all directions to find the princess. But it was all in vain.

Meanwhile, the princess ran and ran further and further, looking for a place to sleep. Kind people gave her food, but she was so dirty and scary that no one wanted to take her into their home.

Finally she ended up on a large farm, where they were looking for a girl who would wash dirty rags, wash pig troughs and take out the slops, in a word, do all the dirty work around the house. Seeing the dirty, ugly girl, the farmer invited her to hire him, believing that it was just right for her.

The princess was very happy, she worked hard day after day among the sheep, pigs and cows. And soon, despite her deformity, the farmer and his wife fell in love with her for her hard work and diligence.

One day, while collecting brushwood in the forest, she saw her reflection in the stream. The vile donkey skin she was wearing horrified her. She quickly washed herself and saw that her former beauty had returned to her. Returning home, she was again forced to put on the nasty donkey skin.

The next day was a holiday. Left alone in her closet, she took out her magic wand and, tapping it twice on the floor, summoned a chest of dresses to her. Soon, immaculately clean, luxurious in her sky-colored dress, covered in diamonds and rings, she admired herself in the mirror.

At the same time, the king's son, who owned this area, went hunting. On the way back, tired, he decided to stop to rest at this farm. He was young, handsome, beautifully built and kind-hearted. The farmer's wife prepared lunch for him. After eating he went to look around the farm. Entering a long dark corridor, he saw a small locked closet in the depths and looked through the keyhole. His surprise and admiration knew no bounds. He saw such a beautiful and richly dressed girl that he had never seen even in a dream. At that very moment he fell in love with her and hurried to the farmer to find out who this beautiful stranger was. He was told that in the closet lived a girl named Donkey Skin, so named because she was dirty and disgusting to such an extent that no one could even look at her.

The prince realized that the farmer and his wife knew nothing about this secret and there was no point in asking them. He returned to his home in the royal palace, but the image of a beautiful divine girl constantly tormented his imagination, not giving him a moment of peace. As a result, he fell ill and fell ill with a terrible fever. The doctors were powerless to help him.

Perhaps, they told the queen, your son is tormented by some terrible secret.

The excited queen hurried to her son and began to beg him to tell her the reason for his grief. She promised to fulfill his every wish.

“Mother,” the prince answered her in a weak voice, “on a farm not far from here lives a terrible ugly woman nicknamed Donkey Skin. I want her to personally make me a pie. Maybe when I taste it, I will feel better.

The surprised queen began to ask her courtiers who Donkey Skin was.

“Your Majesty,” one of the courtiers, who was once at this distant farm, explained to her. - This is a terrible, vile, black ugly woman who removes manure and feeds slop to pigs.

“It doesn’t matter what it is,” the queen objected to him, “perhaps this is a strange whim of my sick son, but since he wants it, let this Donkey Skin personally bake a pie for him.” You must get him here quickly.

A few minutes later the walker delivered the royal order to the farm. Hearing this, Donkey Skin was very happy about this occasion. Happy, she hurried to her closet, locked herself in it and, having washed and dressed in beautiful clothes, began to prepare a pie. Taking the whitest flour and the freshest eggs and butter, she began to knead the dough. And then, by accident or on purpose (who knows?), the ring slipped off her finger and fell into the dough. When the pie was ready, she put on her ugly, greasy donkey skin and gave the pie to the court walker, who hurried with it to the palace.

The prince greedily began to eat the pie, and suddenly he came across a small gold ring with an emerald. Now he knew that everything he saw was not a dream. The ring was so small that it could only fit on the prettiest finger in the world.

The prince constantly thought and dreamed about this fabulous beauty, and he was again seized by a fever, and even with much greater force than before. As soon as the king and queen learned that their son was very seriously ill and there was no hope for his recovery, they ran to him in tears.

My dear son! - cried the saddened king. - Tell us what do you want? There is no such thing in the world that we would not get for you.

“My dear father,” answered the prince, “look at this ring, it will give me recovery and heal me from sadness. I want to marry a girl for whom this ring will fit, and it doesn’t matter who she is - a princess or the poorest peasant girl.

The king carefully took the ring. He immediately sent out a hundred drummers and heralds to inform everyone of the royal decree: the girl on whose finger a gold ring is put will become the prince’s bride.

First the princesses came, then came the duchesses, baronesses and marquises. But none of them could put on the ring. They twisted their fingers and tried to put on the ring of the actress and the seamstress, but their fingers were too thick. Then it came to the maids, cooks and shepherdesses, but they too failed.

This was reported to the prince.

Did Donkey Skin come to try on the ring?

The courtiers laughed and replied that she was too dirty to appear in the palace.

Find her and bring her here,” the king ordered, “everyone without exception should try on the ring.”

Donkey Skin heard the beating of drums and the cries of heralds and realized that it was her ring that had caused such a commotion.

As soon as she heard a knock on her door, she

washed, combed her hair and dressed nicely. Then she put the skin on herself and opened the door. The courtiers sent for her, laughing, led her to the palace to the prince.

Is it you who live in a small closet in the corner of the stable? - he asked.

Yes, Your Highness,” answered the dirty woman.

Show me your hand,” the prince asked, experiencing unprecedented excitement. But what was the amazement of the king and queen and all the courtiers when, from under the dirty, stinking donkey skin, a small white hand poked out, onto whose finger a gold ring easily slipped, which turned out to be just right. The prince fell to his knees in front of her. Rushing to pick it up, the dirty woman bent down, the donkey skin slid off her, and everyone saw a girl of such amazing beauty that only happens in fairy tales.

Dressed in a dress the color of the sun, she shone all over, her cheeks would have been the envy of the best roses in the royal garden, and her eyes the color of the blue sky shone brighter than the largest diamonds in the royal treasury. The king beamed. The Queen clapped her hands with joy. They began to beg her to marry their son.

Before the princess had time to answer, Lilac the Magician descended from heaven, scattering the most delicate aroma of flowers around. She told everyone the story of Donkey Skin. The king and queen were immensely happy that their future daughter-in-law came from such a rich and noble family, and the prince, hearing about her courage, fell in love with her even more.

Wedding invitations have flown to different countries. The first one sent an invitation to the princess's father, but did not write who the bride was. And then the wedding day arrived. Kings and queens, princes and princesses came to see her from all sides. Some arrived in gilded carriages, some on huge elephants, fierce tigers and lions, some arrived on fast eagles. But the richest and most powerful was the princess's father. He arrived with his new wife, the beautiful widow queen. With great tenderness and joy, he recognized his daughter and immediately blessed her for this marriage. As a wedding gift, he announced that his daughter would rule his kingdom from that day forward.

This famous feast lasted for three months. And the love of the young prince and the young princess lasted for a long, long time, until one fine day it died along with them.

The fairy tale Donkey is an unusual fairy tale. Be sure to read the fairy tale online and discuss it with your child.

Fairy tale Donkey read

The royal couple did not have children for a long time. And when the long-awaited son was born, he looked more like a donkey than a man. The king and queen began to raise the donkey. The child grew up friendly, kind, loved music very much, and even learned to play the lute. At first he did not think about his appearance, but one day he saw his reflection in the water and, out of grief, went to wander around the world, taking his favorite lute with him. A donkey saw a beautiful princess in one kingdom, and under the walls of her palace he began to play the lute. They let the musician into the palace. They sat me down to have dinner with the servants. But the donkey declared that he was of noble birth. The king was in a good mood and invited him to the royal table. The king liked the guest's manners. The donkey began to live in the palace. The king gave his daughter in marriage to him and ordered the servant to look after his son-in-law. The servant saw that in the bedchamber the donkey had shed its skin and turned into a handsome young man. The princess was glad that she got a handsome husband. She was not upset that her husband put on his donkey skin in the morning. But the king was wise. He decided to burn the donkey skin at night. In the morning the king told his son-in-law that everyone loved him in the guise of a donkey, and they would love him even more as a handsome man. The king gave him half the kingdom, and everyone lived in peace and harmony. You can read the fairy tale online on our website.

Analysis of the fairy tale Donkey

The philosophical fairy tale Donkey has a deep meaning. It is about the true and imaginary beauty of a person. What helped the donkey become the king's son-in-law and a handsome young man? Not magic, but personal qualities. Apparently, the king was wise and was able to discern his virtues and inner harmony in the donkey. But the true essence of the young man is revealed after those around him accepted his ugly appearance. What does the fairy tale Donkey teach? The fairy tale shows that it is inhumane to laugh at people's physical disabilities. She teaches mercy and helps young readers understand that appearances can be deceiving.

Moral of the story Donkey

The fairy tale is relevant for modern society, in which there are many “donkeys” with the appearance of princes. It is better to outwardly resemble a donkey, but have innate nobility, than to hide a donkey’s soul behind a beautiful appearance - this is the main idea and moral of the original fairy tale.

Proverbs, sayings and fairy tale expressions

• Ugly in appearance, but pure in soul.
• He doesn’t look pretty, but he’s good at heart.

Once upon a time there lived a king and a queen. They were rich and had everything they wanted, but they had no children. The queen grieved day and night because of this and said:

I am like a field where nothing grows.

Finally, the Lord fulfilled her wish: a child was born to her, but it did not look like a human child, but it was a small donkey. When the mother saw this, she began to wail and complain that it would be better for her not to have a child at all than to have some donkey, and she ordered him to be thrown into the river to be eaten by the fish. But the king said:

No, since God sent him to us, then let him be my son and heir, and after my death he will sit on the royal throne and wear the royal crown.

So they began to raise the donkey. The donkey began to grow up, and his ears grew quickly. There was a donkey of a cheerful disposition, he kept jumping and playing, and he had such a passion for music that he once went to a famous musician and said:

Teach me your art so that I can play the lute as well as you.

“Oh, my dear sir,” answered the musician, “it will be difficult for you, your fingers are not at all adapted to such a task, they are too large, and I am afraid that the strings will not stand it.”

But no amount of persuasion helped - the donkey wanted to play the lute at all costs; he was stubborn and diligent, and in the end he learned to play as well as the teacher himself. One day the young heir went out for a walk and approached the well, looked into it and saw his donkey’s form in the mirror-clear water. And he was so sad because of this that he went to wander around the world and took as his companion only one faithful comrade. They wandered together in different places and finally came to one kingdom, where an old king ruled, who had an only daughter, and a great beauty at that. And the donkey said:

We'll be here for a while. - He knocked and shouted: - A guest is at the gate! Open the door, let me in!

But the door was not opened for him. And the donkey sat down at the gate, took his lute and played it with his two front legs, so beautifully. The gatekeeper widened his eyes in surprise, ran to the king and said:

A young donkey sits at the gate, plays the lute, and so well, like a learned master.

“So let the musician in here,” said the king.

But as soon as the donkey entered the castle, everyone began to laugh at such a player. And so they placed the donkey downstairs with the servants, where they fed him, but he got angry and said:

I'm not some common donkey, I'm a noble donkey.

And they say to him:

If so, then sit down with the soldiers.

No,” he says, “I want to sit next to the king.”

The king laughed and said cheerfully:

Okay, donkey, let it be your way, come to me.

And then the king asks:

Donkey, how do you like my daughter?

The donkey turned his head towards her, looked at her, nodded and said:

I really like it, it’s so beautiful that I’ve never seen anything like it.

“Well, sit next to her,” the king replied.

“This is just right for me,” the donkey answered and sat down next to her, ate and drank and behaved decently and neatly.

The noble donkey stayed at the royal court for quite some time and thought: “What’s the use of it, we still have to return home.” He became sad, came to the king and asked to let him go. But the king fell in love with him - and says:

What's wrong with you, dear donkey? You look so sad, are you planning to die or something? Stay with me, I will give you everything you want. Do you want gold?

“No,” the donkey answered and shook his head.

Do you want jewelry and decorations?

Do you want half of my kingdom?

Oh no.

And the king said:

If only I knew what could console you! Do you want my beautiful daughter as your wife?

“Oh, I would really like to have her,” said the donkey, and suddenly became so cheerful and joyful, because this was exactly what he wanted.

And a big and magnificent wedding was celebrated. In the evening, when the bride and groom were taken to the bedchamber, the king wanted to know whether the donkey would behave decorously, as it should, and so he ordered one of the servants to hide in the bedchamber. When the young couple were left alone, the groom bolted the door, looked around and, seeing that they were completely alone, suddenly threw off his donkey skin - and the beautiful young man stood in front of the queen.

“You see,” he said, “who I really am, now you see that I am worthy of you.”

The bride was delighted, kissed him and loved him with all her heart. But then morning came, he got up, pulled his animal skin over himself again, and not a single person could have guessed who was hiding under it.

And then soon the old king came and said:

Oh, our donkey is cheerful! But you’re probably sad,” he said to his daughter, “after all, you got a fake husband for your husband!”

Oh, no, dear father, I love him so much, as if he were the most beautiful in the world, and I want to live my whole life with him.

The king was surprised, but the servant, who was hiding in the bedchamber, came and told the king about everything.

And the king said:

I will never believe that this is true.

Then watch for yourself the next night, and you will see it with your own eyes. You know what, my king, hide the donkey skin from him and throw it into the fire - then the groom will have to show himself in his real guise.

Your advice is good,” said the king.

And in the evening, when the young people fell asleep, he sneaked into their bedchamber and, going up to the bed, saw in the moonlight a stately young man sleeping, and the skin that had been removed was lying next to him on the floor. The king took it, ordered a large fire to be built in the courtyard and the skin was thrown into it, and he himself was present until it was all burned to the ground. But the king wanted to see how the young man would behave without the skin stolen from him, and he watched and listened all night.

When the young man had had enough sleep, it was just beginning to get light, he got up and wanted to pull the donkey skin over himself, but it was impossible to find it. He was frightened and said in sadness and fear:

I see that I need to run away from here.

He left the bedroom, but the king stood at the door and said to him:

My son, where are you rushing, what are you planning? Stay here, you are a handsome young man, and there is no need for you to leave here. I will give you half of my kingdom, and after my death you will inherit everything.

“If so, then I want a good beginning to have a good ending,” said the young man, “I’m staying with you.”

And the old king gave him half the kingdom; and when he died a year later, the young man received the entire kingdom, and after the death of his father another, and he lived in great pomp and splendor.