Tales of the Dead (Scary Tales) (fairy tale version 1)

In one village there was a girl - a sunbed, a lazy person, she did not like to work, anyhow how to talk and indulge! And she took it into her head to gather girls for spinning. And in the villages, of course, sunbeds are already collected for spinning, and lakotails 1 go. Here she gathered a spinner for the night; they spin for her, and she feeds them, treats them. This, that, and they got into a conversation: which of them is bolder? The lounger says: "I'm not afraid of anything!" “Well, if you’re not afraid,” the spinners say, “let’s go past the churchyard 2 to the church, take the image from the door and bring it.” - “Okay, I'll bring it; only each spin me on the cob 3. And this feeling is in her, that she should not do anything herself, but that others do for her. So she went, took off the image and brought it. Well, they see - just an image from the church. We must now carry the image back, and the time is already at midnight. Who should not? The lounger says: “You girls are spinning; I’ll take it myself, I’m not afraid of anything!”

I went and put the image in place. He only goes back past the graveyard and sees: a dead man in a white shroud is sitting on the grave. It's a monthly night, you can see everything. She approaches the dead man, pulls off his shroud; the dead man does not say anything, is silent - to know that the time has not yet come for him to say something. So she took the shroud, comes home. “Well,” she says, “she took the image, put it in its place, and here she pulled the shroud from the dead man!” The girls - who have spoused, who do not believe, laugh. We had just had supper, went to bed, and suddenly a dead man knocked on the windows and said: “Give me back my shroud! Give me my shroud!" The girls were frightened - neither alive nor dead; and the sunbed takes the shroud, goes to the window, opened it: “Here,” she says, “take it!” - “No,” the dead man answers, “carry it where you took it!” Only suddenly the roosters crowed - and the dead man disappeared.

The next night, the spinners all went home; at the same hour, the dead man comes again, knocking on the window: “Give me back my shroud!” Here the father and mother of the loungers open the window, give him the shroud. - “No,” she says, “let her take it to where she took it!” Well, how to go with the dead to the churchyard? Scary! Only the roosters crowed - the dead man disappeared. The next day, father and mother sent for the priest; They told him this way and that and asked to help their grief: “Isn’t it possible,” they say, “to serve Mass?” The priest thought: “Well, perhaps! Tell her to come out at mass tomorrow.” The next day she went to the sun lounger for Mass; the service began, the people found a lot! As soon as they began to sing the cherubim, suddenly a terrible whirlwind rose from where, and everyone fell prostrate! Grabbed her, yes to the ground. The girl was gone, only one braid remained from her.

1 Lakotails- sweethearts, lovers of delicacies ( Red.).

2 Cemeteries.

3 Measure strand.

Tales of the Dead (Scary Tales) (variant of fairy tale 2)

A peasant with pots was driving at night; he rode and rode, his horse got tired and stopped just opposite the cemetery. The peasant unharnessed his horse, set it on the grass, and he himself lay down on one grave; only he can't sleep. He lay and lay, suddenly the grave began to dissolve under him; he sensed it and sprang to his feet. Here the grave dissolved, and from there a dead man came out with a coffin lid, in a white shroud; he went out and ran to the church, put the lid on the door, and himself into the village. The peasant was a brave man; took the coffin lid and stood near his cart, waiting - what will happen?

A little later, a dead man came, grab - but there is no cover; began to follow the trail, got to the peasant and said: “Give me back my cover, otherwise I’ll tear it to shreds!” - “What is the ax for? - the man answers. "I'll cut you into small pieces myself!" - "Give it back, good man!" - the dead man asks him. “Then I’ll give it back when you say: where were you and what did you do?” - “And I was in the village; killed two young guys there. - "Well, tell me now: how can they be revived?" The dead man involuntarily says: “Cut off the left floor from my shroud and take it with you; when you come to that house where the guys are dead, pour hot coals into a pot and put a piece of shroud there, and close the door; from that smoke they will now become obsolete. The peasant cut off the left floor from the shroud and gave the coffin lid. The dead man approached the grave - the grave dissolved; he began to lower himself into it - suddenly the roosters crowed, and he did not have time to close properly: one end of the lid remained outside.

The man saw it all, noticed everything. It began to dawn; he harnessed his horse and rode to the village. He hears in one house crying, screaming; enters there - two guys are dead. "Do not Cry! I can revive them." - “Revive, dear; We will give you half of our wealth, ”the relatives say. The man did everything as the dead man taught him, and the guys came to life. Relatives were delighted, and the peasant was immediately seized, twisted with ropes: “No, dock! We will introduce you to the authorities; if you managed to revive, then you killed something! - “What are you, Orthodox! Fear God!" - the peasant yelled and told everything that had happened to him at night. So they let people know in the village, people gathered and threw them into the cemetery, found the grave from which the dead man came out, dug up and drove an aspen stake right into his heart so that he would no longer get up and kill people; and the muzhik was notably awarded and released home with honor.

Tales of the Dead (Scary Tales) (variant of fairy tale 3)

It happened to one craftsman late in the evening tossing and turning home from a strange village, from a cheerful friendly feast. To meet him an old friend - about a dozen years before he died. "Healthy!" - "Hello!" - says the reveler, and forgot that his friend long ago ordered to live long. “Come to me; let's grab another cup, another. - "Let's go to; on the joys that we met, you can drink! They came to the hut, drink, walk. “Well, goodbye! It's time to go home!" - “Wait, where to go now! Sleep with me." - “No, brother, and don’t ask - you can’t; Tomorrow there is work, so you have to be home early. - "Well, goodbye! What do you want to walk? Better get on my horse, it will take you quickly.” - "Thank you, let's go!" He sat on horseback and rushed - that your whirlwind flies! Suddenly a rooster began to sing!.. Terrible: there were graves all around, and a tombstone under the rider!

Tales of the Dead (Scary Tales) (fairy tale variant 4)

They released one soldier on a visit to his homeland; so he walked, walked, whether for a long time, whether for a short time, and began to approach his village. A miller lived in a mill not far from the village; in the old days the soldier made a great acquaintance with him; why not visit a friend? Went in; the miller greeted him affectionately, now he brought some wine, they began to drink it and talk about their life and being. It was towards evening, and as soon as the soldier stayed with the miller, it completely grew dark. The soldier is going to go to the village; and the owner says: “Servant, spend the night with me; now it’s too late, and, perhaps, you won’t get away from trouble! ” - "What's wrong?" - “God punished! A terrible sorcerer has died among us; at night he rises from the grave, wanders around the village and does what he does, that fear has caught up with the most daring! No matter how he disturbs you!” - "Nothing! A soldier is a state-owned person, and a state-owned person does not sink in water or burn in fire; I’ll go, I really want to see my family as soon as possible.”

set off; the road went past the cemetery. He sees - on one grave a light shines. "What? Let me see." He approaches, and the sorcerer sits near the fire and sews his boots. "Hey, brother!" - the servant shouted to him. The sorcerer looked and asked: “Why are you here?” - "Yes, I wanted to see what you are doing." The sorcerer quit his job and calls the soldier to the wedding: “Let's go, brother, take a walk - there is a wedding in the village today!” - "Let's go to!" They came to the wedding, began to give them water, treat them in every possible way. The sorcerer drank and drank, walked and walked and got angry; he drove all the guests and family out of the hut, put the married couple to sleep, took out two vials and an awl, wounded the hands of the bride and groom with the awl and drew their blood. He did this and said to the soldier: "Now let's get out of here." Here we go. On the road, a soldier asks: “Tell me, why did you get blood in vials?” - “In order for the bride and groom to die; tomorrow no one will get them! Only I know how to revive them." - "But as?" “It is necessary to cut the heels of the bride and groom and pour blood into those wounds again - to each his own: in my right pocket is the blood of the groom, and in the left is the bride.”

The soldier listened, did not utter a word; and the sorcerer keeps boasting: “I,” he says, “whatever I want, I will do!” - “As if it’s impossible to cope with you?” - “How can you not? Now, if someone had collected a fire of aspen firewood for a hundred wagons and burned me on this fire, then maybe he would have coped with me! Only you need to burn me skillfully; at that time, snakes, worms and various reptiles will crawl out of my womb, jackdaws, magpies and crows will fly; they must be caught and thrown into the fire: if at least one worm leaves, then nothing will help! I'll slip away in that worm!" The soldier listened and remembered. They talked and talked, and finally reached the grave, “Well, brother,” said the sorcerer, “now I will tear you apart; and then you will tell everything. - “What are you, come to your senses! How to tear me? I serve God and the sovereign." The sorcerer gritted his teeth, howled and rushed at the soldier, who drew his saber and began to beat backhand. They fought and fought, the soldier was almost exhausted; oh, he thinks he's gone for nothing! Suddenly the roosters crowed - the sorcerer fell lifeless. The soldier took vials of blood from his pockets and went to his relatives.

Comes, said hello; relatives ask: “Didn’t you see, soldier, what anxiety?” - "No, I didn't." - “That's it! And we have grief in the village: the sorcerer got into the habit of walking. We talked and went to bed; the next morning the soldier woke up and began to ask: “They say that your wedding is coping somewhere?” Relatives in response: “There was a wedding at a rich man, only the bride and groom died that night, and why is unknown.” - "Where does this man live?" Showed him a house; he went there without saying a word; comes and finds the whole family in tears. "What are you grieving about?" - "So and so, soldier!" - “I can revive your young ones; what will you give?" - “Yes, take at least half of the estate!” The soldier did as the sorcerer had taught him, and revived the young; instead of crying, joy and merriment began; the soldier was treated and rewarded. He circles to the left and march to the headman; ordered him to gather the peasants and prepare a hundred wagonloads of aspen firewood.

Here they brought firewood to the cemetery, piled it in a heap, pulled the sorcerer out of the grave, put it on a fire and lit it; and all around the people surrounded - all with brooms, shovels, pokers. The fire burst into flames, and the sorcerer began to burn; his womb burst, and snakes, worms and various reptiles crawled out of there, and ravens, magpies and jackdaws flew out of there; the peasants beat them and throw them into the fire, not a single worm was allowed to escape. So the sorcerer burned down! The soldier immediately collected his ashes and scattered them to the wind. Since that time there has been silence in the village; the peasants thanked the soldier with the whole world; he stayed at home, walked up to his fill and returned to the royal service with money. He served his term, retired and began to live and live, to make good, to get rid of the bad.

Tales of the Dead (Scary Tales) (fairy tale variant 5)

Once upon a time there was a soldier; retired and went home. He comes to his village - everything is empty, you can not see people anywhere. What does it mean? He went into his former hut, took off his knapsack, undressed; he began to sit down on the bench, looked, and on the table stood a damask of wine, and plenty of snacks had been prepared. “Well,” he thinks, “at least I won’t be hungry: there is something to eat and drink.” Suddenly his old grandfather climbs into the hut, who has been dead for about ten years; he was a strong sorcerer, he drove all the people out of the village, but such a cunning one to deal with him has never happened! He saw the guest and shouted: “Bah! Hello, granddaughters! - "Great, grandfather!" - "I haven't seen you for a long time!" - "And that for a long time!" The sorcerer sat down and let's drink appetizers and drink wine; all one arrived. "Where are my brothers?" - asks the soldier. “They live in a different village; I kicked everyone out of here. They only go here during the day; they will come, put me supper and a damask of wine, and come back!”

The sorcerer had a bite to eat, had a drink, and said: “Let's go to the neighboring village; There's a rich man's wedding there today. As soon as we arrive, I’ll go to the hut, and you stand on the street and what I’m going to give you through the window - take everything and put it in the wagon. - "Okay, grandfather!" They went out into the yard, at the porch there was a trio of blacks - they were tearing, they were digging the ground with their hooves! They got into the cart and immediately galloped to the village. The sorcerer entered the hut, and the soldier remained on the street, looking: what will happen? Grandfather took the tablecloth from the table and everything that was put on the table, wrapped it in a bundle and put it out the window; the soldier took it and put it in the wagon. Then the sorcerer came up to the groom, rolled up his sleeve and put his hand into his mouth up to the very shoulder - the groom immediately died; did the same with the bride - and she died. Here everyone began to wail, wept; why did the problem happen? No one knows: the sorcerer both entered and left invisible to anyone.

He sat down with the soldier in the wagon and galloped back. Horses are fast! “What, grandfather,” the soldier asks, “how long will you walk around the wide world?” - "For a long time, granddaughters, as long as I want." - "Is there really no power on you?" “There is power, but no one knows about it.” - "Tell me, grandfather!" - “No, granddaughters! You want to know a lot." - "Please tell me!" - “Well, so be it: here in this place is a dry pear; if seven gather and pull it out by the roots, there will be a failure under it; after that it is necessary to dig my coffin and throw it into that hole and plant a pear tree again; well, granddaughters, then it’s enough for me to walk!” “Isn’t it possible to cure today’s young people so that they come to life?” - “Oh, granddaughter! You will know a lot, you will soon grow old. - "But tell me!" - “Well, so be it! A rich peasant's cow calved today and brought a red bull; if you kill that bull, take out the heart, take blood from that heart, and anoint the young with that blood, they will come to life in that very minute and be healthy and unharmed.

The horses flew up to the porch and stood in their tracks; the sorcerer took the bundle and carried it to the hut. He untied and began to eat everything that came across: at first he ate food, and then he began to swallow spoons, knives, bottles and the tablecloth itself. He processed everything quickly and shouted at the top of his voice: “I want to eat! Hungry! .. Well, granddaughters, now I’ll take care of you! - “What are you, grandfather, what a soldier food! Just some bones." - "Nothing, fit!" - “Let me take a look at the white world at least for the last time!” - "Well, look, just hurry!" A soldier went out into the yard, found an aspen log, took it and stands there; and the grandfather shouts: “What are you digging for? Go, I don't have time to wait." - “No, grandfather, I will not go to the hut; if you want, eat me in the yard - there is nothing to dirty the hut!

The sorcerer got angry, runs to his yard; he just wanted to grab him, but the soldier didn’t give up - how he would cut him backhand with an aspen log! Sorcerer and off your feet! "Well, granddaughter, strike again." - "It will be with you and this!" Here the rooster crowed - the old man ossified and fell silent; and the soldier grabbed a knapsack and went to the neighboring village where his brothers lived. The next day, he called the whole world together, chose six people, the seventh himself went; they took the sorcerer and threw him into the hole - where the dry pear stood. After that, the soldier cured the young, took a big reward for that, and lived a rich and happy life.

Tales of the Dead (Scary Tales) (variant of fairy tale 6)

The soldier took time off on vacation - to visit his homeland, to see his parents, and went on the road. The day went on, another went on, on the third I wandered into a dense forest. Where to sleep here? I saw that there were two huts at the edge, I went into the last one and found one old woman at home. "Hello, grandma!" - "Hello, servant!" - "Let me sleep the night." - "Go, only you will be restless here." - "What? Are you cramped? This, grandmother, is nothing; a soldier needs a little space: I’ll lie down somewhere in a corner, if only not in the yard! - “Not that, servant! You came to sin…” - “What sin?” - “But on which one: in a neighboring hut, an old man died recently - a great sorcerer; and tapericha every night he prowls through other people's houses and eats people. - "Eh, grandmother, God will not give out, the pig will not eat."

The soldier undressed, had supper and climbed onto the bed; lay down to rest, and put a cleaver beside him. Exactly at twelve o'clock all the locks fell and all the doors opened; a dead man in a white shroud enters the hut and rushes at the old woman. "Damned, why are you here?" the soldier shouted at him. The sorcerer left the old woman, jumped up on the bed, and let's mess with the soldier. He cut him with a cleaver, chopped and chopped, beat all the fingers on his hands, but he still can’t get better. They grappled tightly, and both of them crashed from the blankets to the floor: the sorcerer went down, and the soldier went upstairs; the soldiers grabbed him by the beard and treated him with a cleaver until the roosters crowed. At that very moment, the sorcerer became dead: he lies, does not move, like a wooden deck.

The soldier pulled him out into the yard and threw him into the well - head down, feet up. Look: on the feet of the sorcerer are glorious new boots, killed with nails, smeared with tar! “Oh, it’s a pity they’ll disappear for nothing,” the soldier thinks, “let me take them off!” He took off his boots from the dead man and returned to the hut. “Ah, servant father,” says the old woman, “why did you take off his boots?” - “Duck is it really possible to leave it on him? Look at those boots! Who does not need it - a ruble of silver will give; and I’m a camping person, they will be very useful to me! ”

The next day the soldier said goodbye to his mistress and went on; only from that very day - wherever he goes to sleep, at exactly twelve o'clock in the morning a sorcerer appears under the window and demands his boots. “I,” he threatens, “will not leave you anywhere: I will go all the way with you, I won’t give you rest in my homeland, I’ll torture you in the service!” The soldier could not stand it: “What do you, the damned one, need?” - "Give me my boots!" The soldier threw his boots out the window: “Here, get rid of me, evil spirits!” The sorcerer picked up his boots, whistled, and disappeared from sight.

Tales of the Dead (Scary Tales) (variant of fairy tale 7)

A man went hunting and took his beloved dog with him. He walked and walked through the forests, through the swamps, nothing came out; the dark night overtook him, at indefinite hours he walks past the cemetery and sees: a dead man in a white shroud is standing at the crossroads. The man was timid: where to go - forward, or turn back? "Oh, whatever happens, I'll go ahead!" He walks, and the dog runs after him. The dead man spotted him and rushed towards him - half an arshin is not enough to the ground with his feet, only the shroud swells. He caught up with the hunter, rushed at him, and the dog grabbed that dead man by his bare calves and began to fight him. The peasant sees that the dog has grappled with the dead man; rejoiced that his cause was right, and ran at full speed home!

The dog fought until the roosters crowed and the dead man fell motionless; after that she set off after the owner, caught up with him at the very house and rushed to tear and bite him; she got so angry, so stuck that her family barely repulsed her. "What's wrong with the dog? asks the old mother. “Why did you hate the owner so much?” The man told everything that happened. “It’s not good, son,” says the old woman, “the dog was angry because you didn’t give her help; she fought with the dead, and you left her alone and saved yourself! Now she will think evil of you for a long time. The next morning the whole family walks around the yard - the dog is fine, but only the owner will show up - and growl. They chained her; they kept her in chains for a whole year, but she did not forget her master's insult; somehow she fell right on the hunter, let's strangle him ... Then they killed her.

Tales of the Dead (Scary Tales) (variant of fairy tale 8)

In ancient times, there lived two young guys in the same village; they lived amicably, walked together in conversations, revered each other for a brother. They made such an agreement among themselves: whichever of them would marry in advance, he would invite his comrade to the wedding; Whether he lives or dies is all the same. A year after that, one good fellow fell ill and died; and a few months later his friend decided to marry. Gathered with all his affinity and went for the bride. They happened to drive past a cemetery; the groom remembered his friend, remembered the old agreement and ordered the horses to be stopped. “I,” he says, “I will go to my comrade to the grave, I will ask him to take a walk to my wedding; he was my true friend!

He went to the grave and began to call: “Dear comrade! I'm asking you to come to my wedding." Suddenly the grave dissolved, the deceased stood up and said: “Thank you, brother, for keeping your promise! In joy come up to me; Let's have a glass of sweet wine with you." - "I would come in, but the train is standing, the people are waiting." The dead man replies: "Oh, brother, it won't take long to drink a glass." The bridegroom descended into the grave; the dead man poured him a cup of wine, he drank it - and a whole hundred years passed. “Drink, dear, another cup!” Drank another - two hundred years have passed. “Well, my friend, drink a third and go with God, play your wedding!” He drank the third cup - three hundred years have passed.

The dead man said goodbye to his comrade; the coffin was closed, the grave was leveled. The groom looks: where there was a cemetery, there was a wasteland; there is no road, no relatives, no horses, nettles and tall grass are overgrown everywhere. I ran to the village - and the village is not the same; houses are different, people are all strangers. I went to the priest - and the priest is not the same; told him how and what happened. The priest began to consult books and found that three hundred years ago there was such a case: on the day of the wedding, the groom went to the cemetery and disappeared, and his bride later married another.

Tales of the Dead (Scary Tales) (variant of fairy tale 9)

Once upon a time there was a man and a woman, they had two sons. Soldiers came, they shaved the eldest son's forehead and drove him far, far away; and another brother hired himself willingly and became a soldier. "Who will feed us?" - says the old woman, embittered at the younger son and cursed him forever. And it so happened that both brothers were in the same regiment; they lived in harmony, well.

Here the smaller one served a year, another, fell ill and died. They buried him properly. At night, a dead brother comes to a living one and says: “Brother, wake up!” He got scared. "Don't be afraid! I'm not gifted. Do you remember how I got hired as a hunter, at that time my mother cursed me, and now the earth does not accept me. So that's it, brother! Take a leave of absence and beg your mother to forgive me; if you beg her, I will pay you good: if you marry, you will remember me! The older brother took time off on vacation and went home. Comes to his village; the father and mother of the radekhonka began to ask: “Have you met your little brother somewhere, have you heard anything about him?” "Oh, he's dead! Mother, forgive him." The old woman cried and forgave.

The next day a soldier goes to market; suddenly the merchant calls out to him: “What, service, don’t you want to get married?” - "There is no bride!" - "Come to me: I have a daughter." - "Let's go to". That merchant's daughter married twice, but all the trouble happened: they put the young people to sleep in the evening, and the next morning the husband will die; you see, a kite flew towards her. But the soldier knows nothing about it; wooed, married them and put them to bed. At night, the deceased brother came and stood at the head of the bed with a sword in his hand. Twelve o'clock struck, a terrible serpent flies. The dead man rushed at him and cut off all nine of his heads; the next morning the merchant and the merchant's wife came, but the son-in-law is alive; they put a recruit for him in the regiment, and he began to live with his wife, remember his brother and make good.

Tales of the Dead (Scary Tales) (variant of fairy tale 10)

The soldier took time off on leave to his homeland - to pray to the holy icons, to bow to his parents. It’s on its way, and the sun has long since set, it’s dark in the field. We must go past the cemetery; he hears - someone is chasing him: “Stop! - screams. - You will not leave!" He looked around, otherwise the dead man was running, gritting his teeth; the soldier set off from him to the side with all his agility, saw the chapel - and straight into it. There is no one in that chapel, only another dead man lies on the table, and candles are burning in front of him. The soldier huddled in a corner, sitting neither alive nor dead: something will happen!

Suddenly, the first dead man, who was chasing after the soldier, comes running and climbs into the chapel; and the one that was lying on the table gets up and says to him: “Why did you come running?” - "I brought a soldier here, so I want to eat him." - “Well, brother, he came running to me; I'll eat it!" - "No, I!" - "No, I!" And let's fight, only dust flies; If only they had fought for a long time, the cocks would crow: then both dead men fell to the floor, dead, and the soldier calmly went home. "Thank you Lord, I escaped from the sorcerers!"

Tales of the Dead (Scary Tales) (variant of fairy tale 11)

In one village there lived a husband and a wife; they lived cheerfully, in harmony, lovingly: all the neighbors envied them, and good people, looking at them, rejoiced. Here the hostess became heavy, gave birth to a son, and died from that birth. The poor peasant grieved and wept, most of all he was hurt about the child: how now to feed, raise him without his own mother? He hired some old woman to follow him; everything is better. Just what is the story? During the day, the child does not eat, always screams, nothing can console him; and the night will come - as if he is not there, he sleeps quietly and peacefully. “Why so? - thinks the scarecrow. “Let me not sleep at night, maybe I’ll reconnoiter.” At midnight she hears: someone quietly opened the door and went up to the cradle; the child is silent, as if sucking at the breast. The next night and the third again the same.

She began to talk about it to the peasant; he gathered his relatives and began to hold a council. So they came up with: not to sleep one night and peep: who walks around and feeds the child? In the evening everyone lay down on the floor, put a lit candle in their heads and covered it with an earthenware pot. At midnight, the door to the hut opened, someone went up to the cradle - and the child calmed down. At this time, one of the relatives suddenly opened a candle - they look: the deceased mother, in the very dress in which she was buried, kneels, leaning towards the cradle, and feeds the child with dead breasts. As soon as the hut was lit up, she immediately got up, looked sadly at her little one, and quietly left without saying a single word to anyone. All who saw her turned to stone; and the baby was found dead.

Tales of the Dead (Scary Tales) (variant of fairy tale 12)

One night a schoolmaster was walking past the church and was met by twelve robbers. “Do you know,” the robbers asked, “where lies that rich lady who died a week ago in your town?” - "I know; she was buried in the church crypt.” The robbers threatened him with a sharp knife and forced him to go with them; they came to the church crypt, broke the iron grate out of the window and lowered the school teacher down there on sashes. “Open,” they tell him, “the tomb, take off seven golden rings with precious stones from the lady and give them here.”

The teacher opened the coffin lid and began to remove the golden rings from the hands of the deceased; He easily took off six, but he could not take the seventh: the lady squeezed her finger and did not give the ring. He said about it to the robbers; they threw a knife at him and ordered: “Cut off her finger!” The teacher raised the knife and as soon as he cut off his finger, at that very moment the dead woman woke up as if from a dream, shouted in a loud voice: “Sisters and brothers! Get up to help quickly; I didn’t know peace during my life, they don’t give it to me even after death!” At her voice, the tombs dissolved, and the dead began to emerge.

The robbers heard the noise and fled in different directions, and the teacher, frightened, rushed from the basement to the stairs, ran into the church, hid in the choir stalls and locked the door behind him. The dead - behind him, they saw where he hid, and began to drag their coffins and stand one on top of the other in order to climb them onto the choir stalls. The teacher, meanwhile, found a long pole and let's dump the coffin: in such work he was carried until midnight; and as twelve o'clock struck, the dead dismantled their coffins and went into the crypt. The teacher barely survived! The next morning they found him broken and sick in the church; the priest came, confessed and communed him, and after that the teacher died.

Sometimes children's fairy tales are not at all as kind as they seem. Their original versions, not adapted for a children's audience, are almost always particularly bloodthirsty.

Take the story of Snow White. The evil queen uses almost all methods to kill her unwanted stepdaughter from the world: she feeds her with apples, combs her with a poisonous comb, even tries to strangle her by tightly tightening her corset.

All these atrocities are not in vain for the queen. In the end, good triumphs over evil in a very peculiar way: the queen dies from burns to her feet while dancing in hot iron shoes at the wedding of the prince and Snow White. Finita la comedy.

In the story of Cinderella, everything is also not as harmless as it looks at first glance. What are the only vicious pigeons that peck out the eyes of objectionable half-sisters.

The Disney Birds Are Pretty Friendly

For the sake of her love, the Little Mermaid agrees to have her tongue cut out, Pinocchio becomes a murderer, a fox devours Kolobok alive, a terrible gray wolf pursues Little Red Riding Hood, a crazy old woman lives in a house on chicken legs in the middle of the forest ... These are no longer fairy tales, but scripts for new films horror.

After reading such chilling details, many want only one thing: to say a huge thank you to the people, thanks to whose efforts fairy tales turned from horror stories into cute and kind stories with an invariably happy ending. But are they really worthy of praise?

The British daily newspaper The Guardian recently published the results of one rather curious study. The Guardian. One Third of Parents Avoid Reading Children Scary Stories, Study Finds .. It turned out that about one-third of all parents surveyed would not read a fairy tale to their children if they knew in advance that there was something creepy and frightening in it.

Only about a thousand people took part in the survey, but even such a small experiment makes one wonder: are children deprived of something who are not read scary stories? Does it make sense to protect kids from negative emotions?

Many psychologists are sure that children who are not read horror stories lose a lot. Let's see what it is, and at the same time find out what benefits scary tales can bring. American Psychological Society. Eat, Drink and Be Scary!.

Preparing for the harsh reality

Scary tales, as well as, are a kind of dress rehearsal for the fears that children may face in everyday life.

How can you feel safe if you don't know what to be afraid of and what that feeling is like? The world can be a very scary and unkind place, and it will be much better if the children are prepared for this in advance. Knowing how to face fear is one of the most valuable things.

Emma Kenny, psychologist

Horror stories allow kids to experience a wide range of emotions so far unknown in reality: anger, aggression, anger, thirst for revenge, violence, betrayal. Scary stories teach children to experience fear and make them more prepared for real life.

Increasing and strengthening self-esteem

Unpleasant and frightening events from fairy tales can do a good job and significantly strengthen in a child. Listening to a scary tale, the child will learn to internally pass the current situation through himself and cope with fear.

Getting into an unpleasant situation, the child will think something like this: “If my favorite fairy-tale hero was able to escape from the haunted house, then I will also be able to find a way out of the situation.” Scary tales really help to strengthen self-confidence and teach you to overcome fear.

Margee Kerr, sociologist

If a child happens to encounter something similar in real life, he will already be a little prepared.

Emotional enjoyment

No matter how strange it may sound, but sometimes children really like to be afraid. Why not just tickle their nerves with scary stories from time to time? Moreover, it is absolutely safe!

A frightened brain produces an incredible cocktail of different hormones: there is cortisol, the stress hormone, and adrenaline, the hormone of fear, and norepinephrine, which is produced during increased nervous tension.

In addition to these hormones, the brain also produces dopamine and pleasure. When we read scary stories, we deliberately make ourselves feel good.

Horror movies, horror stories and all sorts of haunted houses can be terrifying and funny at the same time. That is why it is so pleasant for us sometimes to experience all sorts of frightening situations on the screen and on the pages of books.

Rachel Feltman, journalist

Remember: scary stories are good in moderation. You should not continue to read them if your child is very receptive, experiencing severe discomfort and then cannot sleep well.

10 short but very scary bedtime stories

If you need to work at night and coffee is no longer working, read these stories. Cheer up. Brrr.

faces in portraits

One person got lost in the forest. He wandered for a long time and, in the end, at dusk came across a hut. There was no one inside, and he decided to go to bed. But he could not fall asleep for a long time, because portraits of some people hung on the walls, and it seemed to him that they were looking at him ominously. He eventually fell asleep from exhaustion. In the morning he was awakened by bright sunlight. There were no pictures on the walls. They were windows.

Count to five

One winter, four students from a mountaineering club get lost in the mountains and are caught in a snowstorm. They managed to get to an abandoned and empty house. There was nothing in it to keep warm, and the guys realized that they would freeze if they fell asleep in this place. One of them suggested this. Everyone stands in a corner of the room. First, one runs to the other, pushes him, he runs to the third, and so on. So they will not fall asleep, and the movement will warm them. Until the morning they ran along the walls, and in the morning they were found by rescuers. When the students later spoke of their salvation, someone asked, “If there is one person in each corner, then when the fourth reaches the corner, there should be no one there. Why didn't you stop then?" The four looked at each other in horror. No, they never stopped.

Damaged film

One girl-photographer decided to spend the day and night alone, in the deep forest. She was not afraid, because it was not the first time she went hiking. All day she photographed trees and grasses with a film camera, and in the evening she settled down to sleep in her small tent. The night passed quietly, the horror overtook her only a few days later. All four reels produced excellent shots, except for the last frame. All the photographs showed her sleeping peacefully in her tent in the darkness of the night.

call from babysitter

Somehow, a married couple decided to go to the cinema, and leave the children with a babtsitter. They put the children to bed, so the young woman just had to stay at home just in case. Soon the girl became bored, and she decided to watch TV. She called her parents and asked them for permission to turn on the TV. Naturally, they agreed, but she had one more request… she asked if she could cover the statue of an angel outside the window with something, because it made her nervous. For a second, the phone went silent, and then the father, who spoke to the girl, said: “Take the children and run out of the house ... we will call the police. We don't have a statue of an angel." The police found everyone at home dead. The statue of the angel was never found.

Who's there?

About five years ago, late at night, there were 4 short calls at my door. I woke up, got angry and did not open it: I did not expect anyone. On the second night someone called again 4 times. I looked out the peephole, but there was no one behind the door. During the day I told this story, and joked that, perhaps, death had the wrong door. On the third evening, a friend came to see me and stayed up late. The doorbell rang again, but I pretended not to notice anything to check if I was hallucinating. But he heard everything perfectly and, after my story, exclaimed: “Let's deal with these jokers!” and ran out into the yard. That night I saw him for the last time. No, he didn't disappear. But on the way home, he was beaten by a drunken company, and he died in the hospital. The calls have stopped. I remembered this story because last night I heard three short knocks at the door.

Twin

My girlfriend wrote today that she did not know that I have such a charming brother, and even a twin! It turns out that she had just stopped by my house, not knowing that I was late at work until the night, and he met her there. He introduced himself, offered me coffee, told some funny stories from his childhood and walked him to the elevator.

I don't even know how to tell her that I don't have a brother.

raw mist

It was in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. The climbers set up camp near a small mountain lake. Around midnight, everyone wanted to sleep. Suddenly, a noise was heard from the side of the lake: either crying, or laughter. Friends (there were five of them) decided to check what was the matter. They did not find anything near the shore, but they saw a strange fog in which white lights shone. The guys went to the lights. We took only a couple of steps towards the lake ... And then one of the last ones noticed that he was knee-deep in icy water! He jerked the two closest to him, they came to their senses and climbed out of the fog. But the two that went ahead disappeared into the fog and water. It was impossible to find them in the cold, in the dark. In the early morning, the survivors hurried for the rescuers. They didn't find anyone. And by evening, those two who had just plunged into the fog died.

Photo of a girl

One high school student was bored at the lesson and looked out the window. On the grass, he saw a photograph thrown by someone. He went out into the yard and picked up a picture: it turned out to be a very beautiful girl. She was wearing a dress, red shoes, and she showed a V sign with her hand. The guy began to ask everyone if they had seen this girl. But no one knew her. In the evening, he put the photo near the bed, and at night he was awakened by a quiet sound, as if someone was scratching at the glass. A woman's laughter echoed in the darkness outside the window. The boy left the house and began to look for the source of the voice. He quickly moved away, and the guy did not notice how, hurrying after him, he ran out onto the roadway. He was hit by a car. The driver jumped out of the car and tried to save the victim, but it was too late. And then the man noticed on the ground a photograph of a beautiful girl. She was wearing a dress, red shoes and she was showing three fingers.

Grandma Marfa

This story was told to the granddaughter by the grandfather. As a child, he ended up with his brothers and sisters in the village, which was approached by the Germans. The adults decided to hide the children in the forest, in the forester's house. We agreed that Baba Martha would bring food to them. But it was strictly forbidden to return to the village. So the children lived through May and June. Every morning Martha left food in the barn. At first, the parents also ran, but then they stopped. The children looked at Marfa through the window, she turned and silently, sadly looked at them and baptized the house. One day two men came up to the house and called the children with them. They were partisans. The children learned from them that their village had been burned down a month ago. Baba Marfa was also killed.

Do not open the door!

The twelve-year-old girl lived with her father. They had a great relationship. One day, my father was going to stay late at work and said that he would return late at night. The girl waited for him, waited, and finally went to bed. She had a strange dream: her father was standing on the other side of a busy highway and was shouting something to her. She barely heard the words, "Don't... open... the door." And then the girl woke up from the call. She jumped out of bed, ran to the door, looked through the peephole and saw her father's face. The girl was about to open the lock, as she remembered the dream. And the father's face was somehow strange. She stopped. The bell rang again.
- Dad?
Ding, ding, ding.
- Dad, answer me!
Ding, ding, ding.
- Is there someone with you?
Ding, ding, ding.
- Dad, why aren't you answering? The girl almost cried.
Ding, ding, ding.
- I won't open the door until you answer me!
The doorbell rang and rang, but my father was silent. The girl sat huddled in the corner of the hallway. This went on for about an hour, then the girl fell into oblivion. At dawn, she woke up and realized that the doorbell was no longer ringing. She crept up to the door and looked through the peephole again. Her father was still standing there, looking straight at her. The girl cautiously opened the door and screamed. Her father's severed head was nailed to the door at eye level.
Attached to the doorbell was a note with only two words: "Smart girl."

This scary tale of his own composition - with an unexpected ending. It starts off really scary. You read it - and imagine an incredible picture. Something terrible is flying ... Brrr! How did the events in the fairy tale develop? How did it end? A moment of patience ... Now we will read a fairy tale.

Fairy tale "Little Hero"

In one Terrible Kingdom, the Terrible State, lived a terrible bucket. It flew wherever it wanted, and at such a speed that it was really scary.

This bucket gave no rest to anyone. It kept the entire Dark Forest in fear. Still would! Who wants to get hit on the head with a bucket?!

It was said that the bucket was either black or brown, and either Likho the one-eyed, or Koschei the Deathless, controlled it. They allegedly intimidate everyone in this way.

The forest dwellers were very afraid. For food, they began to walk, bowing their heads. We tried to walk quietly, barely audible.

For the sake of truth, it must be said that no one saw the flying bucket with their own eyes. But fear has big eyes. Today no one saw - but tomorrow will arrive!

And then one day a nightingale appeared in the Dark Forest. He immediately noticed that the forest seemed to have died out. Since he knew nothing about the flying bucket, he was not afraid of anything. He calmly sang songs, flew where he wanted. And suddenly he saw a bucket. Such a small paper ice cream bucket. The wind picked it up from the ground, it tumbled and flew at great speed. But the nightingale was not afraid of him. Here's another! He will be afraid of some small bucket!

And he came up with a funny, funny song on the go, which speaks of a cheerful bucket driven by the wind.

The forest inhabitants, having heard the song of the nightingale, left their secluded places. They suddenly became happy. They were afraid of some cardboard bucket! To whom to tell, they will laugh.

And the savior of the nightingale has since been called the “winner”. Winner of what? Flying buckets!

Questions and tasks for a scary tale

What fairy tales do we call "terrible"?

What were the inhabitants of the Dark Forest afraid of?

Describe the bucket that scared everyone.

Who was driving the scary bucket?

Why was the nightingale not afraid of the flying bucket?

How did the forest dwellers know that the bucket is not terrible?

What proverb is mentioned in the story?

What proverbs about fear do you know?

Scary tale for children
About the swing

One boy had a long nose. And his name was Yegor. Somehow Egor came out into the yard and immediately sat on the swing. And began to swing - up and down, up and down. And back and forth. He rode for two hours and everything was not enough for him.
Other children in the yard began to ask:
- Yegorka! Let us ride!
But Yegor did not answer, but only began to sway even more - up and down, up and down. And back and forth. Only the long nose flickers. Then other children joined hands and began to sing a teaser that they themselves composed:
“Egor is a long nose,
I've grown to the swing!
Yegor was offended, but he did not cry from the swing. And the children were also offended and went to eat pancakes with sour cream. Egor still swayed and decided that it was time to go home and eat something, but he couldn’t stop - the swing didn’t want to let him go! Already he was spinning and shouting - nothing helps. The swing swayed even harder and creaked so much that other children had sour cream on their pancakes.
Then the Little Witch came out into the yard and shouted:
- Yegorka! Let's ride!
- I would give, - Yegor answered, - but I can’t get off the swing!
- Why? What happened?
- Yes, I swayed, swayed, and other children began to tease me with a Long Nose and also that I had grown to the swing. Help me-e-e!
- You've been bewitched! exclaimed the Little Witch.
- Nu so disenchant me!
- It's not so easy, you have to come up with a spell that will stop the swing, - the Little Sorceress answered and sat down to think on the edge of the sandbox.
And Yegor kept swaying and yelling.
At this time, a policeman was walking by, who immediately realized that something was wrong. The policeman grabbed the swing to save Yegor, but he only stuck to it and they began to swing together.
“I think I’ve come up with it,” the Little Sorceress said quietly, “let’s try it now.” - And quickly, quickly muttered:
"Swing-swing, Egor sorry
And let me go home as soon as possible."
Then something tinkled, and the swing stopped. Yes, so quickly that the policeman from surprise fell on the flower bed, and Yegor - on him. Then Yegor jumped up and ran home to eat pancakes with sour sour cream. And the policeman smiled and went to his office to write a report on the boy's rescue.
And the Little Witch sat on the swing and began to swing - up and down, up and down. And back and forth. And when the next morning Yegor went out into the yard, she immediately gave him a place. Well… almost immediately.
Vyacheslav Svalnov

***
Very scary story
In one Sicilian city, boys began to disappear at night (girls if you tell girls in the ward), and only boys disappeared (girls if you tell girls in the ward), who did not sleep after moonrise.
Many tears were shed by mothers and fathers until the terrible secret was revealed.
The fact is that at night a ship with blood-scarlet sails entered the bay. From it at night sailors went to the shore in boats. Having found an awake boy / girl on the shore in some house, they lulled the child and took him away.
The crew of the ship was cursed, and to get rid of the curse, it was necessary to collect a collection of 239 brushes from small children.
On the ship, a terrible doctor, while the child was under anesthesia, cut off his hand.
The child, waking up from anesthesia and not yet understanding what was happening looking at the stump, asked the doctor:
- Uncle, where is my pen?
To which the doctor replied:
- There she is.!!! There she is!!! There she is!!!

The last line is staged to the closest child... You just shake your brush in front of his face.

The kids are scared at first, but then they start laughing.

***
Carnation
There lived a mother and a daughter. Nobody went to them, because they had a nail sticking out of the floor. He stuck out in the middle of the room and the girl had to go around him all the time. The girl often asked her mother:
- Mom, let's pull out this nail!
- What are you daughter! Never, ever touch that nail. And never invite anyone to your house.
- And why?
- Because someone wants to pull out this nail, and then trouble will not be avoided!
- And what will happen?
- Better not ask me, daughter. There will be a terrible, terrible misfortune.
And the girl stopped asking. So the years passed. The girl grew up, and she wanted to invite guests.
And then one terrible, terrible autumn evening, the girl's mother went to the cemetery to get some fresh air; and the girl called the guests. The guests began to dance, but the nail hindered them all the time. Then the guests said:
Let's get that nail out!
And the girl screamed:
- It is forbidden! No need! Something terrible is about to happen!
But the guests laughed at the girl and, seizing the moment, pulled out the nail. And then there was a terrible roar. Some time later, the doorbell rang. The girl wanted to open the door, but the guests shouted:
- No need! Do not open!
The girl was a pioneer and therefore opened it all the same. A woman dressed in black stood in the doorway. She immediately began to enter the apartment. She kept coming and going, and the guests and the girl backed up and backed away until the apartment ran out.
- What have you done ... - said the black woman in a quiet, creaky voice, like that of a dead man. - What have you done. she repeated a little louder. - Under this floor, in my apartment ... - and then she yelled in some terrible inhuman voice. - ... the chandelier has fallen off!!!
Agafya Knyazhinskaya

***
Semi-flower
Once upon a time there was a girl Zhenya. And then one day, on New Year's Eve, she received a seven-flower flower as a gift from Santa Claus. Zhenya was delighted, and in the evening she went to a disco. She tore off a red petal from a seven-flowered flower and said:
- I want to be sausage! - and began to sausage at the disco. Five hours later, Zhenya got tired of sausage, she tore off the orange petal and said:
- I want me not to be sausage, - and immediately stopped sausage. She sat for a while and felt sad. Then she tore off the yellow petal and said:
- I want to have fun! - and it became so fun for her that it’s impossible to retell that she soaked it for joy. When there was no one to amuse, Zhenya tore off a green petal and said:
- I want me not to have fun, - and immediately stopped having fun. Zhenya looked around at the floor strewn with young corpses and decided to punish herself. She tore off the blue petal and said:
“I want to be sad,” and immediately began to cry.
Zhenya walked to her yard already knee-deep in tears. In the yard, she saw the neighbor boy Vitya, who tried to climb onto the bench so as not to get his shoes wet. Vitya liked Zhenya for a long time for his beautiful crutches. She wanted the same, covered with skillful intricate carvings, trimmed with gold and ivory, studded with diamonds, rubies and emeralds, but, unfortunately, she was not lame like Vitya.
Now, when Zhenya felt so bad, it seemed to her that Vitya was not happy enough. Maybe he needs something else besides crutches? Wife was prevented from thinking by tears running from her eyes in continuous streams. She tore off the blue petal by touch and quickly said:
- I want me not to be sad, - and, having stopped crying, she swam up to Vita.
- Hello, Vitya. I've been wanting to tell you for a long time that you're a cool dude, and I want to do something cool for you so that you don't suck on this bench.
With these words, Zhenya tore off the purple petal and said:
- I want Vita to have sausage ...
And the good girl had no more petals ...
Agafya Knyazhinskaya

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