A priest, living in poverty, decides to leave his parish after becoming disillusioned. He meets an unknown man who becomes his companion. They share a meal, and the priest, envious of the man's wafers, secretly eats them while the man sleeps. They arrive at a kingdom where the Tsar's daughter is dying, and the Tsar promises riches to anyone who can cure her. The priest and the man pose as doctors, successfully reviving the princess through a magical process involving cutting her into pieces and reassembling her. The priest, driven by greed, hoards the gold offered by the Tsar, while the old man suggests they bury the money and continue their healing journey. They reach another kingdom with a similar situation, but the priest, tempted by envy, attempts to cure the princess alone. He fails miserably, leading to his impending execution. Desperate, he seeks the old man's help, who agrees to assist but questions the priest about the stolen wafers. Despite the priest's denials, the old man revives the princess again, and they are rewarded with gold. When dividing the money, the old man insists on including a share for the thief who ate the wafers, revealing the priest's guilt. The priest confesses and is granted all the wealth, but the old man admonishes him to serve his parish faithfully and not to be greedy. The old man then disappears, leaving the priest to reflect on his actions.
By Alexander Nikolayevich Afanasyev · First published 1838 · Genre: Fairy Tale, Fable, Fantasy