Iván the Fool (Tolstoy)
Short summary
A rich peasant had three sons: Simon the Soldier, Tarás the Stout, and Iván the Fool, plus a deaf-mute daughter Martha.
Simon went to war, Tarás became a merchant, while Iván stayed home to work the land. When the brothers divided their father's property peacefully, the Devil sent three imps to make them quarrel. Each imp targeted one brother. Iván caught his imp while plowing and received magical roots that cured illness. The second imp got trapped in Iván's haystack and taught him to make soldiers from straw. The third imp, caught in the rye, showed him how to make gold from oak leaves. Iván gave his brothers these abilities. Simon used the soldiers to conquer a kingdom, and Tarás used the gold for trade. Both became kings.
When Simon's soldiers killed people and Tarás's gold took away a child's cow, Iván refused to make more. The brothers' kingdoms failed - Simon lost to India's king, Tarás became bankrupt. Meanwhile, Iván married a princess and became king. He established a kingdom where everyone worked with their hands. The old Devil came disguised as a merchant, offering gold for labor, but the fools had no use for money.
We don't want money... We have no payments to make, and no taxes, so what should we do with it?... Either bring something else, or come and work, or receive what you want in charity for Christ's sake.
The Devil starved until forced to work. He tried teaching people to work with their heads instead of hands, but fell from a tower and disappeared into the earth. Iván's kingdom thrived, where those with horny hands ate first.
Detailed summary by chapters
Chapter titles are editorial.
Characters and setting
In a certain province lived a rich peasant with three sons and one daughter.
Chapter 1. The three brothers divide their inheritance
Simon the Soldier served the king and obtained high rank and an estate, marrying a nobleman's daughter.
Despite his large pay and estate, he could not make ends meet because his wife squandered everything. When he asked his father for his share of the inheritance, the old man refused, saying it would be unfair to Iván and Martha. But Iván generously agreed to let Simon take what he wanted. Tarás the Stout also gathered much money as a merchant but wanted more.
He too demanded his portion from their father. Again, Iván willingly gave up half the corn and the grey stallion. Both brothers took their shares and left, while Iván remained with one old mare to support his parents and work the land.
Chapter 2. The old Devil sends three imps to corrupt the brothers
The old Devil was vexed that the brothers had not quarrelled over the division but had parted peacefully.
Look here, there are three brothers... They should have quarrelled, but are living peaceably and meet on friendly terms. The fool Iván has spoilt the whole business for me.
He summoned three imps and ordered them to tackle the three brothers and make them fight each other. The imps cast lots to decide which brother each would handle, agreeing to help whoever finished first. The first imp took Simon, the second took Tarás, and the third took Iván. They planned to ruin the brothers first, then tie them together so they would fight.
Chapter 3. Iván captures an imp and gains healing roots
When the imps met again, Simon's imp reported success - he had made Simon so bold that the king made him general, but then caused his defeat by dampening his powder and creating straw soldiers for the enemy. Simon was disgraced and would be executed. Tarás's imp also succeeded by making him greedy until he accumulated crushing debts. But Iván's imp struggled - despite making Iván's stomach ache and hardening the ground, Iván continued ploughing. The imp even broke his plough, but Iván got another and kept working. When the imp caught hold of the ploughshares, Iván's strength and sharp blade cut the imp's hands. Only one strip remained unploughed, so the other imps promised to help.
Chapter 4. Simons imp fails despite reinforcement
When Iván came to finish ploughing, his plough caught on something. Groping in the furrow, he pulled out a live imp who begged for mercy, promising to do anything Iván commanded. When Iván complained of stomach pain, the imp gave him three healing roots, one of which immediately cured him. Iván released the imp with God's blessing, and the creature plunged into the earth. Returning home, Iván found Simon had returned after barely escaping prison, asking to be fed until he found new appointment. Simon's wife complained about Iván's smell, so he ate outside and went to pasture the mare.
Simon's imp came to help his comrade but found only a hole where he should have been. Taking his place, the imp flooded Iván's hayfield with muddy water and made his scythe dull and catch in the earth. Despite the difficulties, Iván persevered, sharpening his scythe and mowing the entire meadow. In the swamp, the imp tried desperately to stop him, but Iván swung with such force that he cut off half the imp's tail. The dock-tailed imp then tried to tangle the rye, but Iván switched to a sickle and reaped it all. When the imp went to ruin the oats, he found Iván had already mowed them by night. Frustrated, the imp crept among the rye sheaves to rot them but fell asleep. When Iván came to cart the rye, he thrust his fork right into the imp's back.
Chapter 5. Taráss imp also fails to corrupt Iván
The captured imp claimed to be Simon's imp's brother and offered to make soldiers from anything Iván wanted. Iván learned to transform a sheaf of rye into a regiment of soldiers with trumpeter and drummer, then change them back. After releasing this imp too, Iván returned home to find Tarás had also returned, having failed to pay his debts. Tarás also demanded that Iván eat outside due to his smell. That night, Tarás's imp came to help but found only holes where his comrades had been. Taking their place, he went to the wood where Iván was cutting trees for his brothers' new houses. The imp made the trees fall awkwardly and catch in branches, making the work extremely difficult.
Chapter 6. Iván creates soldiers and gold for his brothers
Despite exhaustion, Iván continued working until he trapped the third imp in a falling tree. This imp offered to make money, showing Iván how to rub oak leaves to produce gold. Iván thought it would be fine for people to play with on holidays. After freeing this imp with God's blessing, Iván entertained the peasants at a holiday feast, throwing handfuls of gold to the delighted crowd and displaying his regiment of straw soldiers who played and sang beautifully.
Chapter 7. Simon conquers a kingdom, Tarás becomes wealthy
Simon asked Iván for soldiers, explaining that with an army one could win kingdoms. Iván made him countless soldiers from straw sheaves, warning Simon to take them away quickly as they would eat up the village. Simon organized his army and went off to make war, successfully conquering a kingdom for himself. Tarás requested gold money, saying he could make it multiply through trade. Iván filled a cartload with gold made from oak leaves. Both brothers prospered - Simon as a conqueror, Tarás as a wealthy trader. When they met again, Simon complained he lacked money to feed his soldiers, while Tarás needed guards for his wealth. They agreed to return to Iván for more help, but he refused both requests.
I thought the soldiers would only play tunes, but they have killed a man. I won't give you any more... I thought you were only going to play with the gold pieces, but you have taken the children's cow away.
Iván had learned that Simon's soldiers killed people in war and that Tarás's gold had taken away a cow from children who needed milk. The brothers then decided to share what they had - Simon would give Tarás half his kingdom with soldiers to guard the money, while Tarás would give Simon money to feed his army. Both became kings and both were rich.
Chapter 8. Iván becomes king but remains a simple peasant
Iván continued living at home, working in the fields with his dumb sister. When his yard-dog fell sick, he fed it bread along with one of his healing roots, and the dog recovered completely. His parents learned of his healing power just as the King proclaimed that whoever could heal his sick daughter would marry her. Despite giving away his last root to heal a beggar woman's crippled hand, Iván went to the palace anyway.
As soon as Iván stepped on the threshold, the King's daughter was healed. The grateful King had Iván dressed in fine robes and made him his son-in-law. When the King died, Iván became King but immediately took off his royal robes and returned to his peasant clothes and work.
It's dull for me... I'm getting fat and have lost my appetite and my sleep... So he brought his father and mother and his dumb sister to live with him, and worked as before.
Chapter 9. The wise men leave, only fools remain
When ministers complained about having no money for salaries, Iván said not to pay them, and if no one would serve, they could do useful work like carting manure. When people came for trials, he made simple judgments. His wife initially worried that people called him a fool, but decided to follow her husband. She put away her royal dress, learned to work from the dumb sister, and helped Iván. All the wise men left the kingdom, leaving only fools who lived and worked, feeding themselves and others without money.
Chapter 10. The old Devils direct assault on the three kingdoms
When the old Devil received no news from his imps, he went to investigate and found only three holes. Discovering the brothers were now all kings, he decided to handle the matter personally. Disguising himself as a general, he went to Simon and taught him to recruit all young men and build superior weapons - rifles firing a hundred balls at once and cannons that burned everything. Simon conquered the neighboring king easily, but when he attacked the Indian King, his enemy had copied all his innovations and added flying women who dropped explosive bombs. Simon's army fled, and he lost his kingdom.
The Devil then disguised himself as a merchant in Tarás's kingdom, paying high prices for everything and outbidding the King at every turn. Soon all workers and materials went to the merchant instead of the King. Tarás's palace construction stopped, his garden remained unplanted, and he couldn't buy furs or stallions. Though he collected taxes, he had nothing to buy since the merchant purchased everything first. When Tarás banished the merchant, he simply moved across the frontier and continued his business. Tarás was left with nothing to eat for days, and rumors spread that the merchant boasted he would buy the King himself. When Simon came seeking help, Tarás admitted he had nothing to eat for two days.
Chapter 11. The Devil tries to corrupt Iván with money
The old Devil then went to Iván, disguising himself as a general and trying to recruit an army. When Iván's people refused to enlist voluntarily, the Devil threatened death for refusal. The people consulted Iván, who laughed and said he couldn't kill everyone. When they refused to serve, the Devil allied with the King of Tarakán to invade Iván's kingdom. The invading army found no resistance - people simply let them take corn and cattle, inviting the soldiers to stay permanently.
We cannot fight here, lead us elsewhere. War is all right, but what is this? It is like cutting pea-soup! We will not make war here any more.
Why do you harm us? Why do you waste good things? If you need them, why do you not take them for yourselves?... Poor fellows, if you have a hard life in your own land, why don't you come and stay with us altogether?
When the King ordered destruction, the soldiers found the work so distressing against such kind people that they refused to continue and the army disbanded.
Chapter 12. The Devils final defeat and Iváns enduring wisdom
Unable to defeat Iván with soldiers, the old Devil disguised himself as a fine gentleman and settled in Iván's kingdom, planning to corrupt it with money as he had Tarás's. He offered gold coins for work and goods, and initially people were fascinated by the shiny pieces. But soon everyone had plenty of gold - women wore it as necklaces, children played with it in the streets. When the Devil needed food and services, no one would work for money anymore since everyone already had enough. People offered to give him things for free in Christ's name or in exchange for work, but the Devil could do neither.
The people decided the gentleman should live by turn at each house like a shepherd. When his turn came to stay with Iván, the dumb sister checked his hands and found them soft without calluses, so she made him wait for scraps after the workers had eaten. The Devil complained to Iván about the law requiring everyone to work with their hands, claiming he worked with his head, which was more profitable but caused his head to split. Iván was intrigued and asked him to teach the people this head-work so they could alternate when their hands got cramped.
Iván placed the Devil on top of a high tower so everyone could see him demonstrate head-work. The Devil talked for days, but people couldn't understand his teachings about living without working. They looked briefly and returned to their affairs. After several days without food, the Devil grew weak and began staggering, hitting his head against the tower pillars. When Iván came to see this 'head-work,' the exhausted Devil stumbled and fell down the stairs, bumping his head on each step. As he struck the ground, the earth opened and swallowed him, leaving only a hole.
Iván continued living and ruling his kingdom, where people crowded to join him. Even his brothers came to live with him, and he fed them too. To everyone who came asking for food, Iván said they could stay since there was plenty of everything.
Only there is one special custom in his kingdom; whoever has horny hands comes to table, but whoever has not, must eat what the others leave.