The Three Hermits (Tolstoy)
Short summary
A Bishop was sailing from Archangel to the Solovétsk Monastery when he heard about three hermits living on a small island. A fisherman told him the hermits were holy men: one very old and bent, another tall with a yellowish beard, and a third tall and stern with a white beard. The Bishop insisted on visiting them despite the captain's warnings that they were simple-minded.
Upon reaching the island, the Bishop found the three old men who prayed with a simple prayer: "Three are ye, three are we, have mercy upon us." The Bishop decided they needed proper religious instruction and spent the entire day teaching them the Lord's Prayer. After much repetition and correction, all three hermits finally learned it. The Bishop returned to the ship satisfied with his work.
That night, as the ship sailed away, the Bishop saw something glowing on the water. The three hermits were running across the sea toward the ship. They had forgotten the Lord's Prayer and asked the Bishop to teach them again. The Bishop, amazed by this miracle, told them:
Your own prayer will reach the Lord, men of God. It is not for me to teach you. Pray for us sinners.
The Bishop bowed before them, realizing their simple faith was more powerful than formal prayers. The hermits turned and walked back across the sea.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
The Bishop learns about the three hermits
A Bishop sailed from Archangel to the Solovétsk Monastery aboard a vessel carrying pilgrims. During the smooth voyage, he noticed passengers gathered around a fisherman who pointed toward the sea, telling stories. When the Bishop approached to listen, the group respectfully removed their caps and bowed. The fisherman had been describing hermits who lived on a distant island for the salvation of their souls.
The fisherman pointed to a barely visible streak on the horizon, explaining it was an island where holy men lived. Though the Bishop strained his eyes, he could see nothing but water shimmering in the sunlight. The fisherman recounted how he had been stranded on that island the previous year during a fishing trip. In the morning, he discovered an earth hut and met three remarkable old men who fed him, dried his belongings, and helped repair his boat.
The fisherman described the three hermits in detail: one was very small and bent, wearing a priest's cassock, over a hundred years old with a greenish-tinged white beard and an angel-bright face. The second was taller but also elderly, wearing a tattered peasant coat with a broad yellowish-grey beard, remarkably strong and cheerful. The third was tall with a snow-white beard reaching his knees, stern with overhanging eyebrows, wearing only a mat around his waist.
Journey to the island and meeting the hermits
As the ship drew nearer to the island, a tradesman pointed it out to the Bishop, who could now see the dark streak clearly.
The Bishop expressed his desire to visit the hermits, but the captain tried to dissuade him.
I have heard say that they are foolish old fellows, who understand nothing, and never speak a word, any more than the fish in the sea.
Despite the captain's objections, the Bishop insisted on visiting the hermits and offered to pay for the delay. The ship changed course toward the island, and through a telescope, they could see three men standing on the shore holding hands. A boat was lowered, and the Bishop was rowed to the island where the three hermits waited: the tall one with only a mat, the shorter one in a tattered coat, and the very old bent one in a cassock.
Teaching the Lords Prayer
The Bishop blessed the hermits and explained his mission to teach them proper worship. When he asked how they served God, the oldest hermit smiled and replied that they only knew how to serve and support themselves. Asked about their prayer, the hermit demonstrated their simple worship:
We pray in this way... Three are ye, three are we, have mercy upon us.
The Bishop smiled at their crude understanding and gently corrected them:
You have evidently heard something about the Holy Trinity... but you do not know how to serve Him. That is not the way to pray; but listen to me, and I will teach you.
The Bishop spent the entire day patiently teaching them the Lord's Prayer. The middle hermit learned fastest, while the others struggled with the words due to their physical limitations - the tall one's hair covered his mouth, and the oldest had no teeth. The Bishop repeated each word twenty, thirty, even a hundred times until all three could recite the prayer properly. As darkness fell and the moon appeared, he finally returned to the ship, hearing their voices loudly repeating the Lord's Prayer across the water.
The return journey and miracle
As the ship sailed away, the Bishop watched the island disappear into the moonlit sea, feeling pleased that he had taught such godly men the proper way to pray. He sat alone at the stern, thanking God for the opportunity to help the hermits. Suddenly, he noticed something white and shining on the moon's bright path across the water. At first uncertain what it was, he soon realized with amazement that the three hermits were running across the water toward the ship as if it were dry land.
Oh Lord! The hermits are running after us on the water as though it were dry land!
The passengers crowded to the stern in amazement as the hermits reached the ship. All three spoke as one voice, explaining that they had forgotten the Bishop's teaching. As long as they kept repeating the prayer, they remembered it, but when they stopped, the words fell apart.
We have forgotten your teaching, servant of God... We can remember nothing of it. Teach us again.