Although known for such epic tales like “War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina”, Tolstoy wrote several short stories for the
Russian masses or peasants. One of these is “The Three Hermits.” This is a simple tale about simple people and their simple faith.
A bishop hears about three hermits who live in an isolated island from a fisherman. While travelling by ship, he insists on meeting with the hermits. Apparently, the three hermits barely spoke and the only prayer they knew was “You three, have mercy on us three.” The bishop decided to teach them the Lord’s Prayer. Through repetition, the hermits learned the prayer. Satisfied, the bishop boards the ship and leaves. Along the route, the sailors and the bishop see the three hermits running on the surface of the water toward them. They chased after the ship because they had forgotten the words of the Lord’s Prayer.