THE THREE KINGDOMS

RUSSIAN FOLK TALES

From
Alexander Afanasiev's Collection
Illustrated by A.Kurkin

Raduga Publishers
Moscow
1985
 Contents

The Animals in the Pit

The Cat, the Rooster and the Fox
The Wolf and the Goat
The Animals' Winter Home
The Tale of Ruff Ruffson, Son of Bristle
The Greedy Old Woman
Baba-Yaga and Puny
Right and Wrong
Prince Ivan and Princess Martha
The Three Kingdoms
Evening, Midnight and Dawn
Shabarsha
King Ivan and Bely, the Warrior of the Plains
Emelya and the Pike
The Fire-Bird and Princess Vassilissa
The Horse, the Table-Cloth and the Horn
Go I Know Not Where, Bring I Know Not What
The King of the Sea and Vassilissa the Wise
Fenist the Falcon
Elena the Wise
The Prophetic Dream
The Mountain of Gold
A Cunning Trade
The White Duck
The Riddle
The Wise Maid and the Seven Robbers
The Fortune-Teller
Ivan the Fool
Good But Bad
The Miser
Don't Listen, If You Don't Like

English translation © Raduga Publishers 1985

 The Animals in the Pit

There was once an old couple whose only possession was a hog.
One day the hog went off to the forest to eat acorns. On the way he met
a wolf. "Hog, hog, where are you going?" "To the forest to eat acorns."
"Take me with you." "I would," said the hog, "but there's a deep, wide
pit on the way, and you won't be able to jump over it." "Oh, yes, I
will," said the wolf. So off they set. On they went through the forest
until they came to the pit. "Go on, jump," said the wolf. The hog
jumped right over to the other side. Then the wolf jumped and fell
straight in. The hog ate his fill of acorns and went home. The next day
the hog went off to the forest again. On the way he met a bear. "Hog,
hog, where are you going?" "To the forest to eat acorns." "Take me
with you," said the bear. "I would, but there's a deep, wide pit on the
way, and you won't be able to jump over it." I'll jump over it alright,"
said the bear. They came to the pit. The hog jumped right over to the
other side. But the bear jumped and fell straight in. The hog ate his fill
of acorns and went home.
The third day the hog went off to the forest again to eat acorns. On
the way he met Squint-Eye the hare. "Good-day to you, hog!" "Good-
day, Squint-Eye!" "Where are you going?" "To the forest to eat
acorns." "Take me with you." "No, Squint-Eye, there's a deep, wide pit
on the way, and you won't be able to jump over it." "What a thing to
say! Of course I will!" Off they went and came to the pit. The hog
jumped right over to the other side. The hare jumped and landed in the
pit. Then the hog ate his fill of acorns and went home.
The fourth day the hog went off to the forest to eat acorns. On the
way he met a fox, who also asked the hog to take her with him. "No,"
said the hog, "there's a deep, wide pit on the way, and you won't be
able to jump over it." "Oh, yes, I will," said the fox. And she landed in
the pit as well. So now there were four of them down there, and they
began racking their brains about how to get food.
"Let's howl without taking a breath for as long as we can and eat the
one who stops first," said the fox. So they began to howl. The hare was
the first to stop, and the fox went on the longest. So they seized the
hare, tore him to pieces and ate him. They grew hungry again and
agreed to howl as long as they could and eat the one that stopped first.
"If I stop first, you must eat me," said the fox. So they began to howl.
This time the wolf was the first to give up, he just couldn't go on any
longer. So the fox and the bear seized him, tore him to pieces and ate
him.
 But the fox cheated the bear. She gave him only a little of the meat
and hid the rest to eat when he wasn't looking. The bear grew hungry
again and said: "Where do you get food, Mistress Fox?" "Don't you
know, Master Bruin? Stick your paw in your ribs, grab hold of them
and yank, then you'll find out." The bear did as he was told, yanked at
his ribs, and that was the end of him. Now the fox was all alone. After
feasting off the bear, she began to feel hungry again.
Now there was a tree by the pit, and in that tree a thrush was
building a nest. The fox sat in the pit watching the thrush and said to it:
"Thrush, thrush, what are you doing?" "Building a nest." "What for?"
"For my children." "Get me some food, Thrush. If you don't, I'll gobble
your children up." The thrush racked its brains about how to get the fox
some food. It flew to the village and brought back a chicken. The fox
gobbled up the chicken and said again: "Thrush, thrush, you got me
some food, didn't you?" "Yes, I did." "Well, now get me some drink."
The thrush racked its brains about how to get the fox some drink. It
flew to the village and brought back some water. The fox drank her fill
and said: "Thrush, thrush, you got me some food, didn't you?" "Yes, I
did." "And you got me some drink, didn't you?" "Yes, I did." "Well,
now get me out of the pit."
The thrush racked its brains about how to get the fox out. Then it
dropped sticks into the pit, so many that the fox was able to climb over
them out of the pit, lay down by the tree and stretched out. "Now," she
said, "you got me some food, didn't you, thrush?" "Yes, I did." "And
you got me some drink, didn't you?" "Yes, I did." "And you got me out
of the pit, didn't you?" "Yes, I did." "Well, now make me laugh." The
thrush racked its brains about how to make the fox laugh. "I'll fly
away," it said, "and you follow me. " So the thrush flew off to the
village and perched on the gate of a rich man's house, while the fox lay
down by the gate. Then the thrush began to call out: "Mistress,
mistress, give me a knob of lard! Mistress, mistress, give me a knob of
lard!" Out raced the dogs and tore the fox to pieces.
Oh, I was there and drank mead-wine, it wetted my lips, but not my
tongue. They gave me to wear a cloak so gay, but the crows cawed
loudly on their way: "Cloak so gay! Cloak so gay!" "Throw it away," I
thought they said, so I did straightway. They gave me to wear a cap of
red, but the crows cawed loudly as they sped: "Cap of red! Cap of red!"
"Cap off head," I thought they said, so I pulled it off—and was left with
naught.

Translated by Kathleen Cook

 The Cat, the Rooster and the Foõ

There was once an old man who had a cat and a rooster.
One day the old man went to the forest to chop wood, the cat soon
followed him with his dinner, and the rooster was left all alone.
By and by a fox came running up. She seated herself under the
window and sang out:

"Come, Friend Rooster, comb of gold,

You who are so brave and bold,
Look out of the window, please,
And you'll get some nice, fresh peas!"

The rooster pushed open the window, stuck out his head and looked
round to see who was calling him, and the fox seized him and carried
him off with her.

"Save me, Puss, I beg and pray,

Fox is dragging me away,
Beyond the dark forests,
Beyond the white sands,
Beyond the blue seas,
To the thrice-ten lands!"

the rooster cried.

The cat heard him. He ran after the fox, got the rooster out of her
clutches and brought him back home.
"Take care, friend Rooster," said the cat, "do not believe what the
fox says or look out of the window, for she will eat you up, bones and
all!"
On the next day the old man told the rooster to watch over the house
and not to look out of the window and went to the forest again to chop
wood, and the cat soon followed with his dinner. The fox, who dearly
wanted to eat up the rooster, waited for them to go away and then came
up to the house and sang out:

"Come, Friend Rooster, comb of gold,

You who are so brave and bold,
Look out of the window, please,
And you'll get some nice, fresh peas,
And some grains of wheat, too!"
 The rooster walked up and down the house and stayed mum, and the
fox sang her little song again and threw a handful of peas in through the
window. The rooster ate the peas and said: "You can't fool me, Fox! I
know you want to eat me up, bones and all." "Don't be silly, Rooster!"
said the fox. "Why should I eat you! All I want is for you to pay me a
visit and see what a nice house I have." And she sang out again:

"Come, Friend Rooster, comb of gold,

You who are so brave and bold,
Look out of the window, please,
And you'll get some nice, fresh peas,
And some grains of wheat, too!"

The rooster glanced out of the window and lo! — he found himself
in the fox's claws!

"Save me, Puss, I beg and pray,

Fox is dragging me away,
Beyond the thick forests,
Beyond the dark groves,
Beyond the steep hills
Where the wild wind roves...
She wants to eat me up, bones and all!"

he called.
The cat heard him. He ran after the fox, got the rooster out of her
clutches and brought him back home. "Didn't I tell you not to look out
of the window if you did not want the fox to seize you and eat you up!"
said he. "Take care now, for tomorrow we will be going deeper into the
forest."
On the next day the old man was in the forest chopping wood and
the cat had just left the house with his dinner when the fox crept up to
the window. She sang her song three times over, but, seeing that the
rooster made no reply, said: "What's the matter with you, Rooster, have
you turned deaf and dumb?" "You won't fool me, Fox, I won't look out
of the window!" the rooster told her. The fox threw a handful of peas
and some wheat grains in through the window and sang out again:
 "Come, Friend Rooster, comb of gold,
You who are so brave and bold,
Look out of the window, do,
And my house I'll show to you
Where I keep some nice, ripe wheat
Which is very good to eat!"

And she added:

"You can't imagine what treasures I have in my house, Rooster!
Come, now, show yourself and forget what the cat told you. Had I
wanted to eat you up, I would have done so long ago. I like you,
Rooster, I like you very much and I want to teach you the ways of the
world. Look out of the window, and I'll go round the corner if you don't
want me near." And she squeezed herself against the wall.
The rooster jumped up on a bench, but, not being able to see the fox
and wanting to know where she was, he stuck his head out of the
window, and the fox seized him and was off with him in a trice! The
rooster called to the cat to save him, but the cat did not hear him, and
the fox took him behind a clump of fir trees and ate him up. She left
nothing but some feathers, which were carried away by the wind. The
old man and the cat came home, but the rooster was gone. They grieved
and sorrowed for a time, and then they said: "That is what happens
when you don't listen to those who wish you well!"

Translated by Irina Zheleznova

 The Wolf and the Goat

There was once a goat who built herself a little house in the woods
and gave birth to a family of kids. The mother goat would often go out
to seek for food, and the kids would lock the door behind her and never
so much as show their noses outside. The mother goat would come
back, knock at the door and sing out:

"My kiddies own, my children dear,

Open the door, for your mother is here!
By a stream I walked, on a grass-grown bank,
Of fresh grass I ate, of cool water drank;
I bring you milk which is rich and sweet,
It runs from my udder down to my feet!"

The kids would open the door and let in their mother, the mother
goat would feed them and go off to the woods again, and they would
lock the door behind her just as they had before.
Now, the wolf heard the mother goat call to her kids, and one day
when she had just gone out, he stole up to the house and cried in his
gruff voice:

"My kiddies own, my children dear,

Open the door, for your mother is here.
I bring you milk which is rich and sweet,
It runs from my udder down to my feet!"

And the kids called back: "We hear you, whoever you are, but that
isn't our mother's voice. Mother's voice is thin and sweet and the words
she says are different." The wolf went away and hid himself, and after
a while the mother goat came back home. She knocked at the door and
sang out:

"My kiddies own, my children dear,

Open the door, for your mother is here!
By a stream I walked, on a grass-grown bank,
Of fresh grass I ate, of cool water drank;
I bring you milk which is rich and sweet,
It runs from my udder down to my feet!"

The kids let in their mother and told her about the wolf and about
how he had wanted to eat them up. The mother goat fed the kids, and,
before leaving for the woods, told them very sternly indeed that if
anyone came to the house, asked to be let in in a gruff voice and not
used the very same words as she they were not to let him in on any
account. She had no sooner left than the wolf came running up. He
knocked at the door and sang out in a thin little voice:

"My kiddies own, my children dear,

Open the door, for your mother is here.
By a stream I walked, on a grass-grown bank,
Of fresh grass I ate, of cool water drank;
I bring you milk which is rich and sweet,
It runs from my udder down to my feet!"

The kids opened the door, and the wolf rushed in and gobbled them
all up save for one little kid who had crawled into the stove and hidden
himself there.
By and by the mother goat came home, but call and shout as she
would no one answered her. She gave the door a push, and seeing that
it was unlocked, ran inside. The house was empty, but she glanced into
the stove, and lo!—found one little kid there. Great was the mother
goat's grief when she heard what had happened to her children. Down
she dropped on the bench and began sobbing loudly, saying over and
over again:

"O my children dear, î my kiddies own,

Why did I ever leave you alone?
For the wicked wolf you opened the door,
Never, I fear, will I see you more!"

The wolf heard her, and, coming into the house, said: "Why do you
make me out to be such a villain, Mistress Goat? I would never eat
your kids! Do not grieve but come for a walk in the woods with me."
"No, Mister Wolf, I'm in no mood for a walk." "Please come, please!"
the wolf begged.
They went to the woods and soon came to a hole in the ground with
a fire burning in it. It had been used by some robbers for cooking gruel
in and they had not doused the flames. "Come, Wolf, let us see which
of us can jump over the hole!" said the mother goat. To this the wolf
agreed. He leapt across, but tripped and fell into the fire. His belly burst
open from the heat, and out the kids hopped, safe and sound, and ran
straight to their mother. And they lived happily ever after. The wiser
from year to year they grew and never a day of misfortune knew.
Translated by Irina Zheleznova
 The Animals' Winter Home

A bull was walking through the forest, when he met a ram. "Where
are you going, ram?" asked the bull. "Away from winter to find
summer," said the ram. "Come with me!" So off they went together. On
the way they met a pig. "Where are you going, pig," said the bull.
"Away from winter to find summer," replied the pig. "Come with us!"
The three of them set off. On the way they met a goose. "Where are
you going, goose?" asked the bull. "Away from winter to find
summer," replied the goose. "Well, follow us!" So the goose followed
them. On the way they met a rooster. "Where are you going, rooster?"
asked the bull. "Away from winter to find summer," replied the rooster.
"Follow us." They went on their way and began to talk among
themselves: "What shall we do, brothers? The cold season is coming.
How shall we keep warm?" And the bull said to them: "Let's build a
house, or we'll freeze to death in the winter." The ram said: "I've got a
nice warm coat—just look at the fleece! I'll get through the winter
alright." The pig said: "I'm not afraid of any frosts, I'll bury myself in
the ground and get through the winter without a house." The goose
said: "And I'll perch in a fir tree, lie on one wing and cover myself with
the other. The cold won't hurt me. I'll get through the winter easily."
"So will I!" said the rooster. The bull saw it was no good, he'd have to
do it on his own. "Do as you like," he said, "but I'm going to build a
house." So he built himself a house and went to live in it.
A cold frosty winter came and chilled the animals to the marrow.
There was nothing for it, so the ram went to the bull and said: "Let me
in to get warm, brother." "No, ram, you've got a nice warm coal. You'll
get through the winter alright. Go away." "If you don't let me in, I'll
butt your house and knock out a log, then you'll be cold." The bull
thought for a while: "I'd better let him in or I'll freeze to death too," and
he let the ram in. Then the pig got cold and came to the bull: "Let me in
to get warm, brother." "No, I won't. You can bury yourself in the
ground and get through the winter like that!" "If you don't let me in, I'll
dig round the posts with my snout and bring your house down." There
was nothing for it, so the bull let the pig in. Then up came the goose
and the rooster: "Let us in to get warm, brother." "No, I won't. You've
each got two wings, you can lie on one and cover yourself with the
other. You'll get through the winter easily." "If you don't let me in,"
said the goose, "I'll peck all the moss from the chinks in your walls,
then you'll be cold." "So you won't let me in, eh?" said the rooster.
"Then I'll fly up and scrape all the straw off the roof. That'll make you
cold." There was nothing for it, so the bull let the goose and the rooster
in too.
So they all lived together in the house. The rooster warmed up and
began singing songs. A fox heard the rooster singing and longed to
gobble up this tasty morsel, but how was she to catch him? She hatched
a cunning plan, went to the bear and the wolf and said: "I have found
some fine fare for each of us, dear masters: a bull for you, bear, a ram
for you, wolf, and a rooster for myself." "Well done, mistress," said the
bear and the wolf. "We shall not forget your kind service! Let us go and
finish them off, then eat them."
The fox took them to the house. "Open the door, master," she said to
the bear. "I will go in first and eat the rooster." The bear opened the
door, and the fox ran into the house. The bull saw her and straightway
pinned her against the wall with his horns, while the ram butted her
sides until she gave up the ghost. "Why is she taking so long over the
rooster?" said the wolf. "Open the door, friend Bruin! I'll go in now."
"Very well, off you go." The bear opened the door, and the wolf ran
into the house. The bull pinned him against the wall with his horns,
while the ram butted his sides, and they gave him such a welcome that
the wolf soon breathed his last. The bear waited and waited. "Why is he
taking so long over the ram? I'd better go in." In he went, and the bull
and the ram gave him the same welcome, but he managed to fight his
way out and ran away as fast as his legs would carry him.

Translated by Kathleen Cook

 The Tale of Ruff Ruffson, Son of Bristle

There once lived fat-bellied Ruff Ruffson, who dwelt in a fine house
and was forever telling tales about his fellows! He came upon hard
times and drove off to Lake Rostov in a miserable sledge drawn by a
three-legged nag. There Ruff Ruffson cried out in a loud voice: "Oh,
fish of the lake, both large and small, burbot and sterlet, carp, chub and
roach, the last among you all! Let me, Ruff Ruffson, into your lake, I
pray. Not for a whole year there to stay, but just to feast for one brief
day, eat from your table and listen to your prattle." So the fish of the
lake, both large and small, burbot and sterlet, carp, chub and roach, the
last among them all, agreed to let him into the lake for a day. Then Ruff
Ruffson went on the rampage, harassing the poor fish everywhere,
driving them into the slime and up to the weir. The fish of the lake
grew angry and complained about Ruff Ruffson to Peter Sturgeon the
Just: "Oh, Peter Sturgeon the Just! Why does Ruff Ruffson harass us?
He asked to come into our lake for a day, then started chasing us all
away. Hear and pass judgement, Peter Sturgeon." Peter Sturgeon the
Just sent the gudgeon, a little fish, to fetch Ruff Ruffson. The gudgeon
hunted for him in the lake, but could not find him. So Peter Sturgeon
the Just sent the pike, a middling fish, to look for him.
With a splash of her tail, the pike dived into the lake and found the
ruff under a snag. "Hello, Ruff Ruffson!" "Good-day, Pikey! What
brings you here?" "I have come to summon you to Peter Sturgeon, who
is to pass judgement; a complaint has been made against you." "By
whom?" "By the fish of the lake, both large and small, burbot and
sterlet, carp, chub and roach, the last among them all, even she has
complained about you, and the catfish too, a simple fellow, with lips so
thick he can hardly speak. So let's go to the court, Ruff Ruffson, and
see that justice is done." "Oh, no, Pikey, dear! Now just listen here.
Come along with me, and we'll go on a spree." The pike refused to go
with Ruff Ruffson, and tried to take him to court so that he would get
his just deserts. "Sharp as you are of tooth and scale, you won't catch
Ruff Ruffson by the tail! Today is Saturday, Pikey. The lasses will
gather at my father's house and there will be feasting and carousing.
Let's go and have fun, eh, and tomorrow, though it be Sunday, we'll go
to the court: at least our bellies will be full." So the pike agreed and
went on a spree with Ruff Ruffson. He made her drunk, lured her into a
barn, locked the door and she was heard of no more.
They waited and waited for Ruff Ruffson to appear in court. At last
Peter Sturgeon sent the big catfish to fetch him. With a splash of his
tail, the catfish dived into the lake and found the ruff under a snag.
"Good-day, son-in-law!" "Hello, father-in-law!" "Come with me to
court, Ruff Ruffson. A complaint has been made against you." "By
whom?" "By the fish of the lake, both large and small, burbot and
sterlet, carp, chub and roach, the last among them all!" Ruff Ruffson
was the catfish's son-in-law, so there was nothing left for him but to go.
"Why have you called me here, Peter Sturgeon the Just?" asked Ruff
Ruffson. "Why have I called you indeed! You asked to be let into Lake
Rostov for a day, then began chasing all the fish away. They were
greatly angered by this; so the fish of the lake, both large and small,
burbot and sterlet, carp, chub and roach, the last among them all,
complained to me about you and asked me to pass judgement on the
matter!" "Well, now hear my complaint too," replied Ruff Ruffson. "It
is they who have wronged me by splashing about and washing away
the banks. I was driving past in a hurry and fell into the lake! Summon
the king's fishermen, Peter Sturgeon the Just, cast fine nets and drive
the fish into the weir, then you will see who is right and who is wrong.
For the one who is right will get out of the plight and leap free out of
the net."
Peter the Sturgeon heard his request, summoned the king's
fishermen and drove all the fish into the weir. Ruff Ruffson got caught
in a net. He began twisting and thrashing, with eyes a-popping, and
was the first to leap free. "Now do you see who was right and who was
wrong, Peter Sturgeon the Just?" "I see that you were right, Ruff
Ruffson; go back to the lake and swim at your ease. No one will vex
you now, unless the lake dry up and the crows drag you out of the
mud." So Ruff Ruffson went down into the lake, boasting for all to
hear: "Now fish of the lake, both large and small, burbot and sterlet,
carp and chub, you're all in trouble. Nor shall I forgive the roach, the
last of them all. Or the fat-bellied catfish. Too thick-lipped to speak,
but he knows how to complain! I'll get even with the lot of you!" Up
came Akim and didn't like this bragging; up came Innokenty with
stakes a-plenty; up came Maxim and drove the stakes in; up came Gleb
and spread out a net; up came Demian and caught the ruffian; then up
came Ustin and Ruff slipped free.

Translated by Kathleen Cook

 The Greedy Old Woman

There once lived an old man and an old woman, peasants both. One
day the old man went to the forest to chop wood. He found an old tree,
took up his axe and was about to set to work, but the tree said in a
human voice: "Spare me, Old Man, and I will do for you whatever you
wish." "All right, then, make me rich." "Very well! Go home, and
you'll find that you'll have everything you want waiting for you." The
old man came home, and lo!—in place of the old hut stood a new one,
and it was full of everything! There was money enough to burn, flour
enough to last him and his old woman for dozens of years, and there
were so many cows, horses and sheep in the barnyard that it would
have taken three days and over to count them all. "Where did all this
come from, Old Man?" the old woman asked. "Well, you see, Wife, I
found a tree that says it will give me whatever I ask for."
A month passed, and the old woman was no longer content with her
rich life. "I know we're rich, but what good does it do us when people
show us no respect!" said she." If the steward wants to, he can make us
work very hard, and if there's something he doesn't like, he can have us
flogged. Go back to the tree and ask it to make you a steward." The old
man took his axe, went to the forest and up to the tree and made as if to
chop it down. "What do you want, Old Man?" the tree asked. "I want to
become a steward." "Very well. And now go with God!"
He came back home, and lo!—he had been made a steward, and
there were soldiers waiting for him who wanted him to find them
quarters in the village.
"Where have you been gadding about, you old devil?" they shouted.
"Find us quarters and good ones. Come on, be quick about it!" And
they went at him with the blunt sides of their broadswords and gave
him a sound trouncing.
Seeing that a steward too does not always get the respect due him,
the old woman said: "What's the good of being a steward! The soldiers
gave you a beating, so what is there to say about the landlord: he'll do
whatever he wants with you. Go to the forest and ask the tree to make
you a landlord."
The old man took his axe, went to the forest and up to the tree and
made as if to chop it down. "What do you want, Old Man?" the tree
asked. "I want to become a landlord." "Very well. And now go with
God!"
The old man became a landlord, but after leading a life of leisure for
some time the old woman felt it was not enough and said to the old
man: "What's the good of you being a landlord! Now, had you been a
colonel it would be a different matter, for everyone would envy us."
And she told the old man to go and ask the tree to make him a colonel.
The old man took his axe, went to the forest and up to the tree and
made as if to chop it down. "What do you want, Old Man?" the tree
asked. "I want to become a colonel," the old man said. "Very well, a
colonel you shall be! And now go with God!" The old man came back
home, and lo!—he had been made colonel.
Some time passed, and the old woman said: "Being a colonel isn't
all that much. You could be put in the guardhouse by a general if he so
wished. Go to the tree, Old Man, and say that you want to become a
general." The old man went to the forest and up to the tree and made as
if to chop it down with his axe. "What do you want, Old Man?" the tree
asked. "I want to become a general." "Very well. And now go with
God!" The old man came back home, and lo!—he had been made
general.
Some more time passed, and the old woman, who was no longer
content being a general's wife, said to the old man:
"Being a general isn't all that much! If the king so wishes, he can
exile you to Siberia. Go to the tree and ask it to make you a king and
me a queen." Off went the old man to the forest and up to the tree and
made as if to chop it down with his axe. "What is it you want, Old
Man?" the tree asked. "I want to be king." "Very well. Go with" God!"
The old man came back home, and there were envoys there waiting to
take him to the palace. "The king is dead," said they, "and you have
been made king in his stead."
The old man and old woman had not reigned very long when the old
woman decided that it wasn't enough to be a queen. So she called the
old man and said: "To be king isn't all that much! If God so wills, he'll
send death after you and you'll find yourself dead and buried. Go to the
tree and ask it to make gods of us." Off went the old man to see the
tree, but when it had heard out his mad speeches, it rustled its leaves
and said: "Not gods shall you be, both of you, but bears!" And the same
moment the old man turned into a he-bear and the old woman into a
she-bear, and away they ran into the deep of the forest.

Translated by Irina Zheleznova

 Baba-Yaga and Puny

There once lived a man and his wife who had no children. They did
all they could, they prayed to God to help them, but God did not seem
to hear them. One day the man went to the forest to gather mushrooms
and he met an old man on the way. "I know what's on your mind," the
old man said. "You want a child. Well, then, what you must do is go
from house to house in your village, ask each of your neighbours for an
egg and then put a brood-hen on them. You'll see what comes of it!"
The man went back to the village, and as there were forty-one houses
there and he made the rounds of them all, he collected forty-one eggs,
and, this done, put a brood-hen on them. Two weeks passed, and the
couple were amazed to see that forty-one babies, all boys, were hatched
out of the eggs. Forty of the boys were strong and healthy, but the
forty-first was frail and puny. The man began giving the boys names,
but could think of only forty and was at a loss to think of a forty-first.
"Well," said he to the forty-first boy, "you're frail and puny, so Puny
you shall be!"
The boys grew fast, not by the day but by the hour, and when they
had grown to manhood, began to help their mother and father, the first
forty working in the field and Puny doing the things that needed to be
done in the house. Mowing time came, and the forty brothers cut the
grass and made hayricks, and after they had worked for a week, came
back home. They had their supper and went to bed, and the father
looked at them and said: "Look at those lads! They eat a lot, they sleep
soundly, but I don't suppose they've done much work!" "Go to the field
and see for yourself before you say that, Father," Puny said. The father
harnessed a horse and drove to the meadow, and what was his surprise
when he saw forty hayricks there! "Good lads to have cut so much
grass and put up so many hayricks in one week!" he cried.
On the following day the father again set out for the meadow, for he
wanted to feast his eyes on the hayricks. But when he came there he
saw that one of the hayricks was gone! He came back home and told
his sons about it. "Never mind, Father, we'll find the thief!" Punny said.
"Give me a hundred rubles and Ï1 do it myself." The father gave him a
hundred rubles, and he went to a smithy and asked the smith if he could
forge a chain long enough to bind a man with from head to toe. "And
why not!" said the smith. "Well, then, make it as strong as you can. If I
find that it's as strong as I want it to be, you'll get a hundred rubles, but
if it breaks, then all your labours will have been in vain." The smith
forged an iron chain, but when Puny wound it round himself and then
pulled at it, it up and broke! The smith then forged him another chain,
twice as thick, and finding it to be good and strong, Puny took it, paid
the smith his hundred rubles and made for the meadow. He sat down
under a hayrick and waited to see what would happen.
Midnight came, the wind began to blow, the sea rose in waves, and
from out of its depths stepped a mare. She ran up to the first hayrick
and began eating the hay. And Puny jumped up, threw his chain round
the mare and sprang on her back. The mare kicked and reared and she
carried him over hills and dales, but he sat on her back firmly, and,
seeing that she could not throw him. she stopped and said: "Since you
were able to get the better of me, my brave lad, you shall have my colts
for your own!" She ran to the blue sea and gave a loud whinny, the sea
rose in waves, and on to the shore stepped forty-one colts. Each of
them was better than the other, and you could not find their like even if
you were to search all over the world! Morning came, and the father
heard a great pounding of hooves and a loud neighing coming from
outside. He rushed out into the yard with his sons, and whom should
they see there but Puny leading in a whole herd of horses! "Greetings to
you, brothers!" Puny said. "There's a horse here for each of us. Let us
go to seek brides for ourselves!" "A good idea!" the brothers said. The
mother and father blessed them and off they set on their way.
Long did they ride over the wide world, but where could they find
so many brides all in one place! For, not wanting to hurt one another's
feelings, they had all of them set their hearts on marrying at one and the
same time. On rode the brothers, beyond the thrice-nine lands, and they
came to a steep mountain on top of which stood a great house of white
stone with a high wall around it and forty-one iron pillars at the gate.
They tied their horses to the pillars and went in through the gate into
the yard, and whom should they see coming toward them but Baba-
Yaga the Witch. "How dared you tie your horses to the pillars without
asking, you who come here uninvited!" said she. "Why do you shout,
old one? First steam us in the baths and give us food and drink and then
ask your questions." Baba-Yaga steamed them in the baths and gave
them food and drink and then she said: "Come, my brave lads, tell me.
have you some purpose in mind or do you come merely to while away
the time?" "We have a purpose in mind, Grandma." "And what is it?"
"We wish to marry and are seeking brides for ourselves." "I have many
daughters," said Baba-Yaga, and she hurried into the house and was
soon back, bringing forty-one maids with her.
Each of the brothers then chose himself a bride, a great wedding
feast was held, and they all drank and made merry. Evening came, and
Puny went to see how his mare was faring. The mare saw him and said
in a human voice: "Mind this, master! Before going to bed you must
put on your brides' clothes and have them put on yours! If you do not
do this, it'll be the end for all of us." Puny passed on to his brothers
what the mare had said, and they put on their brides' clothes and had
them put on theirs and went to bed. They were soon asleep, all save
Puny who never closed an eye. Midnight struck, and Baba-Yaga called
out in a loud voice: "Make haste, my faithful servants, cut off the heads
of these guests of ours!" And the servants came running and cut off the
heads of Baba-Yaga's forty-one daughters. Puny then woke his brothers
and told them what had happened, and they took the heads and stuck
them on the iron poles that surrounded the wall. Then they saddled
their horses and made off in great haste. Morning came, Baba-Yaga
rose and looked out of the window, and there, crowning the poles, were
her daughters' heads! She flew into a passion, and, ordering her fiery
shield to be brought, rode off in pursuit. Where were the brothers to
hide? Ahead of them lay the blue sea, and behind them came Baba-
Yaga burning everything in her way with her shield! Death seemed
close, but Puny was a clever lad and had not forgotten to take along
Baba-Yaga's magic kerchief. He waved the kerchief in front of him, a
bridge spanning the blue sea rose before him, and he and his brothers
crossed it and were soon on the opposite shore. Then Puny waved the
kerchief behind him, the bridge vanished, Baba-Yaga was forced to
turn back, and the brothers rode safely home.

Translated by Irina Zheleznova

 Right and Wrong

In a certain realm there lived two peasants, Ivan and Naum. They
made friends and set off together to look for work. On and on they
went until they came to a prosperous village and hired themselves out
to different masters. They worked for a week and met up on Sunday.
"How much have you earned, brother?" asked Ivan. "The Lord has
given me five rubles." "The Lord! He won't give you a brass farthing, if
you don't earn it for yourself." "No, you are wrong, brother. Without
the Lord's help you can do nothing, not even earn a farthing!"
Thereupon they began to argue and at last agreed on this: "We'll both
walk along the road and ask the first person we meet who is right. The
one who loses must give all the money he has earned to the other." So
off they went. They had barely gone twenty paces, when they met an
evil spirit in human guise. They asked him their question, and he
replied: "What you earn, you earn yourself. It's no good relying on the
Lord. He won't give you a brass farthing!" So Naum gave all his money
to Ivan and returned to his master empty-handed. Another week passed.
The following Sunday the two men met again and had the same
argument. Naum said: "Even though you took all my money last week,
the Lord has given me more!" "Well," said Ivan, "if you really think
that the Lord gave it to you and not that you earned it, let's ask the first
person we meet again who is right. The one who is wrong must hand
over all his money and lose his right arm." Naum consented.
Off they went along the road and met the evil spirit again, who gave
the same answer as before. Ivan took his friend's money, cut off his
right arm and left him there. Naum wondered what he would do now
without an arm and who would feed him. But the Lord is merciful! He
went to the river and lay down on the bank under a boat. "I'll spend the
night here and decide what to do in the morning. Morning's wiser than
evening."
At the stroke of midnight a host of evil spirits assembled in the boat
and began to boast of the mischief they had wrought. One said: "I gave
false judgement in a quarrel between two men, and the man who was
right had his arm cut off." To which another replied: "That's nothing!
He need only roll in the dew three times and his arm will grow again!"
"I put the evil eye on a rich man's only daughter and she's almost
wasted away!" bragged a third. "Listen to that!" sneered a fourth.
"Anyone who feels sorry for the man can easily cure his daughter. Just
get hold of such-and-such a plant, boil it up and bathe her in the water.
She'll be as fit as a fiddle!" "I know a man who built a water mill and
has worked hard for years, all for nothing. As soon as he finishes the
weir, I make a hole in it and let the water out..." "Your miller's a fool!"
scoffed a sixth evil spirit. "He should line the weir with brushwood and
throw a sheaf of hay in when the water begins to run out: that would be
the end of you!"
Naum overheard all this. The next day he made his right arm grow
again, fixed the miller's weir and cured the rich man's daughter. The
miller and the rich man rewarded him generously, and he began to
prosper. One day he met his old friend, who was most surprised and
asked him how he had made his money and got his right arm back.
Naum told him the whole story, concealing nothing. Ivan listened and
thought: "Why don't I do the same and get even richer!" He went to the
river and lay down on the bank under the boat. At midnight the evil
spirits assembled. "Someone must be eavesdropping, brothers," said
one of them. "That man's arm has grown again, the rich man's daughter
is cured, and the weir is working properly."
They rushed to look under the boat, found Ivan and made
mincemeat of him. And so the biter was bit!

Translated by Kathleen Cook

 Prince Ivan and Princess Martha

A certain king had a copper man with arms of steel and a head of
iron, a very artful character, whom he kept locked up in prison. The
king's son, Prince Ivan, was still a little boy. One day as he walked past
the prison, the old man called him over and said to him: "Please give
me a drink, Prince Ivan!" Prince Ivan was too small to know better, so
he got some water and gave it to him, whereupon the old man slipped
out of the prison and vanished. Word of this reached the king, who
ordered Prince Ivan to be banished from the realm. The king's word is
law. So Prince Ivan was banished forthwith and set off on his
wanderings.
On and on he went until he came to another kingdom, went straight
to the king and asked him for work. The king took him in and made
him a stable-boy. He did nothing but doze all day in the stables and
would not look after the horses. The head groom often beat him. But
Prince Ivan bore it all patiently. Then another king asked for this king's
daughter in marriage and was refused, so he declared war. Our king
went off with his army, leaving his fair daughter Princess Martha to
rule the land. She had noticed that the stable-boy was not of common
stock and sent him off to be the governor of somewhere or other.
Prince Ivan went to live and rule there. One day he decided to go
hunting. He had just set off when the copper man with arms of steel
and a head of iron popped up out of thin air. "Good-day, Prince Ivan!"
Prince Ivan returned his greeting. "Come and be my guest," said the
man. So off they went. The old man took him to a rich house and called
to his youngest daughter: "Bring us food and drink, and a gallon-sized
goblet of liquor!" They began to dine. The daughter brought in the
gallon-sized goblet of liquor and took it up to Prince Ivan. He refused
it, saying: "I couldn't manage all that!" The old man told him to have a
try. So he picked up the goblet and suddenly found the strength to drain
it in a single draught.
Then the old man took him out to try his strength. They came to a
stone weighing five hundred poods. "Pick up this stone, Prince Ivan,"
the old man said. "I can × lift that," Prince Ivan thought to himself.
"But I'll have a go." He picked it up and tossed it like a feather. "Where
did I get the strength?" he wondered again. "It must have been in that
liquor the old man gave me." They strolled on for a while, then turned
back. When they came back to the house, the old man called to the
middle daughter to bring two gallons of liquor. Prince Ivan grasped the
goblet boldly and drained it in a single draught. They went out for a
walk again and came to a stone weighing a thousand poods. "Now toss
this stone!" said the old man. Prince Ivan picked up the stone and
tossed it like a feather. "What strength I have inside me!" he thought to
himself.
Then back they went, and the old man called to the eldest daughter
to bring a three-gallon goblet of liquor. Prince Ivan drained this too in a
single draught. He and the old man went out for a walk. Prince Ivan
tossed a stone weighing two thousand poods with the greatest of ease.
Then the old man gave him a magic table-cloth and said: "There is
great strength inside you now, Prince Ivan. Your horse cannot carry
you! Strengthen the porch of your house, for it will not bear your
weight either. Get new chairs. And put more supports under the floors.
God be with you!" People laughed to see the governor returning from
the hunt on foot, leading his horse by the bridle. When he got home, he
ordered them to put more supports under the floors and make new
chairs. He sent away the cooks and chambermaids and lived on his own
like a hermit. Nobody cooked for him, and people marvelled that he did
not need to eat. The magic table-cloth was feeding him all the time, of
course.
He never went visiting, and indeed how could he? The houses could
not bear his weight.
Meanwhile the king returned from the wars, heard that Prince Ivan
was a governor and had him replaced and sent back to the stables.
There was nothing for it, so Prince Ivan became a stable-boy again.
One day the head groom gave him some orders and hit him. Prince Ivan
lost his temper, seized the head groom and knocked his head off. Word
of this reached the king. He summoned Prince Ivan. "Why did you
strike the groom?" asked the king. "He hit me first, Your Majesty, so I
hit him back, not very hard, on the head. And his head just fell off."
The other stable-boys said the same thing. The head groom had hit
Prince Ivan first, and Prince Ivan Mt him back; but not very hard. The
king did nothing to Prince Ivan, only made him a soldier instead of a
stable-boy. So Prince Ivan went off to the army.
Not long after this a thumb-sized mannikin with a long, long beard
brought a letter bearing three black seals from the Water King. It said
that if the king did not deliver his daughter, Princess Martha, to such-
and-such an island on such-and-such a day to marry the Water King's
son, he would kill the lot of them and burn the whole kingdom to ashes.
A three-headed dragon would collect Princess Martha. The king read
the letter and sent a reply to the Water King consenting to the match.
He saw the mannikin off and summoned together his senators and
ministers to think up a way of saving his daughter from the three-
headed dragon. If he did not deliver her to the island, the whole
kingdom would be destroyed by the Water King. A proclamation was
issued calling for someone to save Princess Martha from the dragon.
The king promised his daughter's hand in return for this service.
A fine gentleman volunteered. He took a regiment of soldiers and
set off with Princess Martha for the island. There he left her in a cabin
and waited outside for the dragon. Meanwhile Prince Ivan heard that
Princess Martha had been taken to the Water King and he set off for the
island too. He came to the cabin, where Princess Martha was weeping.
"Do not weep, Princess," he said to her. "God is merciful!" He lay
down on the bench with his head on Princess Martha's lap and fell fast
asleep. Suddenly the dragon began to rise out of the water, sending up a
wave ten feet high. The fine gentleman was with the soldiers. When the
water began to rise, he ordered: "Quick march, into the forest." Off
scurried the soldiers into the forest. The dragon came out and made
straight for the cabin. Princess Martha saw it coming for her and woke
Prince Ivan. He jumped up, cut off the dragon's three heads with one
fell swoop, and went away. The fine gentleman took Princess Martha
home to her father.
Not long after that the thumb-sized mannikin with the long, long
beard came out of the water again bearing a letter with six black seals
from the Water King asking the king to deliver his daughter to a six-
headed dragon on the self-same island. If he did not, the Water King
threatened to flood the whole kingdom. The king once more wrote
consenting to deliver Princess Martha. The mannikin went away. The
king issued a proclamation, and notices were put up all over the land,
calling for someone to save Princess Martha from the dragon. The same
fine gentleman turned up and said: "I'll save her, Your Majesty, only
give me a regiment of soldiers." "Don't you need more than that? It's a
six-headed dragon this time." "That will do. It's more than enough for
me."
They made ready and went off with Princess Martha. Prince Ivan
learnt that Princess Martha was in danger again and, remembering her
kindness in making him a governor, he set off once again, on foot or
horseback, I cannot say. He found Princess Martha in the cabin and
went in to her. She was waiting for him and was overjoyed to see him.
He lay down and fell fast asleep. Suddenly the six-headed dragon
began to rise out of the water, sending up a wave twenty feet high. The
fine gentleman and the soldiers were safe in the forest. The dragon
made for the cabin. Princess Martha woke Prince Ivan. He and the
dragon grappled and fought. Prince Ivan cut off one head, another, a
third, then all the rest, threw them into the water and walked away as
cool as a cucumber. The fine gentleman came out of the forest with the
soldiers, went back and told the king that the Lord had helped him to
save Princess Martha. He must have threatened her in some way, for
she dared not say that someone else had rescued her. The fine
gentleman wanted them to fix the wedding day there and then. But
Princess Martha said they must wait. "Give me time to get over the
shock," she said. "I had a really nasty fright."
Suddenly the thumb-sized mannikin with the long, long beard came
out of the water again bearing a letter with nine black seals that asked
the king to deliver Princess Martha to a nine-headed dragon on such-
and-such an island and such-and-such a day and said that if he did not
his whole kingdom would be flooded. The king again wrote his
consent, then set about looking for someone to save the princess from
the nine-headed dragon. The same fine gentleman volunteered again
and set off with a regiment of soldiers and Princess Martha.
Prince Ivan heard of this, made ready and set off to where Princess
Martha was waiting for him. When he arrived, she was overjoyed and
asked him who he was, what he was called and who his parents were.
He said nothing, but lay down and fell fast asleep. Then the nine-
headed dragon began to rise out of the water, sending up a wave thirty
feet high. "Quick march into the forest!" the fine gentleman ordered the
soldiers. Off they scurried. Princess Martha tried to wake Prince Ivan,
but in vain. The dragon was on the threshold. She burst into tears; for
she could not rouse Prince Ivan. The dragon slithered up to Prince Ivan!
He lay fast asleep. Now Princess Martha had a penknife. She gashed
Prince Ivan's cheek with it. He awoke, sprang to his feet, and grappled
with the dragon. The dragon began to get the better of Prince Ivan.
Suddenly out of thin air up popped the copper man with arms of steel
and a head of iron. Together they chopped off all the dragon's heads,
threw them into the water and went away. The fine gentleman was as
pleased as punch; he hopped out of the forest, went back to his
kingdom and began pestering the king to fix the wedding day there and
then. Princess Martha kept saying: "Wait till I've got over the shock.
That was a really nasty fright."
The thumb-sized mannikin with the long, long beard brought
another letter. The Water King demanded to have the guilty person.
The fine gentleman didn't want to go to the Water King, but they made
him. A boat was prepared and off they set. Prince Ivan happened to be
serving in the navy and somehow managed to be on the same boat.
Suddenly they met another boat, flying like the wind. "Who is the
guilty one? Who is the guilty one?" came the shouts from it as it sped
past. A little later they met another boat. "Who is the guilty one? Who
is the guilty one?" Prince Ivan pointed to the fine gentleman. They beat
him to within an inch of his life and sailed on.
Then they came to the Water King. The Water King ordered an iron
bath to be filled to the top with boiling water and the guilty person to
be put into it. The fine gentleman took fright. His heart sank into his
boots! This was the end! But with Prince Ivan was a man from the navy
who had seen that Prince Ivan was not of common stock and stayed to
serve him. Prince Ivan said to him: "Go and sit in the bath." The
servant ran off and did as he was told, and nothing happened to the
devil. He came back unscathed. Again the guilty one was summoned,
this time to appear before the Water King himself. They took the fine
gentleman to him. The Water King cursed him roundly, beat him
soundly, and bade them take him away. So back home they all went.
At home the fine gentleman was more conceited than ever and kept
pestering the king to name the wedding day. The king agreed and the
date was fixed. You should have seen how high and mighty the fine
gentleman got then, strutting around and looking down his nose at
everybody. But the Princess said to her father: "Have all the soldiers
lined up, Sire. I want to inspect them." No sooner said than done.
Princess Martha walked up and down until she came to Prince Ivan.
She looked at his cheek and saw the scar from the cut with the
penknife. Then she took Prince Ivan by the hand and led him to her
father. "Here is the man who rescued me from the dragon, Sire. I didn't
know who he was, but now I recognise him by the scar on his cheek.
The fine gentleman hid in the forest with the soldiers!" Straightway the
soldiers were asked if this were really so. "Yes, Your Majesty," they
replied. "The fine gentleman was scared out of his wits!" So the fine
gentleman was stripped of all his honours; but Prince Ivan married
Princess Martha and they lived happily ever after.

Translated by Kathleen Cook

 The Three Kingdoms

In a certain kingdom, in a certain realm there lived a king by the

name of Bel-Belianin who had a wife named Nastasya the Golden Plait
and three sons, Prince Pyotr, Prince Vassily and Prince Ivan. One day
the queen and her women and maids went for a walk in the garden. All
of a sudden a great whirlwind arose and it caught up the queen, which
God forbid should happen to anyone, and carried her off none knew
where.
The king was very sad and woebegone and did not know what to do,
but when his sons had grown to manhood he said to them: "My dear
sons, my beloved sons, will not one of you go to seek your mother?"
The two elder sons did not delay but set off at once, and the third and
youngest son began pleading with his father to let him go too. "No, my
son, you mustn't leave me, an old man, all alone," said the king.
"Please let me go, Father! I do so want to travel over the world and find
my mother." The king reasoned with him, but, seeing that he could not
stop him from going, said: "Oh, all right then, I suppose it can't be
helped. Go and God be with you!"
Prince Ivan saddled his trusty steed and set forth from home.
Whether he was long on the way or not nobody knows, for a tale is
quick in the telling and a deed is slow in the doing, but by and by he
came to a forest where stood a most beautiful palace. Prince Ivan rode
into the yard, and a large yard it was, and, seeing an old man coming
toward him, said: "Good morrow, old man, and many long years of life
to you!" "Welcome, welcome, my brave lad! And who may you be?" "I
am Prince Ivan, son of King Bel-Belianin and Queen Nastasya the
Golden Plait." "Then you are my own nephew! Whither are you
bound?" "I am seeking my mother. Do you know where she is to be
found, Uncle?" "No, my lad, I don't. But I'll do what I can for you.
Here is a little ball. Throw it down before you, and it will start rolling
and bring you to a tall, steep mountain with a cave in it. Go into the
cave, take the iron claws that you will see there, fit them on to your
hands and feet and climb the mountain. You may well find your mother
on its top."
Well and good. Prince Ivan bade his uncle farewell and threw the
ball before him. On the ball rolled, and he rode after it. Whether a short
or a long time passed nobody knows, but by and by he came to a field
and whom should he see there but his brothers Prince Pyotr and Prince
Vassily surrounded by a host of fighting men. The brothers rode forth
to meet him. "Where are you going, Prince Ivan?" they asked. "I got
bored staying at home and thought I would go to seek our mother. Send
your men home and come with me." The brothers did as he said. The)
sent the men home and joined him, and the three of them followed the
ball together.
By and by they saw the mountain, and so tall and steep was it that it
touched the sky with its peak! The ball rolled up straight to a cave, and
Prince Ivan got off his horse and said to his brothers: "Stay here and
look after my horse, brothers, and I will climb the mountain and try to
find our mother. Wait for me for three months, and if I am not back by
then, you will know that it's no use waiting any longer." "A man can
break his neck climbing a mountain like that!" thought the brothers, but
they said to him: "Very well, then, go with God and we will wait for
you here."
Prince Ivan came up to the cave, gave its door of iron a mighty push
and sent it flying open. He came inside, and the iron claws jumped up
and fixed themselves to his hands and feet. But it took all of his
strength to climb the mountain, and a whole month passed before he at
last reached its top. "God be thanked, I'm here at last!" said he. He
rested awhile and then went on. He walked and he walked, and,
standing before him, saw a palace of copper. Chained to the gate with
copper chains were the most fearful of dragons, while close by was a
well with a copper dipper dangling at the end of a copper chain. Prince
Ivan scooped up some water and gave the dragons a drink, and, thus
having quietened them, passed on into the palace where he was met by
the Princess of the Copper Kingdom.
"Who are you, brave youth?" she asked. "I am Prince Ivan." "Is it of
your own free will that you have come here, Prince Ivan, or at another's
bidding?" "Of my own free will. I am seeking my mother, Nastasya the
Golden Plait, who was carried off by Whirlwind. Do you happen to
know where she is?" "No, I don't. But my middle sister the Princess of
the Silver Kingdom, lives nearby, and she may know." And she
brought out a copper ball and a copper ring and gave them to him.
"This ball," said she, "will lead you to my middle sister, and in this ring
is the whole of my Copper Kingdom. When you have vanquished
Whirlwind, who keeps me captive here and comes to see me every
three months, do not forget me, unhappy soul that I am, but deliver me
from captivity and take me with you to where I can be free." "Very
well, I'll do that," said Prince Ivan. He cast the copper ball down on the
ground, started it rolling and went after it.
He came to the Silver Kingdom and saw before him a palace that
was made of silver and was even more beautiful than the copper one.
Chained with silver chains to the gate were fearful dragons, and close
by was a well with a silver dipper. Prince Ivan scooped up some water
and gave it to the dragons to drink, and they lay down on the ground
and let him pass on into the palace where he was met by the Princess of
the Silver Kingdom. "It will be three years soon that I have been kept
here by Whirlwind, and I have not seen a Russian face or heard
Russian speech in all that time," said she. "Who are you, brave youth?"
"I am Prince Ivan." "Have you come here of your own free will or at
another's bidding?" "Of my own free will. I am seeking my mother
whom Whirlwind seized when she was out walking in the garden and
carried off none knows where. Do you know where I can find her?"
"No, I don't. But my elder sister, Elena the Fair, the Princess of the
Golden Kingdom, lives nearby, and she may know. Here is a silver ball
for you. Send it rolling and follow it, and it will lead you to the Golden
Kingdom. And when you have killed Whirlwind do not forget me,
unhappy soul that I am, but deliver me from captivity and take me with
you to where I can be free. For Whirlwind keeps me captive here and
comes to see me every two months." She gave him a silver ring and
said: "My whole Silver Kingdom is in this ring." And Prince Ivan sent
the silver ball rolling along and went after it.
Whether a short or a long time passed nobody knows, but by and by
he saw before him a palace of gold that flamed like fire. Fearful
dragons, chained to the wall with chains of gold, guarded the gate, and
close by was a well with a dipper of gold dangling at the end of a gold
chain. Prince Ivan scooped up a dipperful of water and gave the
dragons a drink, and they quietened and lay down on the ground so that
he was able to pass on into the palace. Elena the Fair met him there and
asked him who he was. "I am Prince Ivan." "Have you come here of
your own free will or at another's bidding?" "Of my own free will. I am
seeking my mother, Nastasya the Golden Plait. Do you know where I
can find her?" "That I do. She lives nearby, and Whirlwind comes to
see her once a week and me, once a month. Here is a gold ball for you.
Send it rolling along and go after it, and it will lead you wherever you
wish to go. And take this gold ring, too; in it is the whole of the Golden
Kingdom. But mind this, Prince Ivan: when you have vanquished
Whirlwind, do not forget me, unhappy soul that I am, but take me with
you to where I can be free." "I'll not forget you, " said the Prince.
He sent-the ball rolling along and went after it, he walked and he
walked, and he came to a palace that flamed like fire so many were the
diamonds and other gems studding its walls. By the gate were six-
headed dragons that hissed as he came near, but Prince Ivan gave them
water to drink and they quietened and let him pass on into the palace.
Many were the chambers he passed through, and in the last one, sitting
on a high throne, he found his mother. She was garbed in royal
garments and had on a gem-studded crown. She glanced up as he came
in, and seeing who it was, cried: "Dear God in Heaven, is it you, my
beloved son? How did you get here?" He told her all about everything
and then said: "1 have come for you." "It is a hard task you have set
yourself, my son," said she. "For .the ruler of this mountain is
Whirlwind who is as mighty as he is evil and who holds all the spirits
in his sway. It was he who carried me off, and it is him you will have to
grapple with! Now come down into the cellar with me."
They went down into the cellar, and there were two tubs of water
there, one standing near the right wall and the other, near the left one.
"Drink some water out of the tub that is near the right wall," said
Nastasya the Golden Plait. Prince Ivan did as she told him. "How
strong do you feel?" she asked him. "So strong that I know I could turn
this whole palace round with one hand if I chose!" "Take another sip
from the same tub." Prince Ivan bent down and took another sip. "And
how strong do you feel now?" "So strong that I know I could turn the
whole world upside down!" "That makes you very strong indeed! And
now move the tub that is near the right wall to the left wall, and the one
near the left wall to the right one." Prince Ivan did as she told him.
"The tub you drank from is filled with strong water, my dear son," his
mother said, "and the other, with strengthless water. He who drinks of
the first will become very, very strong, and he who drinks of the
second, very weak. Now, Whirlwind always drinks out of the first tub,
which he keeps near the right wall, and if we are to get the better of
him we must trick him."
They climbed the cellar stairs and were soon back in the self-same
chamber, and his mother told Prince Ivan that Whirlwind would soon
be coming home. "Hide under my mantle that he might not see you,"
she said. "And as soon as he flies in and begins embracing and kissing
me, grab hold of his cudgel and don't let go of it. He will rise high into
the air and carry you over mountains and seas, but you must never
loosen your hold. He will tire after a while, and, wanting to drink of the
strong water, come down into the cellar and rush to the tub we have put
near the right wall. He will drink from it, and you must drink from the
other one. When you see that he has lost all of his strength, you must
seize his sword and smite off his head with one blow. When you have
done that, you will hear voices telling you to smite again. Do not heed
them but say in reply: 'A true knight never smites but once!' "
No sooner had Prince Ivan hidden himself under his mother's mantle
than it grew dark outside, everything around them began to shake and
to tremble, and Whirlwind came flying up. He struck the ground,
turned into a tall and handsome man and came into the palace, a great
cudgel in his hand. "Fee-fo-fum! I smell Russian flesh. Has anyone
been here?" "No, and I don't know what makes you think so," the
queen said. Whirlwind threw his arms around her and began kissing
her, and Prince Ivan grabbed hold of his cudgel. "I'll soon do away with
you!" Whirlwind cried. "That remains to be seen. You might and then
again you might not." At this Whirlwind flew out through the window
and soared to the sky, and he bore Prince Ivan away with him. They
flew over a mountain, and Whirlwind said, "I'll dash you to the ground
and kill you!" They flew over the sea, and he said, "I'll throw you down
and drown you!" But he could not make good his threats, for Prince
Ivan held on to the cudgel and would not let go of it.
Whirlwind flew all round the world, and at last, feeling weary, he
came down to the ground and into the cellar. Not knowing that it was
filled with strengthless water, he rushed to the tub that stood near the
right wall and began drinking from it, and Prince Ivan let him do it and
himself drank from the tub that stood near the left wall and that was
filled with strong water. Very soon Whirlwind lost all his strength
while Prince Ivan became the strongest man that ever lived. Snatching
his sabre from him, he smote off Whirlwind's head, and the moment he
had done so he heard voices calling from behind him: "Smite again,
smite again or he will come back to life!" "No," said Prince Ivan, "a
true knight never smites but once." He made up a fire, burnt
Whirlwind's head and his body and cast the ashes into the wind.
Nastasya the Golden Plait was overjoyed. "Let us now make merry and
eat and drink, my son," said she, "and then make haste and set out for
home, for this is a dull place with no one to talk to even." "Who is to
serve us, then, if no one lives here?" "That you shall see." And before
another word was said the table was covered with a cloth, and all sorts
of foods and drinks appeared on it. And as they ate, the sound of music
fell on their ears and someone they could not see sang to them. They
ate and they drank and had a rest, and Prince Ivan said: "It is time to
go, Mother! My two brothers are waiting for us at the foot of the
mountain, and I still have to free the three princesses whom Whirlwind
has been keeping captive."
They took every thing they needed and set out on their way. They
freed the three Princesses and taking away a length of cloth as well as
many of the fine and costly things they found in the three palaces, went
on and soon came to the place where they could begin their descent
from the mountain. Prince Ivan tied his mother to the cloth first and let
her down on it, and then he let down Elena the Fair and her two sisters.
His two brothers stood below watching and said: "We'll leave Prince
Ivan on the mountain top, and we'll take our mother and the three
princesses to our father and tell him that it was we who found and freed
them." "I will marry Elena the Fair, and you the Princess of the Silver
Kingdom," said Prince Pyotr to Prince Vassily, "and the Princess of the
Copper Kingdom will have to be content with a general."
 It was now the turn of Prince Ivan to let himself down from the
mountain, but his brothers seized the bottom end of the cloth and
ripped it off. Prince Ivan was left on the top of the mountain and there
was nothing he could do. He burst into tears and went back along the
road, but though he walked all over the Copper Kingdom, the Silver
Kingdom and the Golden Kingdom, not a soul did he see. He came to
the Diamond Kingdom, but there was no one there either, and he felt so
lonely he wanted to die. Then, lying on the window sill in one of the
palace chambers, he saw a pipe. "I think I'll play a little tune just to
keep boredom away," said he picking it up. He put the pipe to his lips
and blew, and as if out of nowhere there appeared before him a lame
man and a one-eyed man. "What can we do for you, Prince Ivan?"
asked they. "I'm hungry. Bring me something to eat." And lo!—quick
as lightning the table was set and the best of foods and drinks appeared
on it. Prince Ivan ate and then he said to himself: "And now I wouldn't
mind having a rest." He put the pipe to his lips and blew, and the lame
man and the one-eyed man appeared. "What can we do for you, Prince
Ivan?" they asked. "Make a bed for me." No sooner were the words out
of his mouth than the bed was made, and it was the softest he had ever
slept on.
He had a good sleep and then blew upon his pipe again. "What can
we do for you?" asked the lame man and the one-eyed man. "Does that
mean that I can ask for anything and it will be done?" asked Prince
Ivan. "Yes, anything at all, Prince Ivan. All you have to do is blow
upon the pipe. Just as we were ready to serve Whirlwind before, so are
we ready to serve you now. Only you must have the pipe with you
always." "Good!" said Prince Ivan, and he added: "I wish to be back in
my own realm." And no sooner had he said this than he found himself
in his own realm, at a market-place. He walked along, and there,
coming toward him, he saw a shoemaker, as jolly a fellow as ever
lived. "Where are you going, my man?" asked Prince Ivan. "To sell a
pair of boots. I'm a shoemaker." "How would you like me to work for
you?" "Can you make shoes?" "Yes, and clothes, too. I can do
anything." "Good! Come along, then!"
They came to the shoemaker's house, and the shoemaker said:
"Now, then, make me a pair of boots out of this piece of leather, and
it's fine leather, believe me you. I want to see what you can do." He
showed Prince Ivan into the room he was to live in and left him there.
Prince Ivan got out his pipe and blew upon it, and the lame man and the
one-eyed man appeared before him. "What can we do for you, Prince
Ivan?" they asked. "I want you to make me a pair of boots, to be ready
by tomorrow." "It shall be done!" "Here, take this piece of leather." "A
poor piece, if ever there was one! It ought to be thrown out." Morning
came, Prince Ivan rose, and there on the table stood a beautiful pair of
boots! The shoemaker too got up from bed. "Are the boots ready?" he
asked. "They are," said Prince Ivan. "Well, then, let me see them!"
Prince Ivan brought out the boots, and the shoemaker took one look at
them and gasped in wonder. "I have found myself a master shoemaker,
a man with magic fingers!" he cried. And he took the boots and made
for the market-place with them.
Now, at this same time preparations for three weddings were under
way in the palace: Prince Pyotr was marrying Elena the Fair, Prince
Vassily, the Princess of the Silver Kingdom, and a general the Princess
of the Copper Kingdom. Finery of all sorts was being purchased for the
brides and grooms, and Elena the Fair said that she needed a pair of
boots. Now, as no boots better than the ones the shoemaker was
offering could be found, he was at once brought to the palace. And
Elena the Fair took one look at them and said: "Such boots can only
have been made in Whirlwind's palace!" She paid the shoemaker a
large sum of money and bade him make her another pair. "They must
be ornamented with diamonds and other precious stones," said she.
"And I will not have you measuring my feet. Just remember this. If
they are not ready by breakfast-time tomorrow, you shall be hanged!"
The shoemaker took the money and the gems with which the boots
were to be ornamented and left the palace with hanging head.
"Unhappy man that I am! What am I to do?" he said to himself. "How
can I have the boots ready by tomorrow? It's the gallows for me and no
mistake! I think I had better have a drink or two with my friends before
I die." He stepped into an inn where he found some of his friends, of
whom he had many, and, seeing him, they asked why he was so glum.
"Ah, my friends, I'm to be hanged tomorrow!" "Hanged? What for?"
The shoemaker told them about the boots he had been ordered to make.
"It's no use trying to work!" said he. "Let's drink and make merry
instead." They drank and made merry, and by the time the day was
drawing to a close the shoemaker could hardly stand on his feet he was
so drunk. "I think I'll take a keg of wine home and go to bed," said he.
"And when they come for me tomorrow, I'll down a half of it. A man
can't feel the rope round his neck when he's dead drunk." He came
home and said to Prince Ivan: "See what those boots of yours have
done, curse you! I'm to be hanged. Wake me when they come for me
tomorrow morning."
Night came, Prince Ivan got out his pipe and blew upon it, and the
lame man and the one-eyed man appeared. "What can we do for you,
Prince Ivan?" they asked. "You are to make me a pair of boots to be
ready by morning," said he, and he told them what kind of boots were
wanted. "It shall be done!" Prince Ivan went to bed and to sleep, and in
the morning, there were the boots standing on the table, the gems on
them sparkling and glittering. "Time to get up, Master!" he called to the
shoemaker. "Have they come for me, then? Bring the keg of wine and
pour me a cupful, let them hang me drank." "But the boots are ready,
Master." "What! Where are they?" He rushed into Prince Ivan's room,
and, seeing the boots, said: "When did you and I manage to make
them?" "During the night, Master. Don't you remember?" "No, I'm that
fuzzy. I don't."
He took the boots, wrapped them up and ran to the palace, and when
Elena the Fair saw them she at once knew that it was Whirlwind's two
servants who had made them. "How ever did you manage to make
these boots?" asked she of the shoemaker. "I can do anything!" "If that
is so, then make me a wedding dress sewn with gold and studded with
diamonds and other precious stones. And it must be ready by tomorrow
or I'll have you put to death!" The shoemaker left the palace with
hanging head. His friends, who had been waiting for him, greeted him
and asked how he had fared. "It's cursed I am!" he told them. "Elena
the Fair will drive all us good Christians to our grave! She's ordered me
to make her a dress sewn with gold and studded with precious stones,
and what sort of a tailor am I! I'm sure to be put to death." "Let's have a
drink or two now, friend, and then you can go to bed. Night is the
mother of wisdom, don't forget."
They went to an inn and drank and made merry, and by and by the
shoemaker was so drank he could hardly stand. He dragged a keg of
wine home with him and said to Prince Ivan: "Wake me tomorrow and
I'll down this whole keg of wine. I want to be drank when they chop off
my head. For never in my life can I hope to make a dress like the one
demanded of me." He went to bed and was soon snoring loudly, and
Prince Ivan put his pipe to his lips and blew. The lame man and the
one-eyed man appeared and asked him what they could do for him. "I
want a dress to be made by tomorrow, and it must be as fine as the ones
Elena the Fair wore when she lived in Whirlwind's palace." "It shall be
done!" Prince Ivan woke at dawn, and there was the dress lying on the
table and sparkling so brightly that it lit up the whole room. So he went
and roused the shoemaker who rubbed his eyes and said: "Have they
come for me, then? Hurry and bring the wine!" "But the dress is all
ready." "Is it? When did we make it?" "During the night. It was you did
the cutting." "Did I? I'm that fuzzy I don't remember." And taking the
dress, the shoemaker ran to the palace.
Elena the Fair gave him a large sum of money and said: "You are to
build a kingdom of gold in the middle of the sea and also a bridge of
gold that will connect this palace with it. The bridge is to be carpeted
with the richest of velvets, beautiful trees are to grow on either side of
it, and songbirds are to sit in them and sing away for all they are worth.
And if it is not ready by breakfast-time tomorrow, I shall have you
quartered!" The shoemaker left the palace with hanging head. "Well,
how was it?" his friends asked him. "It's the end of me, I am to be
quartered tomorrow. She's set me such a task that the devil himself
could not cope with it!" "Now, now, let's go and have a drink and then
you can go to bed. Night is the mother of wisdom, don't forget." "And
why not! A man should have a little pleasure before he dies."
They went to an inn and drank much wine, and so drank was the
shoemaker by evening that his friends had to drag him home.
"Goodbye, my lad!" said he to Prince Ivan. "I am to be put to death
tomorrow." "Have you been set another task?" "Yes." He told Prince
Ivan what it was, went to bed and was soon snoring away. And Prince
Ivan went to his own room and blew upon his pipe. The lame man and
the one-eyed man appeared and asked him what they could do for him.
He told them what it was he wanted done, and they said: "That is no
easy task, Prince Ivan, but never fear, everything will be done by
tomorrow morning." Prince Ivan woke just as day broke, he looked out
of the window, and lo and behold!—there stood the palace of gold
flaming like fire. Prince Ivan roused the shoemaker who jumped to his
feet with a start. "What is it? Have they come for me? Bring the wine,
quick! I want to be put to death drunk." "But the palace has been built."
"It has?" And the shoemaker glanced out of the window and gasped in
wonder. "When was it built?" he asked. "Don't you remember? You
and I worked very, very hard." "I must have slept so soundly I forgot
all about it."
They hurried to the golden palace and found it to be full of treasures
such as no one had seen or heard of before. Said Prince Ivan: "Here is a
feather duster for you, Master. Go and dust the railings, and if anyone
comes and asks you who lives in the palace, don't say a word but just
give them this note." Off went the shoemaker and began dusting the
railings, and Elena the Fair, who had just risen from bed, saw the
golden bridge and hurried to tell the king about it. "Just look, Your
Majesty!" she cried. "A palace of gold has been built in the middle of
the sea, and a bridge too that connects it with your palace. And on
either side of the bridge grow the most beautiful trees in which sit
songbirds that fill the air with their music."
The king, who feared that some great warrior was about to lay siege
to his kingdom, at once sent envoys to ask what it all could mean. And
the shoemaker being on the bridge, the envoys addressed all their
questions to him. "I know nothing, but here is a note you can take to
your king," the shoemaker said. Now, in the note Prince Ivan had told
his father all about everything, about how he had freed his mother and
Elena the Fair and about how his elder brothers had tricked him. And
he sent coaches of gold for the king and queen, asking them to pay him
a visit together with Elena the Fair and her sisters. He invited his
brothers too, but said that they were to travel in an ordinary peasant
sled.
The king and queen and the rest did not delay but set off at once,
and Prince Ivan welcomed them with great joy. The king wanted to
punish his two elder sons for what they had done, but Prince Ivan
pleaded with him not to and he forgave them. A great feast was then
held, and Prince Ivan married Elena the Fair. He gave the Princess of
the Silver Kingdom in marriage to Prince Pyotr, and the Princess of the
Copper Kingdom, to Prince Vassily, and he had the shoemaker made
general.
I was at the feast too, and I drank mead and wine, but all of it ran
down this beard of mine.

Translated by Irina Zheleznova

 Evening, Midnight and Dawn

In a certain realm there once lived a king who had three daughters
so beautiful as cannot be described. The king treasured them as the
apple of his eye and had underground chambers built where they were
kept like birds in a cage that the wild winds might not blow on them or
the bright sun burn them with its rays. One day the three princesses
read in a book about the wonders of the great wide world, and when the
king came to pay them a visit, they began pleading with him with tears
in their eyes to let them out of their chambers. "Please, Father, you who
are our king and ruler, let us out for a walk in the green garden that we
may see the light of day!" they said. The king tried to talk them out of
it, but they would not listen to him, and the more often he entreated
them to think better of it the more they badgered him and the louder
they begged him to do as they wished. It could not be helped, and the
king gave in.
The beautiful princesses came out for a walk in the garden, they saw
the bright sun and the trees and flowers and took great joy in being free
and out in the fresh air. They ran about and played, marvelling at every
blade of grass and every flower, when all of a sudden the wild wind
caught them up and carried them off none knew where. Their maids
and women were greatly alarmed and ran to tell the king about it, and
the king at once sent his many faithful servants to all parts of the realm,
promising that he who found some sign of them would be richly
rewarded. But though the servants searched far and near, they came
back with nothing to show for it. The king then called together the
highest of his courtiers and asked them if there was not one among
them who would undertake to try to find his daughters. And he said that
he who found them would get whichever one he chose of the three in
marriage and a dowry that would make him rich for the rest of his life.
He addressed the courtiers once, and they were silent; he addressed
them a second time, and they said nothing; he addressed them for a
third time, and they uttered not a word! The king burst into tears. "It
seems I have no friends or defenders to help me in my trouble," he said.
And he had it heralded throughout the realm that he was waiting for
someone from among the ordinary folk to come forward and offer to
find his daughters.
Now, at that selfsame time, in a certain village there lived a poor
widow who had three sons, strong and fearless lads all three. They had
been born on one day: the eldest son in the evening, the middle son at
midnight, and the youngest son at dawn, and because of that were
named Evening, Midnight and Dawn. Hearing of the call put out by the
king, they asked their mother's blessing, made ready and rode off for
the king's own city. They came to the palace, bowed low before the
king and said: "May you prosper for many years to come, Sire! We
have not come here to feast but to serve you. Allow us to go to seek the
princesses." "May good luck attend you, brave youths! What are your
names?" "We are brothers, and our names are Evening, Midnight and
Dawn." "Is there anything I can do for you before you go?" "We want
nothing for ourselves, Sire, but do not leave our mother in her old age;
help her if she should be in want." The king did as they asked. He had
their mother brought to the palace to live there for as long as she
desired, and he gave orders that she should share of his board and be
given clothes to wear from his own coffers.
The three brothers set out on their way, they rode for a month, and
another, and a third, and they came to a great and empty plain. Beyond
it stretched a dense forest, and they were halfway through it when there
before them they saw a little hut. They knocked at the window, but
there was no reply; they came inside, and there was no one there.
"Well, brothers, let us stay here awhile and rest from our journey," they
said. They took off their clothes, said their prayers and went to bed, and
on the following morning Dawn said to his elder brother Evening:
"Midnight and I will go off to hunt, and you must stay home and
prepare our dinner for us." To this Evening agreed, and there being a
shed full of sheep near the hut, he slaughtered the best one he could
find among them and roasted it. Then, everything being ready, he lay
down on a bench for a sleep. All of a sudden there came a great
thumping and banging, the door opened, and a bearded old man the
size of a thumb stepped into the hut looking glum as glum. "How dared
you play the master in my house, how dared you slaughter my sheep!"
he cried. "First grow a wee bit so a man can tell you from a bug!"
Evening said. "You don't want me to drown you in a spoonful of soup,
do you!" The little old man became angrier still. "I'm small but bold
and can knock you out cold!" he cried. And grabbing a crust of bread,
he began hitting Evening over the head with it and gave him such a
walloping that he was all but dead by the time he got through with him.
Then he thrust him under the bench, ate up the roasted sheep and went
away. And as for Evening, he came to after a while, tied a rag round his
head and lay there moaning. The two brothers came back, and, seeing
him in so sorry a state, asked what had happened. "Well, you see,
brothers, I lit the oven and got such a terrible headache from the heat
that I lay around all day in a half-swoon and could not cook anything."
On the following day Dawn and Evening went off to hunt, and they
left Midnight at home to prepare the dinner.
 Midnight lit the oven, slaughtered the fattest sheep he could find in
the shed and, having roasted it, lay down on the bench for a sleep.
All of a sudden there was a great thumping and banging, and a little
old man the size of a thumb came into the hut looking glum as glum.
He fell on Midnight, gave him such a walloping that he was all but
dead by the time he was through with him, and, having eaten the
roasted sheep, went away. And Midnight tied a rag round his head and
lay moaning under the bench. Dawn and Evening came back, and
Dawn asked him what had happened to him. "I lit the oven and got
such a headache from the fumes that I had to lie around all day and
could not cook anything," Midnight said.
On the third day the two elder brothers went off to hunt, and Dawn
stayed home. He slaughtered the best sheep he could find in the shed,
skinned and roasted it, and, this done, lay down on the bench for a
sleep.
All of a sudden there was a great thumping and banging, and a little
old man the size of a thumb came into the yard looking glum as glum.
He had a whole stack of hay on his head and a large tub of water in his
hands, and having set the tub of water down on the ground and strewn
the hay over the yard, began counting the sheep. Seeing that one sheep
was missing, he flew into a temper, ran into the hut, threw himself at
Dawn and gave him a sharp knock on the head. But Dawn jumped up,
clutched the little old man by the beard and began dragging him over
the floor, saying as he did so, "Look before you leap if it's whole you
would keep!"
"Have mercy on me, brave youth!" cried the little old man. "Spare
my life and let me go!" But Dawn dragged him out into the yard and up
to a pillar of oak, and, using a wedge of iron, stuck his beard into a split
in the wood. Then he came back into the hut and sat there waiting for
his brothers. The brothers were soon back and they marvelled to see
him unharmed. "Come out into the yard with me, brothers, and you'll
see your 'headache'," said Dawn with a laugh. They came out into the
yard, but the little old man was gone, and all they saw was a part of his
beard sticking out from the split and a trail of blood on the ground.
The trail led the brothers to a deep pit, and Dawn went to the forest,
stripped some bark off a tree, made a rope out of it and told Evening
and Midnight to let him down into the pit on it. This they did, and,
finding that he was in the netherworld, Dawn untied himself and set off
along a road that stretched before him and led he knew not where. He
walked and he walked, and there before him was a palace of copper.
He stepped inside, and the youngest of the princesses, a maid as lovely
as a flower, came toward him. "Is it of your own free will or at
another's bidding that you have come here, brave youth?" she asked. "It
was your father who sent me to seek you and your sisters," Dawn told
her. The princess at once seated him at a table, dined and wined him
and then gave him a phial of strong water. "Here, drink this water, and
it will make you very, very strong," said she. Dawn drank the water and
at once felt himself to be filled with a great strength. "Now I can get the
better of anyone!" said he to himself.
All of a sudden a wild wind began to blow, and the princess was
frightened. "The three-headed dragon is coming!" she cried, and she
took Dawn by the hand and hid him in her chamber. The dragon now
came flying up, and he struck the ground and turned into a man. "I
smell Russian flesh!" he cried. "Is anyone here?" "How could there
be!" the princess said. "You have been flying over Russ and must have
brought the smell of Russian flesh with you." The dragon asked her to
give him food and drink, and she brought in a plate of food and a goblet
of wine, and, first having added a sleeping powder to the wine, offered
it to him. The dragon ate and drank, and, feeling very sleepy, placed his
head on the princess's lap and fell fast asleep. The princess at once
called Dawn, who came out of his hiding-place and smote off all of the
dragon's three heads with one stroke of his sword. He then made up a
fire, burnt the dragon's body and strewed the ashes over the plain.
"And now I must bid you goodbye, Princess," said Dawn, "for I am
off to seek your sisters. But I will come back for you as soon as I find
them."
He set off on his way, he walked and he walked, and there before
him rose a silver palace in which the middle sister was kept captive by
a six-headed dragon. Dawn killed the dragon, freed the princess and
went on. Whether a short or a long time passed nobody knows, but he
came at last to a palace of gold where the eldest princess was kept
captive by a twelve-headed dragon. He killed the dragon, and the
princess was overjoyed and prepared to set out for home. She came out
into the courtyard and waved a red kerchief, and the kingdom of gold
turned into a golden egg. This she put in her pocket and went with
Dawn to where he had left her sisters. Then after the middle princess
had turned her kingdom into a silver egg and the younger sister had
turned hers into a copper egg, the four of them made for the bottom of
the pit. Evening and Midnight dragged Dawn and the three princesses
out of the pit, and they all went back together to their own realm. The
princesses sent the eggs rolling over the plain, and at once the three
kingdoms, one of copper, one of silver and one of gold, appeared
before them. They came to the palace, and so happy was the king as
cannot be told! He married his youngest daughter to Dawn, his middle
daughter to Evening, and his eldest daughter to Midnight, and he made
Dawn his heir.
Translated by Irina Zheleznova
 Shabarsha

How about a nice story, ladies and gents? A fairy story with lots of
weird and wonderful happenings and that rogue to end all rogues,
Shabarsha, who never does things by halves, and no mistake!
Shabarsha hired himself out, but it was a real bad harvest that year. His
master racked his brains about how to drive away care, keep the wolf
from the door and get hold of some cash. "Do not worry, master!"
Shabarsha said to him. "Just give me the day, and I'll find a way!" And
off he went to the mill pond. "I'll catch some fish," he thought, "then
sell it and get some money! Bother, I haven't got any twine for the
hook... Never mind, I'll make some." He asked the miller for some
hemp, sat down on the bank and began to make twine.
While he was working a little boy in a black jacket and red cap
jumped out of the water onto the bank. "What are you doing, uncle?"
he asked. "Making some twine." "What for?" "I'm going to clean up the
pond and pull you devils out of the water." "Oh, no! Wait a moment,
I'll go and tell my grandad." The little devil dived into the water, and
Shabarsha went on with his work. "Ha, ha," he thought, "I'll play a trick
on you, you wicked crew, and make you give me all your gold and
silver." And Shabarsha dug a deep hole and placed his cap upside down
over it. But the crafty fellow had cut the top off. "Shabarsha! Hey,
Shabarsha! Grandad says I must strike a bargain with you. What will
you take to leave us in peace?" "Fill this cap here with gold and silver."
The devil boy dived back into the water and then returned. "Grandad
says that first you and I must have a wrestling match." "How can a
puny stripling like you wrestle with me! You couldn't even take on my
middle brother Bruin." "Where is he, this Bruin of yours?" "Over there,
resting in that hollow under a bush." "How can I get him to wrestle?"
"Just give him a dig in the ribs. He'll get up alright then." The devil boy
went to the hollow, found the bear and poked him in the ribs with a
stick. Brain reared up on his hind legs and hugged the devil boy so hard
that his ribs cracked. He straggled free from the bear's clutches and fled
back to the old man in the pond. "Grandad!" he squealed in terror,
"Shabarsha's middle brother called Brain wrestled with me and made
my ribs crack! What would have happened if I'd wrestled with
Shabarsha himself?" "Hmm. Go back and have a race with Shabarsha.
See who comes first."
So the boy in the red cap went back to Shabarsha and told him what
his grandad had said. "You race against me! Why, even my little
brother Harry Hare would leave you miles behind!" "Where is your
brother, Harry Hare?" "Over there, lying in the grass, having a rest. Go
up and tickle his ear—he'll race with you alright then." The devil boy
ran up to Harry Hare and tickled his ear. Off the hare shot like
lightning, leaving the boy far behind. "Stop, stop, Harry Hare. Wait for
me. Oh dear, he's gone!" "I was going to race like the wind, grandad,"
he explained to the water demon. "But I never had a chance, and it
wasn't Shabarsha himself, just his young brother!" "Hmm," muttered
the old man, frowning darkly. "Go and have a whistling contest with
Shabarsha. See who can whistle the loudest."
"Shabarsha! Hey, Shabarsha! Grandad says we must see who can
whistle the loudest." "Alright, you whistle first." The devil boy
whistled so loudly that Shabarsha could hardly keep on his feet, and the
leaves fell off the trees. "Not bad," said Shabarsha, "but not as good as
me! When I whistle you'll be knocked off your feet and your eardrums
will split. So lie face down on the ground and put your hands over your
ears." The devil boy lay face down and covered his ears with his hands.
Shabarsha took a heavy stick, brought it down with all his might on the
devil boy's neck, and whistled. "Oh, grandad, grandad! Shabarsha gave
such a whistle that I saw stars before my eyes. I could hardly get up
from the ground, and all the bones in my neck and back felt broken."
"Ho, you're not very strong, my lad! Go and get my iron cudgel from
the reeds and see which of you can toss it higher."
The devil boy found the cudgel, heaved it onto his shoulder and
went to Shabarsha. "Shabarsha, grandad told me to have one more try.
Let's see which of us can toss this cudgel highest into the air." "Alright,
you toss first and I'll watch." The devil boy tossed the cudgel up, and it
flew higher and higher until it was only a tiny dot in the sky. They had
to wait an age for it to come down again. Then Shabarsha picked it up.
Phew, what a weight! He leaned on it and gazed up at the sky. "Why
don't you toss it? What are you waiting for?" asked the devil boy. "I'm
waiting for that black cloud to get nearer. I'll throw the cudgel up to it.
My brother the blacksmith is up there and he could do with a nice bit of
iron like this." "Oh, no, Shabarsha! Don't throw cudgel up to the cloud.
Grandad will be angry!" The devil boy snatched the cudgel and dived
back to his grandfather.
When his grandfather heard that Shabarsha had almost thrown his
cudgel away, he got such a fright that he ordered the money to be
fetched from the pond and given to Shabarsha. The devil boy kept
pouring money into the cap, but still it was not full. "Shabarsha's got a
mighty strange cap, grandad. I keep filling it with gold and silver, but
it's still empty. You have only one more chest left now." "Take that up
too quickly. Is he getting the twine ready?" "Yes, grandad!" "Hurry up
then." There was nothing for it. The devil boy took his grandfather's
last precious chest and poured the coins into Shabarsha's cap, until at
last it was full! Ever since that day Shabarsha has lived in clover. I was
asked round to drink mead and beer with him, but I did not go. They
say the mead was bitter, and the beer cloudy. So what might be the
meaning of that, eh?

Translated by Kathleen Cook

 King Ivan and Bely, the Warrior of the Plains

In a certain kingdom, in a certain realm there was once a king who

had three daughters and one son, Prince Ivan. The king grew old and
died, and Prince Ivan was crowned king. As soon as the rulers of the
neighbouring realms heard about it they mustered a great host and
made war on him. King Ivan did not know what to do. Said he to his
sisters: "What am I to do, my dear sisters? The rulers of the
neighbouring realms have all sent out their armies against me."
"What sort of warrior are you!" the sisters said. "What have you to
fear? Why, Bely, the Warrior of the Plains, has been warring with
Baba-Yaga the Leg of Gold for seven years now, and he has never left
his horse's back in all that time! How can you take fright without ever
having seen any fighting?" King Ivan at once saddled his trusty steed,
donned his armour, took his sword of steel, his great spear and his
silken lash, said his prayers and rode out against his foes. He mowed
down many with his sword, and many more were trampled to death by
his horse, and when the whole of the enemy host was vanquished, he
came back home and fell into a sound sleep. For three days and three
nights he slept and only woke on the fourth day. He came out on to his
balcony and glanced at the field of battle, and lo!—Ms foes had
mustered a new and greater host against him and had drawn it up to the
town's very walls.
King Ivan was much grieved and went to see his sisters. "What am I
to do, my sisters?" said he. "I have vanquished one host, but now there
is another and bigger one at the town walls." "What sort of warrior are
you!" the sisters said. "You fought for a day and a night and then slept
without waking for three days and three nights. Why, Bely, the Warrior
of the Plains, has been warring with Baba-Yaga the Leg of Gold for
seven years, and he has never left his horse's back in all that time!"
King Ivan took these words sorely to heart. He hurried to his stables of
white stone, saddled his trusty steed, donned his armour, hung a sword
of steel at his side, took a great spear in one hand and a silken lash in
the other, said his prayers and rode out against his foes. Not a falcon
was it swooping down on a herd of swans but King Ivan coming at the
enemy host. Many were the warriors he mowed down and many more
did his horse trample to death. He vanquished the whole of the enemy
host, came back home and fell into a sound sleep. For six days and six
nights he slept and only woke on the seventh day. He came out on to
his balcony and looked at the field of battle, and lo!—his foes had
mustered an even greater host and laid siege to the town.
 King Ivan went to see his sisters. "What am I to do, my dear
sisters?" said he. "I have vanquished two enemy hosts, but a third and
even bigger one is at our walls." "What sort of warrior are you!" the
sisters said. "You fought for a day and a night and slept for six days
and six nights. Why, Bely, the Warrior of the Plains, has been warring
with Baba-Yaga the Leg of Gold for seven years now, and he has never
left his horse's back or had a rest in all that time!" King Ivan took these
words sorely to heart. He hurried to his stables of white stone, saddled
his trusty steed, donned his armour, hung a sword of steel at his side,
took a great spear in one hand and a silken lash in the other, said his
prayers and rode out against his foes. Not a falcon was it swooping
down on a herd of swans but King Ivan coming at the enemy host.
Many were the warriors he mowed down and many more did his horse
trample to death. He vanquished the whole of the enemy host, came
back home and fell into a sound sleep. For nine days and nine nights he
slept and only woke on the tenth day. He called all his nobles and
councillors and said to them: "Hear me, my nobles and councillors! I
have made up my mind to set off for distant lands and see Bely, the
Warrior of the Plains, for myself. And I leave you here to rule the realm
in my stead and to judge all men fairly." He bade his sisters goodbye,
mounted his horse and set out on his way.
Whether a short or a long time passed nobody knows, but he came
at last to a dark forest where stood a little hut. An old man lived in the
hut, and King Ivan came inside and greeted him. "Good morrow, old
man!" said he. "Good morrow to you, King Ivan!" the old man said.
"Whither are you bound?" "I am seeking Bely, the Warrior of the
Plains. Do you know where he is to be found?" "No, I don't. But wait. I
will call my faithful servants and ask them about it." The old man
stepped out on to the porch, put a silver trumpet to his lips and blew,
and all of a sudden flocks of birds came flying up to him from all sides.
There were countless numbers of them, and they covered the whole of
the sky like a great black cloud. The old man gave a loud whistle and
said in a loud voice: "Hear me, Î birds, hear me, my faithful servants!
Have you ever seen or heard of Bely, the Warrior of the Plains?" "No!
Never have we seen him and never have we heard of him!" "Well, then,
King Ivan," the old man said, "you had better go to see my elder
brother and perhaps he can tell you what you want to know. Here, take
this ball of thread and throw it before you, and wherever it rolls there
must you go." King Ivan did as he was told. He mounted his horse, sent
the ball of thread rolling before him and rode after it.
The forest grew darker and darker, and by and by he rode up to a
little hut and came inside. An old man with hair as white as snow sat
there, and he bowed to him and said: "Good morrow, old man!" "Good
morrow to you, King Ivan!" the old man said. "Whither are you
bound?" "I am seeking Bely, the Warrior of the Plains. Do you know
where he is to be found?" "Bide here awhile. I will call together my
faithful servants and ask them about it." The old man stepped out on to
the porch, put a silver trumpet to his lips and blew, and all of a sudden
all of the beasts of the field and the forest came running up to him. The
old man gave a loud whistle and he said in a loud voice: "Hear me, Î
beasts of the field and the forest, hear me, my faithful servants! Have
you ever seen or heard of Bely, the Warrior of the Plains?" "No," said
they. "Never have we seen him and never have we heard of him."
"Come, now, look about you! Perhaps not all of you are here?" The
beasts looked about them and saw that the one-eyed she-wolf was not
there. The old man bade them fetch her, and the she-wolf was soon
brought before him. "Tell me, one-eyed she-wolf," said the old man,
"have you ever seen Bely, the Warrior of the Plains?" "I know him
well, for I am ever at his side," the she-wolf told him. "He wars with
his enemies and kills many, and I eat of their flesh." "Where is he
now?" "On a high mound in the open field, asleep in his tent. He was
fighting Baba-Yaga the Leg of Gold, and after the battle was over, fell
into a sound sleep. And he will not wake for twelve days and twelve
nights." "Take King Ivan to him, one-eyed she-wolf!" The one-eyed
she-wolf did as she was told. Off she set at a run on her way and King
Ivan rode after her.
He rode up to a great mound with a tent on top of it, jumped down
from his horse's back and came inside the tent, and there, lying fast
asleep, was Bely, the Warrior of the Plains. "My sisters told me that
Bely, the Warrior of the Plains, wars with his enemies without ever
taking a rest, but here he is fast asleep and not about to wake," King
Ivan said to himself. "So why don't I have a sleep too!" And he
stretched himself out by Bely's side. Now, that same moment a little
bird came flying into the tent. It fluttered about near Bely's head and
cried: "Come, wake up, Bely, the Warrior of the Plains, and put my
brother, King Ivan, to death. For if you don't, he will kill you!" Hearing
it, King Ivan sprang to his feet, caught the bird and tore off its right leg.
This done, he threw the bird out of the tent and lay down beside Bely,
the Warrior of the Plains, again. But he was not yet asleep when a
second bird came flying in. It fluttered about near Bely's head and
cried: "Come, wake up, Bely, the Warrior of the Plains, and put my
brother, King Ivan, to death. For if you don't, he will kill you!" At this
King Ivan sprang to his feet, caught the bird, tore off its right wing,
threw the bird out of the tent and lay down in the selfsame place again.
By and by a third bird came flying in. It fluttered about near Bely and
cried: "Come, wake up, Bely, the Warrior of the Plains, and put my
brother, King Ivan, to death. For if you don't, he will kill you!" At this
King Ivan sprang to his feet, caught the bird and tore off its beak. He
flung the bird out of the tent and himself lay down and fell fast asleep
again.
The twelve days and twelve nights were up, and Bely, the Warrior
of the Plains, woke and saw a mighty warrior, one he did not know,
lying beside him. He pulled out his sharp sword and was about to kill
him, but stopped himself in time. "No," said he to himself. "He found
me here asleep and never touched me, so no honour will attach to me if
I kill him. A man asleep is like one dead. I had better wake him." He
woke King Ivan and said to him: "Speak and tell me what your name
is, whether you are a good man or a wicked one, and what it was that
brought you here." "My name is King Ivan, and I came here to see you
and to test your strength." "You are bold, King Ivan! You came into my
tent and lay down beside me without my permission. That is enough for
me to want to do away with you!" "Wait, Bely, the Warrior of the
Plains, don't say that you can leap across a ditch before doing it—you
may yet stumble. You have two hands, it's true, but then so have I!"
They mounted their trusty steeds, sent them into a gallop and
clashed with each other with such force that their spears broke to pieces
and their steeds fell to their knees. King Ivan sent Bely, the Warrior of
the Plains, flying from his saddle, and, holding his sword over him, was
about to kill him, but Bely said to him in pleading tones: "Have mercy,
King Ivan! Spare my life, and I will be as a younger brother to you and
will honour and esteem you as I would my own father." And King Ivan
took him by the hand, helped him to his feet and put his arms lovingly
around, him. "I have heard, my brother, that you have been warring
with Baba-Yaga the Leg of Gold for seven years. What is the reason
for this?" "It is that Baba-Yaga has a beautiful daughter whom I wish to
wed and whom she refuses to give me in marriage." "What are friends
for if they will not help one another!" said King Ivan. "Let us fight
Baba-Yaga together!"
They got on their horses and rode out into the open field, and there
was Baba-Yaga waiting to meet them with her warrior host. Not two
falcons were these swooping down on a flock of pigeons but two
mighty warriors attacking their foes! They mowed down many with
their swords and many more were trampled to death by their horses.
Seeing thousands of her warriors lying there dead, Baba-Yaga fled
from' the field of battle, but King Ivan saw her and galloped after her.
He had nearly caught her up when she came to a deep pit, and, lifting
the heavy slab of iron that covered it, vanished underground. King Ivan
and Bely, the Warrior of the Plains, bought a large number of oxen.
They slaughtered and skinned them, cut up the skins into thongs and
then plaited them together, making a rope so long that it could reach as
far as the netherworld. Said King Ivan to Bely, the Warrior of the
Plains: "Hurry and let me down into the pit, but do not pull up the rope
till I tug at it at the other end!" Bely, the Warrior of the Plains, let him
down to the bottom of the pit, and King Ivan looked about him and
went to seek Baba-Yaga.
He walked and he walked and he saw a house with a latticed door
and some clothes-makers sitting behind it. "What are you doing there?"
he asked them. "Making a warrior host for Baba-Yaga the Leg of Gold,
King Ivan." "How do you go about it?" "Here's how. We take a piece
of cloth and run it through with a needle, the piece turns into a man, the
man mounts his horse, and away he rides to fight Bely, the Warrior of
the Plains." "Ah, well, what you do you do quickly but not well! Come
out here and line up before me, and I will show you how to make
things properly." They lined up before him, and King Ivan waved his
sword, smote off their heads with one stroke and went on. He walked
and he walked, and he saw a house with a latticed door and some
shoemakers sitting behind it. "What are you doing there?" he asked
them. "Making a warrior host for Baba-Yaga the Leg of Gold." "How
do you go about it?" "Here's how. We take a piece of leather and pierce
it with an awl, the piece turns into a man, the man mounts a horse, and
away he rides to fight Bely, the Warrior of the Plains!" "Ah, well, my
good fellows, what you do you do quickly but not well. Come out and
line up before me, and I will show you how to make things properly."
They lined up before him, and King Ivan waved his sword, smote off
their heads and walked on.
Whether a short or a long time passed nobody knows, but he came
to a large and beautiful town. There was a palace there and at the
window sat a maid as fair as cannot be told! She saw the young king,
she liked his dark hair and eyes, his sable-black brows and his manly
bearing, and she called to him and asked him to come in. King Ivan did
so and she bade him tell her where he was going and what his errand
was. "I am seeking Baba-Yaga the Leg of Gold," King Ivan said.
"Well, I am Baba-Yaga's daughter," said the maid. "My mother is in
her house sound asleep and will not wake for twelve days and twelve
nights." And she led King Ivan to the town gate and showed him the
road he was to follow if he wanted to get to her mother's house. King
Ivan found the house and Baba-Yaga in it snoring away on her bed, and
he waved his sword and smote off her head. And as it rolled across the
floor it said: "Strike me again, King Ivan!" "A good warrior need strike
but once!" King Ivan replied. He came back to the palace where lived
Baba-Yaga's daughter and sat down beside her at an oaken table spread
with a silk-sewn cloth. He ate and drank his fill and then asked the
maid if she had ever heard of a man stronger than he was and a maid
fairer than she. "Ah, King Ivan, I may be fair, but I know of one who is
more fair by far!" the maid said. "She is a princess whom a dragon is
keeping captive in his palace beyond the thrice-nine lands, in the thrice-
ten kingdom."
King Ivan took the maid by the hand and led her to the place where
hung the rope made of ox skins. He wound the rope tightly round her
and round himself too and tugged at it, signalling Bely, the Warrior of
the Plains, to haul them up.
And Bely took hold of the rope and pulled at it till he had both of
them safely beside him. "I am glad to see you, Bely, Warrior of the
Plains!" King Ivan said. "Here is a maid who will make you a fine
wife, and may you two never grieve and never brood but always be in a
cheery mood! And as for me, I am off for the Dragon's kingdom!" He
mounted his trusty steed, bade Bely, the Warrior of the Plains, and his
bride goodbye and set off on his way beyond the thrice-nine lands.
Whether a short or a long time passed nobody knows, for a tale is quick
in the telling but a deed is slow in the doing, but he came at last to the
Dragon's kingdom. He killed the Dragon, freed the lovely princess,
married her and brought her back home with him. And the two of them
lived happily ever after. They knew no woe, shed never a tear, and
prospered the more from year to year.

Translated by Irina Zheleznova

 Emelya and the Pike

In a certain village there once lived a peasant who had three sons,
two of them clever young men, and the third, whose name was Emelya,
a fool. The father had a long life and lived to a vast old age, and there
came a day when he called his three sons to his side and said: "My dear
children, I feel that I won't be with you long, so I leave you my house
and what livestock I have to be divided equally amongst you, and also
some money, a hundred rubles for each of you." Soon after that the
father died, and the sons laid him to rest as it behooved them to and
settled down to as happy a life as ever they had had before. One day
Emelya's two clever brothers bethought them of going into town to
trade and also to buy a number of things, and they said to Emelya:
"Listen, fool, we are going into town to trade and taking your hundred
rubles along with our own money. We'll go halves with you on the
profits and we'll buy you a red caftan, a red hat and a pair of red boots.
As for you, you're to stay at home, and if our wives and your sisters-in-
law ask you to do anything, you are to do it." And Emelya, who very
much wanted to get the red caftan, red hat and red boots, said that he
would do whatever was asked of him. The two brothers rode away, and
the fool stayed at home with his sisters-in-law.
Some time passed, and one day, and a cold day it was, for it was
winter, the sisters-in-law told him to fetch some water. But the fool,
who was lying on top of the stove, said: "And what are you here for?"
"What do you mean, fool?" the sisters-in-law shouted. "There's a
terrible frost out, and it's a man has to fetch the water!" "I don't much
feel like doing it," Emelya said. "Oh, you don't, do you!" they cried.
"You'll want to eat, won't you, and how can we cook anything without
water!" And they added: "Very well, then, we'll tell your brothers when
they come back with the red caftan and the other things not to give you
anything." Hearing this and being very eager to get the caftan, hat and
boots, Emelya felt that there was nothing for it but to fetch the water,
and so he climbed down from the stove and began to dress. He pulled
on his felt boots and his coat, and, taking along two pails and an axe,
went down to the river. He was there soon, for the river was not far
from the village, and once there began cutting a hole in the ice. He
made a great big one, and, scooping up two pailfuls of water, set the
pails down on the ice and himself stood there and stared at the water.
And what did he see but a huge pike swimming in it. Now, foolish as
he was, Emelya had the good sense to try and catch the pike, and so he
started edging slowly up to the hole. He got very close to it, and then
out shot his arm and there was the pike in his hands! He put it in his
bosom and was about to go home when the pike said: "Wait, fool!
What have you caught me for?" "What a question!" said Emelya. "I am
going to take you home and ask my sisters-in-law to cook you for our
dinner." "Don't do it, fool! Let me go, and I'll make you rich." But
Emelya would not believe the pike and clutched it fast. "Look here,
fool," the pike said, "you must do as I ask. Put me back in the water,
and I'll make your every wish come true." Hearing this and being very
lazy, the fool was overjoyed. "If the pike makes my every wish come
true, I'll never have to do any more work," said he to himself, "it'll all
be done for me." And to the pike: "Very well, do as you promise, and
I'll let you go." "Don't you worry, I'll keep my promise, just put me
back in the water," the pike said. But the fool insisted that it do as it
had said first.
Seeing that he was loath to let it go, the pike said: "If you want me
to make your wish come true, you must tell me what your wish is." "I
want my pails to go uphill all by themselves without spilling a drop of
water," Emelya said. "It won't get spilled, never fear," said the pike.
"You have only to say 'By the will of the pike do as I like!' and then
add 'Off you go up the hill, pails, all by yourselves!' and it will be
done." "By the will of the pike do as I like!" Emelya said, and he
added: "Off you go up the hill, pails, all by yourselves!" And lo and
behold!—the pails turned and marched up the hill together with the
yoke. Seeing this, Emelya was much surprised. "Will all be done as I
wish in just this same way?" he asked. "Yes, if only you don't forget
the words I told you to say," the pike replied. So Emelya slipped the
pike back into the water and himself walked after his pails. Seeing him,
the villagers stopped short and stood there marvelling. "What's this!"
said they. "The pails are walking uphill all by themselves." But Emelya
said not a word and went after the pails into his house. The pails
jumped up on a bench, and Emelya climbed up on the stove again.
Some time passed, and his sisters-in-law said to Emelya: "Why do
you lie there, Emelya? Why don't you go and chop some wood?"
"What are you here for?" Emelya said. "What do you mean!" they
cried. "It's wintertime, and if you don't chop some wood you'll be the
one to freeze." "I don't feel like chopping wood," Emelya said. "You
don't, do you!" said they. "Well, freeze away, then. And don't forget
that if you don't do as we say we'll tell your brothers not to give you the
red caftan, hat and boots." Emelya, who very much wanted to get them,
knew that the wood would have to be chopped, but as he was very lazy
and loath to leave the stove top, he said half under his breath: "By the
will of the pike do as I like! Go and chop some wood, axe, and you,
logs, come into the hut and jump into the stove." And lo!—the axe
whisked from under the bench and into the yard and began chopping
the wood, and the logs marched into the hut and jumped into the stove
all by themselves. The sisters-in-law stood there, their mouths open in
surprise. And so it went. Every time Emelya was asked to chop some
wood, the axe would do it for him.
Some time passed, and his sisters-in-law said to Emelya: "We have
run out of firewood, Emelya. Go to the forest and cut some." "And
what are you here for?" Emelya said. "What do you mean!" they said.
"The forest is far away, and it's wintertime and much too cold for us to
go there." "Well, I don't feel like going there either," Emelya said. "Oh,
you don't, do you! Well, then, you'll just have to freeze. And when your
brothers come home, we'll tell them not to give you anything: not the
red caftan, nor the red hat and boots." And Emelya, who was very
eager to get the caftan, hat and boots, felt that there was nothing for it
but to go to the forest for the wood. So down he climbed from the stove
and began to dress.
He put on his coat and felt boots, went out into the yard, dragged the
sledge out of the shed, and, taking a length of rope and an axe, got into
the sledge and told his sisters-in-law to open the gate. Seeing him in the
sledge but with no horse harnessed to it, the sisters-in-law were quite
taken aback. "What are you doing in the sledge, fool, why haven't you
harnessed the horse!" they cried. "I don't need any horse, just you open
the gate," Emelya told them. The sisters-in-law opened the gate, and he
said half under his breath: "By the will of the pike do as I like! Off you
go to the forest, sledge!" And no sooner were the words out of his
mouth than the sledge drove out through the gate. Seeing it, the
villagers stopped short and stood there marvelling, for it could not have
moved any faster had two horses been harnessed to it!
Now, the road to the forest ran through a town, and as the fool did
not know that he had to call out to warn the passers-by to get out of his
way, he knocked down many. But though the townsfolk ran after him
they could not catch him up.
He left the town behind him, and, coming to the forest, stopped the
sledge, climbed out of it and said: "By the will of the pike do as I like!
Cut some wood, axe, and you, logs, climb into the sledge one by one
and bind yourselves together!" And no sooner were the words out of
his mouth than the axe began cutting the wood, and the logs dropped
into the sledge one by one and bound themselves together. When the
sledge was full, he bade the axe make a cudgel for him, and when it
had done so, he climbed on top of the load of wood and cried: "By the
will of the pike do as I like! Off you go home, sledge, by yourself!"
And the sledge rode off very fast indeed. It rode into the town where
Emelya had knocked down many people, and there were the townsfolk
ready and waiting for him. They seized him, pulled him out of the
sledge and began beating him. And Emelya, seeing the plight he was
in, said half under his breath: "By the will of the pike do as I like!
Come, cudgel, give them a good walloping!" And the cudgel sprang up
and laid to, right and left. The townsfolk took to their heels, and
Emelya sped home in the sledge, and when the cudgel had beaten up all
it could get at, it skipped down the road after him. And Emelya got
home, stepped into the hut and climbed up on the stove again.
Emelya now became the talk of the town. And it wasn't so much
because he had knocked down a great number of people, but because
he had ridden in a sledge with no horse harnessed to it. At long last the
king himself came to hear about him, and, being eager to see him, sent
one of his officers and a number of soldiers to fetch him. The officer
set out at once and soon came to the road Emelya had taken when he
went to the forest for wood. This brought him to Emelya's village
where he at once summoned the elder and told him that he had been
sent there by the king to fetch Emelya and bring him to the palace. The
elder showed him Emelya's house, and the officer came inside and
looked about him. "Where is the fool?" he asked. And Emelya, lying on
the stove top, said: "What do you want him for?" "Never mind. Put
your things on quickly and I'll take you to the king's palace." "Why
should I go there?" Emelya said. Hearing him speak so discourteously,
the officer flew into a temper and slapped Emelya, and Emelya, who
did not like it at all, said half under his breath: "By the will of the pike,
do as I like! Come, cudgel, give them a good walloping!" And out the
cudgel jumped and beat the officer and his men to within an inch of
their lives. The officer fled, and as soon as he was back in town it was
reported to the king what the fool had done. The king found it hard to
believe that the fool could have got the better of so many men, but he
called one of the wisest men in the kingdom and sent him to fetch
Emelya, by a ruse if need be. The man set out at once and as soon as he
came to Emelya's village, sent for the elder and said: ' The king bids me
fetch the fool to the palace. Tell whoever he lives with that I wish to
see them at once." The elder hastened to do as he was told and was
soon back with Emelya's sisters-in-law. "What is it that the fool likes
best?" the wise man asked. Said the sisters-in-law: "He likes to be
asked whatever one wants him to do again and again, gracious sir, and
only then will he do it. There is nothing to be gained by being rough
with him, but a kind word will go a long way." Bidding the two women
not to tell Emelya that he had spoken to them, the man bought a bagful
of raisins, prunes and figs and went to see him. He came into the house
and up to the stove and asked Emelya why he was lying there. He then
gave him the bag of sweets and begged him to go to the king's palace
with him. "I'm all right where I am!" Emelya said. "It's nice and warm
here." "Please, Emelya, come with me, you will like it in the palace,"
the man said. "I don't much feel like it!" said Emelya. "Now, Emelya,
please do come!" said the man again. "The king will have a red caftan
and hat made for you, and a pair of red boots too." Tempted, Emelya
said: "Very well, then. Only you must go on alone and I will follow by
and by." The man pressed him no more, and, stepping away from the
stove, asked of the sisters-in-law in a whisper: "He is not trying to fool
me, is he?" The sisters-in-law assured him that he was not, and the man
left their house and set out for the palace.
As for Emelya, he lay on the stove a little while longer, and, saying
with a sigh, "To go to see the king—what a bother!" added, "By the
will of the pike do as I like! Off you go to the palace, stove!" And lo!—
the hut began to creak, and off the stove whipped out of the hut and
through the gate and so fast did it go that no one could have caught up
with it. Emelya soon overtook the man who had been sent to fetch him,
and they arrived at the palace together.
Seeing the fool waiting outside on top of the stove, the king came
out of the palace with all his ministers to get a good look at him. "Why
did you knock down so many people when you went to the forest for
the wood?" he asked. "It wasn't my fault," Emelya said. "They
shouldn't have got in my way." He glanced at the palace, and whom
should he see standing at one of the windows looking out at him but the
king's daughter. She was very beautiful, and Emelya said half under his
breath: "By the will of the pike do as I like! Let that lovely maid fall in
love with me!" And no sooner were the words out of his mouth than the
king's daughter fell madly in love with him. "By the will of the pike do
as I like! Off you go home, stove!" Emelya said. And off the stove
made straight for Emelya's village. It whisked into his house and stood
where it had stood before.
After that all went well for a time with Emelya, but not so well with
the king, for his daughter was head over ears in love and she begged
him to let her marry Emelya. This made the king very angry, but he did
not know how he was to get Emelya back to the palace. He asked his
ministers what they thought he should do, and they told him to send
after him the officer who had failed to fetch him the first time. The
officer was summoned, and the king said to him: "I sent you to fetch
the fool once, my friend, and you failed to do it. So I am sending you
after him again that you may prove your worth. If you succeed, I shall
reward you; if you fail, I shall punish you." The officer set out at once
for Emelya's village. And no sooner was he there than he sent for the
elder and said: "Here is some money for you. Buy whatever you need
to make a good meal. Tomorrow you are to invite Emelya to dinner in
your house and to ply him with drink till he is so drunk that he will
drop off to sleep."
Knowing that the officer had been sent by the king, the elder had no
choice but to obey him. He bought everything he had been asked to and
invited Emelya to dinner. Emelya said he would come, and, when told
about it by the elder, the officer was well pleased. On the following day
Emelya came to the elder's house and was plied with food and with so
much drink that he was soon quite drunk and fell fast asleep. The
officer at once bound him and had him put in a coach, and then, getting
into the coach himself, drove straight to the palace with him. The
ministers informed the king about his arrival, and the king at once
ordered a large barrel bound with iron hoops to be brought. This was
done, and, seeing that everything was ready, the king had Emelya and
the princess put in the barrel which was then tarred and sealed and cast
in the sea.
The barrel bumped along on the waves, and many hours passed
before Emelya woke. Seeing that there was darkness all about him and
thinking himself to be quite alone, he called out in a loud voice:
"Where am I?" "You are in a barrel, Emelya, and I am here with you,"
the princess said. "And who may you be?" Emelya asked. "I am the
king's daughter." And she told him why she had been put in the barrel
together with him and begged him to get them out of it. "I am all right
where I am, it's nice and warm here," Emelya said. "Please, Emelya,
take pity on me, don't make me cry," the princess said. "Surely you can
get us out of this barrel." "I don't know about that," said Emelya, "I
don't much feel like it." "Oh, please, you must not let me die, Emelya!"
And Emelya, who was touched by her tears and entreaties, said: "Very
well, I'll do as you ask." And he added half under his breath: "By the
will of the pike, do as I like! Come, Î sea, cast this barrel on to the
shore, the closer to our own realm the better! And you, barrel, break
open as soon as you are on dry land!"
And no sooner had he uttered these words than the sea rose in waves
and the barrel was cast out on to dry land where it broke into pieces.
Emelya and the princess walked along the shore and saw that they were
on a beautiful island where grew many fruit trees. The princess liked it
all very much, but said: "Where are we going to live, Emelya? There is
nothing here, not even a hut." "Don't ask too much of me," Emelya
said. "Please, Emelya, why don’t you have a little house built? It might
rain, and we don't want to get wet, do we!" said the princess, who knew
that he could do anything if only he wanted to. "I don't feel like it."
Emelya said. But she began pleading with him, and so touched was he
that he knew he had to do as she asked. He walked a few steps away
from her and said: "By the will of the pike do as I like! Let a palace
more beautiful than the king's and filled with courtiers and servants
arise on this island, and a crystal bridge too." And no sooner were the
words out of his mouth than a huge palace and a crystal bridge rose up
before him. Emelya and the princess came into the palace and found it
to be richly decorated and teeming with people of all stations who
waited to do Emelya's bidding. And Emelya, who saw that he alone of
them all was both homely and a fool, was filled with a great urge to do
something about it. "By the will of the pike do as I like!" said he. "I
wish to become tall and handsome, and clever too, more handsome and
clever than anyone!" And before the words were out of his mouth he
became so handsome and so clever that everyone marvelled at the
change in him.
After that Emelya sent a servant to the king to invite him and his
ministers to his, Emelya's palace. The man crossed the crystal bridge
and made his way to the king's palace, and when the king's ministers
had ushered him into the king's presence, said: "My master has sent me
to ask you to dine with him, Your Majesty." "Who is your master?" the
king demanded. But the man, who had been told by Emelya to keep
this a secret, said: "That is something no one knows. But when you
have joined him he will tell you all you wish to know." The king, who
was curious to find out who it was that had invited him to dine, told
Emelya's servant that his master could expect him shortly, and as soon
as the man had left, set out after him with his princes and ministers.
And by the time Emelya learned that his invitation had been accepted,
they were halfway across the crystal bridge.
The king rode up to Emelya's palace, and Emelya came out to meet
him. He embraced him, led him into the palace, and, seating him and
his princes and ministers at oaken tables covered with embroidered
cloths, bade them taste of the many fine dishes and drink of the ale and
mead. They ate and drank and made merry, and when they rose from
their seats, Emelya asked of the king whether he knew who he was. But
as Emelya was now so very handsome and dressed so very richly the
king could not recognize him and said so. "Do you not recall, Your
Majesty, how Emelya the Fool came to your palace on top of a stove
and how you had him put in a tarred barrel together with your daughter
and cast in the sea? Well, I am that very Emelya!" The king, frightened,
stood there, not knowing what to say or do, and Emelya went after the
princess and led her into his presence. The king could hardly believe
his eyes. "I have done you much harm," said he, "and in order to atone
for it am ready to give you my daughter in marriage." This made
Emelya very happy. He thanked the king over and over again, and as
everything had been put in readiness for the wedding, it was celebrated
the very same day in great style. And on the following day Emelya held
a grand feast to which he invited all the ministers, while vats filled with
wine and mead were set out by him for the ordinary folk. The
merrymaking went on for many days, and when it was over, the king
offered to give up both his crown and his throne to Emelya. But this
Emelya refused, and the king went back to his own realm and left him
in his palace where he lived for many long years without a care in the
world.

Translated by Irina Zheleznova

 The Fire-Bird and Princess Vassilissa

In a certain kingdom, in a thrice-ten realm that lay far away, beyond

the thrice-nine lands, there once lived a mighty king. The king had an
archer who was as brave as he was strong, and the archer had a horse
that was as strong as it was fleet of foot. One day the archer got on his
horse and rode off to the forest to hunt. He rode along a road, and a
wide road it was, and he saw a fire-bird's feather lying there and
flaming like fire! Said his horse to the archer: "Leave the feather where
it is, for if you don't you will know great misfortune." Now, this made
the archer stop and think. He was sorely tempted to take the feather, for
if he presented it to the king, the king would surely reward him, and
who is there that does not prize the favour of a king!
In the end, he decided to take it, and, picking it up, carried it away
with him and presented it to the king. "Many thanks to you, Archer!"
said the king. "But since you were able to fetch its feather, you must
fetch me the fire-bird itself. If you don't, it'll be out with my sword and
off with your head!" The archer went back to his horse weeping
bitterly. "Why do you weep, Master?" the horse asked. "The king has
ordered me to fetch him the fire-bird." "I told you not to take the
feather! Still, you must not fear or give way to despair. You are in no
great trouble now, there is worse to come! Just go to the king and ask
him for a hundred bags of corn to be strewn over that field yonder."
This the archer did, and the king had a hundred bags of corn strewn
over the field.
At dawn on the following day the archer rode to the field. He
unbridled his horse, let it roam there at will and himself hid behind a
tree. All of a sudden the wind swept over the forest and sent it rustling,
the sea rose in waves, and the fire-bird came flying to the field. Down
it dropped and began pecking the corn, and the archer's horse ran up
and stepped hard on one of its wings, pinning it to the ground. The
archer then rushed out from behind the tree, and, binding the firebird
with a rope, got on the horse with it and rode at a gallop for the palace.
He presented the fire-bird to the king, who was greatly pleased,
thanked the archer for serving him so well, promoted him and at once
set him another task. "You were able to fetch the fire-bird, so you
should be able to fetch me the maid I wish to marry, Princess
Vassilissa. She lives at the very end of the earth, where the bright sun
rises, and it is her I want and none other. If you bring her to me, I will
shower you with gold and silver, but if you don't, it'll be out with my
sword and off with your head!"
 The archer went back to his horse weeping bitterly. "Why do you
weep, Master?" the horse asked. "The king bids me fetch him Princess
Vassilissa." "Do not weep or be sad. You are in no great trouble, there
is worse to come! Go to the king and ask him for a gold-topped tent
and for food and drink for you to take with you on your journey." The
king gave him food and drink and a tent with a top of gold, and the
archer got on his horse and set off on his way. Beyond thrice-nine lands
he travelled, and whether a short or a long time passed nobody knows,
but he came at last to the end of the earth, where the bright sun rises
from the blue sea. And there on the sea, in a silver boat that she pushed
with a paddle of gold, was Princess Vassilissa herself! The archer
unbridled his horse and let it roam at will in the green meadow and pick
at the fresh grass, and then he set up the gold-topped tent, put foods and
drinks on a table, and sat down to eat and drink while he waited for
Princess Vassilissa.
And Princess Vassilissa saw the gold top gleaming in the sunlight,
paddled to shore, and, stepping out of the boat, stood there looking
admiringly at the tent. "Good morrow to you, Princess Vassilissa!" the
archer said. "Pray come in and share of my board and taste of the wines
I brought from far-off lands." Princess Vassilissa came into the tent and
she and the archer ate and drank and made merry. A whole glass of
wine did she drink and was so overcome that she fell fast asleep. The
archer called his horse, and when it came running, folded the tent with
the top of gold, picked up Princess Vassilissa, mounted the horse with
her in his arms, and set off home. As fast as an arrow he flew and was
soon in the palace.
The king was overjoyed at the sight of Princess Vassilissa. He
thanked the archer for having served him so well and gave him a still
higher rank. But when Princess Vassilissa awoke and learnt that she
was far, far away from the blue sea, she began sobbing and weeping
and her face turned dark with grief. And though the king pleaded with
her not to be sad, there was nothing he could do. He begged her to
marry him, but she said: "Let him who brought me here go to my realm
at the end of the earth and fetch my wedding dress which lies under a
large rock in the middle of the sea. I will not marry without it!" The
king sent for the archer. "Go at once to the end of the earth where the
bright sun rises. In the middle of the sea you will find a large rock and
under it Princess Vassilissa's wedding dress. Bring the dress here, for I
wish to wed without delay! If you bring it, I shall reward you richly,
more so than ever before, but if you don't, it'll be out with my sword
and off with your head!" Back went the archer to his horse weeping
bitterly. "I will not escape death this time!" said he to himself. "Why do
you weep, Master?" the horse asked. "The king bids me fetch him
Princess Vassilissa's wedding dress from the bottom of the sea." "Didn't
I tell you not to take the fire-bird's feather? But never fear, you are in
no great trouble, there is worse to come! Get on my back and let us go
to the blue sea."
Whether a short or a long time passed nobody knows, but the archer
came to the end of the earth and stopped on the shore of the blue sea. A
huge lobster came crawling over the sand toward him, and the horse
saw it and stepped on its tail with its hoof. Said the lobster: "Spare me,
Horse, do not let me die! I will do whatever you ask." And the horse
said in reply: "There is a great rock lying on the bottom of the sea and
hidden under it is Princess Vassilissa's wedding dress. Fetch the dress
for me!"
The lobster gave a great roar that carried over the whole of the sea,
the sea rose in waves, and lobsters, big and small, came crawling to the
shore from all sides. And so many were they that there was no counting
them! The lobster who had called them and who was their elder bade
them fetch the dress, and they plunged into the sea and came back with
it before an hour had passed.
The archer brought the dress to the king, but Princess Vassilissa was
as stubborn as ever and said that she would not marry him until he had
made the archer take a dip in boiling water. The king at once ordered
an iron cauldron to be filled with water, the water to be heated, and as
soon as it came to the boil, the archer to be thrown in it. Everything
was soon ready, the water began to seethe and to boil, sprays of it
flying to all sides, and the archer was led in. "Poor, unhappy man that I
am!" thought he. "What made me take the firebird's feather? Why didn't
I listen to my horse?" And recalling the horse, he said to the king: "O
great king, my ruler, allow me to bid my horse goodbye before I die!"
"Very well," said the king. The archer went to see the horse, and the
tears poured from his eyes. "Why do you weep, Master?" the horse
asked. "The king bids me dip myself in boiling water." "Fear nothing
and do not weep, you will not die!" said the horse, and he cast a spell
over the archer that he might not get scalded by the boiling water. The
archer left the stall, and the king's servants seized him and threw him
into the cauldron. He took a dip and another and jumped out of the
cauldron, and lo!—so handsome had he become as neither pen can
write nor tongue tell! Seeing this, the king took it into his head to take a
dip himself. He jumped into the cauldron and was boiled alive! And
after he was buried the archer was chosen to rule the realm in his stead.
He married Princess Vassilissa and they lived together for many long
years and were as happy as happy can be.

Translated by Irina Zheleznova

 The Horse, the Table-Cloth and the Horn

There was once an old woman whose son was a fool. One day the
fool found three peas. He went out of the village and planted them.
When the shoots came up, he kept watch over them. One day he came
to the spot and saw a crane pecking at the plants. The fool crept up and
caught the crane. "Aha!" he said. "I'm going to kill you." But the crane
said to him: "Please don't kill me! I'll give you a present." "Very well,"
agreed the fool. The crane gave him a horse, saying: "If you want some
money say 'Go!' to this horse, and when you have enough say 'Stop!' "
The fool took the horse, mounted it and said "Go!" The horse turned
into a pile of silver. The fool laughed gleefully and then said "Stop!"
And the silver turned back into a horse. The fool bade farewell to the
crane and led the horse home, taking it through the yard, right into the
house to his mother. He gave her strict instructions: "Don't say 'Go!'
Only say 'Stop!' mother." And went to keep watch over his peas. His
mother puzzled for a long time: "Why did he tell me those words?
What if I do say 'Go!' instead?" And she said it. The horse turned into a
pile of silver. The old woman's eyes lit up. She hurriedly scooped the
money into her chest and when she had enough said "Stop!"
Meanwhile the fool again found the crane eating his peas, caught it
and threatened to kill it. But the crane said: "Please don't kill me. I'll
give you a present." And it gave him a table-cloth. "When you are
hungry say 'Unfold!' and when you have eaten your fill say 'Fold up!' "
The fool immediately tried it out. "Unfold!" he said, and the table-cloth
unfolded. He ate and drank his fill and ordered "Fold up!" And the
table-cloth folded itself up. He took it home. "Now listen, mother.
Don't say 'Unfold!' to the table-cloth, only^ say 'Fold up!' " Then the
fool went to keep watch over his peas again. His mother did the same
with the table-cloth as with the horse. She said "Unfold!" and
proceeded to eat and drink everything on the cloth, then ordered "Fold
up!" and the tablecloth folded itself up.
On the pea patch the fool again caught the crane, who presented him
with a horn and called out as it flew up into the air: "Say 'Out of the
horn!' " To his great misfortune the fool did as the crane bade him, and
two strapping young men with cudgels leapt out of the horn and beat
him until he fell to the ground. Then the crane called out from above
"Into the horn!" and the two young men disappeared. The fool went
home to his mother and said: "Don't say 'Out of the horn!' Say 'Into the
horn!' instead, mother." As soon as the fool had gone round to the
neighbours, his mother latched the door and said "Out of the horn!"
Whereupon the two strapping young men with cudgels leapt out and
began to beat the old woman, who yelled the house down. The fool
heard her screams and ran home as fast as his legs would carry him.
Seeing that the door was latched, he shouted, "Into the horn! Into the
horn!" When the old woman had recovered from her drubbing, she
opened the door and let the fool in. "Serve you right, mother!" he said.
"I told you not to say that."
The fool decided to give a feast and invited all the lords and ladies.
When they had arrived and sat down, he led the horse into the house
and said: "Go, trusty steed!" The horse turned into a pile of silver. The
guests were astounded and began to snatch up the silver and hide it in
their pockets. Then the fool said "Stop!" and the horse reappeared,
without its tail. The fool saw it was time to feed the guests, so he got
out the table-cloth and said: "Unfold!" The table-cloth unfolded and all
manner of food and drink appeared on it. The guests began to eat, drink
and make merry. When they had eaten their fill, the fool said: "Fold
up!" And the table-cloth folded up. The guests began to yawn and
scoff: "Show us something else, fool." "With pleasure," said the fool.
"I've got just the thing for you!" And he brought out the horn. The
guests shouted: "Out of the horn!" Then the two strapping young men
leapt out and began to beat them with all their might until the guests
gave back the money they had stolen and ran off as fast as their legs
would carry them. And the fool and his mother lived happily ever after
with the horse, the table-cloth and the horn.

Translated by Kathleen Cook

 Go I Know Not Where, Bring I Know Not What

Tarabanov the soldier went off to seek his fortune. He walked on

and on for a week, then another, then a third, and come twelve-month
he crossed the thrice-nine land, reached the thrice-ten kingdom and
entered a dense forest with nothing but trees and sky. By and by he saw
an open glade and in the glade a great palace. He gazed at the palace
and marvelled at such riches, the like of which had ne'er been known
before, save in the fairy tales of yore. Walking round the palace, he saw
that there was neither gate nor door, nor entrance of any kind. So he
picked up a long pole lying on the ground, stood it against a balcony,
took his courage in both hands and shinned up it; then he climbed onto
the balcony, opened the glass doors and strolled round the chambers.
There was not a soul to be seen. The place was deserted.
The soldier entered the grand hall. There he saw a round table with
twelve dishes of all sorts of food and twelve carafes of sweet wine.
Feeling hungry, he took a morsel from each dish and poured a glassful
from each carafe. Having eaten and drunk his fill, he climbed onto the
stove-bed, made a pillow of his knapsack and lay down to rest. Before
he had time to doze off, twelve swans flew in through the window,
struck the floor and turned into twelve beautiful maidens, each one
fairer than the last. They laid their wings on the stove, sat down at the
table and began to eat and drink, each from her own dish and her own
carafe. "There is something wrong, sisters," said one of them.
"Someone has drank of our wine and eaten of our food." "Be quiet,
sister! You think you're so clever!" The soldier had seen where they put
their wings. He got up quietly, took the pair belonging to the clever
maiden and hid them.
The beautiful maidens dined, left the table and hurried to the stove
to put on their wings. There was one pair missing. "Oh, sisters, my
wings have gone!" "Serve you right for being so clever!" The eleven
maidens struck the floor, turned back into white swans and flew out of
the window. The twelfth, left all alone, began to weep bitterly. The
soldier climbed down from the stove. The maiden saw him and
implored him to give back her wings. "Beg and weep as much as you
like, I'll never give back your wings. So you'd best consent to be my
wife and live together with me." Then they came to an understanding
and hugged and kissed each other.
The fair maiden took her betrothed down into the cellars, opened a
large chest bound with iron and said: "Take as much gold as you can
carry, so we have enough to set up house and live on for the rest of our
days." The soldier filled his pockets with gold, pulled the well-worn
shirts out of his knapsack and stuffed it with gold too. Then they set off
together on their long journey.
By and by they came to the fair capital city, rented some chambers
and set up house. One day the soldier's wife said to him: "Take this
hundred rubles. Go to the shop and spend it all on silk for me." The
soldier went off. On the way he passed a tavern. "Surely I could spend
ten kopecks of this hundred rubles on a drink?" he thought. So in he
went, drank half a bottle of liquor, paid his ten kopecks and set off to
buy the silk. He got a big roll of silk, took it home and gave it to his
wife. "How much was this?" she asked. "A hundred rubles." "No, it
wasn't. You paid a hundred rubles less ten kopecks for it. What did you
do with the ten kopecks? Had a drink in the tavern, I'll bet!" "She's a
clever one and no mistake," thought the soldier. "No fooling her!"
From the silk the soldier's wife sewed three beautiful carpets and sent
her husband to sell them. A rich merchant paid three thousand for each
of them, waited until a big feast day and gave the carpets to the king
himself as a present. "What dexterous hands sewed these!" exclaimed
the king in amazement. "They are the work of a common soldier's wife,
Sire," replied the merchant. "Surely not! Where does she live? I will
visit her myself."
The very next day the king visited the soldier's wife to order some
new work from her. When he set eyes upon her beauty, he fell head
over heels in love with her. He returned to the palace and began
scheming to get the wife away from her husband. Summoning his
favourite general, he said: "Think of an excuse to get a soldier out of
the way. I will reward you with high rank, land and gold." "Give him a
difficult task, Your Majesty. Send him to the ends of the earth to bring
back Saura the Servant. Saura the Servant will live in your pocket and
do whatever you tell him as quick as lightning!"
The king sent for the soldier and began rebuking him as soon as he
was brought to the palace: "Foolish fellow! Fancy boasting in all the
taverns that getting hold of Saura the Servant is as easy as pie. Why
didn't you come to me first, instead of keeping quiet. You know my
doors are closed to no one." "I would never dream of boasting such a
thing, Your Majesty!" "Now then, my man, don't go back on your
word! You must go to the ends of the earth and bring me back Saura
the Servant. If you do not, I'll have you put to death!" The soldier went
home to his wife and told her the bad tidings. She took out a ring and
handed it to him, saying: "Follow this ring wherever it leads you and
fear nothing!" Then she gave him some parting words of wisdom and
sent him on his way.
The ring rolled along until it reached a little wooden house, then
jumped onto the porch, through the door and under the stove. The
soldier followed it inside, crawled under the stove and waited.
Suddenly a thumb-sized mannikin with a long, long beard came in and
called out: "Hey, Saura! Where's my dinner?" Quick as lightning a
roasted ox with a knife in its loin and garlic in its groin appeared in
front of him, together with a forty-gallon barrel of good beer. The
thumb-sized mannikin with the long, long beard sat down by the ox,
pulled out the knife and proceeded to carve the meat, dip it in the
garlic, eat it and sing its praises. He picked the ox clean, downed the
whole barrel of beer and said: "Thank you, Saura! Your food is good. I
shall come again in three years' time." Then he took his leave and went
away.
The soldier climbed out from under the stove, plucked up his
courage and shouted: "Hey, Saura! Are you there?" "Yes, soldier!"
"Then give me some dinner too." Saura brought him a roast ox and a
forty-gallon barrel of beer. "That's far too much for me, Saura," the
soldier exclaimed. "I couldn't eat and drink all that in a twelve-month."
He had a few slices and drank about a bottle, thanked Saura for the
meal and asked: "How would you like to serve me, Saura?" "Willingly,
sir, if you will take me. My old man is such a glutton that I wear myself
out trying to satisfy his appetite." "Let's go then. Climb into my
pocket." "I'm there already, sir."
Tarabanov went out of the house. Off rolled the ring to show them
the way and, by and by, it led the soldier home. He straightway went to
the palace, called Saura out and left him to serve the king. The king
again summoned his general. "You said Tarabanov would perish and
never fetch Saura, but he has returned hale and hearty with Saura in his
pocket!" "Then we must find him a more difficult task, Your Majesty.
Tell him to go to the after-world and find out how your late father is
faring there." Without further ado the king dispatched a messenger to
summon Tarabanov the soldier to the palace. The messenger rode there
post-haste: "Hey, soldier-boy, get dressed. The king wants you."
The soldier polished the buttons on his greatcoat, got dressed, sat
down beside the messenger and rode to the palace. When he appeared
before the king, the king said to him: "Listen, foolish fellow! Why did
you go boasting in all the taverns that you could visit the after-world
and find out how my late father is faring, without a word to me?" "For
pity's sake, Your Majesty! I would never dream of boasting such a
thing. I know of no way to visit the after-world save by dying, so help
me!" "Well, be that as it may, you must go and find out about my
father, or my sword will have your head from your shoulders!" Sad at
heart, Tarabanov returned home, his curly head drooping between his
powerful shoulders. "Why so downcast, dear heart?" asked his wife.
"Tell me all." So he told her the whole story. "Never mind, do not
worry. Just go to bed. Morning is wiser than evening."
The next morning, as soon as the soldier awoke, his wife said: "Go
to the king and ask him to let you take as your companion the general
who keeps thinking up tasks for you." Tarabanov dressed, went to the
king and asked: "Let me take the general to keep me company, Your
Majesty. Let him witness that I have indeed visited the after-world and
found out about your revered parent without any trickery." "Very well,
my man! Go home and prepare for the journey. I will send him to you."
Tarabanov went home and prepared for the journey. Meanwhile the
king summoned the general. "You must go with the soldier too," he
said. "He is not to be trusted alone." The general was scared out of his
wits, but there was nothing for it. A king's word is not to be disobeyed.
So off he went unwillingly to the soldier's home.
Tarabanov filled his knapsack with rusks and his flask with water,
bade farewell to his wife, took the ring from her and said to the general:
"Let us be on our way." They went into the yard. A carriage and four
was standing by the porch. "Who's that for?" asked the soldier. "What
do you mean? For us, of course." "No, Your Excellency. We have no
need of a carriage. The way to the after-world is on foot." The ring
rolled along, followed by the soldier, with the general puffing and
panting behind. It was a long journey. When the soldier felt hungry he
took a rusk from his knapsack, soaked it in the water and munched it,
while his companion watched with his mouth watering. If the soldier
treated him to a rusk, all well and good, but if not he would go hungry.
Time went by, how much who can say? The tale is told ere the deed
is done. By and by they came to a dense forest and went down into a
deep ravine. Here the ring stopped. The soldier and the general sat
down on the ground and began to eat rusks. Before they had finished,
they saw the old king pulling a cart piled high with firewood, while two
devils urged him on with cudgels, one on his right and the other on his
left. "Look, Your Excellency! Isn't that the old king?" "Yes, His
Majesty is carting firewood!" "Hey, there, master devils!" shouted the
soldier. "Let me have that old fellow for a moment. There's something I
must ask him." "We haven't got all day. Who'll cart the firewood while
you're talking to him? Not us!" "Why should you! Here, take this new
man in his place.
The devils quickly unharnessed the old king from the cart, put the
general in his place, and gave him a taste of their cudgels. Off the
general trotted, puffing and panting. Then the soldier asked the old king
how he was faring in the after-world. "Badly, soldier, badly! Take
greetings to my son and bid him have prayers said for my soul, then
perhaps the Lord will take mercy on me and free me from eternal
torment. And charge him strictly in my name not to offend the common
folk or the soldiery, or the good Lord will punish him!" "He may not
believe my word. Give me some token." "Take this key! When he sees
it, he will believe all." They had barely finished their conversation,
when the devils came back. The soldier bade farewell to the old king,
collected the general and set off home with him.
They reached their kingdom and went straight to the palace. "Your
Majesty," said the soldier to the king. "I have seen your late revered
parent, and he is faring badly in the after-world. He sends you greetings
and bids you have prayers said for his soul so that the good Lord may
free him from eternal torment. And he bade me charge you strictly not
to offend the common folk or the soldiery! For the Lord punishes that
most severely." "But did you in truth go to the after-world and see my
father?" Then the general said: "My back still bears the marks where
the devils beat me with their cudgels." But the soldier handed over the
key. "Ah!" exclaimed the king, "this is the secret cabinet key that they
forgot to remove from my father's pocket when they buried him!" Then
the king no longer doubted that the soldier was telling the truth. He
made him a general and stopped coveting his fair wife.

Translated by Kathleen Cook

 The King of the Sea and Vassilissa the Wise

Beyond the thrice-nine lands, in the thrice-ten kingdom there once

lived a king and queen who had no children. One day the king went
travelling to distant lands and was away from home for a long time, and
in his absence the queen gave birth to a son who she named Prince
Ivan. Of this the king knew nothing. He was on his way back to his
own realm and was not far from it, when, the day being very, very hot,
he felt so thirsty that he would have given anything for a drink of
water! He looked about him, and, seeing a large lake ahead, rode up to
it, got off his horse, lay down on the ground on his belly and began
taking great gulps of the icy lake water. He drank and he drank and did
not know there was anything to fear when all of a sudden someone
clutched him by the beard! "Let go of my beard!" he cried. "No, I
won't! How dared you drink this water without my permission?" said
the King of the Sea, for it was he who was clutching the beard. "Take
any ransom you want of me, only let me go!" "Promise to give me that
which you have in your house but do not know about." The king
thought it over, and, being quite sure that there was nothing in his
house he did not know about, agreed. He felt his beard, saw that no one
was clutching it any more, and, getting to his feet, mounted his horse
and rode away.
He came home, and there was the queen, as happy as could be,
welcoming him back! She was holding the baby in her arms, and when
the king learnt that he had a son, he burst into tears. He told the queen
about the King of the Sea, and she wept with him, but what could they
do! And as for Prince Ivan, he grew and grew, not by the day but by the
hour, as fast as dough with yeast added to it, and before long was quite
grown. "I can't keep him with me forever, I'm afraid," thought the king.
"The day will come when I'll have to give him up to the King of the
Sea, there's no avoiding it!" He took Prince Ivan by the hand and led
him to the lake. "Look for my ring, I dropped it here somewhere the
other day," said he, and, leaving Prince Ivan all by himself, turned his
way homewards.
Prince Ivan began looking for the ring, and as he walked along the
shore, he met an old woman coming toward him. "Where are you
going, Prince Ivan?" she asked. "Leave me alone, you old witch, I have
trouble enough as it is!" Prince Ivan said. "Oh, all right, then, and may
God be with you!" And the old woman left him and turned off the road.
But Prince Ivan regretted having behaved so badly. "Now, why was I
so rude to the old woman?" he asked himself. "I'd better go after her
and get her to come back. Old people are wise; she may be able to tell
me something that will be of help to me." And he called to the old
woman, begging her to forgive him for his foolish words and come
back. "It was because I was troubled that I was so rude," said he. "My
father told me to look for his ring, but though I have looked and looked
I cannot find it anywhere." "It isn't because of the ring that your father
brought you here," the old woman said, "but because he promised the
King of the Sea that you would be his. The King of the Sea will soon
appear and take you away with him to his underwater kingdom."
Prince Ivan burst into tears. "Do not grieve, Prince Ivan, luck will
yet come your way," said the old woman. "Only you must listen to me.
Hide behind that currant bush there and keep very quiet. By and by
twelve doves, fair maids all, will come flying here, and a thirteenth will
follow them. They will bathe and splash about in the water, and while
they are at it, you must carry off the thirteenth maid's shift and not give
it back to her till she gives you her ring. If you fail to do this, you are
lost, for the King of the Sea has a high fence a full ten miles long round
his palace, with a human head crowning every paling. One paling only
has no head on it, so beware lest it be crowned with yours!" Prince Ivan
thanked the old woman and hid behind the currant bush.
All of a sudden twelve doves came flying to the lake shore. They
struck the ground and turned into maids so fair as pen cannot write or
tongue tell! They flung off their gowns and rushed into the water, and
they played and splashed about there merrily. Then the thirteenth dove
came flying up. It struck the ground and turned into a maid, and of
them all, fair as they were, she was the fairest! She took off her gown
and shift and stepped into the water, and Prince Ivan could not take his
eyes from her so smitten was he, but then, recalling what the old
woman had told him, he crept out from behind the bush and carried off
the shift.
The maid came out off the water and looked about for her shift. It
was not there, and though she and her sisters searched and searched for
it, they could not find it. "Do not search for it any longer but fly home!"
said the maid to her sisters. "It's my fault that I did not keep an eye on
it and I must be the one to answer for it." And the twelve maids, her
sisters, struck the ground, and, turning into doves, flapped their wings
and flew away. The maid was left alone, and she looked all around her
and said: "You, whoever you are, who have my shift, come out and
show yourself! If you are old, you shall be as my own father to me; if
you are in your middle years, you shall be as a brother to me; if you are
of an age with me, you shall be my own dear love!" And she no sooner
uttered the last word than Prince Ivan appeared before her. She gave
him her gold ring and said: "Ah, Prince Ivan, why did you not come
here sooner? The King of the Sea is sorely vexed with you. Yonder lies
the road that leads to his underwater kingdom. Follow it without fear
and you will find me at the end of it! For I am Vassilissa the Wise,
daughter of the King of the Sea." Vassilissa the Wise turned into a dove
and flew away, and Prince Ivan set out for the underwater kingdom
which, when he got there, he found to be, what with the sun shining
overhead and green fields, meadows and groves everywhere, very
much like any kingdom on earth. He came into the presence of the
King of the Sea, and the King of the Sea roared at the top of his voice:
"What made you tarry so long? Why did you not come here sooner? I
shall punish you for it by setting you a task! I have a waste plot of land
thirty miles long and thirty wide, which is all ditches, gullies and sharp
stones. Now, I want this to be made as smooth as the palm of a man's
hand and sown with rye, and the rye to be high enough by tomorrow
morning for a jackdaw to hide in. And if you do not do it, I'll have your
head cut off!"
Prince Ivan left the King of the Sea, and the tears poured from his
eyes. And Vassilissa the Wise, sitting at the window of her chamber,
saw him and said: "Good morrow, Prince Ivan! Why do you weep?"
"How can I help it!" said Prince Ivan. "The King of the Sea bids me
level his waste plot of land which is all ditches, gullies and sharp
stones, to sow it with rye and to have the rye grow high enough by
morning for a jackdaw to hide in." "That is no great misfortune, there is
worse to come. Go to bed and to sleep with God's help. Night is the
mother of wisdom, and all will be done for you!" Prince Ivan went to
bed, and Vassilissa the Wise stepped out on the porch and called in a
loud voice: "Come, my faithful servants, fill in the ditches and gullies,
bear off the sharp stones, plough up the plot and sow it with rye, and
have it all done by tomorrow morning!"
Prince Ivan woke with the dawn, he looked about him, and lo!—
everything had been done: not a ditch or a gully was there, the ground
had all been levelled, the plot sown with rye, and the rye had grown
high enough for a jackdaw to hide in. He went and told the King of the
Sea about it, and the King of the Sea said: "Thank you for doing as I
bade. And now here is another task for you. I have three hundred stacks
of wheat, with three hundred sheaves in each, and you are to thresh it
all for me to the last grain and yet leave every single one of the sheaves
and stacks whole, and if this is not done by morning, I'll have your
head cut off!" "I will do as you bid, Your Majesty!" said Prince Ivan,
and as he walked out of the palace and across the courtyard the tears
poured from his eyes. "Why do you weep?" Vassilissa the Wise asked
him. "How can I help it! The King of the Sea bids me thresh all of his
wheat in the space of one night, and I am not to lose a single grain and
keep all of the stacks and sheaves whole." "That is no great misfortune,
there is worse to come! Go to bed and to sleep, and may God be with
you. Night is the mother of wisdom, remember!"
Prince Ivan went to bed, and Vassilissa the Wise stepped out on to
the porch and called in a loud voice: "Come, ants, crawl here, all of
you, as many as there are in the world, pick out the grains from my
father's stacks of wheat and do not leave a single grain behind!"
Morning came, and the King of the Sea summoned Prince Ivan. "Have
you done as I bade?" he asked. "I have, Your Majesty!" "Come along,
then, I wish to see it for myself." They came to the threshing floor, and
there were all the stacks whole and of a piece; they came to the
granary, and it was filled to the top with grain. "Thank you, my lad!"
said the King of the Sea. "Just build me a church out of wax and have it
ready by morning, and I will ask you to do nothing more." Off went
Prince Ivan, and as he crossed the courtyard the tears poured from his
eyes. "Why do you weep?" Vassilissa the Wise, sitting at the window
of her chamber high up in the palace, asked him. "How can I help it!
The King of the Sea bids me build him a church out of wax in the space
of one night." "That is no great misfortune, there is worse to come. Go
to bed and to sleep; night is the mother of wisdom, remember!"
Prince Ivan went to bed, and Vassilissa the Wise stepped out on to
the porch and called in a loud voice: "Come, bees, all of you, from all
over the world, fly here and build a church of wax in the space of one
night!"
Morning came, Prince Ivan rose, and there stood the church before
him, made of the purest wax! He went and told the King of the Sea
about it, and the King of the Sea said: "I thank you, Prince Ivan! Many
are the servants I have had, but not one of them pleased me as you
have. Be my heir and the defender of my realm! And you can take to
wife whichever one you choose of my thirteen daughters." Prince Ivan
chose Vassilissa the Wise, they were at once married, there was great
joy in the palace, and a feast was held which went on for three days.
Whether a short or a long time passed nobody knows, but Prince
Ivan missed his parents and badly wanted to go back to Russ. "Why so
sad, Prince Ivan?" Vassilissa the Wise asked him. "It is that I miss my
mother and father and wish to go back to Russ," said Prince Ivan. "Ah,
now there is indeed great misfortune ahead! For if we leave this realm,
many men will be sent after us to try to bring us back, and the King of
the Sea will be greatly angered and have us put to death. But we may
yet outwit them all!" And she went and sprayed three of the corners of
their sleeping chamber with water, and, leaving it and locking the door
behind her, rode away together with Prince Ivan.
Early on the following morning the servants of the King of the Sea
came to rouse the young couple and summon them into the King's
presence, and they knocked at the door of their chamber and called:
"Wake up! Wake up! The King wishes to see you." "It's much too
early, come a little later!" the drops of water called back in Vassilissa's
own voice. The servants went away, but they came back again in an
hour or so and knocked at the door again. "Time to get up!" they called.
"Wait a little while, we have to get dressed!" the drops of water called
back. Another hour passed, and the servants came back for the third
time. "The King of the Sea is vexed with you, you must not dawdle any
longer!" they called. "We'll be with him in a moment!" the drops of
water called back.
The servants waited a while longer and began knocking at the door
again, but there was no reply, so they broke down the door, and lo!—
the chamber was empty. They told the King that the young couple had
run away, and he flew into a temper and sent many men after them to
bring them back.
By then Vassilissa the Wise and Prince Ivan had left the palace far
behind them. They galloped on their fleet-footed steeds and never so
much as stopped for a rest. "Come, Prince Ivan, put your ear to the
ground and see if you can hear anything," said Vassilissa the Wise.
Prince Ivan jumped down from his horse's back and put his ear to the
ground. "I can hear men calling and hooves pounding," he said. "That
means the King's men are after us!" said Vassilissa the Wise, and she at
once turned the horses into a green meadow, Prince Ivan into a
shepherd and herself into a sheep.
The King's men were soon upon them. "Tell us, shepherd," they
called, "have you seen a youth and a maid riding past here?" "No, kind
folk, I have not," replied Prince Ivan. "I have been grazing sheep here
for forty years, and never has a bird flown past or a beast run by in all
that time." The King's men went back to the palace. "We have not seen
anyone on the way, Your Majesty, save a shepherd and a sheep," said
they. "And you should have seized them, for they were the ones I sent
you after!" roared the King, and he sent more of his men after the
runaways. Prince Ivan and Vassilissa the Wise were far away by then,
and Vassilissa the Wise said: "Come, Prince Ivan, put your ear to the
ground and see if you can hear anything." Prince Ivan jumped down
from his horse's back and put his ear to the ground. "I can hear men
calling and hooves pounding," said he. "The King's men are coming
after us!" said Vassilissa the Wise, and she turned herself into a church,
Prince Ivan into a priest and the horses into trees.
The King's men were soon upon them. "Tell us, Father, have you
seen a shepherd passing by here with a flock of sheep?" they called.
"No, kind folk, I have not," said Prince Ivan. "I have been with this
church for forty years, but never has a bird flown past or a beast run by
in all that time." The men went back to the palace. "We have seen no
shepherd or sheep on the way, Your Majesty," said they. "We only saw
a church and a priest standing by it." "Why didn't you pull down the
church and seize the priest? They were the ones I sent you after!"
roared the King, and he got on his horse and, followed by his men, set
out after the runaways himself.
By then Prince Ivan and Vassilissa the Wise were far away. "Come,
Prince Ivan, put your ear to the ground and see if you can hear
anything," Vassilissa the Wise said. Prince Ivan climbed off his horse's
back and put his ear to the ground. "I can hear men calling and hooves
pounding more loudly than ever," said he. "That is the King himself
coming after us with his men!" Vassilissa the Wise cried, and she
turned the horses into a lake, Prince Ivan into a drake and herself took
the shape of a duck. The King of the Sea came galloping up to the lake,
and he at once guessed who the duck and the drake were. He struck the
ground, turned into an eagle and swooped down upon them from
above, but though he did this again and again the drake and the duck
were too quick for him and dived into the water before he could get at
them! By and by, seeing that he could do nothing, he gave up and
galloped away, back to his underwater kingdom. And Vassilissa the
Wise and Prince Ivan waited awhile and then set off for Russ.
Whether a short or a long time passed nobody knows, but by and by
they came to Russ. "Wait for me in this wood," said Prince Ivan to
Vassilissa the Wise, "and I'll go on ahead and show myself to my
mother and father." "You will forget me, Prince Ivan!" "I won't." "You
will, I know it! But you must try and remember me when you see two
doves beating against a window pane." Prince Ivan came into the
palace, and, seeing him, his parents threw their arms around him and
held him close, and in his joy Prince Ivan forgot all about Vassilissa the
Wise. He lived with his mother and father for a day and another day,
and on the third day bethought him of marrying a princess he had met
in the palace.
And Vassilissa the Wise went into town and took up service with a
priest's widow who made wafers for a living. They began making
wafers, and she took two pieces of dough, fashioned two doves out of
them and put them in the oven. "Do you know what will happen to
these doves, mistress?" asked she. "No, for what can happen to them?
We'll eat them, that's all." "Do you really think so?" And Vassilissa the
Wise opened the oven and then the window, and lo!—the doves started
up and flew straight to the palace. They began beating at the windows
there, and try as the king's servants might they could not chase them
away. Then it was that Prince Ivan remembered Vassilissa the Wise
and sent envoys to all corners of the realm to try and find her. She was
soon found and brought to the palace, and he took her snow-white
hands in Ms, kissed her on her sugar-sweet lips and led her to his
mother and father. And from that day on all the four of them knew no
woe, shed never a tear, and prospered the more from year to year.

Translated by Irina Zheleznova

 Fenist the Falcon

There once lived an old man who had three daughters. The two elder
daughters thought of nothing but of dressing themselves up in fancy
clothes, but the youngest cared little for such things and liked to keep
house and tend the garden far more. One day the old man prepared to
go to market and he asked his daughters what they wanted him to buy
for them. The eldest daughter told him that she would like a length of
silk for a dress, and so did the middle daughter, but when he turned to
the youngest daughter, she said: "Buy me a feather of Fenist the
Falcon, Father." The father bade his daughters goodbye and away he
rode. He bought his two elder daughters what they had asked for, but
he could not find Fenist the Falcon's feather anywhere. He came back
home, and, oh, how pleased the two elder daughters were with the
lengths of silk! But for the youngest daughter there was nothing. "I
could not find Fenist the Falcon's feather anywhere," the father told her.
"Well, it can't be helped!" she said. "Perhaps you will have better luck
next time." The two elder sisters sat down and began making dresses
for themselves, and they laughed at their younger sister, but she kept
very quiet and paid them no heed.
By and by the father prepared to go to market again. "Well,
daughters, what would you like me to buy for you this time?" he asked.
The elder daughter told him that she would like a shawl, and so did the
middle daughter, but the youngest daughter said: "Buy me a feather of
Fenist the Falcon, Father." Off the father rode, he bought the two
shawls, but he never so much as laid eyes on the feather. He came back
home and said to his youngest daughter: "Ah, child, I could not find a
feather of Fenist the Falcon for you this time, either." "Never mind,
Father, perhaps you will have better luck next time!" said she.
By and by the father prepared to go to market for the third time.
"Come, daughters, what would you like me to buy for you?" he asked
them. The eldest daughter asked for a pair of earrings, and so did the
middle daughter, but the youngest daughter said as she had before:
"Buy me a feather of Fenist the Falcon, Father." The father bought two
pairs of gold earrings, but though he looked everywhere no feather
could he find. Saddened, he set out for home, but just as he had left the
town gate behind him, he met an old man bearing a little box in his
hands. "What have you there, old man?" he asked. "A feather of Fenist
the Falcon." "How much do you want for it?" "A thousand pieces of
gold." The father paid the money and drove home with the box. His
daughters met him at the door. "Well, my dear," said he, turning to the
youngest daughter, "I have brought what you asked for at last. Here,
take it!" The youngest daughter all but danced with joy. She took the
box and kissed it and pressed it to her heart.
After supper they all went off to bed, and she ran to her chamber
and opened the box, and lo!—out of it flew Fenist the Falcon's feather.
It lighted on the floor, and there before her stood Fenist the Falcon
himself, as handsome a youth as ever was born. They spoke lovingly to
one another, and the two elder sisters heard them and called out:
"Whom are you talking to, sister?" "To myself." "Well, then, open the
door!" At this Fenist the Falcon struck the floor and turned into a
feather, and the youngest sister picked it up and put it in the box. She
opened the door, and the elder sisters came in. They looked here and
they looked there but found no one, and as soon as they had left, the
youngest daughter opened the window and said: "Fly, my feather, to
the open field and bide there for a time!" And the feather turned into a
falcon and away it flew.
On the following night Fenist the Falcon came flying back to see his
beloved again and they began talking happily to one another, and the
two elder sisters heard them and at once ran to tell their father about it.
"Someone comes to our sister's chamber at night, he is there now
talking to her!" they said. The father got up from bed and hurried to her
chamber, but Fenist the Falcon had turned into a feather and was in the
box and out of sight when he came in. The father was very angry with
his two elder daughters. "You are wicked maids, both, to be spreading
such tales!" said he. "Look to yourselves and leave your sister in
peace!"
But this did not stop the two elder sisters who decided to use
cunning in order to catch whoever it was kept coming to their younger
sister's chamber. They waited till it was dark, and, moving a ladder up
to the window of her chamber, stuck a large number of sharp needles
into the pane. Night came, and Fenist the Falcon flew up to the
window, but though he beat against the pane till his wings were cut and
bleeding he could not get into his beloved's chamber. "Farewell, fair
maid!" said he. "If ever you want to see me, seek me beyond the thrice-
nine lands in the thrice-ten kingdom. But you shall not find me till you
have worn out three pairs of iron shoes, broken three iron staffs and
eaten three stone loaves!" But the maid slept, and though she heard
these chilling words through her sleep, she could not wake up.
Dawn came, she rose and looked out of the window, and, seeing the
needles stuck into the pane and the blood dripping down from them,
threw up her hands in dismay. "Heavens! My sisters tried to kill Fenist
the Falcon," cried she. And she at once got together a few belongings
and left the house. She ran to a smithy, had three pairs of iron shoes
and three iron staffs made for herself, and, taking along three stone
loaves, set out to seek Fenist the Falcon.
On and on she walked, and she had worn out a pair of iron boots,
broken an iron staff and eaten a stone loaf when she saw a little hut
standing before her. She knocked at the door and said, "Please, Master,
please, Mistress, do let me in for the night!" and an old woman let her
in. "You are welcome to spend the night in my house, fair maid!" said
she. "Whither are you bound?" "I am seeking Fenist the Falcon,
Grandma." "It's a long way that lies ahead of you, my dear!" Morning
came, and the old woman said: "Go to see my middle sister, and she
will help you. Here is a present for you: a stool of silver and a spindle
of gold. You will sit down on the stool and spin some tow, and a gold
thread will come running out." Then she brought out a ball of yarn, sent
it rolling along the road and told the maid to follow it. The maid
thanked her and set off after the ball of yarn.
Whether a short or a long time passed nobody knows, but she had
worn out a second pair of boots, broken a second staff and eaten a
second stone loaf when the ball of yarn brought her to another little hut.
She knocked at the door and said, "Please, Master, please. Mistress, do
let me in for the night!" and an old woman let her in. "You are
welcome to spend the night in my house, fair maid," said she. "Whither
are you bound?" "I am seeking Fenist the Falcon, Grandma." "It's a
long way you have before you!"
Morning came, and the old woman gave the maid a platter of silver
and an egg of gold for a present and told her that she was to go to see
her elder sister. "She will know where Fenist the Falcon is to be
found!" said she.
The maid bade the old woman goodbye and off she set on her way.
On and on she walked, and she had worn out her third pair of iron
boots, broken her third iron staff and eaten her last stone loaf when the
ball of yarn rolled up to a little hut. She knocked at the door and said,
"Please, Master, please, Mistress, do let me in for the night!" and an
old woman let her in. "Come inside, my dear, you are welcome to
spend the night in my house," said she. "Whither are you bound?" "I
am seeking Fenist the Falcon, Grandma." "It will not be easy to get to
him," said the old woman, and she told the maid that Fenist the Falcon
now lived in such-and-such a town and that he was married to a wafer-
maker's daughter. Morning came, and the old woman said: "Here is a
present for you, fair maid: a frame of gold and a needle. All you must
do is hold the frame, and the needle will do the needlework all by itself.
And now go with God and take up service with the wafer-maker."
No sooner said than done. The maid found the house where the
wafer-maker lived, and, coming inside, offered to take up service with
her. The wafer-maker hired her and was very pleased she had, for the
maid was a quick worker who kept the stove hot, brought in water and
cooked their meals, and did it all quickly and well. "God be thanked!"
said the wafer-maker to her daughter. "We have got ourselves a servant
who is hard-working and who does everything without having to be
told." Her chores finished, the maid brought out her silver stool and her
gold spindle and began to spin. And as she spun the tow, a thread came
running out, and not a plain thread, either, but a gold one. Seeing this,
the wafer-maker's daughter said: "Please, fair maid, won't you sell me
your playthings?" "Well, I might at that!" "And what do you ask for
them?" "I ask for no money. Just let me spend the night in your
husband's chamber." To this the wafer-maker's daughter agreed. "No
harm can come of it," said she to herself. "With the help of the spindle
my mother and I will get rich. And as for my husband, I can give him a
sleeping potion so that he will not wake till morning."
Now, Fenist the Falcon was away at the time. He roamed the skies
all day and only came back home in the evening. They sat down to eat,
and though the maid kept looking at him as she served, he did not
recognize her. The wafer-maker's daughter put a sleeping powder into
his drink and sent him off to bed, and then she said to the maid: "Go to
his chamber and keep the flies away from him!" There sat the maid
waving the flies away from her beloved's face, and she wept and
sobbed as she did so. "Wake up, wake up, Fenist the Falcon, my own
dear love!" cried she. "Long did I seek you, and I wore out three pairs
of iron shoes, broke three iron staffs and ate three stone loaves before
at last I found you!" But Fenist the Falcon slept on and did not wake.
Night passed, and on the following day the maid brought out her
silver platter and began rolling the gold egg over it, and more and more
gold eggs appeared on it. The wafer-maker's daughter saw this and
said: "Do sell me your playthings, fair maid!" "Well, I might at that!"
"And what do you ask for them?" "I ask for no money. Just let me
spend the night in your husband's chamber." "Very well, if that's what
you want!" Now, Fenist the Falcon was away roaming the skies again,
and he only came back toward evening. They sat down to eat their
supper, but though the maid kept looking at him as she served, he did
not recognize her and it was as though he had never known her. The
wafer-maker's daughter gave him a sleeping potion again, put him to
bed and sent the maid to keep the flies away from him, and this time,
too, though the maid wept and sobbed and tried to wake him, he slept
on and did not hear her.
The third day came, and the maid sat there holding the gold frame
and watched the needle embroider, making as pretty a pattern as is
rarely to be seen! The widow's daughter could not take her eyes from it.
"Please, fair maid, sell me your playthings!" she said. "Well, I might at
that!" "And what do you ask for them?" "I ask for no money. Just let
me spend the night in your husband's chamber." "Very well, if that's
what you want!" Evening came, and Fenist the Falcon came flying
home. His wife gave him a sleeping potion, put him to bed and then
sent the maid to keep the flies away from him. The maid sat there
waving the flies away and weeping bitterly, and she kept saying over
and over again through her tears: "Come, wake up, Fenist the Falcon,
my own dear love, for I am here at your side! Long did 1 seek you, and
I wore out three pairs of iron shoes, broke three iron staffs and ate three
stone loaves before I found you at last!" But Fenist the Falcon slept on
and never heard her.
The maid wept and sobbed and tried to wake him time and again,
but it was not till a tear of hers fell on his cheek that he woke at last.
"Something burnt my cheek!" he said. "I am here beside you, Fenist the
Falcon," said the maid. "And I wore out three pairs of iron shoes, broke
three iron staffs and ate three stone loaves before I found you. For three
nights did 1 stand over you calling your name, but you slept on and
never woke." Then it was that Fenist the Falcon knew who stood before
him and was filled with such joy as cannot be described! They decided
to go away together and left there and then, and when morning came
and the wafer-maker's daughter rose, she could find neither her
husband nor the maid. She rushed to her mother's chamber and told her
about it, and the wafer-maker had her horses harnessed and rode after
the runaways. She went everywhere and spoke to everyone, even
paying the three old women a visit, but Fenist the Falcon had vanished
without a trace and she could not find him.
Fenist the Falcon brought his beloved to her parents' house, he
struck the ground and turned into a feather, and the maid picked it up,
put it in her bosom and went to see her father. "Ah, my child, it is you!"
the father cried. "And I thought I would never see you again. Where
have you been all this time?" "Far, far away, Father." Now, it was holy
week just then, and the father and his two elder daughters were
preparing to go to church for the early morning service. "Won't you
join us, my dear?" said he to the youngest daughter. "It's such a happy
day for us!" "But I have nothing to wear, Father." "You can put on one
of our dresses," her sisters offered. "Ah, no, sisters, your dresses are
too fine for me, I think I had better stay home."
Off they went to church, and no sooner had they left than the maid
took out her feather and let it drop to the floor, and it turned into Fenist
the Falcon, the most handsome youth that ever was born! He leaned out
of the window and whistled, and lo!—there before them lay the finest
of clothes and of jewels and a coach of gold stood at the door. They put
on the clothes and the jewels, and, getting into the coach, drove to the
church. They came inside and placed themselves where all could see
them, and the townsfolk, who took them to be a prince and a princess,
marvelled at the sight of them and asked themselves where it was they
could have come from. They left the church before anyone else did,
when the service was drawing to a close, and drove home. And no
sooner were they there than the coach vanished and so did all the fine
clothes and jewels, and Fenist the Falcon turned into a feather. By and
by the father came home with his two daughters, and the daughters
said: "Ah, Sister, a pity you did not come with us! A most handsome
prince and a most beautiful of princesses were in church today!"
The next day the same thing happened, but on the third day the
father, who came out of the church just as Fenist the Falcon and his
bride were getting into the coach, saw it drive up to his house and
vanish. He was no sooner home than he asked his youngest daughter if
she had seen it. "There's nothing for it but to tell you all!" said she.
She brought out the feather and let it drop to the floor, and it turned
into Fenist the Falcon.
Fenist the Falcon and the maid were married, and theirs was the
richest wedding that ever was!
I was there and drank ale and wine, but all of it ran down this beard
of mine. At the feast till morn I meant to stay, for my spirits were high
and my heart was gay, but a cap and a basket were put on my head, and
I found myself in the street instead!

Translated by Irina Zheleznova

 Elena the Wise

In a certain kingdom, in a certain realm there was once a soldier

who happened to be standing guard by a stone tower one night. The
door to it was locked and sealed, but just as midnight struck, the soldier
seemed to hear someone calling to him from inside the tower. "Who is
that calling me?" the soldier asked. "It is I, an evil spirit!" came the
reply. "For thirty years have I been kept in the tower, and I haven't had
anything to eat or drink in all that time." "What do you want of me?"
"Set me free, and I will come to your help if ever you have need of me.
All you have to do is think of me, and I will be there beside you the
same moment." The soldier at once broke both the seal and the lock
and opened the door, and the evil spirit flew out of the tower and up to
the sky and vanished as fast as a flash of lightning. "What have I
done!" thought the soldier. "All my years of service have gone for
nothing. I will be arrested, court-martialled and may even be made to
run a gauntlet. I had better go while the going is good." And he threw
down his gun and knapsack and went off he knew not where.
He walked for a day, and another, and a third and was very, very
hungry, but as there was nothing to eat or drink, he sat down by the
wayside and burst into tears. "Fool that I am!" said he to himself. "I
served the king for ten years and was given three pounds of bread to eat
every day, and look what I've done—run away only to starve to death.
It was that evil spirit, he's to blame for it!" And no sooner had he
thought of him than there was the evil spirit before him. "Good day to
you, soldier!" said he. "Why so sad?" "How can I help it when I haven't
had anything to eat for three days!" "Oh, is that all!" said the evil spirit,
and he rushed away only to come back again at once, bringing all sorts
of foods and drinks with him. The soldier ate and drank, and when he
had had his fill, the evil spirit begged him to come and live in his
house. "You will have an easy time of it there," said he. "You will feast
and make merry whenever you have a mind to and your only duty will
be to keep an eye on my daughters and see that they don't get into
mischief." To this the soldier agreed, and the evil spirit lifted him up
from the ground and to the sky and carried him off beyond the thrice-
nine lands to the thrice-ten realm. It was there, in a house of white
stone, that the evil spirit's three daughters lived, and they were fair
maids all three.
The evil spirit bade his daughters feed the soldier well and do as he
told them to and himself flew away to do evil. And what else could be
expected of him! Don't we all know that evil spirits never stay in one
place but roam the earth sowing confusion in people's hearts and
putting them up to sinful deeds. The soldier stayed with the three
maids, and a better life no man could wish for! Only one thing grieved
him, and that was that the three maids would leave the house every
night without telling him where they went. He tried asking them about
it, but they would tell him nothing. "Never mind!" said the soldier to
himself. "I will stay awake all night if I have to but I'll find out where it
is they go."
Evening arrived and the soldier went to bed and pretended to be
asleep. Then, at an hour when the three maids usually left the house, he
rose, crept up to their sleeping chamber and looked through the
keyhole. What was his surprise when he saw them spread a carpet on
the floor, strike it, turn into pigeons and fly out through the window.
"Never have I seen the like!" thought the soldier. "But that must be a
magic carpet and perhaps I can change myself into a bird too!" He ran
into the chamber, struck the carpet, and, turning into a robin, flew out
of the window after the pigeons. By and by, when he saw them alight
in a green meadow, he did the same, and, hiding himself behind a
currant bush, peeked out from under it to see what there was to see.
Very soon many pigeons came flying up, so many that they covered the
meadow from one end to another. After them, setting the sky and the
earth aglow, a chariot of gold drawn by six fiery dragons came
sweeping through the air, and seated in it was Elena the Wise, a maid
fair beyond compare! She stepped out of the chariot, placed herself on
a gold throne that stood in the middle of the meadow and began calling
the pigeons to her side one after another and showing them how to do
all sorts of magic tricks. This done, she sprang into the chariot and was
off in a trice!
All of the pigeons now rose into the air and flew back to wherever it
was they had come from, and the robin followed the three sisters and
soon found himself back in their chamber again. The pigeons struck the
carpet and got back their proper shape, and the robin did the same and
got back his. "Where have you been?" the three maids asked him. "In
the same place as you. I flew after you to the green meadow, I saw the
lovely princess on her throne of gold and I watched her show you how
to do all kinds of magic tricks." "Well, it's your good luck that you're
still alive! For the princess was none other than Elena the Wise, our
ruler and queen. Had she had her book of magic with her she would
have known it was you in a robin's shape and would have put you to
death. Beware, soldier! Do not fly to the green meadow again or try to
see Elena the Wise if you want to stay alive." But the soldier would not
listen to them. As soon as night came he struck the carpet, turned into a
robin, flew to the green meadow and hid under a currant bush. Elena
the Wise came there in her chariot and he watched her and marvelled at
her beauty. "If only I could marry her, there would be nothing left for
me to wish for!" thought he. "I think I'll fly after her and find out where
she lives."
And as soon as Elena the Wise got into her chariot and swept to the
sky in it, the robin flapped his wings and flew after her. Elena the Wise
arrived at the door of her palace, which was very beautiful, and her
women and maids hurried out to meet her and led her inside. And the
robin flew into the garden, and, lighting on the branch of a tree that
grew under the window of Elena the Wise's sleeping chamber, began to
sing. It was a sad song and he sang so piteously that Elena the Wise
never closed an eye and listened to him the whole night through. Dawn
arrived, the sun rose in the sky, and she called out in a loud voice:
"Come, my women and maids, hurry and go to the garden and catch the
robin for me!" The women and maids rushed out into the garden, but
they were old and slow, and the robin flitted from bush to bush, and
though he did not fly far, would not let himself be caught.
Filled with impatience, Elena the Wise ran out into the garden to try
and catch the robin herself. She came up to the bush on which he had
perched, and, much to her surprise, the robin did not try to fly away but
sat there with folded wings as if waiting for her to seize him. Elena the
Wise was overjoyed. She lifted the bird gently off the branch, carried
him into the palace and put him in a gold cage which she hung in her
chamber. The day passed, the sun sank in the sky, and Elena the Wise
flew to the green meadow. But she was soon back, and, taking off her
robe, lay down on her bed. And so lovely was she that the robin
trembled at the sight of her, and as soon as she was asleep, took the
shape of a fly, flew out of the cage, struck the floor and turned back
into a soldier again. He came up to the bed in which Elena the Wise lay
sleeping and stood there gazing at her, but then, unable to stop himself,
bent and planted a kiss on her honey-sweet lips. Elena the Wise stirred,
and, seeing that she was about to wake, he turned into a fly, flew back
into the cage and took the robin's shape.
Elena the Wise opened her eyes and looked about her, but, seeing no
one, told herself that she had dreamt it all, turned over and fell asleep
again. The soldier could not contain himself and kissed her a second
and then a third time, and Elena the Wise, who was a light sleeper,
woke after every kiss. After the third kiss she got out of bed and said:
"This can't be just a dream, I think I had better look in my book of
magic." And no sooner had she looked in the book than she knew that
sitting in the cage was not a bird but a young man in a bird's shape.
"You boor!" cried she. "Come out of the cage at once! You will pay
with your life for trying to trick me."
 It could not be helped, and the robin flew out of the cage, struck the
floor and became a soldier again. He fell on his knees before Elena the
Wise and begged her to forgive him. "A villain like you deserves no
mercy!" said Elena the Wise, and she summoned a headsman and
ordered him to chop off the soldier's head. A scaffold at once appeared
before her, and the headsman, a great giant of a fellow, seized the
soldier, threw him to the ground, and, pressing down his head with one
hand, raised high his axe with the other. Elena the Wise had only to
wave her kerchief, and the soldier's head would roll off his shoulders.
"O fairest of princesses, allow me to sing a song before I die!" the
soldier begged with tears in his eyes. "Oh, very well! Sing your song
and get it over with!" said Elena the Wise. The soldier began to sing,
and so sad was his song that Elena the Wise felt sorry for him and
could hardly stop herself from bursting into tears. "I give you ten
hours," said she. "If during that time you will find yourself a hiding
place that I will be unable to discover, I shall marry you; if not, your
shall die."
The soldier left the palace and wandered off into a thick forest. He
sat down under a bush there and gave himself up to sorrowful thoughts.
"It's all because of you, evil spirit, that I am in such straits!" said he
with a sigh. And no sooner were the words out of his mouth than the
evil spirit appeared before him. "What can I do for you, soldier?" he
asked. "Nothing, for my end has come!" the soldier said. "Where can I
hide from Elena the Wise!" At this the evil spirit struck the ground and
turned into a grey-winged eagle. "Get on my back, soldier, I will carry
you beyond the clouds in the sky!" said he. The soldier got on the
eagle's back, and the eagle soared to the sky and hid behind a
thundercloud. Five hours went by, and Elena the Wise looked into her
book of magic and saw the eagle and the soldier on his back as clearly
as if they were there before her. "Come down to the ground, eagle!" she
called. "You cannot hide from me."
The eagle came down to the ground, and the soldier felt more sad
than ever. "What am I to do now? Where can I hide!" said he. "I will
help you, never you fear!" said the evil spirit. He struck the soldier on
the cheek, turned him into a pin and himself into a mouse, and, stealing
into the palace, found the book of magic and stuck the pin in it.
Another five hours went by, and Elena the Wise opened the book,
but though she turned the pages and gazed at each in turn, there was
nothing there for her to see. Elena the Wise flew into a temper and
flung the book into the stove, but the pin fell out of it, and, no sooner
had it touched the floor, than it turned into the soldier again. Seeing
him so tall and handsome, for tall and handsome he was, Elena the
Wise smiled and took his hand. "I am wise, but you are wiser still!"
said she. And they were married then and there and lived happily ever
after.

Translated by Irina Zheleznova

 The Prophetic Dream

There was once a merchant who had two sons, Dmitri and Ivan. One
night, when their father was giving them his blessing, he said: "If you
should have a dream tonight, my children, you must tell me it in the
morning. He who conceals his dream will be punished." The next
morning the elder son came and told his father: "I dreamed that brother
Ivan was flying o'er the sky on twelve eagles, Father; and that your
favourite sheep was missing." "And you, Ivan, what did you dream?" "I
cannot tell!" Ivan replied. No matter how his father urged him, he
remained firm, meeting all remonstrances with: "I cannot tell!" The
merchant grew angry, summoned his stewards and bade them take the
recalcitrant son, strip him naked and tie him to a post on the highroad.
The stewards seized Ivan and bound him naked to a post as they had
been bidden. The good youth fared badly: he was scorched by the sun,
bitten by mosquitoes and tormented by hunger and thirst. The king's
son happened to be driving along the highroad. He saw the merchant's
son, took pity on him and bade them untie him. Then he dressed him in
his own robes, took him back to the palace and asked of him: "Who
tied you to the post?" "My father was angry with me." "What had you
done wrong?" "I refused to tell him my dream." "How stupid of your
father to punish you so harshly for such a trifle... What was your
dream?" "I cannot tell you, my prince!" "You cannot tell me? I saved
your life, and you would insult me? Tell me at once, or it will be the
worse for you." "I could not tell my father, and I cannot tell you!" The
prince ordered him to be cast into a dungeon. Straightway the soldiers
came and threw him into a stone cell, poor soul.
A year passed, and the prince resolved to marry. He set off for a
distant land to woo Elena the Fair. Now the prince had a sister, and not
long after his departure she happened to be walking near the dungeon.
Ivan saw her through the window and shouted in a loud voice: "Take
pity, Princess, and let me out. I may be of service! I know the prince
has gone to woo Elena the Fair, but without me he will not marry her,
only lose his head. You must have heard how cunning Elena the Fair is
and how many suitors she has already sent to their doom." "Are you
ready to help the prince?" "I would gladly, but my falcon wings are
tied." The princess ordered him to be released from the dungeon
forthwith. Then Ivan the merchant's son chose him some companions,
and there were twelve of them altogether counting Ivan, as alike as
blood brothers in height, voice and hair. Then they put on identical
cloaks, sewn to the same pattern, mounted their trusty steeds and set off
on their way.
 They rode for one day, then another and a third. On the fourth day
they came to a dense forest and heard some terrible cries. "Stay here,
lads!" said Ivan. "Wait while I go to see what the din is about." He
leapt off his horse and ran into the forest. There he saw three old men
quarrelling in a glade. "Good-day to you, old men! Why are you
quarrelling?" "Ah, callow youth! We were left three magic objects by
our father, an invisible cap, a flying carpet and a pair of a seven-league
boots. We have been quarrelling for seventy years and still cannot
decide how to share them out." "Shall I decide for you?" "Please be so
kind! "So Ivan the merchant's son drew his bow, took three arrows and
sent them speeding in different directions. He bade one old man run to
the right, another to the left and the third straight ahead. "The first to
bring back an arrow will get the invisible cap, the second will have the
flying carpet, and the third the seven-league boots." The old men ran
off after the arrows, and Ivan the merchant's son took the magic objects
and returned to his companions. "Let your horses loose, lads," he said,
"and mount the flying carpet with me."
So they mounted the flying carpet and sped to the realm of Elena the
Fair. Arriving at her capital, they alighted by the city gates and went in
search of the prince. They found his chambers. "What can I do for
you?" asked the prince. "Take us, trusty youths, into your service. We
shall be your servants loyal and true." The prince took them into his
service, appointing one to be the cook, another the groom,-and so on.
That very day the prince donned his best clothes and went to present
himself to Elena the Fair. She greeted him warmly, plying him with all
manner of fine food and drink, then asked him: "Tell me truly, Prince,
why you have honoured us with this visit." "I have come to woo you,
Elena the Fair. Will you be my wife?" "Perhaps I will, indeed. Only
first you must perform three tasks. Succeed and I shall be yours, but if
you do not your head is for the chopping block." "Tell me the first
task." "I shall have something with me tomorrow. What it is I will not
say. So use your wits, Prince, and bring your own to form a pair with
my unknown."
The prince returned to his chambers downcast and sad of heart. Ivan
the merchant's son asked him: "Why so sad, Prince? What has Elena
the Fair done to vex you so? Share your grief with me; that will make it
lighter." "Elena the Fair has set me a puzzle that the wisest man in the
world could not solve." "Oh, that's nothing to worry about! Say your
prayers and go to bed; morning is wiser than evening. We'll settle the
matter tomorrow." The prince lay down to sleep, but Ivan the
merchant's son donned the invisible cap and the seven-league boots and
strode quickly to Elena the Fair's palace: he marched straight into her
chamber and listened. Elena the Fair was instructing her favourite
chambermaid: "Take this precious material to the shoemaker and bid
him make a slipper for my foot as fast as he can."
The chamber-maid set off as she was told, with Ivan following
behind her. The shoemaker got down to work forthwith, made the
slipper quickly and placed it on the window-sill. Ivan the merchant's
son seized it and slipped it quietly into his pocket. The poor shoemaker
just couldn't believe his eyes—his work had vanished right under his
nose; he turned the place upside down, but all in vain. "Well, I never!"
he thought. "Can it be the devil up to his tricks?' There was nothing for
it. He picked up his needle, made another slipper and took it to Elena
the Fair. "Fancy taking all that time over the slipper! You are a slow
coach!" she said. Sitting down at her work-table, she began
embroidering the slipper with gold and trimming it with pearls and
precious stones. Straightway Ivan appeared, took out his slipper and
copied her. Whatever stone she chose, he took one like it, wherever she
placed a pearl, he placed one too. When she had finished, Elena the
Fair smiled and said: "What will the prince bring with him tomorrow?"
"Just you wait," thought Ivan, "we'll see who outwits whom!"
He returned home and went to bed. The next morning he rose with
the dawn, dressed and went to rouse the prince. He woke him and gave
him the slipper. "Go to Elena the Fair," he said, "and show her this
slipper. This is her first task." The prince washed, attired himself and
drove to the palace. A great company was assembled there, all the
noblemen and counsellors of the realm. When the prince arrived, the
music struck up, the guests rose from their seats, and the guards
presented arms. Elena the Fair brought out the slipper embroidered with
pearls and precious stones, and smiled mockingly at the prince. Then
the prince said to her: "A fine slipper indeed, but no good at all without
a mate! I see I shall have to give you one to match!" So saying, he took
the second slipper from his pocket and placed it on the table. The
guests clapped loudly and cried: "Well done, Prince! He is worthy to
marry our sovereign lady, Elena the Fair." "We shall see!" replied
Elena the Fair. "Let him perform the second task."
Late that evening the prince returned home even gloomier than
before. "Do not grieve, Prince," said Ivan the merchant's son. "Say your
prayers and go to bed; morning is wiser than evening." He put him to
bed, then donned the seven-league boots and the invisible cap and
hurried to the palace of Elena the Fair.
At that very moment she was instructing her favourite chamber-
maid: "Go quickly to the poultry yard and bring me a duck." The
chamber-maid hurried off to the poultry yard with Ivan following her.
She caught a duck, Ivan caught a drake, and they returned by the same
path. Elena the Fair sat down at her work-table, took the duck and
bedecked its wings with ribbons and its neck with diamonds. Ivan the
merchant's son watched her and did the same with the drake. The next
day there were guests and music at the palace as before. Elena the Fair
brought out her duck and asked the prince: "Have you guessed my
task?" "I have, Elena the Fair! Here is a mate for your duck!" And he
brought out the drake. Whereupon the noblemen cried: "Well done,
young prince!" He is worthy to take Elena the Fair to be his bride."
"Wait, let him perform the third task."
That evening the prince came home so gloomy he could hardly
speak. "Do not worry, Prince. Just go to bed; morning is wiser then
evening," said Ivan the merchant's son. He quickly donned the invisible
cap and the seven-league boots and hurried to Elena the Fair. She got
into her carriage and drove like the wind down to the deep blue sea,
with Ivan the merchant's son following close behind. Elena the Fair
came to the sea and called to her grandfather. The waves surged up and
out of the watery depths appeared an old man with a golden beard and
silver hair. He came onto the shore: "Hello, granddaughter! It's an age
since I last saw you; see if there's anything in my hair, will you?" He
put his head on her lap and dozed off happily. Elena the Fair looked
carefully at his hair, with Ivan the merchant's son standing close behind
her.
Seeing that the old man had fallen asleep, she pulled three silver
hairs from his head; but Ivan the merchant's son pulled out a whole
handful. Her grandfather woke up and cried: "Have you taken leave of
your senses? That hurts!" "Forgive me, Grandfather dear! It's an age
since I combed your hair and it's got all tangled." Her grandfather
calmed down and soon began to snore again. This time Elena the Fair
pulled three golden hairs from his beard; but Ivan the merchant's son
grabbed his beard and nearly pulled it off. The old man gave a terrible
howl, leapt up and dived into the sea. "Now the prince is doomed for
sure," thought Elena the Fair. "He'll never be able to get the same
hairs." The next day the guests assembled once more at the palace. The
prince came too. Elena the Fair showed him the three silver and three
golden hairs and asked: "Have you ever seen the like before?" "That's
nothing. I can give you a whole ball of that, if you like." So saying he
handed her a tuft of golden and a tuft of silver hair.
Elena the Fair flounced off to her bed-chamber in a rage and
consulted her magic book to find out if the prince had guessed the tasks
himself or someone had helped him. The book told her that it was his
servant, Ivan the merchant's son, who was so cunning, not he.
Returning to the guests, she begged the prince: "Send me your
favourite servant." "I have twelve of them." "Send the one called Ivan."
"They are all called Ivan." "Then let them all come," said Elena the
Fair. "I'll find the guilty one without you," she thought to herself. The
prince gave the order, and straightway his servants loyal and true, the
twelve trusty young men, appeared in the palace; all alike in
appearance, height, voice and hair. "Which of you is in charge?" asked
Elena the Fair. "Me!" "Me!" they all shouted. "This will be no easy
matter," she thought and bade them serve eleven ordinary goblets and
the gold one from which she always drank. Then she filled the goblets
with good wine and bade the young men partake of it. Not one of them
picked up an ordinary goblet. They all reached for the gold one and
began to snatch it from one another, making a great din and spilling the
wine.
Seeing that her ruse had failed, Elena the Fair ordered the young
men to be given food and drink and put to bed in the palace. That night,
when they were fast asleep, she went to them with her magic book,
consulted it and straightway found out which one was Ivan. Then she
took a pair of scissors and cut off his forelock. "I shall recognise him
by this tomorrow and have him executed." Next morning Ivan the
merchant's son awoke, put his hand to his head and found that his
forelock had been cut off. He jumped out of bed and woke his
companions. "Up you get, lads, there's trouble brewing! Take some
scissors and cut off your forelocks." An hour later Elena the Fair
summoned them and began to look for Ivan the merchant's son. But
wonder of wonders! The whole bunch of them had their forelocks cut
off! She was so angry that she took her magic book and threw it in the
stove. After that she could prevaricate no longer and had to marry the
prince. The wedding was a gay affair; for three whole days the people
revelled, for three whole days the inns and taverns held open house—
and all who liked could eat and drink there at the state's expense.
When the feasting was over, the prince set off home with his young
bride, sending the twelve young men on ahead. Outside the city gates
they unrolled the magic carpet, mounted it and flew up high above the
clouds. On and on they sped until they reached the dense forest where
they had left their trusty steeds. No sooner had they alighted from the
magic carpet, than the first old man came running up with an arrow.
Ivan the merchant's son gave him the invisible cap. Hot on his heels
came the second old man and received the magic carpet, then the third,
who got the seven-league boots. Then said Ivan to his companions:
"Saddle your horses, lads, it is time we were on our way." They found
their horses, saddled them and rode off to their native land. Straightway
they went to the princess. She was overjoyed to see them and asked
them about her brother, the wedding and if he was coming home soon.
"How can I reward you for such a service?" she asked. "Put me back in
the dungeon where I was," replied Ivan the merchant's son. All the
princess's efforts to dissuade him were in vain, so the soldiers took him
back to the dungeon.
A month later the prince arrived with his young bride. They were
given a splendid reception: the music played, the cannons fired, the
bells rang and the people thronged the streets. All the noblemen and
counsellors came to greet the prince; he looked around him and asked:
"Where is Ivan, my faithful servant?" "He is in prison," they said. "In
prison? Who dared to put him there?" Then the princess told him: "It
was you who got angry with him, brother, and had him locked up. You
asked him about a dream, and he refused to tell you, remember?" "Was
that Ivan?" "Yes, it was. I let him out for a while to go and serve you."
The prince bade them fetch Ivan the merchant's son, embraced him and
begged his forgiveness for the wrong that had been done to him. "You
know, Prince," said Ivan. "I knew all along what was going to happen
to you. I saw it in my dream; that was why I could not tell you about
it." The prince made him a general, bestowed rich estates upon him and
let him live in the palace. Ivan the merchant's son summoned his father
and elder brother there, too, and they all lived together happily ever
after.

Translated by Kathleen Cook

 The Mountain of Gold

A merchant' son went on a spree and ended up without a penny in

his pocket. So he took a spade and went to the market place to see if
anyone would hire him. Along came a rich merchant in a gilded
carriage. At the sight of him all the men looking for work scurried off
and hid. Only the youth was left in the square. "Do you want a job, my
lad? Come and work for me," said the rich merchant. "Gladly, that is
why I have come here." "What shall I pay you?" "A hundred rubles a
day will be enough!" "Why so much?" "If it's too much, find someone
cheaper. You saw how the men looking for work ran away when you
appeared." "Very well, come to the jetty tomorrow." Next morning the
youth went to the jetty, where the merchant had been waiting for some
time. They got into a boat and sailed out to sea.
On and on they sailed until they saw an island with high mountains
and something blazing brightly on the shore. "Is that a fire?" asked the
youth. "No, it is my palace of gold." They landed and went ashore. The
rich merchant was met by his wife and daughter who was fair as fair,
beyond compare. They greeted one another and went to the palace,
taking the new workman with them. Then they sat down at table and
began to eat, drink and make merry. "Come what may, we'll feast today
and get to work tomorrow," said the merchant. Now the youth was a
good-looking lad, tall, broad-shouldered and ruddy. He pleased the fair
maiden greatly. She slipped away to another chamber, called him to her
secretly and gave him a flint and steel, saying: "Take this to help you
when you're in trouble."
The next day the rich merchant went off with his workman to the
mountain of gold, up which you could neither climb nor crawl. "Let's
drink first," he said, giving the youth a sleeping draught. The youth
drank it and fell fast asleep. Then
120
 the merchant drew out a knife, killed and gutted an old nag, sewed
up the sleeping lad and his spade in the horse's belly and went to hide
in the bushes. All of a sudden the jet-black ravens with beaks of steel
swooped down, seized the carcass, flew up the mountain with it and
began to feast. They polished off the horse and were about to start on
the youth, when he woke up, shooed the jet-black ravens away, looked
about him and asked: "Where am I?" "On the mountain of gold,"
replied his master. "Pick up your spade and start digging."
So he dug and dug, tossing down the gold, while the merchant
loaded it onto carts. By evening there were nine cartloads ready.
"That's enough!" shouted his master. "Thank you for your labours and
farewell!" "But what about me?" "That's your look-out! Ninety-nine of
you have perished up there on the mountain; you will make the
hundredth!" said the merchant and off he rode. "What am I to do?"
thought the youth. "There is no way of getting down. I shall die of
hunger." He stood on the mountain, the jet-black ravens with beaks of
steel hovering over him, waiting for their prey. Thinking back about
how it had come to pass, he suddenly remembered that the fair maiden
had given him the flint and steel, saying "Take this to help you when
you're in trouble."
"Those words were not in vain! Let's have a try." The youth took out
the flint and steel, struck it and out jumped two strapping young men:
"What is your wish, master?" "Take me down the mountain to the
seashore." No sooner had he uttered this, than they picked him up and
bore him safely down the mountain.
The youth was walking along the seashore, when he saw a boat
sailing past the island. "Ahoy, there, good mariners. Take me on board
with you." "No, lad! We have no time to stop. It would cost us a
hundred leagues." All of a sudden, as the boat sailed on past the island,
it was buffeted by strong winds and a terrible storm arose. "That was
no ordinary man," cried the mariners. "We'd best return and take him
on board." So they turned back to the island, stopped by the shore, took
the youth on board and carried him to his native town.
By and by the youth took a spade, went to the market place and
waited to be hired. Along came the rich merchant in the golden carriage
again. At the sight of him all the others scurried away and hid. Only the
youth was left. "Come and work for me," the rich merchant said to him.
"Gladly, sir, but it will cost you two hundred rubles a day." "Why so
much?" "If it's too much, go and get someone cheaper. You saw how
all the men waiting for work ran away when you appeared." "Oh, very
well. Come to the jetty tomorrow."
Next morning they met at the jetty, got into a boat and sailed to the
island. There they made merry one day, and went to the mountain of
gold the next. When they arrived, the rich merchant handed his
workman a goblet, saying: "First have a drink!" "Wait, sir! You are the
master, you should drink first. Let me pour you some of my own." The
youth had brought a sleeping draught; he poured a full glass and
handed it to the rich merchant, who drank it and fell into a deep
slumber. Then the youth cut open and gutted the oldest nag, sewed up
his master and the spade in the horse's belly and hid in the bushes.
All of a sudden the jet-black ravens with beaks of steel swooped
down, seized the carcass, flew up the mountain with it and began to
feast. The rich merchant woke up and looked about him. "Where am
I?" he asked. "On the mountain. Take the spade and start digging. If
you dig a lot I'll teach you how to get down." The rich merchant picked
up the spade and dug and dug until there were twelve cartloads of gold.
"That's enough," said the youth. "Thank you for your labours and
farewell!" "But what about me?" "That's your lookout. Ninety-nine of
you have perished up there on the mountain; you will make the
hundredth!" Taking the twelve cartloads, the youth went to the palace
of gold, married the rich merchant's fair daughter, took possession of
all his wealth and went with the whole family to live in the capital. And
the rich merchant was left on the mountain, where the jet-black ravens
with beaks of steel pecked him to death.

Translated by Kathleen Cook

 A Cunning Trade

There was once a man and his wife, and they had a son. The father
was very poor. He wanted to apprentice his son to a trade so that the
boy would be a comfort to his parents, a support to them in old age, and
pray for them when they were dead and gone. But what can you do
without cash! He trudged round town after town with him. Surely
someone would take the lad on; but no, no one would teach him a trade
without payment. The father went home, moaned and groaned with his
wife, bewailing his poverty, and again took his son to town. No sooner
had they arrived, than they met a man who asked the father: "Why so
downcast, my man?" "How can I help it," replied the father. "I've been
trudging around with my son, but no one will teach him a trade without
payment, and I have no money." "Give him to me," said the man. "In
three years I will teach him all my skills. And in three years' time, on
this very day and at this very hour, you must come and collect him. But
mind you are not late. If you arrive on time and recognise your son, you
may take him back. But if not, he will stay with me." The father was so
overjoyed that he did not ask who the man was, where he lived and
what he was proposing to teach his son. He gave him the lad and went
away. He returned home happily and told his wife the glad news. But
the man he had met was a sorcerer.
Three years passed. The father had forgotten exactly when he had
handed over his son, and did not know what to do. The day before the
three years were up, his son flew to him in the form of a bird, struck the
mound of earth outside and came into the house as a strapping young
man. He greeted his father and said that the three years were up
tomorrow and he must come and fetch him. Then he told him where to
go and how to recognise him. "I am not my master's only apprentice,"
he said. "There are eleven more youths who must stay with him
forever, because their parents did not recognise them. If you do not
recognise me, I shall be the twelfth. When you come for me tomorrow,
our master will let the twelve of us loose as white doves, alike as peas
in a pod, with the same feathers, tail and head. But take heed. We will
all fly high up, but I will fly higher than the rest. My master will ask
you if you recognise your son. And you must point to the dove that is
higher than the rest. After that he will drive out twelve stallions, alike
as peas in a pod with their manes all combed on the same side. Take
heed as you walk past the stallions, for I shall paw slightly with my
right hoof. My master will ask you again if you recognise your son.
And you must point to me. After that he will bring out twelve strapping
youths, alike as peas in a pod, with the same height, hair and voices,
the same faces and the same dress. As you walk past the youths, take
heed, for a little fly will settle on my right cheek. The master will ask
you again if you recognise your son. And you must point to me."
So saying he bade farewell to his father and walked out of the
house, then struck the mound of earth, turned back into a bird and flew
off to his master. In the morning the father got up, made himself ready
and went off to fetch his son. He came to the sorcerer. "Well, my
friend," said the sorcerer. "I have taught your son all my skills. But if
you do not recognise him, he must stay with me for ever." Whereupon
he let loose twelve white doves, alike as peas in a pod with the same
feathers, tail and head, and asked: "Do you recognise your son?" How
could he recognise his son, when they were all alike! He looked hard,
and when one dove flew higher than the rest he pointed at it. "I do
believe that's him! " "You are right!" said the sorcerer.
Then he let loose twelve stallions, alike as peas in a pod, with their
manes all combed on the same side. The father walked round the
stallions and took a good look at them, and the sorcerer asked: "Now
then, my friend! Do you recognise your son?" "Not yet. Wait a little."
When he saw one stallion paw the ground with his right hoof, he
pointed at it: "I do believe that's him." "You are right!" The third time
out came twelve strapping youths, alike as peas in a pod with the same
height, hair and voices, and the same faces as if born of one mother.
The father walked past them and noticed nothing, then again and still
he noticed nothing, but as he walked past a third time he saw a small
fly on the right cheek of one youth and said: "I do believe that's him."
"You are right!" So there was nothing for it. The sorcerer gave the old
man his son, and the two of them set off home.
As they walked along they saw a fine gentleman riding in a carriage.
"I shall turn myself into a dog, father," said the son. "The gentleman
will want to buy me. Sell me to him, but keep my collar, or I shall
never come back again." So saying he struck the ground and turned into
a dog. The fine gentleman saw the father leading a dog and began to
bargain for it. It was not so much the dog he wanted, as the smart
collar. The gentleman offered a hundred rubles for the dog, but the
father wanted three hundred. After a lot of haggling the gentleman
bought the dog for two hundred. When the father began to take off the
collar, the fine gentleman protested for all he was worth. "I didn't sell
the collar," said the father, "I only sold the dog." "Fiddlesticks!" cried
the gentleman. "Whoever buys the dog, gets the collar as well." The
father thought hard (it was true that you didn't buy a dog without a
collar) and let him have it collar and all. The gentleman sat the dog
beside him, and the old man took the money and set off home.
 All of a sudden as the gentleman was riding along, a hare suddenly
popped out and raced past. "Shall I send the dog after the hare and
watch it run like billy-ho?" thought the fine gentleman. No sooner did
he let it go, than the dog raced off in the opposite direction straight into
the forest. The gentleman waited a long time for it, then went on his
way empty-handed. And the dog turned back into the strapping youth.
The father trudged home, wondering how he dared show his face there
and how to tell the old woman what had happened to their son. Then
the son caught him up. "Oh, father," he said. "Why did you sell me
with the collar? If we hadn't met a hare, I would never have come back,
and that would have been the last you saw of me!"
They reached home and settled down there happily. Time passed,
how much I cannot say, and one Sunday the son said to his father: "I
shall turn into a bird, father, and you take me to market and sell me.
Only don't sell the cage, or I shall never come back again." He struck
the ground and turned into a bird. The old man put it in a cage and took
it off to sell. Folk gathered round the man quickly and began making
offers for the bird: it was such a nice one.
The sorcerer was there too. He recognised the man straightaway and
guessed what kind of bird he had in his cage. The bids were high, but
he out-bid the lot of them. The man sold him the bird, but would not
give him the cage. The sorcerer cajoled and threatened, but the man
remained adamant. So he took the bird, wrapped it in a kerchief and
went home. "Hey, daughter," he said at home, "I've bought that rascal
of ours!" "Where is he then?" The sorcerer unfolded the kerchief with a
flourish, but there was no bird. It had flown home ages ago, bless its
heart.
Sunday came round again, and the son said to his father: "Today I
shall turn into a horse, father. Make sure to sell the horse, but not the
bridle, or I shall never come back again." He struck the ground and
turned into a horse. His father took it to market to sell. The traders
gathered round them. The bids were high, but the sorcerer out-bid the
lot of them. The man sold him the horse, but would not hand over the
bridle. "How can I lead the horse without it?" asked the sorcerer. "Just
let me lead it home, then take the bridle if you wish. I have no need of
it." Whereupon the traders turned on the man. That wasn't right. If you
sold a horse, you sold the bridle with it. There was nothing for it, so the
man handed over the bridle.
The sorcerer led the horse home, put it in the stable and tied it
tightly to a ring, pulling its head high. The horse had to stand on its
hind legs, for its front legs could not reach the ground. "Hey, daughter,"
the sorcerer cried again. "I've bought that rascal of ours like I did
before." "Where is he then?" "Standing in the stable." His daughter ran
to see. She felt sorry for the young man and decided to loosen the rein.
No sooner had she untied it, than the horse leapt out and raced off like
the wind. The daughter ran to her father. "Oh, father, forgive me!" she
cried. "I loosened the rein, and the horse has run away!"
The sorcerer struck the ground, turned into a wolf and sped off in
pursuit. He drew closer and closer. The horse raced down to the river,
struck the ground, turned into a little fish and dived into the water. The
wolf pursued it in the form of a pike. The little fish swam on through
the water until it reached a jetty where some fair maidens were doing
their washing. It turned into a gold ring and rolled under the feet of a
merchant's daughter. The merchant's daughter picked up the ring and
hid it. Then the sorcerer took on human form again. "Give me back my
gold ring," he ordered her.
"Take it," said the girl and threw the ring on the ground.
As it struck the ground, there was a shower of grain. The sorcerer
turned into a cockerel and began to peck it up. While he was pecking,
one grain turned into a hawk, and the cockerel was in trouble. The
hawk finished it off in no time. And, prithee, now my tale is told, a
mug of ale, if I might make so bold.

Translated by Kathleen Cook

 The White Duck

There was once a prince who married a most beautiful princess, but
he had not yet had time to feast his eyes on her to his heart's content or
to have enough of talking to and listening to her when the time came
for them to part, for he had to go on a far journey. What was to be
done! You cannot spend your whole life with your arms round your
beloved! The princess wept and sobbed, and the prince, who kept
begging her not to, bade her, since he was leaving her with strangers,
never to leave her chambers, to avoid the company of wicked people
and to close her ears to wicked talk. This the princess promised to do,
and as soon as the prince had gone, she locked herself in her chamber
and refused to leave it. Whether a short or a long time passed nobody
knows, but one day a woman, who seemed a simple and kindly soul
enough, came to see the princess. "Why should you eat your heart out!"
said she. "Why don't you at least go out for a walk in the garden and
have a breath of fresh air? It might help you drive your sorrow away."
At first the princess would not hear of it, but then, telling herself that a
walk in the garden could do her no harm, she went outside. Now, in the
garden was a stream with the freshest, clearest spring water ever seen.
"It's very hot today," the woman said, "and the water is nice and cool.
So why don't you take a dip?" "No, no, I can't do that!" the princess
said, but then, telling herself that a bathe could do her no harm, she
took off her gown and stepped into the water. And the woman at once
struck her on the back, and saying "Be a white duck and swim in the
water!", turned her into a white duck. After that the witch, for that was
what the woman was, took the princess's shape, put on the princess's
gown, combed her hair, painted her cheeks and brows and sat down to
wait for the prince. By and by a pup yelped, a bell tinkled, and there
was the prince at the gate! The witch rushed out to meet him, she
embraced and kissed him, and the prince, who was overcome with joy,
pressed her to his heart and never knew her for what she was.
And as for the white duck, she laid three eggs, and out of them three
babies were hatched, three boys, two of them fine, sturdy little lads,
and the third, a tiny little thing. Their mother took good care of them
and they grew quickly and were soon splashing about and catching
fish, which now became their favourite dish, jumping out on the bank
for a look at the lea, a place which they found very pleasant to see, and
were nothing loath to make shirts of cloth. "Don't go far, children!" the
mother said. But the three boys would not listen to her and with each
passing day went farther away. One day they wandered even farther
away than usual and found themselves in the prince's courtyard. The
witch knew at once who they were and gnashed her teeth in anger. She
got them to come inside, gave them food and drink and put them to
bed, and then ordered fires to be kindled, kettles to be hung and knives
sharpened. The two bigger lads lay down and fell fast asleep, but the
third, the tiny one, whom one or the other of them kept always in his
bosom lest he catch cold, did not sleep and saw and heard everything.
In the middle of the night the witch came to the door of their chamber
and called: "Are you asleep, my little ones?" And Tiny called back:

"We cannot sleep for the thoughts that chill us;

We dare not sleep, for they mean to kill us—
Fires are being kindled,
Kettles are being hung,
Knives are being sharpened!"

"They're not asleep!" the witch told herself. She went away, took a
walk and then came back to the door of their chamber again. "Are you
asleep, my little ones?" she called. But Tiny called back again:

"We cannot sleep for the thoughts that chill us;

We dare not sleep, for they mean to kill us;
Fires are being kindled,
Kettles are being hung, Knives are being sharpened!"

"Why is it that one and the same voice answers me?" thought the
witch. She opened the door quietly, and, seeing that the two brothers
were sound asleep, passed a dead man's hand cut off at the wirst over
them so that they might never wake.
In the morning the white duck called to her children, but they did
not reply, and her heart told her that evil had befallen them. She flew to
the prince's courtyard, and there were her sons, their faces white as
snow and their bodies cold as ice, lying side by side. She rushed to
them, her wings outspread, and called out in a human voice:

"Quack-quack, my sons,
"Quack-quack, my beloved ones,
In want I reared you,
With tears I suckled you,
You slept—I lay sleepless,
You ate—I went hungry."

"Did you ever hear the like, Wife?" the prince asked. "The duck is
speaking in a human voice." "It only seems so to you," the witch told
him. "Ho there, all! Drive the duck out of the yard!" The servants
chased the duck away, but it flew round and round and dropped down
beside her children again.

"Quack-quack, my sons,
Quack-quack, my beloved ones!"

she called again.

"The witch it was that put you to sleep,

The witch it was with her wicked ways,
For a snake is she and a deadly one...
From you she took your father own,
Your father own and my own dear spouse;
She drowned us all in the river swift,
She turned us all into white-winged ducks,
And herself she lives like a princess true!"

"Ah, so that is the truth of it!" said the prince, and he called to his
servants telling them to catch the duck. They rushed to do his bidding,
but the duck flew round and round and would not be caught. But when
the prince went after her himself she came down of her own free will
and dropped into his hands. He took her by the wing and said: "Rise
behind me, a white birch! Stand before me, a fair maid!"
And lo!—a white birch rose behind him and a fair maid stood in
front of him, and she was none other but his own dear wife.
They then caught a magpie, and, tying two phials to its wings, bade
it fill one with living water and the other with talking water.
Away flew the magpie and was soon back with the living and the
talking water. They sprinkled their sons with the living water, and the
lads started and came back to life; they sprinkled them with the talking
water, and they began talking and laughing.
And so now the prince had his whole family with him, and they
never had cause to shed a tear and prospered the more from year to
year. Never more to return was the evil past, and they could be happy
together at last.
And as for the witch, she was tied to a horse's tail and the horse sent
across a field. Where the witch's leg came off, there a poker appeared;
where her arm was severed, there lay a rake; where her head rolled
down, there a burdock grew up. The birds came flying up, and they
pecked the flesh; the winds swept up, and they bore off the bones. And
nothing was left of the wicked witch, neither trace nor word nor
memory.
Translated by Irina Zheleznova
 The Riddle

A peasant was sowing in a field by the high road. The king came
riding along, stopped and said to the peasant: "May the good Lord put
power to your elbow, my man!" "Thank you, kind sir!" (He did not
know it was the king.) "And do you reap much gain from this field?"
enquired the king. "Some eighty rubles if the harvest be good." "And
what do you do with the money?" "I give twenty rubles in taxes, twenty
to repay a debt, twenty as a loan, and throw twenty out of the window."
"Tell me, my man, what debt are you repaying, to whom are you
lending money and why do you throw twenty rabies out of the
window?" "Supporting my father is repaying a debt, feeding my son is
giving a loan, and keeping my daughter is throwing money out of the
window." "Well said!" exclaimed the king, giving him a handful of
silver. He announced who he was and ordered the peasant not to tell the
same to any man without his countenance. "No matter who asks, tell no
one!"
The king came to his capital and called together his nobles and
generals. "Solve this riddle," he said. "By the roadside I saw a peasant
sowing a field. I asked him how much gain it yielded and what he did
with the money. The man replied that he got eighty rabies from a good
harvest; he gave twenty in taxes, twenty to repay a debt, twenty as a
loan and threw twenty out of the window. Whoever solves this riddle
will be richly rewarded and highly honoured." The noblemen and
generals racked their brains, but could not find the answer. Then a
certain nobleman went to the peasant with whom the king had spoken,
offered him a pile of silver rabies and asked him how to solve the
king's riddle. The man was greatly tempted by the money, took it and
told the nobleman all. The nobleman returned to the king and
straightway gave him the answer to his riddle.
The king saw that the peasant had not kept his word and ordered
him to be brought to the palace. The man came before the king and
confessed right away that it was he who had told the noblemen the
answer. "Well, you have only yourself to blame, my man. For such an
offence I shall order you to be executed!" "But Your Majesty! I have
committed no offence, for it was not without your countenance that I
told the nobleman all." So saying the peasant took from his pocket a
silver ruble with the king's head upon it and showed it to the king.
"Well said!" exclaimed the king. "That is indeed my countenance." He
rewarded the peasant richly and sent him home.
Translated by Kathleen Cook
 The Wise Maid and the Seven Robbers

There was once a peasant who had two sons: the younger son went
out into the world and the elder one stayed at home. On his death-bed
the father left all he possessed to the son who had stayed at home, and
gave the younger son nothing, thinking that his brother would see to it.
But when the father died, the elder son buried him and took everything
for himself. The younger son came home and wept bitterly at not
finding his father alive. Then the elder son said to him: "Father has left
everything to me!" He had no children, but his brother, the younger
son, had a son and a foster-daughter. So the elder son inherited
everything, grew rich and began to trade in fine wares; but the younger
son was poor, chopped wood in the forest and sold it at the market. The
neighbours pitied him, got together and offered him money so that he
could set himself up in trade, albeit in trifles. But the poor son was
afraid and said to them: "No, good folk, I will not take your money. If I
were to trade at a loss, how would I repay the debt?" Then two
neighbours thought of a plan to give him the money. One day when the
poor man set off to cut firewood, one of them overtook him on the way
and said: "I am going on a long journey, friend. Someone has just
repaid me three hundred rubles, and I don't know what to do with it! I
don't want to go home; take the money for me and look after it, or
better still use it to set yourself up in trade. I won't be back for some
time. You can pay the money back little by little later."
The poor man took the money home, afraid that he would lose it or
his wife would find it and spend it. He racked his brains and hid it in a
pot of ash, then went out. While he was away the men who buy up
ashes and exchange them for goods came. The woman gave them the
pot. When the man came home he saw the pot had gone and asked:
"Where are the ashes?" "I sold them to the ashmen." The man began to
grieve and worry, but said nothing. Seeing that he was distressed, his
wife went to him and said: "What misfortune has befallen you? Why
are you so downcast?" Then he told her that someone else's money had
been hidden in the ashes. The woman was angry, she stamped her foot,
burst into tears and wailed: "Why didn't you trust me? I would have
hidden it in a better place."
The man set off again for firewood, to sell it at the market and buy
some corn. On the way he met the other neighbour, who told him the
same story and gave him five hundred rabies to keep. The poor man did
not want to take it and kept refusing, but the other man thrust it into his
hand and galloped off. The money was in paper notes. The poor man
racked his brains about where to put it. In the end he stuffed it into the
lining of his cap. When he reached the forest he hung the cap on a fir-
tree and began to chop wood. To his misfortune a jackdaw flew up and
carried away the cap with the money. The poor man grieved and
worried for a while, then resigned himself to his lot and began to live as
before, selling firewood and other trifles and just making ends meet.
Seeing that some time had passed and the poor man's trade was not
prospering his neighbours asked him: "Why is your trade going so
badly, brother? Are you afraid of using our money? If that's the case,
you'd better give it back." The poor man burst into tears and told them
that he had lost the money. The neighbours did not believe him and
went to court to get it back. "How can I pass judgement on this case?"
pondered the judge. "The man is a harmless fellow with no money to
pay back. If I put him in jail, he'll die of hunger!"
The judge sat deep in thought by the window. At that moment some
boys were playing in the street outside. One of them, a chirpy lad, said:
"I'll be the bailiff. You bring me your petitions and I'll pass judgement
on them." So he sat down on a stone, then another boy came up to him
and said: "I lent that man some money and he won't pay it back to me. I
have come to ask you to judge the matter." "Did you accept the loan?"
the bailiff asked the culprit. "Yes." "Then why don't you repay it?"
"I've nothing to repay it with, Your Worship." "Listen, petitioner! This
man does not deny that he took money from you, but he is not able to
pay it back, so give him five or six years to settle the debt. In that time
his fortunes may change and he'll repay it with interest. Do you agree?"
The boys both bowed to the bailiff: "Thank you, Your Worship! We
agree," The judge heard this and was overjoyed, saying: "That boy has
given me the answer. I'll tell my petitioner to defer repayment too." At
his bidding the rich neighbours agreed to wait for two or three years, by
which time the poor man's fortunes might change.
So the poor man again went off to the forest for wood. He had only
chopped half a cartload when it grew dark. So he decided to spend the
night in the forest. "Tomorrow morning I'll go home with a full
cartload." Then he looked about for somewhere to sleep. It was a
deserted spot with many wild animals. If he lay down beside the horse,
the beasts might eat them. So he went into a. thicket and climbed a big
fir tree. That night seven robbers came to that very spot and said:
"Open, doors, open!" Straightway some doors opened up into an
underground cave. The robbers stowed away their booty and said:
"Close, doors, close!" The doors closed, and the robbers went off for
more booty. The poor man saw all this and when it was quiet again all
around he climbed down from the tree. "Let's see if the doors will open
for me," he thought. No sooner had he said "Open, doors, open!" than
they opened wide before him. He went into the cave and saw piles of
gold, silver and all manner of precious things lying there. The poor man
was overjoyed and set about moving the sacks of money at sunrise. He
took the firewood off his cart, loaded it with gold and silver and hurried
home.
"There you are, dear husband!" cried his wife. "I was worried to
death, wondering what had happened to you. I thought you had been
crushed by a tree or eaten by a wild beast." "Don't worry, wife!" said
the man happily. "The Lord has been kind to us. I have found some
treasure. Help me carry in the sacks." When they had finished, he went
to his rich brother, told him what had happened and invited him to
come and share the treasure. His brother agreed. Off they went
together, found the fir tree and shouted: "Open, doors, open!" The
doors opened and they began to drag out the sacks of money. The poor
brother filled up his cart and was satisfied, but the rich one wanted
more. "You go on ahead, brother," said the rich one. "I'll catch you up
right away." "Very well! But don't forget to say 'Close, doors, close!' "
"I won't forget." The poor brother drove off, but the rich one could not
tear himself away. There was too much to take at one go, but he was
loath to leave it. He was still there at nightfall. The robbers came,
found him in the underground cave and cut off his head; they took the
sacks of money off the cart, put the dead brother on it, whipped the
horse and let it go. The horse galloped out of the forest and took the
dead man home. Then the robber chief cursed the one who had killed
the rich brother. "Why did you kill him so soon? We should have found
out where he lived first. Lots of our stuff has gone; he must have made
several journeys. How can we get it back now?"
"Let the one who killed him find out where he lived," said his
second in command.
A little later the robber who had killed him set out to try and find the
gold. He marched into the poor brother's shop, bold as brass, bought a
few things, saw the shopkeeper was sad, thought for a moment and
asked: "Why are you so downcast?" "I had an elder brother, and a
terrible thing happened," said the poor brother. "Someone killed him.
Two days ago his horse brought him home with his head chopped off,
and we buried him today." Seeing that he was on the right track, the
robber began asking questions, pretending to be very sorry. He learned
that the dead man had left a widow and asked: "Does the poor woman
have a roof over her head?" "Yes, a big house!" "Where is it? Show
me." The man went and showed the robber his brother's house; the
robber took some red paint and painted a sign on the gate. "What's that
for?" asked the man. "I'd like to help the poor woman, so I have painted
a sign to help me find the house," replied the robber. "Why, friend! My
sister-in-law lacks nothing. She lives in plenty, thank the Lord." "And
where do you live?" "This is my house." The robber painted the same
sign on his gate too. "What's that for?" "I've taken a liking to you," said
the robber. "I'll drop in now and then to spend the night. You won't
regret it, friend, believe me." The robber returned to the band, and told
them what had happened. They agreed to go that night, rob and kill
everyone in both houses and get their gold back.
The poor man came home and said: "I've just met a young fellow
who put a sign on my gate and said he would drop in now and then to
spend the night here. Such a kind soul! He was so sorry about my
brother and wanted to help his widow!" His wife and son just listened
to him, but his foster-daughter said: "Perhaps you were wrong, father.
Perhaps it won't be alright. What if uncle was killed by the robbers, and
now they want to get their booty back and have come looking for us?
They might turn up and kill the lot of us for it." The man became
alarmed: "I might have guessed. I'd never seen him in my life before.
Oh, dear! What shall we do?" "Take some paint, father," said the girl,
"and paint the same sign on all the gates in the neighbourhood." The
man went out and painted the sign on all the gates in the
neighbourhood. The robbers came and could not find what they
wanted; they went back and beat the first robber for painting signs
everywhere. In the end they decided: "We must be dealing with a
cunning devil!" A little later they prepared seven barrels; they hid a
robber in six of them and filled the seventh with oil.
The first robber set off with the barrels to the poor brother's house.
He arrived towards evening and asked if he might stay the night. The
brother received him like an old friend. The foster-daughter went into
the yard and began to examine the barrels. She opened one and found
oil, then tried to open another — but no, she could not. She bent down
and put her ear to it. Something was moving and breathing inside it.
"Ha, ha," she thought. "Someone's up to nasty tricks!" She came into
the house and said: "How shall we entertain our guest, father? Let me
stoke up the stove at the back and cook something nice for supper."
"Very well." The foster-daughter went and stoked the stove. While she
was cooking, she boiled some water and poured it into the barrels,
scalding the robbers to death. While her father and the guest had
supper, the girl sat at the back waiting to see what would happen.
When the master and mistress had gone to sleep, the guest went into
the yard and whistled. Nothing stirred. He went up to the barrels and
called to his mates. There was no reply. Then he opened the barrels and
the steam poured out. Realising what had happened, the robber
harnessed the horses and drove off with the barrels.
The foster-daughter locked the gates, woke up the household and
told them what had happened. Her father said: "You've saved our lives,
my lass. You shall be my son's lawful wife." There was a wedding and
a merry feast. The young woman kept urging her father-in-law to sell
his old house and buy another. She feared the robbers greatly! Who
knows, they might turn up again one day! And so they did. A little later
the robber who had brought the barrels dressed up as an officer, came
to the poor brother's house and asked if he could stay the night. They
took him in, suspecting nothing. But the young woman guessed who it
was and said: "Father! It is the robber who came before!" "No, it isn't,
lass."
She said nothing more, but before lying down, fetched a sharp axe
and put it by her bedside. She did not sleep a wink, but lay awake
keeping watch. At dead of night the officer got up, took his sabre and
made to cut off her husband's head. Quick as a flash she swung her axe
and cut off his right arm, then swung it again and chopped off his head.
Now the poor brother could see that his daughter-in-law was a wise
lass, indeed. So he did as she said, sold the house and bought an inn.
He settled down there and began to do a brisk trade and prosper.
One day his old neighbours, the ones who had lent him money and
taken him to court, dropped in. "What are you doing here?" they asked.
"It's my house, I've just bought it not long ago." "And a fine house it is
too. You must be doing well. Why don't you pay back your debt?" The
man bowed and said: "Praise the Lord! He has been kind to me. I found
some treasure and will gladly pay you back threefold!" "So be it,
friend. Let's celebrate the house-warming." "Let us indeed." So they
ate, drank and made merry. Now the house had a fine garden. "Can we
take a look at the garden," they asked. "With pleasure, dear sirs. I will
take you round it myself." So out they went for a walk in the garden
and in a far corner found a pot of ashes. The brother took one look at it
and exclaimed: "Dear sirs! This is the very pot that my wife sold."
"Well, let's see if the money is still in it." They shook the pot and out
fell the money. So the neighbours could see that the man had been
telling the truth. "Let's take a look at that tree," they said. "The jackdaw
that stole the cap may have built a nest in it." They searched around,
saw a nest, got it down with a boathook, and there it was—the very
same cap! They pulled out the twigs and found the money. Then the
brother paid them what he owed and settled down happily to live a life
of plenty.

Translated by Kathleen Cook

 The Fortune-Teller

In a certain village there lived an aid woman, and she had a son,
neither too big nor too small, but not old enough to work in the fields.
Things came to such a pass that they had nothing in the larder. So the
old woman put on her thinking cap and racked her brains to find a way
to make ends meet and have a loaf of bread to eat. She thought and
thought, until she had an idea. So she said to the boy: "Go lead away
somebody's horses, tether 'em to that there bush and give 'em some hay,
then untether 'em again, lead 'em to that there hollow and leave 'em
there." Now her son was a smart lad, and no mistake. No sooner did he
hear this, than off he went, led away some horses and did what his
mother had told him. For it was said of her that she knew more than
ordinary folk and could read the cards now and then when asked.
When the owners saw their horses had gone, they went in search of
them, hunting high and low, poor devils, but there was not a sign of
them. "What are we to do?" they cried. "We must get a fortune-teller to
find 'em for us, even though it means paying through the nose." Then
they remembered the old woman and said: "Let's go to her and ask her
to read the cards; like as not she'll tell us summit about 'em." No sooner
said than done. They went to the old woman and said: "Granny, dear.
We have heard say that you know more than ordinary folk. That you
can read the cards and tell all from 'em like an open book. Then read
'em for us, dear mistress, for our horses are gone." Then the old woman
said to them: "My strength is failing, dear masters! I am forever a-
wheezing and a-gasping, sirs." But they replied: "Do as we ask, dear
mistress! It is not for naught. We shall reward you for your pains."
Shuffling and coughing, she laid out the cards, peered hard at them
and although they told her nothing—what of it; hunger is no brother, it
teaches you a thing or two—said: "Well, I never! Look here, sirs! It
seems your horses are in that there place, tethered to a bush." The
owners were overjoyed, rewarded the old woman for her pains and
went for look for their beasts. They came to the bush, but there was no
sign of the horses, though you could see where they had been tethered
'cause part of a bridle was hanging on the bush and there was lots of
hay around. They had been there, but now they were gone. The men
were grieved, poor devils, and didn't know what to do. They thought it
over and went back to the old woman. If she had found out once, she
would tell them again.
So they came to the old woman, who was lying on the stove-bed, a-
wheezing and a-gasping like goodness knows what was ailing her.
They begged her earnestly to read the cards for them again. She
pretended to refuse as before, saying: "My strength is failing, I am
plagued by old age!"—so that they would give her a bit more for her
pains. They promised to begrudge her nothing if the horses were found
and give her more than before. So the old woman climbed down from
the stove-bed, shuffling and coughing, laid out the cards again, peered
hard at them and said: "Go look for them in that there hollow. That's
where they are for sure!" The owners rewarded her handsomely for her
pains and set off again to look. They reached the hollow and found
their horses safe and sound; so they took them and led them home.
After that the stories spread far and wide about the old woman with
second sight who could read the cards and tell you surely what would
come to pass. These rumours reached a certain rich gentleman who had
lost a chest full of money. When he heard about the old fortune-teller,
he sent his carriage to bring her to him without delay, no matter how
poorly she felt. He also sent his two menservants, Nikolasha and
Yemelya (it was they who had pinched their master's money). So they
came for the old woman, all but dragged her into the carriage by force
and set off home. On the way the old woman began to moan and groan,
sighing and muttering to herself: "Oh, dear. If it weren't for no cash and
an empty belly I would never be a fortune-teller, riding in a carriage for
a fine gentleman to lock me up where the ravens would not take my
bones. Alas, alack! No good will come of this!"
Nikolasha overheard her and said: "Hear that, Yemelya! The old
girl's talking about us. Looks as if we're for it!" "Steady now, lad," said
Yemelya. "Perhaps you just imagined it." But Nikolasha told him:
"Listen for yourself, there she goes again." The old woman was scared
out of her wits. She sat quiet for a while, then began moaning again:
"Oh, dear! If it weren't for no cash and an empty belly this would never
have happened!" The lads strained their ears to catch what she was
saying. After a bit she went on again about "no cash and an empty
belly", blathering all sorts of nonsense. When the lads heard this, they
got a real fright. What were they to do? They agreed to ask the old
woman not to give them away to their master, because she kept saying:
"If it weren't for Nikolasha and Yemelya, this would never have
happened." In their excitement the two rascals thought the old woman
was talking about Nikolasha and Yemelya, not no cash and an empty
belly!
No sooner said than done. They begged the old woman: "Have pity
On us, Granny dear, and we'll say prayers for you forever more. Why
ruin us and tell the master all? Just don't mention us, keep quiet about
it; we'll make it worth your while." Now the old woman was no fool.
She put two and two together, and her fear vanished in a trice. "Where
did you hide it, my children?" she asked. "It was the Devil himself
tempted us to commit such a sin," they wailed. "But where is it?"
repeated the old woman. "Where else could we hide it but under the
bridge by the mill until the good weather comes." So they reached an
agreement and then arrived at the rich gentleman's house. When he saw
they had brought the old woman, their master was beside himself with
joy. He led her into the house and plied her with all manner of food and
drink, whatever she fancied, and when she had eaten and drunk her fill,
he asked her to read the cards and find out where his money was. But
the old woman had her wits about her and kept saying that her strength
was failing and she could hardly stand. "Come now, Granny," said the
gentleman. "Make yourself at home, sit down, if you like, or lie down
if you don't feel well enough to sit, only read the cards and find out
what I asked. And if you can tell me who took my money and I find it
again, I'll not only wine and dine you, but reward you handsomely with
anything that you fancy."
And so, a-wheezing and a-gasping as if afflicted by some terrible
malady, the old woman took the cards, laid them out and peered hard at
them, muttering to herself all the time. "Your lost chest is under the
bridge by the mill," she said finally. No sooner had he heard the old
woman's words, than the gentleman sent Nikolasha and Yemelya to
find the money and bring it to him. He did not know it was they who
had taken it. So they found it and brought it to their master; and their
master was so overjoyed to see his money, that he did not count it, and
gave the old woman a hundred rubles straightaway and a nice little
present besides, promising not to forget her service to him in the future
as well. Then, having entertained her lavishly, he sent her home in his
carriage and gave her something for the road as well. On the way
Nikolasha and Yemelya thanked the old woman for not betraying them
to their master and gave her some money too.
After that the old woman was more famous than ever and settled
down to a life of ease with all the bread she wanted, and other fare in
abundance, and plenty of livestock too. And she and her son lived and
prospered and drank beer and mead. For I was there and drank mead-
wine, it touched my lips, but not my tongue.

Translated by Kathleen Cook

 Ivan the Fool

There once lived an old man and an old woman who had three sons,
two of them clever young men, but the third, who was named Ivan, a
fool. The clever sons grazed sheep, but the fool did nothing save sit on
the stove and catch flies. One day the old woman made some rye
dumplings and she said to the fool: "Here, take these dumplings to your
brothers." She filled a pot full of soup and dumplings and gave it to
him, and the fool set out for the field. The day was a sunny one, and as
soon as he left the village he saw his shadow on the road beside him.
"Who is that man walking at my side and never falling a step behind
me?" thought he. "He must want some of my dumplings." And he
began throwing the dumplings to the shadow one after another. Soon
not one was left, but there was the shadow beside him still. "What a
glutton!" said the fool, vexed, and he flung the pot at the shadow. The
pot broke, and the crocks flew to all sides.
He came to the field empty-handed, and the brothers asked him what
he was there for. "I have brought you your dinner," said he. "Where is
it, then? Give it to us and be quick about it!" "Well, you see, brothers, a
man, a stranger, tagged after me all the way here and ate up
everything!" "What man was that?" "There he is, still standing beside
me!" The brothers began scolding and beating the fool, they gave him a
sound thrashing, and, leaving him to tend the sheep, went home to have
their dinner.
The fool began grazing the sheep, and. seeing them straying over the
field, ran after them. He caught them, one after another, and put out
their eyes, and, when he had blinded them all, gathered them round him
and sat there looking as pleased as if he had done something
praiseworthy. The brothers had their dinner and came back to the field.
"What have you done, you fool!" they cried.
"Who has put out the sheep's eyes?" "What do they need eyes for!"
the fool said. "As soon as you left they strayed all over the field, so I
caught them, put out their eyes, and here they are all in a bunch again.
And I'm that tired I can hardly stand!" "Wait till we get through with
you, see how you'll feel then!" the brothers said, and they went at him
with their fists and gave him a sound trouncing.
Some time passed, there was soon to be a holiday, and the old man
and old woman sent the fool to town to buy a number of things for the
house. Ivan bought all he had been told to, a sack of salt, a table, a set
of spoons and one of cups, and lots of other things too, and his wagon
was very heavy by the time he had finished loading it. He drove home,
but it was slow going, for his old nag was barely able to put one leg in
front of the other. "Come to think of it," said the fool to himself, "the
table has four legs, too, just like the horse, so why can't it get home by
itself!" And he picked up the table and set it down on the road. He
drove on, and whether he was near or far from home nobody knows,
but by and by the crows began circling over him, cawing loudly as they
did so. "They must be hungry to be making such a noise!" thought the
fool, and, placing dishes of food on the ground, he called to the crows,
inviting them to eat their fill. "Come, my sisters, come, loves, eat and
enjoy yourselves!" he cried, and he urged the horse on.
The wagon bumped slowly along. Thinking the fire-scorched three
stumps along the road to be young boys, and hatless, the fool said to
himself: "Those lads will freeze, bareheaded as they are!" He stopped
the wagon, put the pots he had bought on the stumps and drove on
again. He came to a river and began urging the horse to drink, but when
it would not, told himself that it did not like the water because it was
unsalted. He began salting the water and kept on doing it till no salt
was left in the sack, and still the horse refused to drink. "Why don't you
drink, you old nag, may the wolves get you!" he cried. "Why, I used up
a whole sack of salt just to please you!" He struck the horse on the head
with a log and killed it outright. There was nothing left in the cart save
the bag in which the spoons were, and this the fool put over his
shoulder. He walked along, and with every step he took the spoons
went clank-clank as they knocked against each other, and he thought
they were saying, "Ivan's a crank!" So he threw them to the ground and
began stamping on them, saying as he did so: "Take that, you no-good
spoons you! How dare you tease me!"
He came back home and said to his brothers: "I have bought all the
things you asked me to buy, brothers!" "Thank you, fool, but where are
they?" "Well, the table I set on its legs and it's running after me, the
dishes I filled with food and left behind for the crows, the pots I put on
the lads' heads so they wouldn't catch cold, the salt I used up for the
horse's swill, and the spoons I threw out for teasing me." "All right,
then, fool, make haste and bring back all you left on the road."
Back went the fool to the forest, he took the pots from the tree
stumps, knocked out their bottoms, strung a dozen of them, big and
small, on a stick and brought them home. His brothers gave him a
beating, and, leaving him at home to take care of things, rode off to
market. The fool sat there and listened for sounds, and he heard the
gurgling of the beer fermenting in a barrel. "Stop gurgling, beer, stop
teasing me!" said he. But as the beer did not heed him but went on
gurgling, he went up to the barrel, pulled out the spigot and let the beer
flow over the floor. Then he climbed into a trough, and, using his legs
like paddles to push it over the floor, sang songs at the top of his voice.
 The brothers came home and when they saw what the fool was
doing they put him in a sack, sewed it up and dragged it to the river.
They put the sack on the bank and went looking for an ice hole. Now, a
landlord happened to be driving past just then in a coach drawn by
three chestnuts, and, hearing the pounding of hooves, the fool called
out from the sack: "They want to make a governor of me for me to rule
people and to judge them, and I know not how to rule or how to judge."
"Wait, fool," said the landlord, "you don't, but I do. Come, now, get out
of the sack!" He cut the sack open, and when the fool had climbed out
of it, crawled into it in his stead. The fool then sewed up the sack again,
and, getting into the landlord's coach, drove away. The brothers came
back, picked up the sack and let it down into an ice hole, and they
heard a bubbling coming from the water. "The fool must be sending up
his last bubbles," said they and set out for home. All of a sudden whom
should they see driving toward them in a coach drawn by three
chestnuts but the fool himself! "Just see what beautiful horses I caught
in the river!" he called out boastfully. "And a fourth, a fine bay, is
down there still!" The brothers were filled with envy. "Come, fool,"
said they, "help us get into a sack, sew it up and let it down into the ice
hole, and be quick about it! We don't want the bay to get away from
us!" Ivan did as they asked and drove home to drink what was left of
the beer and to say prayers for his brothers.
The fool had a well, in the well lived a whale, and now I have come
to the end of my tale.

Translated by Irina Zheleznova

 Good But Bad

A rich man and a peasant were riding along. "Where are you from,
my man?" "A good way hence, Sir." "But where?" "From the town of
Rostov, Tolstoy is my master." "Is it a big town?" "Haven't measured
it." "And is your master strong?" "Haven't wrestled with him." "Why
did you leave?" "To purchase something dear: a measure of peas."
"That's good!" "No, it isn't." "Why not?" "I was drunk and dropped the
peas." "That's bad." "No, it isn't." "Why not?" "I dropped one measure
and picked up two." "Well, that's good." "No, it isn't." "Why not?" "I
planted them and not many came up." "That's bad." "No, it isn't." "Why
not?" "There weren't many, but there were lots of pods." "That's good."
"No, it's not so good." "Why not?" "The priest's pigs went and trampled
all over them." "Oh, that's bad." "No, it isn't." "Why not?" "I killed the
pigs and salted two tubs of pork." "That's good." "No, it isn't." "Why
not?" "The priest's dogs went and stole the pork." "That's bad." "No, it
isn't." "Why not?" "I killed the dogs and made my wife a fur coat."
"That's good." "No, it isn't." "Why not?" "When the silly wench walked
past the priest's house, he recognised the fur and took the coat away."
"That's bad." "No, it isn't." "Why not?" "I took the priest to court and
got his grey mare and brown cow. It was me who won the case!"

Translated by Kathleen Cook

 The Miser

There was once a rich merchant called Marko, and no one was more
tight-fisted than he. One day he went for a walk and on the way he saw
an old man sitting and begging: "Alms for the love of Christ, Christian
folk!" Marko the Rich walked past him. At that moment a poor man
walking behind him took pity on the beggar and gave him a kopeck.
The rich man felt ashamed, so he stopped and said to the poor man:
"Hey, fellow. Lend me a kopeck. I want to give the poor soul
something, but I've no small change!" The other man gave him a
kopeck and asked: "When shall I come to collect my debt?"
"Tomorrow!" The next day the poor man went to the rich man to get
him kopeck. He went into the big courtyard: "Is Marko the Rich at
home?" "He is. What do you want?" asked Marko. "I've come for my
kopeck." "Come back later, my man. I really have no small change."
The poor man bowed and went off, saying: "I'll come back tomorrow."
The next morning he came and the same thing happened. "I've no small
coins. Give me change for a hundred-ruble note, if you like, or come
again in a fortnight's time." A fortnight later the poor man again went to
the rich man, but Marko the Rich saw him coming and said to his wife:
"Quick, wife! I'll take my clothes off and lie down under the icons; you
cover me with a sheet, sit down and cry like I was dead. When the man
comes for his money, tell him I passed away today."
The wife did as her husband bade her: she sat and wept bitterly. The
poor man came into the room. "What do you want?" she asked. "The
money I lent Marko the Rich," replied the poor man. "Well, my good
fellow, Marko the Rich is no more. He has just this moment passed
away." "God rest his soul! Allow me to be of service to him for my
kopeck, mistress; let me wash down his sinful body." So saying he
seized a pot of hot water and began to pour it on Marko the Rich.
Marko could hardly bear it and twitched his nose and feet. "Twitch as
much as you like, but give me back my kopeck!" said the poor man. He
washed him down, dressed him fittingly and said: "Go buy a coffin,
widow, and we'll carry him to the church; I'll read the Psalter over
him." So they put Marko the Rich in a coffin and carried him to the
church, where the poor man read the Psalter over him.
Night fell dark as pitch. Suddenly a window opened and thieves
began to climb into the church. The poor man hid behind the altar. The
thieves began dividing up their ill-gotten gains until there was nothing
left but a gold sabre, which they were all tugging and would not let go.
Then the poor man jumped out and shouted: "Why are you quarrelling?
Let whoever cuts off the corpse's head have the sabre!" Marko the Rich
jumped up in alarm. The thieves took fright, dropped their booty and
fled. "Come on, my man," said Marko, "let us divide up the money."
So they shared it out equally; both of them had a big pile. "What about
the kopeck?" asked the poor man. "You can see for yourself, brother,
I've no small change!" And so it was that Marko the Rich never repaid
his debt.

Translated by Kathleen Cook

 Don't Listen, If You Don't Like

In our village Luke and Peter had a fight, and the sand clouded up
the stream so bright, and the women started brawling with all their
might: the lentil soup was wounded, all but dead, the jelly was a-
captured, so they said, the radish and the carrot both got ambushed, and
the poor old cabbage lost its head. I was lazing in the sun and came too
late for the fun.
There were six of us, brothers, all Agafons. Dad's name was Taras,
but I don't remember Mum's. Still, what's in a name, eh? Let's call her
Malania. I was the youngest of the brothers, but ten times smarter than
the others. When everyone to plough went out, we six just waved our
arms about. Folk thought we were a-ploughing and waving at the
horses. But we were just getting on with our own business.
A buckwheat seed to a whip Dad tied, he swung it hard and threw it
wide. T'was a fine year for buckwheat, that. The folk came to the field
to reap, but we lay in the furrows fast asleep. We lay till noon, then
slept all afternoon, but we stacked up the buckwheat, row upon row,
from Kazan to Moscow. Then we threshed the whole lot and got a
handful of groats.
Next year Dad asks: "Well, my handsome lads so dear, where shall
we sow the crop this year?" I was the youngest of the brothers, but ten
times smarter than the others. "On the stove," said I. "That is fertile
ground. It lies fallow all year round!" Our house was a right biggun.
The first row of logs was the floor, the second the ceiling. The
windows and doors were bored out with a gimlet. It looked very nice,
but there wasn't much room in it.
Dad got up early and worked real hard, stood at the window and
stared and stared. The frost crept in and up to the stove: our poor
buckwheat really froze. We six brothers racked our brains, what to do
to save the grain. I was the youngest of the brothers, but ten times
smarter than the others. "We must reap it and stack it away," said I.
"But where shall we stack it?" "On the chimney. There's room to
spare." So we stacked it high up there.
At home we had a bald tom-cat: it sniffed the buckwheat and smelt a
rat, then gave a pounce and banged its bounce. Down fell the stack into
a tub. The six of us racked our brains about how to get the buckwheat
out. Then in came our grey mare so nice and ate the buckwheat in a
trice; off it trotted, but alas, in the doorway got stuck fast: its belly was
swollen from the feast! There it stood and looked about, hind legs
inside, front legs out. Then off it galloped like the wind, dragging the
house along behind. All this time we laid low, waiting to see what
would happen now. When its belly went down again, I grabbed the
grey mare by the mane, jumped onto its back and rode off to the inn. I
downed some liquor and had a good time; then what did I see but the
inn-keeper's gun. "Is it for sale?" asked I. " Tis indeed," quoth he. So I
paid him a pittance and got me a gun.
Off I rode to an oak copse to shoot me some game: there sat a black
grouse, and I took aim. But the gun had no flint! It was ten versts or
more to the nearest town; by the time I got back the bird would have
flown. While I thought thus, my sheepskin coat got caught upon a
branch of oak; the grey mare started up with fear and banged my head
against a tree—so hard I saw sparks before my eyes. One of the sparks
fell on the gun, the gun fired and killed the grouse, the grouse fell on
top of a hare, and the hare leapt up and bagged me the catch of my life!
So off I set for Saratov with ten cartloads; and sold my catch for five
hundred rabies. With the money I got me a wife, the thriftiest woman
you've seen in your life: her skirts they do sweep, as she goes down the
street; and when little lads meet her, they throw sticks to greet her. No
need to buy firewood, so there. I live happily, without a care.

Translated by Kathleen Cook

Translated from the Russian

Designed by Vladimir Miroshnichenko

Народные русские сказки из собрания Александра Афанасьева

ТРИ ЦАРСТВА
На английском языке
Перевод сделан по книге: Народные русские сказки А. Н.
Афанасьева. «Советская Россия», 1978 г.
Для среднего и старшего школьного возраста

Printed in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics