In a certain empire and a certain province, on the ocean sea, on the
island of Bujan, stood a green oak, and under the oak a roasted ox,
and by its side a whetted knife; suddenly the knife was seized. Be
so good as to eat! This isn't a story (_kazka_), but only a preface
to a story (_prikazka_): whoever shall listen to my story, may he
have a sableskin cloak, and a horseskin cloak, and a very beautiful
damsel, a hundred roubles for the wedding, and fifty for a
jollification!
There was a husband and wife. The wife went for water, took a
bucket, and after drawing water, went home, and all at once she saw
a pea rolling along. She thought to herself: 'This is the gift of
God.' She took it up and ate it, and in course of time became the
mother of a baby boy, who grew not by years, but by hours, like
millet dough when leavened. They nursed and petted him in a way that
couldn't be improved upon, and put him to school. What others learnt
in three or four years he understood in a single year, and the book
was not sufficient for him. He came from the school to his father
and mother: 'Now, then, daddy and mammy, thank my teachers, for
already many come to school to me. Thank God, I know more than
they.' Well, he went into the street to amuse himself, and found a
pin, which he brought to his father and mother. He said to his
father: 'Here's this piece of iron; take it to a smith, and let him
make me a mace of seven poods weight.' His father didn't say a
single word to him, but only thought in his own mind: 'The Lord has
given me a child different from other people; I think he has a
middling understanding, but he is now making a fool of me. Can it
possibly be that a seven-pood[9] mace can be made out of a pin?' His
father, having a considerable sum of money in gold, silver, and
paper, drove to the town, bought seven poods of iron, and gave them
to a smith to make a mace of. They made him a seven-pood mace, and
he brought it home. Little Rolling-pea came out from the attic, took
his seven-pood mace, and, hearing a storm in the sky, threw it into
the clouds. He went up into his attic: 'Mother, look in my head
before I start; a nasty thing is biting me, for I am a young lad.'
... Well, rising from his mother's knees, he went out into the yard
and saw the clouds. He fell down with his right ear to the broad
ground, and on rising up called his father: 'Father, come here: see
what is whizzing and humming; my mace is coming to the ground.' He
placed his knee in the way of his mace; the mace struck him on the
knee and broke in halves. He became angry with his father: 'Well,
father, why did you not have a mace made for me out of the iron that
I gave you? If you had done so, it would not have broken, but only
bent. Here is the same iron for you, go and get it made; don't add
any of your own.' The smiths put the iron in the fire and began to
beat it with hammers and pull it, and made a seven-pood mace.
[9] A pood is 40 Russian, 36 English, pounds.
Little Rolling-pea took his seven-pood mace and got ready to go on a
journey, a long journey; he went and went, and Overturn-hill met
him. 'I salute you, brother Little Rolling-pea! whither are you
going? whither are you journeying?' Little Rolling-pea also asked
him a question: 'Who are you?' 'I am the mighty hero Overturn-hill.'
'Will you be my comrade?' said Little Rolling-pea. He replied:
'Possibly I will be at your service.' They went on together. They
went and went, and the mighty hero Overturn-oak met them. 'God bless
you, brothers! Good health to you! What manner of men are you?'
inquired Overturn-oak. 'Little Rolling-pea and Overturn-hill.'
'Whither are you going?' 'To such a city. A dragon devours people
there, so we are going to smite him.' 'Is it not possible for me to
join your company?' 'It is possible,' said Little Rolling-pea. They
went to the city, and made themselves known to the emperor. 'What
manner of men are you?' 'We are mighty heroes!' 'Is it in your power
to deliver this city? A dragon is ravenous and destroys much
people. He must be slain.' 'Why do we call ourselves mighty heroes,
if we do not slay him?' Midnight came, and they went up to a bridge
of guelder-rosewood over a river of fire. Lo! up came a six-headed
dragon, and posted himself upon the bridge, and immediately his
horse neighed, his falcon chattered, and his hound howled. He gave
his horse a blow on the head: 'Don't neigh, devil's carrion![10]
Don't chatter, falcon! And you, hound, don't howl! For here is
Little Rolling-pea. Well now,' said he, 'come forth, Little
Rolling-pea! shall we fight or shall we try our strength?' Little
Rolling-pea answered: 'Not to try their strength do good youths
travel, but only to fight.' They began the combat. Little
Rolling-pea and his comrades struck the dragon three blows at a time
on three heads. The dragon, seeing that he could not escape
destruction, said: 'Well, brothers, it is only little Rolling-pea
that troubles me. I'd settle matters with you two.' They began to
fight again, smashed the dragon's remaining heads, took the dragon's
horse to the stable, his falcon to the mews, and his hound to the
kennel; and Little Rolling-pea cut out the tongues from all six
heads, took and placed them in his knapsack, and the headless trunk
they cast into the river of fire. They came to the emperor, and
brought him the tongues as certain proof. The emperor thanked them.
'I see that you are mighty heroes and deliverers of the city, and
all the people. If you wish to drink and eat, take all manner of
beverages and eatables without money and without tax.' And from joy
he issued a proclamation throughout the whole town, that all the
eating-houses, inns, and small public-houses were to be open for the
mighty heroes. Well, they went everywhere, drank, amused themselves,
refreshed themselves, and enjoyed various honours.
[10] An insulting nickname.
Night came, and exactly at midnight they went under the
guelder-rose bridge to the river of fire, and speedily up came a
seven-headed dragon. Immediately his horse neighed, his falcon
chattered, and his hound howled. The dragon immediately struck his
horse on the head. 'Neigh not, devil's carrion! chatter not, falcon!
howl not, hound! for here is Little Rolling-pea. Now then,' said he,
'come forth, Little Rolling-pea! Shall we fight or try our
strength?' 'Good youths travel not to try their strength, but only
to fight.' And they began the combat, and the heroes beat off six of
the dragon's heads; the seventh remained. The dragon said: 'Give me
breathing time!' But Little Rolling-pea said: 'Don't expect me to
give you breathing time.' They began the combat again. He beat off
the last head also, cut out the tongues, and placed them in his
knapsack, but threw the trunk into the river of fire. They came to
the emperor, and brought the tongues for certain proof.
The third time they went at midnight to the bridge of guelder-rose
and the river of fire; speedily up came to them a nine-headed
dragon. Immediately his horse neighed, his falcon chattered, and his
hound howled. The dragon struck his horse on the head. 'Neigh not,
devil's carrion! falcon, chatter not! hound, howl not! for here is
Little Rolling-pea. And now come forth, Little Rolling-pea! Shall we
fight or try our strength?' Little Rolling-pea said: 'Not to try
their strength do good youths travel, but only to fight.' They began
the combat, and the heroes beat off eight heads; the ninth remained.
Little Rolling-pea said: 'Give us breathing time, unclean power!' It
answered: 'Take breathing time or not, you will not overcome me; you
slew my brothers by craft, not by strength.' Little Rolling-pea not
only fought, but thought how to delude the dragon. All at once he
thought of a plan, and said: 'Yes, there's still much of your
brother behind--I'll take you all.' Hastily the dragon looked
round, and he cut off the ninth head also, cut out the tongues, put
them into his knapsack, and threw the trunk into the river of fire.
They went to the emperor. The emperor said: 'I thank you, mighty
heroes! live with God, and with joy and courage, and take as much
gold, silver, and paper money as you want.'
After this the wives of the three dragons met together and took
counsel together. 'Whence did those men come who slew our husbands?
Well, we _shall_ be women if we don't get rid of them out of the
world.' The youngest said: 'Now then, sisters! let us go by the
highroad, where they will go. I will make myself into a very
beautiful wayside seat, and if, when wearied, they sit down upon it,
it will be death to them all.' The second said to her: 'If you do
nothing to them, I will make myself into an apple-tree beside the
highroad, and when they begin to come up to me, the agreeable odour
will attract them; and if they taste the apples, it will be death to
them all.' Well, the heroes came up to the beautiful wayside seat.
Little Rolling-pea thrust his sword into it up to the hilt--blood
poured forth! They went on to the apple-tree. 'Brother Little
Rolling-pea,' said the heroes, 'let us each eat an apple.' But he
said: 'If it is possible, let us eat; if it is not possible, let us
go on further.' He drew his sword and thrust it into the apple-tree
up to the hilt, and blood poured forth immediately. The third
she-dragon hastened after them, and extended her jaws from the earth
to the sky. Little Rolling-pea saw that there was not room for them
to pass by. How were they to save themselves? He looked about and
saw that she specially aimed at him, and threw the three horses into
her mouth. The she-dragon flew off to the blue sea to drink water,
and they proceeded further. She pursued them again. He saw that she
was near, and threw the three falcons into her mouth. Again the
she-dragon flew to the blue sea to drink water, and they proceeded
further. Little Rolling-pea looked round; the she-dragon was again
pursuing him, and seeing his danger, he took and threw the three
hounds into her mouth. Again she flew off to the blue sea to drink
water; while she drank her fill, they proceeded still further. He
looked round and saw that she was catching them up again. Little
Rolling-pea took his two comrades and threw them into her mouth. The
she-dragon flew to the blue sea to drink water, and he went on.
Again she overtook him; he looked round, saw that she was not far
off, and said: 'Lord, protect me and save my soul!' He saw before
him an iron workshop, and fled into the smithy. The smith said to
him: 'Why, stranger, are you so cowardly?' 'Honourable gentlemen!
protect me from an unclean power, and save my soul!' They took and
shut the smithy completely up. 'Give up to me what is mine!' said
the she-dragon. Then the smiths said to her: 'Lick the iron door
through, and we will place him on your tongue.' She licked the door
through, and placed her tongue in the centre. The smiths seized her
tongue three at a time with red-hot pincers, and said: 'Come,
stranger, do with her what you will!' He went out into the yard, and
began to pound the she-dragon, and pounded her skin to the bones,
and her bones to the marrow; then took her with her whole carcase
and buried her seven fathoms deep. Then, and not till then, did he
live and eat morsels; but we ate bread, for he had none. I was
there, too, and drank honey-wine; it flowed over my beard, but
didn't get into my mouth.