I. THE RAM WITH THE GOLDEN FLEECE
Once upon a time when a certain hunter went to the mountains to hunt,
there came toward him a ram with golden fleece. The hunter took his
rifle to shoot it, but the ram rushed at him and, before he could
fire, pierced him with its horns and he fell dead. A few days later
some of his friends found his body; they knew not who had killed him
and they took the body home and interred it. The hunter's wife hung
up the rifle on the wall in her cottage, and when her son grew up he
begged his mother to let him take it and go hunting. She, however,
would not consent, saying: "You must never ask me again to give you
that rifle! It did not save your father's life, and do you wish that
it should be the cause of your death?"
One day, however, the youth took the rifle secretly and went out into
the forest to hunt. Very soon the same ram rushed out of a thicket
and said: "I killed your father; now it is your turn!" This frightened
the youth, and ejaculating: "God help me!" he pressed the trigger of
his rifle and, lo! the ram fell dead.
The youth was exceedingly glad to have killed the golden-fleeced ram,
for there was not another like it throughout the land. He took off its
skin and carried the fleece home, feeling very proud of his prowess. By
and by the news spread over the country till it reached the Court,
and the king ordered the young hunter to bring him the ram's skin,
so that he might see what kind of beasts were to be found in his
forests. When the youth brought the skin to the king, the latter said
to him: "Ask whatever you like for this skin, and I will give you what
you ask!" But the youth answered: "I would not sell it for anything."
It happened that the prime minister was an uncle of the young hunter,
but he was not his friend; on the contrary, he was his greatest
enemy. So he said to the king: "As he does not wish to sell you the
skin, set him something to do which is surely impossible!" The king
called the youth back and ordered him to plant a vineyard and to bring
him, in seven days' time, some new wine from it. The youth began to
weep and implored that he might be excused from such an impossible
task; but the king insisted, saying: "If you do not obey me within
seven days, your head shall be cut off!"
The Youth finds a Friend
Still weeping, the youth went home and told his mother all about
his audience with the king, and she answered: "Did I not tell you,
my son, that that rifle would cost you your life?" In deep sorrow
and bewilderment the youth went out of the village and walked a long
way into the wood. Suddenly a girl appeared before him and asked:
"Why do you weep, my brother?" And he answered, somewhat angrily:
"Go your way! You cannot help me!" He then went on, but the maiden
followed him, and again begged him to tell her the reason of his tears,
"for perhaps," she added, "I may, after all, be able to help you." Then
he stopped and said: "I will tell you, but I know that God alone can
help me." And then he told her all that had happened to him, and about
the task he had been set to do. When she heard the story, she said:
"Do not fear, my brother, but go and ask the king to say exactly where
he would like the vineyard planted, and then have it dug in perfectly
straight lines. Next you must go and take a bag with a sprig of basil
in it, and lie down to sleep in the place where the vineyard is to be,
and in seven days you will see that there are ripe grapes."
He returned home and told his mother how he had met a maiden who had
told him to do a ridiculous thing. His mother, however, said earnestly:
"Go, go, my son, do as the maiden bade; you cannot be in a worse
case anyhow." So he went to the king as the girl had directed him,
and the king gratified his wish. However, he was still very sad when
he went to lie down in the indicated place with his sprig of basil.
When he awoke next morning he saw that the vines were already
planted; on the second morning they were clothed with leaves; and,
by the seventh day, they bore ripe grapes. Notwithstanding the girl's
promise the youth was surprised to find ripe grapes at a time of year
when they were nowhere to be found; but he gathered them, made wine,
and taking a basketful of the ripe fruit with him, went to the king.
The Second Task
When he reached the palace, the king and the whole court were
amazed. The prime minister said: "We must order him to do something
absolutely impossible!" and advised the king to command the youth to
build a castle of elephants' tusks.
Upon hearing this cruel order the youth went home weeping and told
his mother what had transpired, adding: "This, my mother, is utterly
impossible!" But the mother again advised him, and said: "Go, my son,
beyond the village; may be you will again meet that maiden!"
The youth obeyed, and, indeed, as soon as he came to the place where
he had found the girl before, she appeared before him and said: "You
are again sad and tearful, my brother!" And he began to complain of the
second impossible task which the king had set him to perform. Hearing
this, the girl said: "This will also be easy; but first go to the
king and ask him to give you a ship with three hundred barrels of
wine and as many kegs of brandy, and also twenty carpenters. Then,
when you arrive at such and such a place, which you will find between
two mountains, dam the water there, and pour into it all the wine
and brandy. Elephants will come down to that spot to drink water, and
will get drunk and fall on the ground. Then your carpenters must at
once cut off their tusks, and carry them to the place where the king
wishes his castle to be built. There you may all lie down to sleep,
and within seven days the castle will be ready."
When the youth heard this, he hurried home, and told his mother all
about the plan of the maiden. The mother was quite confident, and
counselled her son to do everything as directed by the maiden. So
he went to the king and asked him for the ship, the three hundred
barrels of wine and brandy, as well as the twenty carpenters; and the
king gave him all he wanted. Next he went where the girl had told him,
and did everything she had advised. Indeed, the elephants came as was
expected, drank, and then duly fell down intoxicated. The carpenters
cut off the innumerable tusks, took them to the chosen place, and
began building, and in seven days the castle was ready. When the
king saw this, he was again amazed, and said to his prime minister:
"Now what shall I do with him? He is not an ordinary youth! God alone
knows who he is!" Thereupon the officer answered: "Give him one more
order, and if he executes it successfully, he will prove that he is
a supernatural being."
The Third Task
Thus he again advised the king, who called the youth and said to him:
"I command you to go and bring me the princess of a certain kingdom,
who is living in such and such a castle. If you do not bring her to
me, you will surely lose your life!" When the youth heard this, he
went straight to his mother and told her of this new task; whereupon
the mother advised him to seek his girl friend once more. He hurried
to where beyond the village he had met the girl before, and as he
came to the spot she reappeared. She listened intently to the youth's
account of his last visit to the court, and then said: "Go and ask the
king to give you a galley; in the galley there must be made twenty
shops with different merchandise in each; in each shop there must,
also, be a handsome youth to sell the wares. On your voyage you will
meet a man who carries an eagle; you must buy his eagle and pay for
it whatever price he may ask. Then you will meet a second man, in a
boat carrying in his net a carp with golden scales; you must buy the
carp at any cost. The third man whom you will meet, will be carrying
a dove, which you must also buy. Then you must take a feather from
the eagle's tail, a scale from the carp, and a feather from the left
wing of the dove, and give the creatures their freedom. When you reach
that distant kingdom and are near the castle in which the princess
resides, you must open all shops and order each youth to stand at his
door. And the girls who come down to the shore to fetch water are
sure to say that no one ever saw a ship loaded with such wonderful
and beautiful things in their town before; and then they will go and
spread the news all over the place. The news will reach the ears of
the princess, who will at once ask her father's permission to go and
visit the galley. When she comes on board with her ladies-in-waiting,
you must lead the party from one shop to another, and bring out and
exhibit before her all the finest merchandise you have; thus divert
her and keep her on board your galley until evening, then you must
suddenly set sail; for by that time it will be so dark that your
departure will be unnoticed. The princess will have a favourite bird
on her shoulder, and, when she perceives that the galley is sailing
off, she will turn the bird loose and it will fly to the palace with
a message to her father of what has befallen her. When you see that
the bird has flown you must burn the eagle's feather; the eagle will
appear, and, when you command it to catch the bird, it will instantly
do so. Next, the princess will throw a pebble into the sea, and the
galley will immediately be still. Upon this you must burn the scale of
the carp at once; the carp will come to you and you must instruct it
to find the pebble and swallow it. As soon as this is done, the galley
will sail on again. Then you will proceed in peace for a while; but,
when you reach a certain spot between two mountains, your galley will
be suddenly petrified and you will be greatly alarmed. The princess
will then order you to bring her some water of life, whereupon you
must burn the feather of the dove, and when the bird appears you
must give it a small flask in which it will bring you the elixir,
after which your galley will sail on again and you will arrive home
with the princess without further adventure."
The youth returned to his mother and she advised him to do as the
girl counselled him. So he went to the king and asked for all that
was necessary for his undertaking, and the king again gave him all
he asked for.
On his voyage everything was accomplished as the girl had foretold, and
he succeeded in bringing home the princess in triumph. The king and his
prime minister from the balcony of the palace saw the galley returning,
and the prime minister said: "Now you really must have him killed as
soon as he lands; otherwise you will never be able to get rid of him!"
When the galley reached the port, the princess first came ashore
with her ladies-in-waiting; then the handsome young men who had sold
the wares, and finally the youth himself. The king had ordered an
executioner to be in readiness, and as soon as the youth stepped
on shore he was seized by the king's servants and his head was
chopped off.
It was the king's intention to espouse the beautiful princess,
and, as soon as he saw her, he approached her with compliments and
flattery. But the princess would not listen to his honeyed words;
she turned away and asked: "Where is my captor, who did so much for
me?" And, when she saw that his head had been cut off, she immediately
took the small flask and poured some of its contents over the body and,
lo! the youth arose in perfect health. When the king and his minister
saw this marvellous thing, the latter said: "This young man must now
be wiser than ever, for was he not dead, and has he not returned
to life?" Whereupon the king, desirous of knowing if it were true
that one who has been dead knows all things when he returns to life,
ordered the executioner to chop off his head, that the princess might
bring him to life again by the power of her wonderful water of life.
But, when the king's head was off, the princess would not hear of
restoring him to life, but immediately wrote to her father, telling
him of her love for the youth and declaring her wish to marry him,
and described to her father all that had happened. Her father replied,
saying that he approved of his daughter's choice, and he issued a
proclamation which stated that, unless the people would elect the youth
to be their ruler, he would declare war against them. The men of that
country immediately recognized that this would be only just, and so the
youth became king, wedded the fair princess, and gave large estates and
titles to all the handsome youths who had helped him on his expedition.
II. A PAVILION NEITHER IN THE SKY NOR ON THE EARTH [79]
Once upon a time there lived a tsar, who had three sons and one
daughter. The latter was kept in a cage by her father, for he loved
her as he loved his own eyes. When the girl grew up she begged her
father's permission to go out one evening with her brothers, and
the tsar granted her wish. No sooner had she left the palace than
a dragon flew down, seized the princess and, despite her brothers,
disappeared with her into the clouds. The princes hastened to tell
their father what had happened, and they implored him to let them go
in search of their sister.
Thereupon their unhappy father gave each of them a horse and other
necessary equipment for a long journey, and they started out upon
their quest. After journeying a long way, they sighted in the distance
a pavilion, which was neither in the sky nor on the earth, but was
hanging midway between. When they came underneath this, it occurred
to them that their sister might be hidden in it, and they began to
consider how best they might reach it. Finally they decided that one
of them must kill his horse, cut its hide into strips, make a thong,
and, fastening one end to an arrow, shoot it from the bow so strongly
that it should strike deeply into the framework of the pavilion,
thus making a way up which they could climb.
The two younger brothers proposed to the eldest that he should kill
his horse, but he refused. Neither would the second brother consent to
do so; then the youngest brother, seeing that it could not be helped,
killed his horse, made its hide into a lengthy thong, fixed one end
to his arrow, and shot straight up to the pavilion, where the arrow
stuck firmly.
Next they had to discuss who should climb up the thong; again the two
elder brothers refused, so it fell to the youngest to perform this
exploit. Being very agile, he soon reached the pavilion; wandering
from one room to another, he finally came to an apartment where, to his
great joy, he saw his sister sitting with the sleeping dragon's head on
her knee. When the princess beheld her brother, she feared exceedingly
for his life, and implored him to escape before the dragon awoke.
The Prince slays the Dragon
The courageous youth, however, would not obey his sister, but seized
his mace and struck the dragon on the head. The monster pointed with
one of his claws to the place where he had been struck and said to the
maiden: "Something bit me here!" Again the prince raised his mace and
delivered a blow upon the monster's head; but the dragon apparently
did not mind, for he pointed again indifferently to the place, saying:
"Again something has bitten me!"
The young prince was on the point of striking the third time, when
his sister pointed to a spot where only the dragon might receive
a mortal wound, and directing his blow upon the place indicated,
the dragon instantly succumbed. The princess at once freed herself
of the dragon's head, ran swiftly to kiss her brother, and then was
eager to show him the different rooms.
First, she took him into a room in which stood a black steed fastened
to a stall and decked with a saddle and harness adorned with pure
silver. Next she led him into a second room, where they found a white
horse, also ready to be mounted, but its harness was of pure gold. Then
she took him into a third room, where was a beautiful Arab steed
whose saddle, stirrups and bridle were studded with precious stones.
The princess next conducted her brother to a chamber in which a maiden
was sitting at a golden tambourette engaged in embroidering with golden
threads. From thence she led him into a second apartment where a girl
was spinning gold threads. At last they entered a third room in which
a maiden sat threading pearls, and before her, upon a golden plate,
was a golden hen with its chickens, sorting the pearls.
Having satisfied his curiosity, the prince returned to the room where
he had left the dead dragon, and threw the carcass down to earth; and
at the mere sight of the dragon's body the two brothers were terrified
out of their wits. Next the prince slowly let down his sister, and,
after her, the three maidens, together with their work. While he was
thus engaged he shouted to his brothers and made gestures indicating
to whom each of the girls should belong. He reserved for himself the
one who had been threading pearls, not forgetting the golden hen and
the chickens.
The Perfidy of the Brothers
His brothers, envying the heroism of the young prince and jealous of
his successful exploits, were now guilty of a dastardly trick; they
cut the thong in order that he might not be able to reach the earth,
and taking their sister with all the booty they hurriedly decamped.
On the way home the princes met a shepherd watching his sheep, and
they prevailed upon him to disguise himself and to impersonate their
youngest brother, ordering their sister and the three maidens to keep
strictly their secret.
Some time elapsed, and one day the youngest prince had tidings
that his brothers and the disguised shepherd were on the point of
marrying the three maidens. This information seems to have been
singularly complete, for on the day of his eldest brother's wedding,
mounted on the black steed, he flew down and alighted in front of the
church. There he awaited the moment for the procession to come out,
and, as his brother was preparing to mount his horse, he approached
him swiftly, raised his club and struck him a heavy blow so that he
fell instantly. The young prince then remounted the black horse and
was instantly transported to the mysterious pavilion.
On the wedding-day of his second brother the feat, this time on the
white horse, was repeated, none guessing who the strange aggressor was.
Next came the turn of the shepherd. On the day of his wedding with
the third maiden, the young prince, mounted on the Arab, alighted
in the churchyard just at the moment when the wedding procession
started to return. This time he struck the bridegroom on the head so
heavily that he fell dead. The guests hurriedly alighted from their
horses and surrounded the prince, who made no attempt to escape, but
revealed himself as the third son of their tsar. He told them that the
pretended prince, whom he had just sent to the other world, was but a
common shepherd, and that his brothers, out of envy, had caused him
to remain in the magic pavilion where he had discovered his sister
and killed the dragon. All that he said was immediately confirmed
by his sister and the three maidens. When the tsar heard this he was
very angry with his two elder sons, and drove them for ever from his
palace. But as for his valiant youngest son, he united him to the
third maiden and left him the crown and all he possessed when he died.
III. PEPELYOUGA
On a high pasture land, near by an immense precipice, some maidens
were occupied in spinning and attending to their grazing cattle, when
an old strange-looking man with a white beard reaching down to his
girdle approached, and said: "O fair maidens, beware of the abyss,
for if one of you should drop her spindle down the cliff, her mother
would be turned into a cow that very moment!"
So saying the aged man disappeared, and the girls, bewildered by
his words, and discussing the strange incident, approached near
to the ravine which had suddenly become interesting to them. They
peered curiously over the edge, as though expecting to see some
unaccustomed sight, when suddenly the most beautiful of the maidens
let her spindle drop from her hand, and ere she could recover it,
it was bounding from rock to rock into the depths beneath. When she
returned home that evening she found her worst fears realized, for
her mother stood before the door transformed into a cow.
A short time later her father married again. His new wife was a widow,
and brought a daughter of her own into her new home. This girl was not
particularly well-favoured, and her mother immediately began to hate
her stepdaughter because of the latter's good looks. She forebade her
henceforth to wash her face, to comb her hair or to change her clothes,
and in every way she could think of she sought to make her miserable.
One morning she gave her a bag filled with hemp, saying: "If you do
not spin this and make a fine top of it by to-night, you need not
return home, for I intend to kill you."
The poor girl, deeply dejected, walked behind the cattle, industriously
spinning as she went, but by noon when the cattle lay down in the
shade to rest, she observed that she had made but little progress
and she began to weep bitterly.
Now, her mother was driven daily to pasture with the other cows,
and seeing her daughter's tears she drew near and asked why she wept,
whereupon the maiden told her all. Then the cow comforted her daughter,
saying: "My darling child, be consoled! Let me take the hemp into my
mouth and chew it; through my ear a thread will come out. You must
take the end of this and wind it into a top." So this was done; the
hemp was soon spun, and when the girl gave it to her stepmother that
evening, she was greatly surprised.
Next morning the woman roughly ordered the maiden to spin a still
larger bag of hemp, and as the girl, thanks to her mother, spun and
wound it all her stepmother, on the following day, gave her twice the
quantity to spin. Nevertheless, the girl brought home at night even
that unusually large quantity well spun, and her stepmother concluded
that the poor girl was not spinning alone, but that other maidens, her
friends, were giving her help. Therefore she, next morning, sent her
own daughter to spy upon the poor girl and to report what she saw. The
girl soon noticed that the cow helped the poor orphan by chewing the
hemp, while she drew the thread and wound it on a top, and she ran
back home and informed her mother of what she had seen. Upon this,
the stepmother insisted that her husband should order that particular
cow to be slaughtered. Her husband at first hesitated, but as his
wife urged him more and more, he finally decided to do as she wished.
The Promise
On learning what had been decided, the stepdaughter wept more than
ever, and when her mother asked what was the matter, she told her
tearfully all that had been arranged. Thereupon the cow said to her
daughter: "Wipe away your tears, and do not cry any more. When they
slaughter me, you must take great care not to eat any of the meat,
but after the repast, carefully collect my bones and inter them behind
the house under a certain stone; then, should you ever be in need of
help, come to my grave and there you will find it."
The cow was killed, and when the meat was served the poor girl
declined to eat of it, pretending that she had no appetite; after
the meal she gathered with great care all the bones and buried them
on the spot indicated by her mother.
Now, the name of the maiden was 'Marra,' but, as she had to do
the roughest work of the house, such as carrying water, washing and
sweeping, she was called by her stepmother and stepsister 'Pepelyouga'
(Cinderella). One Sunday, when the stepmother and her daughter had
dressed themselves for church, the woman spread about the house the
contents of a basketful of millet, and said: "Listen, Pepelyouga;
if you do not gather up all this millet and have dinner ready by the
time we return from church, I will kill you!"
When they had gone, the poor girl began to weep, reflecting, "As to
the dinner I can easily prepare it, but how can I possibly gather
up all this millet?" But that very moment she recalled the words of
the cow, that, if she ever should be struck by misfortune, she need
but walk to the grave behind the house, when she would find instant
help there. Immediately she ran out, and, when she approached the
grave, lo! a chest was lying on the grave wide open, and inside were
beautiful dresses and everything necessary for a lady's toilet. Two
doves were sitting on the lid of the chest, and as the girl drew near,
they said to her: "Marra, take from the chest the dress you like the
best, clothe yourself and go to church; as to the millet and other
work, we ourselves will attend to that and see that everything is in
good order!"
Marra goes to Church
Marra needed no second invitation; she took the first silk dress
she touched, made her toilet and went to church, where her entrance
created quite a sensation. Everybody, men and women, greatly admired
her beauty and her costly attire, but they were puzzled as to who
she was, and whence she came. A prince happened to be in the church
on that day, and he, too, admired the beautiful maiden.
Just before the service ended, the girl stole from the church, went
hurriedly home, took off her beautiful clothes and placed them back in
the chest, which instantly shut and became invisible. She then rushed
to the kitchen, where she discovered that the dinner was quite ready,
and that the millet was gathered into the basket. Soon the stepmother
came back with her daughter and they were astounded to find the millet
gathered up, dinner prepared, and everything else in order. A desire
to learn the secret now began to torment the stepmother mightily.
Next Sunday everything happened as before, except that the girl
found in the chest a silver dress, and that the prince felt a greater
admiration for her, so much so that he was unable, even for a moment,
to take his eyes from her.
On the third Sunday, the mother and daughter again prepared to go to
church, and, having scattered the millet as before, she repeated her
previous threats. As soon as they disappeared, the girl ran straight
to her mother's grave, where she found, as on the previous occasions,
the open chest and the same two doves. This time she found a dress made
of gold lace, and she hastily clad herself in it and went to church,
where she was admired by all, even more than before. As for the tsar's
son, he had come with the intention not to let her this time out of
his sight, but to follow and see whither she went. Accordingly, as
the service drew near to its close, and the maiden withdrew quietly
as before, the enamoured prince followed after her. Marra hurried
along, for she had none too much time, and, as she went, one of her
golden slippers came off, and she was too agitated to stop and pick
it up. The prince, however, who had lost sight of the maiden, saw
the slipper and put it in his pocket. Reaching home, Marra took off
her golden dress, laid it in the chest, and rushed back to the house.
The Prince's Quest
The prince now resolved to go from house to house throughout his
father's realm in search of the owner of the slipper, inviting all
fair maidens to try on the golden slipper. But, alas! his efforts
seemed to be doomed to failure; for some girls the slipper was too
long, for others too short, for others, again, too narrow. There was
no one whom it would fit.
Wandering from door to door, the sad prince at length came to the
house of Marra's father. The stepmother was expecting him, and she had
hidden her stepdaughter under a large trough in the courtyard. When the
prince asked whether she had any daughters, the stepmother answered
that she had but one, and she presented the girl to him. The prince
requested the girl to try on the slipper, but, squeeze as she would,
there was not room in it even for her toes! Thereupon the prince
asked whether it was true that there were no other girls in the house,
and the stepmother replied that indeed it was quite true.
That very moment a cock flew on to the trough and crowed out lustily:
"Kook-oo-ryeh-koooo! Here she is under this very trough!"
The stepmother, enraged, exclaimed: "Sh----! Go away! May an eagle
seize you and fly off with you!" The curiosity of the prince was
aroused; he approached the trough, lifted it up, and, to his great
surprise, there was the maiden whom he had seen thrice in church,
clad in the very same golden dress she had last worn, and having only
one golden slipper.
When the prince recognized the maiden he was overcome with joy. Quickly
he tried the slipper on her dainty foot; it not only fitted her
admirably, but it exactly matched the one she already wore on her left
foot. He lifted her up tenderly and escorted her to his palace. Later
he won her love, and they were happily married.
IV. ANIMALS' LANGUAGE
The universality of folk-lore is curiously illustrated in the
following tale which is strikingly like a story native to the negroes
of Western Africa. In this the hero is granted, as a boon by the
King of the Animals, the gift of understanding animal language; he
is warned that if he divulges to any that he possesses this gift he
will die on the instant; he is made rich by the possession of it;
he laughs at a conversation between animals which he overhears;
his wife demands to know the cause of his laughter. To this point
the two stories are identical, but in the West African tale the man
divulges the secret and pays the penalty with his life, whereas the
Serbian conclusion is very much less tame, as will be seen.
A wealthy peasant had a shepherd, who served him for a great number
of years most honestly and faithfully. One day, as he drove his
sheep through a forest to the pasture, he heard a hissing sound,
and wondered what it could be. Listening carefully he went nearer
and nearer to the spot whence the sound came, and he saw that the
forest was on fire and that the hissing proceeded from a snake that
was surrounded by flames. The shepherd watched to see what the poor
creature would do in its trouble: and when the snake saw the shepherd,
it exclaimed from the midst of the flames: "O shepherd, I pray of you,
save me from this fire!" Then the shepherd reached out his crook and
the snake entwined itself swiftly round the stick, round his arm,
on to his shoulders and round his neck.
When the shepherd realized what was happening he was seized with
horror, and cried out: "What are you about to do, ungrateful
creature! Did I save your life only to lose my own?" And the snake
answered him: "Have no fear, my saviour! But take me to my father's
house! My father is the king of the snake-world."
The shepherd endeavoured to move the snake to pity and prayed it to
excuse him, for he could not leave his sheep. Thereupon the snake said
to him: "Be comforted, my friend! Do not trouble about your sheep;
nothing amiss will happen to them, but now do hasten to my father's
house!" So the shepherd went with the snake round his neck through
the forest, till he came at length to a doorway constructed entirely
of serpents. When they came near the gate, the shepherd's guide
hissed to its servants, whereupon all the snakes instantly untwined
themselves, leaving a way open for the shepherd, who passed through
unmolested. Then the snake said to its preserver: "When we come before
my father he will surely give you, as reward for your kindness to me,
whatever you may wish: gold, silver and precious stones; but you should
not accept anything of that kind. I would advise you to ask for the
language of animals. He will undoubtedly be opposed to your wish,
but finally he will yield."
They now entered the apartments of the king, who, with evident relief,
inquired: "My son, where have you been all this time?" The reptile
then told all about the fire in the forest and of the kindness
of the shepherd, who had saved his life. At this the snake-king
turned with emotion to the shepherd: "What reward can I give you for
having saved the life of my son?" he said. The shepherd answered:
"I desire nothing but the power of understanding and speaking the
language of animals." But the monarch said: "That is not for you,
for if I give you that power, and you should impart the secret
to another, you will instantly die. Therefore choose some other
gift." But the shepherd insisted: "If you wish to reward me, give
me the language of animals: if you do not care to gratify my wish,
no more need be said; I bid you farewell!" And indeed he turned to
go, but the king, seeing his determination, stopped him, exclaiming:
"Come here, my friend! Since you so strongly desire the language
of animals, the gift shall not be withheld; open your mouth!" The
shepherd obeyed, and the snake-king blew into his mouth, and said:
"Now, blow into my mouth!" The shepherd did as he was told, and the
snake-king blew a second time in the shepherd's mouth, and then said:
"Now you have the language of animals. Go in peace; but be sure not
to impart your secret to another, else you will die that very moment!"
The shepherd took leave of his friends and as he returned through
the woods he heard and understood everything the birds, plants and
other living creatures were saying to each other. When he reached
his flock and found all his sheep safe as had been promised, he lay
on the grass to rest.
The Buried Treasure
Hardly had he settled himself, than two ravens alighted on a tree
near by and began to converse: "If this shepherd knew what is under
the spot where that black lamb is lying, he would surely dig in the
earth; he would discover a cave full of silver and gold."
The shepherd at once went to his master and told him of the buried
treasure. The latter drove a cart to the place indicated, dug deeply
in the earth and lo! he found a cave full of silver and gold, the
contents of which he placed in his cart and carried home. This master
was an honest and generous man, and he gave the entire treasure to
his shepherd, saying: "Take this, my son; it was to you that God gave
it! I would advise you to build a house, to marry and start some good
business with this gold."
The shepherd did as his kindly master advised him, and, little by
little he multiplied his wealth and became the richest man, not
only in his village, but in the whole district. He now hired his own
shepherds, cattle-drivers and swineherds to keep his great property
in good order. One day, just before Christmas, he said to his wife:
"Prepare wine and food, for to-morrow we will go to our farms and
feast our servants." His wife did as he bade, and the next morning
they went to their farms, and the master said to his men: "Now come
one and all, eat and drink together; as for the sheep I will myself
watch them to-night."
So the kind man went to guard his sheep. About midnight, wolves began
to howl and his dogs barked a defiance. Said the wolves in their own
language to the dogs: "Can we come and kill the sheep? There will be
enough for you also." Thereupon the dogs answered in their own tongue:
"O come by all means, we also would like to have a feast!" But amongst
the dogs there was a very old one who had only two teeth left. That
faithful animal barked furiously at the wolves: "To the devil with
you all! So long as I have these two teeth, you shall not touch my
master's sheep!" And the master heard and understood every word they
uttered. Next morning he ordered his servants to kill all his dogs,
except the old one. The servants began to implore their master, saying:
"Dear master, it is a pity to kill them!" But the master would not
suffer any remonstrance, and sternly ordered: "Do as I bid you!" Then
he and his wife mounted their horses and started for home, he on a
horse and she on a mare. As they journeyed, the horse left the mare
a little behind and he neighed, saying: "Hurry up, why do you dawdle
behind?" And the mare answered: "Eh, it is not hard for you--you are
carrying only your master, and I am carrying a despotic woman whose
rules are a burden to the whole household."
The Importunate Wife
Hearing this, the master turned his head and burst into laughter. His
wife noticing his sudden mirth, spurred on her mare, and when she
reached her husband she asked him why he had laughed. He answered:
"There is no reason, I just laughed." But the woman was not satisfied
with this reply and would not give her husband any peace. He
endeavoured in vain to excuse himself, saying: "Don't keep on asking
me; if I tell you the true reason why I laughed, I shall instantly
die!" But she did not believe her husband, and the more he refused
to tell her, the more she insisted that he should do so, until at
last the poor man was worn out by her persistence.
Directly they arrived home, therefore, the man ordered a coffin to
be made, and, when it was ready and he had it placed in front of the
house-door, he said to his wife: "I shall lie down in this coffin,
for the moment I tell you why I laughed, I shall die." So he laid
himself in the coffin, and as he took a last look around, he saw his
faithful old dog, coming from the fields. The poor animal approached
his master's coffin and sat near his head howling with grief. When
the master saw this, he requested his wife to give it food. The
woman brought bread and gave it to the dog, who would not even look
at it, still less eat it. The piece of bread attracted a cock, which
came forward and began to peck at it; the dog reproached him saying:
"You insatiable creature! You think of nothing but food, and you fail
to see that our dear master is about to die!"
To this reprimand the cock retorted: "Let him die, since he is such
a foolish man! I have a hundred wives, and I gather them all round a
grain of corn, which I happen to find; and then, when they have all
assembled, I swallow it myself! If any of them should protest, I just
peck at them; but he, the fool, is not able to rule a single wife."
At this the man jumped out of the coffin, took a stick and called
to his wife: "Come in the house, wife, and I shall tell you why
I laughed!"
Seeing the obvious intention of her husband, the woman begged him to
desist, and promised that nevermore would she be curious, or try to
pry into his affairs.
V. THE STEPMOTHER AND HER STEPDAUGHTER
Once upon a time there was a girl who lived with her stepmother. The
woman hated her stepdaughter exceedingly, because she was more
beautiful than her own daughter, whom she had brought with her to the
house. She did her utmost to turn the poor girl's own father against
her, and with such success that he soon began to scold and even to
hate his own child.
One day the woman said to her husband: "We must send your daughter
away. She must go into the world to seek her fortune!" And he answered:
"How can we send the poor girl away? Where could she go alone?" But
the wicked stepmother replied: "To-morrow you must take her far into
the woods, leave her there and hurry home, or I will no longer live
with you."
The unfortunate father at length gave way, and said: "At least
prepare the girl something for her journey, that she may not die
of hunger." The stepmother therefore made a cake, and gave it to
the girl next morning as she was leaving the house. The man and his
daughter trudged on until they were right in the depth of the woods,
and then the father stole away and returned home.
The girl, alone in the woods, wandered all the rest of that day in
search of a path, but could not find one. Meanwhile it grew darker
and darker, and at length she climbed a tree, fearing lest some
wild beast should devour her if she remained through the night on
the ground. And indeed, all night long the wolves howled under the
tree so ravenously that the poor girl, in her nervous terror, could
hardly keep from falling.
Next morning she descended the tree and wandered on again in search
of some way out, but the more she walked the denser grew the forest,
and there seemed to be no end to it. When it grew dark again, she
looked about for another suitable tree in the branches of which
she might safely pass the night, but suddenly she noticed something
shining through the darkness. She thought it might, perhaps, be a
dwelling, and she went toward it. And indeed, she came soon to a large
fine house, the doors of which were open. She entered, and saw many
elegant rooms, in one of which was a large table with lights burning
on it. She thought this must be the dwelling of brigands, but she had
no fear at all, for she reasoned with herself: "Only rich people need
fear robbers; I, a poor simple girl, have nothing to be afraid of;
I shall tell them that I am ready to work for them gladly if they
will give me something to eat."
A Strange Dwelling
Then she took the cake from her bag, made the sign of the cross
[80] and began her meal. No sooner had she begun to eat than a cock
appeared and flew near her as if begging for a share. The good girl
crumbled a piece of her cake and fed him. Shortly afterward a little
dog came and began in his own way to express friendly feeling toward
her. The girl broke another piece of her cake, gently took the little
dog in her lap, and began feeding and caressing it. After that a cat
came in too, and she did the same with her.
Suddenly she heard a loud growling, and she was terrified to see
a lion coming toward her. The great beast waved his tail in such a
friendly manner, and looked so very kind, however, that her courage
revived, and she gave him a piece of her cake, which the lion ate;
and then he began to lick her hand. This proof of gratitude reassured
the girl completely, and she stroked the lion gently, and gave him
more of the cake.
All at once the girl heard a great clashing of weapons, and nearly
swooned as a creature in a bear-skin entered the room. The cock, the
dog, the cat and the lion all ran to meet it, and frisked about it
affectionately, showing many signs of pleasure and rejoicing. She,
poor creature, did not think this strange being could be anything
but cruel, and expected it would spring upon her and devour her. But
the seeming monster threw the bear-skin from its head and shoulders,
and at once the whole room gleamed with the magnificence of its
golden garments. The girl almost lost her senses when she saw before
her a handsome man of noble appearance. He approached her and said:
"Do not fear! I am not a lawless man, I am the tsar's son; and when
I wish to hunt, I usually come here, disguised in this bear-skin,
lest the people should recognize me. Save you, no one knows that I
am a man; people think I am an apparition, and flee from me. No one
dares to pass near this house, still less to enter it, for it is known
that I dwell in it. You are the first who has ventured to come in;
probably you knew that I was not a ghost?"
Thereupon the girl told the prince all about her wicked stepmother,
and declared that she knew nothing of this dwelling or who lived in
it. When the young prince heard her story, moved with indignation and
pity, he said: "Your stepmother hated you, but God loved you. I love
you very much, too, and if you feel you could return my love, I would
like to marry you--will you be my wife?" "Yes," replied the maiden.
Next morning the prince took the girl to his father's palace and they
were married. After some time the prince's bride begged to be allowed
to go and pay a visit to her father. The prince gladly allowed her
to do as she wished, and donning a fine robe embroidered with gold
she went to her old home. Her father happened to be absent, and her
stepmother, seeing her coming, feared that she had come to revenge
herself; therefore she hurried out to meet her, saying: "You see now
that I sent you on the road of happiness?" The stepdaughter embraced
the woman and kissed her; she also embraced her stepsister. Then she
sat down to await her father's return, but at length, as he did not
come, she was compelled reluctantly to leave without seeing him. On
going away she gave much money to her stepmother, nevertheless when
she had got some distance from the house, the ungrateful woman
steathily shook her fist at her, muttering: "Wait a little, you
accursed creature, you shall certainly not be the only one so elegantly
dressed; to-morrow I shall send my own daughter the same way!"
The Envy of the Stepmother
The husband did not return until late in the evening, when his wife
met him, saying: "Listen, husband! I propose that my own daughter
should be sent out into the world that she may also seek her fortune;
for your girl came back to visit us to-day and lo! she was glittering
in gold." The man sighed and agreed.
Next morning the woman prepared for her daughter several cakes and
some roast meat and sent her with the father into the forest. The
unfortunate man guided her as he had led his own daughter, into the
heart of the forest, and then stole off leaving her alone. When the
girl saw that her father had disappeared she walked on slowly through
the woods, till she came to the gates of the same house in which
her stepsister had found happiness. She entered, closed the door
and resolved not to open it for anybody. Then she took a cake out
of her bag and began her meal. Meanwhile the cock, the dog and the
cat came in, and began to frisk about her playfully expecting that
she would give them something to eat, but she exclaimed angrily:
"Get away, you ugly creatures! I have hardly enough for myself;
I will not give you any!" Then she began to beat them; whereat the
dog howled, and the lion, hearing his friend's lamentation, rushed
in furiously and killed the unkind girl.
Next morning the prince rode out with his wife to hunt. They came to
the house, and saw what had happened, and when the princess recognized
her stepsister's dress, she gathered up the torn garment and carried it
to her father's house. This time she found her father at home, and he
was indeed very happy to learn that his dear daughter was married to a
handsome prince. When, however, he heard what had befallen his wife's
daughter he was sad indeed, and exclaimed: "Her mother has deserved
this punishment from the hand of God, because she hated you without
reason. She is at the well, I will go and tell her the sad news."
When his wife heard what had happened, she said: "O husband! I cannot
bear the sight of your daughter; let us kill both her and the tsar's
son! Do this thing or I will jump at once into the well." The man
indignantly answered: "Well then, jump! I shall not murder my own
child!"
And the wicked woman said: "If you cannot kill her, I cannot bear to
look at her!" Thereupon she jumped into the well and was killed.
VI. JUSTICE AND INJUSTICE
There was a king who had two sons, one of whom was cunning and
unjust, and the other good and just. In due time the king died,
and the unjust son said to his brother: "As you are younger than I,
you cannot expect me to share the throne with you, so you had better
go away from the palace. Take these three hundred tzechins [81] and
a horse to ride: this is to be your share of the inheritance." The
younger brother took the gold and his horse, and reflecting he said:
"God be praised! How much of the entire kingdom has fallen to me!"
Some time later the two brothers met by chance on a road, and the
younger saluted the elder thus: "God help you, brother!" And the elder
answered: "May God send you a misfortune! Why do you for ever mention
the name of God to me? Injustice is better than justice." Thereupon the
good brother said: "I wager that injustice is not better than justice!"
So they laid as a wager one hundred tzechins and agreed to accept the
decision of the first passer-by whom they should happen to meet. Riding
on a little farther they met Satan, who had disguised himself as a
monk, and they requested him to decide their contest. Satan immediately
answered that injustice is better than justice; so the just brother
lost one hundred tzechins. Then they made another wager in the same
sum, and again a third; and each time the Devil--differently disguised
on each occasion--pronounced for injustice. Finally the good brother
lost even his horse; but he was quite unconvinced and he reflected:
"Ah, well! I have lost all my tzechins, it is true, but I have still my
eyes, and I shall wager my eyes this time." So they made the bet once
more, but the unjust brother did not even wait anybody's arbitration,
he took out his poniard and pierced his brother's eyes, saying:
"Now, let justice help you, when you have no eyes!"
The poor youth said to his cruel brother: "I have lost my eyes for the
sake of God's justice, but I pray you, my brother, give me a little
water in a vessel that I may wash my wounds and take me under the
pine-tree, near the spring!" The unjust brother did as he was asked
and then departed.
The Healing Water
The unfortunate youth sat without moving until late in the night,
when some veele came to the spring to bathe, and he heard one of them
say to her sisters: "Do you know, O sisters, that the royal princess
suffers from leprosy, and the king, her father, has consulted all
the famous physicians, but no one can cure her? But if the king knew
the healing qualities of this water, he would surely take a little and
bathe his daughter with it, and she would recover perfect health." When
the cocks began to crow, the veele disappeared and the prince crept
to the spring to test its wonderful properties. He bathed his eyes,
and lo! his sight was instantly restored; then he filled his vessel
with the water, and hurried to the king, whose daughter was suffering
from leprosy. Arriving at the palace he told the officers on guard
that he could cure the princess in a day and a night. The officers
informed the king, who at once allowed him to try his method and the
suffering princess was restored. This pleased the king so much that he
gave the young prince half of his kingdom, as well as his daughter
for his wife. So the just brother became the king's son-in-law,
and a Councillor of State.
The tidings of this great event spread all over the kingdom, and
finally came to the ears of the unjust prince. He thought that
his brother must have found his good fortune under the pine-tree,
so he went there himself to try his luck. Arrived there, he pierced
his own eyes. Late in the night, the veele came to bathe, and the
prince heard them discuss with astonishment the recovery of the
royal princess. "Some one must have spied upon us," said one of them,
"when we discussed about the qualities which this water possesses;
perhaps somebody is watching us even now. Let us look around us!" When
they came under the pine-tree, they found there the young man who
had come seeking good fortune, and they immediately tore him into four.
And thus was the wicked prince recompensed for his injustice.
VII. HE WHO ASKS LITTLE RECEIVES MUCH
Once upon a time there lived three brothers, who instead of much
property had only a pear-tree. Each would watch that tree in turn,
whilst the other two went away from home to work for hire. One night
God sent His angel to see how the brothers lived, and, should they
be in misery, to improve their position. The angel came disguised as
a beggar, and when he found one of the brothers watching the tree,
he went forward and asked him for a pear. The youth plucked some of
the fruit from his own part of the tree, handed them to the beggar,
and said: "Accept these pears from my share of the tree, but I cannot
give you those belonging to my brothers." The angel took the fruit,
thanked the youth, and disappeared.
The next day it was the turn of the second brother to watch the fruit,
and the angel, again in the semblance of a beggar, came and asked for a
pear. This brother likewise gave from his own part of the tree, saying:
"Take these, they are my own; but of those belonging to my brothers I
dare not offer you." The angel took the fruit gratefully and departed.
The third brother had a similar experience.
When the fourth day came, the angel disguised himself as a monk,
and came very early so that he could find all three brothers at home,
and he said to the youths: "Come with me, I shall improve your state
of life," whereupon they obeyed without question.
Soon they arrived at a river where the water was flowing in torrents,
and the angel asked the eldest brother: "What would you like to
have?" He answered: "I should like all this water to be changed into
wine and to belong to me." The angel made the sign of the cross with
his stick, and lo! wine was flowing instead of water, and that very
moment there appeared on the banks of the streamlet many barrels,
and men filling them with wine; in one word, there was a whole
village. Then the angel turned again to the young man and said:
"Here is what you wished; farewell!" and he continued his journey
with the others.
The three went on till they came to a field where they saw numbers of
doves, and the angel asked the second brother: "Now, what is it that
you would like?" And he answered: "I should like all these doves
to be changed into sheep, and to be mine!" The angel again made
the sign of the cross in the air, and lo! sheep instead of doves
covered the field. Suddenly there appeared many dairies; maidens
were busy milking the sheep, others pouring out the milk, others
again making cream. There was also a slaughter-house, and men busy,
some cutting the meat into joints, others weighing it, others again
selling the meat and receiving the money for it. Then the angel said:
"Here is all you wished for; farewell!"
The angel now proceeded with the youngest brother, and having
crossed the field he asked him what he would like to have. The
young man answered: "I should consider myself the happiest of men
if God were graciously pleased to grant me a wife of pure Christian
blood!" Thereupon the angel replied: "Oh, that is rather difficult to
find; in the whole world there are but three such women, two of whom
are married. The youngest is a maid, it is true, but she is already
sought in marriage by two wooers."
Journeying on, they came to a city where a mighty tsar dwelt with his
daughter. She, indeed, was of pure Christian blood. The travellers
entered the palace and found two princes already there with their
wedding apples [82] laid upon a table. Then the young man also
placed his apple on the table. When the tsar saw the newcomers he
said to those around him: "What shall we do now? Those are imperial
princes, and these men look like beggars!" Thereupon the angel said:
"Let the contest be decided thus: the princess shall plant three
vines in the garden, dedicating one to each of the three wooers;
and he on whose vine grapes are found next morning, is to be the
one whom the princess shall marry!" This plan was agreed to by all,
and the princess accordingly planted three vines.
When the next morning dawned, lo! grapes hung in clusters on the vine
dedicated to the poor man. So the tsar could not refuse his daughter
to the youngest brother. After the marriage, the angel led the young
couple to the forest, where he left them for a full year.
The Angel Returns
Then God sent again His angel, saying: "Go down to earth and see how
those poor ones are living now: if they are in misery, it may be you
will be able to improve their condition!" The angel obeyed immediately,
and disguising himself again as a beggar, he went first to the eldest
brother and asked him for a glass of wine. But the rich man refused,
saying: "If I were to give every one a glass of wine, there would be
none left for myself!" Upon this the angel made the sign of the cross
with his stick, and the stream began instantly to flow with water as
before. Then he turned to the man and said: "This was not for you;
go back under the pear-tree and continue to guard it!"
Then the angel went on to the second brother, whose fields were
covered with sheep, and asked him for a slice of cheese; but the rich
man refused, saying: "If I were to give everybody a slice of cheese,
there would be none left for myself!" Again the angel made the sign
of the cross with his stick, and lo! all the sheep turned instantly
into doves, who flew away. Then he said to the second brother: "Of
a surety that was not for you, go under the pear-tree and watch it!"
Finally the angel went to the youngest brother in order to see how
he was living, and found him with his wife in the forest, dwelling
as a poor man in a hut. He begged to be admitted into their hut, and
to pass the night there. They welcomed him very cordially, but they
explained that they could not entertain him as well as they would like
to do. "We are," they added, "very poor people." To which the angel
answered: "Do not speak so, I shall be quite content with what you
have!" They wondered then what to do, for there was no corn in their
hut to make real bread; they usually ground the bark of certain trees
and made bread from it. Such bread the wife now made for their guest,
and placed it in the oven to bake. When she came later to inspect her
baking, she was pleasantly surprised to find a fine loaf of real bread.
When the couple saw this wonder they lifted their hands toward
heaven and gave thanks: "We thank thee, O God! that we are now able
to entertain our guest!" After they had placed the bread before their
guest, they brought a vessel of water, and lo! when they came to drink,
they found it was wine.
Then the angel once more made the sign of the cross with his stick
over the hut, and on that spot instantly rose a beautiful palace,
containing an abundance of everything. Then the angel blessed the
couple and disappeared. The modest and pious man and woman lived
there happily ever after.
VIII. BASH TCHELIK OR REAL STEEL
There lived once a tsar who had three sons and three daughters. When
old age overtook him and the hour came for him to die he called his
children to him, and desired his sons to give their sisters to the
first wooers who might ask them in marriage. "Do as I tell you,"
added the dying tsar, "or dread my curse!"
Shortly after the tsar had passed away there came one night a fearful
knocking at the palace gate, so that the whole building shook, and
a great roaring, screaming, and blowing was heard; it seemed as if
the palace was assailed by some awful tempest. All the courtiers
were seized with unspeakable fear, and suddenly a voice from outside
was heard: "O princes, open the door!" Thereupon the eldest brother
exclaimed: "Do not open!" The second brother added: "Do not open for
anything!" But the youngest brother said: "I must open the door!" and
he sprang to the door and flung it open. As he did so something came
in, but the brothers could see only a bright light, out of which
proceeded these urgent words: "I have come to ask your eldest sister
in marriage, and to take her away this moment; for I have no time to
lose, neither shall I come a second time to demand her! Answer quickly,
will you give her or not? That is what I must know."
The eldest brother answered: "I will not give her. I cannot see you,
and do not know who you are or even whence you came. To-night is
the first time I have heard your voice, and you insist upon taking
my sister away at once. Should I not know where I could visit my
sister sometimes?"
The second brother also said: "I will not consent that my sister
should be taken away to-night!"
But the youngest brother protested, saying: "If you will not give her,
I will. Do you not remember our father's words?" Thereupon he took
his sister by the hand, [83] and presented her to the invisible wooer,
saying: "May she be a loyal and dutiful wife!"
The moment the princess passed over the threshold every one in the
palace fell to the ground in terror, so fearsome was the lightning
and so loud the peals of thunder. The whole building shook as if
about to fall. The storm, however, passed and daybreak came. That
morning close search was made to see if any trace could be found of
the strange visitant or the way it had gone; but, alas! all their
efforts were vain.
The second night, about the same time, a similar noise was heard
again round the palace, and a voice at the door exclaimed: "O princes,
open the door!"
Seized with fear they dared not disobey. Then the pitiless voice
spake again: "Give me your second sister; I have come to ask her
in marriage!"
The eldest brother protested: "I will not consent!" The second brother
said: "I will not give away our sister!" But the youngest brother was
willing. "I will give her!" said he; "have you already forgotten what
our father commanded at the hour of his death?"
Thereupon the youngest prince took his sister by the hand and presented
her to the unseen visitor, saying: "Take her, may she be loyal and
dutiful to you!" So the visitant departed with the princess, and next
morning no trace of him could be found.
The third night at the same hour the earth quaked and the palace rocked
on its foundations, so mighty was the tumult around it. And again a
mysterious voice was heard from without. The princes opened the door,
and the unseen presence entered and said: "I come to ask your youngest
sister in marriage!" The two elder brothers exclaimed simultaneously:
"We will not give our sister by night; we must know to whom we are
giving her, so that we may visit her when we wish to do so!" But
once more the youngest brother exclaimed: "I will give her, if you
will not! Have you, then, forgotten what our father told us? It is
not so very long ago!" So saying, he took the maiden and presented
her to the invisible power, saying: "Take her with you! And may she
bring you joy and happiness!"
The Princes set Out
Next morning the brothers debated the fate of their sisters, and
sorrow filled their hearts. "Great Heaven!" they said, "what a mighty
wonder! We know not what has befallen our sisters; neither do we
know where they have gone nor whom they have married!" At length
they decided to go in search of their beloved sisters, and making
the necessary preparations for their journey they set out on the quest.
They journeyed for some time and then lost their way in a dense
forest, in which they wandered for a whole day. When darkness fell,
they agreed that they must pass the night at some place where they
could find water, so when they came to a lake, they decided to pass
the night there, and sat down to eat. When they were ready to compose
themselves to sleep, the eldest proposed to his brothers that they
should sleep while he kept guard. So the two younger brothers went
to sleep, and the eldest watched.
About midnight the lake became agitated, and the watcher was seized
with horror when he saw in the middle of it something moving straight
toward him. As it came nearer, he saw clearly that it was a monstrous
alligator with two huge ears. The monster attacked the prince with
all its strength, but the gallant young man received it on the point
of his sword and swiftly cleft its head asunder. Then he cut off the
ears, placed them in his bag, but threw the carcass back into the
lake. Soon after this, morning broke; but the two younger brothers
slept quietly on, unconscious of their brother's exploit.
In due time the prince awakened the young men and, without mentioning
what had happened, he recommended that they should continue their
journey. They travelled the whole day long and, having again lost
their way in another dense forest, they decided to pass the coming
night by a small lake, and they quickly made a fire. After they had
eaten, the second brother said: "To-night you two sleep, and I shall
watch." And so the eldest and the youngest brothers slept, while the
second kept guard.
Suddenly the water of the lake began to stir, and lo! an alligator with
two heads appeared and rushed furiously upon the three brothers. But
the second brother was no coward; he gave the monster a fearful blow
with his gleaming sabre and the alligator fell dead. Then the prince
cut off its four ears, placed them in his bag, and threw the horrible
carcass into the lake. The two sleeping brothers knew nothing of all
this and slept till sun-rise. Then the gallant prince exclaimed:
"Get up, my brothers, it is high time!" And they instantly arose,
and prepared to continue their journey, without knowing whither they
should go.
A great fear seized their hearts when they found themselves in a
horrible desert; they wandered in this for three long days, and, as
their food was consumed, they feared now lest they should die of hunger
in this strange land, which seemed to have no end. Then they addressed
their fervent prayers to the Almighty that He might be pleased to
afford them some guidance, and lo! they saw at length a large sheet
of water. Great was now their joy, and they took counsel with each
other and agreed to pass the night on the shores of that lake.
Having quenched their thirst, they made a bright fire, and when the
hour for sleep approached, the youngest brother proposed: "To-night
it is my turn; you two go to sleep and I shall watch!" So the two
elder brothers went to sleep, and the youngest brother kept awake,
looking sharply about him, often casting his eyes over the lake. Toward
midnight he noticed a disturbance in the water, and as he looked in
wonder the lake grew so agitated that a wave overflowed the shore and
nearly extinguished the fire. The next moment a horrible alligator
with three heads appeared and rushed furiously on the brothers,
obviously intending to devour them. But the youngest prince was no
less brave than his two brothers; he unsheathed his sword, and as
the monster came on with jaws wide agape, he gave it three fearful
blows in rapid succession, slashing off its three heads. Then he cut
off the six ears and placed them in his bag, and threw the body and
the heads back into the lake.
The Nine Giants
Meantime the fire had smouldered out, and having no materials with
which to make a fresh fire, and not wishing to awake his brothers,
the prince went a short distance into the desert in the hope of
finding some fuel, but without success. He climbed upon a rock, and
looking around he saw at length the glare of a fire. As it seemed
that the fire was not very far off, he decided to go and get brands
with which to relight his own fire. So he descended from the rock and
hastening for some time through the desert, he came at last to a cave
in which he saw nine giants sitting round a big fire and roasting on
spits two men, one on each side. Upon the fire there stood a caldron
full of the limbs of men.
When the prince saw all this, he was seized with horror, and would
readily have gone back, but it was too late. So he saluted the giants
thus: "Good evening, my comrades, I have been in search of you for a
long time!" They welcomed him in a friendly manner and returned the
greeting, saying: "May God favour you, since you are one of us!" The
wily prince added: "Why, I shall remain one of your faithful friends
for ever, and would give my life for your sake!" "Eh!" exclaimed
the giants, "since you intend to join us, no doubt you are ready
to eat man's flesh, and to join our company when we go in search of
prey?" Thereupon the tsar's son answered: "Most decidedly! I shall
do willingly everything that you, yourselves, do." Hearing this the
giants retorted: "That is well for you then! Come and sit here with
us!" Then the whole company, sitting round the fire, and taking the
meat out of the caldron, began to eat. The tsar's son pretended to
eat, but he deceived them cleverly, for instead of eating he threw
the meat behind him.
After supper the giants exclaimed: "Now let us go to hunt, for we
must have something to eat to-morrow!" So they started out, all nine
of them, the prince being the tenth of the party. "Come with us,"
said the giants to the prince, "we will go to a neighbouring city
in which lives a tsar: for from that city we have been supplying
ourselves with food for many years!" When they arrived at that
place, the giants uprooted two fir-trees, and, reaching the walls
of the city, they placed one tree against it and ordered the prince:
"Go up to the top of the wall, and we will hand you the second tree,
which you will fix on the other side of the wall, so that we can climb
down the stem of it into the city." The prince obeyed, and, when he
was on the top of the wall, he said: "I do not know how to do it,
I am not familiar with this place, and I cannot manage to throw the
tree over the wall; please come up, one of you, and show me how to do
it!" Thereupon one of the giants climbed up, took the top of the tree
and threw the stem over the wall, holding fast the highest branch in
his hands. The prince utilised this opportunity to draw his sword,
and, unseen by those below, with one stroke he cut off the giant's
head, and pushed his body over the wall. Then he said to the others:
"Now come up one by one, so that I can let you down into the city as
I did our first comrade." The giants, suspecting nothing, climbed up
one after the other; and the prince cut off their heads till he had
killed the whole nine. Then he slowly descended the pine-tree and
reached the ground within the city walls.
Walking through the streets he was surprised to see no living soul
there, and the whole city seemed to be deserted! So he reasoned to
himself: "Those ugly giants must have annihilated all the inhabitants
of this city!"
The Sleeping Princess
He continued wandering about till he saw at length a very tall tower,
through one of the vent-holes of which shone a light. He opened the
door and went straight to the room from which he judged the light
to have come. It was magnificently decorated with gold and velvet,
and lying on a resplendent couch, was a maiden sleeping. The girl was
exceedingly beautiful, and as the prince devoured her with his eyes
he was horrified to see a snake on the wall; it poised its hideous
head with the obvious intention of striking the girl on her forehead
between the eyes, but the prince rushed swiftly forward with drawn
poniard and pierced the serpent's head so that it was nailed to the
wall, exclaiming as he did so: "May God grant that my poniard cannot
be drawn out of the wall by any hand but mine!" He then hurried away,
climbing the city wall by the same way as he had come. When he arrived
at the giants' cave, he took a brand from the fire, and hastened to the
place where he had left his brothers, and found them still sleeping. He
made a fresh fire, and, as meantime the sun had risen, he now awoke his
brothers and they immediately continued their journey. That same day
they came to a road which led to the city of which we have heard. It
was the custom of the tsar who lived in that city to walk abroad
every morning and to lament the great destruction of his people by
the giants. His greatest anxiety was lest his only daughter would one
day be their prey. On this particular morning he walked unusually
early through the streets, which were all empty. After a time he
came to a part of the city wall against which the tall pine-tree
of the giants leaned. He approached closely and found the bodies of
the nine giants, the terrible enemies of his people, lying upon the
ground with their heads cut off. When the tsar saw this wonder he
rejoiced exceedingly, and the people soon gathered around him and
prayed that God might grant happiness and long life to the hero who
had killed the giants. At that very moment servants came hurriedly
from the palace and informed the tsar that a snake had very nearly
caused the death of his daughter. Hearing this the tsar ran to his
daughter, and entering her room he was amazed to see a large, hideous
serpent nailed to the wall. He tried at once to pluck out the poniard,
but was not able to do so.
Then the tsar issued a proclamation throughout his vast empire to the
effect that if the hero who had killed the nine giants and pierced
the snake would come to court he should receive great gifts and the
hand of the tsar's daughter in marriage. This proclamation spread
quickly all over the land, and by the tsar's orders, in every inn
on the principal roads an official was stationed whose duty it was
to ask every traveller if he had heard of the hero who had killed
the nine giants. If any man should know anything about the matter,
he was at once to come before the tsar and tell what he knew, and
was to be rewarded. And the tsar's commands were strictly carried out.
After some time the three princes in search of their sisters came
to pass the night at one of the inns of that country, and, after
supper, they began an animated conversation with the inn-keeper,
in the course of which the witty host boasted of his exploits, and
at length asked the princes: "Tell me now, what heroic deeds have
you young men performed?"
Thereupon the eldest brother started thus: "When my brothers and I set
out on our expedition in search of our sisters, we decided to pass
the first night on the shores of a lake in the midst of a deserted
forest. There I proposed that my brothers should go to sleep while
I remained to keep watch. As soon as they fell asleep, a terrible
alligator rose from the lake to devour my brothers, but I received
it on the point of my sword and cleft its hideous head asunder: if
you do not believe, here are the ears of the monster!" Saying this,
the eldest brother took out of his bag the ears of the alligator and
placed them on the table.
When the second brother heard this, he said: "And I was on guard,
my brothers, while you were sleeping the second night; and from the
lake appeared an alligator with two heads. I rushed at it with my
sword and cut off both its heads: if you do not believe me, see! here
are the four ears of the monster!" Saying this, he produced the ears
from his bag and placed them on the table to the great astonishment
of the listeners.
The Hero Found
But the youngest brother kept silent. And the inn-keeper asked him:
"By my faith, young man, your brothers are veritable heroes, let us
hear whether you have performed any heroic exploit?" Then the youngest
brother began to relate: "I have also done a little. When we arrived
at the shores of a lake on the third night in that desert to pass the
night, you, my brothers, went to rest, and I remained awake to keep
watch. About midnight, the lake was greatly agitated and an alligator
with three heads rushed out with the intention of swallowing you, but I
received it on the point of my sword and successfully cleft its three
heads asunder: if you do not believe me, see! here are the six ears
of the monster!" This astounded even his brothers, and the young man
continued: "Meantime our fire was extinguished, and I went in search
of fuel. Wandering over the desert, I came across nine giants ..." and
so he proceeded to relate to them all his surprising deeds. When the
story came to an end the inn-keeper hurried off and told everything to
the tsar, who gave him money and ordered that the brothers should be
brought to him. When they appeared the tsar asked the youngest prince:
"Is it really you who have done all those wonders in my city, and
saved the life of my only daughter?" "Yes, your Majesty!" answered
the prince. Thereupon the tsar moved with great joy and gratitude,
gave his daughter in marriage to the gallant prince and appointed
him his prime minister. As to his brothers, the tsar said: "If you
wish to remain with your brother, I shall find you wives and shall
order castles to be built for you!" But the two princes thanked his
Majesty and declared that they were already married and that they
wished to continue their search for their lost sisters.
The tsar approved of this resolution, and having been supplied with
two mules loaded with gold the two brothers said their farewells
and departed. The youngest brother soon began to think of his three
sisters; he would have been sorry to leave his wife to go in search of
them, and in any case the tsar, his father-in-law, would not permit
him to leave the court. Nevertheless the prince wasted away slowly
in grief for his sisters.
One day the tsar went forth to hunt, and said to the prince:
"Remain in the palace, and take these nine keys and keep them in
your pocket. You can open three or four rooms with those keys, there
you will find unbounded gold, silver and precious stones. In fact,
if you wish to do so, you can open even the eight rooms, but do not
dare to open the ninth. Ill indeed will be your fate if you do!"
Bash Tchelik
As soon as the tsar had left the palace, the young prince began
to open the doors, one after the other, of all the eight rooms,
and truly he saw much gold, silver and other precious things. At
length he came to the ninth room, and reasoned to himself: "I have
survived many extraordinary adventures, nothing ever surprised me;
why should I now be afraid to venture into this room?" Saying this,
he opened the door, and what do you think he saw there? In the middle
of the room stood a strange man, whose legs were bound in iron up to
the knees and his arms up to the elbows; in the four corners of the
room there were chains fastened to thick beams, and all the chains
met in a ring round the man's neck, so that he could not make the
slightest movement. In front of him was a fountain from which the water
streamed through a golden pipe into a golden basin. Near him stood a
golden mug, incrusted with precious stones. Despite his longing to
drink the water, the man could not move to reach the mug. When the
prince saw all this, he was indeed astounded, and drew back, but the
man groaned: "For heaven's sake, come to me!" The prince approached
him and the man said: "Do a good deed! Give me now a cup of water,
and know for certain, that I will reward you with another life!"
The prince thought within himself: "Is there anything better than
to possess two lives?" So he took the mug, filled it with water, and
handed it to the man, who drank eagerly. Then the prince asked him:
"Tell me now, what is your name?" The man answered: "My name is Bash
Tchelik (Real Steel)." The prince made a movement toward the door,
but the man again implored him: "Give me another mug of water, and
I shall give you a second life!" The prince thought: "Now, if he
gives me a second life, I shall have, together with my own, three
lives! This will be quite wonderful!" So he again filled the mug
and handed it to the strange prisoner, who emptied it greedily. The
prince turned toward the door, but the man exclaimed: "O hero, do not
go! Come back a moment! Since you have done two good deeds, do yet
a third, and I will give you a third life as reward. Take this mug,
fill it with water, and pour it over my head!"
The prince had no desire to refuse; he filled the cup with water,
and poured it over the man's head. No sooner had he done this than
Bash Tchelik broke the iron chains around his neck, jumped up with
the speed of lightning, and, lo! he had wings. He rushed through the
door before the surprised prince could make a movement, and, having
snatched up the daughter of the tsar, the wife of his deliverer,
he flew into the air and disappeared.
When the tsar returned from the hunt, his son-in-law told him all
that had happened, and the tsar was indeed greatly saddened, and
exclaimed: "Why did you do this? Did I not tell you not to open the
ninth room?" The prince humbly answered: "Do not be angry, I shall
go in search of Bash Tchelik, for I must fetch my wife." But the
tsar tried to dissuade him, saying: "Do not go, for anything in the
world! You do not yet know this man; it cost me many an army before
I succeeded in taking him prisoner. Remain in peace where you are,
and I will find for you a still better wife than my daughter was, and
rest assured that I shall continue to love you as my own son!" However,
the young prince would not listen to his father-in-law's advice, but
took money for his travelling expenses, saddled a horse and went in
search of Bash Tchelik.
The Prince finds his Sister
Some time later the young man came to a city. From the window of
a castle a girl cried out: "O prince, alight from your charger and
come into our courtyard!" The prince did as he was invited; the girl
met him in the courtyard, and he was greatly astonished to recognize
in her his eldest sister. They embraced and kissed each other, and
his sister said: "Come within, my brother." When they were inside,
the prince asked his sister who her husband was, and she answered:
"I have married the king of dragons, and he has sworn that he will
kill my brothers the first time he comes across them. Therefore,
I will hide you, and shall ask him first what he would do to you
if you appeared. Should he declare that he would do you no harm,
I would tell him of your presence." So she hid both her brother and
his horse. Toward evening the dragon flew home, and the whole castle
shone. As soon as he entered, he called his wife: "My dear, there is
a smell of human bones! Tell me at once who is here!" She answered:
"There is nobody!" But the dragon added: "That cannot be!" Then his
wife asked him: "Please answer truly, would you harm my brothers if
one of them should come here to see me?" And the king of dragons said:
"Your eldest and your second brother I would slaughter and roast, but
your youngest brother I would not harm." Then she said: "My youngest
brother, and your brother-in-law, is here." Thereupon the king said:
"Let him come in." And when the prince appeared, the king of dragons
stretched forth his arms, embraced his brother-in-law, and said:
"Welcome, O brother!" And the prince answered: "I hope you are
well?" Then they related to each other all their adventures from
beginning to end, and sat down to supper.
At length the prince told his brother-in-law that he was searching
for Bash Tchelik, and the dragon advised him, saying, "Do not go any
further! I will tell you all about him; the very day when he escaped
from his prison, I met him with five thousand of my dragons, and,
after a severe battle, he escaped victorious. So you see, there is
slender hope for you, alone, to overpower him. Therefore I advise you,
as a friend, to abandon your plan, and return home in peace; and if
you are in need of money I will give you any amount of it." But the
prince answered: "I thank you very much for all your good wishes
and advice, but I cannot do otherwise than go in search of Bash
Tchelik!" And he thought: "Why should I not do so, since I have three
superfluous lives?"
When the king of dragons saw that he could not dissuade the prince,
he handed a feather he was wearing to him, and said: "Take this, and if
you are ever in need of my help, you have only to burn it, and I will
come at once to your aid with all my forces." The prince thankfully
took the feather and started once more in pursuit of Bash Tchelik.
The Second Sister
Wandering for some time he came at length to another city, and,
as he was riding under the tower of a magnificent castle, a window
opened and he heard a voice calling him: "Alight from your steed, O
prince, and come into our courtyard!" The prince complied immediately,
and when he entered the courtyard, he was greatly surprised to see
his second sister, who threw herself into his arms, weeping for
joy. Then she showed her brother into her private apartment, and
he asked: "To whom are you married, sister dear?" And she answered:
"My husband is the king of the eagles." When the king returned home
his loving wife welcomed him, but he exclaimed at once: "Who is the
daring man now in my castle? Tell me directly!" She lied and said:
"No one!" Then they began their supper, and the princess asked her
husband: "Tell me truly, would you do any harm to my brothers if
one of them should dare to come here to see me?" And the eagle-king
answered: "As to your eldest and your second brother, I declare that
I would kill them; but your third brother I would welcome and help
as much as I could." Then she took heart and told him: "Here is
my youngest brother, and your brother-in-law, who has come to see
us!" Then the king ordered his servants to bring the prince before
him, and when the servants obeyed and the prince appeared, he stood
up and embraced and kissed his brother-in-law, saying: "Welcome,
my dear brother-in-law!" And the prince, touched by his kindness,
answered most courteously: "Thank you, my brother! I hope you are
well!" The king at once bade him be seated at table, and after supper
the prince related his wonderful adventures, and finished by telling
them about his search for Bash Tchelik. Hearing this, the eagle-king
counselled his brother-in-law most urgently to give up his hazardous
plan, adding: "Leave that fiend alone, O dear brother-in-law! I would
advise you to remain here; you will find everything you desire in my
castle." But the adventurous prince would not listen to this advice
for a moment, and on the morrow he prepared to resume his search for
Bash Tchelik. Then the eagle-king, seeing that the prince's resolution
was unshakable, plucked out of his garment a beautiful feather, handed
it to his brother-in-law, and said: "Take this feather, O brother,
and if you ever should need my help you will have but to burn it,
and I will at once come to your aid with the whole of my army." The
prince accepted the feather most gratefully, took his leave, and went
away in pursuit of his enemy.
The Third Sister