There lived a Tsar Svaitozar. This Tsar had two sons and a beauty of a
daughter. Twenty years did she live in her bright chamber. The Tsar
and Tsaritsa admired her, and so did the nurses and maidens; but no
one of the princes and champions had seen her face. And this beauty
was called Vassilissa Golden Tress. She went nowhere out of her
chamber; the Tsarevna did not breathe the free air. She had many
bright dresses and jewels, but was wearied; it was oppressive for her
in the chamber. Her robes were a burden, her thick golden silk hair,
covered with nothing, bound in a tress, fell to her feet, and people
called her Vassilissa Golden Tress, Bareheaded Beauty. The kingdom was
filled with her fame. Many Tsars heard of her and sent envoys to Tsar
Svaitozar to beat with the forehead and ask the Tsarevna in marriage.
The Tsar was in no hurry, but when the time came, he sent messengers
to all lands with tidings that the Tsarevna would choose a bridegroom;
and inviting Tsars and Tsareviches to assemble and collect at his
palace to feast, he went himself to the lofty chamber to tell
Vassilissa the Beautiful. It was gladsome in the heart of the
Tsarevna. Looking out of the sloping window from behind the golden
lattice on the green garden, the flowery meadow, she was eager to
walk; she asked him to let her go forth to the garden to play with the
maidens. "My sovereign father," said she, "I have not seen the world
of God yet, I have not walked on the grass, on the flowers, I have not
looked on thy palace; let me go with my nurses and maidens to walk in
thy garden."
The Tsar permitted, and Vassilissa the Beautiful went down from the
lofty chamber to the broad court. The plank gate was open, and she
appeared in the green meadow. In front was a steep mountain; on that
mountain grew curly trees; on the meadow were beautiful flowers of
many kinds. The Tsarevna plucked blue flowers, stepped aside a little
from her nurses; there was no caution in her young mind; her face was
exposed, her beauty uncovered. Suddenly a mighty whirlwind rose, such
as had not been seen, heard of, or remembered by old people; the
whirlwind turned and twisted--behold, it seized the Tsarevna and
carried her through the air.
The nurses screamed and shrieked: they ran and stumbled, threw
themselves on every side; they saw nothing but how the whirlwind shot
away with her. And Vassilissa Golden Tress was borne over many lands,
across deep rivers, through three kingdoms into the fourth, into the
dominions of the Savage Serpent.
The nurses hurry to the palace, covering themselves with tears, throw
themselves at the feet of the Tsar. "Sovereign, we are not answerable
for the misfortune, we are answerable to thee. Give not command to
slay us, command us to speak. The whirlwind bore away our sun,
Vassilissa Golden Tress, the Beauty, and it is unknown whither."
The Tsar was sad, he was angry; but in his anger he pardoned the poor
women.
Next morning the princes and kings' sons came to the Tsar's palace,
and seeing the sadness and seriousness of the Tsar they asked him what
had happened.
"There is a sin to my account," said the Tsar. "My dear daughter,
Vassilissa Golden Tress, has been borne away by the whirlwind, I know
not whither;" and he told everything as it had happened.
Talk rose among the guests, and the princes and kings' sons thought
and talked among themselves. "Is not the Tsar refusing us; is he not
unwilling to let us see his daughter?" They rushed to the chamber of
the Tsarevna; nowhere did they find her.
The Tsar made them presents, gave to each one from his treasure. They
mounted their steeds, he conducted them with honor; the bright guests
took farewell, and went to their own lands.
The two young Tsareviches, brave brothers of Vassilissa Golden Tress,
seeing the tears of their father and mother, begged of their parents:
"Let us go, our father,--bless us, our mother,--to find your
daughter, our sister."
"My dear sons, my own children," said the Tsar, without joy, "where
will ye go?"
"We will go, father, everywhere,--where a road lies, where a bird
flies, where the eyes have vision; mayhap we shall find her."
The Tsar gave his blessing, the Tsaritsa prepared them for the
journey; they wept, and they parted.
The two Tsareviches journeyed on. Whether the road was near or far,
long in going or short, they did not know. They travelled a year, they
travelled two. They passed three kingdoms, lofty mountains were
visible and seemed blue; between these mountains were sandy
plains,--the land of the Savage Serpent. And the Tsareviches inquired
of those whom they met had they not heard, had they not seen, where
Tsarevna Vassilissa Golden Tress was. And from all the answer was one:
"We know not where she is, and we have not heard."
The Tsar's sons approach a great town; a decrepit old man stands on
the road; crooked-eyed and lame, with a crutch and a bag, he begs
alms. The Tsareviches stopped, threw him a silver coin, and asked had
he not seen, had he not heard of the Tsarevna Vassilissa Golden Tress,
Bareheaded Beauty?
"Ah! my friend," said the old man, "it is clear that thou art from a
strange land. Our ruler, the Savage Serpent, has forbidden strongly
and sternly to speak with men from abroad. We are forbidden under
penalty to tell or relate how a whirlwind bore past the town the
beautiful princess."
Now the sons of the Tsar understood that their sister was near. They
urged on their restive steeds and approached the castle of gold which
stood on a single pillar of silver; over the castle was a curtain of
diamonds; the stairways, mother-of-pearl, opened and closed like
wings.
At this moment Vassilissa the Beautiful was looking in sadness through
the golden lattice, and she screamed out for joy. She knew her
brothers from a distance, just as if her heart had told her. And the
Tsarevna sent down in silence to meet them, to bring them to the
castle; the Savage Serpent was absent.
Vassilissa the Beautiful was wary; she feared the serpent might see
them. They had barely entered when the silver pillar groaned, the
stairways opened, all the roofs glittered; the whole castle began to
turn and move. The Tsarevna was frightened, and said to her brothers:
"The serpent is coming, the serpent is coming; that's why the castle
goes round! Hide, brothers!"
She had barely said this when the Savage Serpent flew in, cried with a
thundering voice, and whistled with a hero's whistle: "What living man
is here?"
"We, Savage Serpent," answered the Tsar's sons, without fear; "from
our birthplace we've come for our sister."
"Oh, the young men are here!" shouted the serpent, clapping his wings.
"Ye should not die here from me, nor seek your sister to free; her own
brothers, champions, are ye, but champions puny I see." And the
serpent caught one of them with his wing, struck him against the
other, whistled and shouted. The castle guard ran to him, took the
dead Tsareviches, threw them both down a deep ditch.
The Tsarevna Vassilissa Golden Tress covered herself with tears, took
neither food nor drink, would not look on the world. Two days and
three passed. It was not right she should die, she did not decide to
die; she took pity on her beauty, took counsel of hunger. On the third
day she ate, and was thinking how to free herself from the serpent,
and began to gain knowledge by wheedling.
"Savage Serpent," said she, "great is thy power, mighty thy flight: is
it possible that thou hast no foe?"
"Not yet," replied the serpent; "it was fated at my birth that my foe
should be Ivan Goroh [John Pea]; and he will be born from a pea."
The serpent said this in jest; he expected no foe. The strong one
relied on his strength; but the jest came true.
The mother of Vassilissa Golden Tress was grieving because she had no
news of her children after the Tsarevna, the Tsareviches, were lost.
She went one day to walk in the garden with her ladies; the day was
hot, she was thirsty. In that garden, from a foot-hill, spring water
ran forth in a stream, and above it was a white marble well. They
drew, with a golden cup, water pure as a tear. The Tsaritsa was eager
to drink, and with the water she swallowed a pea. The pea burst, and
the Tsaritsa became heavy; the pea increased and grew. In time the
Tsaritsa gave birth to a son; they called him Ivan Goroh, and he grew,
not by the year, but by the hour, smooth and plump; he is lively,
laughs, jumps, springs on the sand, and his strength is growing in him
all the time, so that at ten years he was a mighty champion. Then he
asked the Tsar and Tsaritsa if he had had many brothers and sisters,
and he heard how it happened that the whirlwind had borne away his
sister, it was unknown whither, how his two brothers had begged to go
in search of their sister, and were lost without tidings.
"Father, mother," begged Ivan Goroh, "let me go too; give me your
blessing to find my brothers and sister."
"What art thou saying, my child?" asked the Tsar and Tsaritsa at once.
"Thou art still green and young; thy brothers went, they were lost,
thou wilt go too and be lost."
"Mayhap I shall not be lost," said Ivan Goroh. "I want to find my
brothers and sister."
The Tsar and Tsaritsa persuaded and begged their dear son, but he
craved, cried, and entreated. They prepared him for the road, let him
go with tears.
Ivan Goroh was free. He went out into the open field, travelled one
day, travelled another. Toward night he came to a dark forest; in that
forest was a cabin on hen's legs; from the wind it was shaking and
turning. Ivan spoke from the old saying, from his nurse's tale.
"Cabin, cabin," said he, "turn thy back to the forest, thy front to
me;" and the cabin turned around to Ivan. Out of the window an old
woman was looking, and she asked, "Whom is God bringing?"
Ivan bowed, and hastened to ask: "Hast thou not seen, grandmother, in
what direction the passing whirlwind carries beautiful maidens?"
"Oh, young man," said she, coughing, and looking at Ivan, "that
whirlwind has frightened me too, so that I sit in this cabin a hundred
and twenty years, and I go out nowhere! Maybe he would fly up and
sweep me away. That's not a whirlwind, but the Savage Serpent."
"How could one go to him?" asked Ivan.
"What art thou thinking of, my world? The serpent will swallow thee."
"Maybe he will not swallow me."
"See to it, champion, or thou wilt not save thy head. But shouldst
thou come back, give me thy word to bring from the serpent's castle
water with which, if a man sprinkles himself, he will grow young,"
said she, moving her teeth beyond measure.
"I will get it, grandmother, I give thee my word."
"I believe thee, on conscience! Go straight to where the sun sets. In
one year thou wilt reach the bald mountain there; ask for the road to
the serpent's kingdom."
"God save thee, grandmother!"
"There is no reason for thanks, father."
Well, Ivan Goroh went to the land where the sun sets. A story is soon
told, but a deed's not soon done. He passed three kingdoms, and went
to the serpent's land; before the gates of the town he saw a
beggar,--a lame, blind old man with a crutch,--and giving him charity,
he asked if the young Tsarevna Vassilissa Golden Tress was in that
town.
"She is, but it is forbidden to say so," answered the beggar.
Ivan knew that his sister was there; the good, bold hero became
courageous, and went to the palace. At that time Vassilissa Golden
Tress was looking out of the window to see if the Savage Serpent was
coming; and she saw from afar the young champion, wished to know of
him, sent quietly to learn from what land he had come, of what stock
was he, was he sent by her father or by her own mother.
Hearing that Ivan, her youngest brother, had come (and she did not
know him by sight), Vassilissa ran to him, wet him with tears. "Run,
brother, quickly!" cried she. "The serpent will soon be here; he will
see thee, destroy thee."
"My dear sister," answered Ivan, "if another had spoken, I should not
have listened. I have no fear of the serpent, no fear of his
strength."
"But art thou Goroh," asked Vassilissa Golden Tress, "to manage him?"
"Wait, friend sister; first give me to drink. I have travelled under
heat, I am tired from the road; I want a drink."
"What dost thou drink, brother?"
"Three gallons of sweet mead, dear sister."
Vassilissa gave command to bring a three-gallon measure of sweet mead,
and Goroh drank it all at one breath. He asked for another; the
Tsarevna gave orders to hurry, looked, and wondered.
"Well, brother, I did not know thee; but now I believe that thou art
Ivan Goroh!"
"Let me sit down a moment to rest from the road."
Vassilissa gave command to bring a strong chair; but the chair broke
under Ivan, flew into bits. They brought another all bound with iron,
and that one cracked and bent. "Oh, brother," cried Vassilissa, "that
is the chair of the Savage Serpent!"
"Now it is clear that I am heavier than he," said Goroh, laughing.
He rose and went on the street, went from the castle to the forge;
there he ordered the old sage, the serpent's blacksmith, to forge him
an iron club of nine tons weight. The blacksmith hastened the work.
They hammered the iron; night and day the hammers thundered, the
sparks just flying. In forty hours the work was done. Fifty men were
barely able to carry the club; but Ivan Goroh, seizing it in one hand,
hurled the club to the sky: it flew, roared like a storm, whirled
above the clouds, vanished from the eye. All the people ran trembling
from terror, thinking if that club falls on the town, it will break
the walls and crush the people; if it falls in the sea, it will raise
the sea and flood the town. But Ivan Goroh went quietly to the castle,
and gave command to tell when the club was coming. The people ran from
the square, looked from under the gate, looked out of windows. "Isn't
the club coming?" They waited an hour, they waited two; the third hour
they ran to say that the club was coming. Goroh sprang to the square,
put forth his hand, caught the club as it came, bent not himself, but
the iron bent on the palm of his hand. Ivan took the club, pressed it
against his knee, straightened it, went to the castle.
All at once a terrible whistling was heard, the Savage Serpent was
racing; Whirlwind, his steed, flying like an arrow, breathes fire. The
serpent in shape is a champion, but his head is the head of a serpent.
When he flies, the whole castle quivers; when he is ten versts
distant, it begins to whirl and dance. But now the castle moves not:
it is clear that some one is sitting inside. The serpent grew
thoughtful, whistled, shouted; the whirlwind steed shook his dark
mane, opened his broad wings, reared and roared.
The serpent flew up to the castle, but the castle moves not. "Ho!"
roared the Savage Serpent, "it is plain there is a foe. Is not Goroh
at my house?" Soon came the champion. "I'll put thee on the palm of
one hand, and slap with the other: they won't find thy bones."
"We shall see," said Ivan Goroh.
He went out with his club, and the serpent cried from his whirlwind:
"Take thy place in a hurry."
"Take thy own place, Savage Serpent," said Ivan, and raised his club.
The Savage Serpent flew up to strike Ivan, to pierce him with his
spear, and missed. Goroh sprang to one side, did not stagger.
"Now I'll finish thee!" roared Goroh. Raising his club, he struck the
serpent a blow that tore him to pieces, scattered him; the club went
across the earth, went through two kingdoms into a third.
The people hurled up their caps and saluted Ivan Tsar. But Ivan seeing
the wise blacksmith, as a reward for having made the club quickly, he
called up the old man and said to the people: "Here is your head; obey
him while doing good, as before ye obeyed the Savage Serpent for
evil."
Ivan got also the water of life and the water of death, sprinkled his
brothers; they rose up, rubbed their eyes and thought, "We slept
long; God knows what has happened."
"Without me you would have slept forever, my dear brothers," said Ivan
Goroh, pressing them to his restive heart.
He did not forget to take the serpent's water; he made a ship, and on
the Swan's river sailed with Vassilissa Golden Tress to his own land
through three kingdoms into the fourth. He did not forget the old
woman in the cabin; he let her wash in the serpent's water. She turned
into a young woman, began to sing and dance, ran out after Goroh, and
conducted him to the road.
His father and mother met him with joy and honor. They sent messengers
to all lands with tidings that their daughter Vassilissa had returned.
In the town there was ringing, and in the ears triple ringing;
trumpets sounded, drums were beaten, guns thundered.
A bridegroom came to Vassilissa, and a bride was found for the
Tsarevich; they had four crowns made, and celebrated two weddings. At
the rejoicing, at the gladness, there was a feast as a mountain, and
mead a river.
The grandfathers of grandfathers were there; they drank mead, and it
came to us, flowed on our mustaches, but reached not our mouths. Only
it became known that Ivan, after the death of his father, received the
crown, and ruled the land with renown; and age after age the name of
Goroh was famous.