In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, lived a terrible Tsar. He
was famed through all lands,--a terror to kings and princes. The Tsar
took a thought to marry, and published an order in every town and
village that whoever would find him a bride ruddier than the sun,
fairer than the moon, and whiter than snow, would be rewarded with
countless wealth. The report of this went through the whole kingdom;
and from small to great, all were talking and thinking, but no one
offered to find such a beauty.
Not far from the king's castle was a large brewery. The working-men
came together for some reason, and began to say that a man might get
much money from the Tsar, but where could such a bride be found?
"Well, brothers," said a man, Nikita Koltoma by name, "no one can find
a bride for the Tsar without my help; but if I undertake it, then he
will find her without fail."
"What art thou boasting of, thou fool? How couldst thou do that deed?
There are famous and rich people, not the like of us, and they are
afraid. Thou couldst not do it in a dream, much less in thy senses."
"Well, say what ye please; but I have faith in myself," said he, "and
I'll get her."
"Ah, Nikita, don't boast; thou knowest our Tsar is terrible, and for
an empty boast he will put thee to death."
"He won't put me to death; he will reward me with money."
They reported these speeches to the Tsar himself. He was delighted,
and gave command to bring Nikita before his bright eyes. The soldiers
ran, seized Nikita Koltoma, and hurried him to the palace. His
comrades called after him: "Well, brother, thou hast said it; thou
thinkest to joke with the Tsar: go now and give answer."
They brought Nikita to the great palace, and the terrible Tsar said to
him: "Thou, Nikita, dost boast that thou art able to find me a bride
ruddier than the sun, fairer than the moon, and whiter than snow."
"I can, your Majesty."
"Very well, brother. If thou wilt do me that service, I will reward
thee with countless treasure and make thee first minister; but if thou
hast lied, I have a sword, and thy head leaves thy shoulders."
"I am glad to serve thee, Great Tsar; but command that I have a
holiday for a whole month."
The Tsar consented, and gave over his own signature an open order to
Nikita, commanding that in all eating-houses and inns they should give
him gratis all kinds of food and drink.
Nikita went through the capital to enjoy himself. Whatever inn he
entered, he showed the paper; immediately they brought him everything
that his soul desired. He caroused one day, a second, a third; a week,
a second, a third week. And now the term is passed; 'tis time to go to
the Tsar.
Nikita took farewell of his friends, went to the palace, and asked the
Tsar to collect for him twelve brave youths, the same in stature, in
hair, and in voice, and to prepare besides thirteen white woven tents
with golden embroidery. Everything was soon ready; the young men were
collected at once, and the tents made.
"Now, Great Tsar," said Nikita, "get ready, and we will go for the
bride."
They saddled their good steeds, packed the tents on the horses. After
that they had a prayer in the church, took leave of the people of the
town, sat on their steeds, and galloped away; nothing but a pillar of
dust behind them. They travelled one day, a second, and a third. In
the open field was a forge. Said Nikita: "Go straight ahead with God,
and I will run into the forge and smoke a pipe." He entered the forge;
fifteen blacksmiths were forging iron inside, striking with their
hammers.
"God aid you, brothers!"
"God save thee, good man!"
"Make me a staff fifteen poods[3] weight."
[3] One pood = 36 pounds.
"To make it we are not unwilling; but who will turn the iron? Fifteen
poods are no joke."
"That is nothing, brothers; you beat with the hammers, and I'll turn
the iron."
The blacksmiths went to work and forged an iron staff of fifteen
poods. Nikita took the rod, went out into the field, and threw it up
ninety feet, held out his hand; the iron staff fell on his hand, but
was not equal to the strength of the hero, it broke in two. Nikita
Koltoma paid the blacksmiths for their work, threw the broken rod to
them, and rode away. He caught up with his comrades. They travelled
three days more; again there was a forge in the open field.
"Go on, I will enter this forge," said Nikita. He went into the forge.
Twenty-five blacksmiths were working inside, forging iron, pounding
with their hammers.
"God aid thee, boys!"
"God save thee, good man!"
"Make me a staff twenty-five poods in weight."
"To forge is no trouble; but where is the man with strength to turn so
much iron?"
"I will turn it myself."
He took the twenty-five poods weight of iron, heated it red hot, and
turned it on the anvil while the blacksmiths pounded with their
hammers. They made a staff twenty-five poods in weight. Nikita took
that staff, went out into the open field, threw it up one hundred and
fifty feet, and held out his hand: the staff struck the hero's hand
and broke in two.
"No, this will not do," said Nikita. He paid for the work, sat on his
horse, and rode away. He overtook his comrades. They travelled a day,
a second, and a third. Again there was a forge in the open field.
"Go on," said Nikita; "I will smoke a pipe in this forge."
He entered the forge, where fifty blacksmiths were tormenting an old
man. A gray-haired old man was lying on the anvil; ten men were
holding him with pincers by the beard, and forty men were pounding him
on the sides with hammers.
"Have pity on me, brothers!" cried the old man, with all his strength.
"Leave the life in me to do penance!"
"God aid you!" said Nikita.
"God aid thee, good man!" said the blacksmiths.
"Why are ye tormenting the old man?"
"Because he owes each one of us a rouble, and he will not pay it. Why
shouldn't we beat him?"
"What an unfortunate man," thought Nikita; "for fifty roubles he
suffers such torment!" And he said to the blacksmiths: "Listen,
brothers: I'll pay you for him; let the old man go."
"Agreed, good man; it is all the same to us from whom we get the
money, so that we have it."
Nikita took out fifty roubles. The blacksmiths took the money, and
the moment they freed the old man out of the iron pincers, he vanished
from the eye. Nikita looked. "But where is the old man?"
"Oh, look for him now; he is a wizard!"
Nikita ordered them to forge an iron staff of fifty poods. He hurled
it up three hundred feet, and held out his hand: the staff stood the
test, did not break. "This will do," said Nikita, and rode off to
overtake his comrades. All at once he heard a voice behind him. Nikita
Koltoma stopped; he looked around, and saw the same old man running
after him.
"Thanks to thee," said the old man, "for saving me from cruel torture;
I suffered that misery for thirty years exactly. Here is a present to
remember me by,--take it; it will be of use to thee;" and he gave him
a cap of invisibility. "Just put it on thy head; no man will see
thee."
Nikita took the cap, thanked the old man, and galloped on. He overtook
his comrades, and all rode together. Whether it was long or short,
near or far, they came to a castle; around the castle was a great iron
paling; there was no way to enter, on foot or on horseback. The
terrible Tsar said: "Well, brother Nikita, there is no passage
farther."
Nikita Koltoma answered: "Why not, Great Tsar? I'll go through the
whole world but I'll find thee a bride. This paling is no stop to us.
Now, boys, break the paling; open the gate to the wide court!"
The good youths came down from their horses and went at the paling;
but no matter what they did, they could not break it, it stood fast.
"Oh, brothers," said Nikita, "ye sail in shallow water! No use in my
depending on you; I must work myself."
Nikita sprang from his horse, went to the paling, took it with his
heroic hand, pulled once,--the whole paling was on the ground. The
terrible Tsar and the young men rode in on the broad court, and there
on the green meadow they put up their white woven, gold-embroidered
tents, ate what God sent them, lay down, and from weariness slept a
sound sleep. Each one had a tent, but there was none for Nikita
Koltoma; he found three worn bark mats, made himself a little hut, lay
down on the bare ground. As to sleeping, he slept not; he waited for
what would be.
At the morning dawn Yelena the Beautiful woke up in her chamber,
looked out through her lattice-window, and saw that thirteen white
woven tents were standing on her green meadow, and in front of all a
small hut of bark rugs.
"What is this?" thought the Tsarevna; "whence have these guests come?
See, the iron paling is broken!"
Yelena the Beautiful was terribly enraged; she called her powerful,
mighty hero, and said: "To horse this minute! Ride to the tents and
give all those disobedient scoundrels to a cruel death; throw their
bodies over the fence, and bring the tents to me."
The powerful, mighty hero saddled his good steed, put on his
battle-armor, and went toward the unbidden guests. Nikita Koltoma saw
him. "Who goes?" asked he.
"And who art thou, rude fellow, that askest?"
These words did not please Nikita. He sprang out of his hut, caught
the hero by the foot, dragged him from the horse to the damp earth,
raised his iron staff of fifty poods, gave him one blow, and said: "Go
now to thy Tsarevna, tell her to stop her pride, not to waste her men,
but to marry our terrible Tsar."
The hero galloped back, glad that Nikita had left him alive, came to
the castle, and said to the Tsarevna: "Men of immeasurable strength
have come to our place. They ask thee for their terrible Tsar in
marriage, and commanded me to tell thee to put an end to thy pride,
not to waste thy army in vain, and to marry their Tsar."
When Yelena the Beautiful heard such bold speeches she was roused. She
summoned her great, mighty heroes, and began to command them all: "My
trusty servants, assemble a countless army, take down these white
tents, kill these unbidden guests, that the dust of them be not here."
The great, mighty heroes did not stop long. They collected a countless
army, sat on their heroic steeds, and bore down on the white woven,
gold-embroidered tents.
As soon as they came to the bark hut, Nikita Koltoma sprang out before
them, took his iron staff of fifty poods, and began to wave it at them
in different directions. In a little while he had killed the whole
army, and of the great, mighty heroes he left but one alive. "Go,"
said he, "to thy Tsarevna, Yelena the Beautiful, and tell her not to
waste her army further. She cannot frighten us with armies. Now I have
fought with you alone; what will happen to your kingdom when my
comrades wake? We will not leave a stone upon a stone; we will scatter
everything over the open field."
The hero returned to the Tsarevna and said: "Thy whole army is slain;
against such champions no power can avail." Yelena the Beautiful sent
to invite the terrible Tsar to the castle, and then ordered that the
sharp arrow be ready; went herself to meet the guests with grace, with
honor. The Tsarevna moves on to meet them, and behind her fifty men
are bearing the bow and the arrow. Nikita Koltoma saw that that was a
hero's bow, and knew at once that it was intended to treat them to the
arrow. He put on the cap of invisibility, drew the bow, and aimed the
arrow at the Tsarevna's chamber. In one moment he knocked off the
whole top of her castle.
There was no help for her now. Yelena the Beautiful took the terrible
Tsar by the hand, led him to the white-walled chambers, seated him and
his men at the oaken tables with the spread cloths. They began to
drink, to eat and rejoice. In the chambers were wonderful ornaments;
the whole world might be searched, and the like wouldst thou find
nowhere.
After dinner Nikita said to the terrible Tsar: "Does the young woman
please thee, or shall we go for another?"
"No, Nikita, there is no use in travelling for nothing; there is not a
better than this in the whole world."
"Well, then, marry now she is in our hands. But look out, Great Tsar,
don't be caught napping. The first three nights she will try thy
strength; she will put her hand on thee and press mightily, mightily:
thou canst not endure it in any way. At these times hurry out of the
chamber; I'll take thy place and soon tame her."
They set about the wedding, and Tsars have not to make mead or wine;
all was on hand. They had the wedding, and the terrible Tsar went to
the chamber of Yelena the Beautiful. He reclined on a couch.