Copyright 1945 by Pantheon Books, Inc.
Copyright renewed 1973 by Random House, Inc.
All rights reserved. Hardcover edition originally published in the United States by Pantheon Books, Inc., in 1945. Second hardcover edition published in the United States by Pantheon Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto, in 1975.
www.pantheonbooks.com
eISBN: 978-0-307-82976-4
LC: 45-37884
v3.1
CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
The Wondrous Wonder, the Marvelous Marvel
The Fox Physician
The Death of the Cock
Misery
The Castle of the Fly
The Turnip
The Hen
Riddles
The Enchanted Ring
Foma and Erema, the Two Brothers
The Just Reward
Salt
The Golden Slipper
Emelya the Simpleton
The Three Kingdoms
The Pike with the Long Teeth
The Bad Wife
The Miser
The Nobleman and the Peasant
The Goat Comes Back
Ivanushka the Little Fool
The Crane and the Heron
Aliosha Popovich
The Fox Confessor
The Bear
The Spider
Baba Yaga and the Brave Youth
Prince Ivan and Princess Martha
The Cat, the Cock, and the Fox
Baldak Borisievich
Know Not
The Magic Shirt
The Three Pennies
The Princess Who Wanted to Solve Riddles
A Soldier’s Riddle
The Dead Body
The Frog Princess
The Speedy Messenger
Vasilisa, the Priest’s Daughter
The Wise Maiden and the Seven Robbers
The Mayoress
Ivan the Simpleton
Father Nicholas and the Thief
Burenushka, the Little Red Cow
The Jester
The Precious Hide
The Cross Is Pledged as Security
The Daydreamer
The Taming of the Shrew
Quarrelsome Demyan
The Magic Box
Bukhtan Bukhtanovich
The Fox and the Woodcock
The Fox and the Crane
The Two Rivers
Nodey, the Priest’s Grandson
The Poor Wretch
The Fiddler in Hell
The Old Woman Who Ran Away
Two Anecdotes
The Singing Tree and the Talking Bird
The Ram Who Lost Half His Skin
The Fox as Midwife
The Fox, the Hare, and the Cock
Baba Yaga
The Ram, the Cat, and the Twelve Wolves
The Fox and the Woodpecker
The Snotty Goat
Right and Wrong
The Potter
The Self-Playing Gusla
Marco the Rich and Vasily the Luckless
Ivanko the Bear’s Son
The Secret Ball
The Indiscreet Wife
The Cheater Cheated
The Maiden Tsar
Ivan the Cow’s Son
The Wolf and the Goat
The Wise Little Girl
Danilo the Luckless
Ivan the Peasant’s Son and the Thumb-Sized Man
Death of a Miser
The Footless Champion and the Handless Champion
Old Favors Are Soon Forgotten
The Sheep, the Fox, and the Wolf
The Brave Laborer
Daughter and Stepdaughter
The Stubborn Wife
Six Anecdotes
Snow White and the Fox
Foma Berennikov
The Peasant, the Bear, and the Fox
Good Advice
Horns
The Armless Maiden
Frolka Stay-at-Home
The Milk of Wild Beasts
How a Husband Weaned His Wife from Fairy Tales
The Cock and the Hen
The Fox and the Lobster
Nikita the Tanner
The Wolf
The Goat Shedding On One Side
The Bold Knight, the Apples of Youth, and the Water of Life
Two Out of the Sack
The Man Who Did Not Know Fear
The Merchant’s Daughter and the Maidservant
The Priest’s Laborer
The Peasant and the Corpse
The Arrant Fool
Lutoniushka
Barter
The Grumbling Old Woman
The White Duck
If You Don’t Like It, Don’t Listen
The Magic Swan Geese
Prince Danila Govorila
The Wicked Sisters
The Princess Who Never Smiled
Baba Yaga
Jack Frost
Husband and Wife
Little Sister Fox and the Wolf
The Three Kingdoms, Copper, Silver and Golden
The Cock and the Hand Mill
Tereshichka
King Bear
Magic
The One-Eyed Evil
Sister Alionushka, Brother Ivanushka
The Seven Semyons
The Merchant’s Daughter and the Slanderer
The Robbers
The Lazy Maiden
The Miraculous Pipe
The Sea King and Vasilisa the Wise
The Fox as Mourner
Vasilisa the Beautiful
The Bun
The Foolish Wolf
The Bear, the Dog, and the Cat
The Bear and the Cock
Dawn, Evening, and Midnight
Two Ivans, Soldier’s Sons
Prince Ivan and Byely Polyanin
The Crystal Mountain
Koshchey the Deathless
The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa
Beasts in a Pit
The Dog and the Woodpecker
Two Kinds of Luck
Go I Know Not Whither, Bring Back I Know Not What
The Wise Wife
The Goldfish
The Golden-Bristled Pig, the Golden-Feathered Duck, and the Golden-Maned Mare
The Duck with Golden Eggs
Elena the Wise
Treasure-Trove
Maria Morevna
The Soldier and the King
The Sorceress
Ilya Muromets and the Dragon
The Devil Who Was a Potter
Clever Answers
Dividing the Goose
The Feather of Finist, the Bright Falcon
The Sun, the Moon, and the Raven
The Bladder, the Straw, and the Shoe
The Thief
The Vampire
The Beggar’s Plan
Woman’s Way
The Foolish German
The Enchanted Princess
The Raven and the Lobster
Prince Ivan, the Firebird, and the Gray Wolf
Shemiaka the Judge
Commentary
Notes
About the Author
The Illustrator
THE WONDROUS WONDER, THE MARVELOUS MARVEL
ONCE THERE WAS a wealthy merchant who traded in rare and precious goods, traveling with his wares every year to foreign lands. One day he fitted out a ship, made ready for his voyage, and said to his w
ife: “Tell me, my joy, what shall I bring you as a gift from foreign lands?” The merchant’s wife answered: “In your house I have all I want and enough of everything! But if you want to gladden my heart, buy me a wondrous wonder, a marvelous marvel.” “Very well. If I find one, I shall buy it.”
The merchant traveled beyond thrice nine lands, to the thrice tenth kingdom, sailed into a great and wealthy port, sold all of his cargo, bought a new one, and loaded his ship. Then he walked through the city and thought: “Where shall I find a wondrous wonder, a marvelous marvel?” He met an old man, who asked him: “What are you pondering about, what makes you so sad, my good young man?” “How can I help being sad?” answered the merchant. “I am looking for a wondrous wonder, a marvelous marvel to buy for my wife, but I do not know where to find one.” “Eh, you should have told me that in the first place! Come with me. I have a wondrous wonder, a marvelous marvel, and since you must have it, I will sell it to you.”
The old man led the merchant to his house and said: “Do you see that goose walking in my yard?” “I do.” “Now see what’s going to happen to it. Hey, goose, come here!” And the goose came into the room. The old man took a roasting pan and again spoke to the goose: “Hey, goose, lie down in the roasting pan.” And the goose lay down in the roasting pan. The old man put it in the oven, roasted the goose, took it out, and set it on the table. “Now, merchant,” said the old man, “let us sit down and eat. Only do not throw the bones under the table; instead, gather them all into one pile.” So they sat at the table and between them ate the whole goose. Then the old man took the picked bones, wrapped them in the tablecloth, threw them on the floor, and said: “Hey, goose! Get up, shake your wings, and go out into the yard!” The goose got up, shook its wings, and went into the yard as though it had never been in the oven! “Indeed, my host, yours is a wondrous wonder, a marvelous marvel,” said the merchant, and began to bargain with him for the goose, which he finally bought for a high price. Then he took the goose with him aboard ship and sailed back to his native land.
He returned home, greeted his wife, gave her the goose, and told her that with this bird she could have a roast every day without spending a penny—“Just roast it, and it will come to life again!” Next day the merchant went to his stall in the bazaar and in his absence his wife’s lover came to see her. She welcomed him with great joy, and offered to prepare a roast goose for him. She leaned out of the window and called: “Goose, come here!” And the goose came into the room. “Goose, lie down in the roasting pan!” But the goose refused. The merchant’s wife grew angry and struck it with the roasting pan. As she did so, one end of the pan stuck to the goose and the other to her. It stuck so fast that she could not in any way pull herself loose from it. “Oh, sweetheart,” cried the merchant’s wife, “wrench me loose from this roasting pan! That accursed goose must be bewitched!” The lover grasped the merchant’s wife with his two hands to wrench her loose from the roasting pan, but he himself stuck to her.
The goose ran out into the yard, then into the street, and dragged them both to the bazaar. The clerks saw their plight and rushed forward to separate them, but whoever touched them stuck to them. A crowd gathered to look at this wonder, and the merchant too came out of his stall. He saw that something was wrong. Who were all these new friends of his wife’s? “Confess everything,” he said, “otherwise you will stay stuck together like this forever.” There was no way out of it, so the merchant’s wife confessed her guilt. Then the merchant pulled them apart, soundly thrashed the lover, took his wife home and gave her a good hiding too, repeating with each blow: “Here is your wondrous wonder, your marvelous marvel!”
THE FOX PHYSICIAN
ONCE UPON A TIME there was an old man who lived with his old wife. The husband planted a head of cabbage in the cellar and the wife planted one in an ash bin. The old woman’s cabbage withered away completely, but the old man’s grew and grew till it reached the floor above the cellar. Then the old man took an ax and cut a hole right over the cabbage. Again the cabbage grew and grew until it reached the ceiling; again the old man took an ax and cut a hole right above the cabbage. Again the cabbage grew and grew until it reached the sky. How could the old man look at the top of his cabbage now? He climbed and climbed up the stalk until he reached the sky, cut a hole in the sky, and climbed out there. He looked about him. Millstones were standing all around; whenever they gave a turn, a cake and a slice of bread with sour cream and butter appeared, and on top of these a pot of gruel. The old man ate and drank his fill and lay down to sleep.
When he had slept enough, he climbed down to the ground and said: “Old woman, old woman! What a good life one leads in heaven! There are millstones there; each time they turn, one finds a cake, a slice of bread with sour cream and butter, and on top a pot of gruel.” “How can I get there, old man?” “Sit in the bag, old woman; I will carry you there.” The old woman thought for a while, then seated herself in the bag. The old man took the bag in his teeth and began to climb to heaven. He climbed and climbed—he climbed for a long time. The old woman grew weary, and asked: “Is it still far, old man?” “It’s still far, old woman.” Again he climbed and climbed, and climbed and climbed. “Is it still far, old man?” “Still half way to go!” And again he climbed and climbed, and climbed and climbed. The old woman asked a third time: “Is it still far, old man?” He was about to say “Not far,” when the bag dropped out of his teeth. The old woman fell to the ground and was smashed to bits. The old man climbed down the stalk and picked up the bag, but in it there were only bones, and even they were broken into little pieces.
The old man set out for home, weeping bitterly. On his way he met a fox, and she asked him: “Why are you weeping, old man?” “How can I help weeping? My old woman has been smashed to pieces.” “Be quiet, I will heal her.” The old man threw himself at the fox’s feet: “Heal her, I will give you anything you ask in return.” “Well, heat up a bath, put out a bag of oatmeal, and a crock of butter, and put the old woman beside it, and stand behind the door, but don’t look in.”
The old man heated a bath, brought what was called for, and stood behind the door. The fox entered the bathhouse, latched the door, and began to wash the old woman’s bones. Actually she did not wash them so much as lick them clean. From behind the door the old man called: “How is the old woman?” “She is stirring!” answered the fox. She finished eating the old woman, gathered the bones together, piled them up in a corner, and began to prepare a hasty pudding. The old man waited and waited, and finally called: “How is the old woman?” “She is sitting up,” answered the fox, and spooned up the rest of the pudding. When she had finished eating she said: “Old man, open the door wide.” He opened it and the fox leaped out of the bathhouse and ran home. The old man entered the bathhouse and looked around. All he found of his old wife were her bones under the bench, and even they were licked clean; the oatmeal and the butter were gone. The old man remained alone in his misery.
THE DEATH OF THE COCK
A HEN AND A COCK were walking in the priest’s barnyard. Suddenly the cock began to choke on a bean. The hen was sorry for him, so she went to the river to ask for some water. The river answered: “Go to the lime tree and ask for a leaf; then I will give you some water.”
The hen went to the lime tree. “Lime tree, lime tree, give me a leaf; I will take it to the river and the river will give me water; I will take the water to the cock, who is choking on a bean—he cannot breathe and he cannot sneeze, he is lying like one dead!” The lime tree answered: “Go to the dairymaid and ask for some thread; then I will give you a leaf.”
The hen went to the dairymaid. “Dairymaid, dairymaid, give me some thread; I will take it to the lime tree, and it will give me a leaf; I will take the leaf to the river, and the river will give me water; I will take the water to the cock, who is choking on a bean—he cannot breathe and he cannot sneeze, he is lying like one dead!” The dairymaid answered: “Go to the cow and ask for some milk; then I
will give you the thread.”
The hen went to the cow: “Cow, cow, give me some milk; I will take it to the dairymaid, who will give me some thread; I will take the thread to the lime tree, and it will give me a leaf; I will take the leaf to the river, and the river will give me water; I will take the water to the cock, who is choking on a bean—he cannot breathe and he cannot sneeze, he is lying like one dead!” The cow answered: “Go to the mowers and ask them for some hay; then I will give you the milk.”
The hen went to the mowers: “Mowers, mowers, give me some hay; I will take it to the cow, who will give me some milk; I will take the milk to the dairymaid, who will give me some thread; I will take the thread to the lime tree, and it will give me a leaf; I will take the leaf to the river, and the river will give me water; I will take the water to the cock, who is choking on a bean—he cannot breathe and he cannot sneeze, he is lying like one dead!” The mowers answered: “Go to the smiths, bid them forge a scythe. Then we will give you the hay.”
The hen went to the smiths: “Smiths, smiths, forge me a scythe; I will take it to the mowers, who will give me some hay; I will take the hay to the cow, who will give me some milk; I will take the milk to the dairymaid, who will give me some thread; I will take the thread to the lime tree, and it will give me a leaf; I will take the leaf to the river, and the river will give me water; I will take the water to the cock, who is choking on a bean—he cannot breathe and he cannot sneeze, he is lying like one dead!” The smiths answered: “Go to the Laians* and ask them for some coal. Then we will forge you a scythe.”
The hen went to the Laians: “Laians, Laians, give me some coal; I will take it to the smiths, who will forge me a scythe; I will take the scythe to the mowers, who will give me some hay; I will take the hay to the cow, who will give me some milk; I will take the milk to the dairymaid, who will give me some thread; I will take the thread to the lime tree, and it will give me a leaf; I will take the leaf to the river and the river will give me water; I will take the water to the cock who is choking on a bean—he cannot breathe and he cannot sneeze, he is lying like one dead!”
The Laians gave her some coal. The hen took the coal to the smiths and the smiths forged her a scythe. She took the scythe to the mowers and the mowers mowed some hay for her. She took the hay to the cow and the cow gave her some milk. She took the milk to the dairymaid and the dairymaid gave her some thread. She took the thread to the lime tree and the lime tree gave her a leaf. She took the leaf to the river and the river gave her some water. She took the water to the cock. But he was lying there quite still, neither panting nor breathing. He had choked to death on a bean!
Russian Fairy Tales (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library) Page 1
