The princess ordered her spirited steed to be brought from the stable. Forty men led the steed and could hardly keep him on his chain halter, so fierce and untamable was he. “Well, my intended bridegroom,” said the maiden, “take a ride on my steed. I myself ride him every morning.” The prince cried: “Eh, Ivan, see whether this horse is fit for me to ride.” Ivan the Naked ran to the horse and began to stroke him; he stroked him for some time, then took his tail, gave it a pull, and tore off his skin. “No,” he said, “it is a wretched nag. I barely touched his tail and his whole skin came off.” The prince complained: “Eh, princess, you are still making mock of me; instead of giving me a mighty steed you gave me a miserable jade.” The princess ceased trying the prince’s strength and married him the next day. After the wedding they lay down to sleep; the princess put her hand on the prince’s body and he could barely endure it; he began to lose his breath. “Ah,” thought the princess, “so that is the kind of champion you are! Very well then, I’ll show you!”
One month later the prince made ready to go to his own kingdom with his young wife. They rode one day, two days, three days, then stopped to give their horses a rest. The princess climbed out of the carriage, saw that Ivan the Naked was sound asleep, took an ax, and cut off both his feet. Then she ordered the horses put to her carriage, commanded the prince to stand on the footboard behind, and returned to her kingdom, leaving Ivan in the open field.
One day Marko the Runner passed through that field. He saw Ivan, spoke to him in a friendly fashion, took him on his back, and went with him into a deep dark forest. The champions began to live in the forest. They built themselves a hut, made themselves a little wagon, got a gun, and hunted birds of passage. Marko the Runner dragged the wagon, and Ivan the Naked sat in it, shooting birds. They fed on this game all year round.
After a while they grew weary of their life and decided to steal a maiden from her father and mother. They went to a certain priest and asked him for alms. The priest’s daughter came out of the house, bringing them bread. As soon as she was near the wagon, Ivan seized her by her hands, sat her next to himself, and Marko ran with them at full speed. A minute later they were in their hut. “Maiden,” they said, “be our sister, cook our dinner and supper, and look after the house.” Thus they lived peacefully and quietly and did not complain of their lot.
One day the champions went hunting, stayed away for a whole week, and upon their return could hardly recognize their sister, she had grown so thin. “What has happened to you?” they asked her. She told them that a dragon had flown to her every day and that she had grown thin because of him. “We will catch him,” said the champions. Ivan the Naked lay under the bench and Marko the Runner hid behind the door in the entrance hall. About half an hour later, the trees in the forest suddenly began to rustle and the roof of the hut shook: the dragon came, struck the damp earth, turned into a goodly youth, sat at table, and asked for food. Ivan seized him by his feet and Marko fell upon the dragon with all his body and thrashed him terribly. Then they dragged the dragon to an oaken stump, split the stump, stuck his head into the crack, and began to flog him with rods. The dragon implored them: “Let me go, mighty champions! In return, I’ll show where to find the water of life and the water of death.”
The champions consented. The dragon led them to a lake; Marko was overjoyed and wanted to jump into the water at once, but Ivan held him back. “First we must try it,” he said. He took a green twig and threw it into the water; the twig burned at once. Again the champions set upon the dragon; they drubbed him and drubbed him till he was more dead than alive. He led them to another lake; Ivan picked up a rotten trunk and cast it into the water; it sprouted at once and grew green leaves. The champions jumped into the lake, bathed in it, and came ashore with new limbs: Ivan had his feet and Marko his hands. They took the dragon, dragged him to the first lake, and threw him in—and only smoke was left of him.
They returned home. Marko the Runner was old. He brought the priest’s daughter back to her father and mother and began to live with them, because the priest had declared that whosoever brought his daughter back would be allowed to live and eat in his house till the end of his days. But Ivan the Naked got himself a mighty steed and went to look for his prince. He rode by an open field and saw the prince tending swine. “Hail, prince!” he said. “Hail!” answered the prince. “And who are you?” “I am Ivan the Naked.” “Why do you boast like that? If Ivan the Naked were alive, I would not be a swineherd.” “This is the end of your toil,” said Ivan. They exchanged clothes. The prince rode ahead on the mighty steed and Ivan the Naked followed him driving the swine. The princess saw him, ran out on the porch, and cried: “Ah, you good-for-nothing! Who told you to drive the pigs home before sunset?” Then she ordered the swineherd to be seized and thrashed in the stable. Ivan the Naked did not wait. He seized the princess by her braid and dragged her around the yard until she repented and solemnly promised to obey her husband in everything. After that the prince and the princess lived in concord for many years, and Ivan the Naked served them.
OLD FAVORS ARE SOON FORGOTTEN
A WOLF FELL into a trap but somehow managed to wrench himself free and began to run through the forest. Some hunters spied him and began to trail him. The wolf was compelled to run across a road, where a peasant returning from the field with a bag and a flail happened to be walking along. The wolf said to him: “Do me a favor, dear peasant, hide me in your bag; some hunters are on my trail.” The peasant consented, hid him in his bag, tied it up, and slung it over his shoulder. He walked on and soon met the hunters. “Haven’t you seen a wolf in this neighborhood, peasant?” they asked. “No, I haven’t seen anything,” answered the peasant. The hunters galloped on and vanished from sight. “Have my pursuers gone?” asked the wolf. “They have.” “Well, then, let me out.” The peasant untied the bag and let the wolf out into the free world.
The wolf said: “Well, peasant, now I will devour you.” “Ah, wolf, wolf,” said the peasant, “I saved you from a dire fate, and now you want to devour me!” “Old favors are soon forgotten,” replied the wolf. The peasant realized that he was in bad straits, and said: “Well, if so, let us walk on, and if the first person we meet agrees with you that old favors are soon forgotten, I will submit and you can devour me.”
So they walked on and met an old mare. The peasant stopped her and said: “Please, little mother mare, settle our dispute. I have rescued the wolf from a dire fate, and now he wants to devour me.” And he told her all that had happened. The mare thought and thought and said: “I lived with my master for twelve years, bore him twelve foals, worked for him with all my strength, but when I grew old and could not work any longer, he dragged me into a ravine; I climbed and climbed, until at last I climbed out by dint of much effort, and now I am plodding along I know not whither. Yes, old favors are soon forgotten.” “You see, I am right,” said the wolf. The peasant was grieved and implored the wolf to wait until they met someone else.
The wolf consented and soon they met an old dog. The peasant asked him the same question. The dog thought and thought and then said: “I served my master for twenty years, guarding his house and his livestock, and when I grew old and could bark no longer, he drove me out of his house, and now I am plodding along I know not whither. Yes, old favors are soon forgotten.” “Well, you see, I am right,” said the wolf. The peasant became even sadder than before and implored the wolf to wait for a third encounter, saying: “Then you may do as you will, since you refuse to remember my favor.”
The third beast they met was a fox and the peasant repeated his question to her. The fox began to argue. “But how is it possible,” she asked, “that a wolf, such a big beast, should have been able to climb into this small bag?” Both the wolf and the peasant swore that he had, but the fox still refused to believe it and said: “Well, little peasant, let me see how you put him in that bag.” The peasant opened the bag and the wolf stuck his head into it. The fox cried: “But did you hi
de only his head?” The wolf crawled in with his whole body. “Well, little peasant,” the fox went on, “show me how you tied him.” The peasant tied the bag. “Well, little peasant, how did you thresh the grain in the field?” The peasant began to thresh the bag with his flail. “And now, little peasant, how did you swing around?” The peasant swung around, struck the fox on her head, and killed her, saying: “Old favors are soon forgotten.”
THE SHEEP, THE FOX, AND THE WOLF
A SHEEP RAN away from a certain peasant’s flock. She happened to meet a fox, who asked her: “Where is God taking you, friend?” “Oh, oh, my friend, I was in a peasant’s flock, but my life was very hard; whenever the ram did some mischief, I, the sheep, was held responsible. So I made up my mind to go away, I know not whither.” “It’s the same thing with me,” answered the fox. “Whenever my husband caught a chicken, I, the vixen, was always held responsible. Let us run together.” After some time they met a wolf. “Good day, friends,” he said. “Good day,” said the fox. “Are you going far?” he asked. “I don’t know where I’m going,” the fox said and told him her troubles. The wolf said: “It is the same with me: whenever the she-wolf slaughtered a lamb, I, the wolf, was held responsible. Let us go together.”
They went. On the way the wolf said to the sheep: “Hey, sheep, you are wearing my coat!” The fox heard him and said: “Is it really yours, friend?” “Certainly.” “Will you swear to it?” “I will.” “Will you take a solemn oath?” “I will.” At this point the fox saw that some peasants had set a trap near the road. She brought the wolf to the edge of the trap and said: “Now, go in there to take your solemn oath.” The wolf foolishly went into the trap, which snapped and caught his snout. The fox and the sheep at once ran away from him for good.
THE BRAVE LABORER
A CERTAIN MILLER had a laborer. He sent this laborer to throw wheat into the hopper, but instead the fellow strewed it on the millstone. The mill began to turn and all the wheat was scattered. When the miller came to the mill and saw the scattered wheat, he drove the laborer away. The laborer set out for his own village, but got lost on the way. He went into some bushes and lay down to sleep. A wolf came; seeing that the laborer was asleep, he came closer and began to sniff him, but the laborer snatched the wolf by his tail, killed him, and skinned him.
The laborer went up a hill and on the hill stood an empty mill; he decided to spend the night in this mill. Three brigands came there; they lit a fire and began to divide their booty. One of them said: “I’ll put my share underneath the mill.” The second said: “I’ll shove mine under the wheel.” And the third said: “I’ll hide mine in the hopper.” But our laborer was lying in the hopper, and fearing that the brigands would kill him, he thought that he should try to frighten them. So he cried: “Hey, you there, go down! And you, strike from the side. And you, hit from there, while I strike from here! Stop them, boys! Get at them, boys!” The brigands took fright, threw down their plunder, and ran away.
The laborer crawled out of the hopper, gathered his booty, went home, and told his father and mother: “Here is everything I earned at the mill. Now let us go to market, buy ourselves a gun, and go hunting.” They went to market, bought a gun, and on their way back the laborer said to his father: “Look sharp to see whether we meet a hare, a fox, or perhaps even a marten.” The two men dozed as they drove and finally fell asleep. Two wolves came, killed their horse, and devoured it entirely. The father awoke and lashed out with his whip—at his horse, as he thought, but actually he hit the wolf. The wolf got into the horse’s collar and began to drag the cart and the father began to drive it. The other wolf tried to seize the laborer from behind. This wolf had a deep scar. The laborer lashed the wolf with his whip and the knot of his whip got stuck in the wolf’s scar. The laborer dragged him after his cart, so that one wolf pulled the cart while the other ran behind it. They came home; their dog ran out barking wildly. The wolves took fright; the one made a sharp turn, overturning the cart and spilling the father and son on the ground. The other wolf jumped out of the horse collar and the laborer dropped his whip; the two wolves ran away and the old man and the laborer were left with nothing.
They were well off indeed! Their yard was in the form of a circle. Three birch poles stood in it. The poles were tied by their tops. Three stakes were driven into the ground. Three twigs were wound around the stakes. The sky covered their estate from above and the whole world inclosed it!
DAUGHTER AND STEPDAUGHTER
A WIDOWED PEASANT with a daughter married a widow who also had a daughter; thus they each had a stepchild. The stepmother was envious and nagged the old man constantly, saying: “Take your daughter to the woods, to a mud hut; there she will spin more.” What could the peasant do? He did as his wife told him, took his daughter to a mud hut, gave her a steel and flint and a bag of grits, and said: “Here is fire for you, do not let it die out; cook your kasha, sit and spin, and keep the hut locked.” Night came. The girl heated the stove and cooked her kasha; from somewhere a little mouse came out and said: “Maiden, maiden, give me a spoonful of kasha.” “Oh, little mouse, cheer me in my loneliness, and I will give you more than one spoonful of kasha. I shall let you eat your fill of it.” The mouse ate his fill and left.
At night a bear broke into the hut and said: “Now, girl, put out the light and let us play blindman’s buff.” The mouse ran up the maiden’s shoulder and whispered into her ear: “Fear not, maiden. Say to him, ‘Very well, let us play.’ Then put out the light and crawl under the stove; I shall run about and ring the little bell.” So they did. The bear chased the little mouse but could not catch him; he began to roar and hurl logs of wood; he hurled and hurled them but did not hit his mark. He got tired and said: “Ah, little girl, you’re an expert player of blindman’s buff. To reward you I shall send you a drove of horses and a cartful of goods tomorrow morning.”
Next morning the old man’s wife said: “Go, old man, visit your daughter, see how much she has spun since yesterday.” The old man went and his wife sat and waited for him to bring back his daughter’s bones. Suddenly the dog began to bark: “Bow-wow-wow, the daughter is coming, with her father driving a drove of horses and bringing a cartful of goods.” “You’re lying, dog! Those are her bones rattling and clattering in my husband’s basket.” The gate creaked, the horses ran into the yard, and the stepmother beheld the father and daughter sitting on a cart laden with goods. The woman’s eyes gleamed with greed. “That’s not very much,” she cried. “Now take my daughter to the woods for the night. She will come home driving two droves of horses and bringing two cartfuls of goods.”
The peasant took his wife’s daughter to the mud hut and provided her also with food and fire. At nightfall she cooked gruel. The mouse came and asked her for some kasha. But she cried: “Oh, you vermin!” And she hurled a spoon at him. The mouse ran away, Natasha gobbled up all the kasha by herself, and, having eaten, put out the light and lay down in a corner. At midnight the bear broke into the mud hut and said: “Hey, where are you, little girl? Let’s play blindman’s buff.” The maiden did not answer, but her teeth rattled from fear. “Ah, so there you are! Here’s a little bell. Run, I will try to catch you.” She took the little bell, her hand trembled, the bell rang incessantly, and the mouse said: “That wicked maiden will meet her death.”
Next morning the wife sent the old man to the woods, saying: “Go now! My daughter will bring back two cartfuls of goods and drive two droves of horses.” The peasant went and his wife sat at the gate. The dog barked: “Bow-wow-wow, the wife’s daughter is coming, her bones are rattling in the basket, and the old man sits on an empty cart.” “You’re lying, dog! My daughter is driving herds and bringing full carts.” She looked up and there was the old man at the gate. He handed his wife a basket; she opened the basket, saw the bones, began to howl, and grew so angry that from grief and spite she died the next day. But the old man lived happily with his daughter all his life and took into his house a wealthy son-in-law.
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br /> THE STUBBORN WIFE
ONCE A PEASANT shaved his beard and said to his wife: “Look how well I have shaved.” “But you haven’t shaved, you have only clipped your beard!” “You’re lying, you wretch, I have shaved.” “No, it’s clipped.” The husband thrashed his wife and insisted: “Say it’s shaved, or I’ll drown you!” “Do what you will, it’s still clipped.” He took her to the river to drown her. “Say it’s shaved!” “No, it’s clipped.” He led her into the water up to her neck and shoved her head in. “Say it’s shaved!” The wife could no longer speak, but she raised her hand from the water and showed by moving two fingers like a pair of scissors that his beard was clipped.
ANECDOTES
AN OLD MOTHER was admonishing her son not to go bathing in the river: “Now, mind you, you rascal, if you drown, don’t dare to come back home!”
ONCE IN WINTERTIME some drivers were driving on the Volga. One horse became restive and jumped off the road; his driver ran after him and was about to hit him with his whip, when the horse fell into a hole and sank with the cart. “Well, you should be thankful you escaped,” said the peasant. “I was going to give you a terrible thrashing!”
A YOUNG PEASANT went hunting and his wife walked with him part of the way; after having walked for a verst she began to cry. “Don’t cry, wife, I’ll soon be back,” the peasant said. “But that’s not why I’m crying,” the wife said. “I’m crying because my feet are ice cold.”
Russian Fairy Tales (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library) Page 26
