Russian Fairy Tales

Incarnatio

of selection has been by no means easy. But I have done my best to choose such examples as are most characteristic of that species of the "mythical" folk-tale which prevails in Ru

eople the fairy-land peculiar to each race, though closely resembling each other in many respects, differ conspicuously in others. They may, it is true, be nothing more than various developments of the same original type; they may be traceable to germs common to the prehistoric ancestors of the now widely separated Aryan peoples; their peculiarities may simply be due to the accidents to which travellers from distant lands are liable. But at all events each family now has features of its own, typical characteristics by which it may be readily distinguis

r of any other pair of antagonistic forces or phenomena. The typical hero of this class of stories, who represents the cause of right, and who is resolved by mythologists into so many different essences, presents almost identically the same appea

as well as a masculine development-the heroine who in the Skazkas, as well as in other folk-tales, braves the wrath of female demons in quest of means whereby to

monstrous forms under which the imagination of each race has embodied its ideas about (according to one hypothesis) the Powers of Darkness it feared, or (according to another) the Aborigines it detested, differ from each other to a considerable and easily recognizable extent. An excellent illustration of this statement is offered by the contrast between the Slavonic group of supernatural beings of this class and their equivalents in lands tenanted by non-Slavonic members of the

n of "Zoological Mythology"), Koshchei the Deathless, and the Morskoi Tsar or King of the Waters. In the latter group the principal characters are the Baba Yaga, or Hag, her close connection the Witch, and the Fe

t the story an exclusively reptilian character; sometimes he is of a mixed nature, partly serpent and partly man. In one story we see him riding on horseback, with hawk on wrist (or raven on shoulder) and hound at heel; in another he figures as a composite being with a human body and a serpent's head; in a third he fli

rts on which it turns as on a pivot-he carries off his prey. In one story he appears to have stolen, or in some way concealed, the day-light; in another the bright moon and the many stars come forth from within him after his death. But as a general rule it is some queen or princess whom he tears away from her home, as

opyalo

hree sons. Two of these had their wits about them, but t

om the stove; but then he arose, and shook himself

e a mace five poods in weight." And when he had got the mace, he went out into the fields, and flung it straight up in the air, and then he went home. The next day he went out into the fi

fields, and flung it aloft. And the mace went flying through the air for three days and three nights. On the fourth day Ivan went o

the fields and flung it aloft. And the mace was up in the air six days. On the seventh Ivan went to the same spot as before. Down f

hut on fowl's legs,[76] and in that hut lived the Snake. There all the party came to a standstill. Then Ivan hung up his gloves, and said to his b

eads. His steed stumbled, his hound howled,

Steed! hast thou howled, O Houn

ied the Steed, "when under th

ngth together." Ivan came forth, and they began to fight. And Iv

ame a third, which had twelve heads. Well, Ivan began to fight with him, and lopped off nine of h

? Kro

ven, "Fly, and tell my wife to

hers to come, and then we will kill th

and when they heard the cry of the Raven, they hastened to their brother's aid. And they killed the Snake, and then, having

rs to wait for him meanwhile. Now when he had reached the hut and was going to take away his gloves, he heard the voices of the Snake's wife and daughters, who were talking with

rode and rode; presently they saw before them a green meadow, and on that meadow lay silken cushions. T

seized his mace, and struck the cushions with i

ld and silver apples. Then the elder brothers said, "Let's eat an apple apiece." But Ivan said, "Wait a minute, broth

em. And the elder brothers cried, "Let's have a drink of water." But Ivan Popyalof cried: "

the apple-tree, and the spring, wer

her jaws from the sky to the earth, and tried to swallow up Ivan. But Ivan and his brothers threw three poods of salt into her mouth. She swallo

himself behind twelve doors in the forge of Kuzma and Demian. The Snake's Wife came

nt her tongue through into the smithy, they caught tight hold of her by the tongue, and began thumping her with hammers. And when the Snake's Wife was dead they consumed he

o drink; it didn't go into my mout

" Ivan lops off three of the monster's heads, but they, like those of the Lern?an Hydra, become re-attached to their necks at the touch of their owner's "fiery finger." Ivan, whom his foe has driven into the ground up to his knees, hurls one of his gloves at the hut in which his brothers are sleeping. It smashes the windows, but the sleepers slumber on and take no heed. Presently Ivan smites off six of his antagonist's heads, but they grow again as before.[83] Half buried in the ground by the monster's strength, Ivan hurls his other

preceding story. The three widows die, but their mother, "an old witch," determines on revenge. Under the form of a beggar-woman she asks alms from the retreating brothers. Ivan tenders her a ducat. She seizes, not the ducat, but his outstretched hand, and in a moment whisks him off underground to her husband, an Aged One, whose appearance is that of the mythical being whom the Servians call the Vy. He "lies on an iron couch, and sees nothing; his long eyelashes

r deaths and those of their wives, her daughters. Accordingly she pursues the three brothers, and succeeds in swallowing two of them. The third, Ivan Koshkin, takes refug

o has been mysteriously spirited away. They usually come either to an opening which leads into the underground world, or to the base of an apparently inaccessible hill. The youngest brother descends or ascends as the case may be, and after a series of adventures which generally lead him th

Nork

ntities of wild animals of different kinds. Into that park there used to come a huge beast-Norka was its name-and do fearful mischief, devouring some of the animals every night. The

), and there he spent the whole night in revelry. When he came to his senses it was too late; the day had already dawned. He felt himself disgraced in the eyes of h

pid, feeling sure he wouldn't do anything. But he took his arms, and went straight into the park, and sat down o

pursuit. Presently he came up with the beast, and they began a fight. They fought and fought; the Prince gave the beast three wounds. At last they were both utterly exhausted, so they lay down to take a short rest. But the moment the Prince closed his eyes, up jumped the Beast and took to flight. The Prince's horse awoke him; up he jumped in a moment, and set off again in pursuit, caught up the Beast, and again began fighting with it. A

, the Prince called for his brothers, and he and they, having taken servants with them, and everything that was needed for a whole year, set out for the place where the Beast had disappeared under the stone

y it flew to a distance, though it was ever so big-big as a hill. And when

the other world, to

so. Then he laughed at them fo

other world, and don't go away from here, b

r world, underneath the earth, he went on his way. He walked and walke

van! Long have

his horse, and went indoors. In one of the rooms a dinner was laid out. He sat down and dined, and then went into a bedroom. There he found

man, my brother; but if a young man, thou shalt be my husband dear. And if thou art a woman, and an old one

when she saw him, she was d

usband dear shalt thou be!-whe

all that had happ

g just now with my second sister, who lives not far from here in a sil

also he stayed awhile. She told him that her brother Norka was then at her youngest sister's. So he went on to the youngest sister, who lived in a golden palace. She told him that her brother was at that time asle

snored, the water was agitated for seven versts around. The Prince crossed himself, went up to it and smote it on the

w to turn the eggs into palaces, and back again, and they handed over the eggs to him. And then they all went to the place from which they had to be hoisted into the upper world. And when they came to where the rope was, the Prince took hold of it and made the maidens fast to it.[88] Then he jerked away at the rop

flashed, the thunder roared, the rain fell in torrents. He went up to a tree in order to take shelter under it, and on that tree he saw some young birds which were being thoroughly drenched. So he took off his coat and covered them over with it, and he himself sat down under the tree. Presently there came flying a bird-such a big one, that the light was blotted out by it. It had been dark there befo

nto the other wo

"catch all sorts of game, and put them into one half of it, and into

ome distance she brought him to his journey's end, took leave of him, and flew away back. But he went to the house of a certain tailor, and engaged hims

have brought away brides from the other world, and want to marry them, but those brides refuse. For they insist on having all their wedding-clothes made for them first, exactly like

to the King, master, and tell him that you

lothes of that sort; I work for qu

ill answer for everyth

n had been found, and gave him as much money as ever he wanted. When the

; to-morrow all will be ready." And the tailo

him, and, as they had taught him, turned them into three palaces. Into each of these he entered, took the maidens' robes, went out a

lothes were those which had been theirs in the other world, they guessed that Prince Ivan was in this world, so they exchanged glances with each other, but they held their peace. And the master, having handed over the clothes, went home, but he no longer found

were just like what they had been in the other world. Then they wept bitterly because the Prince had not come, and it was impossible for them to

r, to go and give a

hem, and was going to give him some money, she caught sight of the ring which she had given to the Prince in the other world, and

orld. His brothers forbade us to say that he

and punished them as he thought best. And

is given to the Hungarian story in Gaal, No. 5-Dasent, No. 55, "The Big Bird Dan," and No. 56, "Soria Moria Castle" (Asbj?rnsen and Moe, Nos. 3 and 2. A somewhat similar story, only the palaces are in the air, occurs in Asbj?rnsen's "Ny Samling," No. 72)-Campbell's "Tales of the West Highlands," No. 58-Schleicher's "Litauische M?rchen," No. 38-The Polish story, Wojcicki, Book iii. No. 6, in which Norka is replaced by a witch who

, but the youngest wounds it, and then sets off in pursuit of it, and of the valuable arrow which is fixed in it. After long wandering he comes to a castle in a forest. There he finds a maiden who tells him she is the daughter of the Rákshasa whom, in the form of a crane, he has wounded. She at once takes his part against her demon father, and eventually flies wit

hand, for which reason, our hero, Chandasena has been unable to wound him when in his boar disguise. She instructs Chandasena how to kill her father, who accordingly falls a victim to a well-aimed shaft. (Brockhaus's "M?hrchensammlung des Somadeva Bhatta," 1843, vol. i. pp. 110-13). In the other story, the lady turns out to be a princess whom "a demon with fiery eyes" had carried off an

the pit."[90] But this apology for their behavior seems to be due to the story-teller's imagination. In some instances their unfraternal conduct may be explained in the following manner. In oriental tales the hero is often the son of a king's youngest wife, and he is not unnaturally hated by his half-brothers, the sons of an older queen, whom the hero's mother has supplanted in their royal father's affections. Accordingly they do their best to get rid of him. Thus, in one of the Indian stories which correspond to that of Norka, the hero's success at court "excited the envy and jealousy of his brothers [doubtless half-brothers], and they were not satisfied until they had devised a plan to effect his removal, and, as they hope

n lowered], detain their brother in the well,"[93] and he compares this form of the myth with that which it assumes in the following Hindoo tradition. "Three brothers, Ekata (i.e. the first), Dwita (i.e. the second) and Trita (i.e. the third) were travelling in a desert, and being distressed with thirst, came to a well, from which the youngest, Trita, drew water and gave it to his brothers; in requital, they drew

other monster whom the hero comes to kill. In the story of "Usuinya,"[96] for instance, there appears to be no relationship between these fair maidens and the "Usuinya-Bird," which steals the golden apples from a monarch's garden and is killed by his youngest son Ivan. That monster is not so much a bird as a flying dragon. "This Usuinya-bird is a twelve-headed snake," says one of the fair maidens. And presently it arri

erpent-like in form; sometimes he seems to be of a mixed nature, partly human and partly ophidian, but in some of the stories he is apparently framed after the fashion of a man. His name is by some mythologi

th which his life is indissolubly connected-does not exist within his body. Like the vital centre of "the giant who had no heart in his body" in the well-known Norse tale, it is something extraneous to the being whom it affe

Morevn

rincess Olga, the third the Princess Anna. When their father and mother lay at the point of death, they had thus enjoine

ef, he went with his sisters into the garden green to stroll. Sud

ome, sisters

ng split open, and into the room where they were, came flying a falcon

, but now I have come as a wooer! I wish to

ister, I will not interfere with her w

ent; the Falcon married her and

Prince Ivan and his two sisters went out to stroll in the garden

, when the thunder crashed, the roof burst into a blaze, the ceiling split in twa

I came as a guest, but no

and of the Princess Ol

cess Olga, then let her marry you. I will

married the Eagle. The Eagle took her

. Prince Ivan said t

and stroll in t

Again there arose a stormcloud

rn home, sis

, the ceiling split open, and in flew a raven. The Raven smote upon the floor and beca

a guest, but now I have come as a woo

ter's freedom. If you gain her

to his own realm. Prince Ivan was left alone. A whole year

ut in search

whole army lying dead on the plain. He cried aloud, "If there be a li

d unto him a

s been slain by the fair

to a white tent, and forth came to mee

does God send you? and is it of yo

Not against their will

s be not pressing, tar

he found favor in the eyes of Marya Morevna, and she married him. T

nto her head to go a warring. So she handed over all the house

ver everything, only do not ventur

e closet, pulled open the door, and looked in-there hung Koshchei the Deathl

rs long have I been here in torment, neither eat

ful of water; he drank it up

ter will not quench my

or a third, and when he had swallowed the third bucketful, he regained h

of a terrible whirlwind. And he came up with the fair Princess Marya Morevna as she was going her way, laid hold of her, and carried her off home with him.

and by the side of the palace stood an oak, and on the oak sat a falcon bright. Down flew

in-law! how deals

Ivan, and began enquiring after his health, and telling him all

st go in search of my wife the

leave with us your silver spoon. We will look at it and remember you." So P

grander than the former one, and hard by the palace stood an oak, and on the oak sat an eagle. Do

Olga! Hither come

m and embracing him, asking after his health and telling him all ab

I am going to look for my wife,

plied the Eagle, "Leave with us a silver

he third day he saw a palace grander than the first two, and near the palace stood an oak, and on the oak sat

e forth quickly! ou

and embracing him, asking after his health and telling him all ab

look for my wife, the fai

the Raven, "Anyhow, leave your silver snuff-box

went, another day he went, and on the third day he came to where Marya Morevna was. She c

me, and go looking into the closet a

; much better fly with me while Koshchei the Deat

ut hunting. Towards evening he was returning h

, sorry jade? scent

eed re

come and carried

sible to c

nd thresh it, to grind it to flour, to make five pies of it, to eat

d off and caught

r kindness in giving me water to drink. And a second time I will

down on a stone and burst into tears. He wept and wept-and then returned back

ly, Marya

Ivan! he wil

t all events we shall have s

hei the Deathless was returning home

, sorry jade? scent

come and carried

sible to c

and thresh it, to brew beer, to drink ourselves drunk on it, to sl

ed off, caught

should not see Marya Morevna

ay and carried her

; then he went back again after Marya Morevna. Kos

ly, Marya

is sure to catch us a

ay! I cannot li

ot ready

returning home when his goo

thou? scentes

me and has carried

, put them in a barrel, smeared it with pitch and bound it with iron hoop

urned black which Prince Ivan h

the evil is accomp

e barrel, and dragged it ashore; the Falcon flew away for

them together in fitting order. The Raven sprinkled them with the Water of Death-the pieces joined together, t

time I've be

er, if it hadn't been for us," replied his br

I shall go and look

d found her, h

the Deathless whence h

le moment, and began asking Kosh

She has so good a mare that she flies right round the world on it every day. And she has many other splendid mares.

u get across th

e it thrice on the right hand, there springs up a

him. So he managed to get across the fiery river, and then went on to the Baba Yaga's. Long went he on without getting

ne of these

the outlandish bird; "some time

and saw a hive of

it of honeyco

!" exclaims the queen bee; "some tim

went on. Presently there me

cub," says he; "I'm so hu

n" begs the lioness; "some time

ve it your own

d the house of the Baba Yaga. Round the house were set twelve poles in a circle, and on ea

, gra

have you come? Is it of your

earn from you

u take good care of my mares, I'll give you a heroic steed. But if you don't-why then

eir tails, and away they tore across the meadows in all directions. Before the Prince had time to look round, they were all out of sight. Thereupon he began to weep and to di

van! the mares a

There the Baba Yaga was storming and

did ye com

"There came flying birds from every part of

galloping over the meadows, but

ight. In the morning th

of the mares, if you lose merely one of the

ng the thick forests. Again did the Prince sit down on the stone, weep and weep, an

van! The mares a

More than ever did the Baba Yag

d ye come ba

rey came running at us from all parts of th

ow run off int

the night. Next morning the Baba Yag

them," says she, "your bold he

into the blue sea. There they stood, up to their necks in water. Prince Ivan sat down on the stone

t eyes on you, but go into the stable and hide behind the mangers. There you will find a sorry

lay down behind the mangers, while the Baba Ya

d ye co

s in countless numbers from all parts of the world, a

me to that river he waved the handkerchief three times on the right hand, and suddenly, springing goodness knows whence, there hung across the river, high in the air, a

on with the pestle, sweeping away her traces with the broom. She dashed up to the fiery river, gave a glance, and said, "A capital bridge!" She drove on to

rned into a wondrous steed. Then he rode to where Marya Morevna

as God brought y

says he. "Now com

f Koshchei catches us, you w

heroic steed now; it flies just like a bir

returning home when his h

ng for, sorry jade? do

come and carried

e catc

an has a horse now wh

," says Koshchei the De

d cracked his skull, and the Prince made an end of him with a club. Afterwards the Prince heaped up a pile of wood, set fire to it, burnt Koshchei the Deathless on the pyre, and scattered his ashes to the wind. T

for nothing that you gave yourself so much trouble. Such a beauty as Marya

feasted; and afterwards they w

der very noteworthy the Slavonic stories in which they occur. The Princess, Marya Morevna, who slaughters whole armies before she is married, and then becomes mild and gentle, belongs to a class of heroines who frequently occur both in the stories and in the "metrical romances," and to whom may be applied the remarks made by Kemble with ref

e Hail, and the Thunder. He himself marries the terrible heroine Anastasia the Fair, in the forbidden chamber of whose palace he finds a snake "hung up by one of its ribs." He gives it a lift and it gets free from its hook and flies away, carrying off Anastasia the Fair. Fedor eventually finds her, escapes with her on a magic foal which he obtains, thanks to the aid of grateful wolves, bees, and crayfish, and destroys the snake by striking it "on the forehead" with the stone which was destined to be its death. In a third version of the story,[110]

les Grimm's "Marienkind" in many points. But its forbidden chamber differs from that of the German tale. In the latter the rash intruder sees "die Dreieinigkeit im Feuer und Glanz sitzen;" in the former, "the Holy Mother of God healing the wounds of her Son, the Lord Christ." In the Neapolitan story of "Le tre Corune" (Pentamerone, No. 36), the forbidden chamber contains "three maidens, clothed all in gold, sitting and seeming to slumber upon as many thrones" (Liebrecht's translation, ii. 76). The Esthonian tale of the "Wife-murderer" (L?we's "Ehstnische M?rchen," No. 20) is remarkably-not to say suspiciously-like that French story of Blue Beard which has so often made our young blood run cold. Sister Anne is represented, and so are the rescuing brothers, the latter in the person of the heroine's old friend and playmate, T?nnis the goose-herd. Several very curious Gaelic versions of the story are given by Mr. Campbell ("Tales of the West Highlands," No. 41, ii. 265-275). Two of the

den. After gazing at these seeming corpses, in one of which he recognizes his first love, he approaches a horse which is grazing beside a lake. The horse kicks him into the water; he sinks deep-and comes up again in his native land. The whole of the story is, towards its termination, fully explained by one of its principal characters-one of the four maidens whom Saktideva simultaneously marries. With the version of this romance in the "Arabian Nights" ("History

stories, see Cox's "Mythology of the Aryan Nations," ii. 36, 330.

he stories of this class current in all parts of Europe and Asia, and its result is almost always the same. But the means by which that result is brought about differ considerably in different lands. In the Russian tales the "death" of the

the Death

ther's blessing, that he might go and look for his mother. His father gave him his blessing, and he went off and disappeared, leaving no trace behind. The second son waited and waited, then

ing, "Your brothers are no more; if you

less me I shall go; and if yo

r gave him h

y under it. He could not find a steed to suit him, so he wandered with drooping brow

r brow so low,

one of my hands, and give it a slap with the other

by-street, came to meet h

Ivan! why hangs

he th

sk me? Mightn't she be of

use I cannot get my

uffer, and not to ask the old wo

ll, showed him a cer

at piece o

tened with twelve chains, stood a heroic steed which evidently heard the approaching steps of a rider worthy to mount it, and so began to neigh and to struggle, until it broke all

bless me!" then he mounte

other, and rode on together, till they came to an iron rock[114] a hundred and fifty poods in weight, and on it was this inscription, "Whosoever will fling this rock against the mountain, to him will a

blood run from his little finger into a

re no longer: that will mean that I am about to d

huge house! In it lived a king's daughter who had been carried off by Koshchei the Deathless. Prince Ivan walked round the enclosure, but could not see any doors. The king's daught

ived him kindly, gave him to eat and to drink, and then began to question him. He told he

chei is not mortal: he will kill you. He often comes here to see me. There is h

sword, but he tossed it high in th

re to look for the door, and he entered in. There wa

arrive. The mother hid away her son. Suddenly Koshchei the Deathless entered the house and cried out, "Phou, Phou! A Russian bone[115] one use

nostrils, that's why you fancy it's here," answered Prince Ivan's mother, and then she drew nigh to K

is your death

under the oak is a casket, and in the casket is a hare, and in the h

e Deathless tarried there a lit

thing would come my way!" Suddenly there appeared a young wolf; he determined to kill it. But out from a hole sprang the she wolf, and said, "Don't hurt my little one; I'll do you a good turn." Very good! Prince Iva

suddenly jumped out of the water and fell on the strand. He caught hold of it, and thought-for he was half dead with hunger-"Now I shall have something t

and laid herself right across the sea. Prince Ivan walked along her back, as if he were going over a bridge, and came to the oak w

had such a fright! Out popped the duck and flew away. He fired after it, but shot all on one side, so again he gave himself up to his thoughts. Suddenly there appeared the crow with her little crows, and set off after the duck, and caught it, and brought it to Prince Ivan. Th

sea. Prince Ivan walked along it to the other side, and then he set out again for his mother's. When he got there, the

the ear hear nor the eye see, but

shchei? There's no one with me,

Koshchei and said, "

thless bent double. At last Prince Ivan came out from his hiding-place,

aying, "Don't kill me, Prince Ivan! Let's be

h Prince Ivan. He smashed the egg

on his way, and they took her with them too. They went further, and came to the hill where Ivan's brothers were still waiting for him. Th

who then set to work and cut away the ladder, so that he himself would not be able to get down. And they used such threats to his mother and the Princess, that they made them promise not to tell about Pr

the ring, and the seamless shoes. Then he came back to the mountain and tossed the rin

e your c

down from

im down. Prince Ivan put the rin

y, and arrived at the city in whi

rters in the house of an

here, mother, i

ppeared, and no one knows where he is. The King is very unhappy about him. And those two Princes and their mother brought a certain Princess back with them; and the eldest son wants to marry her,

g that you will make one. I'll man

y dressed herself, and hast

esty, I will make

le as you are welcome," said the king. "Bu

g. But Ivan lay down to sleep, troubling himself very little about it. The ring was there all the tim

e out of the scrape; but you'v

fell asleep. Early in the morning Prin

't accept more than one ducat for it. If anyone asks who made

and carried off the ring. Th

hey gave the old woman a dish full o

ke so little?"

our Majesty? if I want some mor

his the old w

a one as she wanted. Well, the old woman, thanks to Prince Ivan's aid, succeeded in this matter too, and took her the wedding-dress. And aft

alace on such-and-such a day. And the day they all anxiously

the bride is just going t

dn't let the tim

on his princely raiment,

s is what I'm rea

man fell a

e for scolding

th you," s

to her. Then he and she were escorted back to the palace, and as they went along, the proper bridegroom, his eldest brother,

nt all about the treachery of his brothers, after the wedding feast had been so

lowers his mother and three other ladies whom he has rescued, by means of a rope made of strips of hide. This his brothers cut to prevent him from descending.[119] They then oblige the ladies

for the singular reticence so often maintained, un

an egg, which is inside a duck, which is inside a hare, which is inside a stone, which is on an island [i.e., the fabulous island Buyan].[123] In another variant[124] Koshchei attempts to deceive his fair captive, pretending that his "death" resides in a besom, or in a fence, both of which she adorns with gold in token of

which swims on a pond, inside a mountain, and she dies when it is put out. In the Bohemian story of "The Sun-horse"[129] a Warlock's "strength" lies in an egg, which is within a duck, which is within a stag, which is under a tree. A Seer finds the egg and sucks it. Then the Warlock becomes as weak as a child, "for all his strength had passed into the Seer." In the Gaelic story of "The Sea-Maiden,"[130] the "great beast with three heads" which haunts the loch cannot be killed until an egg is broken, which is in the mouth of a trout, which springs out of a crow, which flies out of a hind, which lives on an island in the middle of the loch. In a Modern Greek tale the life of a dragon or other baleful being comes to an end simultaneously with the lives of three pigeons which are shut up in an

s in a cage placed beneath the lowest of six jars of water, piled one on the other, and standing in the midst of a desolate country covered with thick

aptive damsel whose mother they have killed, receives the extracted hearts and hangs them on the tent-pole, where they remain till the following morning. One night her brother contrives to get the hearts into his posses

ates that he shall take his heart and place it "in the flowers of the acacia-tree," so that, if the tree is cut down, his heart will fall to the ground and he will die. Having given Anepou instructions what to do in such a case, he seeks the valley. There he hunts wild animals by day, and at night he sleeps under the acacia-tree on which his heart rests. But at length Noum, the Creator, forms a wife for him, and all the other gods endow her with gifts. To this

desirous of returning to Egypt, and says, "I will leave this celestial sphere." Next day Anepou finds it under the acacia, and places it in a vase which contains some mystic fluid. When the heart has

r without fainting. Going in search of her, he comes to the home of an enchantress, who invites him to tea and gives him leave to inspect her house. As he wanders about he comes to a cellar in which "he sees that beautiful one whom he loves,

tree. It is in a deep place, and no ma

ose-tree by the roots, whereupon the enchantress straightway sickens. He returns to her house, finds her at the point of death, and throws the rose-bush into the cellar where his love is crying, "B

the Queen-Maiden has to return home without him. When he awakes, and learns that she has gone, he sorrows greatly, and sets out in search of her. At last he learns from a friendly witch that his betrothed no longer cares for him, "her love is hidden far away." It seems "that on the other side of the ocean stands an oak, and on the oak a coffer, and in the coffer a hare, and

uich, the many-headed Snake, who in Russian storyland is represented as the type of all that is evil. But in the actual Russia of to-day, snakes bear by no means so bad a character. Their presence in a cottage is considered a good omen by the peasants, who leave out milk for them to drink, and who think that to kill such visitors would be a ter

er Snak

nto the water. Then there came a snake out of the water, and glided on to the daughter's shift. After a time the girls all came out, and began to put on their shifts, and t

me, I'll give you

nclined to marry him, b

well, I will." Then the snake glided off from the shift, and went straight into the wate

n my shift, and says he, 'Marry me or I won't l

king, you little fool! as

t as they were, and forg

as possible. The snakes would have rushed in at the door, but the door was shut; they would have rushed into the passage, but the passage was closed. Then in a moment they rolled themselves into a ball, flung themselves at the w

ith her. And there they all turned into men and women. The mother rem

she often entreated her husband to let her go to see her mother. So at last one day he took he

call out whe

oseph] Osip, come here!' a

arrying her little girl on one arm, and leading her boy by the h

other!" said

while you were living down

her. My life there is

hatted. Her mother got dinner

sband's name?"

" she

re you to

nd call out, 'Osip, Osip,

r, and rest a bit,

ately took an axe and sharpened it, and went down to the dike

sip, com

d woman lifted her axe and chopped it off. An

e. And when she got ho

"I'm getting tired of be

ter; perhaps you won't have an

ast ready for her; she breakfasted, and then she said good-bye to her mother and went away, carrying

sip, com

called, but h

there she saw a head floating about.

er has killed

ept and wailed. And the

wren, hencefor

er boy s

tingale, my boy, hen

bout as a cuckoo, crying 'Cuck

times, when a husband of this kind has doffed his serpent's skin, his wife seizes it, and throws it into the fire. Her act generally proves to be to her advantage, as well as to his, but not always. On a story of this kind was doubtless founded the legend handed down to us by Appuleius of Cupid and Psyche. Among it

, and to the similar beings with which, under various names, tradition peoples the lakes, and streams, and fountains of Europe. The South-Russian peasantry have from immemorial times maintained a firm belief in the existence of water-nymphs, called Rusalkas, closely resembling the Nereids of Modern Greece, the female Nixies of the Nor

species. They are, for the most part, the daughters of the Morskoi Tsar, or Water King-a being who plays an important part in Slavonic popular fiction. He is of a somewhat shadowy form, and his functions are not very clearly defined, for the part he usually fills is sometimes allotted to Koshchei or to the Snake, but the stories generally represent him as a patriarchal monarch, living in subaqueous halls of light and

and Vasilissa

and shooting. Well one day he went out hunting, and he saw an Eaglet sitting on an

r take me home with you; some time o

d, "How can you be of use to me?"

t said to him

er take me home with you; some time

e more what use the Eaglet could be to him, and so he deter

home with you and feed me for three years. Som

r, for two years. But it ate so much that it devoured all his cattle.

t me go

gle began trying its wings. But no

you like it or no, feed me for one year more. Even if you h

e fed the Eagle for the space of a whole year, and afterwards he set it at liberty. Th

Take a seat on my back! w

the blue sea. Then the Eagle shook off the King, who fell into the sea, and sank up to

King! were you fri

"I thought I was going

hook off the King right in the middle of the sea; the King sank up

ng, were you frig

time I thought, 'Perhaps, please G

pped the King into a great gulf, so that he sank right up to his neck

ng! Were you frig

still I said to myself, 'Pe

u remember my sitting on an oak, and your wanting to shoot me? Three times you were going to let fly, but I kept on entreatin

ong, long did they fly. Says the Eagle, "Look, m

ing l

s, "is the sky, be

is on the right ha

an open plain, on th

aid the Eagle; "my young

him at the oaken table. But on the King she would not so much as look, but left him outside, loosed greyhounds, and

tly the Eagle said to the King,

d, looked, and said, "B

ster-on fire, because she did not re

flew. Again th

King; what is above u

he sky, below

is on the right han

pen plain, on the left

nd sister; we'll go

table; but the King was left outside, and she loosed greyhounds, and set them at him. The Eagle flew into a ra

look round! wha

g looke

s behind us

!" said the Eagle. "Now we'll fly to whe

eldest sister were delighted to see them, and

and afterwards I will give you a ship, and will repay you fo

ship and two coffers-the one

t home. Then open the red coffer in the back c

ers, and wondering whatever there could be in them, and why the Eagle had told him not to open them. He thought and thought, and at last couldn't hold out any more-he longed so awfully to know all about it

e exceedingly sorrowful, and beg

do? how shall I get all this cat

the water a man-came

u weeping so bitt

King. "How shall I be able to get all

all your cattle for you. But on one condition only. You mus

ng ref

on't know of?" says he. "I fancy I

up," says he. "I will give you whatever

for him in the coffer. The King went

been born to him. And he began kissing the child, caressing

ueen, "tell me wherefore t

y!" he

d cows, sheep and rams; there were multitudes of all sorts of cattle, so that all the sheds and pastures were crammed full. He went into the front court, opened the gre

o go for a stroll, and he came to a river. At that moment th

getful, lord King! Think a lit

ey all mourned and wept together, but they decided that there was no help for it, the Prince

d would lead him somewhere. He walked and walked, and came to a de

" thought the Pri

he Baba Yaga. "Are you see

e to eat and to drink, an

e Prince told her everything as to whi

n bathing; do you steal quietly up and lay your hands on the eldest maiden's shift. When you have come to terms with her, go to the Water King,

urned into fair maidens, and began to bathe. The Prince stole the eldest one's shift, and sat down behind a bush-didn't budge an inch. The girls finished bathing and came out on th

our way to the house of my father, the Water K

away after her companions. The Prince went further on; there met him by the way three heroes

ing saw him

r you. Now set to work. Here is your first task. Build me in one night a great crystal bri

rst into a flood of tears. Vasilissa the Wise op

u crying abo

ather has ordered me to build a crystal bridge in a si

d sleep; the morning is

Then from all sides there ran together carpenters and workmen; one levelled the ground, another carried bricks.

Vasilissa the Wis

s ready: my father will be co

took his place on the bridge, and be

g bestowed pr

by to-morrow a garden green-a big and shady one; and there must be birds singing in the gard

ing, all dissolved in tears. Vasiliss

ou crying f

r father has ordered me to

and sleep: the morning i

istle. From every side there ran together gardeners of all sorts, and they planted a garden green, an

g Vasilissa the Wis

garden is ready: Papa

off to the garden. Here he swept a path, there he

daughters. They are all exactly alike in face, in hair, and in dress. If you can pick out the same o

l about that, so she found

the second I will be arranging my dress, the

the Wise three times running. And he and she w

ed men could get through. And he ordered his son-in-law to see that ever

re's an old fellow of mine here; p

him c

n! The Water King next set out two score tubs of all kinds of strong d

"there's another old man of mine her

him c

tubs in a twinkling, and then asked fo

ung couple-an iron bath-room-and to heat it as hot as possible. So the iron bath-room was made hot. Twelve loads of

an old fellow of ours have a scru

him d

r-in a moment icicles were hanging there. After him the young couple also w

get out of my father's power. He's tremendously ang

o," says

nd galloped off into the open plain. Th

your ear close to the earth," said Vasilis

teed, laid herself flat on the earth, and said: "Ah Prince! I hear a great noise as of chasing after us." Then she tu

y, "haven't you seen a yo

as a long while ago. I was a young

returned to t

no news: all we saw was an old man beside

thereupon put the pursuers to a cruel death, and sent

fresh set of pursuers, so she turned the Prince into an old priest, and she herself became an ancient

n't you seen a youth

long ago. I was a young man when they rode by

pursuers returned to

m, your Royal Majesty. All that we saw

ince and Vasilissa the Wise. This time Vasilissa turned the horses into a river of honey with kissel[147] banks, and changed the Prince into a Drake and herself

length they drew nigh to the home of th

t I will wait for you here by the wayside. Only remember these words of mine:

too-and no sooner had he kissed her than from that very moment he for

the Prince was preparing to marry a rich Princess, and orders were given to proclaim throughout the kingdom, that all Christian people were to come to congratulate the br

ng a pie, granny?

ving his son in marriage to a rich princess: one must go

and take it to the palace; may be t

od's name!" sai

and made a pie. And inside it she put

rogress, one fit for all the world to see. Vasilissa's pie was set on the table, but no sooner was it cut

me curds, t

"else you'd forget me, as the Prince

aught her by her white hands, and seated her close by his side. From

6, p. 75) in which a "field-devil" exacts from a farmer the promise of a child-the Wallachian stories (Schott, Nos. 2 and 15) in which a devil obtains a like promise from a woodcutter and a fisherman-the Modern Greek (Hahn, Nos. 4, 5, 54, and 68) in which a child is promised to a Dervish, a Drakos, the Devil, and a Demon-and the Gaelic tales of "The Battle of the Birds" and "The Sea-maiden," (Campbell, Nos. 2 and 4) in the former of which the child is promised to a Giant, in the latter to a Mermaid. The likeness b

the daughter's help, is done, he is told to gather up the seed again. This also the demon's daughter does for him, sending to his aid a countless swarm of ants. Lastly he is commanded to visit the demon's brother and invite him to the wedding. He does so, and is pursued by the invited guest, from whom he escapes only by throwing behind him earth, water, thorns, and lastly fire, with all of which he has been provided by his love. They produce corresponding obstacles which enable him to get away from the uncle of his bride. The demon now believes that his proposed son-in-law must be a god in disguise, so he gives his consent to the marriage. All goes well for a time, but at last the prince wants to go home, so he and his wife fly from her father's palace. Agnisikha pursues them. She makes her husband invisible, while she assumes the form of a woodman. Up comes her angry sire, and asks for news of the fugitives. She replies she has

t abode constructed for that purpose underground. In the course of time the King-Bear arrives to claim them, finds out their hiding-place, digs them up, and carries them off on his back to a distant region where no man lives. During his absence they attempt to escape being carried through the air on the back of a friendly falcon, but the King-Bear sees them, "strikes his head against the earth, and burns the falcon's wings." The twins fall to the ground, and are carried by the King-Bear to his home amid inaccessible mountai

we have already met with.[150] The Prince who is obliged, in consequence of his father's promise, to surrender himself to the Water Giant, falls in love with a maiden whom he finds in that potentate

eagle, when he drops a magic "snuff-box," which had been entrusted to his charge by that bird, and it disappears beneath the waters. At the eagle's command, the crayfish search for it, and bring back word that it is lying "o

est makes the rash promise to a man who enables him to cross a great river; "and that man (says the story) was a devil."[155] We shall meet with other instances further on of parents whose "hasty words" condemn their children to captivity among evil spirits. In one of the stories of this class,[156] the father is a hunter who is perishing with cold one night, and who makes the usual promise as the condition of his being allowed to warm himself at a fire guarded by a devil. Bei

with a magic diamond taken from the snake, she sees them roll back "in a wall on either hand," between which she passes into a splendid

which is the abode of a Rákshasa or demon. They leap into the water simultaneously, and are all devoured by the terrible man-eater. From the assaults of such a Rákshasa as this it was that Buddha, who was at the time a mo

ily. Like their sisters all over the world, they are, as a general rule, old, hideous, and hateful. They possess all kinds of supernatural powers, but their wits are often dull. They wage constant war with mankind, but the heroes of storyland find them as easily overcome as the ma

entrance looks. When the proper words are addressed to it, the hut revolves upon its slender supports, so as to turn its back instead of its front to the forest. Sometimes, as in the next story, the Baba Yaga appears as the mistress of a mansion, which stands in a courtyard enclosed by a fence made of dead men's bones. When she goes abroad she rides in a mortar, which she urges on with a pestle, while she sweeps away the traces of her flight with a broom. She is closely connected with the Snake in different forms; in

ba Yag

she found no favor in the eyes of her evil stepmother, who used to beat her, and consider how she could get her killed outright. One day the father we

he girl was no fool, so she went to a

orning,

y dear! what hav

ister, to ask for a needle a

bon round it; there are doors which would creak and bang-you must pour oil on their hinges; there are dogs which would tear you

ll she came to the place. There stood a hut, and

g, auntie,"

my dear," repli

k you for a needle and th

n and weave a littl

oom, and the Baba Yaga went outsi

ce washed; and mind you look sharp af

she was as much dead as alive. Presently she

making it burn; and fetch the water for the bath in a

while; then she came t

niece? are you w

Baba Yaga went away again, and the girl

way of escapi

ose at hand, first of all throw down the towel. It will become a wide, wide river. And if the Baba Yaga gets across the river, and tries to catch you, then you must lay your ear o

g, but she poured oil on their hinges, and they let her pass through; the birch-tree would have poked her eyes out, but she tied the ribbon around it, and it let he

niece? are you w

nt, I'm weaving," gru

s, on the birch-tree, and on the servant-maid, and set to work to abuse them all, and to knock them about. Then the dogs said to her, "Long as we've served you, you've never so much as pitched us a burnt crust; but she gave us rolls to eat." And the doors said, "Long as we've served you, you've never poured even

ose at hand, she flung down the towel. And it became a wide, such a wide river! Up came the Baba Yaga to the river, and gnashed her teeth with spite; then she went home for her oxen, and drove them to the river. The oxen drank up every drop of the river, and then the Baba Yaga began the pursuit anew. But th

irl's father had retur

s my da

r aunt's," replie

he girl herself c

ou been?" ask

to ask for a needle and thread to make me a shift.

you get awa

father had heard all about it, he became wroth with his wife, and shot her. But

room "in order to sharpen her teeth," and while she is engaged in that operation the girl escapes, having previously-by the advice of the Cat, to which she had given a lump of butter-spat under the th

ales of every land, whether they appear as the brush, comb, and mirror of the German water-sprite;[164] or the rod, stone, and pitcher of water of the Norse Troll;[165] or the knife, comb, and handful of salt which, in the Modern Greek story, save Asterinos and Pulja from their fiendish mother;[166] or the twig, the stone, and the bladder of water, found in the ear of the filly, which saves her master from the Gaelic giant;[167] or the brush, comb, and egg, the last of which prod

icted. But it is evident that like produces like in the transformation in question. In the oldest form of the story, the Sanskrit, a handful of earth turns into a mountain, a cup of water into a river. Now, metaphorically speaking, a brush may be taken as a miniature wood; the common use of the term brushwood is a proof of the general ac

roes enter and find it empty. One of the party then remains indoors, while the rest go out to the chase. The hero who is left alone prepares a meal, and then, "after washing his head, sits down by the window to comb his hair." Suddenly a stone is lifted, and from under it appears a Baba Yaga, driving in her mortar, with a dog yelping at her heels. She enters the hut and, after some short parley, seizes her pestle, and begins bea

s three strips out of her back, and then locks her up in a closet. When his comrades return, they are surprised to find him unhurt, and a meal prepared for them, but they ask no questions. After supper they all take a bath, and then Ivan remarks that each of his companions has had a strip cut out of his back. This leads to a full confession, on hearing which Ivan "runs to

a silver dish. She lifts her head and opens her mouth, whereupon he seizes the sword and cuts her head off. As is usual in the stories of this class, his comrades, after hoisting the maidens aloft, cut the cord and let him fall back into the abyss. But he escapes, and eventually "he slays all the three heroes, and flings their bodies on the plain for wild beasts to devour." This Skazka is one of the many versions o

aling, Ivan finding the rope by which he is being lowered into the abyss too short, ties to the end of it the three strips he has cut from the Baba Yaga's back, and so makes it sufficiently long. They are often exacted as the penalty of losing a wager, as well i

he Russian Gorgo's method of petrifaction is singular. In the story referred to, Ivan Dévich (Ivan the servant-maid's son) meets a Baba Yaga, who plucks one of her hairs, gives it to him, and says, "Tie three knots and then blow." He does so, and both he and his horse turn into stone. The Baba Yaga places them in her mortar, pounds them to bits, and buries their remains under a stone. A little la

p-o'-my-thumb." They all set forth to seek brides, and eventually marry the forty-one daughters of a Baba Yaga. On the wedding night she intends to kill her sons-in-law; but they, acting on the advice of him who had been the weakling of their party, but who has become a mighty hero, exchange clothes with their brides before "lying down to sleep." Accordingly the Baba Yaga's "trusty servants" cut off the heads of her daughters instead of those of her sons-in-law. Those youths ar

lay. Then she is told to wait upon the Baba Yaga's children in the bath-room. She enters it, and presently in come "worms, frogs, rats, and all sorts of insects." These, which are the Baba Yaga's children, she soaps over and otherwise treats in the approved Russian-bath style, and afterwards she does as much for their mother. The Baba Yaga is highly pleased, calls for a "samovar" (or urn), and invites her young bath-woman to drink tea with her. And finally she sends her home with a blue coffer, which turns out to be full of money. This present excites the cupidity of her stepmother, who sends her own daughter to the Baba Yaga's, hoping that s

well as in its catastrophe is one of the most s

a the Fa

daughter to her, took out from under the bed-clothes a doll, gave it to her, and said, "Listen, Vasilissa, dear; remember and obey these last words of mine. I am going to die. And now, together with my parental blessing, I bequeath to you this d

s. It wasn't a question with him of girls (with dowries); more than all others, a certain widow took his fancy. She was middle-aged, and had

s of her beauty, and tormented her with every possible sort of toil, in order that she might grow thin from over-work, and be tanned by the sun and the wind. Her life was made a burden to her! Vasilissa bore everything with resigna

r work? And therefore it was that Vasilissa would never eat all her share of a meal, but always kept the most delicate morsel for her doll; and a

t never know what pleasure is; my evil stepmother tries to drive me out

e her ease in a shady place and pluck flowers, and yet all her work was done in good time; the beds were weeded, and the pails were filled, and the cabbages were

le young men in the town sent to make an offer to Vasilissa; at her stepmother's daughters not a soul

younger marry be

cked off, she used to beat Vasili

to live in another house; and near that house was a dense forest, and in a clearing in that forest there stood a hut,[187] and

nto the forest on one pretence or another. But the girl always got home safe and sound;

lotted amount to do. By-and-by she put out the lights in the house, leaving only one candle alight where the girls were working, and then she went to bed. The girls worked and worked. Presently the candle wanted sn

a spark of fire in the house, and our tasks are not

ugh," said the one who was

one who was knitting socks. "My kn

light," they both cried out toge

d Vasilissa ou

, set before the doll a supper which

need! I'm sent to the Baba Yaga's fo

yes began to glow just

ent. Only take care to keep me always by you. As long as

ll in her pocket, crossed herself,

white, and he is dressed in white, under him is a white horse, an

er gallops by. He is red, dressed in red, a

dwelling of the Baba Yaga. The fence around it was made of dead men's bones; on the top of the fence were stuck human skulls with eye

of her wits, and stood stil

ed, just as if he had sunk through the ground-and night fell. But the darkness did not last long. The eyes of all the skulls on the fence began to shine

f the forest came the Baba Yaga, riding in a mortar, urging it on with a pestle, sweeping away her t

mell Russian flesh

g in a terrible fright, bow

tepsisters have sent m

ll stop awhile with me first, and do some work for me,

ed to the gat

be thou divided! And ye, wide

followed Vasilissa; and then everything shut to again. When they entered the sitt

there is in the

ga; and meat enough had been provided for a dozen people. Then she fetched from the cellar kvass, mead, beer, and wine. The hag ate up everything, dran

inner, and get the linen ready. Then go to the corn-bin, take out four quarters of wheat, an

nore. But Vasilissa set the remnants of the hag's

a Yaga has set me a heavy task, and threatens

oll r

, say your prayers, and go to bed. T

white horseman, and all was light. The Baba Yaga went out into the courtyard and whistled-before her appeared a mortar with a pestle and a broom. The red horseman appeare

was in everything, and remained lost in thought as to which work she ought to take to first. Sh

ied Vasilissa, "you've

the doll, slipping into Vasilissa's pocket. "Cook away, in

ider appeared for a moment at the gate, and all grew dark. Only the eyes of the skulls sent forth their light

ng done?" as

r yourself, granny

g, was vexed that there was noth

ell! ver

rds she

, zealous friends,

he wheat, and carried it out of sight. The Baba Yaga sup

t grain by grain. Some one or other, you see, has mixed a lot of earth with it out of spite." Having said this, the hag turned to th

morning is wiser than the evening.

lissa and her doll immediately did all the work. The hag returned, looked at everything

seed, and bore it out of sight. The Baba Yaga sat dow

said the Baba Yaga; "there yo

; "but if you give me leave, I shou

stion that brings good. 'Get much

I was coming here, I was passed by one riding on a white ho

ght Day!" answer

rider, on a red horse; red himself,

Sun!"[191] answer

rider, granny, who passe

ht; they are all trus

he three pairs of hand

o on asking?" sa

You said yourself, 'Get too m

t indoors! In my house I hate having dirt carried out of doors;[192] and as to over-inquisitive peop

sing assists me,"

ut of my house, you bless'd daugh

the gates, took one of the skulls with blazing eyes from

an take to your stepsisters. That's w

approach of the dawn; and at last, on the evening of the second day, she re

in want of a light at home." But suddenly a

ay. Carry me to

her life she was cordially received by her stepmother and stepsisters, who told her that from the moment she went away they hadn't had a spark of fire in t

glared at the stepmother and her daughters-shot forth such flames! They would fain have hidden themselves, but run where they would,

spring, after it had been bleached, Vasilissa made a present of it to the old woman with whom she lodged. The crone presented it to the king, who ordered it to be made into shirts. But no seamstress could be found to make them up, until the linen was entrusted to Vasilissa. When a dozen shirts were ready, Vasilissa sent

and by-and-by her father returned, and took up his abode with her. "And Vasilissa took the old woma

ommence with the escape of the heroine from an incestuous union, a priest insists on marrying his daughter. She goes to her mother's grave and weeps there. Her dead mother "comes out from her grave," and tells her what to do. The girl obtains from her father a rough dress of pig's skin, and two sets of gorgeous apparel; the form

refixed to the German story of "Allerleirauh,"[19

e is the only maiden whose finger will fit the magic ring which is to indicate to him his destined wife. While she is weeping "like a river," some old women of the mendicant-pilgrim class come to her rescue, telling her to make four Kukolki, or small puppets, and to place

Prince

! Gov

e wants

His own

lit open,

ister, d

th closes over the head of the rescued bride. Presently in rushes the irritated bridegroom. "No bride is to be seen; only in the corners sit

after their death. They die, and he tells her to get ready to be married. But she has prepar

ki, (cry

st asks

"Because the broth

lit open, O Earth!

nd then the earth opens, and th

ow of an oak. In the second[201] she persuades a fisherman to convey her across a sea or lake. In a Polish version[202] the sister obtains

gest child was sent to drive the sparrows away from her grandfather's pease. While she was thus engaged the forest began to roar, and out from it came Verlioka, "of vast stature, one-eyed, crook-nosed, bristly-headed, with tangled beard and moustaches half an ell long, and with a wooden boot on his one foot, supporting himself on a crutch, and giving vent t

to the "wise woman," or prophetess, of old times, or to her modern representative, the woman to whom Russian superstition attributes the faculties and functions ascribed in olden days by most of our jurisprudents, in more recent times by a few of our rustics, to our own witch. The supernatural being who, in folk-tales, sways the elements and preys upon mankind, is most inadequately designated by such names as Vyed'ma, Hexe, or Witch, suggestive as those now homely terms are of merely hum

ating to the Vyed'ma we may select

itch.

ad one son called Ivashko;[207] no o

ashko said to his

fishing if yo

still very small; suppose you get dro

rowned. I'll catch you

, tied a red girdle round him, and let

, float a li

, float a li

began to fish. When some little time had passed by, the old

, Ivashech

at up, unto t

hee food

vashk

, float to t

y mother

boy food and drink, changed his shirt for him and his girdle, and

, float a li

, float a li

o began to fish. After a little time had passed by, the o

, Ivashech

at up, unto t

hee food

ashko

, float to t

y father

ish, gave his boy food and drink, changed his shirt fo

d cried aloud to him, and she longed to get hold of the boy.

, Ivashech

at up, unto t

hee food

ce was not his mother's, but w

, float a li

, float a li

other, but a wit

call Ivashko with just suc

d to a smith a

if you don't, I'll eat you." So the smith forged her a little voice just lik

, Ivashech

at up, unto t

hee food

he said to her daughter Alenka,[209] "Heat the stove as hot as you can, and bake Ivashko well, while I go

and sit on

hko: "I haven't yet quite got my wits about me. P

enka; "it won't take

he oven, slammed to the iron plate in front of it, ran out of the hut, shut the

guests and knocked at the door of t

ned the door, and let in her guests. They all sat down to table, and the witch opened the oven, took out Alenka's baked body, and serv

shko's flesh," cried the witch. "I turn about,

out to her from t

about, having fed

itch. "No it was only the noise of

l about, having fed

shko re

about, having fed

to gnaw away at it. And she gnawed, and gnawed, and gnawed, until at last she smashed two front teeth. Then she ran

forged her tw

d and began gnawi

e oak that the witch had gnawed through fell down to the ground; but then she saw that Ivashko was sitting up in another tree, so she gnashed her

e got there, "make me some iron t

th for her. She went back again, a

ooked out, and saw that swans and geese[210] we

swans a

on your

my father a

of my father

nd drink, and l

centre carry you

flock flew past, and he

swans a

on your

my father a

of my father

nd drink, and l

e rear carry you

A third flock came f

swans a

on your

my father a

of my father

nd drink, and l

m and carried him back, flew up to the co

em, and all of a sudden fell to thinking about her boy. "Where is my Iva

that swans and geese had brought

, then, old man, let's divide the cakes: there's for you, fat

r me?" calle

er!" went on the old w

r me!" [repe

e wife, "go and see wha

e old people were delighted, and asked their boy about everything tha

ictim is daughter of a "Haugkj?rring," another name for a Troll-wife; in the Servian story of "The Stepmother," &c. (Vuk Karajich, No. 35, pp. 174-5) in which two Chivuti, or Jews, are tricked into eating their baked mother; in the Modern Greek stories (Hahn, No. 3 and ii. p. 181), in which the hero bakes (1) a Drak?na, while her husband, the Drakos, is at church, (2) a Lamiopula, during the absence of the Lamia, her mother; and in the Albanian st

hildless for a long time. At last the husband went into the forest, felled wood, and made a cradle. Into

ockie dea

Russian variant[212] the boat is golden, the oar of silver. In a White-Russian variant quoted by Afanasief (i. p. 118), the place of the witch's daughter is filled by her son, who had been in the habit of alluring to her den by gifts of toys

wever, succeeds in rescuing her brother, having taken the precaution of propitiating with butter the cat Jeremiah, "who was telling the boy stories and singing him songs." When the Baba Yaga awakes, she tells Jeremiah to scratch her eyes open, but he refuses, reminding her that, long as he has lived under her roof, she has never in any way regaled him, whereas the "fair maiden" had no sooner arrived than she treated him to butter. In another variant[214] the

apparent cause for her abnormal conduct, the daughter of an ordinary royal house will suddenly begin to destroy and devour all living things which fall in her way-her strength developing as rapidly as her app

d the Sun's

only son, Prince Ivan, who was dumb from his birth. One day, when he was twelve

n this occasion Prince Ivan went to him expecting to hea

nd she will eat up her father, and her mother, and all their subjects. So go and ask your father for the best horse he h

er and, for the first time in h

ng what he wanted a good steed for, but immediately ordered the

off without caring where he we

men were sewing and he begged them to

ime to live. As soon as we have broken that trunkful of needles, an

ng did he ride. At length he came to where the gia

to live w

"but now I have very little longer to live. As soon as I have pul

and farther on. By-and-by he came to where the giant Vert

longer to live. I am set here, you know, to level mountains. The moment I h

id he ride. At last he came to the dwelling of the Sun's Sister. She received him into

ll no use; he couldn't help being miserable.

and he could see that it was all eaten away; nothing but the bare walls remained! Then he would sigh

yes so red to-day,

een blowing in

back with a blubbered face. This time there was no help for it; he had to confess everything, and then he took to entreating the Sun'

he provided him for the journey with a brush, a comb, and two youth-giving apples. However o

n. Immediately there rose out of the earth, goodness knows whence,[220] high, ever so high mountains, their peaks touching the sky. And

flung it on the open plain. Immediately from somewhere or other there came a sound of trees,[222] and forth from the ground arose dense

ay became young again. So they gave him a handkerchief; you only had to wave it, and behind you lay a who

said, "play a tune on the lute

and strummed away

out of a hole, and said

away quick! your sister ha

y twanged, and the sister never guessed that her brother was off. When she had sharpened her teeth she burst into the room. Lo and behold! not

ad. But on she came faster than ever; and now she was close at hand! Vertodub guessed that the Prince was trying to escape from his sister. So he began tearing up oaks and strewing them across the road. A regular mountain

the mountains, pitched it down all of a heap on the road, and flung another mountain right on top of it. While the witch was climbing and clambering, Prince Ivan rode and rode,

s time!" And now she is close, no

van dashed up to the abode o

! open th

window, and the Prince bound

n up to her for punishment. The Sun's Sister would not lis

e which is the heavier. If I am, then I will

et into the other. But no sooner had she set foot in it than up shot Prince Ivan in the air, and

-Snake, she remained

r's castle-a Seigneur's house-the dwelling-place of a ruler within a fortress," &c. The "terem of the women," sometimes styled "of the girls," used to comprise the part of a Seigneur's house, on the upper floor, set aside for the

she was still a babe, visits her and is kindly received. But while she is sharpening her teeth with a view towards eating him, a mouse gives him a warning which saves his life. As in the Russian story the mouse jumps about on the stri

a Chursusissa. Her brother climbs a tree, the stem of which she gnaws almost

"Ivan is the Sun, the aurora [or dawn] is his [true] sister; at morning, near the abode of the aurora, that is, in the east, the shades of night [his witch, or false sister] go underground, and the Sun arises to

s personages like those with whom the Prince at first wished to stay on his journey, and at last takes up his abode with the moon. Death comes in search of him, after a hundred yea

vonians. A Servian song represents a beautiful maiden, with "arms of silver up to the elbows," sit

shes he

ter of

sin of

d-sister o

riage-proposers" attempt to catch, but "three lightnings

an song a girl c

un! I am fair

other, the

r, the moving

s well as the Lithuanians, the sun was regarded as a female being, the bride of the moon. "Thou askest m

is-the bea

her-the br

s are-the

rs-the white

have been quoted will suffice to give at least a general idea of their moral and physical attributes. We will now turn from their forms, so constantly introduced into the skazka-drama, to some of the supernatural figures which are not so often brought upo

TNO

he Russian Peopl

there are snakes with twenty-eight and

of Government. The accent falls on the secon

el = ashes, cinders, whence the surn

slender

. v. p. 243), under the raised flooring wh

apparently a p

word krof also

uture I shall omit them. Kuzma and Demian (SS. Cosmas and Damian) figure in Russian folk-lore as saintly and supernatural smiths,

f, Skazki, vo

remembrance of Judas, or it may be u

ows again, until at last the younger of the ladies gives him a sign to split in half the head he has just chopped off. Thereupon the demon dies, and the two ladies greet the conqueror rapturously. The younger is the demon's sister, the elder is a

udyakof

ka-Zvyer' (Norka-Beast) of this story is a fabulous creature, but zoo

at world" as opposed to

ula, of frequent occurrence

ated the maidens a

sort of sa

dyakof,

a," bk. vii. c. xxxix

sis, xxxv

gical Mytho

by Wilson, in his translation of the

p. 19, where Massang, the Calmuck Minotaur

udyakof

covers that the thief is a white wolf. It escapes into a hole. He kills his horse at it

anasief

zka represents the realm of the "Sleeping Beauty," as being thrown by Koshchei. Buslaef remarks in his "Influence of Christianity on Slavonic Language," p. 103, that one of the Gothic words used by Ulfilas to express the Greek δαιμ?νιον is sk?hsl, which "is purely Slavonic, being preserved in the Czekh

(bez = without,

Morevna means daughter of More

ants look upon as the destructive agent in a storm. They let the flash pass unhe

the other side of the w

after his elder brothers have refused to do so. By their aid he recovers his lost bride. In Schott, No. 1 and Vuk Karajich, No. 5, the three sisters are carried off by Dragons, which their subsequently-bor

See Ch

ful duties of a princess. Now this whole representation can hardly be other than the modern, altered, and Christian one of a W?lcyrie or Swan-Maiden; and almost in the same words

dyakof, i

udyakof,

nasief, i

udyakof,

lenvein,

i. No. 24. From th

sion of contempt which freq

nova kamnya, to

lly, but the words mean nothing more than "a man

used by a superior when an inferior asks his pardon. Before taking the sacrament at Easter, the servants in a Russian household

udyakof,

ent day are supposed to be able to direct whirlwinds, and a not uncommon form of imprecation in some parts of Russ

of the "Rider of Grianaig," "Tales

odotus, bk. i

udyakof,

serts that the Devil may be killed if shot with an egg

For an account of Buyan, see "Son

sief, vii.

i. 135-142. Also by Professor A. de Gubernatis, who sees in the duck the dawn, in the hare "

nd Moe, No. 36, Da

n's "New Series

olksm?rchen aus dem Sachsenl

slawischer M?rchensc

es of the West Highla

n, No. 26

vol. ii. pp

e in the German translation of his collection of tales made by his daughter, but the word is evidently akin to the Sanskrit ahi, the Gree

's "Old Deccan D

sche Vorlesungen über die

," &c., vol. iv. pp. 232-59. For other versions of the story of the Giant's heart, or Koshchei's death, see Professor R. K?hler's remarks on the subject in "Orient und Occident," ii. pp. 99-103. A singular parallel to part of the Egyptian myth is offered by the Hottentot story in which the hear

udyakof,

udyakof,

("Songs of the Russian People," p. 369,) in which "the Longing" is described as lying under a plank in a hut, we

e Grimm "Deutsche Mythologie," p. 650, and Ty

nvein, No. 2. From

description of the Rusalka and the Vodyany, s

No. 23. From the V

r-up (ob'egedat' = to devour), the drinker-up (pit' = to drink

be rendered, "in order to drink

perly means to rub and flog with the soft twig used in the baths for that purpose. At the end o

t of puddin

and some geese vainly attempt their rescue; a bull-calf succeeds, as in the former case. In another variant the enemy is an iron wolf. A king had promised his children a wolf. Unable to find a live one, he had one made of iron and gave it to his chil

udyakof,

t the word chudo, which now means a ma

The Russian word idol is identical

udyakof,

a zhid, a word which properly means

udyakof,

has been stated, sometimes mea

asief, vii

ngaraka, the daughter of the Daitya who, under the form of a wild boar, is chased underground

nchatantr

and Historical Books

, Polish jedza, jadza, jedzi-baba, Slovak, jenzi, jenzi, jezi-baba, Boh

must be connected with the root yagat' = to brawl, to scold, still preserved in Siberia. The accuracy of this etymology is c

and the Singalese name for a (male) demon, yaka, which is derived from the Pali yakkho, as is the synonymous term yakseya from the Sanskrit yaksha (see the valuable paper on Demonology in Ceylon by Dandris de Silva Gooneratne Modliar in the "Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society," 1865-6). Some Slavonic philologists derive yaga from a root meaning to eat (in Russian yest'). This corresponds

No. 3 b. From the

udyakof,

97-8. Cf. R. K?hler in "Or

No. 79. "Di

oe, No. 14. Dasent, p.

Hahn,

Tales of the West

Aberglauben aus

re's "Old Decc

ii. 137. Cf. Brockhaus in the previously quoted "Berichte," 1861, p. 225-9

arks on this subject, in "Tales of the

nasief, v

f the "Siddhi Kür," Jülg's

the variant of the story in No. 38, the comrades are the hero Martin, a smith, and a tailor. Their supernatural foe is a small gnome with

11. Schleicher,

Wenzig

mode of torture can be traced amongst the Scandinavians, who once owned the Wester

rlenvei

nasief, v

udyakof,

f, No. 14. Erl

nasief, i

rst krasavit

kind of closet, generally used a

express the action of a person who utters a char

eaning "a marriageable maiden," o

a, a little iz

l!" the equivalent of our own "Fee, faw,

eal splinter used

shka, a sort

lnuischko, red (

ing "she liked to wash

ic interest, and I am afraid of diminishing the reader's admiration for one of the best f

ava Government. Afa

, No. 27), she sinks into the earth. For references to seven other forms of the story, see Grimm, KM., iii. p. 116. In one Russian variant (Khudyakof, No. 54), she hides in a secret drawer, constructed for the purpose in a bedstead; in a

nasief, v

and the name and cry of the cuckoo (Kukushka) may be merely accidental, but that bird has a marked mythological char

). A doll plays an important part in one of Straparola's stories (Night v. Fable 2). Professor de Gubernatis identifies the Russian puppet with "t

nasief, i

udyakof,

Ibid.,

e Volkssagen," &c. Lewesta

e passage of the Rigveda containing the dialogue between Yama and Yami-"where she (the night) implores her brother (the day) to make her his wife, and where

nasief, v

ngs an immense family of words having reference to knowledge. Vyed'ma and witch are in fact cousins

No. 4 a. From the

shechko, are caressin

f, "substitute the word snake (zmei) in

minutive

-lebedi, g

anasief,

ulish,

udyakof,

Ibid.

ll their qualities are different from those of men. They leave their parents sometime after their birth, but before doing so, they generally take care to try their demo

, vi. No. 57. F

ther [his]

ak) is the German Baumdreher or Holzkrummacher; Vertogor the Mountain le

zaplakannoi or blubbered. (Zal

kuda ni

nevidimo, vis

they began to prod

e man whom forty snake-sloughs encase, is assisted in her troubles by two subterranean beings whom she finds employed in baki