Russian Fairy Tales

ve. They seem, from the language of their funeral songs, sometimes to regard the departed spirit as residing in the coffin which holds the body from w

d, celebrated at certain short intervals after a death, and also on its anniversary, may be clearly recognized the remains of a faith in the continued residence of the dead in the spot where they had been buried, and in their subjection to some physical suffering

ke mention. But that there is a country beyond the sky, inhabited by supernatural beings of magic power and unbounded wealth, is

-Physic

atchet and cut a hole in the floor above the cabbage. The cabbage went on growing again; grew, grew right up to the ceiling. Again the old man took his hatchet and cut a hole in the ceiling above the cabbage. The cabbage grew and grew, grew right up to the sky. How was the old man to get a look a

d then lay down to sleep. When he had slept

heaven! There's a mill there-every time it turns, ou

get there

ack, old woman. I

k the sack in his teeth, and began climbing up to heaven. He climbed and

h farther,

the way to

, climbed and climbed. A sec

h farther,

oman fell to the ground and was smashed all to pieces. The old man slid down the cabbage-stalk and picked up the sack.

y a fox

u crying abo

ing? My old woman i

noise! I'll

fell at th

I'll pay whate

here along with a bag of oatmeal and a pot of butter,

the door. But the fox went into the bath-room, shut the door, and began washing t

an getting on?" a

the old woman, collected her bones and piled them up

ed and waited. P

old woman

the fox, as she gobbl

d finished

open the d

d looked about him. Nothing was to be seen but the old woman's bones under the bench-and those picked so clean

y which Mr. Tylor has brought together in his "Early History of mankind."[382] In Europe it is usually found in a very crude and fragmentary form, having been preserved, for the most part, as the introduction to some other story which has proved more attractive to the popular fancy. The Russian versions are all, as far as I am aware, of this nature. I have already[383] mentioned one of them, in which, also, the Fox plays a prominent part. Its opening words are, "There once lived an ol

They searched and searched a whole week, but they couldn't find it. The week passed by, and the old people saw that the pea had begun to sprout. They watered it regularly, and the pea set to work and grew higher than the

t (khatka), its walls of pancakes, its benches of white bread, the stove of buttered curds. He began to eat, ate his fill, and lay down above the stove to sleep. In came twelve sister-goats. The first had one eye, the second two eyes, the third three, and so on with the rest, the last having twelve eyes. They saw that some one had been meddling with their hut, so they put it to rights, and when they went out they left the one-eyed to keep watch. Next day the grandfather a

rds being understood; "but let me tell you a story." A cock finds a pea in the part of a cottage under the floor, and begins calling to the hens; the cottager hears the call, drives away the cock, and

ven and see what's going on there? May be the

ou've a mind to,"

ed by the goat of all that has occurred, flies into a passion, calls his servants, and has the intruder turned out of the house. When the moujik comes to the place where the pea-stalk had been, "he looks around-no pea-stalk is there." He collects the cobwebs "which float on the summer air," and of them he makes a cord; this he fastens "to the edge of heaven" and begins to descend. Long before he

eaches heaven. There he finds a hand-mill and a cock with a golden comb, both of which he carries off. The mill grinds pies and pancakes, and the old man and his wife live in ple

arin! Give us back our

Then it is thrown into the fire, but it extinguishes the flames, flies right into the Barin's guest-chamber, and crows as be

he old woman sends to sleep the ears and the eyes of the first and the second goat; but when the third watches it retains the use of its fourth eye and fourth ear, in spite of the incantations uttered by the intruder, and so finds her out. On being questioned, she explains that she has come "from the earthly realm into the heavenly," and promises not to repeat her visit if she is dismissed in peace. So the goats let her go, and give her a bag of nuts, apples, a

as. In the name, if not in the nature, of the Ad, or subterranean abode of evil spirits and sinful souls, we recognize the influence of the Byzantine Hades; but most of the tales in which it occurs are supposed to draw their original inspiration from Indian

ler in H

under the gate of his farmyard. Well, the moujik died, and never said a word about the money to any one. One day there was a festival in the village. A fiddler was on his

nd!" says t

hither!"[392] answers the moujik; "

brought you

pots of it did I bury underground. See now, they are going t

the Fiddler. "Perhaps they'

e chimney-pipe, and don't eat anything fo

ame fiends,[393] and they began to beat the r

st thou bury them that we might not be able to keep watch over them. At the gate people are always rid

had gone away the mouj

he money-one pot is buried at the gate, and the other

le roomful of evil ones, an

ot here that sme

brought away a Russian smell

Then they began looking, they fo

a! Here's

fiddling. He played three years, though it seemed

l my fiddle-strings snapped. But now, though I've been playing for three

these words than every on

"you can see for yourselves. The string

iends. "I've got two hanks of c

iddler took the strings, screwed t

d grant us h

snap went

rings don't suit me. I've got some of my o

t him go. "You wouldn'

ust me, send some one

ddler. The Fiddler got back to the village. There he could hea

the wedding

ng!" said

. Everyone there recogni

been hiding th

the other worl

time to be off!" But the Fiddler replied: "Wait a little longer! Let me fiddle away a bit and cheer up the

gan to talk to the sons of

is buried at the gate and the other in the corn-ki

as his hand could grasp, and yet the money wouldn't come to an end. Then they presented a petition to the Emperor, and he ordained as follows. There was a certain town, the road to which was a very roundabout one. It was some fifty versts long, wh

y. The child neither ate nor drank for three years and an angel of God a

grant the kingdom of heaven to

ered his angels to release the rich

him to give them a child-for solace in their youth, for support in their old age, for soul-remembrance[396] after death. And they took to feeding the poor and distributing alms. Besides all this, they resolved to build, for

listen to what folks say about me-w

listened. Presently three Holy Elders went

ere be born to him a fortunate son. Whatsoever that son says-it sh

398] In the corresponding Bohemian story of "The Treacherous Servant,"[

in accordance with Christian teaching. And so I will revert to those ideas about the dead, and about their abiding-place, which the modern Slavonians seem to have inherited from their heathen ancestors, and I will attempt to illustrate them by a few Russian ghost-stories. Those stories are, as a

n the Grav

ome from a jovial feast in a distant village. There met him o

to you!" said

and straight way forgot that his acquaintance

se. We'll quaff a c

ccasion as this meeting of our

elling and there the

t's time for me to go

u want to go now? Spend

be. I've business to do to-morrow, so

you walk? Better get on my horse

let's h

lies! All of a sudden a cock crew. It was awful! All around w

imilar nature i

Friend

ether, in fact, regarded each other as brothers. And they made this mutual agreement. Whichever of the two should mar

married. So he collected all his kinsmen, and set off to fetch his bride. Now it happened that they drove past the graveya

ask him to come and enjoy himself at my we

e grave and bega

I invite thee

yawned, the dead

omise. And now, that we may profit by this happy chance, ent

procession is stopping outside;

ead man, "surely it won't ta

ead man poured him out a cup of liquor. He

p, dear friend!"

cup-two hundred

" said the dead man, "and then go, in

cup-three hundred

his comrade. The coffin l

was now a piece of waste ground. No road was to be seen, n

t the one who used to be there-and told him about everything that had happened. The priest searched through the church-books, and found that, three hundred years before, this o

n version occurs in Chudinsky's collection (No. 17, pp. 92-4). Very close indeed is the resemblance between the Russian story of "The Two Friends," and the Norse "Friends in Life and Death" (Asbj?rnsen's New Series, No. 62, pp. 5-7). In the latter the bridegroom knocks hard and long on his dead friend's grave. At length its occupant appears, and accounts for his delay by saying he had been far away when the first knocks came, and so had not heard them. Then he follows the bridegroom to church and from church, and

r terrific aspect. It is not as an incorporeal being that the visitor from the other world is represented in the Skazkas. He comes not as a mere phantom, intangible, impalpable, incapable of physical exertion, haunting the dwelling which once was his home, or the spot to which he is drawn by the memory o

hroud

ike anything. Well, she took it into her head to invite the other girls to a spinning party. For in the villages,

span for her, and she fed them and feasted them. Among other thin

lazybones

afraid of

id, go past the graveyard to the church, take down

only each of you must

he picture, and brought it home with her. Her friends all saw that sure enough it was the picture from the church. But t

I'll take it back myself. I

seated on a tomb. It was a moonlight night; everything was visible. She went up to the corpse, and drew away its shroud from it. The

ure and put it in its place; and, what's mor

ed; others didn't believe what

down to sleep, all of a sudden the

hroud! Give m

er they were alive or dead. But the lazybones took

e, ta

e, "restore it to the p

ddenly began to crow.

their own houses, at the very same hour as before

me my

d mother opened the window

r take it back to the

o a graveyard with a corpse? Wh

cks crew. The co

or the priest, told him the whole story, and

ice[405] be perf

ected awhile; t

her to come to c

ong,[406] there suddenly arose, goodness knows whence, so terrible a whirlwind that all the congregation fell flat on their faces. And it

is held, demons enter, and the combination of fiend and corpse goes forth as the terrible Vampire thirsting for blood. Of the proceedings of such a being the next story giv

ffin-L

n it came to a standstill alongside of a graveyard. The moujik unharnessed his horse and set it fr

prang to his feet. The grave opened, and out of it came a corpse-wrapped in a white shroud, and holding a c

to see what would happen. After a short delay the dead man came back, and was going to snatch up his coffin

f you don't, I'll

swers the moujik. "Why, it's I who'l

to me, good man!"

tell me where you've be

llage, and there I've kill

me how they can be

reluctantly

re the youngsters were killed, pour some live coals into a pot and put the piece of the shro

e grave opened. But just as the dead man was descending into it, all of a sudden the cocks began to crow, an

; he harnessed his horse and drove into the village. In one of the h

s he, "I can bri

," say their relatives. "We'll

he lads came back to life. Their relatives were delighted, but th

authorities. Since you knew how to bring them b

believers! Have the fear of God b

and swarmed into the graveyard. They found out the grave from which the dead man had come out, they tore it open, and they drove an aspen stake right

pse of this description often lurks, watching for some unwary wayfarer whom it may be able to slay and eat. Past such dangerous spot

Corpse

parents. And as he was going his way, at a time when the sun had long set, and all was dark around, it chan

ou can't

The Soldier sprang on one side with all his might to get away from i

self in a corner, and remained there, hardly knowing whether he was alive or dead, but waiting to see what would happen. Presently up ran the fir

thou come

ier in here, so I'm

's run into my house.

I s

I s

hting ever so much longer, only the cocks began to crow. Then both the corpses fell

O Lord! I am save

a dog will not always, it seems, render a man

nd the Co

for his pains. At last the darkness of night surprised him. At an uncanny hour he passed by a graveyard, and there, at a place where two road

t him; but the dog seized hold of it by its bare calves, and began a tussle with it. When the moujik saw his dog and the corpse grappling with each other, he was delighted that things had turned out so well for himself, and he set off running home with all his might. The dog kept up the struggle until cock-

asked the moujik's old mother. "

d her all that

r not helping it. There it was fighting with the corpse-and you deserted it, and

yard, the dog was perfectly quiet. But the moment its ma

ut in spite of that, it never forgot how its master had offended it. One

had to

of the manner in which a Vampire sets to work, an

and the Va

er in his mill. In old times the Soldier had been very intimate with him: why shouldn't he go and see his friend? He went. The Miller received him cordially, and at once brought out liqu

start for his villag

It's very late now, and perhap

w s

rises from his grave, wanders through the village, and does such things as b

crown property cannot be drowned in water nor burnt in fire.' I'll b

w a great fire blazing. "What's that?" thinks he. "Let's have a look." When

r!" calls out

k looked u

you come

d to see what

ork aside and invited t

let's enjoy ourselves. There's a

g!" says t

revelled, and then grew angry. He chased all the guests and relatives out of the house, threw the wedded pair into a slumber, took out two phials

et's b

off. On the way

u draw off their blo

die. To-morrow morning no one will be able to wake

that ma

ir own blood must then be poured back into those wounds. I've got the bridegr

letting a single word escape him. T

sh," says he,

ossible to get the better

he'd have to look out sharp in burning me; for snakes and worms and different kinds of reptiles would creep out of my inside, and crows and magpies and jackdaws would come

forget it. He and the Warlock talked and ta

"now I'll tear you to pieces. Oth

Don't you deceive yourself;

with sweeping blows. They struggled and struggled; the Soldier was all but at the end of his strength. "Ah!" thinks

s, and went on to the house of his own people. When he had got t

any disturban

I saw

ce of work going on in the village.

down to sleep. Next morning the

ot a wedding going

replied his relatives, "but the bride and bridegroo

s this mou

nt without speaking a word. When he got

mourning abo

he state of things,

eople to life again. What

, even were it half

aspen wood. Well, they took the wood into the graveyard, dragged the Warlock out of his grave, placed him on the pyre, and set it alight-the people all standing round in a circle with brooms, shovels, and fire-irons. The pyre became wrapped in flames, the Warlock began to burn. His corpse burst, and out of it crept snakes, worms, and all so

oying himself thoroughly. Then he went back to the Tsar's service with money in his pock

of regular "corpse-spectres." Only vague apparitions, dream-like phantoms, are supposed, as a general rule, to issue from graves in which nothing more substantial than ashes has been laid.[413] But where it is customary to lay the dead body in the ground, "a peculiar half-life" becomes attributed to it by popular fancy, and by some races it is supposed to be actuated at intervals by murderous impulses. In the East these are gene

ivisions of the Slavonic family which are included within the heterogeneous empire of Austria. Among the Albanians and Modern Greeks they have taken firm root, but on those peoples a strong Slavonic influence has been brought to bear. Even Prof. Bernhard Schmidt, although an uncompromising opponent of Fallmerayer's doctrines with regard to the Slavonic origin of the present inhabitants of Greece, allows that the Greeks, as they borrowed from the Slavonians a name for the Vampire, may have received from them also certain views and customs with respect to it.[416] Beyond this he will not go, and he quotes a number of passages from Hellenic writers to prove that in ancient Greece spectres were frequently represented as delighting in blood, and sometimes as exercising a power to destroy. Nor will he admit that any very great stress ou

lien lands under forms resembling our "Vampire," disturbs the peasant-mind in many other parts of Russia, though not perhaps with the same intense fear which it spreads among the inhabitants of the above-nam

th, which are like steel. When he has gnawed his way with these through all obstacles, he first destroys the babes he finds in a house, and then the older inmates. I

ell. All who hear the ill-omened tones will soon die. But generally he sucks the blood of sleepers. Those on whom he has operated will be found next morning dead, with a very small wound on the left side of the breast, exactly over the heart. The Lusatian Wends hold that when a corpse chews its shroud or sucks its own breast, all its kin will soon follow it to

, an old man and a youth. "The stranger takes a pail, places it near the youth, and strikes him on the back; immediately the back opens, and forth flows rosy blood. The stranger fills the pail

made of thorn is preferred. But a Bohemian vampire, when staked in this manner in the year 1337, says Mannhardt,[420] merely exclaimed that the stick would be very useful for keeping off dogs; and a strigon (or Istrian vampire) who was transfixed with a sharp thorn cudgel near Laibach, in 1672, pulled it out of

The leaping of a cat or some other animal across a corpse, even the flight of a bird above it, may turn the innocent defunct into a ravenous demon.[422] Sometimes, moreover, a man is destined from his birth to be a vampire, being the offspring of some unholy union. In some instances the Evil One himself is the father of such a doomed victim, in others a temporarily animated corpse. But whatever may be the cause of a corpse's "vampirism," it is generally agreed that it will give its neighbors no

TNO

the dirges which are sung at buryings and memorials of the dead,

. No. 7. From the A

, i.e. mill-stone

ther versions of the story, as well as for an attempt to expl

supra, cha

nasief, i

., iv. No.

or sing while using certain

nasief, i

nasief, v

ief, "Legend

hudinsk

v. No. 47. From t

ladno. Ladno means "well," "pro

nashi =

our "God bless us;" with us now

yeshnaya t'ma = utter darkness. Kromyeshny, or kromy

min = "remembrance," als

f this story, instead of the three holy elders a

imm, KM., No. 76, and

ig, No. 17

e Chap.

nasief, v

sief, vi, p

gatherings o

30 a, pp. 140-2. From

e service answerin

e end of th

"Songs of the Russian People," pp. 272-5. On a story of this kind Goethe

pp. 142-4. From th

sief, vi. p

a small chapel,

sief, vi. p

pp. 144-7. From th

iv. p. 199. But it is not certain that burial by cremation was universally practised by the heathen Slavonians. Kotlyarevsky, in his excellent work on their funeral customs, arrives at the conclusion that t

in Maurer's "Isl?ndische Volks

overcoming. To all who appreciate a shudder may be recommended chap. xxxv. of "The Story

ich is called in Bohemian vlkodlak, in Bulgarian and Slovak, vrkolak, &c.," the vampire and the werwolf having many points in common. Moreover, the Regular name for a

νο?. The Turks, according to Mr. Tozer, give the name of vurkolak, and some of the

nd Bohemian upir. Supposed by some philologists to be from pit' = drink, whence t

story is translated in full in "Song

m" in the "Zeitschrift für deutsche Mythologi

they still drive stakes through supposed vampires, whereas our law no longer demands that a su

one case, just as a funeral was about to leave the house, the cat jumped over the coffin, and no one would move till the cat was destroyed." In another, a colly dog jumped over a coffin which a funeral party had set on the ground while they rested. "It was felt

has been treated with his usual judgment and learning by Mr. Tylor in his "Primitive Culture," ii. 175, 176. For several ghastly stories about the longing of Rákshasas and Vetálas for human fl