Russian Fairy Tales (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library)

by Afanas'Ev, Aleksandr

  The simpleton returned, set his good horse loose in the forbidden meadows, went home, tied up his head with a handkerchief, and lay down on the stove. His brothers came back. “Ah, you simpleton!” they said. “The first two times great heroes came, and today an even greater one—and where was that magnificent horse born?” “Was not that I, the simpleton?” “Ah, a simpleton can say foolish things! Where would you get such a horse?” The simpleton untied his handkerchief and his radiance illumined the whole room. His brothers asked him: “Where did you get such beauty?” “One place or another, but I got it! And you never believed me. But this is your simpleton.”

  The next day the king made a feast for all the Christians. He gave orders that the princes and the boyars, the plain people, the rich and the poor, the old and the young, be called to the palace; then the princess would choose her destined bridegroom. The clever brothers set out to dine at the palace. The simpleton tied his head up with a rag and said to them: “This time, even if you don’t invite me, I shall go.” The simpleton came to the king’s palace and huddled in a corner behind the stove. The princess served everybody with wine; thus she thought to choose her bridegroom among the guests. The king followed behind her. After she had served all the guests she looked behind the stove and saw the simpleton; his head was tied up with a rag and his face was dripping with spittle and sweat. Princess Beautiful led him forth, wiped his brow with a handkerchief, kissed him, and said: “King, my father, this is my betrothed!” The king saw that the bridegroom was found; true, he was a simpleton, but that mattered not, for the king’s word is law! He at once gave orders that they be married. Where a king is concerned, there’s no dilly-dallying—no beer to brew, no wine to press, everything is ready. In a trice the marriage was solemnized.

  The king already had two sons-in-law, so the simpleton became the third. One day the king summoned his clever sons-in-law and said: “My sons-in-law, my clever ones, my wise ones! Do for me this service that I command of you. On the steppe there is a duck with golden feathers; will you get it for me?” And he ordered them to saddle good horses and set out after the duck. The simpleton heard about their quest and began to beg: “And for me, father, give me at least a mare such as is used to carry water.” So the king gave him a broken-down jade. He mounted her, his back to her head, his face to her back, took her tail between his teeth, and spurred her, slapping her sides with his hands. “Giddap, dog’s flesh!” he shouted. He rode into the open field, seized the jade by her tail, tore off her hide, and cried: “Eh, gather around, jackdaws, crows, and magpies! Father has sent you some feed!” Jackdaws, crows, and magpies swarmed down and ate all the flesh of the jade, while the simpleton called his magic steed: “Stand before me as a leaf before grass!”

  The magic steed ran out; from his mouth flames streamed, from his ears rose pillars of smoke. The simpleton crept into the steed’s left ear and ate and drank his fill; he crept into the right ear, donned a colored garment, and became a hero. He caught the duck with the golden feathers, pitched his tent, sat in it, and let the duck walk around it. His clever brothers-in-law came up to his tent and asked: “Who, who can be in that tent? If it’s a little old man, be our little grandfather; if it’s a man of middle age, be our little uncle.” The simpleton answered: “It’s a man of your own age, your little brother.” “Well, little brother, will you sell the duck with the golden feathers?” “No, it’s not for sale, it’s sacred.” “And what is its sacred price?” “The little fingers of your two right hands.” They cut off the little fingers of their right hands and gave them to the simpleton, who put them in his pocket. Then the clever sons-in-law went home and went to bed. The king and queen paced back and forth in the hall and listened to what their sons-in-law were saying to their daughters. One said to his wife: “Be more gentle, you’re hurting my hand.” The other son-in-law said: “Oh, it hurts! My hand is very sore.”

  Next morning the king summoned his clever sons-in-law and said to them: “My sons-in-law, my clever ones, my wise ones! Do for me this service that I command of you. On the steppe there is a pig with golden bristles, and it has twelve piglets; get them for me.” He ordered them to saddle good horses, and to the simpleton he again gave a broken-down jade that usually served to carry water. The simpleton rode into the open field, seized the jade by her tail, and tore off her hide. “Eh, gather around, jackdaws, crows, and magpies!” he cried. “The king has sent you some feed.” Jackdaws, crows, and magpies came swarming down and pecked up all the flesh. Then the simpleton called his magic steed, caught the golden pig with her twelve piglets, and pitched his tent; he sat in the tent and let the pig walk around it.

  The clever sons-in-law came by. “Who, who can be in that tent?” they said. “If it’s a little old man, be our little grandfather; if it is a man of middle age, be our little uncle.” “It is a man of your own age, your little brother.” “Is the pig with the golden bristles yours?” “Mine.” “Sell it to us; what do you want for it?” “It’s not for sale, it’s sacred.” “What is its sacred price?” “From each of you a toe of your foot.” So each of them cut a toe off one foot and gave it to the simpleton. Then they took the pig with the golden bristles and her twelve piglets.

  Next morning the king called his clever sons-in-law and said: “My sons-in-law, my clever ones, my wise ones! Do for me this service that I command of you. On the steppe there is a mare with a golden mane and she has twelve foals; can you get them for me?” “We can, father!” The king ordered them to saddle good horses, and to the simpleton he again gave a broken-down jade that usually worked at carrying water. The simpleton sat with his back to the horse’s head and his front to the horse’s back, took her tail in his teeth, and slapped her sides with his hands, while his clever brothers-in-law laughed at him. The simpleton rode into the open field, seized the jade by her tail, and tore off her hide. “Eh! Gather around, jackdaws, crows, and magpies! Father has sent you some feed.” Jackdaws, crows, and magpies swarmed down and pecked up all the flesh. Then the simpleton cried in a loud voice: “Magic steed, horse of my need, blessing of my father! Stand before me as a leaf before grass!”

  The magic steed ran out; from his mouth flames streamed, from his ears rose pillars of smoke. The simpleton crept into the horse’s left ear and ate and drank his fill; he crept into the right ear, donned a colored garment, and became a hero. “We must get the mare with the golden mane and her twelve foals,” he said. The steed answered him: “The first two tasks were child’s play, this one is hard! Take three copper rods, three iron rods, and three pewter rods. The mare will pursue me over hills and dales; she will get tired and fall to the ground. At that moment be on your guard, sit on her, and strike her between the ears with all nine rods. Only thus will you conquer the mare with the golden mane.” No sooner said than done: the simpleton caught the golden-maned mare and her twelve foals, and pitched his tent; he tied the mare to a post and sat in the tent. The clever sons-in-law came and asked: “Who, who can be in that tent? If it’s a little old man, be our little grandfather; if it’s a man of middle age, be our little uncle.” “It’s a knight of your own age, your little brother.” “Well, little brother, is the mare that is tied to that post yours?” “Mine!” “Sell her to us.” “She’s not for sale; she’s sacred.” “What is her sacred price?” “A strip of flesh apiece from your backs.” The clever sons-in-law winced and hesitated, but finally agreed; the simpleton cut a strip of flesh from the back of each, put the strips in his pocket, and gave his brothers-in-law the mare with her twelve foals.

  The next day the king gave a great feast, to which everyone came. The simpleton drew the cut-off fingers, the toes, and the strips of flesh from his pocket and said: “Here are the duck with the golden feathers, the pig with the golden bristles, and the golden-maned mare with her twelve foals.” “What’s this you’re raving about, simpleton?” the king asked him, and he answered: “King, my father, order your clever sons-in-law to remove the gloves from their hands.” They removed t
heir gloves; the little fingers on their right hands were missing. “I took a little finger from each of them for the duck with the golden feathers,” said the simpleton. He put the cut-off fingers in their former places and they grew back and healed. “Father, let your clever sons-in-law remove their boots,” the simpleton said. They removed their boots, and a toe was missing from one foot of each. “I took the toes from them for the pig with the golden bristles,” the simpleton said. He placed the cut-off toes on their feet, and in a trice they grew on and healed. “Father, let them remove their shirts,” the simpleton said. They removed their shirts, and it was seen that each son-in-law had had a strip of flesh cut from his back. “I took this from them for the mare with the golden mane and her twelve foals.” He fitted the strips into their old places, and instantly they grew to the men’s backs and healed. “Now, father,” said the simpleton, “give orders that the carriage be made ready.”

  A carriage was harnessed and the king’s family seated themselves in it and drove to the open field. The simpleton singed his three horsehairs and cried in a loud voice: “Magic steed, horse of my need, blessing of my father! Stand before me as a leaf before grass!” The horse ran out and the earth shook; from his mouth flames streamed, from his ears rose pillars of smoke. He ran, then stopped as though rooted to the spot. The simpleton crept into the steed’s left ear and ate and drank his fill; he crept into the right ear, donned a colored garment, and became such a hero as no mind can conceive of and no pen describe. From that time forth he lived with his wife in kingly style, drove around in a carriage, and gave great feasts. I too was present at these feasts; I drank wine and mead, but however much I drank, only my mustache got wet!

  THE DUCK WITH GOLDEN EGGS

  ONCE UPON A TIME there were two brothers, one rich and the other poor. The poor one had a wife and children but the rich one lived all alone. The poor brother went to the rich one and begged of him: “Brother, give me some food for myself and my poor children; today I have not even anything for dinner.” “Today I have no time for you,” said the rich brother. “Today princes and boyars are visiting me; I have no place for a poor man.” The poor brother wept bitterly and went to catch fish, hoping to get at least enough fish to make a soup for his children. The moment he cast his net, he brought up an old jug. “Drag me out and break me on the shore,” said a voice inside the jug, “and I will show you the way to fortune.” He dragged out the jug, broke it, and a spirit came out of it and said: “On a green meadow stands a birch. Under its root is a duck. Cut the roots of the birch and take the duck home. The duck will lay eggs—on one day a golden egg, the next day a silver one.” The poor brother went to the birch, got the duck, and took it home. The duck began to lay eggs—on one day a golden egg, the next day a silver one. The poor man sold the eggs to merchants and boyars and grew rich in a very short time. “My children,” he said, “pray to God. The Lord has had mercy upon us.”

  The rich brother grew envious and spiteful. “Why has my brother grown so rich?” he wondered. “Now I have become poorer, and he wealthier. Surely he has committed some sin.” He lodged a complaint in court. The matter reached the tsar, and the brother who had been poor and was now rich was summoned to the tsar’s presence. What could he do with the duck? His children were small and he had to leave the duck with his wife. She began to go to the bazaar, selling the eggs for a high price. Now, she was very pretty, and she fell in love with a barin. “How have you become so rich?” the barin asked her. “It was the will of God,” she replied. But he insisted, saying: “No, tell me the truth; if you do not, I won’t love you, I won’t come to see you any more.” He stopped visiting her for a day or two. Then she called him to her house and told him. “We have a duck,” she said. “Each day it lays an egg—on one day a golden egg, the next day a silver one.” “Show me that duck,” said the barin. “I want to see what kind of a bird it is.” He examined the duck and saw an inscription in golden letters on its belly; the inscription said that whoever ate the duck’s head would be a king, and whoever ate its heart would spit gold.

  The prospect of such great fortune made the barin’s mouth water and he began to press the woman to slaughter the duck. For some time she refused but in the end she slaughtered the duck and put it in the oven to roast. It was a holiday; she went to mass, and during that time her two sons came home. They wanted to eat something, looked into the oven, and pulled out the duck; the elder one ate its head and the younger its heart. The mother returned from church, the barin came, they sat at table; the barin saw that the duck’s head and heart were missing. “Who ate them?” he asked, and finally discovered that the boys had done it. He began to press their mother: “Kill your sons, take out the brains of one and the heart of the other; if you do not kill them our friendship is ended.” When he had said this he left her; she languished for a whole week, then could not stand it any longer, and sent for the barin. “Come to me,” she begged. “So be it! I won’t even spare my children for your sake.” As she sat whetting a knife, her elder son saw her thus, began to weep bitterly, and implored her: “Dear mother, permit us to take a walk in the garden.” “Well, go, but don’t go far,” she said. But the boys, instead of taking a walk, took to their heels.

  They ran and ran, then grew tired and hungry. In an open field they saw a herdsman tending cows. “Herdsman, herdsman, give us some bread,” they said. “Here is a little piece,” said the herdsman. “That’s all I have left. Eat, and may it serve your health.” The elder brother gave the bread to the younger, saying: “Eat it; you are weaker than I, I can wait.” “No, brother,” the younger said, “you have led me by my hand all this time, you are more tired than I; let us divide the bread equally.” They divided it equally and ate it, and both were sated.

  They went on farther; they walked straight ahead along a wide road, and then the road branched into two forks. At the crossroads stood a post, and the post bore an inscription: “He who goes to the right will be a king; he who goes to the left will be wealthy.” The younger brother said to the elder: “Brother, you go to the right, you know more than I do, you can understand more.” The elder brother went to the right, and the younger to the left.

  The elder brother walked and walked till he came to a foreign kingdom. He asked an old woman to give him shelter for the night, and in the morning he arose, washed himself, got dressed, and said his prayers. The king of that kingdom had just died and all the people assembled in the church, carrying candles; it was the law that he whose candle lighted first of itself should be the new king. “Do you too go to church, my child,” said the old woman. “Perhaps your candle will light first.” She gave him a candle. He went to the church and had no sooner entered than his candle lighted of itself. The princes and boyars became envious; they tried to put out the candle and drive the boy out. But the queen from high on her throne said: “Don’t touch him! Whether he is good or bad, he is my fate.” The boy was taken by the arm and led to the queen; she put her golden seal on his forehead, took him to her palace, led him to the throne, proclaimed him king, and married him.

  They lived together for some time; then the new king said to his wife: “Give me leave to go and search for my brother.” “Go, and God be with you,” the queen said. He traveled for a long time through various lands, and found his younger brother living in great wealth. Great piles of gold filled his barns; whenever he spat, he spat out gold. He had nowhere to put all his wealth. “Brother,” said the younger to the elder, “let us go to our father and see how he is faring.” “I am ready,” said the elder brother. They drove to the place where their father and mother lived and asked for shelter in their parents’ house, without telling who they were. They sat at table, and the older brother began to talk about the duck that laid golden eggs and about the wicked mother. The mother constantly interrupted him and changed the subject. The father guessed the truth. “Are you my children?” he asked. “We are, dear father,” they replied. There was kissing and embracing and no end of talk. The eld
er brother took the father to live with him in his kingdom, the younger went to find a bride for himself, and the mother was left all alone.

  ELENA THE WISE

  IN OLDEN TIMES in a certain kingdom, not in our land, a soldier chanced to be on guard at a stone tower; the tower was locked and sealed, and it was night. On the stroke of midnight the soldier thought he heard someone in the tower saying: “Eh, soldier!” He asked: “Who calls me?” “It is I, an evil spirit,” said a voice from behind the iron bars. “I have sat here for thirty years without food or drink.” “What do you want?” “Let me out of here; whenever you are in need, I will help you; just remember me, and at that very moment I shall come to your aid.” The soldier straightway tore off the seal, broke the lock, and opened the door, and the evil spirit flew out of the tower, soared upward, and vanished more quickly than lightning. “Well,” thought the soldier, “a fine thing I have done! All my years of service are not worth a penny now. I will be put in the guardhouse, court-martialed, and perhaps made to run the gantlet; I’d better run away while there is still time.” He threw his gun and knapsack on the ground and walked away straight ahead.