[83] In an Indian story ("Kathásaritságara," book vii. chap. 42), Indrasena comes to a place in which sits a Rákshasa on a throne between two fair ladies. He attacks the demon with a magic sword, and soon cuts off his head. But the head always grows 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 king's daughter whom the demon has carried off from her home, after eating her father and all his followers. See Professor Brockhaus's summary in the "Berichte der phil. hist. Classe der K. Sächs. Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften," 1861. pp. 241-2. [84] Khudyakof, No. 46. [85] Afanasief, vol. i. No. 6. From the Chernigof Government. The _Norka-Zvyer'_ (Norka-Beast) of this story is a fabulous creature, but zoologically the name of Norka (from _nora_ = a hole) belongs to the Otter. [86] Literally "into _that_ world" as opposed to this in which we live. [87] This address is a formula, of frequent occurrence under similar circumstances. [88] Literally "seated the maidens and pulled the rope." [89] Some sort of safe or bin. [90] Khudyakof, ii. p. 17. [91] "Kathásaritságara," bk. vii. c. xxxix. Wilson's translation. [92] Genesis, xxxvii. 3, 4. [93] "Zoological Mythology," i. 25. [94] Quoted from the "Nitimanjari," by Wilson, in his translation of the "Rig-Veda-Sanhita," vol. i. p. 142. [95] See also Jülg's "Kalmukische Märchen," p. 19, where Massang, the Calmuck Minotaur, is abandoned in the pit by his companions. [96] Khudyakof, No. 42. [97] Erlenvein, No. 41. A king's horses disappear. His youngest son keeps watch and discovers that the thief is a white wolf. It escapes into a hole. He kills his horse at its own request and makes from its hide a rope by which he is lowered into the hole, etc. [98] Afanasief, v. 54. [99] The word _koshchei_, says Afanasief, may fairly be derived from _kost'_, a bone, for changes between _st_ and _shch_ are not uncommon--as in the cases of _pustoi_, waste, _pushcha_, a wild wood, or of _gustoi_, thick, _gushcha_, sediment, etc. The verb _okostenyet'_, to grow numb, describes the state into which a skazka 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 δαιμόνιον is _skôhsl_, which "is purely Slavonic, being preserved in the Czekh _kauzlo_, sorcery; in the Lower-Lusatian-Wendish, _kostlar_ means a sorcerer. (But see Grimm's "Deutsche Mythologie," pp. 454-5, where _skôhsl_ is supposed to mean a forest-sprite, also p. 954.) _Kost'_ changes into _koshch_ whence our Koshchei." There is also a provincial word, _kostit'_, meaning to revile or scold. [100] _Bezsmertny_ (_bez_ = without, _smert'_ = death).