Russian Folk-TalesAfanas'ev, A. N. (Aleksandr Nikolaevich)
General
Russian Folk-Tales
Afanas'ev, A. N. (Aleksandr Nikolaevich)
Folklore -- Russia
The Tsarévna still wanted to test her husband’s strength, and squeezed
his hand, but she squeezed so hard that he could not stand it, and his
blood mounted to his head, and his eyes almost fell out of their
sockets. “That’s the manner of hero _you_ are!” she thought. “Your man,
Katomá Oaken-cap, has deceived me finely. But I shall soon be even with
him.”
Anna Tsarévna the Fair lived with her God-sent husband as a good wife
should, and always listened to his words. But she was ever thinking how
she might destroy Katomá. If she knew that, she could very easily
dispose of the Tsarévich. But, however many slanders she might think of
to tell him, Iván Tsarévich never believed her, but held Katomá fast.
One year later he said to his wife: “Dear wife, beautiful Tsarévna, I
should like to go home with you.”
“Yes, we will go together. I have long wished to see your kingdom.”
So they set out, and Katomá sat behind the coachman. As they drove out
Iván Tsarévich dozed off.
Then Anna the Fair suddenly roused him from his sleep and complained.
“Listen, Iván Tsarévich: you are always asleep and notice nothing.
Katomá will not obey me, but is purposely taking the horses over all the
cobbles and into all the ditches, as if he wanted to destroy us. I spoke
to him very gently, but he only laughs at me. I will not go on living if
you do not punish him!”
Iván Tsarévich was drowsy, and very angry with Katomá, and said to the
king’s daughter: “Do with him as you will.”
So the king’s daughter at once made her servants cut off Katomá’s legs.
He submitted to his torturers and thought: “If I must suffer, still the
Tsarévich will soon learn something of what trouble is.”
His two legs were cut off: the Tsarévna looked round and noticed a lofty
stump at the edge of the road. She bade her servants set Katomá on it.
And as to the Tsarévich, she tied him to a rope behind the carriage, and
so returned to her own kingdom. Katomá sat on his tree stem and wept
bitter tears.
“Farewell, Iván Tsarévich: forget me not!”
Iván Tsarévich had to leap behind the carriage, and knew very well that
he had made a mistake, but it could not be cured.
When Anna the Fair had again reached her kingdom the Tsarévich had to
mind the cows. Every morning he drove them into the open field, and
every evening drove them back into the royal courtyard; and the Tsarévna
sat on the balcony and saw that none of the cows was missing. Iván
Tsarévich had to count the cows and to stable them all, and to give the
last one a kiss under its tail. The cow knew what was expected of her,
and remained standing at the door and lifted her tail up.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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