Russian Folk-TalesAfanas'ev, A. N. (Aleksandr Nikolaevich)
General
Russian Folk-Tales
Afanas'ev, A. N. (Aleksandr Nikolaevich)
Folklore -- Russia
The grey Wolf stayed one day with Tsar Afrón, and a second day and a
third in the stead of fair Princess Eléna. And then he asked leave of
Tsar Afrón to go and walk in the open field, that he might drive out the
ravening sorrow from his heart. Then Tsar Afrón said to him: “O my fair
Queen Eléna, I will do anything for you,” and he promptly bade the maids
of honour, the servants, the attendants and the _boyáryni_ to go with
him and the fair Princess into the open field to walk.
Iván Tsarévich went on his way and rode with Eléna the Fair, and they
had almost forgotten the grey Wolf, when he suddenly recollected: “Oh,
where is my grey Wolf?”
Then, from some source unknown, he stood in front of Iván Tsarévich and
said, “Sit on me, Iván Tsarévich, on the grey Wolf, and the fair
Princess can go on the golden-maned steed.”
Iván Tsarévich sat on the grey Wolf, and so they went on to the realm of
Tsar Dolmát, may-be far or near; and when they reached that kingdom then
they stopped three versts out of the town, and Iván began to beseech the
grey Wolf: “Listen to me, my beloved friend, the grey Wolf; you have
served me so many services, serve me a last: can you not turn yourself
into the golden-maned horse?”
Then the grey Wolf struck the grey earth and became the golden-maned
horse; and Iván Tsarévich left the Fair Eléna in the green meadow, sat
on the grey Wolf and went into the palace to Tsar Dolmát; and as soon as
ever Tsar Dolmát saw Iván Tsarévich, that he was riding the golden-maned
horse, he came out of his palace, met the Tsarévich in the open
courtyard, kissed him on his smooth cheeks, took him by his right hand
and led him into the white-stoned palace. Tsar Dolmát for such a joy
bade a feast be prepared, and they sat at the oaken tables by the
chequered table-cloths, and they ate, drank and made merry for two days.
On the third day Tsar Dolmát delivered to Iván the Bird of Light with
the golden cage. The Tsarévich took the golden Bird, went outside the
town, sat on the golden-maned horse together with the Princess Eléna,
and went back to his own country.
Tsar Dolmát thought the next day he would take his golden-maned horse
into the open fields, and as soon as ever he had angered the horse, it
reared and was turned into a great grey Wolf who raced off.
When it came up with Iván Tsarévich it said, “Sit on me, on the grey
Wolf, and Princess Eléna the Fair she can ride on the golden-maned
horse.”
Iván Tsarévich sat on the grey Wolf and they went a third journey. Soon
the grey Wolf took Iván Tsarévich to the place where he had cleft his
horse in two, and said: “Now, Iván Tsarévich, I have served you well,
faithfully and truly: on this spot I cleft your horse in two, and up to
this spot I have brought you again: slip off me, off the grey Wolf; now
you have your golden-maned horse, I can serve you no more.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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