Russian Folk-TalesAfanas'ev, A. N. (Aleksandr Nikolaevich)
General
Russian Folk-Tales
Afanas'ev, A. N. (Aleksandr Nikolaevich)
Folklore -- Russia
“Listen, Vóron Vóronovich: I will not touch your son if you will do me a
service; to fly across thrice-nine lands into the thrice-tenth realm and
bring me the waters of Life and Death.”
Then the crow said, “Grey Wolf, I will do this service; only do not
touch my son.” And the crow spoke these words and flew away.
On the third day the crow flew back and brought with him two phials: in
one was the water of Life and in the other the water of Death. And he
gave these to the grey Wolf; and the grey Wolf took the phials, cut the
nestling into two, sprinkled him with the dead water, and the nestling
grew together; then he sprinkled him with the water of Life, and the
nestling shook himself and flew away.
Then the grey Wolf sprinkled Iván Tsarévich with the water of Death, and
his body clove together; and he sprinkled him then with the water of
Life, and Iván Tsarévich stood up alive and said: “Oh, what a long sleep
I have had!”
And the grey Wolf said to him, “Yes, Iván Tsarévich, you might have
slept for ever if I had not been here: for your brothers have plundered
you, and they have taken Princess Eléna the Fair and the golden-maned
horse and the Bird of Light with them. Now listen, and return to your
kingdom as fast as you can: your brother Vasíli is to-day going to marry
your bride, Princess Eléna the Fair. You must hasten there as fast as
possible. Sit on me, on the grey Wolf, and I will take you there.”
Iván Tsarévich sat on the grey Wolf, and the Wolf ran with him into the
kingdom of Tsar Výslav Andrónovich, and, whether it be long or whether
it be far or whether it be near, they reached the town. Iván Tsarévich
slipped off the grey Wolf and went into the town and arrived at the
palace, and waited until his brother had returned with the Princess from
the crowning; and they were sitting down at table.
When Eléna the Fair saw Iván Tsarévich, she jumped up at once from her
chair and began to kiss his sweet lips and to cry out, “O my beloved
bridegroom, Iván Tsarévich: this is he, and not that other who sits at
table.”
Then Tsar Výslav Andrónovich stood up from his place and began to ask,
and began to question the Princess Eléna the Fair what this might mean.
Then the fair Princess told him all the real truth, how it had been.
Tsar Výslav Andrónovich was then very wroth with Dmítri and Vasíli and
sent them into the darkness of the dungeon. Iván Tsarévich married
Princess Eléna the Fair and lived with her friendlywise and lovingly, so
that one might never be seen anywhere without the other.
THE PRIEST WITH THE ENVIOUS EYES
There was once a priest who lived in the parish of St. Nicholas. He
served St. Nicholas for some years, and all his earnings were that he
had neither house nor home, nor a roof over his head. So our good priest
got together all his keys, and seeing the icon of St. Nicholas, struck
it down, and left his parish to go whithersoever his eyes should guide
him. And he went roaming on his way.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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