The Snake Princess 287 Beer and Bread 292 Sorrow 299 Iváshko and the Wise Woman 306 Never-wash 311 Christ and the Geese 315 Christ and Folk-songs 316 The Devil in the Dough-pan 317 The Sun, The Moon and Crow Crowson 318 The Legless Knight and the Blind Knight 321 A Cure for Story-Telling 333 Notes 335 Glossary 349 RUSSIAN FOLK-TALES THE DUN COW You know that there are all sorts in this world, good and bad, people who do not fear God, and feel no shame before their own brother. In a certain kingdom, in a certain land, there once lived a Tsar and Tsarítsa, who had one only daughter, Márya Tsarévna. But the old Tsarítsa died and the Tsar took to him a second wife, who was a witch. And the witch had three daughters, one of whom had one eye, the next two eyes, and the third had three. The stepmother could not abide Márya Tsarévna, and sent the girl with a dun cow on to the heath, and gave her a dry crust as her only food. Márya Tsarévna went on to the heath, bowed down to the right foot of the cow, and all at once was splendidly dressed, and had as much to eat and drink as she liked. So she guarded the dun cow the whole day, and looked as gay as any lady in the land. And at night she bowed down again in front of the right foot, and again became shabby and went home. And the bit of bread she took with her and offered it to her stepmother. “Whatever is she living on?” the witch thought, and she gave her the same piece of bread next day, and told her eldest daughter to watch what Márya Tsarévna did. When they reached the heath Márya Tsarévna said: “Come, little sister, I will find a cushion for your head.” So she went to look, but whispered to herself: “Sleep, my sister, sleep, Sleep, O sister mine; One eye go to sleep, Close that eye of thine.” The sister went to sleep, and Márya Tsarévna stood up, went to her dear dun cow, bowed down to the right foot, and ate, and drank, and went about all day long like a princess. In the evening she woke up her sister and said: “Get up, sister; get up, dearest; and we will go home.” “Oh! oh! oh!” her sister whimpered, “I have been asleep all day long and have not seen anything, and mother will be so angry!”