The Russian Grandmother's Wonder TalesHoughton, Louise Seymour
General
The Russian Grandmother's Wonder Tales
Houghton, Louise Seymour
Slavs -- Folklore
When the sister perceived her brother she was greatly terrified,
and softly entreated him to flee before the Dragon should awake. This
he would not do, but seized his cudgel, struck out boldly, and dealt
the Dragon a heavy blow upon the head. The Dragon, without awaking,
put his hand up to the spot, murmuring, "Something hit me right here."
As he said this the Prince fetched him a second blow upon the head,
and again the Dragon murmured, "Something hit me here." But now,
as the brother made ready to strike a third time, the sister made a
sign showing the Dragon's vulnerable spot, and the brother, giving
a powerful blow, killed him as dead as a mouse.
Then the Princess pushed him from her, flew into her brother's arms,
and smothered him with kisses. After this she took him by the hand
and began to lead him through all the rooms. First she led him
into a room in which a black fox, with a harness of pure silver,
was standing before a manger. Then she led him into another room,
where a white horse, with a harness of pure gold, stood before another
manger. Finally she led him into a third room, where a brown horse
stood before a manger, his harness all studded with diamonds.
When they had gone through these rooms, the sister led her brother into
a chamber where a maiden sat before a golden embroidery-frame, working
with golden threads. From this room she led him into another, where a
second maiden was spinning gold thread, and at last into a room where
a third maiden was stringing pearls, while at her feet a golden hen,
with a brood of chickens, was picking up pearls from a golden basin.
When they had gone through all these rooms and seen all they wanted to
see, they went back into the room where the dead Dragon lay, dragged
him out, and threw him head-foremost down to the earth. When the other
brothers saw him they were almost convulsed with terror. But now the
youngest brother let down to them first their sister and then the three
maidens, one after another, each with her work. As he let them down he
allotted one to each of his brothers, and when he let down the third,
that is, the one with the hen and chickens, he reserved her to himself.
But his brothers, filled with envy because he was the hero who
had discovered all these things and rescued their sister, cut the
strap to make it impossible for him to return. Then they rode away,
and coming upon a shepherd-boy with his sheep, they dressed him like
their brother and brought him home to their father, forbidding their
sister and the maidens, with fearful threats, under any circumstances
to reveal the secret.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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