THE THREE KINGDOMS RUSSIAN FOLK TALES From Alexander Afanasiev's Collection Illustrated by A.Kurkin Raduga Publishers Moscow 1985 OCR: http://home.freeuk.com/russica2 Contents The Animals in the Pit The Cat, the Rooster and the Fox The Wolf and the Goat The Animals' Winter Home The Tale of Ruff Ruffson, Son of Bristle The Fox and the Crane The Greedy Old Woman Baba-Yaga and Puny The Swan-Geese Right and Wrong Prince Ivan and Princess Martha The Three Kingdoms Evening, Midnight and Dawn Shabarsha Marya Morevna King Ivan and Bely, the Warrior of the Plains Emelya and the Pike The Fire-Bird and Princess Vassilissa The Horse, the Table-Cloth and the Horn Go I Know Not Where, Bring I Know Not What The King of the Sea and Vassilissa the Wise Fenist the Falcon Elena the Wise The Prophetic Dream The Mountain of Gold A Cunning Trade The White Duck The Riddle The Wise Maid and the Seven Robbers The Fortune-Teller Ivan the Fool Good But Bad The Miser Don't Listen, If You Don't Like English translation © Raduga Publishers 1985 The Animals in the Pit There was once an old couple whose only possession was a hog. One day the hog went off to the forest to eat acorns. On the way he met a wolf. "Hog, hog, where are you going?" "To the forest to eat acorns." "Take me with you." "I would," said the hog, "but there's a deep, wide pit on the way, and you won't be able to jump over it." "Oh, yes, I will," said the wolf. So off they set. On they went through the forest until they came to the pit. "Go on, jump," said the wolf. The hog jumped right over to the other side. Then the wolf jumped and fell straight in. The hog ate his fill of acorns and went home. The next day the hog went off to the forest again. On the way he met a bear. "Hog, hog, where are you going?" "To the forest to eat acorns." "Take me with you," said the bear. "I would, but there's a deep, wide pit on the way, and you won't be able to jump over it." I'll jump over it alright," said the bear. They came to the pit. The hog jumped right over to the other side. But the bear jumped and fell straight in. The hog ate his fill of acorns and went home. The third day the hog went off to the forest again to eat acorns. On the way he met Squint-Eye the hare. "Good-day to you, hog!" "Good- day, Squint-Eye!" "Where are you going?" "To the forest to eat acorns." "Take me with you." "No, Squint-Eye, there's a deep, wide pit on the way, and you won't be able to jump over it." "What a thing to say! Of course I will!" Off they went and came to the pit. The hog jumped right over to the other side. The hare jumped and landed in the pit. Then the hog ate his fill of acorns and went home. The fourth day the hog went off to the forest to eat acorns. On the way he met a fox, who also asked the hog to take her with him. "No," said the hog, "there's a deep, wide pit on the way, and you won't be able to jump over it." "Oh, yes, I will," said the fox. And she landed in the pit as well. So now there were four of them down there, and they began racking their brains about how to get food. "Let's howl without taking a breath for as long as we can and eat the one who stops first," said the fox. So they began to howl. The hare was the first to stop, and the fox went on the longest. So they seized the hare, tore him to pieces and ate him. They grew hungry again and agreed to howl as long as they could and eat the one that stopped first. "If I stop first, you must eat me," said the fox. So they began to howl. This time the wolf was the first to give up, he just couldn't go on any longer. So the fox and the bear seized him, tore him to pieces and ate him. But the fox cheated the bear. She gave him only a little of the meat and hid the rest to eat when he wasn't looking. The bear grew hungry again and said: "Where do you get food, Mistress Fox?" "Don't you know, Master Bruin? Stick your paw in your ribs, grab hold of them and yank, then you'll find out." The bear did as he was told, yanked at his ribs, and that was the end of him. Now the fox was all alone. After feasting off the bear, she began to feel hungry again. Now there was a tree by the pit, and in that tree a thrush was building a nest. The fox sat in the pit watching the thrush and said to it: "Thrush, thrush, what are you doing?" "Building a nest." "What for?" "For my children." "Get me some food, Thrush. If you don't, I'll gobble your children up." The thrush racked its brains about how to get the fox some food. It flew to the village and brought back a chicken. The fox gobbled up the chicken and said again: "Thrush, thrush, you got me some food, didn't you?" "Yes, I did." "Well, now get me some drink." The thrush racked its brains about how to get the fox some drink. It flew to the village and brought back some water. The fox drank her fill and said: "Thrush, thrush, you got me some food, didn't you?" "Yes, I did." "And you got me some drink, didn't you?" "Yes, I did." "Well, now get me out of the pit." The thrush racked its brains about how to get the fox out. Then it dropped sticks into the pit, so many that the fox was able to climb over them out of the pit, lay down by the tree and stretched out. "Now," she said, "you got me some food, didn't you, thrush?" "Yes, I did." "And you got me some drink, didn't you?" "Yes, I did." "And you got me out of the pit, didn't you?" "Yes, I did." "Well, now make me laugh." The thrush racked its brains about how to make the fox laugh. "I'll fly away," it said, "and you follow me. " So the thrush flew off to the village and perched on the gate of a rich man's house, while the fox lay down by the gate. Then the thrush began to call out: "Mistress, mistress, give me a knob of lard! Mistress, mistress, give me a knob of lard!" Out raced the dogs and tore the fox to pieces. Oh, I was there and drank mead-wine, it wetted my lips, but not my tongue. They gave me to wear a cloak so gay, but the crows cawed loudly on their way: "Cloak so gay! Cloak so gay!" "Throw it away," I thought they said, so I did straightway. They gave me to wear a cap of red, but the crows cawed loudly as they sped: "Cap of red! Cap of red!" "Cap off head," I thought they said, so I pulled it off—and was left with naught. Translated by Kathleen Cook The Cat, the Rooster and the Foõ There was once an old man who had a cat and a rooster. One day the old man went to the forest to chop wood, the cat soon followed him with his dinner, and the rooster was left all alone. By and by a fox came running up. She seated herself under the window and sang out: "Come, Friend Rooster, comb of gold, You who are so brave and bold, Look out of the window, please, And you'll get some nice, fresh peas!" The rooster pushed open the window, stuck out his head and looked round to see who was calling him, and the fox seized him and carried him off with her. "Save me, Puss, I beg and pray, Fox is dragging me away, Beyond the dark forests, Beyond the white sands, Beyond the blue seas, To the thrice-ten lands!" the rooster cried. The cat heard him. He ran after the fox, got the rooster out of her clutches and brought him back home. "Take care, friend Rooster," said the cat, "do not believe what the fox says or look out of the window, for she will eat you up, bones and all!" On the next day the old man told the rooster to watch over the house and not to look out of the window and went to the forest again to chop wood, and the cat soon followed with his dinner. The fox, who dearly wanted to eat up the rooster, waited for them to go away and then came up to the house and sang out: "Come, Friend Rooster, comb of gold, You who are so brave and bold, Look out of the window, please, And you'll get some nice, fresh peas, And some grains of wheat, too!" The rooster walked up and down the house and stayed mum, and the fox sang her little song again and threw a handful of peas in through the window. The rooster ate the peas and said: "You can't fool me, Fox! I know you want to eat me up, bones and all." "Don't be silly, Rooster!" said the fox. "Why should I eat you! All I want is for you to pay me a visit and see what a nice house I have." And she sang out again: "Come, Friend Rooster, comb of gold, You who are so brave and bold, Look out of the window, please, And you'll get some nice, fresh peas, And some grains of wheat, too!" The rooster glanced out of the window and lo! — he found himself in the fox's claws! "Save me, Puss, I beg and pray, Fox is dragging me away, Beyond the thick forests, Beyond the dark groves, Beyond the steep hills Where the wild wind roves... She wants to eat me up, bones and all!" he called. The cat heard him. He ran after the fox, got the rooster out of her clutches and brought him back home. "Didn't I tell you not to look out of the window if you did not want the fox to seize you and eat you up!" said he. "Take care now, for tomorrow we will be going deeper into the forest." On the next day the old man was in the forest chopping wood and the cat had just left the house with his dinner when the fox crept up to the window. She sang her song three times over, but, seeing that the rooster made no reply, said: "What's the matter with you, Rooster, have you turned deaf and dumb?" "You won't fool me, Fox, I won't look out of the window!" the rooster told her. The fox threw a handful of peas and some wheat grains in through the window and sang out again: "Come, Friend Rooster, comb of gold, You who are so brave and bold, Look out of the window, do, And my house I'll show to you Where I keep some nice, ripe wheat Which is very good to eat!" And she added: "You can't imagine what treasures I have in my house, Rooster! Come, now, show yourself and forget what the cat told you. Had I wanted to eat you up, I would have done so long ago. I like you, Rooster, I like you very much and I want to teach you the ways of the world. Look out of the window, and I'll go round the corner if you don't want me near." And she squeezed herself against the wall. The rooster jumped up on a bench, but, not being able to see the fox and wanting to know where she was, he stuck his head out of the window, and the fox seized him and was off with him in a trice! The rooster called to the cat to save him, but the cat did not hear him, and the fox took him behind a clump of fir trees and ate him up. She left nothing but some feathers, which were carried away by the wind. The old man and the cat came home, but the rooster was gone. They grieved and sorrowed for a time, and then they said: "That is what happens when you don't listen to those who wish you well!" Translated by Irina Zheleznova The Wolf and the Goat There was once a goat who built herself a little house in the woods and gave birth to a family of kids. The mother goat would often go out to seek for food, and the kids would lock the door behind her and never so much as show their noses outside. The mother goat would come back, knock at the door and sing out: "My kiddies own, my children dear, Open the door, for your mother is here! By a stream I walked, on a grass-grown bank, Of fresh grass I ate, of cool water drank; I bring you milk which is rich and sweet, It runs from my udder down to my feet!" The kids would open the door and let in their mother, the mother goat would feed them and go off to the woods again, and they would lock the door behind her just as they had before. Now, the wolf heard the mother goat call to her kids, and one day when she had just gone out, he stole up to the house and cried in his gruff voice: "My kiddies own, my children dear, Open the door, for your mother is here. I bring you milk which is rich and sweet, It runs from my udder down to my feet!" And the kids called back: "We hear you, whoever you are, but that isn't our mother's voice. Mother's voice is thin and sweet and the words she says are different." The wolf went away and hid himself, and after a while the mother goat came back home. She knocked at the door and sang out: "My kiddies own, my children dear, Open the door, for your mother is here! By a stream I walked, on a grass-grown bank, Of fresh grass I ate, of cool water drank; I bring you milk which is rich and sweet, It runs from my udder down to my feet!" The kids let in their mother and told her about the wolf and about how he had wanted to eat them up. The mother goat fed the kids, and, before leaving for the woods, told them very sternly indeed that if anyone came to the house, asked to be let in in a gruff voice and not used the very same words as she they were not to let him in on any account. She had no sooner left than the wolf came running up. He knocked at the door and sang out in a thin little voice: "My kiddies own, my children dear, Open the door, for your mother is here. By a stream I walked, on a grass-grown bank, Of fresh grass I ate, of cool water drank; I bring you milk which is rich and sweet, It runs from my udder down to my feet!" The kids opened the door, and the wolf rushed in and gobbled them all up save for one little kid who had crawled into the stove and hidden himself there. By and by the mother goat came home, but call and shout as she would no one answered her. She gave the door a push, and seeing that it was unlocked, ran inside. The house was empty, but she glanced into the stove, and lo!—found one little kid there. Great was the mother goat's grief when she heard what had happened to her children. Down she dropped on the bench and began sobbing loudly, saying over and over again: "O my children dear, î my kiddies own, Why did I ever leave you alone? For the wicked wolf you opened the door, Never, I fear, will I see you more!" The wolf heard her, and, coming into the house, said: "Why do you make me out to be such a villain, Mistress Goat? I would never eat your kids! Do not grieve but come for a walk in the woods with me." "No, Mister Wolf, I'm in no mood for a walk." "Please come, please!" the wolf begged. They went to the woods and soon came to a hole in the ground with a fire burning in it. It had been used by some robbers for cooking gruel in and they had not doused the flames. "Come, Wolf, let us see which of us can jump over the hole!" said the mother goat. To this the wolf agreed. He leapt across, but tripped and fell into the fire. His belly burst open from the heat, and out the kids hopped, safe and sound, and ran straight to their mother. And they lived happily ever after. The wiser from year to year they grew and never a day of misfortune knew. Translated by Irina Zheleznova