Folk-lore and Legends: Russian and Polish 6
“Go off to the golden fish, and tell it I will be a Czarina.”
The old man went down to the shore. He cried—
“Little fish, little fish, come now to me,
Your tail in the water, your head out of sea!”
The fish came swimming to the shore.
“Well, old man!” it said, “what do you want?”
“My wife is not yet satisfied,” said the man; “she wants now to be a
Czarina.”
“Do not let that trouble you,” said the fish, “but go to your house.
What you ask shall be done.”
The man went back. In place of the fine house he found a palace with a
roof of gold. Soldiers were on guard around it. In front of the palace
was a garden, and at the back a fine park, in which some troops were
parading. On a balcony stood the Czarina surrounded by officers and
nobles. The troops presented arms, the drums beat, the trumpets blew,
and the people shouted.
In a short time the woman got tired of being Czarina, and she commanded
that her husband should be found and brought to her presence. The palace
was all in confusion, for who knew what had become of the old man?
Officers and noblemen hurried here and there to search for him. At
length he was found in a hut behind the palace.
“Listen, you old idiot!” said his wife. “Go to the golden fish, and tell
it that I am tired of being Czarina. I want to rule over all the ocean,
to have dominion over every sea and all the fish.”
The old man hesitated to go to the fish with such a request.
“Be off!” said his wife, “or your head shall be cut off.”
The man went to the seashore and said—
“Little fish, little fish, come now to me,
Your tail in the water, your head out of sea!”
The fish did not come. The man waited, but it was not to be seen. Then
he said the words a second time. The waves roared. A short while before
it had been bright and calm, now dark clouds covered the sky, the wind
howled, and the water seemed of an inky blackness.
At length the fish came.
“What do you want, old man?” it asked.
“My old wife,” answered he, “is not satisfied even now. She says she
will be Czarina no longer, but will rule over all the waters and all the
fish.”
The fish made no reply, but dived down and disappeared in the sea.
The man went back. What had become of the palace? He looked around, but
could not see it. He rubbed his eyes in wonder. On the spot where the
palace had stood was the old hut, and at the door stood the old woman in
her old rags.
So they commenced to live again in their old style. The man often went
a-fishing, but he never more caught the golden fish.
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THE GOLDEN MOUNTAIN.
IN a certain kingdom there once lived a Czar and his wife who had three
fine sons. The eldest was called Vasili, the second Fedor, and the
youngest Ivan. One day the Czar went with his wife to walk in his
garden, and there suddenly came on such a storm that the Czarina was
carried off by it, out of her husband’s sight. The Czar was sore
grieved, and sorrowed for a long time. When the two eldest sons saw
their father’s trouble they came to him, and asked him to let them go
forth to look for their mother. So he gave them his blessing, and they
set out. They travelled for a long time, and at last came to a great
desert. There they pitched their tent, and waited to see if any one
would come to tell them the way. For three years they waited, but they
saw no one.
Meanwhile the youngest brother, Ivan, went to his father to ask him for
his blessing, and took leave of him. He travelled for a long time, until
at last he saw some tents in the distance. He rode on, and on coming to
them he saw that he had found his brothers.
“Why do you stop on the borders of this dreary waste, brothers?” said
he; “let us go on together and seek our mother.”
The others agreed, and they once more set out. When they had gone a long
way they saw in the distance a palace built of crystal, with a wall
around it of the same material. They drew near to it, and Ivan opened
the gate and rode into the courtyard. As he approached the door he saw a
pillar to which there were attached two rings, one of gold and the other
of silver. He put his bridle through the rings and secured his horse,
and then went to the door. There the king of the palace came to meet
him. They talked for some time, and the king, discovering that Ivan was
his nephew, led him into his room, and brought his brothers in also.
When they had been with him a long time, the king gave them a magic
ball, which the brothers threw before them, and following it they came
to a high mountain at the foot of which they stopped to rest. It was so
high and so steep that no one could climb up it. Ivan rode round it to
discover some means of getting to the top, and at last he found a
crevice into which he stepped. Then he saw an iron door with an iron
ring. When he had opened the door he found some iron hooks which he
fastened to his hands and feet. By means of these he contrived to climb
to the top of the mountain. When he reached the top he was very tired,
and sat down to rest, and as soon as ever he took off the hooks they
vanished. Afar off in the mountain he saw a tent of fine cambric, on
which was pictured a copper kingdom, and on its summit was a copper
ball. On going to the tent he found at the entrance two large lions,
which refused to let him pass. Ivan, however, saw two copper basins
standing near, so he went and got some water and gave it to the lions,
who were thirsty, and then they let him go into the tent. When he had
come there he saw a lovely princess on a couch, and at her feet slept a
dreadful dragon, whose head Ivan cut off with one blow. The princess
thanked him, and gave him a copper egg, in which was contained a copper
kingdom. Then the Czarewitch left her and went on.
When he had gone a long way he saw a tent of fine gauze hung from a
cedar-tree by silver cords. These cords had tassels of emeralds, and on
the tent was the picture of a silver kingdom. On the summit of the tent
was a silver ball. At the entrance lay two large tigers. He satisfied
their thirst, as he had done that of the lions, and then they let him
pass. When he came into the tent he saw a lovely princess dressed in
very fine clothes, and very much more beautiful than the former. At her
feet lay a dragon with six heads, and twice as large as the first. With
one blow Ivan cut off its heads, and the princess rewarded his courage
by giving him a silver egg, in which was a silver kingdom. Then Ivan
left her and went on.
At length he came to a third tent of silk, on which was pictured a
golden kingdom, and on its summit was a ball of pure gold. The tent was
hung from a laurel-tree by gold cords, and the tassels of the cords were
composed of diamonds. By the entrance lay two large crocodiles which
breathed out great flames. The Czarewitch gave them some water, and thus
got them to let him enter the tent. Inside he found on a couch a
princess who even surpassed the two former ones in beauty. At her feet
lay a dragon with twelve heads. Ivan cut off all the heads with one blow
of his sword, and the princess, thanking him, gave him a golden egg, in
which was a golden kingdom. With it she also gave him her heart. As they
talked together, Ivan asked the princess if she could tell him where he
should find his mother, and she, showing him where his mother dwelt,
wished he would have good fortune in his adventure.
He went on a long way and came to a palace, and going in he passed
through many rooms, but he found no one in them. At last he came to a
large beautiful hall, and there he saw his mother, dressed in royal
robes, sitting on a chair. When they had tenderly saluted, Ivan told her
how he and his brothers had travelled very far to seek her whom they
loved so much. The Czarina informed Ivan that a spirit would soon come,
and told him to conceal himself under her cloak.
“When the spirit appears,” said she, “seize his magic wand with both
hands. He will then fly upwards with you, but do not be afraid, and be
quiet. After a time he will fall to the earth and be dashed to pieces.
You must gather these up, burn them, and scatter the ashes on the
field.”
His mother had scarcely finished these words, and hidden him under her
cloak, before the spirit appeared. Then Ivan sprang forward as his
mother had told him, and laid hold of the magic wand. The spirit seized
the Czarewitch, flew with him far up, fell to the ground, and was dashed
to pieces. The Czarewitch gathered these together, and burnt them, but
kept the magic stick. Then he took his mother and the three princesses
whom he had rescued, and, coming to an oak-tree, he let each one of them
slide down the mountain-side by means of a linen cloth. When the
brothers, who waited at the foot of the mountain, saw that he alone
remained on the top, they tore the linen cloth out of his hand, led away
their mother and the three princesses to their own kingdom, and made
them take an oath that they would tell their father that they had been saved by them.
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