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About Prince......
In a certain kingdom, in a certain realm there lived a king by the name of
Bel-Belianin who had a wife named Nastasya the Golden Plait and three sons,
Prince Pyotr, Prince Vassily and Prince Ivan. One day the queen and her
women and maids went for a walk in the garden. All of a sudden a great
whirlwind arose and it caught up the queen, which God forbid should happen
to anyone, and carried her off none knew where.
The king was very sad and woebegone and did not know what to do, but when
his sons had grown to manhood he said to them: "My dear sons, my beloved
sons, will not one of you go to seek your mother?" The two elder sons did
not delay but set off at once, and the third and youngest son began pleading
with his father to let him go too. "No, my son, you mustn't leave me, an old
man, all alone," said the king. "Please let me go, Father! I do so want to
travel over the world and find my mother." The king reasoned with him, but,
seeing that he could not stop him from going, said: "Oh, all right then, I
suppose it can't be helped. Go and God be with you!"
Prince Ivan saddled his trusty steed and set forth from home. Whether he was
long on the way or not nobody knows, for a tale is quick in the telling and
a deed is slow in the doing, but by and by he came to a forest where stood a
most beautiful palace. Prince Ivan rode into the yard, and a large yard it
was, and, seeing an old man coming toward him, said: "Good morrow, old man,
and many long years of life to you!" "Welcome, welcome, my brave lad! And
who may you be?" "I am Prince Ivan, son of King Bel-Belianin and Queen
Nastasya the Golden Plait." "Then you are my own nephew! Whither are you
bound?" "I am seeking my mother. Do you know where she is to be found,
Uncle?" "No, my lad, I don't. But I'll do what I can for you. Here is a
little ball. Throw it down before you, and it will start rolling and bring
you to a tall, steep mountain with a cave in it. Go into the cave, take the
iron claws that you will see there, fit them on to your hands and feet and
climb the mountain. You may well find your mother on its top."
Well and good. Prince Ivan bade his uncle farewell and threw the ball before
him. On the ball rolled, and he rode after it. Whether a short or a long
time passed nobody knows, but by and by he came to a field and whom should
he see there but his brothers Prince Pyotr and Prince Vassily surrounded by
a host of fighting men. The brothers rode forth to meet him. "Where are you
going, Prince Ivan?" they asked. "I got bored staying at home and thought I
would go to seek our mother. Send your men home and come with me." The
brothers did as he said. The) sent the men home and joined him, and the
three of them followed the ball together.
By and by they saw the mountain, and so tall and steep was it that it
touched the sky with its peak! The ball rolled up straight to a cave, and
Prince Ivan got off his horse and said to his brothers: "Stay here and look
after my horse, brothers, and I will climb the mountain and try to find our
mother. Wait for me for three months, and if I am not back by then, you will
know that it's no use waiting any longer." "A man can break his neck
climbing a mountain like that!" thought the brothers, but they said to him:
"Very well, then, go with God and we will wait for you here."
Prince Ivan came up to the cave, gave its door of iron a mighty push and
sent it flying open. He came inside, and the iron claws jumped up and fixed
themselves to his hands and feet. But it took all of his strength to climb
the mountain, and a whole month passed before he at last reached its top.
"God be thanked, I'm here at last!" said he. He rested awhile and then went
on. He walked and he walked, and, standing before him, saw a palace of
copper. Chained to the gate with copper chains were the most fearful of
dragons, while close by was a well with a copper dipper dangling at the end
of a copper chain. Prince Ivan scooped up some water and gave the dragons a
drink, and, thus having quietened them, passed on into the palace where he
was met by the Princess of the Copper Kingdom.
"Who are you, brave youth?" she asked. "I am Prince Ivan." "Is it of your
own free will that you have come here, Prince Ivan, or at another's
bidding?" "Of my own free will. I am seeking my mother, Nastasya the Golden
Plait, who was carried off by Whirlwind. Do you happen to know where she
is?" "No, I don't. But my middle sister the Princess of the Silver Kingdom,
lives nearby, and she may know." And she brought out a copper ball and a
copper ring and gave them to him. "This ball," said she, "will lead you to
my middle sister, and in this ring is the whole of my Copper Kingdom. When
you have vanquished Whirlwind, who keeps me captive here and comes to see me
every three months, do not forget me, unhappy soul that I am, but deliver me
from captivity and take me with you to where I can be free." "Very well,
I'll do that," said Prince Ivan. He cast the copper ball down on the ground,
started it rolling and went after it.
He came to the Silver Kingdom and saw before him a palace that was made of
silver and was even more beautiful than the copper one. Chained with silver
chains to the gate were fearful dragons, and close by was a well with a
silver dipper. Prince Ivan scooped up some water and gave it to the dragons
to drink, and they lay down on the ground and let him pass on into the
palace where he was met by the Princess of the Silver Kingdom. "It will be
three years soon that I have been kept here by Whirlwind, and I have not
seen a Russian face or heard Russian speech in all that time," said she.
"Who are you, brave youth?" "I am Prince Ivan." "Have you come here of your
own free will or at another's bidding?" "Of my own free will. I am seeking
my mother whom Whirlwind seized when she was out walking in the garden and
carried off none knows where. Do you know where I can find her?" "No, I
don't. But my elder sister, Elena the Fair, the Princess of the Golden
Kingdom, lives nearby, and she may know. Here is a silver ball for you. Send
it rolling and follow it, and it will lead you to the Golden Kingdom. And
when you have killed Whirlwind do not forget me, unhappy soul that I am, but
deliver me from captivity and take me with you to where I can be free. For
Whirlwind keeps me captive here and comes to see me every two months." She
gave him a silver ring and said: "My whole Silver Kingdom is in this ring."
And Prince Ivan sent the silver ball rolling along and went after it.
Whether a short or a long time passed nobody knows, but by and by he saw
before him a palace of gold that flamed like fire. Fearful dragons, chained
to the wall with chains of gold, guarded the gate, and close by was a well
with a dipper of gold dangling at the end of a gold chain. Prince Ivan
scooped up a dipperful of water and gave the dragons a drink, and they
quietened and lay down on the ground so that he was able to pass on into the
palace. Elena the Fair met him there and asked him who he was. "I am Prince
Ivan." "Have you come here of your own free will or at another's bidding?"
"Of my own free will. I am seeking my mother, Nastasya the Golden Plait. Do
you know where I can find her?" "That I do. She lives nearby, and Whirlwind
comes to see her once a week and me, once a month. Here is a gold ball for
you. Send it rolling along and go after it, and it will lead you wherever
you wish to go. And take this gold ring, too; in it is the whole of the
Golden Kingdom. But mind this, Prince Ivan: when you have vanquished
Whirlwind, do not forget me, unhappy soul that I am, but take me with you to
where I can be free." "I'll not forget you, " said the Prince.
He sent-the ball rolling along and went after it, he walked and he walked,
and he came to a palace that flamed like fire so many were the diamonds and
other gems studding its walls. By the gate were six-headed dragons that
hissed as he came near, but Prince Ivan gave them water to drink and they
quietened and let him pass on into the palace. Many were the chambers he
passed through, and in the last one, sitting on a high throne, he found his
mother. She was garbed in royal garments and had on a gem-studded crown. She
glanced up as he came in, and seeing who it was, cried: "Dear God in Heaven,
is it you, my beloved son? How did you get here?" He told her all about
everything and then said: "1 have come for you." "It is a hard task you have
set yourself, my son," said she. "For .the ruler of this mountain is
Whirlwind who is as mighty as he is evil and who holds all the spirits in
his sway. It was he who carried me off, and it is him you will have to
grapple with! Now come down into the cellar with me."
They went down into the cellar, and there were two tubs of water there, one
standing near the right wall and the other, near the left one. "Drink some
water out of the tub that is near the right wall," said Nastasya the Golden
Plait. Prince Ivan did as she told him. "How strong do you feel?" she asked
him. "So strong that I know I could turn this whole palace round with one
hand if I chose!" "Take another sip from the same tub." Prince Ivan bent
down and took another sip. "And how strong do you feel now?" "So strong that
I know I could turn the whole world upside down!" "That makes you very
strong indeed! And now move the tub that is near the right wall to the left
wall, and the one near the left wall to the right one." Prince Ivan did as
she told him. "The tub you drank from is filled with strong water, my dear
son," his mother said, "and the other, with strengthless water. He who
drinks of the first will become very, very strong, and he who drinks of the
second, very weak. Now, Whirlwind always drinks out of the first tub, which
he keeps near the right wall, and if we are to get the better of him we must
trick him."
They climbed the cellar stairs and were soon back in the self-same chamber,
and his mother told Prince Ivan that Whirlwind would soon be coming home.
"Hide under my mantle that he might not see you," she said. "And as soon as
he flies in and begins embracing and kissing me, grab hold of his cudgel and
don't let go of it. He will rise high into the air and carry you over
mountains and seas, but you must never loosen your hold. He will tire after
a while, and, wanting to drink of the strong water, come down into the
cellar and rush to the tub we have put near the right wall. He will drink
from it, and you must drink from the other one. When you see that he has
lost all of his strength, you must seize his sword and smite off his head
with one blow. When you have done that, you will hear voices telling you to
smite again. Do not heed them but say in reply: 'A true knight never smites
but once!' "
No sooner had Prince Ivan hidden himself under his mother's mantle than it
grew dark outside, everything around them began to shake and to tremble, and
Whirlwind came flying up. He struck the ground, turned into a tall and
handsome man and came into the palace, a great cudgel in his hand.
"Fee-fo-fum! I smell Russian flesh. Has anyone been here?" "No, and I don't
know what makes you think so," the queen said. Whirlwind threw his arms
around her and began kissing her, and Prince Ivan grabbed hold of his
cudgel. "I'll soon do away with you!" Whirlwind cried. "That remains to be
seen. You might and then again you might not." At this Whirlwind flew out
through the window and soared to the sky, and he bore Prince Ivan away with
him. They flew over a mountain, and Whirlwind said, "I'll dash you to the
ground and kill you!" They flew over the sea, and he said, "I'll throw you
down and drown you!" But he could not make good his threats, for Prince Ivan
held on to the cudgel and would not let go of it.
Whirlwind flew all round the world, and at last, feeling weary, he came down
to the ground and into the cellar. Not knowing that it was filled with
strengthless water, he rushed to the tub that stood near the right wall and
began drinking from it, and Prince Ivan let him do it and himself drank from
the tub that stood near the left wall and that was filled with strong water.
Very soon Whirlwind lost all his strength while Prince Ivan became the
strongest man that ever lived. Snatching his sabre from him, he smote off
Whirlwind's head, and the moment he had done so he heard voices calling from
behind him: "Smite again, smite again or he will come back to life!" "No,"
said Prince Ivan, "a true knight never smites but once." He made up a fire,
burnt Whirlwind's head and his body and cast the ashes into the wind.
Nastasya the Golden Plait was overjoyed. "Let us now make merry and eat and
drink, my son," said she, "and then make haste and set out for home, for
this is a dull place with no one to talk to even." "Who is to serve us,
then, if no one lives here?" "That you shall see." And before another word
was said the table was covered with a cloth, and all sorts of foods and
drinks appeared on it. And as they ate, the sound of music fell on their
ears and someone they could not see sang to them. They ate and they drank
and had a rest, and Prince Ivan said: "It is time to go, Mother! My two
brothers are waiting for us at the foot of the mountain, and I still have to
free the three princesses whom Whirlwind has been keeping captive."
They took every thing they needed and set out on their way. They freed the
three Princesses and taking away a length of cloth as well as many of the
fine and costly things they found in the three palaces, went on and soon
came to the place where they could begin their descent from the mountain.
Prince Ivan tied his mother to the cloth first and let her down on it, and
then he let down Elena the Fair and her two sisters. His two brothers stood
below watching and said: "We'll leave Prince Ivan on the mountain top, and
we'll take our mother and the three princesses to our father and tell him
that it was we who found and freed them." "I will marry Elena the Fair, and
you the Princess of the Silver Kingdom," said Prince Pyotr to Prince
Vassily, "and the Princess of the Copper Kingdom will have to be content
with a general."
It was now the turn of Prince Ivan to let himself down from the mountain,
but his brothers seized the bottom end of the cloth and ripped it off.
Prince Ivan was left on the top of the mountain and there was nothing he
could do. He burst into tears and went back along the road, but though he
walked all over the Copper Kingdom, the Silver Kingdom and the Golden
Kingdom, not a soul did he see. He came to the Diamond Kingdom, but there
was no one there either, and he felt so lonely he wanted to die. Then, lying
on the window sill in one of the palace chambers, he saw a pipe. "I think
I'll play a little tune just to keep boredom away," said he picking it up.
He put the pipe to his lips and blew, and as if out of nowhere there
appeared before him a lame man and a one-eyed man. "What can we do for you,
Prince Ivan?" asked they. "I'm hungry. Bring me something to eat." And
lo!—quick as lightning the table was set and the best of foods and drinks
appeared on it. Prince Ivan ate and then he said to himself: "And now I
wouldn't mind having a rest." He put the pipe to his lips and blew, and the
lame man and the one-eyed man appeared. "What can we do for you, Prince
Ivan?" they asked. "Make a bed for me." No sooner were the words out of his
mouth than the bed was made, and it was the softest he had ever slept on.
He had a good sleep and then blew upon his pipe again. "What can we do for
you?" asked the lame man and the one-eyed man. "Does that mean that I can
ask for anything and it will be done?" asked Prince Ivan. "Yes, anything at
all, Prince Ivan. All you have to do is blow upon the pipe. Just as we were
ready to serve Whirlwind before, so are we ready to serve you now. Only you
must have the pipe with you always." "Good!" said Prince Ivan, and he added:
"I wish to be back in my own realm." And no sooner had he said this than he
found himself in his own realm, at a market-place. He walked along, and
there, coming toward him, he saw a shoemaker, as jolly a fellow as ever
lived. "Where are you going, my man?" asked Prince Ivan. "To sell a pair of
boots. I'm a shoemaker." "How would you like me to work for you?" "Can you
make shoes?" "Yes, and clothes, too. I can do anything." "Good! Come along,
then!"
They came to the shoemaker's house, and the shoemaker said: "Now, then, make
me a pair of boots out of this piece of leather, and it's fine leather,
believe me you. I want to see what you can do." He showed Prince Ivan into
the room he was to live in and left him there. Prince Ivan got out his pipe
and blew upon it, and the lame man and the one-eyed man appeared before him.
"What can we do for you, Prince Ivan?" they asked. "I want you to make me a
pair of boots, to be ready by tomorrow." "It shall be done!" "Here, take
this piece of leather." "A poor piece, if ever there was one! It ought to be
thrown out." Morning came, Prince Ivan rose, and there on the table stood a
beautiful pair of boots! The shoemaker too got up from bed. "Are the boots
ready?" he asked. "They are," said Prince Ivan. "Well, then, let me see
them!" Prince Ivan brought out the boots, and the shoemaker took one look at
them and gasped in wonder. "I have found myself a master shoemaker, a man
with magic fingers!" he cried. And he took the boots and made for the
market-place with them.
Now, at this same time preparations for three weddings were under way in the
palace: Prince Pyotr was marrying Elena the Fair, Prince Vassily, the
Princess of the Silver Kingdom, and a general the Princess of the Copper
Kingdom. Finery of all sorts was being purchased for the brides and grooms,
and Elena the Fair said that she needed a pair of boots. Now, as no boots
better than the ones the shoemaker was offering could be found, he was at
once brought to the palace. And Elena the Fair took one look at them and
said: "Such boots can only have been made in Whirlwind's palace!" She paid
the shoemaker a large sum of money and bade him make her another pair. "They
must be ornamented with diamonds and other precious stones," said she. "And
I will not have you measuring my feet. Just remember this. If they are not
ready by breakfast-time tomorrow, you shall be hanged!"
The shoemaker took the money and the gems with which the boots were to be
ornamented and left the palace with hanging head. "Unhappy man that I am!
What am I to do?" he said to himself. "How can I have the boots ready by
tomorrow? It's the gallows for me and no mistake! I think I had better have
a drink or two with my friends before I die." He stepped into an inn where
he found some of his friends, of whom he had many, and, seeing him, they
asked why he was so glum. "Ah, my friends, I'm to be hanged tomorrow!"
"Hanged? What for?" The shoemaker told them about the boots he had been
ordered to make. "It's no use trying to work!" said he. "Let's drink and
make merry instead." They drank and made merry, and by the time the day was
drawing to a close the shoemaker could hardly stand on his feet he was so
drunk. "I think I'll take a keg of wine home and go to bed," said he. "And
when they come for me tomorrow, I'll down a half of it. A man can't feel the
rope round his neck when he's dead drunk." He came home and said to Prince
Ivan: "See what those boots of yours have done, curse you! I'm to be hanged.
Wake me when they come for me tomorrow morning."
Night came, Prince Ivan got out his pipe and blew upon it, and the lame man
and the one-eyed man appeared. "What can we do for you, Prince Ivan?" they
asked. "You are to make me a pair of boots to be ready by morning," said he,
and he told them what kind of boots were wanted. "It shall be done!" Prince
Ivan went to bed and to sleep, and in the morning, there were the boots
standing on the table, the gems on them sparkling and glittering. "Time to
get up, Master!" he called to the shoemaker. "Have they come for me, then?
Bring the keg of wine and pour me a cupful, let them hang me drank." "But
the boots are ready, Master." "What! Where are they?" He rushed into Prince
Ivan's room, and, seeing the boots, said: "When did you and I manage to make
them?" "During the night, Master. Don't you remember?" "No, I'm that fuzzy.
I don't."
He took the boots, wrapped them up and ran to the palace, and when Elena the
Fair saw them she at once knew that it was Whirlwind's two servants who had
made them. "How ever did you manage to make these boots?" asked she of the
shoemaker. "I can do anything!" "If that is so, then make me a wedding dress
sewn with gold and studded with diamonds and other precious stones. And it
must be ready by tomorrow or I'll have you put to death!" The shoemaker left
the palace with hanging head. His friends, who had been waiting for him,
greeted him and asked how he had fared. "It's cursed I am!" he told them.
"Elena the Fair will drive all us good Christians to our grave! She's
ordered me to make her a dress sewn with gold and studded with precious
stones, and what sort of a tailor am I! I'm sure to be put to death." "Let's
have a drink or two now, friend, and then you can go to bed. Night is the
mother of wisdom, don't forget."
They went to an inn and drank and made merry, and by and by the shoemaker
was so drank he could hardly stand. He dragged a keg of wine home with him
and said to Prince Ivan: "Wake me tomorrow and I'll down this whole keg of
wine. I want to be drank when they chop off my head. For never in my life
can I hope to make a dress like the one demanded of me." He went to bed and
was soon snoring loudly, and Prince Ivan put his pipe to his lips and blew.
The lame man and the one-eyed man appeared and asked him what they could do
for him. "I want a dress to be made by tomorrow, and it must be as fine as
the ones Elena the Fair wore when she lived in Whirlwind's palace." "It
shall be done!" Prince Ivan woke at dawn, and there was the dress lying on
the table and sparkling so brightly that it lit up the whole room. So he
went and roused the shoemaker who rubbed his eyes and said: "Have they come
for me, then? Hurry and bring the wine!" "But the dress is all ready." "Is
it? When did we make it?" "During the night. It was you did the cutting."
"Did I? I'm that fuzzy I don't remember." And taking the dress, the
shoemaker ran to the palace.
Elena the Fair gave him a large sum of money and said: "You are to build a
kingdom of gold in the middle of the sea and also a bridge of gold that will
connect this palace with it. The bridge is to be carpeted with the richest
of velvets, beautiful trees are to grow on either side of it, and songbirds
are to sit in them and sing away for all they are worth. And if it is not
ready by breakfast-time tomorrow, I shall have you quartered!" The shoemaker
left the palace with hanging head. "Well, how was it?" his friends asked
him. "It's the end of me, I am to be quartered tomorrow. She's set me such a
task that the devil himself could not cope with it!" "Now, now, let's go and
have a drink and then you can go to bed. Night is the mother of wisdom,
don't forget." "And why not! A man should have a little pleasure before he
dies."
They went to an inn and drank much wine, and so drank was the shoemaker by
evening that his friends had to drag him home. "Goodbye, my lad!" said he to
Prince Ivan. "I am to be put to death tomorrow." "Have you been set another
task?" "Yes." He told Prince Ivan what it was, went to bed and was soon
snoring away. And Prince Ivan went to his own room and blew upon his pipe.
The lame man and the one-eyed man appeared and asked him what they could do
for him. He told them what it was he wanted done, and they said: "That is no
easy task, Prince Ivan, but never fear, everything will be done by tomorrow
morning." Prince Ivan woke just as day broke, he looked out of the window,
and lo and behold!—there stood the palace of gold flaming like fire. Prince
Ivan roused the shoemaker who jumped to his feet with a start. "What is it?
Have they come for me? Bring the wine, quick! I want to be put to death
drunk." "But the palace has been built." "It has?" And the shoemaker glanced
out of the window and gasped in wonder. "When was it built?" he asked.
"Don't you remember? You and I worked very, very hard." "I must have slept
so soundly I forgot all about it."
They hurried to the golden palace and found it to be full of treasures such
as no one had seen or heard of before. Said Prince Ivan: "Here is a feather
duster for you, Master. Go and dust the railings, and if anyone comes and
asks you who lives in the palace, don't say a word but just give them this
note." Off went the shoemaker and began dusting the railings, and Elena the
Fair, who had just risen from bed, saw the golden bridge and hurried to tell
the king about it. "Just look, Your Majesty!" she cried. "A palace of gold
has been built in the middle of the sea, and a bridge too that connects it
with your palace. And on either side of the bridge grow the most beautiful
trees in which sit songbirds that fill the air with their music."
The king, who feared that some great warrior was about to lay siege to his
kingdom, at once sent envoys to ask what it all could mean. And the
shoemaker being on the bridge, the envoys addressed all their questions to
him. "I know nothing, but here is a note you can take to your king," the
shoemaker said. Now, in the note Prince Ivan had told his father all about
everything, about how he had freed his mother and Elena the Fair and about
how his elder brothers had tricked him. And he sent coaches of gold for the
king and queen, asking them to pay him a visit together with Elena the Fair
and her sisters. He invited his brothers too, but said that they were to
travel in an ordinary peasant sled.
The king and queen and the rest did not delay but set off at once, and
Prince Ivan welcomed them with great joy. The king wanted to punish his two
elder sons for what they had done, but Prince Ivan pleaded with him not to
and he forgave them. A great feast was then held, and Prince Ivan married
Elena the Fair. He gave the Princess of the Silver Kingdom in marriage to
Prince Pyotr, and the Princess of the Copper Kingdom, to Prince Vassily, and
he had the shoemaker made general.
Bel-Belianin who had a wife named Nastasya the Golden Plait and three sons,
Prince Pyotr, Prince Vassily and Prince Ivan. One day the queen and her
women and maids went for a walk in the garden. All of a sudden a great
whirlwind arose and it caught up the queen, which God forbid should happen
to anyone, and carried her off none knew where.
The king was very sad and woebegone and did not know what to do, but when
his sons had grown to manhood he said to them: "My dear sons, my beloved
sons, will not one of you go to seek your mother?" The two elder sons did
not delay but set off at once, and the third and youngest son began pleading
with his father to let him go too. "No, my son, you mustn't leave me, an old
man, all alone," said the king. "Please let me go, Father! I do so want to
travel over the world and find my mother." The king reasoned with him, but,
seeing that he could not stop him from going, said: "Oh, all right then, I
suppose it can't be helped. Go and God be with you!"
Prince Ivan saddled his trusty steed and set forth from home. Whether he was
long on the way or not nobody knows, for a tale is quick in the telling and
a deed is slow in the doing, but by and by he came to a forest where stood a
most beautiful palace. Prince Ivan rode into the yard, and a large yard it
was, and, seeing an old man coming toward him, said: "Good morrow, old man,
and many long years of life to you!" "Welcome, welcome, my brave lad! And
who may you be?" "I am Prince Ivan, son of King Bel-Belianin and Queen
Nastasya the Golden Plait." "Then you are my own nephew! Whither are you
bound?" "I am seeking my mother. Do you know where she is to be found,
Uncle?" "No, my lad, I don't. But I'll do what I can for you. Here is a
little ball. Throw it down before you, and it will start rolling and bring
you to a tall, steep mountain with a cave in it. Go into the cave, take the
iron claws that you will see there, fit them on to your hands and feet and
climb the mountain. You may well find your mother on its top."
Well and good. Prince Ivan bade his uncle farewell and threw the ball before
him. On the ball rolled, and he rode after it. Whether a short or a long
time passed nobody knows, but by and by he came to a field and whom should
he see there but his brothers Prince Pyotr and Prince Vassily surrounded by
a host of fighting men. The brothers rode forth to meet him. "Where are you
going, Prince Ivan?" they asked. "I got bored staying at home and thought I
would go to seek our mother. Send your men home and come with me." The
brothers did as he said. The) sent the men home and joined him, and the
three of them followed the ball together.
By and by they saw the mountain, and so tall and steep was it that it
touched the sky with its peak! The ball rolled up straight to a cave, and
Prince Ivan got off his horse and said to his brothers: "Stay here and look
after my horse, brothers, and I will climb the mountain and try to find our
mother. Wait for me for three months, and if I am not back by then, you will
know that it's no use waiting any longer." "A man can break his neck
climbing a mountain like that!" thought the brothers, but they said to him:
"Very well, then, go with God and we will wait for you here."
Prince Ivan came up to the cave, gave its door of iron a mighty push and
sent it flying open. He came inside, and the iron claws jumped up and fixed
themselves to his hands and feet. But it took all of his strength to climb
the mountain, and a whole month passed before he at last reached its top.
"God be thanked, I'm here at last!" said he. He rested awhile and then went
on. He walked and he walked, and, standing before him, saw a palace of
copper. Chained to the gate with copper chains were the most fearful of
dragons, while close by was a well with a copper dipper dangling at the end
of a copper chain. Prince Ivan scooped up some water and gave the dragons a
drink, and, thus having quietened them, passed on into the palace where he
was met by the Princess of the Copper Kingdom.
"Who are you, brave youth?" she asked. "I am Prince Ivan." "Is it of your
own free will that you have come here, Prince Ivan, or at another's
bidding?" "Of my own free will. I am seeking my mother, Nastasya the Golden
Plait, who was carried off by Whirlwind. Do you happen to know where she
is?" "No, I don't. But my middle sister the Princess of the Silver Kingdom,
lives nearby, and she may know." And she brought out a copper ball and a
copper ring and gave them to him. "This ball," said she, "will lead you to
my middle sister, and in this ring is the whole of my Copper Kingdom. When
you have vanquished Whirlwind, who keeps me captive here and comes to see me
every three months, do not forget me, unhappy soul that I am, but deliver me
from captivity and take me with you to where I can be free." "Very well,
I'll do that," said Prince Ivan. He cast the copper ball down on the ground,
started it rolling and went after it.
He came to the Silver Kingdom and saw before him a palace that was made of
silver and was even more beautiful than the copper one. Chained with silver
chains to the gate were fearful dragons, and close by was a well with a
silver dipper. Prince Ivan scooped up some water and gave it to the dragons
to drink, and they lay down on the ground and let him pass on into the
palace where he was met by the Princess of the Silver Kingdom. "It will be
three years soon that I have been kept here by Whirlwind, and I have not
seen a Russian face or heard Russian speech in all that time," said she.
"Who are you, brave youth?" "I am Prince Ivan." "Have you come here of your
own free will or at another's bidding?" "Of my own free will. I am seeking
my mother whom Whirlwind seized when she was out walking in the garden and
carried off none knows where. Do you know where I can find her?" "No, I
don't. But my elder sister, Elena the Fair, the Princess of the Golden
Kingdom, lives nearby, and she may know. Here is a silver ball for you. Send
it rolling and follow it, and it will lead you to the Golden Kingdom. And
when you have killed Whirlwind do not forget me, unhappy soul that I am, but
deliver me from captivity and take me with you to where I can be free. For
Whirlwind keeps me captive here and comes to see me every two months." She
gave him a silver ring and said: "My whole Silver Kingdom is in this ring."
And Prince Ivan sent the silver ball rolling along and went after it.
Whether a short or a long time passed nobody knows, but by and by he saw
before him a palace of gold that flamed like fire. Fearful dragons, chained
to the wall with chains of gold, guarded the gate, and close by was a well
with a dipper of gold dangling at the end of a gold chain. Prince Ivan
scooped up a dipperful of water and gave the dragons a drink, and they
quietened and lay down on the ground so that he was able to pass on into the
palace. Elena the Fair met him there and asked him who he was. "I am Prince
Ivan." "Have you come here of your own free will or at another's bidding?"
"Of my own free will. I am seeking my mother, Nastasya the Golden Plait. Do
you know where I can find her?" "That I do. She lives nearby, and Whirlwind
comes to see her once a week and me, once a month. Here is a gold ball for
you. Send it rolling along and go after it, and it will lead you wherever
you wish to go. And take this gold ring, too; in it is the whole of the
Golden Kingdom. But mind this, Prince Ivan: when you have vanquished
Whirlwind, do not forget me, unhappy soul that I am, but take me with you to
where I can be free." "I'll not forget you, " said the Prince.
He sent-the ball rolling along and went after it, he walked and he walked,
and he came to a palace that flamed like fire so many were the diamonds and
other gems studding its walls. By the gate were six-headed dragons that
hissed as he came near, but Prince Ivan gave them water to drink and they
quietened and let him pass on into the palace. Many were the chambers he
passed through, and in the last one, sitting on a high throne, he found his
mother. She was garbed in royal garments and had on a gem-studded crown. She
glanced up as he came in, and seeing who it was, cried: "Dear God in Heaven,
is it you, my beloved son? How did you get here?" He told her all about
everything and then said: "1 have come for you." "It is a hard task you have
set yourself, my son," said she. "For .the ruler of this mountain is
Whirlwind who is as mighty as he is evil and who holds all the spirits in
his sway. It was he who carried me off, and it is him you will have to
grapple with! Now come down into the cellar with me."
They went down into the cellar, and there were two tubs of water there, one
standing near the right wall and the other, near the left one. "Drink some
water out of the tub that is near the right wall," said Nastasya the Golden
Plait. Prince Ivan did as she told him. "How strong do you feel?" she asked
him. "So strong that I know I could turn this whole palace round with one
hand if I chose!" "Take another sip from the same tub." Prince Ivan bent
down and took another sip. "And how strong do you feel now?" "So strong that
I know I could turn the whole world upside down!" "That makes you very
strong indeed! And now move the tub that is near the right wall to the left
wall, and the one near the left wall to the right one." Prince Ivan did as
she told him. "The tub you drank from is filled with strong water, my dear
son," his mother said, "and the other, with strengthless water. He who
drinks of the first will become very, very strong, and he who drinks of the
second, very weak. Now, Whirlwind always drinks out of the first tub, which
he keeps near the right wall, and if we are to get the better of him we must
trick him."
They climbed the cellar stairs and were soon back in the self-same chamber,
and his mother told Prince Ivan that Whirlwind would soon be coming home.
"Hide under my mantle that he might not see you," she said. "And as soon as
he flies in and begins embracing and kissing me, grab hold of his cudgel and
don't let go of it. He will rise high into the air and carry you over
mountains and seas, but you must never loosen your hold. He will tire after
a while, and, wanting to drink of the strong water, come down into the
cellar and rush to the tub we have put near the right wall. He will drink
from it, and you must drink from the other one. When you see that he has
lost all of his strength, you must seize his sword and smite off his head
with one blow. When you have done that, you will hear voices telling you to
smite again. Do not heed them but say in reply: 'A true knight never smites
but once!' "
No sooner had Prince Ivan hidden himself under his mother's mantle than it
grew dark outside, everything around them began to shake and to tremble, and
Whirlwind came flying up. He struck the ground, turned into a tall and
handsome man and came into the palace, a great cudgel in his hand.
"Fee-fo-fum! I smell Russian flesh. Has anyone been here?" "No, and I don't
know what makes you think so," the queen said. Whirlwind threw his arms
around her and began kissing her, and Prince Ivan grabbed hold of his
cudgel. "I'll soon do away with you!" Whirlwind cried. "That remains to be
seen. You might and then again you might not." At this Whirlwind flew out
through the window and soared to the sky, and he bore Prince Ivan away with
him. They flew over a mountain, and Whirlwind said, "I'll dash you to the
ground and kill you!" They flew over the sea, and he said, "I'll throw you
down and drown you!" But he could not make good his threats, for Prince Ivan
held on to the cudgel and would not let go of it.
Whirlwind flew all round the world, and at last, feeling weary, he came down
to the ground and into the cellar. Not knowing that it was filled with
strengthless water, he rushed to the tub that stood near the right wall and
began drinking from it, and Prince Ivan let him do it and himself drank from
the tub that stood near the left wall and that was filled with strong water.
Very soon Whirlwind lost all his strength while Prince Ivan became the
strongest man that ever lived. Snatching his sabre from him, he smote off
Whirlwind's head, and the moment he had done so he heard voices calling from
behind him: "Smite again, smite again or he will come back to life!" "No,"
said Prince Ivan, "a true knight never smites but once." He made up a fire,
burnt Whirlwind's head and his body and cast the ashes into the wind.
Nastasya the Golden Plait was overjoyed. "Let us now make merry and eat and
drink, my son," said she, "and then make haste and set out for home, for
this is a dull place with no one to talk to even." "Who is to serve us,
then, if no one lives here?" "That you shall see." And before another word
was said the table was covered with a cloth, and all sorts of foods and
drinks appeared on it. And as they ate, the sound of music fell on their
ears and someone they could not see sang to them. They ate and they drank
and had a rest, and Prince Ivan said: "It is time to go, Mother! My two
brothers are waiting for us at the foot of the mountain, and I still have to
free the three princesses whom Whirlwind has been keeping captive."
They took every thing they needed and set out on their way. They freed the
three Princesses and taking away a length of cloth as well as many of the
fine and costly things they found in the three palaces, went on and soon
came to the place where they could begin their descent from the mountain.
Prince Ivan tied his mother to the cloth first and let her down on it, and
then he let down Elena the Fair and her two sisters. His two brothers stood
below watching and said: "We'll leave Prince Ivan on the mountain top, and
we'll take our mother and the three princesses to our father and tell him
that it was we who found and freed them." "I will marry Elena the Fair, and
you the Princess of the Silver Kingdom," said Prince Pyotr to Prince
Vassily, "and the Princess of the Copper Kingdom will have to be content
with a general."
It was now the turn of Prince Ivan to let himself down from the mountain,
but his brothers seized the bottom end of the cloth and ripped it off.
Prince Ivan was left on the top of the mountain and there was nothing he
could do. He burst into tears and went back along the road, but though he
walked all over the Copper Kingdom, the Silver Kingdom and the Golden
Kingdom, not a soul did he see. He came to the Diamond Kingdom, but there
was no one there either, and he felt so lonely he wanted to die. Then, lying
on the window sill in one of the palace chambers, he saw a pipe. "I think
I'll play a little tune just to keep boredom away," said he picking it up.
He put the pipe to his lips and blew, and as if out of nowhere there
appeared before him a lame man and a one-eyed man. "What can we do for you,
Prince Ivan?" asked they. "I'm hungry. Bring me something to eat." And
lo!—quick as lightning the table was set and the best of foods and drinks
appeared on it. Prince Ivan ate and then he said to himself: "And now I
wouldn't mind having a rest." He put the pipe to his lips and blew, and the
lame man and the one-eyed man appeared. "What can we do for you, Prince
Ivan?" they asked. "Make a bed for me." No sooner were the words out of his
mouth than the bed was made, and it was the softest he had ever slept on.
He had a good sleep and then blew upon his pipe again. "What can we do for
you?" asked the lame man and the one-eyed man. "Does that mean that I can
ask for anything and it will be done?" asked Prince Ivan. "Yes, anything at
all, Prince Ivan. All you have to do is blow upon the pipe. Just as we were
ready to serve Whirlwind before, so are we ready to serve you now. Only you
must have the pipe with you always." "Good!" said Prince Ivan, and he added:
"I wish to be back in my own realm." And no sooner had he said this than he
found himself in his own realm, at a market-place. He walked along, and
there, coming toward him, he saw a shoemaker, as jolly a fellow as ever
lived. "Where are you going, my man?" asked Prince Ivan. "To sell a pair of
boots. I'm a shoemaker." "How would you like me to work for you?" "Can you
make shoes?" "Yes, and clothes, too. I can do anything." "Good! Come along,
then!"
They came to the shoemaker's house, and the shoemaker said: "Now, then, make
me a pair of boots out of this piece of leather, and it's fine leather,
believe me you. I want to see what you can do." He showed Prince Ivan into
the room he was to live in and left him there. Prince Ivan got out his pipe
and blew upon it, and the lame man and the one-eyed man appeared before him.
"What can we do for you, Prince Ivan?" they asked. "I want you to make me a
pair of boots, to be ready by tomorrow." "It shall be done!" "Here, take
this piece of leather." "A poor piece, if ever there was one! It ought to be
thrown out." Morning came, Prince Ivan rose, and there on the table stood a
beautiful pair of boots! The shoemaker too got up from bed. "Are the boots
ready?" he asked. "They are," said Prince Ivan. "Well, then, let me see
them!" Prince Ivan brought out the boots, and the shoemaker took one look at
them and gasped in wonder. "I have found myself a master shoemaker, a man
with magic fingers!" he cried. And he took the boots and made for the
market-place with them.
Now, at this same time preparations for three weddings were under way in the
palace: Prince Pyotr was marrying Elena the Fair, Prince Vassily, the
Princess of the Silver Kingdom, and a general the Princess of the Copper
Kingdom. Finery of all sorts was being purchased for the brides and grooms,
and Elena the Fair said that she needed a pair of boots. Now, as no boots
better than the ones the shoemaker was offering could be found, he was at
once brought to the palace. And Elena the Fair took one look at them and
said: "Such boots can only have been made in Whirlwind's palace!" She paid
the shoemaker a large sum of money and bade him make her another pair. "They
must be ornamented with diamonds and other precious stones," said she. "And
I will not have you measuring my feet. Just remember this. If they are not
ready by breakfast-time tomorrow, you shall be hanged!"
The shoemaker took the money and the gems with which the boots were to be
ornamented and left the palace with hanging head. "Unhappy man that I am!
What am I to do?" he said to himself. "How can I have the boots ready by
tomorrow? It's the gallows for me and no mistake! I think I had better have
a drink or two with my friends before I die." He stepped into an inn where
he found some of his friends, of whom he had many, and, seeing him, they
asked why he was so glum. "Ah, my friends, I'm to be hanged tomorrow!"
"Hanged? What for?" The shoemaker told them about the boots he had been
ordered to make. "It's no use trying to work!" said he. "Let's drink and
make merry instead." They drank and made merry, and by the time the day was
drawing to a close the shoemaker could hardly stand on his feet he was so
drunk. "I think I'll take a keg of wine home and go to bed," said he. "And
when they come for me tomorrow, I'll down a half of it. A man can't feel the
rope round his neck when he's dead drunk." He came home and said to Prince
Ivan: "See what those boots of yours have done, curse you! I'm to be hanged.
Wake me when they come for me tomorrow morning."
Night came, Prince Ivan got out his pipe and blew upon it, and the lame man
and the one-eyed man appeared. "What can we do for you, Prince Ivan?" they
asked. "You are to make me a pair of boots to be ready by morning," said he,
and he told them what kind of boots were wanted. "It shall be done!" Prince
Ivan went to bed and to sleep, and in the morning, there were the boots
standing on the table, the gems on them sparkling and glittering. "Time to
get up, Master!" he called to the shoemaker. "Have they come for me, then?
Bring the keg of wine and pour me a cupful, let them hang me drank." "But
the boots are ready, Master." "What! Where are they?" He rushed into Prince
Ivan's room, and, seeing the boots, said: "When did you and I manage to make
them?" "During the night, Master. Don't you remember?" "No, I'm that fuzzy.
I don't."
He took the boots, wrapped them up and ran to the palace, and when Elena the
Fair saw them she at once knew that it was Whirlwind's two servants who had
made them. "How ever did you manage to make these boots?" asked she of the
shoemaker. "I can do anything!" "If that is so, then make me a wedding dress
sewn with gold and studded with diamonds and other precious stones. And it
must be ready by tomorrow or I'll have you put to death!" The shoemaker left
the palace with hanging head. His friends, who had been waiting for him,
greeted him and asked how he had fared. "It's cursed I am!" he told them.
"Elena the Fair will drive all us good Christians to our grave! She's
ordered me to make her a dress sewn with gold and studded with precious
stones, and what sort of a tailor am I! I'm sure to be put to death." "Let's
have a drink or two now, friend, and then you can go to bed. Night is the
mother of wisdom, don't forget."
They went to an inn and drank and made merry, and by and by the shoemaker
was so drank he could hardly stand. He dragged a keg of wine home with him
and said to Prince Ivan: "Wake me tomorrow and I'll down this whole keg of
wine. I want to be drank when they chop off my head. For never in my life
can I hope to make a dress like the one demanded of me." He went to bed and
was soon snoring loudly, and Prince Ivan put his pipe to his lips and blew.
The lame man and the one-eyed man appeared and asked him what they could do
for him. "I want a dress to be made by tomorrow, and it must be as fine as
the ones Elena the Fair wore when she lived in Whirlwind's palace." "It
shall be done!" Prince Ivan woke at dawn, and there was the dress lying on
the table and sparkling so brightly that it lit up the whole room. So he
went and roused the shoemaker who rubbed his eyes and said: "Have they come
for me, then? Hurry and bring the wine!" "But the dress is all ready." "Is
it? When did we make it?" "During the night. It was you did the cutting."
"Did I? I'm that fuzzy I don't remember." And taking the dress, the
shoemaker ran to the palace.
Elena the Fair gave him a large sum of money and said: "You are to build a
kingdom of gold in the middle of the sea and also a bridge of gold that will
connect this palace with it. The bridge is to be carpeted with the richest
of velvets, beautiful trees are to grow on either side of it, and songbirds
are to sit in them and sing away for all they are worth. And if it is not
ready by breakfast-time tomorrow, I shall have you quartered!" The shoemaker
left the palace with hanging head. "Well, how was it?" his friends asked
him. "It's the end of me, I am to be quartered tomorrow. She's set me such a
task that the devil himself could not cope with it!" "Now, now, let's go and
have a drink and then you can go to bed. Night is the mother of wisdom,
don't forget." "And why not! A man should have a little pleasure before he
dies."
They went to an inn and drank much wine, and so drank was the shoemaker by
evening that his friends had to drag him home. "Goodbye, my lad!" said he to
Prince Ivan. "I am to be put to death tomorrow." "Have you been set another
task?" "Yes." He told Prince Ivan what it was, went to bed and was soon
snoring away. And Prince Ivan went to his own room and blew upon his pipe.
The lame man and the one-eyed man appeared and asked him what they could do
for him. He told them what it was he wanted done, and they said: "That is no
easy task, Prince Ivan, but never fear, everything will be done by tomorrow
morning." Prince Ivan woke just as day broke, he looked out of the window,
and lo and behold!—there stood the palace of gold flaming like fire. Prince
Ivan roused the shoemaker who jumped to his feet with a start. "What is it?
Have they come for me? Bring the wine, quick! I want to be put to death
drunk." "But the palace has been built." "It has?" And the shoemaker glanced
out of the window and gasped in wonder. "When was it built?" he asked.
"Don't you remember? You and I worked very, very hard." "I must have slept
so soundly I forgot all about it."
They hurried to the golden palace and found it to be full of treasures such
as no one had seen or heard of before. Said Prince Ivan: "Here is a feather
duster for you, Master. Go and dust the railings, and if anyone comes and
asks you who lives in the palace, don't say a word but just give them this
note." Off went the shoemaker and began dusting the railings, and Elena the
Fair, who had just risen from bed, saw the golden bridge and hurried to tell
the king about it. "Just look, Your Majesty!" she cried. "A palace of gold
has been built in the middle of the sea, and a bridge too that connects it
with your palace. And on either side of the bridge grow the most beautiful
trees in which sit songbirds that fill the air with their music."
The king, who feared that some great warrior was about to lay siege to his
kingdom, at once sent envoys to ask what it all could mean. And the
shoemaker being on the bridge, the envoys addressed all their questions to
him. "I know nothing, but here is a note you can take to your king," the
shoemaker said. Now, in the note Prince Ivan had told his father all about
everything, about how he had freed his mother and Elena the Fair and about
how his elder brothers had tricked him. And he sent coaches of gold for the
king and queen, asking them to pay him a visit together with Elena the Fair
and her sisters. He invited his brothers too, but said that they were to
travel in an ordinary peasant sled.
The king and queen and the rest did not delay but set off at once, and
Prince Ivan welcomed them with great joy. The king wanted to punish his two
elder sons for what they had done, but Prince Ivan pleaded with him not to
and he forgave them. A great feast was then held, and Prince Ivan married
Elena the Fair. He gave the Princess of the Silver Kingdom in marriage to
Prince Pyotr, and the Princess of the Copper Kingdom, to Prince Vassily, and
he had the shoemaker made general.
posted by: Larry at 01:40 |
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Porto Fira
I was walking near the hotel Porto Fira and I saw there a street racing car that is waiting for someone. That car was like in my youngest and I remember it like it was yesterday. It was my youngest when I
was coming with car of my father and when I was running from police.
posted by: Larry at 02:10 |
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