Fairy Tales of the Slav Peasants and Herdsmen
heard before, passed by and fell upon the garden. It roared and
whistled round and round, then seizing the princess carried her far
away. The terrified governesses wrung their hands, and were for a time
speechless with grief. At last they rushed into the palace, and
throwing themselves on their knees before the king and queen, told
them with sobs and tears what had happened. They were overwhelmed with
sorrow and knew not what to do.
By this time quite a crowd of princes had arrived at the palace, and
seeing the king in such bitter grief, inquired the reason of it.
"Sorrow has touched my white hairs," said the king. "The hurricane has
carried off my dearly beloved child, the sweet Princess with the
Golden Hair, and I know not where it has taken her. Whoever finds this
out, and brings her back to me, shall have her for his wife, and with
her half my kingdom for a wedding present, and the remainder of my
wealth and titles after my death."
After hearing these words, princes and knights mounted their horses
and set off to search throughout the world for the beautiful Princess
with the Golden Hair, who had been carried away by Vikher.
Now among the seekers were two brothers, sons of a king, and they
travelled together through many countries asking for news of the
princess, but no one knew anything about her. But they continued their
search, and at the end of two years arrived in a country that lies in
the centre of the earth, and has summer and winter at the same time.
The princes determined to find out whether this was the place where
the hurricane had hidden the Princess with the Golden Hair. So they
began to ascend one of the mountains on foot, leaving their horses
behind them to feed on the grass. On reaching the top, they came in
sight of a silver palace supported on a cock's foot, while at one of
the windows the sun's rays shone upon a head of golden hair; surely it
could only belong to the princess. Suddenly the north wind blew so
violently, and the cold became so intense, that the leaves of the
trees withered and the breath froze. The two princes tried to keep
their footing, and battled manfully against the storm, but they were
overcome by its fierceness and fell together, frozen to death.
Their broken-hearted parents waited for them in vain. Masses were
said, charities distributed, and prayers sent up to God to pity them
in their sorrow.
One day when the queen, the mother of the princes, was giving a poor
old man some money she said to him, "My good old friend, pray God to
guard our sons and soon bring them back in good health."
"Ah, noble lady," answered he, "that prayer would be useless.
Everlasting rest is all one may ask for the dead, but in return for
the love you have shown and the money you have given the poor and
needy, I am charged with this message--that God has taken pity on your
sorrow, and that ere long you will be the mother of a son, the like of
whom has never yet been seen."
The old man, having spoken thus, vanished.
The queen, whose tears were falling, felt a strange joy enter her
heart and a feeling of happiness steal over her, as she went to the
king and repeated the old man's words. And so it came to pass, for a
week or two later God sent her a son, and he was in no way like an
ordinary child. His eyes resembled those of a falcon, and his eyebrows
the sable's fur. His right hand was of pure gold, and his manner and
appearance were so full of an indescribable majesty, that he was
looked upon by every one with a feeling of awe.
His growth, too, was not like that of other children. When but three
days old, he stepped out of his swaddling-clothes and left his cradle.
And he was so strong that when his parents entered the room he ran
towards them, crying out, "Good morning, dear parents, why are you so
sad? Are you not happy at the sight of me?"
"We are indeed happy, dear child, and we thank God for having sent us
you in our great grief. But we cannot forget your two brothers; they
were so handsome and brave, and worthy of a great destiny. And our
sadness is increased when we remember that, instead of resting in
their own country in the tomb of their forefathers, they sleep in an
unknown land, perhaps without burial. Alas! it is three years since we
had news of them."
At these words the child's tears fell, and he embraced his parents and
said, "Weep no more, dear parents, you shall soon be comforted: for
before next spring I shall be a strong young man, and will look for my
brothers all over the world. And I will bring them back to you, if not
alive, yet dead: ay, though I have to seek them in the very centre of
the earth."
At these words and at that which followed the king and queen were
amazed. For the strange child, guided as it were by an invisible hand,
rushed into the garden, and in spite of the cold, for it was not yet
daylight, bathed in the early dew. When the sun had risen he threw
himself down near a little wood on the fine sand, rubbed and rolled
himself in it, and returned home, no longer a child but a youth.
It was pleasant to the king to see his son thrive in this way, and
indeed the young prince was the handsomest in the whole land. He grew
from hour to hour. At the end of a month he could wield a sword, in
two months he rode on horseback, in three months he had grown a
beautiful moustache of pure gold. Then he put on a helmet, and
presenting himself before the king and queen, said: "My much honoured
parents, your son asks your blessing. I am no longer a child, and now
go to seek my brothers. In order to find them I will, if necessary, go
to the furthest ends of the world."
"Ah, do not venture. Stay rather with us, dear son, you are still too
young to be exposed to the risks of such an undertaking."
"Adventures have no terrors for me," replied the young hero, "I trust
in God. Why should I for a moment hesitate to face these dangers?
Whatever Destiny has in store for us will happen, whatever we may do
to try to prevent it."
So they agreed to let him go. Weeping they bade him farewell, blessing
him and the road he was to travel.
A pleasant tale is soon told, but events do not pass so quickly.
The young prince crossed deep rivers and climbed high mountains, till
he came to a dark forest. In the distance he saw a cottage supported
on a cock's foot, and standing in the midst of a field full of
poppies. As he made his ways towards it he was suddenly seized by an
overpowering longing to sleep, but he urged on his horse, and breaking
off the poppy heads as he galloped through the field, came up close to
the house. Then he called out:
"Little cot, turn around, on thy foot turn thou free;
To the forest set thy back, let thy door be wide to me."
The cottage turned round with a great creaking noise, the door facing
the prince. He entered, and found an old woman with thin white hair
and a face covered with wrinkles, truly frightful to look upon. She
was sitting at a table, her head resting on her hands, her eyes fixed
on the ceiling, lost in deep thought. Near her were two beautiful
girls, their complexions like lilies and roses, and in every way sweet
to the eye.
"Ah, how do you do, Prince with Moustache of Gold, Hero with the
Golden Fist?" said old Yaga; "what has brought you here?"
Having told her the object of his journey, she replied, "Your elder
brothers perished on the mountain that touches the clouds, while in
search of the Princess with the Golden Hair, who was carried off by
Vikher, the hurricane."
"And how is this thief Vikher to be got at?" asked the prince.
"Ah, my dear child, he would swallow you like a fly. It is now a
hundred years since I went outside this cottage, for fear Vikher
should seize me and carry me off to his palace near the sky."
"I am not afraid of his carrying me off, I am not handsome enough for
that; and he will not swallow me either, for my golden hand can smash
anything."
"Then if you are not afraid, my dove, I will help you to the best of
my power. But give me your word of honour that you will bring me some
of the Water of Youth, for it restores even to the most aged the
beauty and freshness of youth."
"I give you my word of honour that I will bring you some."
"This then is what you must do. I will give you a pin-cushion for a
guide; this you throw in front of you, and follow whithersoever it
goes. It will lead you to the mountain that touches the clouds, and
which is guarded in Vikher's absence by his father and mother, the
northern blast and the south wind. On no account lose sight of the
pin-cushion. If attacked by the father, the northern blast, and
suddenly seized with cold, then put on this heat-giving hood: if
overpowered by burning heat of the south wind, then drink from this
cooling flagon. Thus by means of the pin-cushion, the hood, and the
flagon, you will reach the top of the mountain where the Princess with
the Golden Hair is imprisoned. Deal with Vikher as you will, only
remember to bring me some of the Water of Youth."
Our young hero took the heat-giving hood, the cooling flagon, and the
pin-cushion, and, after bidding farewell to old Yaga and her two
pretty daughters, mounted his steed and rode off, following the
pin-cushion, which rolled before him at a great rate.
Now a beautiful story is soon told, but the events of which it
consists do not in real life take place so rapidly.
When the prince had travelled through two kingdoms, he came to a land
in which lay a very beautiful valley that stretched into the far
distance, and above it towered the mountain that touches the sky. The
summit was so high above the earth you might almost fancy it reached
the moon.
The prince dismounted, left his horse to graze, and having crossed
himself began to follow the pin-cushion up steep and rocky paths. When
he had got half-way there the north wind began to blow, and the cold
was so intense that the wood of the trees split up and the breath
froze: he felt chilled to the heart. But he quickly put on the
heat-giving hood, and cried:
"O Heat-Giving Hood, see I fly now to thee,
Lend me quickly thine aid;
O hasten to warm ere the cold has killed me,
With thee I'm not afraid."
The northern blast blew with redoubled fury, but to no purpose. For
the prince was so hot that he streamed with perspiration, and indeed
was obliged to unbutton his coat and fan himself.
Here the pin-cushion stopped upon a small snow-covered mound. The
prince cleared away the snow, beneath which lay the frozen bodies of
two young men, and he knew them to be those of his lost brothers.
Having knelt beside them and prayed he turned to follow the
pin-cushion, which had already started, and was rolling ever higher
and higher. On reaching the top of the mountain he saw a silver palace
supported on a cock's foot, and at one of the windows, shining in the
sun's rays, a head of golden hair which could belong to no one but the
princess. Suddenly a hot wind began to blow from the south, and the
heat became so intense that leaves withered and dropped from the
trees, the grass dried up, and large cracks appeared in several places
of the earth's surface. Thirst, heat, and weariness began to tell upon
the young prince, so he took the cooling flagon from his pocket and
cried:
"Flagon, bring me quick relief
From this parching heat;
In thy draught I have belief,
Coolness it will mete."
After drinking deeply he felt stronger than ever, and so continued to
ascend. Not only was he relieved from the great heat, but was even
obliged to button up his coat to keep himself warm.
The pin-cushion still led the way, ever climbing higher and higher,
while the prince followed close behind. After crossing the region of