Fairy Tales of the Slav Peasants and Herdsmen
prince followed at a gallop, until they came to a castle built
entirely of silver.
"In that castle lives the Horse with the Golden Mane," said the fox.
"You will have to go exactly at midday, when the sentinels are asleep;
thus you will get past safe and sound. But mind, do not stop anywhere.
You must pass through three stables. In the first are twelve black
horses with golden bridles; in the second, twelve white horses with
black bridles; in the third stands Zlato-Nrivak in front of his
manger, while near him are two bridles, one of gold, the other of
black leather. Whatever you do, beware of using the first, for you
will surely repent it."
The prince waited until the appointed time and then entered the
castle, finding everything exactly as the fox had said. In the third
stable stood Zlato-Nrivak, eating fire that flared up out of his
silver trough.
The Horse with the Golden Mane was so beautiful that the prince could
not take his eyes off him. Quickly unhooking the black leather bridle,
he put it over the horse's head. The animal made no resistance, but
was gentle and quiet as a lamb. Then the prince looked covetously at
the golden bridle sparkling with gems, and said to himself, "It is a
shame that such a splendid creature should be guided by these ugly
black reins while there is a bridle here far more suited to him, and
that is indeed his by right." So, forgetting his late experience and
the warnings of the red fox, he tore off the black bridle and put in
its place that of gold set with precious stones. No sooner did the
horse feel the change than he began to neigh and caper about, while
all the other horses answered with a perfect storm of neighings. The
sentinels, aroused by the noise, ran in, and seizing the prince, led
him before the king.
"Insolent thief," cried the enraged monarch, "how is it that you have
escaped the vigilance of the guards and have dared to lay hands upon
my horse with the golden mane? It is really disgraceful."
"True, I am nothing better," replied the prince proudly, "but I was
forced to do it against my will." And he related all his misadventures
at the copper castle, adding that it was impossible to obtain the
fire-bird except in exchange for Zlato-Nrivak, and that he hoped his
majesty would make him a present of the horse.
"Most willingly," answered the king, "but on one condition, that you
bring me the Maiden with the Golden Locks: she lives in the golden
castle on the shores of the Black Sea."
The fox was waiting in the forest the prince's return, and when he saw
him come back without the horse he was very angry indeed.
"Did I not warn you," said he, "to be content with the black leather
bridle? It is really a loss of time to try and help such an ungrateful
fellow, for it seems impossible to make you hear reason."
"Don't be cross," said the prince, "I confess that I am in fault; I
ought to have obeyed your orders. But have a little more patience with
me and help me out of this difficulty."
"Very well; but this will certainly be the last time. If you do just
as you are told we may yet repair all that has been spoilt by your
imprudence. Mount your horse and follow--off!"
The fox ran on in front, clearing the road with his bushy tail, until
they reached the shores of the Black Sea.
"That palace yonder," said the fox, "is the residence of the Queen of
the Ocean Kingdom. She has three daughters; it is the youngest who has
the golden hair, and is called Zlato-Vlaska. Now you must first go to
the queen and ask her to give you one of her daughters in marriage. If
she takes kindly to your proposal she will bid you choose, and mind
you take that princess who is the most plainly dressed."
The queen received him most graciously, and when he explained the
object of his visit she led him into a room where the three daughters
were spinning.
They were so much alike that no one could possibly distinguish one
from the other, and they were all so marvellously lovely that when the
young prince looked upon them he dared hardly breathe. Their hair was
carefully covered by a veil through which one could not distinguish
the colour of it, but their dresses were different. The first wore a
gown and veil embroidered with gold, and used a golden distaff; the
second had on a gown embroidered with silver and held a distaff of the
same metal; the third wore a gown and veil of dazzling whiteness, and
her distaff was made of wood.
The mother bade the prince choose, whereupon he pointed to the maiden
clothed in white, saying, "Give me this one to wife."
"Ah," said the queen, "some one has been letting you into the secret:
but wait a little, we shall meet again to-morrow."
All that night the prince lay awake, wondering how he should manage
not to make a mistake on the morrow. At dawn he was already at the
palace gates, which he had hardly entered when the princess clothed in
white chanced to pass: it was Zlato-Vlaska, and she had come to meet
him.
"If it is your wish to choose me again to-day," she said, "observe
carefully, and take the maiden around whose head buzzes a small fly."
In the afternoon the queen took the prince into a room where her three
daughters sat, and said: "If among these princesses you recognise the
one you chose yesterday she shall be yours; if not, you must die."
The young girls stood side by side, dressed alike in costly robes, and
all had golden hair. The prince was puzzled, and their beauty and
splendour dazzled him. For some time he could hardly see distinctly;
then, all of a sudden, a small fly buzzed over the head of one of the
princesses.
"This is the maiden who belongs to me," cried he, "and whom I chose
yesterday."
The queen, astonished that he should have guessed correctly, said,
"Quite right, but I cannot let you have her until you have submitted
to another trial, which shall be explained to you to-morrow."
On the morrow she pointed out to him a large fish-pond which lay in
the forest, and giving him a small golden sieve, said: "If with this
sieve you can, before sunset, empty that fish-pond yonder, I will give
you my daughter with the golden hair, but if you fail you will lose
your life."
The prince took the sieve, and, going down to the pond, plunged it in
to try his luck; but no sooner had he lifted it up than all the water
ran out through the holes--not a drop was left behind. Not knowing
what to do, he sat down on the bank with the sieve in his hand,
wondering in what possible way the difficulty might be overcome.
"Why are you so sad?" asked the maiden in white, as she came towards
him.
"Because I fear you will never be mine," sighed he; "your mother has
given me an impossible task."
"Come, cheer up, away with fear; it will all be right in the end."
Thereupon she took the sieve and threw it into the fishpond. Instantly
the water turned to foam on the surface, and a thick vapour rose up,
which fell in a fog so dense that nothing could be seen through it.
Then the prince heard footsteps, and turning round saw his horse
coming towards him, with his bridle down and the red fox at his side.
"Mount quickly," said the horse, "there is not a moment to lose; lift
the maiden in front of you."
The faithful steed flew like an arrow, and sped rapidly along over the
road that had been recently cleared by the bushy tail of the red fox.
But this time, instead of leading, the red fox followed, his tail
working marvels as he went: it destroyed the bridges, reopened the
ravines, raised high mountains, and in fact put back everything as it
used to be.
The prince felt very happy as he rode along, holding the Princess with
the Golden Hair, but it saddened him much to think he would have to
give up all thought of marrying her himself, and that within a few
short hours he must leave her with the king of the silver palace: the
nearer he came to it, the more wretched he grew. The red fox, who
noticed this, said: "It appears to me that you do not want to exchange
the lovely Zlato-Vlaska for the Horse with the Golden Mane: is it not
so? Well, I have helped you so far, I will see what I can do for you
now."
And having thus spoken he turned a somersault over the stump of a
fallen tree which lay in the forest: while, to the prince's amazement,
he was immediately transformed into a young girl exactly resembling
the Princess with the Golden Hair.
"Now, leave your real bride in the forest," said the transformed fox,
"and take me with you to offer to the king of the silver palace in
exchange for his horse Zlato-Nrivak. Mount the horse, return here, and
escape with the maid you love; I will manage the rest."
The king of the silver castle received the maiden without the least
suspicion, and handed over in exchange the Horse with the Golden Mane,
over whose back lay the bejewelled bridle. The prince left at once.
At the palace all were busy preparing the wedding feast, for the
marriage was to take place immediately, and everything was to be of
the most costly description. Invitations had been out to all the
grandees of the land.
Towards the end of the feast, when every one had drunk his fill of
wine and pleasure, the king asked his guests their opinions on the
charms of his bride.
"She is most beautiful," said one, "in fact, it would be impossible
for her to be more lovely; only, it seems to me that her eyes are
somewhat like those of a fox."
The words were hardly out of his mouth when the royal bride vanished,
while in her place sat a red fox, who with one vigorous bound sprang
through the door and disappeared to rejoin the prince, who had
hastened on in front. With sweeping strokes of his bushy tail he
overthrew bridges, reopened precipices, and heaped up mountains; but
it was very hard work for the poor thing, and he did not come up with
the runaways until they had almost reached the copper castle. Here
they all had a rest, while the red fox turned a somersault and
transformed himself into a horse resembling the one with the golden
mane. Then the prince entered the copper castle and exchanged the
transformed fox for the fire-bird Ohnivak, the king having no
suspicions whatever. The red fox, having thus deceived the monarch,
reassumed his own shape and hurried after the departing prince, whom
he did not overtake until they had reached the banks of the river
where they had first become acquainted.
"Now here you are, prince," said the red fox, "in possession of
Ohnivak, of the lovely Zlato-Vlaska, and of the Horse with the Golden
Mane. Henceforth you can manage without my help, so return to your
father's house in peace and joy; but, take warning, do not stop
anywhere on the way, for if you do some misfortune will overtake you."
With these words the red fox vanished, while the prince continued his
journey unhindered. In his hand he held the golden cage that contained
the fire-bird, and at his side the lovely Zlato-Vlaska rode the Horse
with the Golden Mane; truly, he was the happiest of men.
When he reached the cross roads where he had parted from his brothers,
he hastened to look for the branches they had planted. His alone had
become a spreading tree, theirs were both withered. Delighted with
this proof of divine favour, he felt a strong desire to rest for a
while under the shadow of his own tree; he therefore dismounted, and
assisting the princess to do the same, fastened their horses to one of
the branches and hung up the cage containing Ohnivak on another:
within a few moments they were all sound asleep.
Meanwhile the two elder brothers arrived at the same place by
different roads, and both with empty hands. There they found their two
branches withered, that of their brother having grown into a splendid
tree. Under the shade of the latter he lay sleeping; by his side was