THE
NORKA
ONCE
upon a time there lived a King and Queen. They had three sons, two of them with
their wits about them, but the third a simpleton. Now the King had a deer park
in which were quantities of wild animals of different kinds. Into that park
there used to come a huge beast--Norka was its name--and do fearful mischief,
devouring some of the animals every night. The King did all he could, but he
was unable to destroy it. So at last he called his sons together and said,
`Whoever will destroy the Norka, to him will I give the half of my kingdom.'
Well,
the eldest son undertook the task. As soon as it was night, he took his weapons
and set out. But before he reached the park, he went into a traktir (or
tavern), and there he spent the whole night in revelry. When he came to his
senses it was too late; the day had already dawned. He felt himself disgraced
in the eyes of his father, but there was no help for it. The next day the
second son went, and did just the same. Their father scolded them both soundly,
and there was an end of it.
Well,
on the third day the youngest son undertook the task. They all laughed him to
scorn, because he was so stupid, feeling sure he wouldn't do anything. But he
took his arms, and went straight into the park, and sat down on the grass in
such a position that the moment he went asleep his weapons would prick him, and
he would awake.
Presently
the midnight hour sounded. The earth began to shake, and the Norka came rushing
up, and burst right through the fence into the park, so huge was it. The Prince
pulled himself together, leapt to his feet, crossed himself, and went straight
at the beast. It fled back, and the Prince ran after it. But he soon saw that
he couldn't catch it on foot, so he hastened to the stable, laid his hands on
the best horse there, and set off in pursuit. Presently he came up with the
beast, and they began a fight. They fought and fought; the Prince gave the
beast three wounds. At last they were both utterly exhausted, so they lay down
to take a short rest. But the moment the Prince closed his eyes, up jumped the
beast and took to flight. The Prince's horse awoke him; up he jumped in a
moment, and set off again in pursuit, caught up the beast, and again began
fighting with it. Again the Prince gave the beast three wounds, and then he and
the beast lay down again to rest. Thereupon away fled the beast as before. The
Prince caught it up, and again gave it three wounds. But all of a sudden, just
as the Prince began chasing it for the fourth time, the beast fled to a great
white stone, tilted it up, and escaped into the other world, crying out to the
Prince: `Then only will you overcome me, when you enter here.'
The
Prince went home, told his father all that had happened, and asked him to have
a leather rope plaited, long enough to reach to the other world. His father
ordered this to be done. When the rope was made, the Prince called for his
brothers, and he and they, having taken servants with them, and everything that
was needed for a whole year, set out for the place where the beast had
disappeared under the stone. When they got there, they built a palace on the
spot, and lived in it for some time. But when everything was ready, the
youngest brother said to the others: `Now, brothers, who is going to lift this
stone?'
Neither
of them could so much as stir it, but as soon as he touched it, away it flew to
a distance, though it was ever so big--big as a hill. And when he had flung the
stone aside, he spoke a second time to his brothers, saying:
`Who
is going into the other world, to overcome the Norka?'
Neither
of them offered to do so. Then he laughed at them for being such cowards, and
said:
`Well,
brothers, farewell! Lower me into the other world, and don't go away from here,
but as soon as the cord is jerked, pull it up.'
His
brothers lowered him accordingly, and when he had reached the other world,
underneath the earth, he went on his way. He walked and walked. Presently he
espied a horse with rich trappings, and it said to him:
`Hail,
Prince Ivan! Long have I awaited thee!'
He
mounted the horse and rode on--rode and rode, until he saw standing before him
a palace made of copper. He entered the courtyard, tied up his horse, and went
indoors. In one of the rooms a dinner was laid out. He sat down and dined, and
then went into a bedroom. There he found a bed, on which he lay down to rest.
Presently there came in a lady, more beautiful than can be imagined anywhere
but in a fairy tale, who said:
`Thou
who art in my house, name thyself! If thou art an old man, thou shalt be my
father; if a middle-aged man, my brother; but if a young man, thou shalt be my
husband dear. And if thou art a woman, and an old one, thou shalt be my
grandmother; if middle-aged, my mother; and if a girl, thou shalt be my own
sister.'
Thereupon
he came forth. And when she saw him she was delighted with him, and said:
`Wherefore,
O Prince Ivan--my husband dear shalt thou be!--wherefore hast thou come
hither?'
Then
he told her all that had happened, and she said:
`That
beast which thou wishest to overcome is my brother. He is staying just now with
my second sister, who lives not far from here in a silver palace. I bound up
three of the wounds which thou didst give him.'
Well,
after this they drank, and enjoyed themselves, and held sweet converse
together, and then the Prince took leave of her, and went on to the second
sister, the one who lived in the silver palace, and with her also he stayed
awhile. She told him that her brother Norka was then at her youngest sister's.
So he went on to the youngest sister, who lived in a golden palace. She told
him that her brother was at that time asleep on the blue sea, and she gave him
a sword of steel and a draught of the Water of Strength, and she told him to
cut off her brother's head at a single stroke. And when he had heard these
things, he went his way.
And
when the Prince came to the blue sea, he looked--there slept the Norka on a
stone in the middle of the sea; and when it snored, the water was agitated for
seven miles around. The Prince crossed himself, went up to it, and smote it on
the head with his sword. The head jumped off, saying the while, `Well, I'm done
for now!' and rolled far away into the sea.
After
killing the beast, the Prince went back again, picking up all the three sisters
by the way, with the intention of taking them out into the upper world: for
they all loved him and would not be separated from him. Each of them turned her
palace into an egg --for they were all enchantresses--and they taught him how
to turn the eggs into palaces, and back again, and they handed over the eggs to
him. And then they all went to the place from which they had to be hoisted into
the upper world. And when they came to where the rope was, the Prince took hold
of it and made the maidens fast to it. Then he jerked away at the rope and his
brothers began to haul it up. And when they had hauled it up, and had set eyes
on the wondrous maidens, they went aside and said: `Let's lower the rope, pull
our brother part of the way up, and then cut the rope. Perhaps he'll be killed;
but then if he isn't, he'll never give us these beauties as wives.'
So
when they had agreed on this, they lowered the rope. But their brother was no
fool; he guessed what they were at, so he fastened the rope to a stone, and
then gave it a pull. His brothers hoisted the stone to a great height, and then
cut the rope. Down fell the stone and broke in pieces; the Prince poured forth
tears and went away. Well, he walked and walked. Presently a storm arose; the
lightning flashed, the thunder roared, the rain fell in torrents. He went up to
a tree in order to take shelter under it, and on that tree he saw some young
birds which were being thoroughly drenched. So he took off his coat and covered
them over with it, and he himself sat down under the tree. Presently there came
flying a bird--such a big one that the light was blotted out by it. It had been
dark there before, but now it became darker still. Now this was the mother of
those small birds which the Prince had covered up. And when the bird had come
flying up, she perceived that her little ones were covered over, and she said,
`Who has wrapped up my nestlings?' and presently, seeing the Prince, she added:
`Didst thou do that? Thanks! In return, ask of me anything thou desirest. I
will do anything for thee.'
`Then
carry me into the other world,' he replied.
`Make
me a large vessel with a partition in the middle,' she said; `catch all sorts
of game, and put them into one half of it, and into the other half pour water;
so that there may be meat and drink for me.'
All
this the Prince did. Then the bird--having taken the vessel on her back, with
the Prince sitting in the middle of it--began to fly. And after flying some
distance she brought him to his journey's end, took leave of him, and flew away
back. But he went to the house of a certain tailor, and engaged himself as his
servant. So much the worse for wear was he, so thoroughly had he altered in
appearance, that nobody would have suspected him of being a Prince.
Having
entered into the service of this master, the Prince began to ask what was going
on in that country. And his master replied: `Our two Princes--for the third one
has disappeared--have brought away brides from the other world, and want to
marry them, but those brides refuse. For they insist on having all their
wedding-clothes made for them first, exactly like those which they used to have
in the other world, and that without being measured for them. The King has
called all the workmen together, but not one of them will undertake to do it.'
The
Prince, having heard all this, said, `Go to the King, master, and tell him that
you will provide everything that's in your line.'
`However
can I undertake to make clothes of that sort? I work for quite common folks,'
says his master.
`Go
along, master! I will answer for everything,' says the Prince.
So
the tailor went. The King was delighted that at least one good workman had been
found, and gave him as much money as ever he wanted. When his tailor had
settled everything, he went home. And the Prince said to him:
`Now
then, pray to God, and lie down to sleep; to-morrow all will be ready.' And the
tailor followed his lad's advice, and went to bed.
Midnight
sounded. The Prince arose, went out of the city into the fields, took out of
his pocket the eggs which the maidens had given him, and, as they had taught
him, turned them into three palaces. Into each of these he entered, took the
maidens' robes, went out again, turned the palaces back into eggs, and went
home. And when he got there he hung up the robes on the wall, and lay down to
sleep.
Early
in the morning his master awoke, and behold! there hung such robes as he had
never seen before, all shining with gold and silver and precious stones. He was
delighted, and he seized them and carried them off to the King. When the
Princesses saw that the clothes were those which had been theirs in the other
world, they guessed that Prince Ivan was in this world, so they exchanged glances
with each other, but they held their peace. And the master, having handed over
the clothes, went home, but he no longer found his dear journeyman there. For
the Prince had gone to a shoemaker's, and him too he sent to work for the King;
and in the same way he went the round of all the artificers, and they all
proffered him thanks, inasmuch as through him they were enriched by the King.
By
the time the princely workman had gone the round of all the artificers, the
Princesses had received what they had asked for; all their clothes were just
like what they had been in the other world. Then they wept bitterly because the
Prince had not come, and it was impossible for them to hold out any longer; it
was necessary that they should be married. But when they were ready for the
wedding, the youngest bride said to the King:
`Allow
me, my father, to go and give alms to the beggars.'
THE
BLACK THIEF AND KNIGHT OF THE GLEN
THE
DEATH OF KOSHCHEI THE DEATHLESS
SORIA
MORIA CASTLE-by Andrew Lang
THE PRINCESS MAY BLOSSOM- by Andrew Lang
He
gave her leave, and she went and began bestowing alms upon them, and examining
them closely. And when she had come to one of them, and was going to give him
some money, she caught sight of the ring which she had given to the Prince in
the other world, and her sisters' rings too--for it really was he. So she
seized him by the hand, and brought him into the hall, and said to the King:
`Here
is he who brought us out of the other world. His brothers forbade us to say
that he was alive, threatening to slay us if we did.'
Then
the King was wroth with those sons, and punished them as he thought best. And
afterwards three weddings were celebrated.
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