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"Maids and
matrons, sew me a shirt!" The maids and matrons straightway
brought a finely-embroidered shirt: she took it, folded it and
placed it alongside Prince Ivan.
There upon she
turned back into a frog as if nothing had happened. In the
morning Prince Ivan awoke and was overjoyed to find the shirt
which he took forthwith to the king. The king gazed at it and
said: "Now there's a shirt for you, fit to wear on holy days!"
Then the middle brother brought a shirt, at which the king said,
"This shirt is fit only for the bath-house!" And taking the
eldest brother's shirt, he said, "And this one is fit only for a
smoky peasant hut!" The king's sons went their separate ways,
with the two eldest muttering among themselves, "We were surely
wrong to mock at Prince Ivan's wife; she must be a cunning
sorceress, not a frog."
Presently the
king again issued a command: this time the daughters-in-law were
each to bake a loaf of bread, and bring it to him to judge which
bride was the best cook. The other two brides had made fun of
the frog, but now they sent a chamber- maid to see how she would
bake her loaf. The frog noticed the woman, so she kneaded some
dough, rolled it out, made a hole in the stove and tipped the
dough straight into the fire. The chambermaid ran to tell her
mistresses, the royal brides, and they proceeded to do the same.
But the crafty frog had tricked them; as soon as .the woman had
gone, she retrieved the dough, cleaned and mended the stove as
if nothing had happened, then went out on to the porch, cast off
her skin and called, "Maids and matrons, bake me a loaf of bread
such as my dear father used to eat on Sundays and holidays." In
an instant the maids and matrons brought the bread. She took it,
placed it beside Prince Ivan, and turned into a frog again. In
the morning Prince Ivan awoke, took the loaf of bread and gave
it to his father. His father was receiving the loaves brought by
the elder brothers: their wives had dropped the dough into the
fire just as the frog had done, so their bread was black and
lumpy. First the king took the eldest son's loaf, inspected it
and dispatched it to the kitchen; then he took the middle son's
loaf and dispatched it thither too. Then came Prince Ivan's
turn: he presented his loaf to his father who looked at it and
said, "Now this is bread fit to grace a holy day. It is not at
all like the burnt offerings of my elder daughters-in-law!"
After that the
king thought to hold a ball to see which of his sons' wives was
the best dancer. AU the guests and daughters-in-law assembled;
everyone was there except Prince Ivan, who thought: "How can I
go to the ball with a frog?" And the poor prince began- to weep
bitterly. "Do not cry, Prince Ivan," said the frog. "Go to the
ball. I shall follow in an hour." Prince Ivan was somewhat
cheered at the frog's words, and left for the ball. Then the
frog cast off her skin and turned into a lovely maid dressed in
finery. When she arrived at the ball, Prince Ivan was overjoyed,
and the guests clapped their hands at the sight of such beauty.
They began to eat and drink. But the frog-princess would eat and
slip the bones into her sleeve, then drink and pour the dregs
into her other sleeve. The elder brothers' wives saw this and
followed suit, slipping bones into one sleeve and dregs into the
other. When the time came for dancing, the king called upon his
elder sons' wives but they insisted on the frog-princess dancing
first. And she straightway took Prince Ivan's arm and came
forward to dance. She danced and danced, whirling round and
round, to the delight of all. When she shook her right sleeve,
woods and lakes appeared; when she shook her left sleeve, all
kinds of birds flew about. The guests were filled with wonder.
When she finished dancing, everything disappeared. Then the
wives of the two elder sons began to dance. They wished to do as
the frog-princess had done, so they shook their right sleeves
and bones flew out hitting folk about them; and when they shook
their left sleeves, water splashed all over the onlookers. The
king was most displeased and soon called an end to the dancing.
The ball was
over. Prince Ivan rode off ahead of his wife, found the frog
skin and burnt it. So when his wife returned and looked for the
skin, it was nowhere to be seen. She lay down to sleep with
Prince Ivan, but just before daybreak she said to him, "Oh,
Prince Ivan, if only you had waited a little longer I would have
been yours. Now God alone knows when we shall meet again.
Farewell. If you wish to find me you must go beyond the
Thrice-Nine Land to the Thrice-Ten Kingdom." And the
frog-princess vanished.
A year went by,
and Prince Ivan still pined for his wife. As a second year
began, he made ready to leave, seeking first the blessing of his
father and mother. He rode for a long way and eventually chanced
upon a little hut facing the trees, with its back to him.
"Little hut, little hut," he called. 'Turn your face to me,
please, and your back to the trees." The little hut did as he
said and Prince Ivan entered. There before him sat an old woman,
who cried, "Fie, Foh! There was neither sight nor sound of
Russian bones, yet now they come marching in of their own free
will! Whither go you, Prince Ivan?" "First give me food and
drink and put me to bed, old woman, then ask your questions." So
the old woman gave food and drink and put him to bed. Then
Prince Ivan said to her, "Grannies, I have set out to rescue
Elena the Fair." "Oh, my child," the old woman said, "you've
waited too long! At first she spoke of you often, but now she no
longer remembers you. I haven't seen her for a long time. Go now
to my middle sister, she knows more than me."
In the morning
Prince Ivan set out, came to another little hut, and cried,
"Little hut, little hut, turn your face to me, please, and your
back to the trees." The little hut did as he said and Prince
Ivan entered. There before him sat an old woman, who cried,
"Fie, Foh! There was neither sight nor sound of Russian bones,
yet now they come marching in of their own free will! Whither go
you. Prince Ivan?" "I seek Elena the Fair, Grannies," he
replied. "Oh, Prince Ivan," the old woman said, "you've waited
too long! She has begun to forget you and is to marry another.
She is now living with my eldest sister; go there now, but
beware: as you approach they will know it is you. Elena will
turn into a spindle, her dress will turn to gold. My sister will
wind the gold thread around the spindle and put it into a box
which she will lock. But you must find the key, open the box,
break the spindle, toss the top over your shoulder and the
bottom before you. Then she will appear."
Off went Prince
Ivan, came to the old woman's hut, entered and saw her wind- ing
gold thread around a spindle; she then locked it in a box and
hid the key. But Prince Ivan quickly found the key, opened the
box, took out the spindle, broke it as he had been told, tossed
the top over his shoulder and the bottom before him. All of a
sudden, there was Elena the Fair standing in front of him. "Oh,
Prince Ivan,'' she sighed, "how long you were in coming! I
almost wed another." And she told him that the other bridegroom
would soon arrive. But, taking a magic carpet from the old
woman, Elena the Fair sat upon it and they soared up and away
like birds. The bridegroom set off quickly in pursuit. He was
clever and guessed that they had fled. He was within ten feet of
them when they flew on the carpet into Russia.
Just in time! He could not follow them there, so he turned back.
But Prince Ivan and Elena the Fair flew home to the rejoicing of
all; and lived happily ever after.
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