Chapter II. MYTHOLOGICAL, part 1 · page 21 2101But Ivan said, "Wait a minute, brothers!" and he seized his mace, and struck the cushions with it.102And out of those cushions there streamed blood.103So they all went on further.104They rode and rode; presently there stood before them an apple-tree, and upon it were gold and silver apples.105Then the elder brothers said, "Let's eat an apple apiece."106But Ivan said, "Wait a minute, brothers; I'll try them first," and he took his mace, and struck the apple-tree with it.107And out of the tree streamed blood.108So they went on further.109They rode and rode, and by and by they saw a spring in front of them.110And the elder brothers cried, "Let's have a drink of water."111But Ivan Popyalof cried: "Stop, brothers!" and he raised his mace and struck the spring, and its waters became blood.112For the meadow, the silken cushions, the apple-tree, and the spring, were all of them daughters of the Snake.113After killing the Snake's daughters, Ivan and his brothers went on homewards.114Presently came the Snake's Wife flying after them, and she opened her jaws from the sky to the earth, and tried to swallow up Ivan.115But Ivan and his brothers threw three poods of salt into her mouth.116She swallowed the salt, thinking it was Ivan Popyalof, but afterwards--when she had tasted the salt, and found out it was not Ivan--she flew after him again.117Then he perceived that danger was at hand, and so he let his horse go free, and hid himself behind twelve doors in the forge of Kuzma and Demian.checked by a teacher118The Snake's Wife came flying up, and said to Kuzma and Demian, "Give me up Ivan Popyalof."119But they replied:120"Send your tongue through the twelve doors and take him."121So the Snake's Wife began licking the doors.122But meanwhile they all heated iron pincers, and as soon as she had sent her tongue through into the smithy, they caught tight hold of her by the tongue, and began thumping her with hammers.123And when the Snake's Wife was dead they consumed her with fire, and scattered her ashes to the winds.124And then they went home, and there they lived and enjoyed themselves, feasting and revelling, and drinking mead and wine.125I was there, too, and had liquor to drink; it didn't go into my mouth, but only ran down my beard.126[80]1 2← previousChapter I. INTRODUCTORY, part 8next →Chapter II. MYTHOLOGICAL, part 2↑ back to Russian Fairy Tales: A Choice Collection of Muscovite Folk-loreThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg22373/19/page/2/