Chapter II. MYTHOLOGICAL, part 5 · page 21 21013 and 46, also the notes in Bd. iii. pp.1028, 76, 324.)103Less familiar than these is, probably, the story of "Die eisernen Stiefel" (Wolf's "Deutsche Hausmaerchen," 1851, No. 19), in which the hero opens a forbidden door--that of a summer-house--and sees "deep down below him the earth, and on the earth his father's palace," and is seized by a sudden longing after his former home.104The Wallachian story of "The Immured Mother" (Schott, No. 2) resembles Grimm's "Marienkind" in many points.105But its forbidden chamber differs from that of the German tale.106In the latter the rash intruder sees "die Dreieinigkeit im Feuer und Glanz sitzen;" in the former, "the Holy Mother of God healing the wounds of her Son, the Lord Christ."107In the Neapolitan story of "Le tre Corune" (Pentamerone, No. 36), the forbidden chamber contains "three maidens, clothed all in gold, sitting and seeming to slumber upon as many thrones" (Liebrecht's translation, ii.10876).109The Esthonian tale of the "Wife-murderer" (Loewe's "Ehstnische Maerchen," No. 20) is remarkably--not to say suspiciously--like that French story of Blue Beard which has so often made our young blood run cold.110Sister Anne is represented, and so are the rescuing brothers, the latter in the person of the heroine's old friend and playmate, Toennis the goose-herd.111Several very curious Gaelic versions of the story are given by Mr. Campbell ("Tales of the West Highlands," No. 41, ii.112265-275).113Two of the three daughters of a poor widow look into a forbidden chamber, find it "full of dead gentlewomen," get stained knee-deep in blood, and refuse to give a drop of milk to a cat which offers its services.114So their heads are chopped off.115The third daughter makes friends with the cat, which licks off the tell-tale blood, so she escapes detection.116In a Greek story (Hahn, ii. p. 197) the hero discovers in the one-and-fortieth room of a castle belonging to a Drakos, who had given him leave to enter forty only, a magic horse, and before the door of the room he finds a pool of gold in which he becomes gilded.117In another (Hahn, No. 15) a prince finds in the forbidden fortieth a lake in which fairies of the swan-maiden species are bathing.118In a third (No. 45) the fortieth room contains a golden horse and a golden dog which assist their bold releaser.119In a fourth (No. 68) it imprisons "a fair maiden, shining like the sun," whom the demon proprietor of the castle has hung up within it by her hair.120As usual, all these stories are hard to understand.121But one of the most important of their Oriental equivalents is perfectly intelligible.122When Saktideva, in the fifth book of the "Kathasaritsagara," comes after long travel to the Golden City, and is welcomed as her destined husband by its princess, she warns him not to ascend the central terrace of her palace.123Of course he does so, and finds three chambers, in each of which lies the lifeless form of a fair maiden.124After gazing at these seeming corpses, in one of which he recognizes his first love, he approaches a horse which is grazing beside a lake.125The horse kicks him into the water; he sinks deep--and comes up again in his native land.126The whole of the story is, towards its termination, fully explained by one of its principal characters--one of the four maidens whom Saktideva simultaneously marries.127With the version of this romance in the "Arabian Nights" ("History of the Third Royal Mendicant," Lane, i. 160-173), everyone is doubtless acquainted.128A less familiar story is that of Kandarpaketu, in the second book of the "Hitopadesa," who lives happily for a time as the husband of the beautiful semi-divine queen of the Golden City.129At last, contrary to her express commands, he ventures to touch a picture of a Vidyadhari.130In an instant the pictured demigoddess gives him a kick which sends him flying back into his own country.131For an explanation of the myth which lies at the root of all these stories, see Cox's "Mythology of the Aryan Nations," ii.13236, 330.133See also Professor de Gubernatis's "Zoological Mythology," i. 168.]134We will now take one of those versions of the story which describe how Koshchei's death is brought about by the destruction of that extraneous object on which his existence depends.135The incident is one which occupies a prominent place in the stories of this class current in all parts of Europe and Asia, and its result is almost always the same.136But the means by which that result is brought about differ considerably in different lands.137In the Russian tales the "death" of the Evil Being with whom the hero contends--the substance, namely, the destruction of which involves his death--is usually the last of a sequence of objects either identical with, or closely resembling, those mentioned in the following story of--138KOSHCHEI THE DEATHLESS.139[112]140In a certain country there once lived a king, and he had three sons, all of them grown up.141All of a sudden Koshchei the Deathless carried off their mother.142Then the eldest son craved his father's blessing, that he might go and look for his mother.143His father gave him his blessing, and he went off and disappeared, leaving no trace behind.144The second son waited and waited, then he too obtained his father's blessing--and he also disappeared.145Then the youngest son, Prince Ivan, said to his father, "Father, give me your blessing, and let me go and look for my mother."146But his father would not let him go, saying, "Your brothers are no more; if you likewise go away, I shall die of grief."147"Not so, father.148But if you bless me I shall go; and if you do not bless me I shall go."1 2← previousChapter II. 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