Chapter II. MYTHOLOGICAL, part 9 · page 21 2101Cannot you hear a sound as of pursuers?"102The prince bent his ear to the ground, but he could hear nothing.103Then Vasilissa herself lighted down from her good steed, laid herself flat on the earth, and said: "Ah Prince!104I hear a great noise as of chasing after us."105Then she turned the horses into a well, and herself into a bowl, and the Prince into an old, very old man.106Up came the pursuers.107"Heigh, old man!" say they, "haven't you seen a youth and a maiden pass by?"108"I saw them, my friends! only it was a long while ago.109I was a youngster at the time when they rode by."110The pursuers returned to the Water King.111"There is no trace of them," they said, "no news: all we saw was an old man beside a well, and a bowl floating on the water."112"Why did not ye seize them?" cried the Water King, who thereupon put the pursuers to a cruel death, and sent another troop after the Prince and Vasilissa the Wise.113The fugitives in the mean time had ridden far, far away.114Vasilissa the Wise heard the noise made by the fresh set of pursuers, so she turned the Prince into an old priest, and she herself became an ancient church.115Scarcely did its walls hold together, covered all over with moss.116Presently up came the pursuers.117"Heigh, old man! haven't you seen a youth and a maiden pass by?"118"I saw them, my own! only it was long, ever so long ago.119I was a young man when they rode by.120It was just while I was building this church."121So the second set of pursuers returned to the Water King, saying:122"There is neither trace nor news of them, your Royal Majesty.123All that we saw was an old priest and an ancient church."124"Why did not ye seize them?" cried the Water King louder than before, and having put the pursuers to a cruel death, he galloped off himself in pursuit of the Prince and Vasilissa the Wise.125This time Vasilissa turned the horses into a river of honey with _kissel_[147] banks, and changed the Prince into a Drake and herself into a grey duck.126The Water King flung himself on the _kissel_ and honey-water, and ate and ate, and drank and drank until he burst!127And so he gave up the ghost.128The Prince and Vasilissa rode on, and at length they drew nigh to the home of the Prince's parents.129Then said Vasilissa,130"Go on in front, Prince, and report your arrival to your father and mother.131But I will wait for you here by the wayside.132Only remember these words of mine: kiss everyone else, only don't kiss your sister; if you do, you will forget me."133The Prince reached home, began saluting every one, kissed his sister too--and no sooner had he kissed her than from that very moment he forgot all about his wife, just as if she had never entered into his mind.134Three days did Vasilissa the Wise await him.135On the fourth day she clad herself like a beggar, went into the capital, and took up her quarters in an old woman's house.136But the Prince was preparing to marry a rich Princess, and orders were given to proclaim throughout the kingdom, that all Christian people were to come to congratulate the bride and bridegroom, each one bringing a wheaten pie as a present.137Well, the old woman with whom Vasilissa lodged, prepared, like everyone else, to sift flour and make a pie.138"Why are you making a pie, granny?" asked Vasilissa.139"Is it why? you evidently don't know then.140Our King is giving his son in marriage to a rich princess: one must go to the palace to serve up the dinner to the young couple."141"Come now!142I, too, will bake a pie and take it to the palace; may be the King will make me some present."143"Bake away in God's name!" said the old woman.144Vasilissa took flour, kneaded dough, and made a pie.145And inside it she put some curds and a pair of live doves.146Well, the old woman and Vasilissa the Wise reached the palace just at dinner-time.147There a feast was in progress, one fit for all the world to see.148Vasilissa's pie was set on the table, but no sooner was it cut in two than out of it flew the two doves.149The hen bird seized a piece of curd, and her mate said to her:150"Give me some curds, too, Dovey!"151"No I won't," replied the other dove: "else you'd forget me, as the Prince has forgotten his Vasilissa the Wise."152Then the Prince remembered about his wife.153He jumped up from table, caught her by her white hands, and seated her close by his side.154From that time forward they lived together in all happiness and prosperity.155[With this story may be compared a multitude of tales in very many languages.156In German for instance, "Der Koenig vom goldenen Berg," (Grimm, _KM.157_ No. 92.158See also Nos.15951, 56, 113, 181, and the opening of No. 31), "Der Koenigssohn und die Teufelstochter," (Haltrich, No. 26), and "Gruenus Kravalle" (Wolf's "Deutsche Hausmaerchen," No. 29)--the Norse "Mastermaid," (Asbjoernsen and Moe, No. 46, Dasent, No. 11) and "The Three Princesses of Whiteland," (A. and M. No. 9, Dasent, No. 26)--the Lithuanian story (Schleicher, No. 26, p. 75) in which a "field-devil" exacts from a farmer the promise of a child--the Wallachian stories (Schott, Nos.1602 and 15) in which a devil obtains a like promise from a woodcutter and a fisherman--the Modern Greek (Hahn, Nos.1614, 5, 54, and 68) in which a child is promised to a Dervish, a _Drakos_, the Devil, and a Demon--and the Gaelic tales of "The Battle of the Birds" and "The Sea-maiden," (Campbell, Nos.1622 and 4) in the former of which the child is promised to a Giant, in the latter to a Mermaid.163The likeness between the Russian story and the "Battle of the Birds" is very striking.164References to a great many other similar tales will be found in Grimm (_KM.165_ iii. pp.16696-7, and 168-9).167The group to which all these stories belong is linked with a set of tales about a father who apprentices his son to a wizard, sometimes to the Devil, from whom the youth escapes with great difficulty.168The principal Russian representative of the second set is called "Eerie Art," "Khitraya Nauka," (Afanasief, v. No. 22, vi.169No. 45, viii. p. 339).1 2← previousChapter II. MYTHOLOGICAL, part 8next →Chapter II. MYTHOLOGICAL, part 10↑ back to Russian Fairy Tales: A Choice Collection of Muscovite Folk-loreThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg22373/27/page/2/