Magic and Witchcraft., part 8 · page 31 2 3201[349] Miss Frere's "Old Deccan Days," pp.20231, 73, 95, 135.203[350] "Voelsunga Saga," translated by E. Magnusson and W. Morris, pp.20495-6.205[351] Afanasief, vi.206No. 32.207From the Novgorod Government.208A "chap-book" version of this story will be found in Dietrich's collection (pp.209152-68 of the English translation); also in Keightley's "Tales and Popular Fictions."210[352] _Nijnie_, lower.211Thus Nijny Novgorod is the lower (down the Volga) Novgorod.212(Dahl.)213[353] _Kukova_, a stick or cudgel, one end of which is bent and rounded like a ball.214[354] _Tak de ego ne vzat'.215_216[355] There are numerous variants of this story among the Skazkas.217In one of these (Afanasief, vii.218No. 31) the man on whom the pike has bestowed supernatural power uses it to turn a Maiden princess into a mother.219This renders the story wholly in accordance with (1) the Modern Greek tale of "The Half Man," (Hahn, No. 8) in which the magic formula runs, "according to the first word of God and the second of the fish shall such and such a thing be done!"220(2) The Neapolitan story of "Pervonto" (Basile's "Pentamerone," No. 3) who obtains his magic power from three youths whom he screens from the sun as they lie asleep one hot day, and who turn out to be sons of a fairy.221Afanasief compares the story also with the German tale of "The Little Grey Mannikin," in the "Zeitschrift fuer Deutsche Mythologie," &c., i. pp.22238-40.223The incident of wishes being fulfilled by a fish occurs in many stories, as in that of "The Fisherman," in the "Arabian Nights," "The Fisherman and his Wife," in Grimm (_KM.224_, No. 19).225A number of stories about the Pike are referred to by A. de Gubernatis ("Zoolog.226Mythology," ii.227337-9).228[356] Quoted by Afanasief from Siemienski's "Podania," Posen, 1845, p. 42.229[357] "Songs of the Russian People," pp.230387-427.231[358] Afanasief, vii.232No. 36 _a_.233This story has no special title in the original.234[359] The rural police.235_Sotnick_ = centurion, from _sto_ = 100.236_Desyatnik_ is a word of the same kind from _desyat_ = 10.237[360] A Ponomar is a kind of sacristan.238[361] "Der Werwolf, Beitrag zur Sagengeschichte," Stuttgart, 1862.239For Russian ideas on the subject see "Songs of the Russian people," pp.240403-9.241[362] "Polnische Volkssagen" (translated by Lewestam), p. 61.242[363] Brockhaus's "Maehrchensammlung des Somadeva Bhatta," ii. p. 24.243[364] Afanasief, vii.244No. 36 _b_.245This story, also, is without special title.246[365] In Mr. Hain Friswell's collection of "Ghost Stories," 1858.247[366] Afanasief, vii.248No. 36 _c_.249Also without special title.250[367] The Russian _skovoroda_ is a sort of stew-pan, of great size, without a handle.251[368] From Professor Brockhaus's summary in the "Berichte der phil. hist.252Classe der Koenigl.253Saechs.254Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften," 1861, pp.255215, 16.256[369] For an account of this mythological bird, see the note on next page.257Ornithologically, the _Zhar-ptitsa_ is the Cassowary.258[370] Khudyakof, No. 110.259From the Nijegorod Government.260[371] _Zhar_ = glowing heat, as of a furnace; _zhar-ptitsa_ = the glow-bird.261Its name among the Czekhs and Slovaks is _Ptak Ohnivak_.262The heathens Slavonians are said to have worshipped Ogon or Agon, Fire, the counterpart of the Vedic Agni.263_Agon_ is still the ordinary Russian word for fire, the equivalent of the Latin _ignis_.264[372] Afanasief, vii.265No. 11.266See also the notes in viii. p. 620, etc.267[373] Grimm's _KM.268_, No. 57.269See the notes in Bd. iii. p. 98.270[374] Afanasief, vii.271No. 12.272[375] Khudyakof, No. 104.273From the Orel Government.274[376] The _kholodnaya izba_--the "cold izba," as opposed to the "warm izba" or living room.275[377] The etymology of the word _koldun_ is still, I believe, a moot point.276The discovery of the money in the warlock's coffin seems an improbable incident.277In the original version of the story the wizard may, perhaps, have turned into a heap of gold (see above, p. 231, on "Gold-men").1 2 3← previousMagic and Witchcraft., part 7next →Magic and Witchcraft., part 9↑ back to Russian Fairy Tales: A Choice Collection of Muscovite Folk-loreThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg22373/49/page/3/