Folktales  

The Frog Princess

        Once upon a time a Russian King called his three sons and said, " Dear sons I want you to get married, go out in the forest and each of you must shoot an arrow. The princess that will pick it up first, you should marry."

The sons did what the father told them to. The arrow of the oldest son fell in the nobleman's courtyard, and his daughter picked it up, the arrow of the middle son fell to the merchant's daughter, and the arrow of the youngest son, Prince Ivan, was picked up by the frog. So he had to marry a frog.

One day the King told his sons that he wants their wives to sew a shirt by tomorrow morning. Then Ivan came home very sad.   "Why are you sad my prince?", the frog asked.  "My father wants you to sew him a shirt by tomorrow morning", he said.  "Don't worry prince Ivan, go to bed, night is the mother of counsel."  So he went to bed, and the frog threw off her frog skin, clapped her hands and said, "Maids and nurses, by tomorrow sew me the nicest shirt."

On the other day Ivan woke up, and was very happy to see a very nice shirt. So he took it to the King. The King didn't like any of the shirts except the one Ivan's wife sewed. Then King called his sons again and said that he wants their wives to bake the bread by tomorrow morning. So Ivan came home sad again. His wife asked "Why are you sad?" "My father wants you to bake the bread by tomorrow morning" he said.  "Don't worry Ivan go to bed, night is the mother of council." So the frog threw her skin off and again asked her helpers to bake her the best bread.

In the morning Ivan was very happy and brought the bread to his father. The King said that he didn't like any of the bread, except the one Ivan's wife made.  The next day the King called his sons and said I want you to bring your wives with you to the dinner. And again Ivan came home very sad. He told the frog what his father told him to do.  His wife said "Don't worry Ivan, go to the dinner yourself I'll come later. If you hear the knocking don't be afraid, say that it's just your frog riding in her box.  So that was what Ivan did. In the middle of the dinner suddenly whole palace shook. Ivan said don't worry, it's just my frog riding in her box. Then everybody saw a beautiful carriage drawn by six white horses, and in the carriage was the beautiful Vasilisa the Wise. Then the guests began to eat and drink.

Vasilisa drank from her glass and emptied the rest in her left sleeve, then she ate meat and put the bones in her right sleeve. The wives of older brothers saw her do this and did the same. Then guests began to dance. Vasilisa waved her left sleeve and lake appeared, she waved her right sleeve and swans appeared swimming in the lake. Everybody was excited. Then the wives of the older brothers tried to do the same but when they waved one sleeve, they splashed wine over the guests; they waved other sleeve, the bones flew at the guests and one bone hit the King.

During the time everyone was in the castle Ivan ran home and threw Vasilisa's skin in the fire. When his wife came home she said "Oh Ivan what have you done! If you would have waited 3 more months I would have been yours forever! Now you have to find me far away where the Koshei the Deathless live."   And she disappeared. Prince Ivan was crying hard, and then went far away to find his wife. On his way he met an old man. Ivan told him about his trouble. The man said "Take this ball and follow it wherever it rolls.

On his way he also met a bear, duck, hare, fish. But he didn't kill them because they said that he will need them some day.

Then he saw a hut he asked it to face him and then he went in the hut. In the corner he saw Baba-Yaga, an old woman. He asked her to give him something to eat, and she did. Then he told her about his trouble. She said, "Koshei's death is at the point of a needle, the needle is in an egg, the egg is in a duck, the duck is in a hare, the hare is in a stone casket, the casket is at the top of the tall oak tree.

So Ivan went and at last found the tree. But he couldn't reach the stone casket. Suddenly he saw a bear that he saw on his way, the bear helped him and pulled the tree out of the ground, on the ground a stone fell and broke open, out of the stone jumped a hare, the hare that Ivan helped him and caught the other hare; out of the hare flew a duck, the duck helped Ivan and caught it; the duck dropped an egg in the sea, and the fish swam up with the egg in its mouth.

Prince Ivan broke the egg and then the needle, and Koshei died and Vasilisa was freed. Then Vasilisa and Ivan lived happily ever after.