Myths and Folk-tales of the Russians, Western Slavs, and Magyars. Jeremiah Curtin
also prepared. “What art thou going for, thou dunce?” laughed the brothers; “thou art needed there, I suppose!”
The simpleton went again on his mangy, wretched little horse to the field, and cried in a shrill voice: “Oh, blue-brown, cunning bay, stand before me as leaf before stem!”
The steed rushed, the ground trembled, the simpleton crept into one ear of the steed and out of the other, and became such a beauty as had never been seen or heard of before. He rushed through the Tsar’s court, broke all the twelve windows, and kissed the Tsarevna, Priceless Beauty. She put a mark straight on his forehead.
All were astonished, and cried: “Stop him, hold him! Who is he?”
But his trace was cold. He rode out to the field, crept into one ear and out of the other, became just such a simpleton as before, came home, tied a rag around his forehead, pretended that his head was aching, and lay down on the stove.
His brothers returned and said: “Oh, father, there was a hero, such a hero! At once he broke all twelve windows and kissed the Tsarevna.”
The simpleton cried out from the stove: “Ah, brothers, was it not I?”
“Oh, thou dunce, how could it be?”
Meanwhile the Tsarevna was thinking who her bridegroom could be. She went to the Tsar and said: “Father, let me bring together all the Tsars’ sons, kings’ sons, nobles, merchants, and peasants to a feast, to a talk, and find out who kissed me.” The Tsar permitted her.
Well, the whole Christian world met. The Tsarevna herself went among them all, entertained all with wine, examined to see if she could find the mark on any man’s forehead. She went to each; at last she brought wine to the simpleton.
“What hast thou bound up there?” asked the Tsarevna.
“So, nothing; my head aches,” said the simpleton.
“Well, then, untie it.” The Tsarevna unbound his head, recognized the mark, and grew faint.
The Tsar said to her, “It is impossible to change the word now; it has to be so—be his wife.”
They married the simpleton and the Tsarevna. She was weeping bitterly; her two sisters, who had married Tsars’ sons, were laughing at her, and said: “There it is; she has married a fool!”
Once the Tsar called all his sons-in-law and said: “I have heard that in such a state, in such a kingdom, there is a wonder—a pig with gold bristles. Is it not possible in some way to get this pig? Try.”
Well, the two crafty sons-in-law saddled the very best horses, sat on them, and rode away.
The fool took from the stable the very last miserable horse, and followed his brothers. He came out into an open field, and cried with a shrill voice: “Come, blue-brown, cunning bay, stand before me as leaf before stem!” Wherever he came from, the wondrous horse was snorting and tearing the ground with his hoof. The simpleton crawled into one ear and out of the other.
Wherever they came from, there stood before him two youths, and they asked, “What dost thou wish, what is thy pleasure?”
“To have a tent here, and in the tent a bed; beside the tent to have the pig with gold bristles walking.”
All was done in a moment. The tent was there, in the tent a bed; on the bed lay the simpleton, but such a hero that no one could know him. The pig with gold bristles was walking by the side of the tent in the meadow.
The other brothers-in-law travelled and travelled; nowhere could they see a pig with gold bristles. On their way home they approached the tent and saw the wonder. “Oh! here is where the pig with gold bristles is walking; let us go,” said they, “and whatever must be given we will give, we will buy the pig and please our father-in-law.”
They went to the tent and saluted the owner. The simpleton asked: “Where are ye travelling? what are ye looking for?”
“Wilt thou sell us the pig with gold bristles? we are looking for this pig a long time.”
“No, I want it myself.”
“Ask what will please thee, but sell.”
They offered him a thousand for the pig, and two and three and more; but the simpleton would not consent. “I will not take a hundred thousand,” said he.
“Oh, let us have him, please; take what seems good to thee!”
“Well, ye need him so greatly, I will give him, and will not take much—the middle toe of each man’s foot.”
They thought and thought, took off their boots, and each man cut off the middle toe of his foot. The simpleton took the toes, hid them, and gave the pig with gold bristles. The brothers-in-law went home, taking the pig with them.
The Tsar was so glad that he knew not what to call them, where to seat them, or what to give them to eat.
“Have ye seen the fool?” asked the Tsar.
“With seeing we have not seen him, with hearing we have not heard.”
The simpleton crept into one ear of his horse, out of the other, and became just such a fool as before. He killed his horse, took off his skin, and put it on; then he caught magpies, crows, jackdaws, and sparrows, tied them around himself, and went home. He came into the palace and let all his birds loose; they flew around on every side, and broke nearly all the windows of the palace.
The Tsarevna, Priceless Beauty, covered herself with tears, and her sisters were screaming with laughter. “Our husbands,” said they, “brought home the pig with gold bristles, and thy fool—look, if it please thee, how he has dressed himself as a monster!”
The Tsar shouted: “What a clown! I’ll fix him.”
Again the Tsar called his sons-in-law. “My dear sons-in-law, I have heard that in such a kingdom, in such a land, there is a wonder—a deer with golden horns and a golden tail. Can ye not get him in any way?”
“We can, your Majesty.”
Now the two crafty sons-in-law saddled the very best horses and set out.
“Well,” said the Tsar to the simpleton, “go thou with the others.”
The simpleton took from the stable the very last miserable horse and followed his brothers. He went out in the open field and cried with a shrill voice: “Oh, blue-brown, cunning bay, stand before me as leaf before stem.” Wherever he came from, the wonderful horse was there, snorting and tearing the ground with his hoofs. The simpleton crept in one of his ears and out of the other. Wherever they came from, two young men stood before him and asked: “What dost thou want?”
“I want a tent here, in the tent a bed, and at the side of the tent a deer with golden horns and a golden tail.”
That moment the tent was there, in the tent a bed, on the bed the simpleton stretched himself—such a beauty that no man could know him; at the side of the tent walked a deer with golden horns and a golden tail.
The crafty brothers travelled and travelled. Nowhere did they see such a deer, and they turned to come home. They came near the tent and saw the wonder. “Oh, this is where the deer with golden horns and a golden tail is! Let us go,” said they; “whatever must be given we’ll give, buy that deer, and please our father-in-law.”
They came up and saluted. The simpleton asked: “Why are ye travelling; what are ye seeking?”
“Wilt thou sell us the deer with golden horns and a golden tail?”
“No, it is not for sale; I want it myself.”
“Ask what will please thee, but sell.” They offered one, two, three thousand, and more. The simpleton wouldn’t listen to the offers, would not take money.
“But if my deer has pleased you, I’ll sell him, if ye like, at a cheap price—the middle finger of each man’s hand.”
They