The Complete Folktales of A. N. Afanas'ev, Volume III

Sibelan Forrester, Jack V. Haney

• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781496831972, 9781496824097
• eBook ISBN: 9781496831989
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Russian History
• Index: Social Sciences

Up to now, there has been no complete English-language version of the Russian folktales of A. N. Afanas'ev. This translation is based on L. G. Barag and N. V. Novikov's edition, widely regarded as the authoritative Russian-language edition. The present edition includes commentaries to each tale as well as its international classification number. This third volume contains 305 tales, those numbered 319–579, as well as forty-five additional tales from among those denied publication by the Russian censors. The folktales of A. N. Afanas'ev represent the largest single collection of folktales in any European language and perhaps in the world. Widely regarded as the Russian Grimm, Afanas'ev collected folktales from throughout the Russian Empire in what are now regarded as the three East Slavic languages, Belarusian, Russian, and Ukrainian. In his lifetime, Afanas'ev published more than 575 tales in his most popular and best-known work, Narodnye russkie skazki. In addition to this basic collection, he prepared a volume of Russian legends, many on religious themes; a collection of mildly obscene tales, Russkie zavetnye skazki; and voluminous writings on Slavic folklife and mythology. His works were subject to the strict censorship of ecclesiastical and state authorities that lasted until the demise of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. Overwhelmingly, his particular emendations were stylistic, while those of the censors mostly concerned content.

The Tales

Shemiaka’s Court

319.

In certain areas there lived two brothers: one was rich, while the other was poor. The poor brother came to the rich one to ask to borrow a horse, so he could drive into the forest for wood. The rich brother gave him a horse. The poor man then asked for the horse collar. The rich man was most indignant with his brother and refused to give him the collar. The poor brother got the idea to tie the cart to the horse’s tail, and he set off into the woods for firewood. And he cut a huge load, as much as the horse could pull, and then he drove to his own yard and opened the gates, forgetting to remove the bottom board from its place. The horse rushed over the bottom board of the gates and tore off its tail. The poor brother thus led the horse back to the rich brother without its tail. The rich brother saw the horse without a tail, refused to accept the horse, and went to Shemiaka the judge to lodge a complaint against the poor man. The poor man, realizing that misfortune had come to him, knew he would be summoned. It has long been noted that the naked man has nothing to give to the messenger, so the poor brother set out after his brother.

So both brothers happened to stop in at a rich peasant’s household to spend the night. The peasant began eating and drinking with the rich brother and making merry, but he had no desire to invite the poor brother to join in. The poor one went up into the loft, watching them, and then suddenly fell down from the loft and crushed a child to death in its cradle. The peasant, too, set off to see Shemiaka the judge to lodge a complaint against the poor brother.

As they were walking along together toward town (the rich brother and the peasant, the poor one walking behind them), it happened that they had to go over a high bridge. The poor man realized that he would not survive Shemiaka’s court and threw himself off the bridge. He wanted to kill himself. Beneath the bridge a son was taking his sick father to the bathhouse, and the poor brother fell right into the sleigh and crushed the old man to death. The son also went to lodge a petition to Shemiaka the judge on account of the poor brother killing his father.

The rich brother came to Shemiaka’s court to complain against his brother, who had pulled out his horse’s tail. The poor brother took up a stone and wrapped it in his handkerchief, and after his brother had spoken, he showed it and he thought: If the judge doesn’t find for me, I’ll kill him. The judge, hoping to get a hundred rubles from the case, ordered the rich brother to give the poor one the horse until its tail grew out.

Then along came the peasant, who alleged that his infant had been killed, and he began his plea. The poor man drew out the same stone and showed it to the judge after the peasant had spoken. The judge, hoping he would give him a second hundred rubles from this second case, ordered the peasant to hand his wife over to the poor peasant until a child should be born. The judge said, “And then at that time you take your wife and the child back.”

Then the son came to complain that the poor man had crushed his father to death, and he lodged the complaint against the poor man. The poor brother drew out the same stone and showed it to the judge. The judge, hoping to get a hundred rubles from the case, ordered the son to stand on the bridge. The judge said, “Meanwhile you, the poor man, stand beneath the bridge and you, the son, leap from the bridge onto the poor man and crush him to death.”

Shemiaka the judge sent his servant to the poor man and asked him for the three hundred rubles. The poor man showed him the stone and said, “If the judge hadn’t found for me, I was going to kill him.” The servant went back to the judge and told him about the poor man: “If you hadn’t found for him, he was going to kill you with that stone.” The judge crossed himself, saying, “Glory to God that I found for him!”

So then the poor brother came to his rich brother to ask for the horse without a tail, following the judicial order that he should have the horse until its tail grew out. The rich brother did not wish to hand over the horse and gave him five rubles, and three measures of grain, and a milking goat, and made his peace with him forever.

Then the poor brother came to the peasant and asked to take his wife until such time as a child should be born. The rich peasant made his peace with the poor man and gave the poor man fifty rubles, a cow with her calf, a mare with her colt, and four measures of grain, and he made his peace with him forever.

So then the poor man came to the son about killing his father and he said to him: “According to the judge’s orders, you have to stand on the bridge while I stand under the bridge, and you throw yourself on me and crush me to death.” The son, though, began thinking, “If I leap from the bridge and don’t crush him, I’ll kill myself!” So he began making his peace with the poor man, and he gave him two hundred rubles, a horse, and five measures of grain, and he made his peace with him forever.

320.

In a certain tsardom there lived two brothers: a rich one and a poor one. The poor brother hired out to the rich one, worked an entire summer, and the rich brother gave him two measures of rye. The poor brother carried it home and gave the grain to his missus. She said, “You worked an entire summer and all you earned was two measures of rye. If we grind it and bake it into bread, we’ll eat it, and then again we’ll have nothing. Better you go to your brother and ask for some bullocks, and then go out and plow and sow the field. If the Lord God grants a crop, we’ll have grain too.” “I won’t go,” said the poor man. “It’s all the same: Ask or don’t ask, he won’t loan me the bullocks.” “Go, right now your brother is overjoyed. His wife has given birth to a son and he surely won’t refuse!” So the poor man went to the rich one, asked for a pair of bullocks, and set off for the field. He plowed up his tenth, seeded it, harrowed it, and set it all to rights before setting off home.

He was riding down the road and chanced to meet an elder:

“Greetings, my good man!”

“Greetings, old man!”

“Where have you been and what have you been doing?”

“I’ve plowed my field and sown some rye.”

“And whose are the bullocks?”

“My brother’s.”

“Your brother is rich but ungracious. Choose as you know best: Either his son shall die, or his bullocks will expire.”

The poor brother thought and thought. He was sorry about the bullocks, but also sorry about his brother’s son. Then he said, “Better let the bullocks die.” “Let it be your way,” said the elder, and he went on down the road. The poor brother was approaching his gates when suddenly both bullocks fell to the ground dead. He began weeping bitterly and ran off to his rich brother:

“Forgive me, I’m to blame without blame! But such a misfortune has struck: Your bullocks have perished!”

“What do you mean, they’ve perished? No, my good friend, you won’t get off so easy with me. You worked the bullocks to death, so pay for them in money.”

Where would the poor man get the money? The rich one waited and waited, and then hauled the poor man off to the judicial court.

They were riding along to the court, and they happened to meet a large goods train dragging along the road with a heavy load. And all this took place in the winter, deep snows lay everywhere. Suddenly, for no reason at all, one of the driver’s horses reared up and took off to the right with the entire train and got stuck in a snowbank. “Help me, good people! Help me out of my difficulty!” the driver begged. “Give me a hundred rubles,” said the rich brother.

“What do you mean? Have you no fear of God? Why should you ask for a hundred rubles?”

“Well, then, get your wagons out yourself!”

“Wait a moment,” said the poor brother. “I’ll help you for nothing.” He jumped down from the sleigh, rushed over to the horse, grabbed it by the tail, and began pulling. He strained and tore off the horse’s tail completely. “Oh, you rascal!” the driver castigated the poor man. “That horse is worth two hundred rubles, and you’ve torn off its tail! What am I to do now?” “Eh, brother,” the rich man said to the driver. “What point is there in having a long talk with him? Get in my sleigh and we’ll both go to the judicial court.”

So the three of them rode along together. They came to the town and stopped at an inn. The rich man and the driver went into the house, while the poor man stood outside in the cold. He looked about: A peasant was digging a deep well. He thought, “No good will come of this! They’ll drag me before the judge and sentence me. Oh, I’m finished!” And in his distress he rushed over to the well, but he couldn’t aim properly and crushed the peasant to death. So they immediately seized him and brought him to the judicial court.

The judge began the trial, and he said to the rich brother, “The poor man has killed your bullocks, while taking pity on your son. If you wish to have him buy you a pair of bullocks, then first of all you kill your son.” “No,” said the rich brother. “I’d rather my bullocks perished.” [The remaining decisions of the judge are exactly the same as in the text of the previous tale.]

Riddles

321.

In a certain tsardom, in a certain state, there lived and dwelt an old man, and he had a son. They would travel through the villages and towns conducting a little trade. This one time the son set out for a village to do business. He had ridden for a long time or a short time, either near or far, and he came to a little hut and asked to spend the night. “You are most welcome,” said the old woman. “But only on condition that you set me a riddle that hasn’t been answered.” “Very well, granny!” he answered. He went into the hut. She fed him and gave him drink, let him steam in the bathhouse, and put him to bed. Then she sat down next to him and told him to set the riddle. “Wait, granny, let me think a bit,” he implored. While the merchant was thinking, the old woman went to sleep. He immediately gathered his things and made his way out of the hut. The old woman heard the noise and woke up, but her guest wasn’t there. She ran out into the yard and brought him a glass of swill. “Drink this,” she said. “It will be a staff for your journey!” The merchant refused to drink it before his journey, but poured the swill into a jug and rode out of the yard.

He rode and he rode, and then dark night overcame him in the steppe. He stopped to spend the night just where God had led him—under the open sky. He began thinking and wondering about what the old woman had brought him, so he took the jug and poured some of its contents into his hand, wet his whip with his hand, and then struck his horse with the whip. The moment he struck, the horse was torn to bits. In the morning thirty ravens came to the carrion. They pecked at it, and all were killed. The merchant picked up the dead ravens and hung them on the trees. Just then, a caravan packed with goods was passing by. The drivers saw the birds on the trees, took them down, prepared them, roasted them, and ate them. The moment they’d eaten the ravens, the drivers fell down dead! The merchant seized the caravan and set off home.

After a long while or a short while, near or far, he once more dropped by that old woman’s to spend the night. She fed him and gave him drink, let him steam in the bathhouse, and put him to bed. Then she told him to set a riddle. “Very well, granny, I’ll tell you a riddle,” he responded. “Only the condition is more important than money. If you guess the answer to the riddle, take all my caravan and its goods. But if you don’t guess right, pay me as much money as the caravan and its goods are worth.” The old woman agreed. “Well,” he said. “Here’s a riddle for you. From a glass into a jug, from the jug onto a palm, and from a palm onto a whip. From the whip onto a horse, from the horse into thirty ravens, and from the ravens into thirty fine lads.” The old woman worked and worked at it, but she could not guess the answer. There was nothing to be done; she’d have to pay over money. And so the merchant returned home with the money and the goods, and he began living well and prospering, and acquiring even more.

322.

There lived and dwelt this peasant, and he had a son. But then his missus died, and the peasant made up his mind and married another woman and had two more sons with her. The stepmother didn’t like her stepson. She yelled at him and beat him. Then afterward she pestered her husband: “Send him to be a soldier!” There was no point arguing with this nasty woman, so the peasant sent his oldest son off to be a soldier. The young man served several years, then asked leave to go home.

He appeared before his...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Note to Volume III
• Glossary
• The Tales
• Tales From Afanas’Ev’s Notes
• Appendix I: Tales Removed by the Censor from the Collection Russian Folktales
• Appendix II: Tales from the Collection Russian Forbidden Tales and from the Manuscript Russian Folktales Not for the Press
• Commentaries