The Norka

THE NORKA

Once upon a time there lived a King and Queen. They had three sons, two

of them with their wits about them, but the third a simpleton. Now the

King had a deer park in which were quantities of wild animals of

different kinds. Into that park there used to come a huge beast—Norka

was its name—and do fearful mischief, devouring some of the animals

every night. The King did all he could, but he was unable to destroy

it. So at last he called his sons together and said, ‘Whoever will

destroy the Norka, to him will I give the half of my kingdom.’

Well, the eldest son undertook the task. As soon as it was night, he

took his weapons and set out. But before he reached the park, he went

into a traktir (or tavern), and there he spent the whole night in

revelry. When he came to his senses it was too late; the day had

already dawned. He felt himself disgraced in the eyes of his father,

but there was no help for it. The next day the second son went, and did

just the same. Their father scolded them both soundly, and there was an

end of it.

Well, on the third day the youngest son undertook the task. They all

laughed him to scorn, because he was so stupid, feeling sure he

wouldn’t do anything. But he took his arms, and went straight into the

park, and sat down on the grass in such a position that the moment he

went asleep his weapons would prick him, and he would awake.

Presently the midnight hour sounded. The earth began to shake, and the

Norka came rushing up, and burst right through the fence into the park,

so huge was it. The Prince pulled himself together, leapt to his feet,

crossed himself, and went straight at the beast. It fled back, and the

Prince ran after it. But he soon saw that he couldn’t catch it on foot,

so he hastened to the stable, laid his hands on the best horse there,

and set off in pursuit. Presently he came up with the beast, and they

began a fight. They fought and fought; the Prince gave the beast three

wounds. At last they were both utterly exhausted, so they lay down to

take a short rest. But the moment the Prince closed his eyes, up jumped

the beast and took to flight. The Prince’s horse awoke him; up he

jumped in a moment, and set off again in pursuit, caught up the beast,

and again began fighting with it. Again the Prince gave the beast three

wounds, and then he and the beast lay down again to rest. Thereupon

away fled the beast as before. The Prince caught it up, and again gave

it three wounds. But all of a sudden, just as the Prince began chasing

it for the fourth time, the beast fled to a great white stone, tilted

it up, and escaped into the other world, crying out to the Prince:

‘Then only will you overcome me, when you enter here.’

The Prince went home, told his father all that had happened, and asked

him to have a leather rope plaited, long enough to reach to the other

world. His father ordered this to be done. When the rope was made, the

Prince called for his brothers, and he and they, having taken servants

with them, and everything that was needed for a whole year, set out for

the place where the beast had disappeared under the stone. When they

got there, they built a palace on the spot, and lived in it for some

time. But when everything was ready, the youngest brother said to the

others: ‘Now, brothers, who is going to lift this stone?’

Neither of them could so much as stir it, but as soon as he touched it,

away it flew to a distance, though it was ever so big—big as a hill.

And when he had flung the stone aside, he spoke a second time to his

brothers, saying:

‘Who is going into the other world, to overcome the Norka?’

Neither of them offered to do so. Then he laughed at them for being

such cowards, and said:

‘Well, brothers, farewell! Lower me into the other world, and don’t go

away from here, but as soon as the cord is jerked, pull it up.’

His brothers lowered him accordingly, and when he had reached the other

world, underneath the earth, he went on his way. He walked and walked.

Presently he espied a horse with rich trappings, and it said to him:

‘Hail, Prince Ivan! Long have I awaited thee!’

He mounted the horse and rode on—rode and rode, until he saw standing

before him a palace made of copper. He entered the courtyard, tied up

his horse, and went indoors. In one of the rooms a dinner was laid out.

He sat down and dined, and then went into a bedroom. There he found a

bed, on which he lay down to rest. Presently there came in a lady, more

beautiful than can be imagined anywhere but in a fairy tale, who said:

‘Thou who art in my house, name thyself! If thou art an old man, thou

shalt be my father; if a middle-aged man, my brother; but if a young

man, thou shalt be my husband dear. And if thou art a woman, and an old

one, thou shalt be my grandmother; if middle-aged, my mother; and if a

girl, thou shalt be my own sister.’

Thereupon he came forth. And when she saw him she was delighted with

him, and said:

‘Wherefore, O Prince Ivan—my husband dear shalt thou be!—wherefore hast

thou come hither?’

Then he told her all that had happened, and she said:

‘That beast which thou wishest to overcome is my brother. He is staying

just now with my second sister, who lives not far from here in a silver

palace. I bound up three of the wounds which thou didst give him.’

Well, after this they drank, and enjoyed themselves, and held sweet

converse together, and then the Prince took leave of her, and went on

to the second sister, the one who lived in the silver palace, and with

her also he stayed awhile. She told him that her brother Norka was then

at her youngest sister’s. So he went on to the youngest sister, who

lived in a golden palace. She told him that her brother was at that

time asleep on the blue sea, and she gave him a sword of steel and a

draught of the Water of Strength, and she told him to cut off her

brother’s head at a single stroke. And when he had heard these things,

he went his way.

And when the Prince came to the blue sea, he looked—there slept the

Norka on a stone in the middle of the sea; and when it snored, the

water was agitated for seven miles around. The Prince crossed himself,

went up to it, and smote it on the head with his sword. The head jumped

off, saying the while, ‘Well, I’m done for now!’ and rolled far away

into the sea.

After killing the beast, the Prince went back again, picking up all the

three sisters by the way, with the intention of taking them out into

the upper world: for they all loved him and would not be separated from

him. Each of them turned her palace into an egg—for they were all

enchantresses—and they taught him how to turn the eggs into palaces,

and back again, and they handed over the eggs to him. And then they all

went to the place from which they had to be hoisted into the upper

world. And when they came to where the rope was, the Prince took hold

of it and made the maidens fast to it. Then he jerked away at the rope

and his brothers began to haul it up. And when they had hauled it up,

and had set eyes on the wondrous maidens, they went aside and said:

‘Let’s lower the rope, pull our brother part of the way up, and then

cut the rope. Perhaps he’ll be killed; but then if he isn’t, he’ll

never give us these beauties as wives.’

So when they had agreed on this, they lowered the rope. But their

brother was no fool; he guessed what they were at, so he fastened the

rope to a stone, and then gave it a pull. His brothers hoisted the

stone to a great height, and then cut the rope. Down fell the stone and

broke in pieces; the Prince poured forth tears and went away. Well, he

walked and walked. Presently a storm arose; the lightning flashed, the

thunder roared, the rain fell in torrents. He went up to a tree in

order to take shelter under it, and on that tree he saw some young

birds which were being thoroughly drenched. So he took off his coat and

covered them over with it, and he himself sat down under the tree.

Presently there came flying a bird—such a big one that the light was

blotted out by it. It had been dark there before, but now it became

darker still. Now this was the mother of those small birds which the

Prince had covered up. And when the bird had come flying up, she

perceived that her little ones were covered over, and she said, ‘Who

has wrapped up my nestlings?’ and presently, seeing the Prince, she

added: ‘Didst thou do that? Thanks! In return, ask of me anything thou

desirest. I will do anything for thee.’

‘Then carry me into the other world,’ he replied.

‘Make me a large vessel with a partition in the middle,’ she said;

‘catch all sorts of game, and put them into one half of it, and into

the other half pour water; so that there may be meat and drink for me.’

All this the Prince did. Then the bird—having taken the vessel on her

back, with the Prince sitting in the middle of it—began to fly. And

after flying some distance she brought him to his journey’s end, took

leave of him, and flew away back. But he went to the house of a certain

tailor, and engaged himself as his servant. So much the worse for wear

was he, so thoroughly had he altered in appearance, that nobody would

have suspected him of being a Prince.

Having entered into the service of this master, the Prince began to ask

what was going on in that country. And his master replied: ‘Our two

Princes—for the third one has disappeared—have brought away brides from

the other world, and want to marry them, but those brides refuse. For

they insist on having all their wedding-clothes made for them first,

exactly like those which they used to have in the other world, and that

without being measured for them. The King has called all the workmen

together, but not one of them will undertake to do it.’

The Prince, having heard all this, said, ‘Go to the King, master, and

tell him that you will provide everything that’s in your line.’

‘However can I undertake to make clothes of that sort? I work for quite

common folks,’ says his master.

‘Go along, master! I will answer for everything,’ says the Prince.

So the tailor went. The King was delighted that at least one good

workman had been found, and gave him as much money as ever he wanted.

When his tailor had settled everything, he went home. And the Prince

said to him:

‘Now then, pray to God, and lie down to sleep; to-morrow all will be

ready.’ And the tailor followed his lad’s advice, and went to bed.

Midnight sounded. The Prince arose, went out of the city into the

fields, took out of his pocket the eggs which the maidens had given

him, and, as they had taught him, turned them into three palaces. Into

each of these he entered, took the maidens’ robes, went out again,

turned the palaces back into eggs, and went home. And when he got there

he hung up the robes on the wall, and lay down to sleep.

Early in the morning his master awoke, and behold! there hung such

robes as he had never seen before, all shining with gold and silver and

precious stones. He was delighted, and he seized them and carried them

off to the King. When the Princesses saw that the clothes were those

which had been theirs in the other world, they guessed that Prince Ivan

was in this world, so they exchanged glances with each other, but they

held their peace. And the master, having handed over the clothes, went

home, but he no longer found his dear journeyman there. For the Prince

had gone to a shoemaker’s, and him too he sent to work for the King;

and in the same way he went the round of all the artificers, and they

all proffered him thanks, inasmuch as through him they were enriched by

the King.

By the time the princely workman had gone the round of all the

artificers, the Princesses had received what they had asked for; all

their clothes were just like what they had been in the other world.

Then they wept bitterly because the Prince had not come, and it was

impossible for them to hold out any longer; it was necessary that they

should be married. But when they were ready for the wedding, the

youngest bride said to the King:

‘Allow me, my father, to go and give alms to the beggars.’

He gave her leave, and she went and began bestowing alms upon them, and

examining them closely. And when she had come to one of them, and was

going to give him some money, she caught sight of the ring which she

had given to the Prince in the other world, and her sisters’ rings

too—for it really was he. So she seized him by the hand, and brought

him into the hall, and said to the King:

‘Here is he who brought us out of the other world. His brothers forbade

us to say that he was alive, threatening to slay us if we did.’

Then the King was wroth with those sons, and punished them as he

thought best. And afterwards three weddings were celebrated.