The Dream
by Alexander Afanasyev · from Russian Fairy Tales
Original Story
The Dream
One day an old, old man was wandering about the earth, and he asked for
a night’s shelter from the peasant. “Certainly,” said the peasant—“I
shall be only too glad; only, will you go on telling me stories all
night long?”
“Yes, all right! I will tell you stories; only, let me rest here.”
“Then, pray, come in!”
So the old man entered the hut and lay down on the sleeping bench on the
top of the stove.
And the master said: “Make yourself ready, honoured guest. We shall have
supper. Now, old man, tell me a story.”
“Wait a bit; I had better tell you one in the morning.”
“As it please you!” And they lay down to sleep.
Then the old man went to sleep, and dreamed that there were two candles
blazing in front of the images and two birds fluttering in the
izbá.[23] He felt thirsty, and wanted to drink, got off the sleeping
bench, and there were newts running about on the floor. And he went up
to the table, and saw frogs jumping and croaking on it. Then he looked
up at the master’s eldest son, and there was a snake lying in between
him and his wife. And he looked at the second son, and on the second
son’s wife there was a cat which was yawning at the man. Then he looked
at the third son, and between him and his wife there was a young man
lying. This all seemed rather queer to the old man, and rather strange.
So he went and lay on the corn-kiln, and there he heard shrieks:
“Sister! Sister! come and fetch me!” Then he went and lay under the
fence, and there he heard a cry: “Pull me out and stick me in again!”
Then he went and lay on the cauldron, and he heard a cry: “I am hanging
on the cross-beam! I am falling on the cross-beam!” Then he went back
into the hut.
The master woke up and said: “Now tell me a story.”
But the old man replied: “I shall not tell you a story, only the truth.
Do you know what I have just dreamed? I went to sleep and thought I saw
two candles blazing in front of the images and two birds fluttering
inside the hut.”
“Those are my two angels fluttering about.”
“And I also saw a snake lying between your son and his wife.”
“That is because they quarrel.”
“And I looked also at your second son, and there was a cat sitting on
his wife, and yawning at the man.”
“That means that they are bad friends, and the wife wants to get rid of
the husband.”
“Then, when I looked at your next son, I saw a youth lying in between
them.”
“That is not a youth, but an angel who was lying there; and that is why
they are on such good and loving terms.”
“Why is it, then, master of the house, when I slipped off the sleeping
shelf that there were newts running on the floor; and, when I wanted to
drink at the table, I saw frogs leaping about and croaking?”
“Because,” the peasant answered, “my daughters-in-law do not sweep up
the lathes; but put the kvas on the table when they are sitting round
together without saying grace.”
“Then I went to sleep on the corn-kiln, and I heard a cry: ‘Sister!
Sister! come and fetch me!’”
“That means that my sons never put the brush back into its place and say
the proper blessing.”
“Then I went to lie under the fence, and I heard a cry: ‘Pull me out and
stick me in again!’”
“That means that the stick’s upside-down.”
“Then I went and lay under the cauldron. And I heard a cry of ‘I am
hanging on the cross-beam! I am falling on the cross-beam!’”
“That means,” said the master, “that, when I die, my entire house will
fall.”
Story DNA
Moral
Outward appearances and dreams can reveal deeper truths about a household's hidden dynamics and future, often through symbolic interpretation.
Plot Summary
An old man, seeking shelter, promises stories to a peasant. Instead, he experiences a vivid dream and hears strange cries from objects around the hut. The next morning, he recounts these observations to the peasant, who interprets each symbolic detail as revealing the hidden truths of his household: his sons' marital issues, his daughters-in-law's neglect, and ultimately, the impending downfall of his entire house upon his death.
Themes
Emotional Arc
curiosity to understanding
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
This story reflects a pre-industrial, rural Russian setting where hospitality was paramount, and belief in omens and symbolic meanings was strong. The structure of the household (sons and their wives living together) is also characteristic.
Plot Beats (16)
- An old man, wandering the earth, asks a peasant for shelter in exchange for stories.
- The peasant agrees, and the old man settles on the sleeping bench on the stove.
- The old man falls asleep and dreams of two candles and two birds in the hut.
- He feels thirsty, gets up, and sees newts on the floor and frogs on the table.
- He observes a snake between the eldest son and his wife, a cat on the second son's wife, and a young man between the third son and his wife.
- Finding this strange, he moves to the corn-kiln and hears a cry about a sister.
- He then moves under the fence and hears a cry about being pulled out and stuck in again.
- Finally, he lies under the cauldron and hears a cry about hanging and falling from a cross-beam.
- The peasant wakes up and asks for the story.
- The old man states he will tell the truth (his dream) instead of a story.
- He recounts the candles and birds, which the peasant interprets as angels.
- He recounts the snake, which the peasant interprets as marital quarrels.
- He recounts the cat, which the peasant interprets as the wife wanting to get rid of the husband.
- He recounts the young man, which the peasant interprets as an angel signifying love.
- He recounts the newts and frogs, which the peasant attributes to his daughters-in-law's untidiness and lack of grace.
- He recounts the cries from the corn-kiln, fence, and cauldron, which the peasant interprets as his sons' neglect of duties, a misplaced stick, and the impending downfall of his house upon his death.
Characters
The Old Man ★ protagonist
Old, suggesting frailty or wisdom from age.
Attire: Simple, worn clothing suitable for a wanderer in a rural setting (e.g., a peasant's tunic and trousers).
Observant, curious, direct (when revealing his dream), a storyteller.
Image Prompt & Upload
An elderly man with a long, flowing white beard and deep wrinkles around his kind, twinkling eyes. He wears layered, earth-toned robes of coarse wool, belted at the waist, with a heavy, hooded cloak draped over his shoulders. He leans slightly on a gnarled wooden walking staff, his posture slightly stooped yet dignified. His hair is wild and white, matching his beard. His expression is wise and gentle. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Peasant ◆ supporting
Robust, as implied by his role as a house master and farmer.
Attire: Practical, sturdy clothing of a peasant farmer (e.g., a simple linen shirt, trousers, and possibly a vest).
Hospitable (with a condition), pragmatic, knowledgeable about his household's affairs, somewhat superstitious.
Image Prompt & Upload
A middle-aged man with a weathered face and calloused hands, wearing a patched brown tunic, simple trousers, and worn leather boots. His hair is unkempt and graying, his expression weary but determined. He stands leaning slightly on a wooden hoe, his posture slumped from a day of labor. He is on a dirt path at the edge of a field, with distant thatched-roof cottages visible. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Master's Eldest Son ○ minor
Undescribed, but implied to be an adult capable of marriage.
Attire: Simple peasant attire.
Quarrelsome (implied by the snake in the dream).
Image Prompt & Upload
A teenage nobleman, around seventeen years old, with a lean build and an aristocratic bearing. He has sharp, intelligent features, pale skin, and neatly styled dark brown hair. He wears a finely tailored deep green velvet tunic with gold embroidery at the collar and cuffs, dark leather breeches, and polished black boots. A short, fur-lined cape is draped over one shoulder. His expression is one of calm authority mixed with a hint of curiosity, and he stands with a straight, confident posture, one hand resting on the hilt of a sheathed dagger at his belt. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Master's Second Son ○ minor
Undescribed, but implied to be an adult capable of marriage.
Attire: Simple peasant attire.
Implied to be in a troubled marriage.
Image Prompt & Upload
A teenage boy with a lean frame, around sixteen years old, stands with a slightly hesitant posture. He has messy, sandy-brown hair and a thoughtful, uncertain expression. He is dressed in a simple, well-worn tunic of undyed linen, belted at the waist, with sturdy trousers and scuffed leather boots. His hands are loosely at his sides. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Master's Third Son ○ minor
Undescribed, but implied to be an adult capable of marriage.
Attire: Simple peasant attire.
Loving, harmonious (implied by the angel in the dream).
Image Prompt & Upload
A young nobleman in his late teens with a thoughtful, slightly melancholic expression. He has neat, shoulder-length chestnut hair and a clean-shaven face. He is dressed in a finely tailored deep green velvet doublet with silver embroidery over a white linen shirt, dark fitted breeches, and polished leather boots. He stands in a relaxed pose, one hand resting on the hilt of a slender rapier at his hip, the other holding a small, leather-bound book. His posture is straight but not rigid, conveying a sense of quiet confidence and observation. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Locations
Peasant's Hut Interior
A humble hut with a sleeping bench on top of a stove, images (icons) on the wall, and a table. During the dream, it appears to have newts on the floor and frogs on the table. The atmosphere is initially welcoming, then becomes eerie and unsettling during the dream, before returning to a matter-of-fact tone.
Mood: Initially welcoming, then eerie and unsettling during the dream, later revealing and explanatory.
The old man is offered shelter and sleeps here. He experiences his vivid, symbolic dream within this space, and later recounts it to the peasant, who interprets its meanings.
Image Prompt & Upload
A humble peasant's hut interior, warmly lit by a single tallow candle and the faint glow from the iron stove's grate. Rough-hewn wooden walls, a simple table, and a sleeping bench built atop the large stove. Orthodox icons hang in a corner. The scene is peaceful and rustic. The atmosphere shifts: the candlelight turns a sickly green, casting long, distorted shadows. The floor is now covered in dozens of smooth, glistening newts. A cluster of fat, watchful frogs sits motionless on the wooden table. The air feels thick and charged, the perspective slightly warped. The welcoming warmth is replaced by an eerie, silent tension. The colors become muted ochres and umbers, with the unsettling green glow dominating. The mood is one of surreal, unsettling stillness. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
Corn-kiln
An outdoor structure used for drying corn, where the old man attempts to sleep after being disturbed by his dream. A disembodied shriek is heard from here.
Mood: Mysterious, unsettling, with a sense of unseen presence.
The old man seeks refuge here during his dream, hearing a cry that is later interpreted as a symbol of neglected household duties.
Image Prompt & Upload
At twilight, a rustic wooden corn-kiln stands in a desolate field, its slatted walls revealing bundles of drying corn inside. The structure is weathered and dark, casting long, skeletal shadows across the frost-kissed ground. A low, thick mist clings to the earth, swirling around the kiln's base. The sky is a deep indigo, pierced by a sliver of a cold crescent moon and a single, ominous star. Bare, twisted trees claw at the horizon, and a faint, eerie greenish glow emanates from the kiln's interior, contrasting with the warm, dying ember-orange light from a small, abandoned fire pit nearby. The atmosphere is silent, heavy, and profoundly unsettling, as if holding a breath after a shriek. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration
Under the Fence
The ground beneath a fence, where the old man tries to sleep. A disembodied cry is heard from this location.
Mood: Mysterious, unsettling, with a sense of unseen presence.
The old man attempts to sleep here during his dream, hearing a cry that is later interpreted as a symbol of disorder (an upside-down stick).
Image Prompt & Upload
Moonlight filters through a rusted chain-link fence, casting long, jagged shadows across cracked, dry earth. Overgrown weeds and tangled grasses push through the soil, their blades silvered by the pale light. A weathered wooden post leans precariously, its surface scarred by time. The air is thick with a cold, silent mist that clings to the ground, and in the distance, a faint, disembodied cry echoes, swallowed by the profound stillness of the night. The scene is desolate, abandoned, and hauntingly quiet. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
Under the Cauldron
The space beneath a cauldron, where the old man tries to sleep. A disembodied cry is heard from this location.
Mood: Mysterious, unsettling, with a sense of impending doom.
The old man seeks refuge here during his dream, hearing a cry that is later interpreted as a premonition of the household's collapse upon the master's death.
Image Prompt & Upload
Beneath the massive, soot-blackened iron cauldron, viewed from the ground looking up. The cramped, circular space is defined by the cauldron’s curved, riveted underside, caked with layers of ancient grime and dripping viscous, dark residue. The only light is a faint, eerie emerald glow from the dying embers of the fire above, casting long, dancing shadows across the packed earth floor and the rough-hewn stone walls of the hearth. Wisps of acrid smoke curl in the stagnant air, thick with the smell of ash and damp earth. The atmosphere is heavy, oppressive, and deeply unsettling, as if the very air is vibrating with the echo of a distant, sorrowful cry. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration
