The Shroud
by W. R. S. Ralston · from Russian Folk Tales
Original Story
The Shroud
THE SHROUD.[404]
In a certain village there was a girl who was lazy and slothful,
hated working but would gossip and chatter away like anything.
Well, she took it into her head to invite the other girls to a spinning
party. For in the villages, as every one knows, it is the
lazybones who gives the spinning-feast, and the sweet-toothed
are those who go to it.
Well, on the appointed night she got her spinners together.
They span for her, and she fed them and feasted them. Among
other things they chatted about was this--which of them all was
the boldest?
Says the lazybones (lezhaka):
"I'm not afraid of anything!"
"Well then," say the spinners, "if you're not afraid, go
past the graveyard to the church, take down the holy picture
from the door, and bring it here."
"Good, I'll bring it; only each of you must spin me a distaff-ful."
That was just her sort of notion: to do nothing herself, but
to get others to do it for her. Well, she went, took down the
picture, and brought it home with her. Her friends all saw that
sure enough it was the picture from the church. But the picture
had to be taken back again, and it was now the midnight hour.
Who was to take it? At length the lazybones said:
"You girls go on spinning. I'll take it back myself. I'm
not afraid of anything!"
So she went and put the picture back in its place. As she
was passing the graveyard on her return, she saw a corpse in a
white shroud, seated on a tomb. It was a moonlight night;
everything was visible. She went up to the corpse, and drew
away its shroud from it. The corpse held its peace, not uttering
a word; no doubt the time for it to speak had not come yet.
Well, she took the shroud and went home.
"There!" says she, "I've taken back the picture and put
it in its place; and, what's more, here's a shroud I took away
from a corpse."
Some of the girls were horrified; others didn't believe what
she said, and laughed at her.
But after they had supped and lain down to sleep, all of a
sudden the corpse tapped at the window and said:
"Give me my shroud! Give me my shroud!"
The girls were so frightened they didn't know whether they
were alive or dead. But the lazybones took the shroud, went to
the window, opened it, and said:
"There, take it."
"No," replied the corpse, "restore it to the place you took
it from."
Just then the cocks suddenly began to crow. The corpse
disappeared.
Next night, when the spinners had all gone home to their
own houses, at the very same hour as before, the corpse came,
tapped at the window, and cried:
"Give me my shroud!"
Well, the girl's father and mother opened the window and
offered him his shroud.
"No," says he, "let her take it back to the place she took
it from."
"Really now, how could one go to a graveyard with a corpse?
What a horrible idea!" she replied.
Just then the cocks crew. The corpse disappeared.
Next day the girl's father and mother sent for the priest,
told him the whole story, and entreated him to help them in their
trouble.
"Couldn't a service[405] be performed?" they said.
The priest reflected awhile; then he replied:
"Please to tell her to come to church to-morrow."
Next day the lazybones went to church. The service began,
numbers of people came to it. But just as they were going
to sing the cherubim song,[406] there suddenly arose, goodness
knows whence, so terrible a whirlwind that all the congregation
fell flat on their faces. And it caught up that girl, and then flung
her down on the ground. The girl disappeared from sight;
nothing was left of her but her back hair.[407]
They are generally the corpses of wizards, or of other sinners who
have led specially unholy lives, which leave their graves by night and
wander abroad. Into such bodies, it is held, demons enter, and the
combination of fiend and corpse goes forth as the terrible Vampire
thirsting for blood. Of the proceedings of such a being the next story
gives a detailed account, from which, among other things, may be
learnt the fact that Slavonic corpses attach great importance to their
coffin-lids as well as to their shrouds.
Story DNA
Moral
Reckless disregard for the sacred and the dead can lead to dire and inescapable consequences.
Plot Summary
A lazy and reckless girl, boasting her fearlessness, takes a shroud from a corpse in a graveyard. The corpse repeatedly returns, demanding its shroud be returned to its original place, but the girl refuses. Despite her parents' attempts to intervene, the corpse's demand remains specific to the girl. Finally, during a church service, a supernatural whirlwind appears, seizes the girl, and she disappears completely, leaving only her back hair, as a consequence of her defiance.
Themes
Emotional Arc
bravado to terror to inescapable doom
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
The footnote explicitly links the corpse to Slavic beliefs about 'wizards, or of other sinners who have led specially unholy lives' becoming vampires, suggesting a deeper cultural fear of the unholy dead and their specific demands (like their shroud and coffin-lids).
Plot Beats (14)
- A lazy girl hosts a spinning party, where the girls discuss who is the boldest.
- The lazy girl boasts her fearlessness and is challenged to retrieve a holy picture from the church, passing the graveyard.
- She successfully retrieves the picture, making the other girls spin for her in return.
- She returns the picture to the church at midnight and, passing the graveyard, takes a shroud from a corpse sitting on a tomb.
- She returns home and boasts about taking the shroud, horrifying some girls and amusing others.
- After they sleep, the corpse taps at the window, demanding its shroud.
- The girl opens the window and offers the shroud, but the corpse insists she return it to where she took it from.
- The cocks crow, and the corpse disappears.
- The next night, the corpse returns, demanding its shroud again.
- The girl's parents try to return the shroud, but the corpse again insists the girl return it herself.
- The cocks crow, and the corpse disappears again.
- The girl's parents consult a priest, who tells them to send the girl to church the next day.
- During the church service, a terrible whirlwind appears, seizes the girl, and flings her down.
- The girl disappears completely, leaving only her back hair behind.
Characters
The Lazybones ★ protagonist
Not explicitly described, but implied to be physically capable despite her laziness.
Attire: Simple village attire, appropriate for a spinning party.
Lazy, slothful, gossipy, boastful, fearless (initially), stubborn, unrepentant.
Image Prompt & Upload
A young adult with a content, lazy smile lounging horizontally on the ground, propped up on one elbow. They have tousled, sandy brown hair and wear a simple, oversized linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up, loose trousers, and worn leather boots. A floppy straw hat is tilted over their eyes. Their posture is completely relaxed and languid. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Corpse ⚔ antagonist
A deceased body, animated and capable of movement and speech.
Attire: A white shroud, which is its primary identifying feature.
Persistent, demanding, vengeful, bound by specific rules (cannot enter the house, must have shroud returned to original place).
Image Prompt & Upload
A gaunt, elderly man with unnaturally pale, papery skin stretched tight over sharp cheekbones and a pointed chin. His eyes are sunken, dark hollows with a faint, unsettling glow. He wears a long, tattered black coat over a threadbare grey waistcoat and dark trousers, all ragged at the hems. His posture is rigid and unnaturally straight, with long, bony fingers held at his sides. He has a thin, cruel smile on his thin lips. He stands in a misty, moonlit forest clearing at night, surrounded by gnarled, leafless trees. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Father ◆ supporting
Unspecified.
Attire: Simple village attire.
Concerned, protective, seeking help for his daughter.
Image Prompt & Upload
A middle-aged man with kind, crinkling eyes and a gentle, reassuring smile. He has short, salt-and-pepper hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He is dressed in a comfortable, soft-knit sweater over a collared shirt and simple trousers. His posture is open and steady, with one hand slightly extended as if offering help or guidance. He stands in a relaxed, supportive pose, conveying warmth and dependability. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Mother ◆ supporting
Unspecified.
Attire: Simple village attire.
Concerned, protective, seeking help for her daughter.
Image Prompt & Upload
A middle-aged woman with a kind, weary face and gentle smile, her brown hair braided neatly under a linen headscarf. She wears a simple, faded blue wool dress with a clean white apron tied at the waist, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She stands in a warm, rustic cottage kitchen, one hand resting on a wooden table holding a loaf of fresh bread, the other holding a wooden spoon. Soft light from a hearth illuminates her concerned but loving expression. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Priest ◆ supporting
Unspecified, but likely a man of authority and wisdom.
Attire: Clerical vestments, appropriate for a village priest.
Reflective, authoritative, attempting to resolve a supernatural problem through religious means.
Image Prompt & Upload
A middle-aged man with a kind, weathered face and gentle eyes. He has short, neatly trimmed gray hair and a matching beard. He wears simple, dark brown robes with a white clerical collar, a wooden cross pendant hanging from his neck. His hands are clasped gently in front of him in a posture of quiet contemplation. He stands with a calm, benevolent expression. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Locations
The Girl's House
A village home where a spinning party is held, later becoming the site of the corpse's nightly visits.
Mood: initially lively and gossipy, then increasingly terrified and haunted
The spinning party, the girl's boast, the corpse's first and second appearances at the window.
Image Prompt & Upload
A quaint thatched-roof cottage in a pastoral village at twilight, warm golden light spilling from its small windows onto a cobblestone path. A spinning wheel is faintly visible through a window, surrounded by spools of thread. Later, under a full moon, the same cottage is bathed in cold blue moonlight, long shadows stretching from twisted trees. A faint, eerie green glow emanates from the doorway, and the windows are dark, reflecting the pale moon. The atmosphere shifts from inviting to haunting, with mist curling around the foundation. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
The Graveyard
A burial ground adjacent to the church, where a corpse in a white shroud is seated on a tomb.
Mood: eerie, silent, supernatural
The girl encounters the corpse and takes its shroud.
Image Prompt & Upload
Twilight descends upon a desolate churchyard, bathed in the cold, blue glow of a full moon piercing through ragged clouds. A dense, low-lying mist clings to the ground, swirling around crooked, weathered tombstones and an ancient, gnarled oak tree with bare branches. The focal point is a weathered stone tomb, upon which a figure draped in a tattered white shroud sits motionless, its form illuminated by the moonlight. In the background, the dark silhouette of a Gothic church with a pointed steeple rises against the dusky purple sky. The color palette is desaturated, with deep blues, grays, and stark whites, creating an atmosphere of profound stillness and eerie solemnity. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration
The Church
A village church with a holy picture on its door, later the site of a religious service.
Mood: initially a place of challenge, later solemn and then terrifying
The girl retrieves and returns the holy picture, and later attends a service where she is swept away.
Image Prompt & Upload
Late afternoon golden hour bathes a quaint village church in warm, ethereal light. The ancient stone building features a steeply pitched slate roof, a sturdy wooden door adorned with a faded painted icon of a saint, and tall stained-glass windows glowing with jewel-toned hues. A modest bell tower rises above, its shadow stretching across a cobblestone path leading to the entrance. Surrounding the church are lush, overgrown gravestones half-hidden by wildflowers and ivy. Mature oak trees frame the scene, their leaves dappled with sunlight, casting soft shadows on the mossy ground. The air is still and reverent, with a gentle mist lingering near the forest edge in the background. The palette is rich with earthy greens, stone grays, and the warm amber of the setting sun. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration
