The Witch Girl
by W. R. S. Ralston · from Russian Folk Tales
Original Story
The Witch Girl
THE WITCH GIRL.[358]
Late one evening, a Cossack rode into a village, pulled up at
its last cottage, and cried--
"Heigh, master! will you let me spend the night here?"
"Come in, if you don't fear death!"
"What sort of a reply is that?" thought the Cossack, as he
put his horse up in the stable. After he had given it its food
he went into the cottage. There he saw its inmates, men and
women and little children, all sobbing and crying and praying to
God; and when they had done praying, they began putting on
clean shirts.
"What are you crying about?" asked the Cossack.
"Why you see," replied the master of the house, "in our
village Death goes about at night. Into whatsoever cottage she
looks, there, next morning, one has to put all the people who
lived in it into coffins, and carry them off to the graveyard. To-night
it's our turn."
"Never fear, master! 'Without God's will, no pig gets its
fill!'"
The people of the house lay down to sleep; but the Cossack
was on the look-out and never closed an eye. Exactly at midnight
the window opened. At the window appeared a witch all
in white. She took a sprinkler, passed her arm into the cottage,
and was just on the point of sprinkling--when the Cossack
suddenly gave his sabre a sweep, and cut her arm off close to
the shoulder. The witch howled, squealed, yelped like a dog,
and fled away. But the Cossack picked up the severed arm,
hid it under his cloak, washed away the stains of blood, and lay
down to sleep.
Next morning the master and mistress awoke, and saw that
everyone, without a single exception, was alive and well, and
they were delighted beyond expression.
"If you like," says the Cossack, "I'll show you Death!
Call together all the Sotniks and Desyatniks[359] as quickly as
possible, and let's go through the village and look for her."
Straightway all the Sotniks and Desyatniks came together
and went from house to house. In this one there's nothing, in
that one there's nothing, until at last they come to the Ponomar's[360]
cottage.
"Is all your family present?" asks the Cossack.
"No, my own! one of my daughters is ill. She's lying on
the stove there."
The Cossack looked towards the stove--one of the girl's arms
had evidently been cut off. Thereupon he told the whole story
of what had taken place, and he brought out and showed the
arm which had been cut off. The commune rewarded the
Cossack with a sum of money, and ordered that witch to be
drowned.
Stories of this kind are common in all lands, but the witches about
whom they are told generally assume the forms of beasts of prey,
especially of wolves, or of cats. A long string of similar tales will
be found in Dr. Wilhelm Hertz's excellent and exhaustive monograph on
werwolves.[361] Very important also is the Polish story told by
Wojcicki[362] of the village which is attacked by the Plague, embodied
in the form of a woman, who roams from house to house in search of
victims. One night, as she goes her rounds, all doors and windows have
been barred against her except one casement. This has been left open
by a nobleman who is ready to sacrifice himself for the sake of
others. The Pest Maiden arrives, and thrusts her arm in at his window.
The nobleman cuts it off, and so rids the village of its fatal
visitor. In an Indian story,[363] a hero undertakes to watch beside
the couch of a haunted princess. When all is still a Rákshasa appears
on the threshold, opens the door, and thrusts into the room an
arm--which the hero cuts off. The fiend disappears howling, and leaves
his arm behind.
The horror of the next story is somewhat mitigated by a slight
infusion of the grotesque--but this may arise from a mere accident,
and be due to the exceptional cheerfulness of some link in the chain
of its narrators.
Story DNA
Moral
Courage and decisive action can overcome even the most terrifying evils.
Plot Summary
A brave Cossack arrives in a village plagued by a nightly 'Death' entity. He volunteers to stay awake in a marked house and, at midnight, confronts a witch attempting to harm the family, severing her arm. The next morning, he uses the severed arm as proof to identify the Ponomar's daughter as the witch, leading to her execution and the village's salvation.
Themes
Emotional Arc
fear to relief to triumph
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
The story reflects common folk beliefs in Eastern Europe regarding witches and their ability to cause harm, often associated with nocturnal activities and specific rituals (like sprinkling). The community's swift and brutal justice is also characteristic of historical folk justice.
Plot Beats (13)
- A Cossack rides into a village late at night and seeks shelter.
- The house owner warns him that 'Death' visits houses nightly, and it's their turn.
- The Cossack reassures the family and stays awake while they sleep.
- At midnight, a witch in white appears at the window with a sprinkler.
- The Cossack cuts off her arm with his sabre; she howls and flees.
- He hides the arm and washes away the blood, then sleeps.
- The next morning, the family is alive and well, to their delight.
- The Cossack offers to show them 'Death' and asks for village leaders to gather.
- They search house to house, finding nothing until they reach the Ponomar's cottage.
- The Ponomar states one daughter is ill, lying on the stove.
- The Cossack sees the daughter is missing an arm.
- He recounts the previous night's events and produces the severed arm.
- The community rewards the Cossack and orders the witch to be drowned.
Characters
The Cossack ★ protagonist
Implied to be strong and capable, given his actions.
Attire: Traditional Cossack attire, including a sabre and a cloak.
Brave, observant, decisive, protective.
Image Prompt & Upload
A young adult male warrior with a strong jawline and determined expression. He has short, dark brown hair under a tall black papakha fur hat. He wears a traditional dark blue zhupan coat with intricate silver embroidery over a white vyshyvanka shirt, and wide red sharovary trousers tucked into tall black leather boots. A wide leather belt with a silver buckle cinches his waist, holding a decorated saber. He stands confidently, one hand resting on the hilt of his saber, his posture straight and proud. His eyes seem to faintly glow with a subtle, magical light. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Witch Girl ⚔ antagonist
One arm severed at the shoulder.
Attire: All in white, as she appeared at the window. Later, implied to be wearing typical village clothing.
Malicious, stealthy, vengeful (implied by her actions as 'Death').
Image Prompt & Upload
A young girl with a twisted, sinister smile, appearing around twelve years old. She has sharp, angular features, pale skin, and long, unkempt black hair. Her eyes glow with a faint, eerie green light. She wears a tattered, pointed black hat and a dark, layered robe that seems to shift like smoke. In one hand, she holds a gnarled wooden staff topped with a pulsating dark crystal. Her posture is slightly hunched, one hand extended with fingers curled into a claw, as if casting a spell. She stands in a shadowy forest clearing under a full moon, surrounded by twisted, leafless trees and glowing mushrooms. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Master of the House ◆ supporting
Unknown.
Attire: Peasant clothing.
Fearful, hospitable, grateful.
Image Prompt & Upload
A stern, middle-aged man with a tall, rigid posture stands with one hand resting on a polished wooden cane. He has a sharp, clean-shaven face, thin lips pressed into a disapproving line, and cold, watchful eyes under heavy brows. His dark hair is neatly combed back with streaks of grey at the temples. He wears a long, tailored black frock coat over a crisp white shirt, a dark waistcoat, and fitted trousers. His boots are highly polished. He stands in a grand, shadowy hallway of an old manor, with a tall, ornate window behind him casting a dramatic light. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Ponomar ○ minor
Unknown.
Attire: Implied to be a village official or church attendant, so likely modest, respectable clothing.
Concerned for his ill daughter, unaware of her true nature.
Image Prompt & Upload
A young boy around ten years old with a pale complexion and short, tousled brown hair. He wears a simple, slightly oversized tunic of undyed linen over dark woolen trousers, with worn leather shoes. His expression is neutral, gazing slightly off to the side with a calm, observant look. He stands straight with his arms relaxed at his sides. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Locations
The Last Cottage
A humble cottage, the last one in the village, where a family is crying, praying, and preparing for death. It contains a stable nearby for horses.
Mood: Fearful, somber, desperate, then relieved and joyful
The Cossack encounters the terrified family, confronts the witch, and severs her arm.
Image Prompt & Upload
Twilight settles over a desolate village edge, where a single humble cottage stands alone. The weathered stone walls and thatched roof of the cottage are darkened by approaching night, a single weak, warm glow flickering from a small window. A simple wooden stable sits nearby, its door slightly ajar, empty. The surrounding landscape is a muted palette of deep blues, greys, and browns; a dirt path leads away from the cottage toward the distant, darkened shapes of the rest of the village. The atmosphere is heavy, still, and sorrowful, under a vast, starless sky. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration
The Ponomar's Cottage
Another cottage in the village, where a daughter is found ill and lying on the stove.
Mood: Revealing, tense, then triumphant
The Cossack identifies the witch by her missing arm, confirming her identity to the villagers.
Image Prompt & Upload
A quaint, weathered wooden cottage with a thick thatched roof sits nestled in a misty village at twilight. Warm, amber light glows from within its small, multi-paned windows, casting soft rectangles onto the damp, mossy ground. A thin curl of smoke rises from its stone chimney into the cool, dusky blue air. The cottage is surrounded by a wild, overgrown garden with drooping flowers and a low, crumbling stone fence. A few gnarled birch trees stand silently nearby, their white bark stark against the deepening shadows. The atmosphere is quiet, still, and slightly melancholic, with a sense of hidden warmth within. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration
