Ivan Utrénik

Once upon a time, there lived a husband and wife. For a long time, they had no children, but then, in their old age, they were blessed with three sons all at once: one was born in the evening, another at midnight, and the third early in the morning. They named them all Ivan: the eldest was called Ivan Vechernik (Evening Ivan), the middle one Ivan Polunochnik (Midnight Ivan), and the youngest Ivan Utrenik (Morning Ivan).

The brothers grew up gazing at the forest. They grew up strong and handsome, but with different temperaments: Vechernik was envious, Polunochnik was mean, and Utrenik was neither mean nor envious but the bravest and kindest of them all.

At that time, misfortune befell the king of their kingdom: his three daughters had disappeared. Everyone searched for them, but no one could find them.

The king announced far and wide that whoever found his daughters would be given half the kingdom and could marry whichever daughter he pleased.

The brothers heard about this and began to beg their father to let them go and search for the king’s daughters.

"Go," said their father, "and search if you have the heart for it."

The brothers went to the blacksmith and ordered themselves maces: Vechernik ordered a six-pood mace, Polunochnik a nine-pood one, and Utrenik a twelve-pood one. The brothers laughed at him:

"Why do you need to carry extra weight?"

"Never mind," said the youngest brother, "it’s better to be prepared."

They set off and walked deep into the forest, so deep that they couldn’t find their way out. The brothers began to clear a path: Vechernik swung his mace—and aspen trees fell; Polunochnik swung his—and fir trees fell; and when Utrenik swung his, oak trees were uprooted.

They cleared the path and came to a clearing. There, they saw a large house surrounded by a stone wall. They approached the wall and saw iron gates locked with a heavy lock.

The brothers knocked on the gates, but no one answered.

"It seems we’ll have to break them down with our maces," said the eldest brother.

He swung his mace and struck—but the mace only bent, and the gates didn’t budge.

"Let me try," said the middle brother. He struck with his mace—and the gates only dented.

"Now it’s my turn," said the youngest brother.

He swung his mace and struck so hard that the gates flew open in two pieces.

The older brothers bit their lips, but the youngest just laughed:

"Didn’t I tell you it’s better to be prepared?"

They entered the courtyard—no one was in sight, but there was wealth everywhere, as if they were in a nobleman’s estate: the barns were full of grain, and the stables were full of cows and oxen. Vechernik’s eyes lit up with greed.

"If that’s the case," he said, "we’ll be the masters here. Why do we even need those princesses now?"

They went into the house and spent the night. In the morning, they agreed that one would stay behind to cook dinner while the other two went hunting.

On the first day, the eldest brother stayed behind. He slaughtered an ox, cut the meat into pieces, put it in a pot, and started cooking. After cooking, he lay down to rest, waiting for his brothers.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door—knock, knock!

"Open up!" someone shouted.

Vechernik looked out the window and saw a little old man standing at the door: he was tiny, with a beard as long as his arm and eyes as big as apples. He was tapping with iron rods and cracking a wire whip.

"Who are you?" asked Vechernik.

"The master of this house. If you don’t open up, I’ll break the door down with my rods!"

Vechernik was frightened and opened the door.

"Now carry me over the threshold!" ordered the old man.

Vechernik carried him over the threshold.

"Put me on the bench!"

Vechernik put him on the bench.

"Bring me the pot with the ox!"

Vechernik refused.

"I can’t," he said, "I’m waiting for my brothers to have dinner."

The old man angrily cracked his wire whip:

"How dare you refuse! You’re living in my house, enjoying my wealth, and you won’t even feed me!"

"Well," thought Vechernik, "let him have some broth. How much could he eat?"

He set the pot in front of the old man, but the old man devoured the entire ox and drank all the broth. Then he started beating Vechernik with his iron rods and whipping him with the wire whip! He beat him half to death and then disappeared.

Vechernik came to his senses, barely dragged himself to bed, and lay there, barely breathing.

The brothers returned from the hunt.

"Let’s have dinner," they said.

"There’s nothing..." groaned Vechernik.

"Why didn’t you cook anything?"

Vechernik was too ashamed to admit that some old man had beaten him up, so he said:

"I’m not feeling well..."

There was nothing they could do—the younger brothers had to cook dinner: they slaughtered an ox, cut the meat into pieces, and cooked it. They ate their fill and fed their brother.

The next day, Polunochnik stayed home. He did everything he needed to do and lay down to rest. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Who’s there?" asked Polunochnik.

"The master."

He opened the door and saw the same little old man: tiny, with a beard as long as his arm and eyes as big as apples; tapping with iron rods and cracking a wire whip.

"Carry me over the threshold!" shouted the old man.

Polunochnik was frightened by the bug-eyed old man and carried him over the threshold.

"Now put me on the bench!"

He put him on the bench.

"Give me something to drink and eat!"

"Well," thought Polunochnik, "let him have some broth. How much could he eat?"

He set the pot in front of the old man, but the old man ate everything, beat Polunochnik half to death, and threw him under the bench.

The brothers returned from the hunt, and again there was nothing to eat. Polunochnik was groaning...

- I fell ill, brothers...
Evening is silent, but Morning is speaking?!

- What kind of illness has struck you? If you keep getting sick like this, we’ll starve to death here.

On the third day, the youngest brother, Ivan Morning, stayed home. He did all the necessary chores, lay down to rest, and waited for his brothers to return from the hunt.

Suddenly, someone knocks on the door:

- Open up!

Morning didn’t feel like getting up.

- The door isn’t locked, he replied, open it yourself!

The old man had to open it himself. When Morning saw him, he burst out laughing:

- How long, he said, have I lived in this world, and I’ve never seen such a funny old man!

The old man got angry and lunged at Morning with his clubs!

- Oh, so that’s how it is! said Morning. You’ve picked the wrong one!

He grabbed a mace and started beating the old man. He thrashed him, took away his clubs and whip, dragged him into the forest, split a tree stump, stuck the old man’s beard into the split, wedged it in, and went back. The brothers returned from the hunt.

- Well, did you cook dinner?

- I did, replied Morning.

He placed the pot on the table. The brothers ate their fill and asked:

- Did that bug-eyed old man happen to come by?

- He did.

- And what happened?

- Nothing. I wedged his beard into a stump so he wouldn’t come back.

- That can’t be! the brothers exclaimed in surprise.

- Let’s go, I’ll show you.

They went to the stump, and there was only a beard sticking out...

- That bug-eyed devil got away! said Morning. We need to find him, or he’ll keep bothering us.

They went looking for him. They followed his trail and came to a large rock. They moved the rock, and underneath was a hole, so deep you couldn’t see the bottom.

- We need to lure him out and finish him off, said the eldest brother, or we’ll never have peace in this house.

- That’s true, agreed the middle brother, remembering how the old man had beaten him with his clubs.

The brothers made a long strap from ox hides, tied a basket to it, and started discussing who would go down into the hole.

The eldest said:

- I’m not feeling well, I won’t go. The middle brother also refused.

- Well, if you’re both so sick, then I’ll go, said the youngest brother. Lower me down, and watch: when I tug on the strap, pull me back up.

The brothers lowered him down, and Ivan Morning found himself underground.

“Where do I even start looking for that devil?” he thought. He looked around and saw a copper palace nearby. Ivan entered the palace, and there sat a girl, exhausted and sad, weeping bitterly. Ivan felt sorry for her.

- Why are you crying, sister? he asked.

- How can I not cry? I was a princess, and now I’m a slave of the evil Koshchei...

Ivan Morning began to comfort the princess:

- Be patient a little longer, I’ll rescue you!

- Oh, sighed the princess, no one can save me—the evil Koshchei can defeat any hero. Run, lad, or he’ll be back soon.

- I won’t leave until I’ve rid the world of the evil Koshchei! Where is he?

- Who knows? Maybe in the silver palace, maybe in the golden one, or maybe flying around somewhere in the world.

- And where are your sisters?

- The middle one lives nearby, in the silver palace, and the youngest is a bit farther, in the golden one.

Ivan went to the middle sister, in the silver palace—and Koshchei wasn’t there either: only the princess sat, weeping. He spoke with her, comforted her as best he could, and went to the youngest sister—in the golden palace. He looked around the palace—no one was there. Suddenly, he saw a girl with golden braids sitting in a small chamber. Ivan couldn’t take his eyes off her.

- Who are you, beauty? he asked.

- I was a princess, but now I’m a slave of the vile Koshchei. And who are you?

- A peasant’s son, Ivan Morning.

- And why have you come here, peasant’s son Ivan Morning?

- I’ve come to kill Koshchei and free you from captivity.

The princess sighed heavily:

- Oh, good lad, no one can kill Koshchei—he’s immortal. But if you could find his death, then he’d perish on his own.

- And where is his death?

- I’ve heard, said the princess, that there’s a chest at the bottom of the sea, in the chest is a hare, in the hare is a duck, and in the duck is an egg. That’s his death.

- Thank you, dear one! said Ivan. Wait for me here—I’ll go find Koshchei’s death.

He chose the best of Koshchei’s bows from the palace and set off. He walked and walked, and soon he got hungry. He looked up—a kite was flying. “I’ll kill this kite,” he thought, “since there’s nothing better around.” He aimed at the kite, but it spoke to him in a human voice:

- Don’t kill me, Ivan Morning, I’ll be of use to you in trouble.

Ivan lowered his bow and walked on. But he was so hungry, his head was spinning. “Well,” he thought, “now, whoever I meet, I’ll kill.”

No sooner had he thought this than he saw a wolf running toward him. Ivan raised his bow, but the wolf spoke:

"Do not shoot me, Ivan Utrechnik, I may yet be of use to you in your time of need."

Ivan went on his way. He came to the sea and saw a huge crab lying there: one half on the shore, the other in the sea. Ivan thought, "Here’s a fine meal lying about." But as soon as he bent down to tear off a claw, the crab began to plead:

"Do not touch me, Ivan Utrechnik. Can’t you see I’m suffering? One half of me lies on the shore, the other swims in the sea. Take a stick and push me into the sea instead. I’ll do anything you ask in return."

Ivan listened, found a stick, and pushed the crab into the sea.

The crab gulped down water, rejoiced, and said to Ivan:

"Now, good lad, tell me what you desire, and I will grant it."

Ivan replied:

"There is a chest in the sea, in the chest is a hare, in the hare is a duck, and in the duck is an egg: that is the death of the evil Koschei. I need it."

"Wait here, I will fetch the chest for you," said the crab and dove to the bottom of the sea.

He found the chest and tossed it onto the shore.

Ivan took the chest, broke the locks, and as soon as he opened the lid, a hare leaped out and dashed along the seashore.

Ivan clutched his head:

"What have I done? If only that wolf were here now!"

No sooner had he spoken than, lo and behold, the wolf came running. The wolf caught the hare and tore it to pieces. A duck flew out of the hare and soared over the sea.

Again, Ivan grew despondent:

"If only that hawk were here now, it would catch that duck!"

Before he could finish speaking, a hawk appeared out of nowhere over the sea. It seized the duck, brought it to the shore, and tore it apart. An egg fell out of the duck.

Ivan took the egg, put it in his pocket, and headed back.

He arrived at the golden palace. There sat a familiar old man, small as a fingernail, with eyes like apples and no beard. When he saw Ivan, he trembled with rage:

"Here’s the one I’ve been waiting for! Because of you, I lost my beard! Now you won’t escape me! Though you are strong, there is no one stronger than me in this world."

The big-eyed Koschei grabbed his iron mallets and rushed at Ivan. But Ivan struck him on the forehead with the egg. Koschei’s mallets fell from his hands. He collapsed, and his foul spirit left him...

Ivan burned the evil Koschei and scattered his ashes to the wind. Then he went to the princess.

"Thank you," he said to her, "for helping me rid the world of this evil force. For this, I will take you back to your father and mother."

The princess embraced Ivan and kissed him:

"And for this, I will marry you. I will marry no one but you."

"See that you keep your word!" They gathered their things and set off. After a while, Ivan looked back at the palace:

"Ah, it’s a shame to leave so much gold behind; it would be useful at home."

The princess took out a handkerchief and handed it to him.

"Wave it," she said, "three times from left to right."

Ivan waved the handkerchief, and in an instant, the entire palace folded into a golden egg. Ivan marveled, and the princess said:

"If you wish to have the palace again, wave the handkerchief three times from right to left..."

Ivan put the handkerchief and the egg in his pocket, and they continued on to the silver palace. They took the middle princess with them, and Ivan put her palace in his pocket as well. When they reached the copper palace, they took the eldest princess, and Ivan pocketed the copper palace too. "Better safe than sorry," he thought.

They came to the hole through which Ivan had descended into Koschei’s kingdom. He placed the eldest princess in a basket and pulled the rope—the basket rose upward.

"My brothers are up there," Ivan rejoiced, "waiting for me!"

They lifted the other two sisters in the same way. It was Ivan Utrechnik’s turn. But the envious Vechernik said to his brother:

"Why do we need Utrechnik? When the king learns that he rescued his daughters, he’ll give him half the kingdom and the most beautiful daughter as his wife. What will we get? Let’s say that I rescued the daughters, and you helped. I’ll share with you as brothers should."

They agreed and left their younger brother underground.

Ivan Utrechnik waited and waited for the basket, but it never came. "So much for brothers!" Ivan thought. "Traitors, not brothers!"

He grieved and wandered through the underground kingdom. As he walked, a terrible storm arose, threatening to destroy everything. He hid under a thick oak tree. Standing there, he heard the chirping of baby birds in a nest above—the rain and hail were beating them mercilessly!

Ivan took pity on the chicks. He climbed the oak and covered the nest with his coat. Just as he was about to climb down, he heard a loud noise above, with wind whistling for miles around.

A blue bird, Nagai, flew to the nest. Seeing that Ivan had protected her chicks from the hail, she said to him:

"I don’t know how to thank you, kind man, for saving my children from death."

"Take me to our land," Ivan said.

"Gladly. But fetch me a barrel of ox meat and a barrel of spring water. I’ll need to refuel often along the way—you’re not light!"

"Where can I find these things?"

"Go beyond the fiery river. There lives a blind old man. He has many oxen."

Ivan went to the blind old man. The old man said:

"I’ll give you a barrel of meat and a barrel of spring water, but you must tend my oxen for one summer. I’m blind, and it’s hard for me to chase after them."

Ivan agreed and stayed with the old man as a shepherd.

"Graze them everywhere," the old man said, "but don’t take them to the meadow of the old witch Baba Yaga, or she’ll destroy you... Once I drove my oxen to her meadow, and she gouged out my eyes. I haven’t seen the light of day for thirty years."

"Don’t worry," Ivan said, "we’ll deal with the witch somehow."

He braided himself a wire whip, took a club, and drove the old man’s oxen to the witch’s meadow.

As soon as he arrived, he saw Baba Yaga rushing toward him in a mortar, pushing it with a pestle and sweeping her tracks with a broom.

"Who gave you permission," Baba Yaga shrieked, "to graze oxen on my meadow? I’ll gouge out your eyes, and you’ll never see my meadow or the light of day again!"

The witch swung her iron pestle and charged at Ivan. But Ivan lashed her with his wire whip and struck her with his club—her eyes bulged out of her head. He beat her until she begged for mercy.

"Return the old man’s eyes," Ivan said, "and I’ll let you go."
- I'll return, just let me go. In my hut, there are two vials: one with healing water and the other with life-giving water. Take them, apply them to the old man's eyes, and he will regain his sight.

- No, says Ivan, I don't trust you—you'll deceive me. Let's go together.

They took the vials and went to the old man. Ivan applied the healing water to the old man's eyes—new eyes grew; then he applied the life-giving water, and the old man could see again.

The old man was so overjoyed he didn't know how to thank Ivan.

- Take, he said, even half of my oxen and go wherever you need. I'll manage the herding myself now.

- But what if the witch gouges out your eyes again? The old man grew frightened:

- She might! She's a wicked woman! She's the wife of Koschei himself!

- Ah, so! says Ivan. Then I'll do to her what I did to Koschei.

He killed Baba Yaga, burned her, and scattered her ashes to the wind. Then he slaughtered two oxen, filled one barrel with meat, another with spring water, and went to the Naga bird.

- Tie, said the bird, the barrel of meat under my right wing and the barrel of water under my left. Then sit on my back. But beware: when I turn my head to the right, throw me a piece of meat; when I turn to the left, give me a ladle of water.

Ivan did everything as the bird instructed, sat down, and they flew off.

The Naga bird carried Ivan up through a dark tunnel, and he barely managed to feed her fresh beef and give her spring water.

He threw her meat, threw more, and finally ran out. The bird turned its head to the right, but Ivan gave her a ladle of water instead. "No," she shook her head, "I don't want water, give me meat!"

Ivan saw the Naga bird was suffocating, and they were close to the top—even the sky was glowing.

"What to do?" thought Ivan. He took a knife, cut a piece of flesh from his right leg, and threw it to the bird. She swallowed it, looking at Ivan in surprise. Then she turned her head to the left and drank the spring water.

They flew a little further, and the bird began to suffocate again. Without hesitation, Ivan cut a piece of flesh from his left leg. The bird drank water and flew out into the open.

- Well, we made it somehow, said the Naga bird. Now, get down to the ground.

- I can't, said Ivan.

- Why not?

- Look at my legs... The Naga bird looked—indeed, Ivan's legs were wounded...

- I see, she said, the last pieces weren't the same. Well, never mind, I don't need them now.

The bird coughed once—spat out one piece; coughed again—spat out the second. Ivan took them, placed them back, sprinkled them with healing water—they reattached; then he sprinkled them with life-giving water—they became as good as new.

He thanked the kind bird and set off on his journey. He reached the city where the king lived and asked an old woman for a place to spend the night.

The next morning, Ivan sent the old woman to the city to see if there was any news. She went to the royal capital, found out everything, returned, and told him:

- Good news in the city: they say the king's daughters have been found. Musicians are playing in the streets, and jesters are singing songs.

- And who found the king's daughters? asked Ivan.

- The hero Ivan Vechernik. The king is giving him half the kingdom and his youngest daughter in marriage. The wedding is in three days.

Ivan Utrenik grew sad: had the princess forgotten him?

The next day, he sent the old woman to the city again to listen for news. She returned and told him:

- I heard, lad, new tidings: the wedding will happen when someone can make the same shoes the princess wore in Koschei's kingdom. That's the princess's wish.

Hearing this, Ivan begged the old woman:

- Go, granny, to the king and say you can make such shoes.

- What are you thinking, lad? How could I make such shoes?

- Just take the order, and I'll make them myself.

The old woman went to the king:

- I, she said, will make the princess's shoes.

- Good, agreed the king. If you make them and my daughter likes them, I'll reward you richly.

The king gave her a hundred rubles as an advance and said the work must be done in three days. The old woman brought the order for the shoes and the advance to Ivan.

- Just don't let me down!

- I won't, granny, don't worry.

The first day passed, and the shoemaker didn't even start the work. The second day, still nothing. The old woman was nearly in tears:

- What are you thinking, lad? Why aren't you making the shoes? What will I tell the king?

- Don't fret, granny. Tomorrow, before the sun rises, the shoes will be ready—get up and take them!

In the evening, Ivan went to the field, placed a golden egg on the ground, waved a handkerchief three times from right to left, and a golden palace appeared before him. He found the princess's shoes inside, then waved the handkerchief three times from left to right: the palace turned back into an egg.

Ivan brought the shoes and placed them on the table. In the morning, the old woman woke up, looked—there were golden shoes on the table. She took them and went to the king. The princess recognized her shoes and was overjoyed. "Who made them?" she asked the old woman. "It wasn't you!"

The old woman was frightened and said:

- A young shoemaker made them.

- I want to see this shoemaker! the princess wished.

The king, of course, didn't delay: he sent a carriage and brought the shoemaker to the palace.

When the princess saw Ivan Utrenik, she rushed to him.

- This is the one, she said, who saved me and my sisters! I will marry him.

The king then granted Ivan half the kingdom and ordered the wedding to be held.

Ivan invited everyone to his wedding—his father and mother, his brothers-in-law, the old woman—only he didn't invite his older brothers...

And I was there, drank mead and wine, it ran down my mustache but didn't get into my mouth. They gave me a blue caftan. I ran home in joy, and some fool shouted, "Blue caftan! Blue caftan!" It seemed to me he said, "Take off the caftan! Take off the caftan!" So I took it off. I ran home and put on my white one. Now I walk in it.

More fairy tales

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• Father's Gift
• Oh, the Golden Snuffbox
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