The Black Shirt

In a certain kingdom, there lived a wealthy merchant. The merchant died, leaving behind three sons of age. The two older sons went hunting every day.

One day, they took their younger brother, Ivan, with them on a hunt, led him deep into the dense forest, and left him there—intending to divide their father's estate between themselves and disinherit him.

Ivan, the merchant's son, wandered through the forest for a long time, eating berries and roots. Finally, he emerged onto a plain and saw a house there.

He entered the rooms, walked around, but found no one; everything was empty. Only in one room was a table set for three, with three loaves of bread on the plates. Ivan, the merchant's son, took a small bite from each loaf and hid behind the door.

Suddenly, an eagle flew in, struck the ground, and turned into a young man. After him, a falcon flew in, and then a sparrow—they struck the ground and also turned into fine young men. They sat down at the table to eat.

"Someone has taken a bite of our bread!" said the eagle.

"That's true," replied the falcon. "It seems someone has come to visit us."

They began to search for the guest and called out to him. The eagle said:

"Show yourself to us! If you are an old man, you shall be our father; if you are a fine young man, you shall be our brother; if you are an old woman, you shall be our mother; and if you are a beautiful maiden, we shall call you our sister."

Ivan, the merchant's son, stepped out from behind the door. They welcomed him warmly and called him their brother. The next day, the eagle asked Ivan, the merchant's son, to do them a favor:

"Stay here and, exactly one year from today, prepare the table for us."

"Very well," replied the merchant's son. "It shall be done."

The eagle gave him the keys, allowing him to go anywhere and look at everything, but forbade him to take the one key that hung on the wall.

After that, the fine young men turned back into birds—an eagle, a falcon, and a sparrow—and flew away.

One day, Ivan, the merchant's son, was walking around the yard and noticed a door in the ground, locked with a strong lock. He wanted to take a look inside, so he tried the keys—none of them fit. He ran back to the rooms, took the forbidden key from the wall, unlocked the door, and opened it.

In the underground chamber stood a heroic horse, fully adorned, with two bags hanging on either side of the saddle: one filled with gold, the other with precious stones.

He began to stroke the horse, but the heroic horse struck him in the chest with its hoof and threw him out of the underground chamber, sending him flying a full fathom. As a result, Ivan, the merchant's son, fell into a deep sleep until the very day his named brothers were to return.

As soon as he awoke, he locked the door, hung the key back in its place, and set the table for three. The eagle, falcon, and sparrow flew in, struck the ground, turned into fine young men, greeted him, and sat down to eat.

The next day, the falcon began to ask Ivan, the merchant's son, to do them another favor: "Serve us for one more year!" Ivan, the merchant's son, agreed.

The brothers flew away, and he once again walked around the yard. He saw another door in the ground, unlocked it with the same key, and found another heroic horse, fully adorned, with bags of gold and precious stones. He began to stroke the horse, but it struck him in the chest with its hoof and threw him out of the underground chamber, sending him flying a full fathom. As a result, Ivan, the merchant's son, fell into a deep sleep for the same amount of time as before.

He awoke on the very day his brothers were to return, locked the door, hung the key back on the wall, and prepared the table.

The eagle, falcon, and sparrow flew in, struck the ground, greeted him, and sat down to eat.

The next morning, the sparrow began to ask Ivan, the merchant's son, to do them another favor: "Serve us for one more year!" He agreed.

The brothers turned back into birds and flew away. Ivan, the merchant's son, lived alone for a whole year, and when the appointed day came, he set the table and waited for his brothers.

The brothers flew in, struck the ground, and turned into fine young men. They came out, greeted him, and had dinner.

After dinner, the eldest brother, the eagle, said:

"Thank you, merchant's son, for your service. Here is a heroic horse—I give it to you with all its trappings, gold, and precious stones."

The middle brother, the falcon, gave him another heroic horse, and the youngest brother, the sparrow, gave him a shirt.

"Take this shirt," he said. "No bullet can pierce it. If you wear it, no one will be able to overpower you!"

Ivan, the merchant's son, put on the shirt, mounted the heroic horse, and went to woo Helen the Beautiful. It had been announced throughout the land that whoever defeated the dragon Zmey Gorynych would win her hand in marriage. Ivan, the merchant's son, attacked Zmey Gorynych, defeated him, and was about to pin his head to an oak stump when Zmey Gorynych began to plead tearfully:

"Do not kill me! Take me into your service; I will be your faithful servant!"

Ivan, the merchant's son, took pity on him, took him with him, brought him to Helen the Beautiful, and soon married her, making Zmey Gorynych his cook. One day, the merchant's son went hunting, and Zmey Gorynych seduced Helen the Beautiful and ordered her to find out why Ivan, the merchant's son, was so wise and strong. Zmey Gorynych brewed a strong potion, and Helen the Beautiful gave it to her husband and began to question him:

"Tell me, Ivan, the merchant's son, where does your wisdom lie?"

"In the kitchen, in the broom." Helen the Beautiful took the broom, decorated it with flowers, and placed it in a prominent spot. Ivan, the merchant's son, returned from the hunt, saw the broom, and asked:

"Why have you decorated this broom?"

"Because," said Helen the Beautiful, "your wisdom and strength are hidden in it."

"Oh, how foolish you are! How could my strength and wisdom be in a broom?"

Helen the Beautiful gave him the strong potion again and asked:

"Tell me, my dear, where does your wisdom lie?"

"On the bull's horns." She ordered the bull's horns to be gilded.

The next day, Ivan, the merchant's son, returned from the hunt, saw the bull, and asked:

"What is this? Why are the horns gilded?"

"Because," replied Helen the Beautiful, "your strength and wisdom are hidden there."

"Oh, how foolish you are! How could my strength and wisdom be in the horns?"

Helen the Beautiful gave him the strong potion again and began to question him once more:

"Tell me, my dear, where does your wisdom and strength lie?"

And Ivan, the merchant's son, revealed the secret:

"My strength and wisdom are in this shirt." After that, he fell asleep.

Helen the Beautiful took off his shirt, chopped him into small pieces, and ordered them to be thrown into an open field. She then began to live with Zmey Gorynych. For three days, the body of Ivan, the merchant's son, lay scattered across the field. Crows had already gathered to peck at him. At that moment, the eagle, falcon, and sparrow flew by and saw their dead brother.

The falcon swooped down, caught a young crow, and said to the old crow:

"Bring us the water of death and the water of life quickly!" The eagle, falcon, and sparrow gathered Ivan, the merchant's son's body, sprinkled it first with the water of death, and then with the water of life. Ivan, the merchant's son, rose, thanked them, and they gave him a golden ring. As soon as Ivan, the merchant's son, put the ring on his finger, he turned into a horse and ran to Helen the Beautiful's palace.

Zmey Gorynych recognized him and ordered the horse to be caught, placed in the stable, and beheaded the next morning.

Helen the Beautiful had a servant girl who felt sorry for such a fine horse. She went to the stable, weeping bitterly, and said:

"Oh, poor horse, tomorrow you will be executed." The horse spoke to her in a human voice:

"Come tomorrow, fair maiden, to the place of execution, and when my blood spills on the ground, step on it with your foot. Then gather the blood with the earth and scatter it around the palace."

In the morning, they led the horse to be executed. They cut off its head, and the blood spilled—the fair maiden stepped on it with her foot, then gathered it with the earth and scattered it around the palace. That same day, magnificent garden trees grew around the palace.

Zmey Gorynych ordered the trees to be cut down and burned to the last one.

The servant girl wept and went to the garden one last time to walk and admire it. One tree spoke to her in a human voice:

"Listen, fair maiden! When they start cutting down the garden, take one splinter and throw it into the lake." She did as she was told, threw the splinter into the lake—and the splinter turned into a golden drake and swam across the water.

Zmey Gorynych came to the lake, intending to hunt, and saw the golden drake. "I'll catch it alive!" he thought.

He took off the miraculous shirt that the sparrow had given to Ivan, the merchant's son, and jumped into the lake. But the drake swam further and further, leading Zmey Gorynych into the depths. Then it flapped its wings, flew to the shore, turned into a fine young man, put on the shirt, and killed the dragon.

After that, Ivan, the merchant's son, returned to the palace, banished Helen the Beautiful, married the servant girl, and began to live happily with her, prospering and growing rich.

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The Black Shirt

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