Ivan the Dawn

Once upon a time, or perhaps not at all, there lived in a certain town a childless blacksmith who very much wanted to have children.

One day, the blacksmith's wife went to fetch water. As soon as she filled her pitcher to the brim, she saw the river carrying three apples. She liked the apples, reached for them, retrieved them, and took them home. She gave one to her husband, ate one herself, and shared the third equally with her husband.

Soon after, the blacksmith's wife became pregnant. Nine months passed, and the time for childbirth arrived. They called for a midwife.

Suddenly, a voice cried out from the mother's womb:

"Prepare to baptize me quickly, or I will fly away before you can do so!"

By evening, a boy was born. They baptized him and named him Ivan-Vecherniy (Ivan of the Evening). He suckled at his mother's breast for a short while and then, like the wind, flew up into the sky.

Just as the midwife was about to leave, another cry was heard:

"Don't let her go, I will be born soon and fly away..."

Indeed, at midnight, another son was born. They baptized him and named him Ivan-Polunochniy (Ivan of Midnight). He, too, suckled at his mother's breast and then flew into the sky.

At dawn, a third son was born. They named him Ivan-Zarya (Ivan of the Dawn). He also suckled at his mother's breast and flew away.

And so, all three brothers lived in the sky, flying among the stars and clouds. Only once a day did they return to their mother for milk: Ivan-Vecherniy in the evening, Ivan-Polunochniy at midnight, and Ivan-Zarya at dawn. They would fly in, suckle, and then fly away. And never once did they meet each other.

Time passed, and the brothers grew up. They no longer needed milk and visited home less and less. They would fly in once a week, take some bread, and fly away.

In that same town, there lived a king who had three beautiful daughters.

These beauties never left the house, day or night, for fear that the sun or the wind might harm them. They lived unseen by the sun.

One day, their father said to them:

"Daughters, why do you always stay indoors? Get up, take a walk around the town, and see the world, the sun."

The daughters obeyed and went out.

As soon as they stepped outside, the clear noon sky darkened with clouds. Thunder roared, lightning flashed, and the sky turned black. A huge, terrifying demon flew down, grabbed all three beauties, placed them on his shoulders, and disappeared into the clouds.

Everyone was alarmed. The king grieved and despaired, for there was no help to be found.

The king sent messengers to all lands, announcing the tragedy and searching for the beauties. But no trace of them could be found.

Suddenly, an old woman appeared—the midwife who had delivered the blacksmith's wife—and said to the king:

"There is a blacksmith in this town who has three sons. All three live in the sky, flying among the clouds like birds. They see everything, both the sky and the earth. If anyone can find your daughters, it is they."

The king immediately organized a grand feast and sent people to the blacksmith's wife, inviting her sons to be his guests.

She promised, "When they fly in, I will keep them and send them to the king."

In the evening, Ivan-Vecherniy flew in. His mother was overjoyed. She fed him, gave him drink, and said:

"Stay the night, my son. Tomorrow, our king is holding a feast and has invited you as a guest."

Ivan-Vecherniy stayed. His mother made a bed for him and put him to sleep.

At midnight, Ivan-Polunochniy flew in. His mother also received him, fed him, gave him drink, and asked him to stay the night.

"Tomorrow, our king is holding a feast and has invited you as a guest," she said.

The middle son agreed and stayed. He noticed someone sleeping in the house and asked:

"Who is that sleeping there?"

"That is your older brother. Both of you were born on the same night. He, too, has been invited to the king's feast tomorrow," said the mother.

Ivan-Polunochniy also fell asleep. At dawn, Ivan-Zarya flew in.

His mother fed him and put him to sleep next to his brothers.

Morning came. Ivan-Vecherniy had slept since evening, Ivan-Polunochniy was still in a deep sleep, and Ivan-Zarya was just falling asleep. The eldest brother woke up and became angry:

"Who is this, and by what right are they sleeping here without my permission?"

He decided to kill them both, but he had no bow, no arrows, and no sword. He saw Ivan-Zarya's sword in the corner and grabbed it, but he couldn't even move it.

His mother saw this and was frightened. She asked:

"My son, why do you need this sword? What enemies have you found here?"

"Who have you let into the house?" he asked.

"These are your brothers," said the mother. "All of you were born on the same night, and all of you live in the sky. Like you, they flew in yesterday, and like you, I persuaded them to stay the night."

The brothers woke up, embraced, and kissed. Then they all went to the king together.

The king received them with great honor, feasted them, and then asked the eldest brother:

"Ivan-Vecherniy, you fly in the sky and see everything. Do you know where my daughters are?"

Ivan-Vecherniy did not know; he had not seen them.

The king asked Ivan-Polunochniy, and he, too, had seen nothing.

It was the youngest brother's turn. Ivan-Zarya stood up, bowed to the king, and began:

"Happy king! Once, I was lying on the peak of a high mountain, watching the clouds in the sky. Suddenly, I heard a noise. I looked and saw a demon flying, carrying girls who were crying and screaming. I reached for my bow but then lowered it, fearing that if I shot the demon, he would fall, and the girls would perish with him. And so, the demon flew away with the girls. I have not seen or heard of them since."

The king was glad to have at least a clue about his daughters and said:

"Go and search for my daughters. If you find them, I will give them to you as wives. The youngest is so beautiful that even the sun would envy her beauty—she will be your wife!" the king said to Ivan-Zarya.

Ivan-Zarya knew where the demon might be and set off with his brothers.

They traveled long or short—who knows—but eventually, they came to a mountain. It was a tall, rocky mountain, stretching from one sea to another, impossible to take in with the eyes. At the foot of the mountain was a tent. Inside the tent slept an iron man—a demon with a head as big as a boulder.

Ivan-Zarya sent his brothers to the demon:

"Go and wake him up."

They entered the tent, tried and tried to wake the demon, but failed. They came out and said:

"No, we cannot wake him."

Ivan-Zarya entered, approached the demon, and struck him on the head with his bow. The Iron Man woke up, frightened, and begged Ivan-Zarya:

"Let us become brothers. I will be of use to you—I will help..."
Ivan-Zarya said:

"Help us—lift us onto this cliff."

Iron Man replied:

"You're the blacksmith's son. Forge a chain, throw it to the top, and we'll climb up."

Ivan-Zarya brought a hammer, but there was no anvil.

Iron Man said:

"Here's my head!" and offered his head as an anvil.

Ivan-Zarya forged a huge, sturdy chain. He attached stakes to the chain and covered it with hooks.

Ivan-Zarya said to his brothers:

"Come on, swing and throw the chain."

Ivan-Vecherny (Evening Ivan) and Ivan-Polnochny (Midnight Ivan) stepped forward, grabbed the chain—but couldn't budge it.

"Now it's your turn, Iron Man!" said Ivan-Zarya.

Iron Man took the chain, swung it—it flew up but didn't reach the top.

"Is that all your strength?" asked Ivan-Zarya.

"Yes, that's my strength!" replied Iron Man.

Then Ivan-Zarya grabbed the chain, swung it, and it flew to the very top.

The four of them pulled the chain, and its hooks caught onto the cliff—now they could climb it like a ladder.

Ivan-Zarya sent his brothers up first, but they couldn't make it, nearly falling into the abyss from fear.

Iron Man went next. He almost reached the top, but when he looked down, he grew dizzy, swayed, and barely made it back down alive.

Then Ivan-Zarya went and said:

"Listen, Iron Man, I'm leaving my brothers with you. Know this—if anything happens to them, you'll answer to me."

Ivan-Zarya climbed to the top of the cliff and set off on the maiden's path.

He walked and walked, a long way and a short way, until he saw a copper house. He entered and found a beautiful girl sitting inside. He asked her about everything and learned she was the king's eldest daughter.

She said:

"You shouldn't have come here. The seven-headed dev will arrive soon and kill you."

"That's my concern!" said Ivan-Zarya.

"Then I am your wife, and you are my husband," she said.

"No, you are my sister-in-law, and I am your brother-in-law."

In the evening, the seven-headed dev returned home. His horse stumbled as they approached the house.

"Curse you!" the dev shouted at the horse. "What, is Ivan-Zarya waiting for me at home? Why are you afraid?"

He arrived, and there sat Ivan-Zarya in the shadows, waiting for him. The dev yelled:

"Speak, Ivan-Zarya, are you my friend or my enemy?"

"What kind of friend am I to you?" replied Ivan-Zarya. "Face your enemy!"

The dev jumped off his horse and shouted:

"Blow on the ground here!"

"Blow yourself, what do I care?"

The dev blew on the ground, and it turned to copper.

They grappled. Ivan-Zarya grabbed the dev and drove him waist-deep into the copper. He drew his sword and with one swing cut off three of the dev's heads. Enraged, the dev seized Ivan-Zarya and drove him hip-deep into the copper.

Ivan-Zarya broke free, grabbed the dev, and cut off the remaining four heads. Then he went to the beauty, took a ring for his brother, and set off to find the nine-headed dev, who held the second beautiful sister captive.

He walked and walked until he came to a silver house. There he found the middle sister.

She pleaded with him:

"Leave, he'll kill you."

But Ivan-Zarya wouldn't listen. He lay in the shadows and waited for the dev. The nine-headed dev rode up, and his horse stumbled near the house.

"Curse you!" the dev shouted. "What, is Ivan-Zarya waiting for me at home?"

They arrived, and sure enough, Ivan-Zarya lay in the shadows, waiting.

"Speak, Zarya, are you my friend or my enemy?" asked the dev.

"What kind of friend am I to you?" replied Zarya. "Face your enemy!"

Ivan-Zarya killed the nine-headed dev, took a ring from the middle sister, and set off to find the twelve-headed dev.

He arrived and saw that everything was made of gold. He entered the golden house and found a girl of unparalleled beauty.

Ivan-Zarya approached, embraced his bride, and began to kiss her. The beauty fell in love with Ivan-Zarya.

Ivan-Zarya said:

"I must kill this dev!"

She wept:

"Don't, leave him. You can't defeat him; you'll die."

"Don't worry, your twelve-headed dev won't kill me," said Ivan-Zarya. He went outside, lay in the shadows, and waited for the dev.

The dev returned home, and his horse stumbled.

"Curse you!" the dev shouted. "Is Ivan-Zarya scaring you? Don't worry, soon you'll see his blood flow like a river, and crows will peck at his corpse."

He arrived and saw Ivan-Zarya. The dev shouted:

"Speak, Zarya, are you my friend or my enemy?"
— Enemy, — says Ivan-Zarya, — what kind of friendship do I have with you?

The dev leapt off his horse, blew on the ground, and the entire earth turned to gold. They grappled. The dev plunged Ivan-Zarya into the gold up to his waist, while Ivan-Zarya pushed the dev in up to his shoulders. Zarya swung his sword and cut off nine of the dev's heads.

The dev grew tired and asked Zarya:

— How do you fight where you come from?

— We fight and then rest! — replied Zarya.

— Then let's rest! — pleaded the dev.

Zarya thought to himself: "If I let him rest, he'll jump up and kill me." So he didn't wait, swung his sword, and cut off the dev's remaining three heads.

Ivan-Zarya took the beauty with him and rode off. The beauty looked back and said:

— Look, Zarya, how much gold we're leaving behind.

— What kind of gold does a dev have? — said Zarya. — It's all just an illusion.

Ivan-Zarya blew, and all the gold turned to dust.

They came to a silver house, took the middle sister, and Ivan-Zarya blew again, turning everything to dust.

They took the eldest sister and went to the cliff. Ivan-Zarya began lowering the sisters down the cliff. He lowered the eldest first and shouted to the eldest brother:

— Hold on, she's yours!

Then he lowered the middle sister to the middle brother.

When he was about to lower the youngest, she said:

— That iron man will betray you. You are my sun and moon; if you perish, how will I live?

Zarya didn't listen to her and made her descend anyway.

As soon as she reached the bottom, the iron man grabbed an iron mace, struck the chain, and broke it in two.

Ivan-Zarya was left at the top. What could he do? If he descended without the chain, he would die. So he walked further along the cliff.

The beauty called out to him:

— Zarya, go to the edge of the cliff, where a rocky outcrop, like a nose, hangs over the sea. Kick the outcrop, it will collapse, and you'll find a horse there. It's the dev's horse; he threw it off, and that's why it was imprisoned there. Take the horse, it will help you.

Ivan-Zarya went to the cliff, kicked the outcrop, and found the horse. He saw that the horse's back was covered in a hand's width of dust and dirt. The horse spoke in a human voice:

— Let me go, Zarya, for three days to the Black Mountain to gather my strength. I've grown weak and can't carry you otherwise.

Ivan-Zarya let him go. The horse returned after three days. Zarya bridled it and mounted. The horse staggered and said:

— Let me rest one more night.

Zarya gave it one more night to rest. In the morning, he mounted and rode off. The horse flew like an arrow; it arrived in the city two days before the Iron Man. The horse instructed Zarya:

— Lay all your weapons on me and let me go to the Black Mountain for three more days. Keep only three of my hairs. When you call, I will come.

Zarya did as he was told, dressed himself in rags, and wandered the city. He found a blacksmith and said:

— I'll work for you, but only feed me. I don't need anything else.

— Fine, — said the blacksmith. — Go, strike the anvil.

Zarya took the hammer in one hand, struck the anvil, and shattered the entire block. The blacksmith was amazed by his strength.

They set up a block twice as large, and Zarya began working. What the blacksmith would make in five days, Zarya did in an hour. The blacksmith was delighted to have found such a worker.

Finally, the Iron Man returned with the girls and Ivan-Zarya's brothers, and the wedding day was set.

But the eldest sister's ring was missing; it had been left with Ivan-Zarya. They sent word to all the blacksmiths — who could forge such a ring? No one could; they all refused.

They came to Zarya's master. He refused too, but Zarya said:

— I can make such a ring.

That night, the blacksmith fell asleep, and Zarya tapped his hammer, took the eldest sister's ring from his pocket, and placed it on the shelf.

In the morning, the blacksmith entered and saw Zarya sleeping. He kicked him:

— What, have you shamed me before the king?

Zarya took out the ring and handed it to the blacksmith.

They sent the ring. The blacksmith went to the wedding and called Zarya, but Zarya refused and didn't go.

As the eldest brother, Ivan-Vecherny, was leaving the church with the eldest sister, Zarya stepped onto the square, took out the three horse hairs, and burned them. Immediately, his horse appeared.

Zarya mounted the horse and said:

— Fly to the sky, and I'll fall from the sky upon him and teach him a lesson.

The horse soared into the sky, and as the couple exited the church, Zarya swooped down and struck the eldest brother with all his might. Then he released the horse, went back to the blacksmith, and sat down as if nothing had happened.

Zarya did the same with the second ring. The girls recognized their rings but said nothing, afraid to speak. The youngest beauty wept, grieving:

— He's alive, he's returned, why doesn't he come and save me from this trouble?

The middle brother also got his due from Zarya.

Finally, it was the Iron Man's turn.

Zarya called his horse, mounted it, took the mace in his hands, and said:

— Fly!

The horse soared into the sky. The Iron Man came out, leading Zarya's bride to the church. Just as he was about to step onto the porch, Zarya swooped down from the sky, struck him on the head with the mace, and the Iron Man sank into the ground up to his head.

Zarya dismounted, embraced his bride, and kissed her.

They told the king everything.

Zarya married the youngest sister, and when the king died, the entire kingdom fell to him.

Death there, feast here.
Chaff there, flour here.

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Ivan the Dawn

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