Ileana Cosânzeana

Once upon a time, there lived a wealthy man. He had plenty of everything in his house, but one thing was missing: although he was already of a certain age, his wife had not borne him any children. One day, his wife said to him:

"Look, my dear husband, we have so much wealth, but the Lord has not given us a child. In our old age, we will have no one to lean on, no one to cherish. It seems there is nothing worse in the world. Go to the healers, maybe they will give you some remedy so that we can have children."

The poor man wandered the world, visited many healers, and brought all sorts of remedies to his wife, but a year passed, then another, and still she did not bear any children. Not a single healer could help them. Then his wife spoke to him again:

"Go, my dear husband, to the wise women, let's try their remedies, maybe we'll get lucky..."

Our Moldovan man wandered and wandered until he came across a skilled wise woman. The old woman listened to him and then said:

"Don't grieve, my good man. Go home and ask your wife what she would like to eat, something that you don't have at home. Then come back to me and tell me."

The husband returned home and began to ask his wife what she would like to eat that they didn't have at home.

"Well, our house is full of everything," said the wife. "I can't even think of anything we don't have."

"Think, think, maybe you'll remember."

The wife thought and thought, and suddenly she remembered that she would like to eat some bleak fish. Hearing this, the husband ran to the wise woman and told her everything.

"Well, that's good," said the wise woman. "That will be your remedy. Go to the fair. On the way, you will meet a fisherman. Buy some bleak fish from him and let your wife eat it."

The husband did as he was told: he went to the fair and met a fisherman along the way.

"Hey, fisherman, would you sell me some fish? I need it for a remedy."

"I would, good man, but everything is already sold."

"Look carefully in your basket, maybe you'll find at least something. I don't need much."

The fisherman rummaged through his basket and found twenty-one bleaks under the leaves. The husband took the fish and paid generously for it. Then, in great joy, he returned home, ordered the fish to be cooked into soup, and told his wife to eat it all. She did so, and from that hour she conceived. Oh, how happy they were...

Nine months flew by, and the time came for the wife to give birth. She gave birth to a son, then a second, a third, a fourth... By evening, the twenty-first was born, and only then did the labor end.

Meanwhile, the husband sat in the next room and counted the newborns by their cries. When he counted twenty-one sons, he grabbed his head and exclaimed in a choked voice:

"Did I really need children?.. Such a crowd will eat me alive! God sent them, let God take care of them, and I'll go wherever my eyes take me."

He ran out of the house and walked without looking back until he reached a dense forest. In the deep thicket, he built himself a hut and began to live there. He ate moss and roots, drank spring water, avoided people, and soon became completely wild.

Meanwhile, his wife and sons somehow managed to get by. The boys grew up, worked hard together, and soon prospered. They were quick and clever, and in no time they had amassed twenty times more wealth than their father had ever had.

When they became fully grown men, they began to go hunting in the most remote and wild places during the holidays. One day, while hunting, they came across a hut where a wild man lived. This surprised them greatly, and they began to ask everyone they met about who this man was, until they found out that he was their father. The boys returned home, told their mother everything, and together they began to think about how to bring their father back home so that no one would dare call them orphans. The old woman gave them this advice:

"Boys, don't scare your father. He has become completely wild, and if you all rush at him, he might go mad with fear and run even further away. Instead, take him a loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and one boot, big enough for one foot but too tight for two. Leave these things in his hut and see what happens."

The boys did as they were told.

When the wild man returned to his hut, he immediately noticed the loaf of bread: he pounced on it and began to eat greedily, muttering:

"I used to eat bread like this when I lived at home."

He chewed and chewed, and then he noticed the jug.

"Ah, good stuff! There's wine here too. I haven't drunk wine in so many years."

He took a couple of sips from the jug and got tipsy. Just as he was about to collapse onto the bed, he noticed the boot.

"Hey, look—a boot!.. But where's its pair?"

The man searched and searched, rummaged through every corner, but couldn't find the pair. Then he pulled the boot onto one foot—it was too big. And he thought to himself, why not stick the other foot in as well? He stuck it in, but couldn't pull it out. At that moment, the sons jumped out of their hiding place, surrounded him, and said:

"Enough, father, of living in the wild. Come home with us."

The sons brought their father home, washed him, cut his hair, dressed him, and when he came to his senses, they said:

"Father, you gave us life, but then you abandoned us to fate. Now, at least, think of us. Go out into the world and find us twenty-one sisters so that we can settle down with our own households. And if you don't do this for us, you won't keep your head."

The poor man set out into the world, walked many roads, visited many places, but couldn't find twenty-one sisters anywhere. One day, as he was walking along a forest path, lost in bitter thought, he met an old woman. He told her about his plight, and she took pity on him and gave him this advice:

"Follow this road and keep going until you reach the palace of Ilyana Kosynzyana—in her braid is a rose covered in dew. In all the world, only she has twenty-one daughters. Try to arrange a match with her daughters, maybe it will work out."

The old man listened to the advice and walked and walked, heading north, until he reached a magnificent palace, the likes of which he had never seen before, no matter how much he had wandered the world.

He passed through the golden gates, crossed the courtyard paved with gemstones, and stopped at the marble staircase. Above his head, a silver bell rang, and from behind the door came the voice of Ilyana Kosynzyana:

"If you are a good man—enter; if you are cruel—go on your way, or I will release my magical sword, weighing twelve oka, and it will cut you down like cabbage."

"I am a good man."

"Then enter. And what do you want from me?"

"I have twenty-one sons, and Your Grace has twenty-one daughters. Would you like to join our families?"

"Your words please me, but first I want to see the suitors."

The old man was delighted and returned home.

"Well, did you find us brides?" his sons asked.
- Found it. Let's go to Ilyana Kosynzyana.

The guys were also happy, started dressing up, preparing for the journey. They ran to the herd, picked out good steeds for themselves. But the one who was born last didn't get a horse.

- Don't worry, Petrya, his brothers told him. Take any horse.

- Where would I get one? I don't want yours, and only nags are left in the herd. I'll go to the fair and buy myself a horse that suits me. He loaded two bags of gold and set off on his journey. Petrya searched for a long time,

until he saw a gray dappled stallion, a slender and mighty beauty. He took a liking to the heroic horse.

- How much do you want for the horse, merchant?

- A measure of gold.

Petrya didn't haggle, poured out the gold, jumped on the horse, and headed back. And the horse was magical. As soon as they left the fair, it spoke in a human voice.

- Where are you planning to go, master?

- We're all going, my brothers and I, to Ilyana Kosynzyana, to marry her twenty-one daughters.

- If you want to stay alive, the horse said, then listen to me. Don't bring the horses into the courtyard, but tie them outside the fence. Only take me with you. Ilyana Kosynzyana will welcome you kindly, seat you at the table, and give her daughters to you. Then you'll all go to sleep, each with his betrothed. But first, dress your wives in heroic attire, and dress yourselves in women's rags. And when I tap you with my hoof, call all your brothers, mount your horses, and ride away from the magical palace as fast as you can. Now tell me, how should I carry you: faster than the wind or faster than thought?

- Carry me as befits a fine young man.

The horse raced under the clouds, the ground flashed beneath its hooves, and soon it caught up with the other twenty brothers near the palace.

- And here's our Petrya.

- Yes, brothers, I caught up with you. Now watch and do as I teach you, or we're done for.

And Petrya told them everything he had heard from the horse. The young men spurred their steeds and soon stopped in front of Ilyana Kosynzyana's palace. All the brothers tied their horses outside the fence, only Petrya brought his steed into the courtyard. Ilyana Kosynzyana and her daughters came out to meet them, welcomed them kindly, and each chose a bride to his liking.

They sat down at the table, ate rare delicacies, drank good wine, and after the feast, each of the brothers took his betrothed, bid farewell to the mother-in-law, and went to sleep. When they were alone, the young men said to their wives:

- Here's the thing, dear wives, in our land there's a custom: on the first wedding night, the husband and wife exchange clothes. It's not right for us to neglect the old customs, let's do the same.

They exchanged clothes, the women put on men's hats, and the men tied scarves around their heads. And so they went to sleep.

Meanwhile, Ilyana Kosynzyana called her magical sword weighing twelve oka and ordered it to cut off the heads of all twenty-one brothers. The sword set to work and cut off all the heads wearing the hats. Then the magical horse tapped Petrya with its hoof, he jumped up as if stung, and shouted to his brothers:

- Let's go, brothers!

They mounted their horses and rode home.

But the sound of the horses' hooves woke Ilyana Kosynzyana, she ran to see what had happened, and saw her daughters dead. And the young men were gone. Ilyana screamed, flew into a rage, and ordered the sword to catch up with the fugitives and take revenge on them with a cruel death.

The sword chased after the brothers, but they had already crossed the border of Ilyana's kingdom, and beyond that border, the sword had no power. So the brothers escaped certain death, but returned home with nothing. They thought about what to do, and again said to their father:

- We had no luck with Ilyana Kosynzyana, now we won't find so many sisters anywhere. Go, father, and look for brides for us—two or three sisters, wherever you can find them.

- That's right, boys, much better—I see you've gained wisdom.

- And I, father, won't trouble you, Petrya said. I'll go look for a bride myself.

He didn't take long to prepare, mounted his horse, and set off on his journey. He rode for a long or short time, and suddenly he saw something shining on the road. The young man leaned from the saddle, picked up a golden feather, and asked his horse:

- Should I take it or leave it?

- If you take it, you'll regret it; if you leave it, you'll also regret it. Better take it, since you'll regret it either way.

Petrya hid the feather and moved on. He rode for a while and again saw something shining in the middle of the road. He leaned from the saddle and picked up a golden horseshoe.

- Should I take it, my horse, or leave it?

- If you take it, you'll regret it; if you leave it, you'll also regret it. Better take it, since you'll regret it either way.

Petrya hid the horseshoe in his bag, spurred his horse, and rode on. He rode and rode, and soon again saw something shining on the road. He leaned from the saddle and picked up a golden handkerchief, sparkling like the sun.

- Should I take it, my horse, or leave it?

- If you take it, you'll regret it; if you leave it, you'll also regret it. Better take it, since you'll regret it either way. Petrya took the handkerchief and rode on.

He rode without stopping until he reached the palace of a very wealthy boyar. The boyar saw Petrya and asked:

- What do you need, young man?

- I want to hire myself out to the master.

- I can hire you as a coachman. Agreed?

- Alright.

The nobleman gave him a salary, but with a condition: if he failed to fulfill the nobleman's will in any way, his head would be off his shoulders.

Petrya put his horse in the stable and got to work, his hands blazing with efficiency.

One day, the nobleman's daughter peeked into the stable and saw something dazzlingly sparkling on the wall. She ran to her father and said:

"Father, our coachman has some kind of sparkling thing, the likes of which we don’t even have in our entire palace."

The nobleman frowned:

"Tell him to bring that thing to me at once." The coachman brought him a golden feather. The nobleman looked at it, grew furious, and shouted:

"Find me the bird from which this feather was plucked, wherever you must look, or you’ll lose your head."

Petrya grew sad and troubled, and went to his horse for advice.

"Don’t worry, master, it’s nothing. Go get some good sleep, and as soon as it gets dark, saddle me up, and we’ll go fetch the bird."

Petrya did just that. In the evening, he saddled his steed and rode off along paths long untraveled. Along the way, the horse said:

"Petrya, the golden bird is in the palace of Ilyana Kosynzyana, in a marvelous cage ten times more beautiful and precious than the bird itself. Take the bird, but don’t touch the cage, or it will end badly. You’ll pass through twelve chambers guarded by twelve guards, and only in the thirteenth chamber will you find the bird. Don’t fear the guards; I’ll put them to sleep, so step boldly over their bodies."

Petrya sneaked into Ilyana Kosynzyana’s palace, passed through twelve chambers, and in the thirteenth, he found the bird in its marvelous cage. He took the bird but left the cage untouched. Then he ran out of the palace, jumped on his horse, and galloped home at full speed.

The nobleman was overjoyed when Petrya handed him the extraordinary bird. He grabbed it and ordered the coachman back to the stable. A week later, the nobleman’s daughter peeked into the stable again, and there was something shining even brighter than before. She rushed to her father and cried:

"Father, Petrya has something in the stable that shines even brighter than before!"

"Order him to bring it to me."

Petrya appeared before the nobleman and showed him a golden horseshoe. The nobleman didn’t think long and ordered the coachman:

"Bring me the horse that lost this horseshoe, or you’ll lose your head, fool!"

Petrya grew even more troubled, tears welling up in his eyes, and ran to his horse to share his new sorrow.

"Don’t despair, master. We’ll find the horse at Ilyana Kosynzyana’s. We’ll set off at dusk."

As it grew dark, Petrya saddled his horse and set off on the long journey.

As they approached Ilyana Kosynzyana’s estate, the magical steed said:

"The horse we’re looking for is in the stable, swallowing hot coals. Pluck three hairs from my mane and throw them on the coals. He’ll inhale the smoke from the burning hairs and won’t neigh when you lead him out of the stable."

Petrya obeyed his horse, did everything as instructed, and successfully led the magical horse with the golden mane out of the stable. He brought it to the nobleman, who was wide-eyed with amazement.

A week later, the nobleman’s daughter peeked into the stable again and nearly went blind from the brilliance there. She ran to her father.

"Father, our Petrya has things that even the royal palace doesn’t possess!"

"Order him to bring them here."

Petrya had no choice but to bring the nobleman a golden scarf. The nobleman looked at it in awe and ordered the coachman:

"Go wherever you must, travel the whole world, but bring me the owner of this scarf, or you’ll lose your head!"

Petrya was utterly despondent and ran to his horse for advice.

"Don’t lose hope, master. Perhaps we’ll manage this task too." At night, Petrya saddled his horse and set off once more to Ilyana Kosynzyana’s palace.

"Petrya, when you enter Ilyana Kosynzyana’s bedchamber, you’ll find her sleeping. At her feet, you’ll see a glass of magical drink, and at her head, another glass. First, drink the one at her feet, then the one at her head, and your strength will increase tenfold. Then take her, bed and all, mount me, and we’ll be off."

Petrya quietly sneaked into the palace, drank both glasses of the magical drink, lifted Ilyana Kosynzyana and her bed as if they were a feather, carried them out of the palace, jumped on his horse, and raced off at full speed. He brought her, still asleep, to the nobleman’s castle. There, he quietly placed Kosynzyana’s bed next to the nobleman’s and returned to his stable.

In the morning, the nobleman woke up and was astonished. He couldn’t take his eyes off Kosynzyana, for she was so beautiful she could rival the sun in beauty.

Soon, Ilyana woke up, looked around, understood everything, and cried out in anger:

"Only Petrya could play such a cruel trick on me. Summon him to me at once."

In an instant, the coachman stood before her.

"Listen, Petrya, you’ve killed my daughters, stolen my golden bird, and taken my magical horse. That wasn’t enough for you, so you carried me out of my palace, depriving me of peace and joy. Now it’s my turn to get even. Remember, if you don’t bring me my herd of horses grazing at the bottom of the sea, you’ll lose your head."

Petrya ran to his horse and relayed Ilyana’s command. The horse said:

"Go and demand from her twelve carts of tar, twelve carts of matting, and twelve carts of coarse cloth."

Ilyana listened to the coachman’s words and ordered that he be given everything he asked for. Then the horse instructed Petrya:

"Spread tar on my back, lay down the matting, then spread tar again and lay down the coarse cloth, and so on until you’ve used up everything on the carts."

Petrya piled all the matting and coarse cloth onto the horse’s back, so that it became as tall as a house...

...of a certain size. Then he climbed to the very top and set off on his journey. Whether they traveled for a long time or a short time, they finally reached a high seashore. Along the shore, there were many gaping caves where one could easily hide.

"You, Petya, hide in one of the caves and wait there until I defeat the stallion from the bottom of the sea," the horse commanded. "If I manage to defeat him, come out, put a bridle on him, and we'll head back. But if he overpowers me, don't come out, or it will end badly for you."

Petya hid, and the horse neighed so loudly that the sea stirred. Then the horse also hid behind a rock. Suddenly, a fearsome stallion emerged from the bottom of the sea, quickly ran along the entire shore, but seeing no one, plunged back into the water.

Petya's horse came out of its hiding place, neighed even louder, and hid again.

Once more, the evil stallion leaped out of the waves, ran twice along the shore, but still saw no one and returned to the sea. Then Petya's horse neighed for the third time—mountains trembled.

The stallion burst out, now furious, ran three times along the shore, digging the ground with its hooves. Petya's horse saw that the stallion was thoroughly exhausted. Only then did it dare to confront him. They clashed in a life-and-death struggle, biting each other with their teeth. But Petya's horse was eating living flesh, while the stallion was chewing on rags and burlap. It became clear to Petya: his horse was overpowering the stallion. So he ran out of hiding and bridled the captive. Then he mounted his magical horse and galloped back, leading the stallion on a rein. They rode and rode until the horse said to Petya:

"Look back, Petya, and see if anything is following us." Petya looked back and saw something like a flock of cranes far in the distance.

"Well, what do you see?"

"Looks like a flock of cranes is flying after us."

But it was actually a herd from the bottom of the sea chasing after their stallion. The horse immediately realized and said:

"Whip me once with the lash, and the stallion twice, and make it strong." Petya did as he was told, and they sped off even faster. After some time, the horse spoke again:

"Look back, Petya, and see if anything is following us." The boy looked back and saw something like a herd of sheep.

"Well, what do you see?"

"Looks like a herd of sheep is catching up to us."

"Alright. Whip me once, and the stallion three times, and make it strong, so it doesn't lag behind."

Again they raced without catching their breath until the horse commanded:

"Look back, Petya, and see if anything else is following us." Petya looked back and saw a herd of terrifying horses.

They were galloping after them, devouring the ground.

"What do you see, Petya?"

"A large herd of terrifying horses is chasing us."

"Now whip me twice, and the stallion four times." Petya obeyed and urged the horses even faster.

Ilyana Kosynzyana already knew that the herd would soon arrive and ordered pens to be built. As soon as Petya arrived, she herded all the mares into the pens and placed the stallion in the stable.

"Here," said Petya, "I've brought you the herd."

"But you're still not rid of me. Now milk the mares, boil their milk in a cauldron, and bathe in it."

Petya saw that Ilyana was determined to end his life no matter what. Never had he felt so bitter. He came to his horse like a dark cloud, and the horse asked:

"What's wrong, master?"

"This is what Ilyana ordered me to do," and he told the horse everything.

"Go to Ilyana and ask for permission to let me come with you, so I can watch you suffer."

Petya went to Ilyana and pleaded:

"I see my final hour has come, and I beg you, allow my faithful horse to be with me when I breathe my last."

"Alright," Ilyana agreed.

By evening, Petya flooded the pen where the herd stood with water. At night, frost struck, and the mares froze into the ice up to their knees.

In the morning, Petya milked them, poured the milk into a large cauldron, and as it began to boil, he led his horse out of the stable and tied it to the cauldron's handle. The horse blew with its winter nostril, and the milk froze. Then it blew with its summer nostril and warmed it—just like water in a pond on a summer day. Petya bathed and emerged from the cauldron alive and unharmed. Seeing this, Ilyana commanded:

"Tomorrow, milk the mares again and boil the milk. I will bathe in it. And tie my stallion to the cauldron."

The boy did everything as she ordered. Her stallion was also magical. It blew on the milk with its winter nostril and froze it; then it blew with its summer nostril and warmed it. Ilyana bathed as if in a summer pond, called Petya, and commanded again:

"Now prepare the same bath for the boyar, and tie his horse to the cauldron."

Petya milked the mares, boiled the milk, and tied the boyar's horse to the cauldron's handle. But it was an ordinary horse and could do nothing with the milk. The boyar had grown very proud of his golden bird, golden-maned horse, and his captive, Ilyana Kosynzyana. He didn't want to fall behind a mere coachman in bravery and ran to bathe in the milk. As soon as he jumped into the cauldron, he was instantly boiled and breathed his last.

Then Ilyana Kosynzyana called Petya and spoke thus:

"Well, Petya, now we are rid of the boyar and are free as birds. You are a bachelor, and I am a widow. Let's get married and spend our lives together."

They held a merry wedding, a grand feast, and I was there, eating and drinking, and then I slipped away and told you this tale.

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