Baba Yaga and Zamoryshek

Once upon a time, there lived an old man and an old woman. They had no children. No matter what they did or how much they prayed to God, the old woman still couldn’t conceive. One day, the old man went to the forest to gather mushrooms. On his way, he met an old man.

"I know what’s on your mind," the old man said. "You’re always thinking about children. Go through the village, collect one egg from each household, and set a hen to sit on those eggs. You’ll see what happens!"

The old man returned to the village. There were forty-one households in their village, so he went around to each one, collected an egg, and set a hen to sit on the forty-one eggs.

Two weeks passed. The old man and the old woman watched as the eggs hatched, and out came boys—forty strong and healthy ones, but one was weak and frail. The old man began to name the boys. He gave names to all but the last one.

"Well," he said, "you shall be called Zamoryshek!"

The children grew up quickly, not by the day but by the hour. Soon, they were old enough to work and help their parents. The forty strong boys worked in the fields, while Zamoryshek managed things at home. When haymaking season came, the brothers went to mow the grass and stack the hay. After a week of work, they returned to the village, ate what God had provided, and went to sleep. The old man looked at them and said:

"Young and green! They eat a lot, sleep soundly, but I bet they’ve done nothing!"

"Father, you should look first!" replied Zamoryshek. The old man got ready and went to the meadows. There, he saw forty haystacks.

"Ah, what fine lads! They’ve mowed and stacked so much hay in just one week."

The next day, the old man went back to the meadows to admire their work. But when he arrived, one haystack was missing. He returned home and said:

"Ah, children! One haystack is gone."

"Don’t worry, Father!" said Zamoryshek. "We’ll catch this thief. Give me a hundred rubles, and I’ll take care of it." He took the money and went to the blacksmith.

"Can you forge a chain strong enough to wrap around a person from head to toe?"

"Of course!"

"Make it strong. If it holds, I’ll pay you a hundred rubles. If it breaks, your work is for nothing!"

The blacksmith forged an iron chain. Zamoryshek wrapped it around himself and pulled—it broke. The blacksmith made it twice as strong, and this time it held. Zamoryshek took the chain, paid the hundred rubles, and went to guard the hay. He sat under a haystack and waited.

At midnight, a storm arose, the sea stirred, and out of the depths came a marvelous mare. She ran to the first haystack and began devouring the hay. Zamoryshek jumped up, wrapped the chain around her, and mounted her. The mare tried to throw him off, carrying him through valleys and mountains, but she couldn’t shake him. Finally, she stopped and said:

"Well, brave lad, since you’ve managed to stay on my back, take my foals and rule over them."

The mare ran to the blue sea and neighed loudly. The sea stirred, and forty-one stallions emerged from the waves—each one more magnificent than the last. You could search the whole world and never find such horses!

In the morning, the old man heard neighing and stomping in the yard. What was it? It was Zamoryshek, who had brought home an entire herd of horses.

"Brothers," he said, "now we each have a horse. Let’s go find ourselves brides!"

"Let’s go!"

Their father and mother blessed them, and the brothers set off on a long journey.

They traveled far and wide, but where could they find so many brides? They didn’t want to marry separately, so no one would feel left out. But what mother could boast of having exactly forty-one daughters?

They traveled beyond thrice-nine lands and saw a steep mountain with white stone chambers surrounded by a high wall. At the gates stood iron posts—forty-one of them. They tied their mighty horses to the posts and entered the courtyard. There, they were met by Baba Yaga.

"Ah, uninvited guests! How dare you tie your horses here without asking?"

"Old woman, stop shouting! First, feed us, give us something to drink, take us to the bathhouse, and then ask about our business."

Baba Yaga fed them, gave them drink, took them to the bathhouse, and then asked:

"What brings you here, good lads? Are you looking for work or avoiding it?"

"We’re looking for brides, grandmother."

"I have daughters," said Baba Yaga. She rushed into her tall tower and brought out forty-one maidens.

They got engaged, began to feast, celebrate, and prepare for the weddings. In the evening, Zamoryshek went to check on his horse. The horse saw him and spoke in a human voice:

"Listen, master! When you go to sleep with your young wives, dress them in your clothes and wear theirs. Otherwise, we’re all doomed!"

Zamoryshek told his brothers. They dressed their young wives in their clothes and wore the wives’ dresses themselves, then went to sleep. Everyone fell asleep except Zamoryshek, who kept watch. At midnight, Baba Yaga cried out in a loud voice:

"Hey, my faithful servants! Cut off the heads of these uninvited guests!"

The servants ran in and cut off the heads of Baba Yaga’s daughters. Zamoryshek woke his brothers and told them what had happened. They took the severed heads, stuck them on iron spikes around the wall, then saddled their horses and rode away quickly.

In the morning, Baba Yaga woke up, looked out the window, and saw her daughters’ heads on spikes around the wall. Furious, she ordered her fiery shield to be brought and set off in pursuit, burning everything in her path. Where could the lads hide? Ahead was the blue sea, behind them was Baba Yaga—burning and scorching! They would have perished, but Zamoryshek was clever. He hadn’t forgotten to take Baba Yaga’s handkerchief. He waved it in front of them, and suddenly a bridge appeared across the blue sea. The brave lads crossed to the other side. Zamoryshek waved the handkerchief again, and the bridge disappeared. Baba Yaga turned back, and the brothers rode home.

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Baba Yaga and Zamoryshek

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