The Frog Princess

In the old days, a king had three sons. When the sons came of age, the king gathered them and said:

"My dear sons, while I am still not too old, I wish to see you married and to see your children, my grandchildren."

The sons replied to their father:

"Well then, father, give us your blessing. Whom would you like us to marry?"

"Here's what, my sons: take an arrow each, go out into the open field, and shoot. Wherever your arrows fall, there lies your fate."

The sons bowed to their father, took their arrows, went out into the open field, drew their bows, and shot.

The eldest son's arrow fell into a nobleman's yard, and a nobleman's daughter picked it up. The middle son's arrow fell into a wealthy merchant's yard, and a merchant's daughter picked it up.

But the youngest son, Ivan Tsarevich, saw his arrow fly off, he knew not where. He walked and walked until he came to a swamp, where he saw a frog holding his arrow. Ivan Tsarevich said to her:

"Frog, frog, give me back my arrow." But the frog replied:

"Marry me!"

"What? How can I take a frog as my wife?"

"Take me, for such is your fate."

Ivan Tsarevich grew sad. There was nothing to be done, so he took the frog and brought her home. The king arranged three weddings: he married the eldest son to the nobleman's daughter, the middle son to the merchant's daughter, and poor Ivan Tsarevich to the frog.

Then the king called his sons and said:

"I wish to see which of your wives is the most skilled. Let them each sew me a shirt by tomorrow."

The sons bowed to their father and left.

Ivan Tsarevich returned home, sat down, and hung his head low. The frog hopped around the floor and asked him:

"Why are you so downcast, Ivan Tsarevich? Is something troubling you?"

"Father has ordered you to sew him a shirt by tomorrow." The frog replied:

"Do not fret, Ivan Tsarevich. Go to sleep; the morning is wiser than the evening."

Ivan Tsarevich went to bed, and the frog hopped onto the porch, shed her frog skin, and turned into Vasilisa the Wise, a beauty beyond description.

Vasilisa the Wise clapped her hands and called out:

"Nannies and maids, gather and prepare! Sew me a shirt by morning, just like the one I saw at my father's house."

In the morning, Ivan Tsarevich woke up, and the frog was hopping around the floor again, but a shirt lay on the table, wrapped in a towel. Ivan Tsarevich was overjoyed, took the shirt, and brought it to his father. At that time, the king was receiving gifts from his elder sons. The eldest son unfolded his shirt, and the king said:

"This shirt is fit for a peasant's hut." The middle son unfolded his shirt, and the king said:

"This one is only good for the bathhouse."

Ivan Tsarevich unfolded his shirt, adorned with gold and silver, intricately embroidered. The king took one look and said:

"Now this is a shirt fit for a feast!" The brothers returned home, and the two elder ones whispered to each other:

"It seems we were wrong to laugh at Ivan Tsarevich's wife. She is no frog, but something cunning..."

The king called his sons again:

"Let your wives bake me a loaf of bread by tomorrow. I wish to see who is the best cook."

Ivan Tsarevich hung his head low and returned home. The frog asked him:

"Why are you so sad?" He replied:

"You must bake a loaf of bread for the king by tomorrow."

"Do not fret, Ivan Tsarevich. Go to sleep; the morning is wiser than the evening."

Meanwhile, the elder daughters-in-law, who had laughed at the frog, sent an old woman from the backyard to spy on how the frog would bake the bread.

The frog, being clever, figured this out. She kneaded the dough, broke open the top of the oven, and dumped the dough straight into the hole. The old woman ran back to the king's daughters-in-law and told them everything, so they did the same.

But the frog hopped onto the porch, turned into Vasilisa the Wise, clapped her hands, and called out:

"Nannies and maids, gather and prepare! Bake me a soft white loaf of bread by morning, just like the one I ate at my father's house."

In the morning, Ivan Tsarevich woke up, and there on the table lay a loaf of bread, adorned with intricate patterns: printed designs on the sides and cities with gates on top.

Ivan Tsarevich was overjoyed, wrapped the bread in a cloth, and brought it to his father. At that time, the king was receiving loaves from his elder sons. Their wives had dumped the dough into the oven as the old woman had told them, and all they got was burnt muck. The king took the bread from the eldest son, looked at it, and sent it to the servants' quarters. He took the bread from the middle son and did the same. But when Ivan Tsarevich presented his loaf, the king said:

"Now this is bread fit for a feast!" And he ordered his three sons to appear at his banquet the next day with their wives.
Once again, Prince Ivan returned home, downcast, his head hanging low. The frog, hopping across the floor, asked:

"Kva, kva, Prince Ivan, why so sad? Did you hear an unkind word from your father?"

"Frog, frog, how can I not grieve? My father ordered me to bring you to the feast, but how can I show you to people?"

The frog replied:

"Don't worry, Prince Ivan. Go to the feast alone, and I will follow you. When you hear a knocking and a rumble, don't be afraid. If anyone asks, say, 'That's my little frog, riding in her little box.'"

And so Prince Ivan went alone. His elder brothers arrived with their wives, all dressed up, adorned, rouged, and painted. They stood there, laughing at Prince Ivan:

"Why did you come without a wife? You could have at least brought her in a handkerchief. Where did you find such a beauty? You must have searched every swamp."

The king, his sons, their wives, and the guests sat at the oak tables, beneath the embroidered tablecloths, to feast. Suddenly, there was a loud knocking and a rumble, and the whole palace shook. The guests were frightened and jumped from their seats, but Prince Ivan said:

"Don't be afraid, honorable guests. That's my little frog, arriving in her little box."

A gilded carriage drawn by six white horses flew up to the royal porch, and out stepped Vasilisa the Wise. Her azure dress was studded with stars, and a bright moon shone on her head. She was so beautiful—beyond imagination, beyond description, only to be told in a fairy tale. She took Prince Ivan by the hand and led him to the oak tables, beneath the embroidered tablecloths.

The guests began to eat, drink, and make merry. Vasilisa the Wise drank from a glass and poured the last drops into her left sleeve. She ate a swan and threw the bones into her right sleeve.

The wives of the elder princes saw her tricks and began to do the same.

After they had eaten and drunk, it was time to dance. Vasilisa the Wise took Prince Ivan by the hand and began to dance. She danced and twirled, spinning round and round—a marvel to all. She waved her left sleeve, and suddenly a lake appeared. She waved her right sleeve, and white swans swam across the lake. The king and the guests were amazed.

But when the elder brides went to dance, they waved their sleeves—and only splashed the guests. They waved their other sleeves—and bones flew everywhere, one hitting the king in the eye. The king got angry and banished both brides.

At that moment, Prince Ivan slipped away quietly, ran home, found the frog's skin, and threw it into the oven, burning it to ashes.

Vasilisa the Wise returned home, looked for the frog's skin, and couldn't find it. She sat on the bench, grew sad, and said to Prince Ivan:

"Oh, Prince Ivan, what have you done? If you had waited just three more days, I would have been yours forever. But now, farewell. Seek me beyond thrice-nine lands, in the thrice-tenth kingdom, at the home of Koschei the Deathless..."

Vasilisa the Wise turned into a gray cuckoo and flew out the window. Prince Ivan wept and wept, bowed to the four corners, and set off wherever his eyes led him—to search for his wife, Vasilisa the Wise. He walked far and wide, for a long time, wearing out his boots, fraying his coat, and letting the rain soak his hat. Along the way, he met an old man.

"Greetings, good lad! What are you seeking, and where are you headed?"

Prince Ivan told him of his misfortune. The old man said:

"Oh, Prince Ivan, why did you burn the frog's skin? You didn't put it on, so it wasn't for you to take it off. Vasilisa the Wise is cleverer and wiser than her father. He was angry with her and ordered her to be a frog for three years. But there's nothing to be done now. Here is a ball of thread: wherever it rolls, follow it boldly."

Prince Ivan thanked the old man and followed the ball. The ball rolled, and he followed. In an open field, he came across a bear. Prince Ivan took aim, ready to kill the beast, but the bear spoke in a human voice:

"Don't kill me, Prince Ivan. Someday I may be of use to you."

Prince Ivan took pity on the bear, didn't shoot it, and walked on. Suddenly, a drake flew overhead. He took aim, but the drake spoke in a human voice:

"Don't kill me, Prince Ivan! I may be of use to you."

He took pity on the drake and walked on. A hare came running by. Prince Ivan again took aim, ready to shoot, but the hare spoke in a human voice:

"Don't kill me, Prince Ivan. I may be of use to you."

He took pity on the hare and walked on. He came to a blue sea and saw a pike lying on the shore, barely breathing. It said to him:

"Oh, Prince Ivan, take pity on me and throw me back into the blue sea!"

He threw the pike into the sea and walked on along the shore. After a long or short time, the ball rolled to a forest. There stood a hut on chicken legs, spinning around.

"Hut, hut, turn your back to the forest and your front to me, as your mother placed you."

The hut turned its front to him and its back to the forest. Prince Ivan entered and saw Baba Yaga lying on the stove, her bony leg sticking out, her teeth on a shelf, and her nose grown into the ceiling.

"Why have you come, good lad?" asked Baba Yaga. "Are you here on business or just passing by?"

Prince Ivan replied:

"Ah, you old hag, you should have fed me, given me drink, and steamed me in the bathhouse before asking questions."

Baba Yaga steamed him in the bathhouse, gave him food and drink, and put him to bed. Then Prince Ivan told her he was searching for his wife, Vasilisa the Wise.

"I know, I know," said Baba Yaga. "Your wife is now with Koschei the Deathless. It will be hard to get her back, and it won't be easy to deal with Koschei. His death is at the tip of a needle, that needle is in an egg, the egg is in a duck, the duck is in a hare, that hare sits in a stone chest, and the chest stands on a tall oak tree. Koschei guards that oak like his own eye."

Prince Ivan spent the night with Baba Yaga, and in the morning she showed him where the tall oak stood. After a long or short time, he reached the oak and saw it standing tall and rustling. On it was a locked chest, but it was hard to reach.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the bear appeared and uprooted the oak. The chest fell and broke open. A hare jumped out and ran off at full speed, but another hare chased it down and tore it to pieces. A duck flew out of the hare, soaring high into the sky. But the drake swooped down, struck the duck, and it dropped an egg into the blue sea.

Prince Ivan wept bitter tears—how could he find the egg in the sea? Suddenly, the pike swam to the shore, holding the egg in its teeth. Prince Ivan broke the egg, took out the needle, and began to break its tip. As he broke it, Koschei thrashed and writhed. No matter how much Koschei struggled, Prince Ivan broke the needle's tip, and Koschei had to die.

Prince Ivan went to Koschei's white-stone palace. Vasilisa the Wise ran out to him and kissed his sweet lips. Prince Ivan and Vasilisa the Wise returned home and lived happily ever after until their old age.

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The Frog Princess

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