The Magic Ring

In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived an old man and an old woman, and they had a son named Martynka. The old man spent his whole life hunting, killing beasts and birds, and that’s how he fed himself and his family. Time passed, and the old man fell ill and died. Martynka and his mother grieved and wept, but there was nothing to be done: you can’t bring the dead back to life. They lived for about a week and ate up all the bread they had stored. The old woman saw that there was nothing left to eat and that they would have to start using their savings. The old man had left them two hundred rubles. She really didn’t want to break into the money jar, but no matter how much she resisted, she had to do it—they couldn’t just starve to death!

She counted out a hundred rubles and said to her son:

"Well, Martynka, here’s a hundred rubles for you. Go ask the neighbors for a horse, ride to town, and buy some bread. Maybe we’ll scrape through the winter somehow, and in the spring, we’ll look for work."

Martynka borrowed a cart and a horse and set off for town. As he rode past the butcher shops, he heard noise, shouting, and a crowd of people. What was going on?

Well, the butchers had caught a hunting dog, tied it to a post, and were beating it with sticks. The dog was struggling, yelping, and snapping... Martynka ran up to the butchers and asked:

"Brothers! Why are you beating this poor dog so mercilessly?"

"How can we not beat the cursed thing," replied the butchers, "when it ruined a whole side of beef!"

"Enough, brothers! Don’t beat it—better sell it to me."

"Fine, buy it," said one of the men jokingly. "Give us a hundred rubles."

Martynka pulled out the hundred rubles from his pocket, gave it to the butchers, untied the dog, and took it with him.

The dog began to fawn over him, wagging its tail: it understood who had saved it from death.

When Martynka arrived home, his mother immediately asked:

"What did you buy, son?"

"I bought myself my first bit of luck."

"What are you talking about? What kind of luck?"

"Here he is—Zhurka!" And he showed her the dog.

"And you didn’t buy anything else?"

"If I had any money left, maybe I would have, but the whole hundred went to the dog."

The old woman scolded him:

"We have nothing to eat ourselves," she said. "Today I scraped together the last crumbs from the bins and baked a flatbread, and tomorrow there won’t even be that!"

The next day, the old woman pulled out another hundred rubles, gave it to Martynka, and instructed him:

"Here, son! Go to town, buy some bread, and don’t throw money away for nothing."

Martynka arrived in town and began walking the streets, looking around. He noticed a mean boy: the boy had caught a cat, tied a rope around its neck, and was dragging it toward the river.

"Wait!" shouted Martynka. "Where are you taking Vaska?"

"I’m going to drown the cursed thing!"

"What did it do wrong?"

"It stole a pie from the table."

"Don’t drown it—better sell it to me."

"Fine, buy it: give me a hundred rubles."

Martynka didn’t think twice. He reached into his pocket, pulled out the money, and gave it to the boy. Then he put the cat in a sack and took it home.

"What did you buy, son?" asked his mother.

"I bought Vaska the cat."

"And you didn’t buy anything else?"

"If I had any money left, maybe I would have bought something else."

"Oh, you fool!" shouted the old woman. "Get out of the house and go find food among strangers."

Martynka set off for a neighboring village to look for work. As he walked down the road, Zhurka and Vaska followed him.

A priest met him along the way:

"Where are you headed, my good man?"

"I’m going to hire myself out as a farmhand."

"Come work for me. But I take workers without a contract: whoever serves me for three years, I won’t treat them unfairly."
Martynka agreed and tirelessly worked for the priest for three summers and three winters.

When the time came to settle the payment, the master called him:
"Well, Martynka! Come and receive your reward for your service." He led him to the barn, showed him two full sacks, and said:
"Take whichever one you want!"

Martynka looked—one sack was full of silver, and the other was full of sand. He thought to himself: "This is no accident! Let my labor be wasted, but I’ll take the sand—what will come of it?"

He said to the master:
"Father, I choose the sack of fine sand."

"Well, my dear, it’s your choice; take it if you disdain the silver."

Martynka hoisted the sack onto his back and went off to seek another place. He walked and walked until he wandered into a dark, dense forest. In the middle of the forest, there was a clearing, and in the clearing, a fire was burning. In the fire sat a maiden, so beautiful that one could neither imagine nor guess her beauty—only in a fairy tale could such a thing be told.

The maiden said:
"Martyn, the widow’s son! If you wish to find happiness, save me by pouring the sand you worked for three years to earn onto this flame."

"Indeed," thought Martynka, "why carry such a heavy burden when I can help someone? Sand is no great treasure—there’s plenty of it everywhere!"

He took off the sack, untied it, and began to pour. The fire immediately went out.

The maiden struck the ground, turned into a snake, leaped onto the young man’s chest, and coiled around his neck.

Martynka was frightened.

"Do not fear!" hissed the snake. "Now go beyond thrice-nine lands, to the thrice-tenth kingdom—the underground realm. There, my father reigns. When you arrive at his court, he will offer you much gold, silver, and precious stones. Take none of it, but ask him for the ring from his little finger. That ring is no ordinary one: if you toss it from one hand to the other, twelve young men will appear, and whatever you command them, they will accomplish in a single night."

The young man set off on his journey. Whether it was near or far, quick or slow, he eventually approached the thrice-tenth kingdom and saw a huge stone. The snake slipped off his neck, struck the damp earth, and turned back into the beautiful maiden.

"Follow me!" said the maiden, and she led him under the stone. They walked for a long time through an underground passage until suddenly light began to glimmer—brighter and brighter—and they emerged onto a wide field under a clear sky. On that field stood a magnificent palace, and in the palace lived the maiden’s father, the king of that underground realm.

The travelers entered the white stone chambers, and the king greeted them warmly.
"Greetings, my dear daughter! Where have you been hiding all these years?"

"My dear father! I would have been lost forever if not for this man: he saved me from certain death and brought me back to my homeland."

"Thank you, good young man!" said the king. "For your virtue, you must be rewarded. Take as much gold, silver, and precious stones as your heart desires."

Martyn, the widow’s son, replied:
"Your Majesty, I need neither gold, nor silver, nor precious stones. If you wish to reward me, give me the ring from your royal hand—the one on your little finger. I am a single man; I’ll look at the ring often and think of a bride, and thus dispel my loneliness."

The king immediately took off the ring and handed it to Martyn:
"Here, take it and use it well. But beware: tell no one about the ring, or you’ll bring great trouble upon yourself!"

Martyn, the widow’s son, thanked the king, took the ring and a small amount of money for the journey, and set off back the way he had come. Whether it was near or far, quick or slow, he returned to his homeland, found his mother, and they began to live together without want or sorrow.

Martynka decided he wanted to marry and urged his mother to act as a matchmaker:
"Go to the king himself and arrange for me to marry his beautiful princess."

"Oh, son," replied the old woman, "you should aim for what’s within your reach—that would be better. But what you’ve come up with! Why should I go to the king? He’ll surely get angry and have us both executed."

"Don’t worry, mother! If I’m sending you, go boldly. Tell me what the king says, and don’t return without an answer."

The old woman gathered herself and trudged to the royal palace. She arrived at the courtyard and marched straight up the grand staircase without any announcement.

The guards grabbed her:
"Stop, old hag! Where are you rushing? Even generals don’t dare walk here unannounced..."

"Oh, you scoundrels!" shouted the old woman. "I’ve come to the king on a good errand—I want to arrange a marriage between his princess daughter and my son. And you’re grabbing me by the hem!"

She made such a commotion that it was unbearable! The king heard the noise, looked out the window, and ordered the old woman to be brought to him. She entered the royal chamber, prayed to the icons, and bowed to the king.

"What do you have to say, old woman?" asked the king.

"Well, I’ve come to your grace; don’t be angry, but I have a merchant, and you have the goods. The merchant is my son Martynka, a very clever fellow; and the goods are your daughter, the beautiful princess. Won’t you give her in marriage to my Martynka? What a pair they’d make!"

"What are you saying? Have you lost your mind?" the king shouted at her.
- Not at all, Your Royal Majesty! Please, give an answer.

The king immediately summoned all his ministers, and they began to deliberate on how to respond to the old woman. They decided thus: let Martynka, within a single day, build a palace, and from that palace to the royal one, let there be a crystal bridge, with trees growing on both sides bearing golden and silver apples, and on those trees, let various birds sing. Additionally, let him build a five-domed cathedral: a place to receive the crown and to hold the wedding.

If the old woman's son accomplishes all this, then the princess may be given to him: it would mean he is truly wise. But if he fails, both the old woman and her son shall lose their heads for their offense.

With this answer, they sent the old woman away. She walked home, staggering, drenched in bitter tears.

Upon seeing Martynka, she said:

- Well, I told you, my son: do not aim too high; but you insisted. Now our poor heads are doomed; we shall be executed tomorrow.

- Enough, mother, perhaps we will survive; go to sleep now; the morning is wiser than the evening.

Exactly at midnight, Martyn rose from his bed, went out into the wide yard, and tossed the ring from one hand to the other—and immediately twelve young men appeared before him, all identical in face, hair, and voice.

- What do you need, Martyn, the widow's son?

- Here's what: by dawn, build me the richest palace on this very spot, and from my palace to the royal one, let there be a crystal bridge, with trees on both sides bearing golden and silver apples, and on those trees, let various birds sing. Also, build a five-domed cathedral: a place to receive the crown and to hold the wedding.

The twelve young men replied:

- By tomorrow, everything will be ready!

They rushed to different places, gathered craftsmen and carpenters from all around, and set to work. Everything went smoothly, and the task was completed swiftly. By morning, Martynka awoke not in a simple hut but in splendid, luxurious chambers. He stepped out onto the high porch and saw everything was ready: the palace, the cathedral, the crystal bridge, and the trees with golden and silver apples. At that moment, the king stepped out onto his balcony, looked through his spyglass, and was astonished: everything had been done as ordered! He summoned the beautiful princess and ordered her to prepare for the wedding.

- Well, he said, I never thought or guessed I would give you in marriage to a peasant's son, but now there is no avoiding it.

While the princess was washing, applying her makeup, and dressing in expensive attire, Martyn, the widow's son, went out into the wide yard and tossed his ring from one hand to the other—suddenly, the twelve young men appeared as if from the ground:

- What do you desire, what do you need?

- Here, brothers, dress me in a nobleman's coat and prepare a painted carriage with six horses.

- It will be ready in an instant!

Before Martynka could blink three times, they brought him the coat. He put it on—it fit perfectly, as if tailored to his measure. He looked around—a carriage stood at the entrance, with marvelous horses harnessed to it, one with silver hair, the other with golden. He sat in the carriage and rode to the cathedral. There, the bells had been ringing for the service for a long time, and a great crowd had gathered.

Following the groom, the bride arrived with her nannies and nurses, and the king with his ministers. They attended the service, and then, as was proper, Martyn, the widow's son, took the beautiful princess by the hand and married her. The king gave his daughter a rich dowry, awarded his son-in-law a high rank, and threw a feast for the whole world.

The young couple lived for a month, then two, then three. Martynka, day by day, built new palaces and cultivated gardens. But the princess was deeply displeased that she had been married not to a prince or a king's son, but to a simple peasant. She began to think of how to rid herself of him; she pretended to be as sly as a fox, and how! She attended to her husband in every way, served him, and constantly inquired about his wisdom. Martynka held his ground, revealing nothing.

One day, he was a guest at the king's palace, drank quite a bit, returned home, and lay down to rest. Then the princess clung to him, kissing and caressing him, enticing him with sweet words, and finally, she charmed him: Martynka told her about his magic ring. "Good," thought the princess, "now I will deal with you!"

As soon as he fell into a deep sleep, the princess grabbed his hand, took the ring from his little finger, went out into the wide yard, and tossed the ring from one hand to the other.

Immediately, the twelve young men appeared before her:

- What do you desire, what do you need, beautiful princess?

- Listen, lads! By morning, let there be no palace, no cathedral, no crystal bridge here, but let the old hut stand as before; let my husband remain in poverty, and take me far away, beyond thrice nine lands, to the thirtieth kingdom, the mouse state. I cannot bear the shame of living here!

- Gladly, everything will be done!

In that very moment, the wind swept her up and carried her to the thirtieth kingdom, the mouse state.

In the morning, the king awoke, stepped onto his balcony, and looked through his spyglass—there was no palace with a crystal bridge, no five-domed cathedral, only the old hut remained.

"What could this mean?" thought the king. "Where has everything gone?"

Without delay, he sent his adjutant to investigate what had happened.

The adjutant rode out, inspected the scene, and upon returning, reported to the sovereign:

- Your Majesty! Where the richest palace once stood, there now stands the old hut, and in that hut, your son-in-law lives with his mother. The beautiful princess is nowhere to be found, and it is unknown where she is now.

The king convened a grand council and ordered his son-in-law to be judged, for why had he deceived them with magic and destroyed the beautiful princess?

They condemned Martynka to be placed in a tall stone pillar and given neither food nor drink: let him die of hunger. Masons appeared, built the pillar, and sealed Martynka inside, leaving only a small window for light.

There he sat, poor thing, imprisoned without food or drink for a day, then two, then three, weeping bitterly.
When the dog Zhurka learned about the misfortune, she ran to the hut, and there lay the cat Vaska on the stove, purring. She scolded him angrily:

"Oh, you scoundrel Vaska! All you know is to lie on the stove and stretch, but you don't even realize that our master is locked in a stone pillar. Seems like you've forgotten the old kindness, how he paid a hundred rubles to save you from death; if it weren't for him, worms would have eaten you long ago! Get up quickly! We must help him with all our might."

The cat Vaska jumped off the stove and ran with Zhurka to search for their master. They ran to the pillar, climbed to the top, and crawled through the little window:

"Hello, master! Are you alive?"

"Barely alive," replied Martynka. "I've wasted away without food, and I'm about to die of starvation."

"Wait, don't despair; we'll feed and quench your thirst," said Vaska, jumped out of the window, and descended to the ground.

"Well, brother Zhurka, our master is dying of hunger; how can we figure out a way to help him?"

"You fool, Vaska! Can't you even think of that? Let's go to the city; as soon as we meet a baker with a tray, I'll quickly roll under his feet and knock the tray off his head; then you, don't dawdle, grab the rolls and loaves as fast as you can and drag them to the master."

They went out to the main street, and a man with a tray came towards them. Zhurka rushed under his feet, the man staggered, dropped the tray, scattered all the bread, and ran away in fear: he was afraid the dog might be rabid—who knows what trouble might come! And the cat Vaska snatched a bun and dragged it to Martynka; gave him one—ran for another, gave him another—ran for a third.

They also scared a man with sour cabbage soup and managed to get more than one bottle for their master. After that, the cat Vaska and the dog Zhurka decided to go to the thirtieth kingdom, the mouse state, to fetch a magic ring: the road was long, much time would pass...

They brought Martynka a whole year's supply of rusks, rolls, and all sorts of things and said:

"Look, master, eat and drink, but keep an eye out, so that your supplies last until our return."

They said goodbye and set off on their journey.

Whether it was near or far, soon or not, they came to the blue sea.

Zhurka said to Vaska:

"I hope to swim to the other side, but what do you think?"

Vaska replied:

"I'm not much of a swimmer, I'll drown right away!"

"Well, sit on my back!"

The cat Vaska sat on the dog's back, clung to her fur with his claws so as not to fall, and they swam across the sea.

They reached the other side and came to the thirtieth kingdom, the mouse state. In that kingdom, not a single human soul was to be seen, but there were so many mice that they couldn't be counted: wherever you turned, they walked in swarms!

Zhurka said to Vaska:

"Well, brother, start hunting, begin to strangle and crush these mice, and I'll gather them and pile them up."

Vaska was used to that kind of hunting. He began to deal with the mice in his own way; whatever he caught—it was gone! Zhurka barely managed to pile them up. In a week, he made a big stack! A great sorrow fell upon the whole kingdom. The mouse king saw that his people were dwindling, that many of his subjects had met an evil death.

He crawled out of his hole and pleaded before Zhurka and Vaska:

"I bow to you, mighty heroes! Have mercy on my people, do not destroy them completely; better tell me what you need? Whatever I can do, I will do for you."

Zhurka replied to him:

"In your kingdom stands a palace, and in that palace lives a beautiful princess; she stole our master's magic ring. If you do not get us that ring, you yourself will perish, and your kingdom will vanish: we will lay waste to everything!"

"Wait," said the mouse king, "I will gather my subjects and ask them."

He immediately gathered the mice, both big and small, and began to inquire: would any of them venture into the palace to the princess and fetch the magic ring? One little mouse volunteered.

"I," he said, "often visit that palace; during the day, the princess wears the ring on her little finger, but at night, when she goes to sleep, she puts it in her mouth."

"Well, try to get it; if you serve us this favor, I will reward you royally."

The little mouse waited until night, sneaked into the palace, and quietly hid in the bedroom. He saw—the princess was fast asleep. He crawled onto the bed, stuck his tail into her nose, and began to tickle her nostrils. She sneezed—the ring flew out of her mouth and fell onto the carpet.

The little mouse jumped off the bed, grabbed the ring in his teeth, and carried it to his king. The mouse king gave the ring to the mighty heroes, the cat Vaska and the dog Zhurka. They thanked the king and began to consult with each other: who would better keep the ring?

The cat Vaska said:

"Give it to me, I won't lose it for anything!"

"Alright," said Zhurka, "look after it more than your own eye."

The cat took the ring in his mouth, and they set off on their way back.

They finally reached the blue sea. Vaska jumped onto Zhurka's back, gripping as tightly as he could with his paws, and Zhurka entered the water and began to swim across the sea. They swam for an hour, then another; suddenly, out of nowhere, a black raven flew in, landed on Vaska, and began pecking at his head.

The poor cat didn’t know what to do or how to defend himself from the enemy. If he used his paws, he might fall into the sea and sink to the bottom; if he bared his teeth at the raven, he might drop the ring. What a predicament! He endured for a long time, but eventually, it became unbearable: the raven pecked his head until it bled. Enraged, Vaska began defending himself with his teeth—and dropped the ring into the blue sea. The black raven soared up and flew away into the dark forest.

When Zhurka reached the shore, he immediately asked about the ring. Vaska stood with his head hanging low.

"Forgive me," he said. "I’m at fault, brother—I dropped the ring into the sea."

Zhurka flew into a rage:

"You cursed fool! It’s lucky for you that I didn’t realize it sooner; I would have drowned you in the sea, you bungler! How are we supposed to face our master now? Get back into the water right now: either retrieve the ring or perish!"

"What good will it do if I perish? Let’s think of a better plan: just as we used to catch mice, let’s now hunt for crayfish. Maybe, by luck, they’ll help us find the ring."

Zhurka agreed. They began walking along the seashore, catching crayfish and piling them up. They made a huge heap! At that moment, a giant crayfish emerged from the sea, wanting to stroll in the fresh air.

Zhurka and Vaska immediately grabbed him and began shaking him in all directions.

"Don’t strangle me, mighty heroes. I am the king of all crayfish; whatever you command, I will do."

"We dropped a ring into the sea. Find it and deliver it to us if you want mercy, or else we’ll destroy your entire kingdom!"

The crayfish king immediately summoned his subjects and began inquiring about the ring.

A small crayfish stepped forward.

"I know where it is," he said. "As soon as the ring fell into the blue sea, a beluga fish snatched it up and swallowed it right before my eyes."

All the crayfish rushed into the sea to search for the beluga. They caught the poor fish and began pinching it with their claws. They chased it relentlessly, giving it no rest; the fish twisted and turned and finally leaped onto the shore.

The crayfish king emerged from the water and said to Vaska and Zhurka:

"Here, mighty heroes, is the beluga fish. Tear into it mercilessly—it swallowed your ring."

Zhurka pounced on the beluga and began devouring it from the tail. "Well," he thought, "I’ll eat my fill now!"

But the cunning cat knew where to find the ring faster—he went for the beluga’s belly, gnawed a hole, pulled out the guts, and quickly found the ring.

He grabbed the ring in his teeth and ran for his life, thinking to himself: "I’ll run to the master, give him the ring, and boast that I did it all by myself. The master will love and reward me more than Zhurka!"

Meanwhile, Zhurka ate his fill and looked around—where was Vaska? He guessed that his companion had his own plans: he wanted to win the master’s favor dishonestly.

"So you’re lying, you scoundrel Vaska! I’ll catch up to you and tear you to pieces."

Zhurka ran after him, and soon enough, he caught up to Vaska and threatened him with certain doom. Vaska spotted a birch tree in the field, climbed it, and perched on the very top.

"Fine," said Zhurka. "You can’t stay up there forever; sooner or later, you’ll have to come down. And I won’t budge from here."

For three days, Vaska sat in the birch tree, and for three days, Zhurka kept watch, not taking his eyes off him. Both grew hungry and finally agreed to make peace.

They reconciled and set off together to their master. They arrived at the house.

Vaska jumped through the window and asked:

"Are you alive, master?"

"Hello, Vaska! I thought you wouldn’t return; I’ve been without bread for three days."

The cat handed him the magic ring. Martynka waited until midnight, tossed the ring from hand to hand—and immediately, twelve young men appeared.

"What do you need? What do you desire?"

"Build my former palace, a crystal bridge, and a five-domed cathedral, and bring my unfaithful wife here. Make sure everything is ready by morning."

No sooner said than done. In the morning, the king woke up, stepped onto the balcony, and looked through his spyglass: where the hut once stood, now stood a tall palace, and from the palace to the royal castle stretched a crystal bridge. On both sides of the bridge grew trees with golden and silver apples.

The king ordered his carriage to be prepared and went to see if everything had truly returned to how it was or if it was just a vision. Martynka met him at the gates, took him by the hand, and led him into his painted chambers.

"This is what the princess did to me," he explained.

The king sentenced her to death: by his royal command, the unfaithful wife was tied to the tail of a wild stallion and set loose in the open field. The stallion raced like an arrow, tearing her white body apart across ravines and steep gullies.

And Martynka still lives, chewing his bread.

More fairy tales

• The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats
• The Petrified Kingdom
• The Old Man and the Wolf
• The Fox Midwife
• Fedul and Melania