The Sun, the Moon, and Raven Voronovich

Once upon a time, there lived an old man and an old woman, and they had three daughters. The old man went to the barn to fetch some grain. He took the grain and carried it home, but there was a hole in the sack, and the grain kept spilling out.

When he got home, the old woman asked:

"Where is the grain?" But it had all spilled out.

The old man went to gather the grain and said:

"If only the Sun would warm me, if only the Moon would light my way, if only Raven Ravenovich would help me gather the grain: for the Sun, I would give my eldest daughter; for the Moon, my middle daughter; and for Raven Ravenovich, my youngest daughter!"

As the old man began to gather the grain, the Sun warmed him, the Moon lit his way, and Raven Ravenovich helped him gather the grain. The old man returned home and said to his eldest daughter:

"Put on your best clothes and go out to the porch." She dressed up and went out to the porch. The Sun took her away. He told his middle daughter to do the same. She dressed up and went out, and the Moon seized her and took her away. Then he said to his youngest daughter:

"Put on your best clothes and go out to the porch."

She dressed up and went out to the porch. Raven Ravenovich grabbed her and carried her off.

The old man then said:

"Perhaps I should go visit my sons-in-law." He went to the Sun and arrived there. The Sun said:

"What shall I treat you to?"

"I don't want anything," replied the old man.

The Sun told his wife to make some pancakes. She made them, and the Sun sat in the middle of the room. His wife placed a frying pan on him, and the pancakes cooked. They fed the old man.

When the old man returned home, he ordered his wife to make pancakes. He sat on the floor and told her to place the frying pan with the pancakes on him.

"How will they cook on you?" said the old woman.

"Never mind," he said, "put it on, they'll cook."

She placed it on him, but no matter how long the pancakes sat there, they didn't cook—they just went sour.

With no other choice, the old woman placed the frying pan in the oven, and the pancakes cooked. The old man ate his fill.

The next day, the old man went to visit his other son-in-law, the Moon. He arrived, and the Moon said:

"What shall I treat you to?"

"I don't want anything," replied the old man.

The Moon heated a bathhouse for him. The old man said:

"It will be dark in the bathhouse, won't it?"

"No, it will be bright. Go ahead," said the Moon.

The old man went to the bathhouse, and the Moon stuck his finger through a hole, making the bathhouse bright and light.

After the old man had steamed himself, he returned home and ordered his wife to heat the bathhouse at night. She heated it, and he sent her to steam herself. The old woman said:

"It's too dark to steam!"

"Go, it will be bright!"

The old woman went, and the old man, remembering how the Moon had lit the bathhouse, made a hole in the bathhouse wall and stuck his finger through it. But there was no light at all! The old woman kept shouting:

"It's dark!"

With no other choice, she went and brought a torch with fire and steamed herself.

On the third day, the old man went to visit Raven Ravenovich. He arrived, and Raven Ravenovich asked:

"What shall I treat you to?"

"I don't want anything," said the old man.

"Then let's go sleep on the perch."

Raven set up a ladder and climbed up with the old man. Raven Ravenovich placed him under his wing.

When the old man fell asleep, they both fell and died.

↑ To the top

The Sun, the Moon, and Raven Voronovich

More fairy tales