The Witch and the Sun's Sister

In a certain kingdom, in a faraway land, there lived a king and queen who had a son named Ivan Tsarevich. He had been mute since birth. When he was about twelve years old, he once went to the stable to visit his favorite stableman. The stableman always told him fairy tales, and this time Ivan Tsarevich came to listen to one, but instead, he heard something unexpected:

"Ivan Tsarevich!" said the stableman. "Your mother will soon give birth to a daughter, your sister. She will be a terrible witch, and she will devour your father, your mother, and all the people under their rule. So go and ask your father for the best horse he has—pretend you want to go for a ride—and then ride away as far as your eyes can see, if you want to escape this disaster."

Ivan Tsarevich ran to his father and, for the first time in his life, spoke to him. The king was so overjoyed that he didn’t even ask why his son needed a good horse. He immediately ordered the best horse from his herds to be saddled for the prince. Ivan Tsarevich mounted the horse and rode off into the unknown.

He rode for a long, long time. Along the way, he came across two old seamstresses and asked if they would take him in to live with them. The old women said:

"We would gladly take you in, Ivan Tsarevich, but we don’t have much time left to live. Once we finish breaking this chest of needles and sewing this chest of thread, death will come for us."

Ivan Tsarevich wept and rode on. He rode for a long time and eventually came to Vertodub (Turn-the-Oak). He asked:

"Take me in, please!"

"I would gladly take you in, Ivan Tsarevich, but I don’t have much time left to live. Once I uproot all these oaks, death will come for me."

Ivan Tsarevich cried even harder and continued on his way. He rode until he reached Vertogor (Turn-the-Mountain). He begged to be taken in, but Vertogor replied:

"I would gladly take you in, Ivan Tsarevich, but I don’t have much time left either. You see, I’ve been tasked with turning mountains. Once I finish with these last few, death will come for me."

Ivan Tsarevich burst into bitter tears and rode even farther.

After a long journey, he finally arrived at the home of the Sun’s Sister. She took him in, fed him, and cared for him as if he were her own son. Life was good for the prince, but from time to time, he felt sad. He longed to know what was happening in his homeland. He would climb a high mountain, look toward his palace, and see that everything had been devoured—only the walls remained. He would sigh and weep.

One day, after he had looked and wept, he returned, and the Sun’s Sister asked:

"Why are you crying today, Ivan Tsarevich?"

He replied, "The wind blew into my eyes."

Another time, the same thing happened. The Sun’s Sister forbade the wind from blowing.

The third time, Ivan Tsarevich returned in tears again. This time, he had no choice but to confess everything. He begged the Sun’s Sister to let him return to his homeland to see what had happened. She tried to stop him, but he pleaded until she finally agreed. She gave him a brush, a comb, and two rejuvenating apples: no matter how old a person was, eating one of these apples would make them instantly young again.

Ivan Tsarevich rode back to Vertogor, who had only one mountain left to turn. The prince threw the brush into an open field, and suddenly, high mountains sprang up from the ground, their peaks reaching into the sky. There were so many of them that they stretched as far as the eye could see. Vertogor was overjoyed and eagerly set to work.

After some time, Ivan Tsarevich reached Vertodub, who had only three oaks left to uproot. The prince threw the comb into an open field, and suddenly, dense oak forests sprang up, each tree thicker than the last. Vertodub was delighted, thanked the prince, and began uprooting the ancient oaks.

Eventually, Ivan Tsarevich reached the old seamstresses and gave them each an apple. They ate them and instantly became young again. In gratitude, they gave him a handkerchief. If he waved it, a whole lake would appear behind him.

Ivan Tsarevich arrived home. His sister ran out to greet him and said sweetly:

"Sit down, dear brother, and play the gusli (a stringed instrument) while I go prepare dinner."

The prince sat down and began plucking the strings. A little mouse crept out of its hole and said to him in a human voice:

"Save yourself, prince! Run away quickly! Your sister has gone to sharpen her teeth."

Ivan Tsarevich left the room, mounted his horse, and galloped away. Meanwhile, the mouse ran across the strings, making the gusli play on its own. The sister, hearing the music, didn’t realize her brother had left. When she returned, her teeth sharpened, she found the room empty—only the mouse slipped back into its hole. Enraged, the witch gnashed her teeth and set off in pursuit.

Ivan Tsarevich heard the noise and looked back—his sister was almost upon him. He waved the handkerchief, and a deep lake appeared. While the witch swam across the lake, Ivan Tsarevich rode far ahead.

She chased him even faster... she was almost there! Vertodub sensed that the prince was fleeing from his sister and began uprooting oaks, piling them onto the road. He created an entire mountain of trees! The witch couldn’t get through. She gnawed and gnawed, finally breaking through, but Ivan Tsarevich was already far away. She chased him again, but Vertogor saw her, grabbed the tallest mountain, and turned it onto the road, placing another mountain on top. While the witch struggled to climb over them, Ivan Tsarevich rode on and on, leaving her far behind.

The witch finally crossed the mountains and resumed her pursuit. She caught sight of him and said:

"Now you won’t escape me!"

She was so close, almost upon him! At that very moment, Ivan Tsarevich reached the Sun’s Sister’s palace and shouted:

"Sun, Sun! Open the window!"

The Sun’s Sister opened the window, and the prince leaped inside with his horse.

The witch demanded that her brother be handed over to her, but the Sun’s Sister refused. Then the witch said:

"Let Ivan Tsarevich and I step onto a scale. Whoever weighs more will win. If I outweigh him, I’ll eat him. If he outweighs me, he can kill me."

They stepped onto the scale. First, Ivan Tsarevich sat on one side, and then the witch climbed onto the other. But as soon as she stepped on, Ivan Tsarevich was flung upward with such force that he landed in the Sun’s Sister’s palace in the sky, while the witch remained on the ground.

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The Witch and the Sun's Sister

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