Виктор Мазанов – Tales of Wisdom. Insights from Russian Folklore (страница 20)
One day the girls walked in the garden. A wealthy young lord rode across the field, saw the apples, and asked the girls:
– Beautiful maidens! The one who brings me an apple shall marry me.
All three sisters rushed toward the tree. The apples hung low enough to reach, then rose high above their heads. The sisters tried to shake the branches, to pluck the fruit, but the leaves blinded their eyes, the branches tangled their hair. No matter how they struggled, they could not reach.
Little Havroshka approached; the branches bowed, the apples fell into her hands. The lord married her, and she lived in happiness, never knowing hardship again.
The Power of Kindness and Loyalty
– The cow helped Havroshka selflessly because the girl loved her and shared her grief.
– After loss, Havroshka kept the cow’s promise—watering the bones and preserving her memory.
Industry versus Laziness and Envy
– Despite injustice, Havroshka is shown as diligent and patient.
– The sisters’ laziness and envy led to the loss of the magical helper (the cow’s death).
Fairness of Magic
– The apple tree justly changed Havroshka’s fate, rewarding her goodness.
– The sisters, driven by greed, could not obtain the fruit and missed the reward.
Why did the cow help only Havroshka?
How did the step‑mother’s and the sisters’ envy affect their destiny?
What would you do if you were Three‑eyed, seeing the miracle?
Why did the apple tree give fruit only to Havroshka?
What lesson does this fairy tale teach?
Baba Yaga
There once lived an old man and an old woman. The man had been widowed and married again. From his first wife he had a kind, clever daughter. The new wife, the step‑mother, instantly disliked the step‑daughter: she scolded her, forced her to work hard, and constantly thought of ways to get rid of her.
One day the old man went to the town on business. While he was away the step‑mother said to the girl:
– Go to my sister, your aunt, in the forest. Ask her for a needle and a spool of thread—I will sew you a new shirt.
She knew, however, that her sister was the terrible Baba Yaga, a bone‑legged witch who lived in a dark forest in a crooked hut on chicken legs.
The girl sensed danger. She was clever and first went to her own aunt, who lived on the edge of the village.
– Greetings, dear aunt! – the girl said as she entered the bright bedroom.
– Hello, sunshine! What brings you here? – the aunt embraced her.
– The step‑mother sent me to her sister’s hut for a needle and thread.
The aunt grew pale:
– Oh, her sister is Baba Yaga! But do not despair; I will teach you what to do. When you go, a birch will meet you—wrap its branches with a beautiful ribbon. You will come to a squeaky gate at the hut—oil the hinges so it will not slam shut. If dogs bark, throw them a fresh piece of bread and they will let you pass. If a cat appears, give it a slice of ham and it will become friendly.
The girl’s heart hammered with fear, but she took a deep breath and entered the deep forest. Soon a crooked hut on chicken legs appeared. In a window, hunched over, sat Baba Yaga herself, her bone leg tapping the loom.
– Hello, aunt, – the girl whispered timidly.
– Hello, dear! – Baba Yaga grinned, her iron teeth flashing. – What brings you here?
– My mother sent me to ask you for a needle and thread so I may sew a shirt.
– Very well; sit down and help me spin.
The girl began to spin, while Baba Yaga slipped away and called to her servant:
– Go, heat the bathhouse and wash my niece, then look after her well; I intend to have breakfast with her.
The girl heard this and shivered with terror. She sat, half‑alive, half‑dead, waiting for a moment when Baba Yaga would not see her, and whispered to the servant:
– My dear, do not pile wood, pour water instead, carry water in a sieve–and she gave her a handkerchief.
Baba Yaga waited for the bathhouse to heat, then approached the window:
– Are you spinning, my niece?
– I am, aunt, I am, dear!
When Baba Yaga turned away, the girl took the ham and gave it to the cat sleeping by the stove:
– Please help me! How can I escape?
The cat replied:
– Take this comb and this towel—run without looking back! Baba Yaga will chase you. Press your ear to the ground; when you hear her near, toss the towel first— a wide river will spring up! If she crosses the river and still pursues, press your ear again and toss the comb— an impenetrable forest will rise, and she cannot pass.
The girl grabbed the towel and the comb and fled. On the way, barking dogs lunged at her—she threw them bread and they let her pass. The gate began to creak shut—she poured oil on the hinges and it opened smoothly. The birch swayed its branches—she tied a ribbon around them. The birch brushed her shoulder gently, as if thanking her.
Meanwhile the cat sat at the loom, not so much weaving as tangling. Baba Yaga returned to the window:
– Are you spinning, my niece?
– I am, aunt, I am, dear! – the cat answered gruffly.
Baba Yaga burst into the hut, saw the girl missing, and began to berate the cat for not protecting her niece’s eyes.
– I have served you for years, and you have not even tossed me a bone! – the cat protested. – She fed me ham!
Enraged, Baba Yaga attacked the dogs, the gate, the birch, and the servant, shouting curses and striking them.
The dogs replied:
– We have served you long, yet you never gave us a crust, and she gave us bread.
The gate answered:
– We have served you long, yet you never oiled our hinges, and she poured us oil.
The birch said:
– I have served you long, yet you never tied me with thread, and she tied me with a ribbon.
The servant said:
– I have served you long, yet you never gave me a rag, and she gave me a handkerchief.