THE NORKA

Edition and rights: Original English text from Project Gutenberg ebook #540, marked public domain in the USA. The literary text below is reproduced without AI rewriting.

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Once upon a time there lived a King and Queen. They had three sons, two of them
with their wits about them, but the third a simpleton. Now the King had a deer
park in which were quantities of wild animals of different kinds. Into that
park there used to come a huge beast—Norka was its name—and do
fearful mischief, devouring some of the animals every night. The King did all
he could, but he was unable to destroy it. So at last he called his sons
together and said, ‘Whoever will destroy the Norka, to him will I give
the half of my kingdom.’

Well, the eldest son undertook the task. As soon as it was night, he took his
weapons and set out. But before he reached the park, he went into a traktir (or
tavern), and there he spent the whole night in revelry. When he came to his
senses it was too late; the day had already dawned. He felt himself disgraced
in the eyes of his father, but there was no help for it. The next day the
second son went, and did just the same. Their father scolded them both soundly,
and there was an end of it.

Well, on the third day the youngest son undertook the task. They all laughed
him to scorn, because he was so stupid, feeling sure he wouldn’t do
anything. But he took his arms, and went straight into the park, and sat down
on the grass in such a position that the moment he went asleep his weapons
would prick him, and he would awake.

Presently the midnight hour sounded. The earth began to shake, and the Norka
came rushing up, and burst right through the fence into the park, so huge was
it. The Prince pulled himself together, leapt to his feet, crossed himself, and
went straight at the beast. It fled back, and the Prince ran after it. But he
soon saw that he couldn’t catch it on foot, so he hastened to the stable,
laid his hands on the best horse there, and set off in pursuit. Presently he
came up with the beast, and they began a fight. They fought and fought; the
Prince gave the beast three wounds. At last they were both utterly exhausted,
so they lay down to take a short rest. But the moment the Prince closed his
eyes, up jumped the beast and took to flight. The Prince’s horse awoke
him; up he jumped in a moment, and set off again in pursuit, caught up the
beast, and again began fighting with it. Again the Prince gave the beast three
wounds, and then he and the beast lay down again to rest. Thereupon away fled
the beast as before. The Prince caught it up, and again gave it three wounds.
But all of a sudden, just as the Prince began chasing it for the fourth time,
the beast fled to a great white stone, tilted it up, and escaped into the other
world, crying out to the Prince: ‘Then only will you overcome me, when
you enter here.’

The Prince went home, told his father all that had happened, and asked him to
have a leather rope plaited, long enough to reach to the other world. His
father ordered this to be done. When the rope was made, the Prince called for
his brothers, and he and they, having taken servants with them, and everything
that was needed for a whole year, set out for the place where the beast had
disappeared under the stone. When they got there, they built a palace on the
spot, and lived in it for some time. But when everything was ready, the
youngest brother said to the others: ‘Now, brothers, who is going to lift
this stone?’

Neither of them could so much as stir it, but as soon as he touched it, away it
flew to a distance, though it was ever so big—big as a hill. And when he
had flung the stone aside, he spoke a second time to his brothers, saying:

‘Who is going into the other world, to overcome the Norka?’

Neither of them offered to do so. Then he laughed at them for being such
cowards, and said:

‘Well, brothers, farewell! Lower me into the other world, and don’t
go away from here, but as soon as the cord is jerked, pull it up.’

His brothers lowered him accordingly, and when he had reached the other world,
underneath the earth, he went on his way. He walked and walked. Presently he
espied a horse with rich trappings, and it said to him:

‘Hail, Prince Ivan! Long have I awaited thee!’

He mounted the horse and rode on—rode and rode, until he saw standing
before him a palace made of copper. He entered the courtyard, tied up his
horse, and went indoors. In one of the rooms a dinner was laid out. He sat down
and dined, and then went into a bedroom. There he found a bed, on which he lay
down to rest. Presently there came in a lady, more beautiful than can be
imagined anywhere but in a fairy tale, who said:

‘Thou who art in my house, name thyself! If thou art an old man, thou
shalt be my father; if a middle-aged man, my brother; but if a young man, thou
shalt be my husband dear. And if thou art a woman, and an old one, thou shalt
be my grandmother; if middle-aged, my mother; and if a girl, thou shalt be my
own sister.’

Thereupon he came forth. And when she saw him she was delighted with him, and
said:

‘Wherefore, O Prince Ivan—my husband dear shalt thou
be!—wherefore hast thou come hither?’

Then he told her all that had happened, and she said:

‘That beast which thou wishest to overcome is my brother. He is staying
just now with my second sister, who lives not far from here in a silver palace.
I bound up three of the wounds which thou didst give him.’

Well, after this they drank, and enjoyed themselves, and held sweet converse
together, and then the Prince took leave of her, and went on to the second
sister, the one who lived in the silver palace, and with her also he stayed
awhile. She told him that her brother Norka was then at her youngest
sister’s. So he went on to the youngest sister, who lived in a golden
palace. She told him that her brother was at that time asleep on the blue sea,
and she gave him a sword of steel and a draught of the Water of Strength, and
she told him to cut off her brother’s head at a single stroke. And when
he had heard these things, he went his way.

And when the Prince came to the blue sea, he looked—there slept the Norka
on a stone in the middle of the sea; and when it snored, the water was agitated
for seven miles around. The Prince crossed himself, went up to it, and smote it
on the head with his sword. The head jumped off, saying the while, ‘Well,
I’m done for now!’ and rolled far away into the sea.

After killing the beast, the Prince went back again, picking up all the three
sisters by the way, with the intention of taking them out into the upper world:
for they all loved him and would not be separated from him. Each of them turned
her palace into an egg—for they were all enchantresses—and they
taught him how to turn the eggs into palaces, and back again, and they handed
over the eggs to him. And then they all went to the place from which they had
to be hoisted into the upper world. And when they came to where the rope was,
the Prince took hold of it and made the maidens fast to it. Then he jerked away
at the rope and his brothers began to haul it up. And when they had hauled it
up, and had set eyes on the wondrous maidens, they went aside and said:
‘Let’s lower the rope, pull our brother part of the way up, and
then cut the rope. Perhaps he’ll be killed; but then if he isn’t,
he’ll never give us these beauties as wives.’

So when they had agreed on this, they lowered the rope. But their brother was
no fool; he guessed what they were at, so he fastened the rope to a stone, and
then gave it a pull. His brothers hoisted the stone to a great height, and then
cut the rope. Down fell the stone and broke in pieces; the Prince poured forth
tears and went away. Well, he walked and walked. Presently a storm arose; the
lightning flashed, the thunder roared, the rain fell in torrents. He went up to
a tree in order to take shelter under it, and on that tree he saw some young
birds which were being thoroughly drenched. So he took off his coat and covered
them over with it, and he himself sat down under the tree. Presently there came
flying a bird—such a big one that the light was blotted out by it. It had
been dark there before, but now it became darker still. Now this was the mother
of those small birds which the Prince had covered up. And when the bird had
come flying up, she perceived that her little ones were covered over, and she
said, ‘Who has wrapped up my nestlings?’ and presently, seeing the
Prince, she added: ‘Didst thou do that? Thanks! In return, ask of me
anything thou desirest. I will do anything for thee.’

‘Then carry me into the other world,’ he replied.

‘Make me a large vessel with a partition in the middle,’ she said;
‘catch all sorts of game, and put them into one half of it, and into the
other half pour water; so that there may be meat and drink for me.’

All this the Prince did. Then the bird—having taken the vessel on her
back, with the Prince sitting in the middle of it—began to fly. And after
flying some distance she brought him to his journey’s end, took leave of
him, and flew away back. But he went to the house of a certain tailor, and
engaged himself as his servant. So much the worse for wear was he, so
thoroughly had he altered in appearance, that nobody would have suspected him
of being a Prince.

Having entered into the service of this master, the Prince began to ask what
was going on in that country. And his master replied: ‘Our two
Princes—for the third one has disappeared—have brought away brides
from the other world, and want to marry them, but those brides refuse. For they
insist on having all their wedding-clothes made for them first, exactly like
those which they used to have in the other world, and that without being
measured for them. The King has called all the workmen together, but not one of
them will undertake to do it.’

The Prince, having heard all this, said, ‘Go to the King, master, and
tell him that you will provide everything that’s in your line.’

‘However can I undertake to make clothes of that sort? I work for quite
common folks,’ says his master.

‘Go along, master! I will answer for everything,’ says the Prince.

So the tailor went. The King was delighted that at least one good workman had
been found, and gave him as much money as ever he wanted. When his tailor had
settled everything, he went home. And the Prince said to him:

‘Now then, pray to God, and lie down to sleep; to-morrow all will be
ready.’ And the tailor followed his lad’s advice, and went to bed.

Midnight sounded. The Prince arose, went out of the city into the fields, took
out of his pocket the eggs which the maidens had given him, and, as they had
taught him, turned them into three palaces. Into each of these he entered, took
the maidens’ robes, went out again, turned the palaces back into eggs,
and went home. And when he got there he hung up the robes on the wall, and lay
down to sleep.

Early in the morning his master awoke, and behold! there hung such robes as he
had never seen before, all shining with gold and silver and precious stones. He
was delighted, and he seized them and carried them off to the King. When the
Princesses saw that the clothes were those which had been theirs in the other
world, they guessed that Prince Ivan was in this world, so they exchanged
glances with each other, but they held their peace. And the master, having
handed over the clothes, went home, but he no longer found his dear journeyman
there. For the Prince had gone to a shoemaker’s, and him too he sent to
work for the King; and in the same way he went the round of all the artificers,
and they all proffered him thanks, inasmuch as through him they were enriched
by the King.

By the time the princely workman had gone the round of all the artificers, the
Princesses had received what they had asked for; all their clothes were just
like what they had been in the other world. Then they wept bitterly because the
Prince had not come, and it was impossible for them to hold out any longer; it
was necessary that they should be married. But when they were ready for the
wedding, the youngest bride said to the King:

‘Allow me, my father, to go and give alms to the beggars.’

He gave her leave, and she went and began bestowing alms upon them, and
examining them closely. And when she had come to one of them, and was going to
give him some money, she caught sight of the ring which she had given to the
Prince in the other world, and her sisters’ rings too—for it really
was he. So she seized him by the hand, and brought him into the hall, and said
to the King:

‘Here is he who brought us out of the other world. His brothers forbade
us to say that he was alive, threatening to slay us if we did.’

Then the King was wroth with those sons, and punished them as he thought best.
And afterwards three weddings were celebrated.