The Frog Tsarevna Russian folktale с тестированием

THE FROG PRINCESS

(The Tsarevna Frog)

Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a sovereign Tsar.

He had three sons, all of them

young, and such brave fellows that no pen could describe them. The youngest had the name of Ivan

Tsarevitch.

The Tsar was getting old, but he had yet to decide which of his three sons should rule his kingdom

after his death. Once day, when walking in the garden, he thought of a way to test their integrity. He

gathered his sons to him and said,

"My dear boys, take each of you an arrow, draw your strong bow and let your arrow fly; in whatever

court it falls, in that court there will be a wife for you. The one who brings back the most suitable wife

shall be my heir."

The three princes picked up their magic arrows and shot them far, then set off to search for their

arrows.

The arrow of the oldest Tsarevitch fell in front of a nobleman’s house, and in the yard was a lovely

girl, the nobleman’s daughter;

the arrow of the second Tsarevitch flew to the red porch of a rich

merchant, and on the porch there stood a sweet girl, the merchant's daughter.

The youngest, the brave

Tsarevitch Ivan, had the ill luck to send his arrow into the midst of a swamp, where it was caught by a

croaking frog.

Confused and a bit disappointed, Ivan Tsarevitch nevertheless put the frog in his pocket and headed

home to his father: "How can I marry a frog?" complained the son.

"Never mind,'' replied his father, "you have to marry the frog, for such is evidently your destiny."

Thus the brothers were married: the oldest to the nobleman's child; the second to the merchant's

beautiful daughter, and the youngest, Tsarevitch Ivan, to a croaking frog.

After some time the Tsar still could not decide who should rule after him, for he had grown fond of all

of his daughters-in-law, even the frog! So he got the idea to test the cleverness of the wives before

choosing.

The Tsar called his three sons and said to them:

"Have each of your wives bake a loaf of bread by tomorrow morning."

Ivan returned home. There was no smile on his face, and his brow was clouded.

"C-R-O-A-K! C-R-O-A-K! Dear husband of mine, Tsarevitch Ivan, why so sad?" gently asked the frog.

"Was there anything disagreeable in the palace?"

"Disagreeable indeed," answered Ivan Tsarevitch; "the Tsar, my father, wants you to bake a loaf of

white bread by tomorrow."

"Do not worry, Tsarevitch. Go to bed; the morning hour is a better adviser than the dark evening."

The Tsarevitch, taking his wife's advice, went to sleep. Then the frog threw off her frogskin and turned

into a beautiful, sweet girl, Vassilissa by name. She now stepped out on the porch and called aloud:

"My faithful maidens, come to me and help me prepare a loaf of white bread for tomorrow morning, a

loaf exactly like those I used to eat in my royal father's palace."

In the morning Tsarevitch Ivan awoke with the crowing cocks (and you know the cocks and chickens are never late!).

Yet the loaf was already made, and so fine it was that nobody could even describe it, for only in

fairyland one finds such marvelous loaves. It was adorned all about with pretty figures, with towns

and fortresses on each side, and within it was white as snow and light as a feather.

The Tsar father was pleased and the Tsarevitch received his special thanks.

"Now there is another task," said the Tsar smilingly. "Have each of your wives weave a rug by to-

morrow."

Tsarevitch Ivan came back to his home; there was no smile on his face and his brow was clouded.

"C-R-O-A-K! C-R-O-A-K! Dear Tsarevitch Ivan, my husband, why so troubled again? Was not father

pleased?"

"How can I be otherwise? The Tsar, my father, has ordered a rug by tomorrow."

"Do not worry, Tsarevitch. Go to bed; go to sleep. The morning hour is a better adviser than the dark

evening."

So the Tsarevitch went to sleep and again the frog turned into Vassilissa, the wise maiden, and again

she called aloud:

"Dear sweet maidens, come to me for new work. Help me weave a silk rug like the one I used to sit

upon in the palace of the king, my father."

Once said, quickly done, and when the cocks began their early "cock-a-doodle-doo," Tsarevitch Ivan

awoke, and lo! there lay the most beautiful silk rug before him, a rug that no one could begin to

describe. Threads of silver and gold were interwoven among bright-colored silken ones, and the rug

was too beautiful for anything but to admire.

The Tsar father was pleased, thanked his son Ivan, and issued a final order: “I am giving a great feast

tonight and wish for my three sons to attend and present their wives.”

The Tsarevitch Ivan returned home. There was no smile on his face, and cloudy was his brow, more

cloudy than before.

"C-R-O-A-K! C-R-O-A-K! Tsarevitch, my dear husband, why so sad? Hast thou heard anything

unpleasant at the palace?"

''Unpleasant enough, indeed! My father, the Tsar, ordered all of us to present our wives to him tonight

at a grand feast. Now tell me, how could I take thee? The world will laugh at you!"

"It is not so bad, and might be much worse," answered the frog, gently croaking. "Thou shalt go alone

and I will follow thee. When thou hearest a noise, a great noise, do not be afraid; simply say: 'There is

my miserable froggy coming in her miserable box.'"

The two elder brothers arrived first with their wives, beautiful, bright, and cheerful, and dressed in

rich garments. Both the happy bridegrooms poked fun at the Tsarevitch Ivan.

"Why alone, brother?" they laughed. "Why didst thou not bring thy wife along with thee? Was there

no rag to cover her?" They laughed and laughed.

Then, Lo! what a noise! The palace trembled, and all the guests were frightened.

Tsarevitch Ivan alone remained quiet and said:

"No danger; it is just my froggy coming in her box."

And to the palace came flying a golden carriage drawn by six splendid white horses,

and Vassilissa,

beautiful beyond all description, gently reached her hand to her husband. The guests were astonished.

Enchanted, Ivan led her with him to the heavy oak tables, which were covered with snow-white linen

and loaded with many wonderful dishes such as are known and eaten only in the land of fairies and

never anywhere else.

The guests were eating and chatting gayly.

Vassilissa drank some wine, and what was left in the tumbler she poured into her left sleeve. She then

ate some of the fried swan, and the bones she threw into her right sleeve.

(The wives of the two elder brothers, jealous of this strange frog princess, decided to imitate her

actions, so they watched her closely and did exactly the same.)

When the long, hearty dinner was over, the guests began dancing and singing. The beautiful Vassilissa

came forward, as bright as a star, bowed to her sovereign, bowed to the honorable guests, and danced

with her husband, the happy Tsarevitch Ivan.

While dancing, Vassilissa waved her left sleeve and a pretty lake appeared in the midst of the hall and

cooled the air.

She waved her right sleeve and white swans swam on the water.

The Tsar, the guests,

the servants, even the gray cat sitting in the corner, all were amazed and wondered at the beautiful

Vassilissa.

Her two sisters-in-law alone envied her.

When their turn came to dance, they also waved their left

sleeves as Vassilissa had done, and, oh, wonder! they sprinkled wine all around, soiling many

beautiful gowns. They waved their right sleeves, and instead of swans, bones flew in the faces of the

guests. During the confusion, Ivan Tsarevitch seized the moment to slip away unseen.

He ran home,

found the frogskin, and burned it in the fire.

Vassilissa, when she came back, searched for the skin, and when she could not find it her beautiful

face grew sad and her bright eyes filled with tears.

She said to Tsarevitch Ivan, her husband:

"Oh, dear Tsarevitch, what hast thou done? There was but a short time left for me to wear the ugly

frogskin. The moment was near when we could have been happy together forever. Now I must bid

thee goodbye. Look for me in a far-away country to which no one knows the roads, at the palace of

Kostshei the Deathless." Then Vassilissa turned into a white swan and flew away through the window.

Tsarevitch Ivan wept bitterly, then he prayed to the almighty God, and, making the sign of the cross

northward, southward, eastward, and westward,

he went on a mysterious journey.

No one knows how long his journey was,

but one day he met an old, old man. He bowed to the old

man, who said:

"Good-day, brave fellow. What art thou searching for, and whither art thou going?"

Tsarevitch Ivan answered sincerely, telling all about his misfortune without hiding anything.

"And why didst thou burn the frogskin? It was wrong to do so. Listen now to me. Vassilissa was born

wiser than her own father, and as he envied his daughter's wisdom he condemned her to be a frog for

three long years. You burned the skin just three days before the spell was to be broken.”

But the man continued, gently: “But I pity thee and want to help thee.

Here is a magic ball. In

whatever direction this ball rolls, follow without fear."

Ivan Tsarevitch thanked the good old man and followed his new guide, the ball. Long, very long, was

his road. One day in a wide, flowery field he met a bear, a big Russian bear. Ivan Tsarevitch took his

bow and was ready to shoot the bear.

"Do not kill me, kind Tsarevitch," said the bear. "Who knows but that I may be useful to thee?"

So Ivan did not shoot the bear.

A short time later, above in the sunny air there flew a duck, a lovely white duck. Again the Tsarevitch

drew his bow to shoot it.

But the duck said to him:

"Do not kill me, good Tsarevitch. I certainly shall be useful to thee some day."

And again Ivan obeyed the command of the duck and let it pass by unharmed.

Continuing his way he saw a blinking hare. The Tsarevitch prepared an arrow to shoot it, but the gray,

blinking hare said:

"Do not kill me, brave Tsarevitch. I shall prove myself grateful to thee in a very short time."

So the Tsarevitch did not shoot the hare, but passed by.

He walked farther and farther after the rolling ball, and came to the deep blue sea. On the sand there

lay a fish. I do not remember the name of the fish, but it was a big fish, almost dying on the dry sand.

"O Tsarevitch Ivan!" prayed the fish, "have mercy upon me and push me back into the cool sea."

The Tsarevitch did so, and walked along the shore. The ball, rolling all the time, brought Ivan to a hut,

a queer, tiny hut standing on tiny hen's feet.

Ivan stepped into the hut and saw a witch, one of the ugliest witches he could imagine.

"Ho! Ivan Tsarevitch! What brings thee here?" was his greeting from Baba Yaga, the witch.

She then gave the Tsarevitch plenty to eat and drink, and some hot water to wash the dust off.

Tsarevitch Ivan felt refreshed. Soon he became talkative, and related the story of his marriage and

how he had lost his dear wife, and that his only desire was to find her.

"I know all about it," answered the witch. "She is now at the palace of Kostshei the Deathless, and

thou must understand that Kostshei is terrible. He watches her day and night and no one can ever

conquer him. His death depends on a magic needle. That needle is within an egg within a duck

within a hare; that hare is within a large trunk; that trunk is hidden in the branches of an old oak tree;

and that oak tree is watched by Kostshei as closely as Vassilissa herself, which means closer than any

treasure he has."

Then the witch told Ivan Tsarevitch how and where to find the oak tree, and he set of resolutely.

But

when he saw the oak tree he was much discouraged — it was so big! Not knowing what to do or how

to begin the work, Ivan was about to give up hope, when, Lo and behold! that old acquaintance of

his, the Russian bear, came running along, approached the tree, uprooted it, and the trunk fell and broke!

A hare jumped out of the trunk and began to run fast; but another hare, Ivan's friend, came running

after, caught it and tore it to pieces.

Out of the hare there flew a duck, a gray one which flew very high and was almost invisible, but the

beautiful white duck Ivan had spared followed the bird and struck its gray enemy, which lost an egg.

That egg fell into the deep, deep sea.

All this time Ivan was anxiously watching his faithful friends help him, but when the egg disappeared

in the blue waters he could not help but to begin weeping. How would the egg ever be found now?

But then all of a sudden a big fish came swimming up — the same fish he had saved — and brought

to Ivan the egg in his mouth. How happy Ivan was when he took it! He broke it and found the needle

inside, the magic needle upon which everything depended.

The brave Ivan Tsarevitch broke the head of the magic needle and at the same moment Kostshei lost

his strength and power forever. Ivan then entered his vast dominions and in one of the palaces found

his own dear wife, his beautiful Vassilissa.

He took her home where they lived, very happy, ever after.

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TEST

1.

Where did the middle son's arrow fall?

To the merchant's court

To the boyar's court

To the tsar's court

2.

What did the Frog ask Ivan Tsarevich for?

To let her go

To marry her

To help her get out of the swamp

3.

How did the tsar decide to test which of his daughters-in-law was the best needlewoman?

He asked to sew him pants

He asked to sew him a shirt

He asked to sew him a caftan

4.

What did the tsar ask his daughters-in-law to cook to see which of them was the best cook?

soup

porridge

bread

5.

Complete the sentence: "This is my little frog, she's coming to ...".

casket

carriage

box

6.

How did the guests react to the appearance of Vasilisa the Wise during the feast?

They started to applaud

They were scared

They were amazed by her

beauty

7.

What was on Vasilisa the Wise's head when she arrived at the palace?

Star

Crown

Moon

8.

What did Vasilisa the Wise do with the food during the feast?

She threw the leftovers down her sleeves

She ate nothing

She threw the leftovers under

the table

9.

What appeared when Vasilisa the Wise waved her left and right sleeves during the dance?

Lake and white seagulls

Lake and ducks

Lake and white swans

10.

What did Ivan Tsarevich do with the frog's

skin?

He hid it in the yard

He threw it in the oven

He threw it in the swamp

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