Alyonushka and her brother Ivanushka were orphans. Their mother and father had died, and they had no one to look after them. They wandered from village to village, sleeping in a different place every night.

The story begins on a hot summer’s day. The sun blazed down. There wasn’t a well for miles. Ivanushka was covered with sweat and very thirsty.

“Alyonushka, I’m thirsty.”

“Be patient! We’re bound to come to a well sooner or later.”

After a while they came to a pond. There were a herd of cows grazing beside it.

“Sister Alyonushka, I’m going to drink from the pond.”

“No, brother! Don’t! You'll turn into a calf!”

They walked on. The sun blazed down. There wasn’t a well for miles. Ivanushka was covered with sweat and very thirsty.

After a while they came to a river. A drove of horses was grazing on the bank.

“Sister Alyonushka, I’m going to take a few sips of water.”

“No, Ivanushka! Don’t! You'll turn into a colt!”

They walked on. The sun blazed down. There wasn’t a well for miles. Ivan was dripping with sweat and thirstier than ever.

Then they came to a lake. Some goats were grazing by the shore.

“Sister Alyonushka, I’m thirsty. I can’t bear it. I’m going to drink from the lake.”

“No, Ivanushka! Don’t! You’ll turn into a kid!”

This time Ivanushka didn’t listen. He drank some water and turned into a kid.

Alyonushka sat down and burst out crying. The goat ran round and round in circles, crying “Maa-ka-ka, Maa-ka-ka” and trying to play with her. After Alyonushka had cried all she needed, she got up, tied a silk sash round the goat’s neck, and set off, leading the goat behind her.

One day the goat was running about with no lead, and it climbed into the tsar’s garden. Alyonushka climbed in after it. A servant saw all this and went to tell the tsar. He said she was more beautiful than anyone he’d ever seen, more beautiful than storyteller can tell or pen can write. The tsar sent him to ask who she was.

“My name’s Alyonushka. I have a brother Ivanushka. Our mother and father died, and we didn’t have anywhere to live. Once we were walking through the fields, and we came to a lake. There was a flock of goats grazing beside it. My brother drank some water and turned into a kid.”

The servant went back and told all she’d said to the tsar. The tsar ordered the girl and her goat to be brought into his chamber. He liked Alyonushka as soon as he saw her. After a few minutes he asked her to marry him.

“Marry me,” he said. “You can wear silver and gold and your goat can come with us wherever we go.”

Alyonushka was only too glad to marry him. The wedding took place that afternoon. Alyonushka, the tsar, and the goat began to live happily together. The goat was free to walk all round the garden. It ate and drank at the same table as the tsar and tsaritsa. Good people were happy just to know such a family, but evil people were jealous.

One day the tsar went out hunting. While he was away, a strange woman came up to Alyonushka. She was an evil witch, but she had a smooth tongue, and when she wanted to, she could be very charming. She invited Alyonushka to go for a walk with her by the sea. She led her up to the cliff, tied a stone round her neck, and threw her into the water.

The witch wove a few spells, made herself look just like Alyonushka, and went back to the palace. Everyone thought she was the tsaritsa. The tsar came back from hunting, and he didn’t notice any difference either. There was just one thing. All the flowers in the garden began to fade, the trees all began to dry up, and the grass began to wither. And of course the goat knew very well what had happened. From that day, he never ate or drank. He just wandered about by the sea all day and bleated.

The witch didn’t like this. Next time the tsar went out hunting, she caught the goat by his two ears and whipped him. When she’d finished, she shook her fist at him and said:

“You wait till the tsar comes back. I’ll get him to cut your throat.”

As soon as the tsar came back, the witch went up to him and started whining:

“I want that goat of yours killed. It’s a horrible, dirty beast. I can’t stand the sight of it any longer.”

The tsar was very surprised. It was his wife’s goat anyway, not his own, and in the past she’d always been so fond of him. She’d used to feed him and water him and take him with her wherever she went, and now she wanted him killed. He shrugged his shoulders and said she could do whatever she wanted with him.

The witch had the servants sharpen their steel knives, clean out the copper cauldron and build a huge fire.

The goat realized he hadn’t much longer to live and began to bleat. He went to the tsar and said:

“Your majesty. Let me go for a walk by the sea. I’m thirsty. I want to rinse out my kidneys.”

The tsar nodded his head.

The goat ran to the shore and bleated out:

“Alyonushka, sister Alyonushka,

I need help. Swim to the shore.

They’ve lit a huge fire.

They’ve prepared a copper cauldron.

They’ve sharpened steel knives.

Soon they will slit my throat.”

Out of the water came Alyonushka’s faint voice:

“Ivanushka, brother Ivanushka,

A huge stone drags me down.

Coils of seaweed are tied to my legs.

A snake has sucked out my heart.”

The goat bleated miserably and ran back to the palace.

Later on he wanted to walk to the sea again. He ran to the shore and bleated out:

“Alyonushka, sister Alyonushka,

I need help. Swim to the shore.

They’ve lit a huge fire.

They’ve prepared a copper cauldron.

They’ve sharpened steel knives.

Soon they will slit my throat.”

Out of the water answered Alyonushka’s faint voice:

“Ivanushka, brother Ivanushka,

A huge stone drags me down.

Coils of seaweed are tied to my legs.

A snake has sucked out my heart.”

The goat started bleating again and ran back to the palace.

Towards evening he wanted to go to the sea for a third time. The tsar wondered what was happening. He followed the goat. When he came to the shore, he heard him bleat out:

“Alyonushka, sister Alyonushka,

I need help. Swim to the shore.

They’ve lit a huge fire.

They've prepared a copper cauldron.

They’ve sharpened steel knives.

Soon they will slit my throat.”

Then he heard another voice:

“Ivanushka, brother Ivanushka,

A huge stone drags me down.

Coils of seaweed are tied to my legs.

A snake has sucked out my heart.”

The goat bleated and bleated. His voice was sadder than ever.

All of a sudden Alyonushka appeared on the surface. The tsar jumped out into the water, cut loose the stone, dragged her to the shore, and embraced her. Then she told him her story.

They all three walked back to the palace. In the garden the grass had turned fresh and green, the trees were in bud and the flowers had begun to flower. The goat was so happy he couldn't stop jumping. He rolled head-over-heels three times and turned back into Alyonushka’s brother, Ivanushka.

As for the witch, she was burnt on the same fire she’d prepared for the goat. Her ashes were scattered to the four winds and no one so much as thought of her ever again.

And the tsar, his tsaritsa, and Ivanushka lived happily together for the rest of their lives.

Illustrations by:

I. Bilibin, 1901