Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, lived a tsar and tsaritsa. They had three young sons, all of them braver and more handsome than storyteller can tell or pen can write. The youngest was Ivan Tsarevich.

When the three sons were grown up, the tsar called them together and said:

“It’s time you marry, sons. You must each take one arrow, go out into the country, stand back-to-back and shoot. You'll find your wives where your arrows land.”

The eldest brother’s arrow landed in the courtyard of a nobleman. The daughter of

the house picked it up and handed it back to him. The second brother’s arrow landed in the courtyard of a merchant. The merchant’s youngest daughter picked it up and handed it back to him. The youngest brother’s arrow landed so far away no one could even see it.

Ivan walked and walked till he came to a terrible bog. A frog was sitting on a tuft of grass. It was holding his arrow in its mouth.

Ivan went back to his father and said:

“What can I do? How can I live all my life with a frog? A frog’s not my equal.”

“You must do as I’ve said,” said his father. “It’s your fate.”

The three brothers got married. The eldest brother married the nobleman’s daughter. The second brother married the merchant’s daughter. Ivan married the frog. After a while the tsar called his three sons together.

“I want to know which of you has married the best cook,” he said. “Each of your wives must bake me a loaf of bread for breakfast tomorrow.”

Ivan walked sadly back, hanging his head so low it was even lower than his shoulders.

“Kva, kva, Ivan Tsarevich! What are you looking so sad about? Has your father said something unkind?”

“He’s asked you to bake him a loaf of bread for breakfast tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry, Ivan Tsarevich. Just go to bed and have a good sleep. Mornings are wiser than evenings.”

She put the tsarevich to bed, shook off her frog-skin and turned in a beautiful lady—Vasilisa the Wise. She stepped out onto the porch, clapped her hands and called out:

“Women! Servants! Pastry-cooks! Bakers! I want a loaf of white, crusty bread for breakfast tomorrow. One like we used to eat at home on a holiday.”

Ivan Tsarevich got up next morning and found that the frog’s loaf was already baked. It was the most beautiful loaf you’ve ever seen, more beautiful than a storyteller can tell or pen can write. It had risen well and evenly and it was decorated on top by a model city complete with gates. lvan wrapped it up in a cloth and took it to his father. His two brothers were already there.

First of all the tsar looked at the loaf his eldest son had brought. He turned it over, tapped it on the bottom, looked at it from all sides—and had it sent to the kitchen. He did the same with the loaf his second son had brought. Then he looked at Ivan’s loaf and said:

“Now that’s bread. That’s what I call bread. That’s the kind of bread one eats on a holiday.”

He asked to have it served at his own table.

After that the tsar said:

“Now I want to know which of your wives is the best seamstress. | want them each to sew me a carpet. And I want the carpets finished by tomorrow morning.”

Ivan walked sadly back. He was hanging his head lower than his shoulders again.

“Kva, kva, Ivan Tsarevich! What are you looking so sad about? Did your father not like the loaf I made him? Has he said something unkind?”

“He thanks you for the bread and asks you to sew him a silk carpet by tomorrow morning.”

“It’s all right, Ivan Tsarevich! Don’t worry! Just go to bed and have a good sleep. Mornings are wiser than evenings.”

She put the tsarevich to bed, shook off her frog-skin and turned into a beautiful lady. She stepped out onto the porch, clapped her hands and called out:

“Women! Servants! Weavers! Seamstresses! I want you to sew me a silk carpet by tomorrow morning—one like my father had at our home in the bog.”

Ivan Tsarevich got up next morning and found the frog jumping up and down

on the floor. The carpet was already finished. It was the most beautiful carpet you've

ever seen, more beautiful than story teller can tell or pen can write. It was embroidered in silver and gold and you could see the whole kingdom in it—every city and village, every mountain and forest, every river and lake. Ivan Tsarevich was delighted. He rolled it up carefully and took it to his father. His two brothers were already there.

First of all the tsar looked at the carpet his eldest son had brought. He had it spread out on the floor, looked at it carefully and said:

“Thank you. That’s just what I want for the doorstep.”

Next he looked at the carpet his second son had brought. He felt it between his fingers and said:

“Fine! That’s just what I need to wipe my boots on.”

Then he had Ivan’s carpet spread out on the floor. Everyone gasped. The tsar gazed and gazed at it. He turned to his servants and said:

“And I want this one beneath my royal throne.”

After that the tsar ordered his three sons to bring their wives to a banquet that evening. Ivan walked sadly back. He was hanging his head way below his shoulders again.

“Kva, kva, Ivan Tsarevich! What’s the matter with you? Has your father said something unkind?”

“He’s asked me to bring you to a banquet this evening. What can I do? How can I show you to so many people?”

“Don’t worry, Ivan Tsarevich. You go first and I’ll follow. When you hear a sound like thunder, say:

“That’s just my frog, riding along in her little box.”

Ivan went to the palace. His two brothers were already there. Their two wives were dolled up in their finest clothes and they had expensive, elaborate hairdos. The four of them looked at Ivan and began to laugh.

“Why haven’t you brought your own wife along then? You could have wrapped her up in a silk handkerchief and carried her. Where did you manage to find such a beauty anyway? You must have had to search every bog in the kingdom.”

Suddenly there was a terrible rumbling and thundering. The whole palace began to shake. All the guests except Ivan jumped to their feet. Ivan just said:

“Don’t be afraid, honest guests. That’s just my frog, riding along in her little box.”

A gilded carriage glided up to the gate. It was drawn by six white horses. Vasilisa the Wise stepped down. She was the most beautiful lady you’ve ever seen, more beautiful than storyteller can tell or pen can write. She took Ivan Tsarevich by the hand and sat down with him behind the oak table.

The guests began to eat, drink and be merry. Vasilisa drank her glass of wine and poured the last drops into her left sleeve. She ate her plate of roast swan and dropped the bones into her right sleeve. The wives of the elder brothers did the same. They thought she must be an enchantress or something and they watched every movement she made.

After everyone had eaten and drunk all they wanted, they began to dance. Vasilisa the Wise danced with Ivan Tsarevich. As she danced, she waved her left arm in the air and a beautiful lake appeared. She waved her right arm in the air and seven white swans began swimming across it. The tsar and his guests had never seen anything like it. They clapped and clapped. Then the wives of the two elder brothers began to dance. They waved their left arms in the air and sprayed wine over all the guests. They waved their right arms in the air and a swan-bone landed right in the tsar’s eye. The tsar

was furious. He had the two wives thrown out of the palace at once.

After that Ivan Tsarevich slipped out and rode back home. He found the frog-skin and threw it onto the fire. Then Vasilisa the Wise came back. She looked round but couldn’t find her frog-skin anywhere.

“Ivan Tsarevich! Ivan Tsarevich! What have you done? If you’d only waited, if you’d only waited, I could have been yours forever. But now if you want me, you must look beyond the thrice-ninth land in the thrice-tenth kingdom, in the country of Koshchey the Deathless.”

She turned into a white swan and flew out of the window.

Ivan Tsarevich wept bitterly. Then he got everything ready, said good-bye to his mother and father and set off. He didn’t know where to go so he just followed his eyes. He walked for a long time—I’ve no idea how long. Then he met an old, old man.

“Good day,” said the old man. “Where are you going? What are you looking for?”

Ivan told him his story.

“Ivan Tsarevich! Why did you have to go and burn the frog-skin? It wasn’t yours to wear. It wasn’t yours to destroy. Vasilisa the Wise is a strange one. She was born

even wiser than her own father. Her father didn’t like this and so he turned her into a frog for three years. Well, I'll do what I can for you. Here, take this ball! Follow it wherever it rolls.”

Ivan Tsarevich thanked the old man and set off after the ball. As he was walking across a field, he saw a bear. He was about to shoot it, when the bear spoke to him:

“Don’t shoot me, Ivan Tsarevich. One day I'll be able to help you.”

He walked on further. He saw a drake flying overhead. He was about to shoot it when it cried:

“Don’t kill me, Ivan Tsarevich. One day I’ll be able to help you.”

He walked on further. After a while he saw a hare. He was just going to shoot it when it squeaked:

“Don’t kill me, Ivan Tsarevich. One day I’ll be able to help you.”

Ivan was very hungry by now but he took pity on the hare too. He walked on till he came to the sea. A pike was lying on the shore.

“Ivan Tsarevich,” it gasped. “Help me. Throw me back into the sea.”

He picked up the pike and threw it into the water.

I don’t know how long it took but in time the ball roiled up to a little hut by the very edge of the sea. It was built on chicken-legs and it turned round and round in circles.

“Stay still, hut!” said Ivan. “Stay as your mother made you. Stay with your back to the sea and your door towards me.”

The hut turned round and came to a stop. Ivan walked in. Baba-Yaga was lying on the stove. Her head was on the ninth brick.

“What’s brought you here, young man?” she asked.

“I’ve been travelling. First you should take me to the bathhouse. Then you should give me something to eat and drink. After that you can ask again.”

Baba-Yaga took him to the bathhouse. When he was finished, she brought him some food and drink. Ivan told her he was looking for his wife, Vasilisa the Wise.

“Oh yes,” said Baba- Yaga. “I know all about her. She’s in the hands of Koshchey the Deathless. You won’t find it easy to get her away from him. Still I can tell you where you can find his death. His death lies at the end of a needle inside an egg inside a duck in the belly of a hare inside a box hidden at the top of a tall oak tree that Koshchey watches over like the apple of his eye.”

Ivan Tsarevich followed Baba-Yaga’s directions and found the oak tree. He waited till noon when Koshchey was asleep. Then he tried to shake the tree so the box would fall down. The tree didn’t give.

Just then a bear came up. It uprooted the tree with one blow. The box fell to the ground and smashed to pieces. A hare leapt out and shot into the bushes.

A second hare shot after it, caught it and tore it apart.

A duck leapt out of the hare’s belly and flew high into the sky. A drake swooped down and gave it such a blow that it dropped the egg straight into the sea.

Ivan Tsarevich sat down by the shore. He began to cry. Suddenly a pike swam up to his feet. It was holding the egg in its mouth. Ivan took the egg and went straight to Koshchey’s hut. Koshchey saw the egg and began to tremble. Ivan Tsarevich began playing with the egg, throwing it from one hand to the other. Koshchey began to writhe and struggle and sway from side to side. Then Ivan cracked the egg, took out the needle and snapped off the tip. That was the death of Koshchey the Deathless. Ivan went into his hut and found Vasilisa the Wise. She leapt to her feet and threw herself into his arms.

When they got back, Ivan’s father invited the whole country to a banquet in their honor. After that they lived happily together for many years.

Illustrations by:

I. Bilibin, 1900