Baba Yaga: The Wild Witch of the East in Russian Fairy Tales

“The Tale of the Fine Young Man and the Apples of Youth”

 140 The Tale of the Fine Young Man and the Apples of Youth Over the waters, over the lands, over the Russian cities there was a tsar. He had three sons, and the youngest son was Prince Ivan. Near that kingdom was a mountain no one could climb, on foot or on horseback. The tsar heard a knock that knocked and a thunder that thundered on the mountain, but what could it be? No one knew, and he sent his first son to find out why a knock was knocking and thunder thundering on the mountain. The first son rode up only one third of the mountain and came back. He went to his father and said,“My lord father! I rode as you ordered, but I could barely get a third of the way up the mountain .”After some time the tsar sent off his middle son, who rode halfway up the mountain but could do no more and turned back. Then the tsar sent his youngest son, Prince Ivan. Prince Ivan chose a good horse for himself in the tsar’s stables, said farewell to his father, and in a moment he had disappeared. He rode up to the top of the mountain, as if a falcon had flown up it, and he saw a palace standing there. Prince Ivan got off his good horse and went into the house. In the house an old Baba Yaga was sitting on a chair and spinning fine silk. “Hello, old Baba Yaga!” said Prince Ivan. “Hello, young man! Until now a Russian bone wasn’t to be seen or smelled, but now it’s come into my yard by itself.” And she began to ask him,“What families are you from, and what cities, and whose father’s son are you?” Prince Ivan answered her,“I’m Prince Ivan, the son of the Russian tsar. I rode into your mountains to find out what kind of knock is knocking and what kind of thunder is thundering.” The Baba Yaga told him, “The knock is knocking and the thunder’s thundering in our mountains because the black-braided Tsar-Maiden, the beautiful beauty, is riding.” “Is that Tsar-Maiden far away?” asked Prince Ivan.  The Tale of the Fine Young Man and the Apples of Youth 141 “Twice as far as you’ve already ridden!” said the Baba Yaga. She gave him a drink, fed him and put him to sleep. And in the morning Prince Ivan got up early-early, said farewell to the old Baba Yaga, and rode onward. He’d ridden for exactly four months when he saw a castle standing. He got off his horse, went into the house, and in the house sat an old Baba Yaga. “Hello, Baba Yaga!” said Prince Ivan. “Hi, boy! Is your road a long one? How has God brought you this way?” He told her everything. The Baba Yaga gave him drink and food and put him to bed, and in the morning Prince Ivan got up early-early, said farewell to the Baba Yaga, and rode onward. Again he rode for exactly four months, and then he saw a courtyard standing there. He got off his good horse and went into the house, and in the house sat a Baba Yaga. “Hello, old Baba Yaga!” said Prince Ivan. “Hello, Prince Ivan! How has God brought you here?” He told her everything, where and why he was riding.“Many tsars and princes have come to see our Tsar-Maiden,” said the Baba Yaga, “and they didn’t ride back out alive! The walls around her city are high, and there are strings tightened on the walls, and if you touch even one string, then all of a sudden the strings sing out, the drums begin to beat, all the bogatyr men will be disturbed, and the guards will kill you, too.” The Adventures of Baba Yaga: Little Girl Stew, Messenger Theatre Co. Adapted and directed by Emily Davis, produced by Agathe David-Weill, http:// tinyurl.com/c4vsajp. Photo by Stuart Wagner.  The Tale of the Fine Young Man and the Apples of Youth 142 Prince Ivan waited for the dark of night, mounted his horse, and galloped on his good horse over the high walls. He didn’t touch a single one of the strings. Prince Ivan got off his horse, but at that time the bogatyr men...