Once upon a time, a hunter shot and wounded a bird. The bird begged him not to kill her but to take her home, and when she went to sleep, strike her head. The hunter did exactly like that and the bird transformed into a beautiful woman. She proposed to the hunter for marriage, and they got married. After the marriage, she saw how hard it was to hunt. So, she told the hunter to borrow two hundred rubles. He borrowed the money with which he bought silk. The woman, then, conjured two spirits and ordered them to make a splendid carpet. She gave the carpet to the hunter and told him to sell it for whatever price he got. The buyers did not know how much to pay for it, and finally the King’s steward bought it for ten thousand rubles. The King found the carpet so attractive that he gave the steward twenty-five thousand rubles for it. The steward went to the hunter’s house to get one more carpet. He saw the hunter’s wife and fell madly in love with her.
Go I Know Not Whither and Fetch I Know Not What
The King went to the hunter’s house to see the hunter’s wife. He also fell in love with her and wanted to marry. He asked the steward to devise a way to get rid of her husband. The steward went to Baba Yaga for advice. Baba Yaga advised to send the hunter to sea in a dilapidated ship, with a bad crew, to catch the stag with golden horns. When the hunter got to know about it, he told his wife. She conjured up the stag and asked the hunter to take it on the ship, sail out for five days and then return. The King was angry with the steward. The steward again went to Baba Yaga. This time, the steward asked the King to send the hunter to “go I know not whither and bring back I know not what.” The wife’s conjured spirits could not help her. She told him to ask the King for gold and gave him a ball, which if rolled before him would lead him where he wanted to go.
The Hunter and the Frog
The hunter’s wife also gave her husband a handkerchief and told him to always wipe his face with that only. The hunter rolled the ball and followed it. The King sent a carriage for his wife. She transformed herself into a bird and flew away. The hunter finally reached a castle. The damsels gave him food and let him rest. Then, they brought him water to wash his face. He wiped it with his own handkerchief. They recognised it as their sister’s. They called their mother. She also recognised it and questioned the hunter. He told her the whole story. Thereafter, she called all the beasts and birds and asked them if they knew how to “go I know not whither and bring back I know not what.” Then, she went out to sea and asked all the water animals. Finally, there approached a limping frog who knew. The woman gave the hunter a jug to carry the frog, which could not walk that fast. He did, and the frog directed him to a river.
The Hunter Becomes the King
The frog told the hunter to sit on his back. At the other end of the river, the frog told him to listen to two old men who would arrive. He did, and heard them summon ‘Shmat Razum’ to serve them. The old men ate and drank, and left. The hunter asked Shmat Razum to serve him instead, and he agreed. The frog set off on his return journey with the hunter and Shmat Razum. They stopped at a golden arbour, where they met three merchants. At Shmat Razum’s directions, the hunter exchanged Shmat Razum for three marvels. They could summon up a garden, a fleet of ships, and an army. The next day, Shmat Razum returned to the hunter. In his own country, the hunter let Shmat Razum build a castle. His wife returned to him. The King saw the castle and waged a war against him. He summoned the fleet and the army and defeated the King. He became the new King and lived happily with his wife.
