# At the Behest of the Pike explained — Russian Folktales

> Chapter companion for Russian Folktales by A. N. Afanasyev.

## What happens

A poor peasant catches a magic pike that grants wishes. He uses it to gain wealth and inadvertently causes the Tsarévna to bear a son. The Tsar marries them in anger and sets them adrift in a tarred barrel. They wash ashore, and the peasant uses the pike's magic to create a palace and a son who grows into a mighty knight. The son seeks a bride, fights a rival suitor, and wins a princess. He later invites all the Tsars and Kings to a feast, where he tricks his grandfather (the Tsar who wronged his mother) into being caught with a stolen duck, leading to a reconciliation.

## Themes in this chapter

### Fate and Divine Justice

The poor peasant's piety and the pike's magic lead to a reversal of fortune, and the Tsar's unjust actions are ultimately exposed and reconciled.

### Magic and Transformation

The magic pike grants wishes that transform the peasant's life, create a palace, and produce a magical duck.

### Social Class and Hierarchy

The story contrasts the poor peasant's low status with the Tsar's power, and the peasant's rise through magic challenges social norms.

## Character check-ins

### The Tsarévna

The princess who is forced to marry the poor peasant and is set adrift with him; later reunited with her father.

### The Tsar

The angry Tsar who marries his daughter to the peasant and sets them adrift; later tricked into being caught with a duck.

### The Poor Peasant

The protagonist who catches the magic pike and uses its wishes to gain wealth and power.

### The Pike

The magical pike that grants wishes in exchange for being freed.

### The Boy

The son of the Tsarévna and the poor peasant, who grows rapidly and becomes a mighty knight.

### The King

The king of the thrice-tenth kingdom whose daughter the boy seeks to marry.

### The Princess

The beautiful princess whom the boy marries after defeating the rival suitor.

## Key lines

> At the pike’s good pleasure, At God’s good measure⁠— let the barrel rest on a dry spot.

Using the pike's magic, the peasant commands the barrel to stop on dry land.

_This wish saves the family from drowning and leads to their new life._

> At the pike’s good pleasure, Of God’s good treasure⁠— let there be here a rich palace, the finest in all the world, with gardens and ponds and all sorts of pavilions.

The peasant wishes for a magnificent palace with gardens and ponds, which instantly appears.

_This demonstrates the pike's power to create wealth and comfort._

> At the pike’s good pleasure, At God’s good measure⁠— under the lappet of the kaftán of this Tsar, let the duck be found.

The peasant secretly wishes for the magical duck to appear under the Tsar's coat, framing him.

_This trick exposes the Tsar's past injustice and leads to the family reunion._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/russian_folktales_se/chapters/at-the-behest-of-the-pike
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/russian_folktales_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/russian_folktales_se/chapters