Russian Folktales · Chapter
By Command of the Prince Daniel explained
An aged queen, deceived by a witch, gives her son a ring that will only fit his destined bride.
What happens
An aged queen, deceived by a witch, gives her son a ring that will only fit his destined bride. After the queen's death, the prince searches far and wide but finds no maiden whom the ring fits. His sister tries it on, and it fits perfectly, leading the prince to insist on marrying her despite her protests. Two beggars advise the sister to make four dolls and place them in the corners of the room. As the wedding approaches, the dolls sing a warning, and the earth swallows the sister. She descends into the underworld, where she meets a fair maiden who is the daughter of Baba Yaga. The maiden hides the sister from Baba Yaga, but eventually the witch discovers her and tries to bake her in the oven. The two maidens trick Baba Yaga into the oven and escape, using a brush, comb, and cloth to create obstacles. Baba Yaga dies in a fiery sea. The sister and the maiden are found by the prince's servant, and through a ruse, the sister reveals herself. The prince marries the maiden, and his sister marries another, living happily ever after.
Themes in this chapter
Family and Betrayal
The prince's attempt to marry his sister represents a betrayal of familial bonds, while the sister's escape and eventual reconciliation restore family harmony.
Trickery and Cunning
The sister uses dolls to delay her brother, the maidens trick Baba Yaga into the oven, and the servant devises a ruse to reveal the sister's identity.
Magic and Transformation
The magic ring, the singing dolls, the earth swallowing the sister, the brush and comb transforming into forests, and the cloth becoming a sea all involve magical elements.
Good vs. Evil
The witch and Baba Yaga represent evil forces that are ultimately defeated by the cleverness and cooperation of the good maidens.
Characters to notice
- The Prince
The son of the aged queen, who seeks a bride fitting his mother's ring and mistakenly tries to marry his sister.
- The Princess
The prince's sister, who is forced to flee into the underworld to avoid incestuous marriage.
- Bába Yagá
The evil witch who plots against the prince and his sister, and later tries to bake the sister in her oven.
- The Fair Maiden
Baba Yaga's daughter, who helps the sister escape and later marries the prince.
- The Witch
The initial witch who gives the ring to the queen, setting the plot in motion.
- The Servant
The prince's servant who devises a trick to make the sister reveal herself.
Key passages
“Coo-Coo—Prince Danílo Coo-Coo—Govorílo Coo-Coo—’Tis a brother Coo-Coo—Weds his sister: Coo-Coo—Earth must split asunder Cooo—And the sister lie hid under.”
The dolls sing a warning that the brother is marrying his sister, and the earth will open to hide the sister.
This song is a key magical element that triggers the sister's escape into the underworld.
“Go and sit on my shovel, fair child.”
Baba Yaga tells the sister to sit on the shovel so she can be shoved into the oven.
This is a classic Baba Yaga trick to cook her victims, but the sister outwits her.
“Master, I will pour blood into an ewe-skin, put that under my armpit and talk to the maiden. In the meantime I will go by and will stab you in the side with my knife; then blood will flow; then your sister will betray herself who she is.”
The servant suggests a ruse where he pretends to stab the master, causing fake blood to flow, so the sister will reveal herself by crying out.
This trick successfully reunites the brother and sister, leading to a happy resolution.
