University of Virginia Library

Ivan Godinovich

IN Kief town dwelt a great and mighty hero,
Ivan Godinovich,[1] nephew to Prince Vladimir.
Long he roamed through many infidel
lands; many great hosts did he assemble, frightened
Tzars and slew warriors.

Upon a certain day, courteous Prince Vladimir
made a great supper, whereat sat many honourable
widows. Ivan Godinovich sat with eyes fixed upon
the floor, eating nothing, drinking nothing, tasting
not the white swan.

"Ho there, Ivanushka!" spoke Prince Vladimir.
"Wherefore art thou sad? Is not thy seat to thy
liking? Have I passed thee by with the cup of
drunkenness? Hath the fool scoffed at thee, hath
a black raven cawed at thee, or have the dogs
barked?"

"None of these things have come to pass, Fair
Sun Prince Vladimir," Ivanushka replied. "But
all in Kief town are wedded: I only sit alone."

"Why then dost thou not wed likewise, Ivan
Godinovich?"

"Fain would I wed, lord, but that may not be.
Where I would take, there I am refused: and
where they would give, I will not take."

Then spoke courteous Prince Vladimir: "Ho
there, Ivan! Sit thou on this folding-chair, and
write a letter."

So Ivan sat upon the folding-chair, and wrote a
letter of wooing to Dmitry the rich merchant in
Chernigof town; and Vladimir the Prince set his
hand to it. "'Tis not thou, Ivan Godinovich,
who now goest a-wooing:—'tis I, Prince Vladimir,
who woo."

Then quickly did Ivan array himself, and quickly,
very, very quickly and with speed did he ride to
Chernigof town, one hundred and eighty versts by
measurement: that space Ivan compassed in two
hours. When he came to the courtyard of Dmitry
the Merchant, he leaped from his good steed and
bound him to the oaken pillar. Then he entered
the fair hall, prayed before the Saviour's picture,
did reverence to Merchant Dmitry, and laid the
letter upon the round table.

Guest[2] Dmitry broke the seal, looked upon it
and read it.

"Foolish Ivan! Senseless Ivan!" quoth he.
"Thou art not the first, Ivanushka! My Avdotya
is now betrothed to Tzar Koschei of a distant land.
If I give her to a Tzar, she will be a Tzaritza, and
all the nobles will bow before her in homage; but
if I give her to thee, she will be a serf, and must
sweep the cottage and clean the stable. But I
have a dog in my courtyard; her will I give to
thee."

Then was Ivan grieved: he seized the letter and
ran forth, mounted his good steed, and hastened
with what speed he might, to Kief, and told Prince
Vladimir all that had passed.

When Prince Vladimir heard how Ivan had been

scorned, he was grieved for Ivanushka's sake, tore
the black curls[3] from his head, and cast them upon
the brick floor. "Take her not, Ivan," he said.

Then was Ivan wroth, and departed from the
oaken tables, from the cloths richly patterned with
drawn-work; leave took he of none, but opened
the doors very wide and shut them very hard,
thrusting the door-posts aside.

"Ho there, Ivan Godinovich!" cried courteous
Prince Vladimir then, "Take a hundred of my
men, and a second hundred of the princely nobles,
and yet a third hundred of thine own. Go in
honour to woo, and if they give not the maid
willingly, then take her by force."

In haste did the youths assemble, and prepare
for their journey. They had but passed the swift
Dnyepr when a powdering of white snow fell, and
upon this light, pure snow they beheld traces of
three beasts. The first trace was of a brown
aurochs, the second of a fierce lion, the third of a
wild boar. Then Ivan began to tell off the youths
in companies. He sent a hundred men after the
brown aurochs, commanding them to take him
with care and without bloody wounds; another
hundred sent he in pursuit of the fierce lion, and
a third hundred after the wild boar,—these likewise
must be taken heedfully and without disfiguring
wounds, and borne to royal Kief, to great
Prince Vladimir.

But Ivan himself went on alone to Chernigof
town, rode into the midst of Guest Dmitry's
spacious court, and bound his good steed to the
oaken pillar. Then he entered the fair chamber,
and prayed before the Saviour's picture, but did
no reverence to Dmitry the rich merchant. With

Dmitry were sitting then divers of the Tatar bodyguard,[4]
who had brought a garment, in value one
hundred thousand roubles, from the Tzar Koschei
to his love Avdotya Dmitrievna.—The Tzar himself
was but three versts from Chernigof, and with
him was a host of three thousand men.

"Give me thy daughter," spoke Ivan Godinovich.

"Thou shalt have the dog in my courtyard,"
Dmitry made answer as before.

"I shall neither ask thee much nor long dispute,"
said Ivan; and thereupon he rose from the
hewn wall bench, pushed aside the silken hangings,
and so came into the new hall where sat the White
Swan weaving linen. "Hail, Avdotya the White
Swan!" he said in greeting. Upon Avdotya's
head were white swans, on her left shoulder black
sables; on her right shoulder sat bright falcons;
on the frame of her loom perched dark blue doves,
and on her loom-bench, black ravens: and her
face was like the first fair snows of autumn.

"And hail to thee, fair Ivan Godinovich," she
answered; then left her delicate linen, took Ivan
by his white hands, kissed his sugar lips, and
fondled him.

Then Ivan delayed no longer, but led Avdotya
forth to the fair hall. There she began to weep
and to say: "Thou hast known, my father, how to
feed me and give me drink, to cherish me until
I had attained my growth: but one thing, my
father, thou hast not known—how to give me in
marriage without great bloodshed!"

To this the Chernigovian made reply: "Wilt
thou not eat bread and salt with me, Ivanushka
Godinovich?"[5]

"Thou hast not refreshed the guest at his coming,"
quoth Ivan, "and at his going it shall not be
permitted to thee."

Said Dmitry: "I have written a letter to
Koschei the Deathless, and have thereto set my
hand, and he shall cut off thy turbulent head."

"When Koschei cutteth off my head," quoth
Ivan, "then will be the fitting hour to boast, both
for him and for thee."

Then he set Avdotya on his good steed, and rode
forth upon the open plain. After they had forded
many streams, night overtook them on the plain;
and Ivan pitched a pavilion of white damask linen
for himself and his Avdotya.

Now when the news came to Koschei, he went
forth to the stable-yard, took a foal with nine
chains, put on him heroic trappings, girded on his
broad sword, took his sharp spear and his battle-mace,
seized on the way his steel dagger, and rode
forth over the plain until he came to Chernigof.
There he learned that Ivan Godinovich had in
truth carried off Avdotya the White Swan, and he
rode in pursuit.

When he espied the pavilion of white damask,
he shouted in a piercing voice: "Dwelleth there
any in this pavilion of fine damask? Let him who
is alive therein, come forth!"

Ivan heard this, and roused himself, good youth,
from sleep, came forth, and washed himself with
fresh spring water, dried himself upon a towel
of fine damask, crossed himself as prescribed, did
reverence as enjoined, and prayed to the most
wondrous Saviour. Then he mounted his good
steed, took his arms, and rode at Koschei. The
adversaries went apart about the space of three
versts, and when they came together they greeted
each other, and smote each other with their Tatar

spears, but yet pierced one another not. Again
they rode aside about three versts, came at each
other, saluted courteously and brandished their
battle-maces.

Ivan's mace fell upon Koschei's head, and
Koschei flew from his good steed. Ivanushka was
cunning: he leaped over his good steed's mane
to the earth, hurled himself upon Koschei's black
breast, undid the silken loops, unfastened the
buttons of pure gold, and would have pierced his
black breast, and taken out his restive heart with
his liver. But he had forgotten his dagger of
damascened steel, and shouted with a great voice:
"Ho there, my White Swan Avdotya! Throw
my steel dagger from the white pavilion: I must
needs prick Koschei's black breast, and draw forth
his restive heart."

Avdotya obeyed his behest, and fetched the
dagger. But when Koschei espied her, he spoke
this word:

"Bethink thee, Avdotya the White Swan! If
thou livest with Ivan thou wilt be a servant, and
must bow in lowly reverence before all men: but
I will make thee a Tzaritza. Many lands shall do
homage to thee, and all nobles shall do reverence
to thee. Do thou therefore seize Ivan by his
ruddy curls, and drag him from my breast."

And Avdotya listened to his counsel. She flung
the dagger far out upon the plain, seized Ivan by
his ruddy curls, and dragged him aside; and so
Koschei got the upper hand. As he sat upon
Ivan's white breast he opened his garments, and
would have taken out his restive heart, and his
liver, with his dagger which he snatched from its
sheath.

But Avdotya had compassion on Ivanushka, and
said:

"Pierce not Ivan's white breast, Koschei, pluck
not his restive heart therefrom. Let us rather bind
him with this three-stranded cord to yon damp,
ringbarked oak." And they did so.

As Koschei came forth from the white pavilion,
very early the next morning, two dark blue doves
alighted upon the damp oak; and he told Avdotya.

"Shoot me those dark blue doves," quoth the
White Swan, "for I would fain eat of them."

Koschei hearkened to her, fitted a sharp burning
arrow to his bow, and conjured it:

"Fall not, my arrow, in the water or upon the
damp earth; but fall, my shaft, upon the damp
oak tree, and into the right eye of the blue dove
thereon."

But Ivan conjured in his turn: "O stout bow,
clear burning mother arrow! fall not to earth,
strike not the dove; but bound back from this
damp oak, and pierce Koschei's black breast, drag
forth his royal heart, to the discontent of old
crones, and the cawing of black crows."

So the arrow did, and attained Koschei's impetuous
heart; and thus died Koschei the Deathless.[6]

Then Avdotya bethought herself once more and
wept. "Long is woman's hair," she said, "but
short, in sooth, are her wits! I have deserted one
shore, yet attained not unto the other. I will slay
Ivan, and go back to Chernigof a maid."

Thereupon she took the sharp sword from where
it lay upon damp mother earth. But Ivanushka
began to entreat her: "Aï, Avdotya, my White
Swan! unbind me now from the damp oak!"

"Wilt thou take me for thy wife, young Ivan
Godinovich? If thou wilt swear it, I will sever
the silken bonds upon thy white hands. But if
thou wilt not swear it, I will give thee over to
speedy death."

Then Ivan spoke firmly as he lay upon the
damp earth:

"Release me, and I will neither beat thee, nor
impute to thee great blame. I will but read thee
three lessons meet for a wife."

Yet Avdotya was afraid, and would still have
cut off Ivan's turbulent head, with her sharp sword.
But her white hands trembled; and the sword fell
not upon Ivan's white throat, but upon the silken
cords, and severed them.

Then the good youth rose up at liberty, placed
Avdotya upon his good steed, and rode over the
open plain.

"Alight now at the ford, Avdotya my White
Swan," he said: "pull off my morocco boot and
fetch me fresh water therein, for I would fain
drink at this spot."

Avdotya answered him: "Thou carest not to
drink, Ivanushka Godinovich, but only to slay
me!"

This seemed to Ivanushka a grief and a great
evil; so he hewed off Avdotya's arms to the elbow,
for her first wifely lesson: "I need not these,"
quoth he; "they have embraced Koschei." For
his second lesson he cut off her lips, saying:
"These I need not: they have kissed Koschei."
And for the third lesson, he smote off her feet to
the knee: "Of these I have no need," quoth he:
"they bore thee from my white pavilion to drag
Ivan by his ruddy curls."

Last of all, he cut off her turbulent head.

Then he washed his sword in the Dnyepr river,

and rode to Kief town, where all the mighty heroes
came forth to meet him.

Alyosha Popovich laughed in his face:

"Hail, Ivanushka!" said he. "Thou art
wedded? But thou hast no companion with
whom to dwell."

And Ivan Godinovich replied:

"I have wedded my sharp sword!"