University of Virginia Library

LII.—KRALJEVITCH MARKO.

There was once upon a time a mother who gave birth to
Kraljevitch Marko. She reared him, and placed him in a
position to become a hero. When Marko was growing up
he was obliged to feed swine, but he was then weakly, and
so dwarfish a lad that his comrades were able to beat him,
and wanted him to be a sort of servant for them and tend
their swine. But he was not willing to do this, so they
beat him and lugged him by the hair, so that he was obliged
to run away from them. He got away, and went into the
fields, and there roamed about, thinking: `They would be
beating me all day, now one, now another of them; but as
it is, when I go to them in the evening, they will only beat
me once.' As he roamed about, he came up to a baby.
He saw that it was a handsome one, and that it was lying
in the sun. He made it a cool shade with branches, and
went a little way off and sat down. As he thus sat, up came
a Vila, and said to herself: `Gracious God! who has done
this? Let him ask me for anything in the world; I will
give it him.' He heard this, approached, and said: `Sister,
I have done this for you.' `You have done it, little brother?
Come! what do you ask of me in return, that I may reward
you for being so good as to make a cool shade for my baby?'
`Ah, dear sister! what I should ask you, you could not
give me.' `Well, what is such a mighty matter? only tell
me.' He was thinking of this, that his comrades might not
beat him at the pasture; therefore he said that he should

wish that they should not beat him. She replied: `Well,
if that is what you wish for, come and suck my breast.'
He obeyed her, went and sucked. When he had finished
sucking, the Vila said to him: `Well, go now and heave
you stone, and try whether you can heave it up.' The
stone was twelve hundredweight. He went to heave it, but
could not stir it from its place. Then the Vila said to him:
`Come and suck again; when you have done sucking, go
and heave it. He went to suck, and when he had finished,
went to heave it, but only lifted it a little. Then he went
again to suck, with such effect that he could already cast it
a little way. He went to suck once more. Then he was
already able to cast it to a great height and over hills, so
that it was no more to be found. Once more she bade him
come to suck. He sucked his fill, and then she said to
him: `Go now whithersoever you will; no one will beat you
any more—no, not your comrades.' He went merrily to the
herdsmen, and they called to him: `Where have you been
that we are obliged to tend your swine?' and rushed upon
him to beat him. He only waited for them. When they
came up to him, he seized one, knocked them down, and
the one who was in his hands was quite squashed, with
such force had he taken hold of him. The other shepherds,
who saw what he did, ran to the home of those whom he
had knocked down, saying: `Marko has knocked down
your son, and so-and-so's, and so-and-so's.' They all went to
his mother: `What manner of son is this that you have
reared up?—a brigand, who kills our children!' She was
terrified out of her wits, thinking what her son had done.
She began to revile him: `Sonny, never did my eye see that
you did anything; wherefore do you thus to me, that other
people come to revile me because of your doings? Go! I
shall be glad if my eye never sees you more. Why do you
put me to shame?' `Well, then, good! if so you say, I will
go into the world.' `Only go that I may never see you.'
`Well, then, good! go I will.'

He went. Now, he thought to himself: `What shall I
do? I am a hero, but I have not what a hero requires.'
Then he went to a smith, at whose smithy were five-andtwenty
smiths. `God help you, smith!' `God help you,
Kraljevitch Marko! why have you come to me?' `I have
come to you that you may forge me a sword weighing twelve
hundredweight; then you shall also forge me a mace, if you
make the sword well; but you must know that it must be
stronger than your anvil. If it cuts it through, you shall
receive payment; otherwise, not. Have you understood
me?' `Yes.' `Well, then make it now.' All five-andtwenty
smiths went immediately and forged the sword.
When it was ready, Marko came. `Well, smith, have you
got it ready?' `Yes, Marko.' `Now come, let me see.'
Marko struck, but the sword broke into two pieces, and not
the anvil. `Ah! friend smith, you've not done it well;
you get no pay.' He went on to another smith. `God
help you, smith!' `God help you, Kraljevitch Marko!
What work do you want done?' `I have come to you to
make me a sword weighing twelve hundredweight, and to
make it stronger than your anvil, because, if it cuts through
your anvil, you will receive payment; if not, you will get
nothing. Have you understood me?' `Yes.' `Then make
it.' Then up came the thirty smiths, worked at the sword,
and worked until they had finished forging it. Marko came:
`Well, smith, is the sword ready?' `It is, Marko.' `Show
it me that I may see it.' Marko took it, struck, cut through
the anvil, and cut right into the block. `Well, smith, you've
made it well. Now that you've made me a sword, make me
also a sheath for the sword, and also a club, that is, a mace,
weighing twelve hundredweight, then I will pay you all at
once. But when I throw the mace, it must not break; if it

breaks, then you get no payment.' He made him a mace
also, but did not make it well. When Marko threw it, he
let it fall upon himself, and the mace broke. Then said
Marko: `You have made me the sword well, but not the
mace. Reach out your hand that I may pay you for the
sword.' The smith reached out his hand, and Marko cut it
off with the sword, saying: `There's your payment, smith,
for the sword, that you may no more make such swords for
any hero.' Then he went to a third smith, with whom
thirty-eight smiths were at work, and said: `God help you,
smith!' `God requite you, Marko! why have you come to
me?' `I have come to you to make me a club, that is, a
mace, weighing twelve hundredweight; I tell you the truth,
if I throw it up on high, and it breaks when it falls, you get
no payment.' All thirty-eight smiths worked till they forged
it. Marko came: `Well, is the mace ready?' `It is, Marko.'
`Show it, that I may see it.' When he gave it him, he threw
it so high into the air that it was three days and three nights
in the sky. When it came down, Marko presented his back;
it fell upon him, and cast him to the ground, and blood
flowed from his nose and teeth, but the mace remained
sound. But Marko sprang up quickly, and said to the
smith: `Ah! dear smith! you've made it well for me;
reach out your hand that I may pay you.' He reached out
his hand to him, and he cut his hand off with his sword.
`Let this be your payment, smith, that you may no more
make such staves for any hero.'

Then he went off to his mother and said to her: `Mother,
you see in me a hero; if you revile me, I shall go about the
world.' Then his mother began to scold him: `Why are
you like this? Why don't you live like other people? You
have oxen; go, then, on to the green hill and plough the
fallows and pastures, and thereby support your old mother.'
Marko obeyed her, took the oxen, and went. But he didn't

go on to the green hill, to plough the fallows and pastures,
but he went and ploughed the emperor's highroads. When
the Turks saw this, they went to Marko—three hundred
Turks, all chosen warriors—and said to him: `Why, Marko,
do you plough the emperor's highroads? you have the
fallows and pastures!' Then at him, to cut him down.
When Marko saw this, he hadn't with him either his sword
or his mace, so seized his plough and felled all three
hundred Turks. Then said he: `Ah! gracious God! a
wondrous hero!' Then he took the Turks' gold from them,
left his plough, unyoked the oxen, and turned them loose on
the green hill: `Go, little oxen, on to the green hill, and
feed and graze from pine to pine, like the cuckoo; Marko
has not managed to plough with you, and now never will he
more.' And home he went singing: `Here, mother, you
have gold enough, live upon it, and I will go into the
world, that your eye may see me no more.'

He took his mace and sword, went and came to an inn,
where some Turks were drinking red wine and conversing.
`We should be glad to make the acquaintance of Kraljevitch
Marko and see him. We have heard that he is a celebrated
hero. His brother Andro is in Stambol here. He is a
hero, but they say that he is a still greater hero.' `In whose
service is Andro Kraljevitch?' `In that of a pasha; he
will soon come riding past here.' `Good; I will wait for
him.' Up came Andro Kraljevitch, riding with the pasha.
Marko called out to him: `Eh, adopted brother, Kraljevitch
Andro!' `Thanks, unknown hero, perhaps you are Kraljevitch
Marko?' `Quite true, I am Kraljevitch Marko.'
`Good; let us go into the inn to drink a cup of wine, that
love and the fortune of heroes may thus unite us. Now we
are not afraid of going into combat against any empire.'
So they went on the way to an inn. Kraljevitch Marko
said: `Prithee, sing me a song, Andro.' `Dear brother, I

dare not. The Vila of the cloud would shoot me.' `Don't
be afraid; I am here.' Andro obeyed, and sang so that all
the branches began to fall. All at once a spear flew against
Andro and struck him down. Marko looked about to see
whence it came, and espied a Vila in the cloud; he seized
his mace and threw it at the Vila, so that it at once struck
her to the ground. The Vila began to shriek: `Let me go,
Marko! I will bring Andro back to life, and will give you
a wondrous horse, so that you will be able to fly in the
air.' Marko agreed, and she took certain grasses, and
brought Andro back to life. Marko obtained the wondrous
horse, and both rode off to an inn and drank red wine.
But in the inn there was a wicked harlot. She became
enamoured of Andro, but he would not even look at her.
She therefore put sweet honey into his wine, that he might
drink the wine. Marko went out for a short time, and the
wicked woman murdered Andro. But when Marko came in
he seized the wicked woman, and spitted her on his sword:
`Take that, wretch, for murdering my brother Andro.'

He went on into the world. He roamed hither and
thither, and when he met with any hero, he tried the fortune
of combat with him, as in his encounter with black Arapin.
Arapin built a tower beside the level sea. When he had
built it handsomely and raised it high, he said thus to it:
`Handsomely, my tower, handsomely have I built thee, and
high have I raised thee, for I have no father nor mother, no
brother nor sister, nor even my beloved, to walk about in
thee. But I have a love, the daughter of the emperor
Soliman. I will write him the leaf of a white book, and
send up to him by a black Tatar; for if he will not give her
to me, let him meet me in single combat.' He wrote the
leaf of a white book and sent it by a black Tatar. When
Soliman read over the leaf of the white book, he shed tears
abundantly, and his empress Solimanitza came to him and

questioned him: `Why do you weep, emperor Soliman?
Ofttimes have letters come for you, and you have not shed
abundant tears; what distress is tormenting you?' He told
her this, that black Arapin had written to him, that, if he
did not give him his daughter, he must meet him in single
combat; and how could he meet him in single combat?
She advised him to write the leaf of a white book to Kraljevitch
Marko to come, promising to give him three loads of
money. He wrote the leaf of a white book and sent it by a
black Tatar. When Kraljevitch Marko read over the leaf
of the book, he began to laugh greatly: `Yes, i' faith,
emperor Soliman! what will your money do for me, if
black Arapin severs my head from my shoulders?' And he
said not whether he would go or not go. The emperor
Soliman was anxiously expecting the Tatar, who brought to
him the words, that Marko neither said that he would come,
nor that he would not come. Thereupon the emperor was
sorrowful, for he had no such man who would deliver his
daughter. There arrived a second letter from black Arapin,
that he must give him his daughter; if he did not give her,
he must meet him in single combat. As he read it, he
shed abundant tears. Thereupon his only daughter came
to him and asked him: `Why do you weep, emperor
Soliman? Letters have ofttimes arrived for you, and you
have not shed abundant tears.' He replied to her: `Dear
daughter! You see that black Arapin writes to me, that,
if I do not give you to him, I must meet him in single
combat; and how shall I, poor man that I am, meet him?'
`You know, dear father, that there is one hero, Kraljevitch
Marko. Write to him, that you will give him nine loads of
money, if he will come and meet him in single combat.'
The emperor Soliman wrote to Kraljevitch Marko the leaf of
a white book, and sent it to him by a black Tatar. When
he read over the leaf of the white book he laughed greatly:
`I' faith, emperor Soliman! what will your money be to
me, if black Arapin severs my head from my shoulders?'
Thereupon he did not say whether he would come or not
come. Sorrowful thereat, the emperor did not know what
to do. Then came a third letter from black Arapin, that
he was coming, and that he must prepare, would he, nould
he, to give him his daughter, and that all inns and shops
must be shut for fear of him. Thereupon the emperor
Soliman shed abundant tears as he read it. His daughter
came to him: `Why do you weep, emperor Soliman?
Letters have ofttimes arrived for you, and you have not
shed abundant tears. What distress is assailing you?' `You
see, dear daughter, that black Arapin writes to me, that if
I don't give you to him, I must meet him in single combat!
But how shall I, poor man, meet him?' `Write, dear
father, to Kraljevitch Marko to come, and offer him twelve
loads of money, and a shirt which is neither spun nor
woven nor bleached, but made of nothing but pure gold,
and a serpent that holds a tray in its mouth, and on the
tray a golden casket, and in the casket a precious stone, by
aid of which you can sup at midnight just as well as at
mid-day.' He wrote the leaf of a white book and sent it to
Kraljevitch Marko by a black Tatar, and offered him all
that his daughter told him. When Marko read the leaf of
the white book, he laughed greatly, and said: `I' faith,
emperor Soliman! what will your money do for me, if
black Arapin severs my head from my shoulders?' And
then, too, he did not say that he would come or not come.
Thereupon came the leaf of a white book from black
Arapin, that Arapin had now got ready three hundred
heroes, all in silver armour, and all chosen warriors. Then
said Kraljevitch Marko to his piebald horse: `Eh! piebald
horse, my pearl! you know well that you must be faithful
to me, for, if not, I shall cut off your feet at the knees, and
that you must bear yourself valiantly.' And the piebald
horse replied that he must saddle and mount with speed to
go soon, and that black Arapin was already near. Marko
saddled and mounted him, and went to the city where the
emperor Soliman reigned.

Now, when he had ascertained by which road Arapin's
men were coming, he presented himself to a young innkeeper,
and said, knocking at the door: `Open, and bring
some wine.' But he excused himself, saying that he dared
not draw any, for all inns and shops were obliged to be shut
for fear of black Arapin. But the hero said to him: `You
must bring some for me, or I shall cleave your head to the
shoulders.' The innkeeper saw that it could not be otherwise,
and was obliged to bring him a cup of wine. Marko
drank half, and gave half to his piebald horse. Then he
brought two cups, one for Marko, and one for the horse.
Meanwhile, Marko went into the garden to look about him.
When he got there, he saw by the side of a brook a damsel
in sorrow, and wondered what ailed her that she wept so
piteously, saying: `Ah! my rivulet! I would rather abide
in you, than lie behind black Arapin's back.' When Marko
saw that it was Soliman's daughter, he said: `What ails you,
damsel, that you weep so piteously?' She replied to him:
`Go hence, unknown hero! As to what you ask me, you
cannot aid me.' `Now, only tell me; maybe I shall aid
you.' `Black Arapin will come, and will take me away
from my father and mother; but I had a man, who could
have set me free, but he will not. I offered him twelve
loads of money, and a shirt, which is neither spun nor
bleached, but is made of pure gold; and a serpent, that
holds in its mouth a tray, and on the tray a golden casket,
and in the casket a precious stone, by aid of which he could
sup at midnight, as well as at mid-day; but he won't. The
sun has not seen him, neither has the moon thrown its light

upon him, nor has he seen his mother more, nor has a bird
sung to him.' Marko answered her: `Don't chatter, don't
chatter; but go and say that I have arrived. I am Marko;
and let him dress and furnish you handsomely, and give you
all that is requisite for Arapin, and all that he shall desire.'
Then she ran to her father, and told him all that Marko
said. Meanwhile, while Marko was conversing with the
damsel, Arapin arrived, saw an inn open, and a horse in
front of it standing tethered at the entrance. He said:
`Who is this, that is not afraid of my terror?' And thereupon
he said that he would soon teach him to be afraid of
him. After this, he shouted an order to the bedelija; the
bedelija (such is the [Turkish] name for a horse) would not
stir. `Well, I'll go thither; I won't make quarrels; maybe
I shall obtain possession of the damsel without any disturbance.'
And, in fact, thither he went, obtained possession of
the damsel, and all that he needed was given him. Then
he went again to the inn, and saw the horse again standing
there. Again he was about to go to the innkeeper to slay
him; but he shouted to the horse, the horse wouldn't stir.
Said Arapin: `Well, I won't make quarrels, now that I have
obtained the damsel without any quarrel.' When Arapin
proceeded on his way, Marko came out of the garden, and
his piebald horse said to him: `Where have you been so
long, that Arapin might easily have killed me?' `Now
don't fear, my piebald; we shall soon kill him, please God,
not he you.' Then he called for one more cup of wine for
himself, and one for his piebald. When they had finished
drinking, they started on their way, and in pursuit of Arapin.
Arapin had already told his chief officer to look round to
see whether any dark fog came out behind them. He looked
round, but saw nothing. But when he afterwards looked
round a second time, he espied a dark fog, and said to
Arapin: `Yes, my lord, a dark foul fog is coming behind
us.' Scarcely had he said this, when Marko attacked, and
began to slaughter, his rearguard. Arapin said to him:
`Don't be silly, Marko; why are you playing the fool with
us? I don't know whether you are jesting, or playing the
fool.' `I am neither jesting nor playing the fool, but am in
earnest.' `Do, then, what you can; throw what you have.'
`I won't; but throw you your mace.' Marko's piebald
threw himself down, and Arapin's mace went over Marko's
head. Then Marko threw his mace, and felled Arapin to
the ground, and the piebald leapt to Arapin, and said to
Marko: `Come, see that you cut off Arapin's head.' When
the piebald leapt, Marko, too, struck with his sword, and
cut off Arapin's head, and the piebald quickly leapt backwards
thirty paces. Then he left Arapin's carcase on the
ground, gave the head to the damsel, and said: `Kiss him,
now that he is dead, though you wouldn't when he was
living.' They went home, and the emperor caused a great
entertainment to be prepared, and all Marko's friends, and
his father and mother, to be invited, and Marko obtained his
promised reward.

So, too, he tried the fortune of combat with Musa
Urbanusa.[7] He had three hearts. Marko fought with him
for three nights and three white days without cessation, so
that red foam already issued from Marko, while not even
white foam came from Musa Urbanusa. Then Kraljevitch
Marko shouted: `Eh! sister Vila!' The Vila replied: `I
cannot help you, because the baby has fallen asleep in my
arms; but don't you know your secret weapon?' Then
said Kraljevitch Marko: `Look, Musa Urbanusa, whether
the sun is now rising or setting.' Musa looked at the sun,
and Marko drew his knife, and ripped Musa up. Musa
seized hold of him so powerfully that he barely dug his way
out from under Musa, whom he had ripped up. There he

lay, and Marko pushed himself sideways, and when he had
extricated himself, went to look what there was in this man
that was so strong. He saw that Musa had three hearts,
one was beating, the second was beginning to beat a little,
and the third did not yet know aught about it. On the
third he saw a snake lying, and the snake said to Marko:
`Thank God that I didn't know of it; you wouldn't have
done what you have done. But open your mouth, Marko,
that I may enter into you, that you, too, may be as strong as
he was.' Marko became angry, and cut the snake to pieces,
saying: `I don't need such a foul creature as you are.'

Then he proceeded on his way, and went about till firearms
were invented. He went up to a shepherd, who was
shooting birds. Then Marko asked him: `What's this that
you are doing?' `Eh! you see, I'm shooting birds; and I
could shoot you, also.' `And how would you kill me with
this thing? Heroes have not killed me; could you do so?'
Then he reached his hand to him, and said: `Shoot into
my hand here.' He shot, and shot through his hand. Then
said Marko: `It is not worth my while to live any longer
in the world; now any cuckoo could slay me; I had rather
quit it.' He went into a cavern, and lives there still at the
present day. Into this cavern a man was compelled to go,
who was let down by a rope in a chest. When he arrived
within, the Vila immediately stepped up to him, and said:
`Christian soul, why come you here?' He told her why
and how. But Marko heard that somebody was conversing,
and immediately asked the Vila who it was that had come
in. She told him that a soul from that world had come to
see what was in the cavern. Marko immediately said that
he must come to him, that he might see how strong people
in the world still were, and he must give him his hand.
But she gave him a red-hot iron, and Marko took it, and
squeezed it in his hands so that water spirted out of it, and

said: `Ah, ah! I could still live in the world if no one
would talk about me for three days.' He also commissioned
him to tell the lords that he should come there. He gave
him a letter, too, and sealed it with his own hand, and
allowed him to go up. He shook the rope, and got into
the chest. Then they pulled him up, and he gave the letter
to the lords; but, for fear of Marko's coming, the lords did
not make the letter public for people to know how Marko
had gone into the cavern. The footprints of his horse are
still recognised.