The Snake Princess

A intrepid cossack once saw some woods burning and tired to put out the fire, but there was nothing the could do. To his horror, amidst the flames he saw a young girl crying out to him to help her. He did not know what to do, as the flames were so fierce.

'Stretch your spear out to me through the flames,' she said. When he did this, the young girl suddenly changed into snake, wrapped herself round the spear, and so the cossack was able to save her. The magical snake then ordered him to take it to a castle. As they arrived, the snake turned back into a woman.

'You must wait here for me for seven years,' she said to the cossack. Then she vanished instantly from before his eyes. Although there was nobody in the castle, it was bewitched. It was enough for the cossack to express a wish, and dinner, or anything else he wished for, would appear. For the faithful cossack the seven years passed quickly; eventually the snake returned to the castle. And then, transformed again into a beautiful princess, she explained to the cossack that she had been bewitched, but his courage and faithfulness had broken the evil spell on her. And so, of course, the cossack and the princess went off to her father, who gladly gave his daughter in marriage to our hero.