The Footless and Blind Champions

In a certain kingdom, in a certain land, there lived a Tsar with his Tsaritsa. They had a son, Ivan Tsarevich, and Katoma of the Oaken Cap was appointed as his tutor, to care for and guard Ivan.

The Tsar and Tsaritsa grew old, fell ill, and had little hope of recovery. They summoned Ivan and said: "When we die, obey Katoma of the Oaken Cap in everything and honor him. If you obey him, you will be happy; but if you are disobedient, you will perish like a fly."

The next day, they died. Ivan buried his parents and lived according to their command: whatever he did, he always consulted his tutor. Whether it was long or short, Ivan grew to manhood and thought of marrying. He came to Katoma and said: "I feel lonely; I wish to marry."

"Well, Tsarevich, why hesitate? Your years are such that it is time to think of a bride. Go to the great hall, where the portraits of all the Tsars' daughters and kings' daughters are gathered. Look at them and choose; if any pleases you, propose to her."

Ivan went to the great hall and examined the portraits. Princess Anna the Beautiful suited his taste—such a beauty that the whole world had no equal. Under her portrait was written: if any man gave her a riddle she could not solve, she would marry him; but whose riddle she solved, off went his head. Ivan read this inscription, grew very sorrowful, and went to his uncle. "I have been," he said, "in the great hall and have found myself a bride—Anna the Beautiful; but I know not how to win her."

"Yes, Tsarevich, it is difficult to win her. If you go alone, you will never succeed; but if you take me and do what I say, perhaps the matter may be managed."

Ivan begged Katoma to accompany him and gave his word to obey him in sorrow and in joy.

They prepared for the journey and set off to ask for Anna the Beautiful's hand. They traveled one year, a second, then a third, passing through many lands. Ivan said: "Uncle, we have been traveling so long, we are nearing her land, and we still don't know what riddle to give her."

"Oh, we'll think of one."

They went on. Uncle Katoma looked at the road and saw a purse with gold lying there. He picked it up, poured all the money into his own purse, and said: "Here is the riddle, Ivan. When you come to the princess, say these words: 'We were traveling along, and we saw good lying on the road. We took good with good and put it in our good.' She'll never solve that riddle in all her life; but any other riddle she'd know in a moment—she would just look into her magic book, and as soon as she knew the riddle she would have your head cut off."

Well, they finally reached the high palace where the princess lived. At that very time she was on the balcony, saw the travelers, and sent to ask whence they came and what they wanted.

Ivan replied: "I come from such-and-such a kingdom, and I wish to ask Anna the Beautiful in marriage."

They reported this to the princess. She answered that the Tsarevich should come to the palace and give, in the presence of all her councilors and boyars, a riddle. "With me," she said, "this rule is established: if I cannot solve a man's riddle, I will marry him; but if I solve his riddle, I give him to a cruel death."

"Hear my riddle, beautiful princess," said Ivan. "We were going along, we saw good lying on the road, we took good with good and put it in our good."

Anna took her magic book, began to search for riddles, went through the whole volume, and found nothing. The councilors and boyars decided that she must marry Ivan. Though sorry, she had to submit, and began to prepare for the wedding; but plotting to gain time and get rid of the bridegroom, she thought, "I will trouble him with difficult tasks." She called Ivan and said: "Oh, my dear Ivan, my betrothed husband, we must prepare for the wedding; do me a small service. In my kingdom, in such a place, stands a great iron pillar; bring it to the palace kitchen and cut it into small pieces as fuel for the cook."

"My princess, is it possible that I have come here to cut fuel? Is that my business? I have a servant for that—Uncle Katoma of the Oaken Cap."

Ivan called Uncle Katoma immediately and commanded him to bring the iron pillar to the kitchen and cut it into small pieces for fuel.

Uncle Katoma went, took the pillar in his arms, brought it to the kitchen, and cut it into small pieces. Four pieces of iron he put in his pocket, saying, "They will be useful in the future."

The next day the princess said to Ivan: "My dear Tsarevich, my betrothed, tomorrow we must go to the wedding ceremony: I will go in a carriage, and you on a heroic steed. Meanwhile, you should try the steed."

"Shall I try a horse when I have a servant for that?" Ivan called Uncle Katoma.

"Go," he said, "and order the stable-boys to lead forth the heroic steed; sit on him and ride him around. Tomorrow I will go to the marriage on him."

Uncle Katoma saw through the princess's cunning. He went to the stable and ordered them to lead forth the heroic steed. Twelve men came: they opened twelve locks, opened twelve doors, and led out the magic horse by twelve iron chains.

Uncle Katoma approached the horse: the moment he sat on him, the magic steed rose from the earth, higher than the standing forest, lower than the moving clouds. But Katoma sat firmly; with one hand he held the mane, and with the other he took an iron bar from his pocket and began to pound the horse between the ears. He broke one bar, then another, then a third. The fourth served; Katoma hammered so hard that the horse could not bear it and spoke with a human voice: "Father Katoma, let me live in the white world; whatever you wish, command—I will do everything."

"Listen, dog's meat!" answered Uncle Katoma. "Tomorrow Ivan Tsarevich will ride you to the wedding: see to it that when they lead you to the broad courtyard, when the Tsarevich approaches and puts his hand on you, you stand quietly, not moving an ear; and when he sits on your back, sink to your fetlocks, and walk with a heavy tread as if carrying an immeasurable burden."

The heroic steed heard the command and came down barely alive. Katoma took him by the tail and threw him toward the stable, saying: "Oh, coachmen and grooms, take this dog's meat back to the stable!"

The next day, the hour of the wedding arrived. They gave a carriage to the princess, and led out the heroic steed for Ivan. People ran from every side in thousands. The bridegroom and bride came forth from the white-walled palace. The princess sat in the carriage, waiting to see what would happen to Ivan. She thought the magic steed would scatter his hair to the wind and drag his bones over the field.

Ivan approached the steed, put his hand on its back, his foot in the stirrup; the horse stood as if fixed to the earth, not moving an ear. Ivan mounted; the horse sank to its fetlocks. They removed the twelve chains, and the horse began to walk with slow, heavy steps, sweat rolling down like rain.

"Oh, what a hero, what immeasurable strength!" said the people, looking at Ivan.

They crowned the bridegroom with the bride. Coming out of the church, they took each other by the hand, and the princess thought to test Ivan's strength once more.

She pressed his hand so hard that he could not endure; the blood rushed to his face, his eyes went up under his forehead.

"So this is the kind of hero you are!" thought the princess. "Your uncle has deceived me well; but this will not go for nothing."

Anna the Beautiful lived with Ivan as befitted a wife, flattering him with words, but thinking only of how to destroy Uncle Katoma. It was not difficult for her to manage Ivan without his uncle. No matter how much she slandered, Ivan did not yield; he had pity on his uncle. After a year, he said to his wife: "My dear consort, beautiful princess, I should like to go with you to my own kingdom."

"Very well, let us go; I have long wished to see your kingdom."

They set out, making Uncle Katoma coachman. They traveled on. Ivan fell asleep on the way. Suddenly Anna began to rouse him and complain: "Now, Tsarevich, you sleep all the time and hear nothing. But your uncle will not obey me; he drives the horses over hillocks and into holes, as if trying to kill me. I spoke to him kindly, and he laughed at me. I will not live unless you punish him."

Ivan, in his drowsiness, grew angry at his uncle and gave him over to the princess. "Do with him as you wish." The princess ordered his feet cut off. Katoma allowed himself to be maltreated, thinking, "Let me suffer; and the Tsarevich will know what sorrow means." They cut off Katoma's feet. The princess looked around, saw a high stump, and ordered the servants to seat him on it. Ivan she tied by a rope to the carriage, turned back, and went to her own kingdom. Uncle Katoma sat on the stump, shedding bitter tears. "Farewell, Ivan," he said, "you will remember me." Ivan ran along behind the carriage, knowing he had made a mistake but unable to turn back.

Anna came to her kingdom and made Ivan herd cows. Every morning he went with the herd to the field, and in the evening drove them back to the princess's yard. She would sit on the balcony and count the cows, then order Ivan to kiss the last cow on the tail. The cow was trained so that when she came to the gate, she stopped and raised her tail.

Uncle Katoma sat on the stump for a day, a second, a third, without food or drink. He could not get down and was near death from hunger. Not far away was a thick forest, where lived a blind hero of great might. He nourished himself by catching beasts—hares, foxes, or bears—that ran past, using his keen sense of smell. He was so swift that no creature could escape him. One day a fox slipped by; the hero heard it and pursued. The fox ran to the tall stump and turned aside.

The blind champion, in his rush, struck his forehead against the stump, driving it out of the ground with its roots.

Katoma was thrown to the ground and asked, "Who are you?"

"I am the blind hero; I have lived in this forest for thirty years, and I feed myself this way. If I catch a beast, I roast it on the fire; otherwise, I'd have died of hunger long ago."

"Are you blind from birth?"

"No, not from birth; Anna the Beautiful blinded me."

"Well, brother," said Uncle Katoma, "I am through her footless; she cut off my feet, the cursed woman."

The two heroes talked and agreed to live together and find food in common. The blind man said to the footless: "Sit on me and show the way; I will serve you with my feet, and you will serve me with your eyes."

He carried Katoma, who sat and called directions: "To the right! To the left! Straight ahead!" They lived this way in the forest, catching food—hares, foxes, and bears.

Once the footless asked: "Is it possible we'll live all our lives without company? I have heard that in a certain town there is a rich merchant with a daughter, who is very charitable to the poor and gives alms herself. Let us carry her off, brother; let her be our housekeeper."

The blind man took a wagon, put the footless in it, and drew him to the town. They went to the merchant's house. The daughter saw them from the window, sprang up, and came out to give them something. She approached the footless: "Take this, poor man, for Christ's sake." As she gave the alms, he seized her by the hand and pulled her into the wagon. He called to the blind man, who ran so swiftly that no horseman could catch them.

The merchant sent a party in pursuit, but no one could overtake them. The heroes brought the maiden to their hut and said: "Be as a sister to us; live with us, keep the house, for we have no one to cook or wash. God will not forget your kindness."

The maiden stayed. The heroes treated her with respect and love, considering her as their sister. When they went hunting, she stayed home, kept house, cooked, and washed. Now a Baba-Yaga, with a bone leg, began to come to the hut and suck the blood of the merchant's daughter. Whenever the heroes left, Baba-Yaga appeared. Before long, the maiden's face grew thin and pale.

The blind man saw nothing, but Uncle Katoma noticed something wrong. He spoke to the blind man, and they questioned their sister. She was afraid to confess, for Baba-Yaga had forbidden it. But they persuaded her, and she confessed: "Whenever you go hunting, an ancient old woman comes—ugly, long-haired, gray. She makes me search her head, then sucks my blood."

"Ah!" said the blind man, "that is Baba-Yaga. Wait; we must deal with her in our own way. Tomorrow we will not hunt. We will catch her."

Next morning they stayed home. "Well, footless uncle," said the blind man, "crawl under the bench and sit quietly. I will go outside and stay under the window. And you, sister, when Baba-Yaga comes, sit at this window, search her head, separate her hair gradually, and let it flow out of the window. I will catch her by the gray locks."

So they did. The blind man caught Baba-Yaga by the hair and cried, "Hey, Uncle Katoma, crawl from under the bench and hold the foul hag until I come in!"

Baba-Yaga struggled, but she was trapped. Katoma threw himself on her like a stone mountain and began to smother her. She was terrified.

The blind man sprang in and said: "We must make a big fire, burn this witch, and scatter her ashes to the wind."

Baba-Yaga begged: "Father, dove, forgive me! I will do anything you wish."

"Well, old witch," said the heroes, "show us the well of living and healing water."

"Only don't beat me, and I'll show you."

Katoma sat on the blind man, who took Baba-Yaga by the hair, and she led them to the forest depth, to a well. "Here is the healing and living water."

"See, Uncle Katoma," said the blind man, "make no mistake; if she deceives us, we cannot mend matters."

Katoma broke a green branch and threw it into the well; the branch burst into flame before reaching the water.

"Ah, you have deceived us again!"

They choked the old woman and threatened to throw her into the fiery well. She begged more, swearing an awful oath to lead them to good water. They agreed, and she brought them to another well.

Katoma broke a dry branch and threw it in; the branch blossomed and grew green.

"Oh, this is good water!" said Katoma.

The blind man moistened his eyes, and in a moment he could see. He lowered the footless into the water, and his feet grew back.

Both rejoiced and said: "Now we will restore everything; but first we must settle with Baba-Yaga, or she will plot evil against us all our lives."

They returned to the fiery well, threw Baba-Yaga into it, and she perished. Then Uncle Katoma married the merchant's daughter, and all three went to Anna's kingdom to free Ivan.

As they neared the capital, they saw Ivan driving a herd of cows.

"Stop, herdsman!" called Uncle Katoma. "Where are you driving these cows?"

"I am driving them to the royal castle; the princess counts them herself to see if all are there."

"Well, herdsman, here are my clothes; put them on. I will wear yours and drive the cows."

"No, brother, that is impossible; if the princess knows, woe to me."

"Never fear; nothing will come of it. Uncle Katoma is your security."

Ivan sighed: "Oh, kind man, if Uncle Katoma were alive, I should not be herding cows in this field."

Then Uncle Katoma revealed who he was. Ivan embraced him, shedding tears: "I never thought to see you again."

They changed clothes. Uncle Katoma drove the cows to the princess's yard. Anna came out, counted them, and ordered them into the shed. All went in but the last one, which stopped at the gate. Katoma jumped up. "What are you waiting for, dog's meat?" He caught the cow by the tail and pulled off its skin.

The princess saw this and cried, "What is that scoundrel doing? Seize him and bring him to me!"

The servants brought Katoma to the palace. The princess looked at him and asked, "Who are you? Where do you come from?"

"I am the man whose feet you cut off and set on a stump; I am called Uncle Katoma of the Oaken Cap."

"Well," she thought, "if he has his feet back, there is no use in playing tricks with him." She begged his forgiveness, repented of her sins, and swore to love Ivan forever and obey him in all things.

Ivan forgave her, and they lived in peace and harmony. The blind hero stayed with them, and Uncle Katoma and his wife went to the rich merchant's house and lived there.