The Witch and the Sister of the Sun

Long ago, in a kingdom far beyond the lands most people knew, a Tsar and Tsaritsa had a son named Ivan Tsarevich. Ivan had never spoken a word in his life, even though he was already twelve years old.

Of all the people in the palace, Ivan loved the royal groom most. The groom was always ready with a wonderful story, and Ivan often visited the stables to listen to him. But one day, instead of entertaining the prince with a tale, the groom gave him a terrible warning.

“Your mother will soon give birth to a daughter,” he said. “She will be a dreadful witch. She will devour your father, your mother, and everyone in the kingdom. If you wish to escape this terrible fate, go to your father and ask him for his finest horse. Mount it and ride wherever your eyes lead you.”

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For the first time in his life, Ivan spoke. He hurried to his father and asked for a horse.

The Tsar was so overjoyed to hear his son speak that he did not even ask why Ivan needed the animal. He immediately ordered the finest horse from his herd to be saddled.

Ivan mounted the horse and rode away, following the open road wherever it took him.

The travellers who feared their final days

Ivan travelled a great distance until he came upon two old seamstresses. He asked whether they would allow him to stay with them.

“We would gladly welcome you, Ivan Tsarevich,” they replied. “But we have little time left to live. We are breaking apart this box and sewing it together again with our needles. When we have finished, Death will come for us.”

Ivan was heartbroken. He wept and continued his journey.

Farther along the road, he met a strange man named Vertodub, whose task was to turn enormous oak trees over, roots and all.

“Will you take me as your son?” Ivan asked.

“I would gladly do so,” Vertodub answered. “But when I have finished turning all these oaks, my time will be over, and I must die.”

Once again, Ivan wept and rode on.

He soon encountered another extraordinary figure, Vertogor, who was charged with turning mountains over.

“Will you take me as your son?” Ivan asked him too.

“I would gladly have you,” Vertogor replied. “But when I have turned over the last of these mountains, my life will end.”

Ivan could find no lasting home with any of them. Sad and weary, he continued travelling until he finally reached the dwelling of the Sister of the Sun.

Unlike the others, she welcomed him warmly. She gave him food and drink and accepted him as her own son. At last, Ivan had found a place where he could live peacefully.

Yet even in this wonderful home, his heart remained troubled. He could not stop wondering what had happened to his parents and the kingdom he had left behind.

The terrible truth about his family

One day, unable to bear his uncertainty any longer, Ivan climbed a high mountain from which he could see his homeland.

What he saw filled him with grief. His home had been devastated. Everything had been devoured, and only the walls of the house remained standing.

Ivan returned to the Sister of the Sun in tears.

“Why are you crying, Ivan Tsarevich?” she asked.

“The wind has blown something into my eye,” he replied, hiding the truth.

But his sadness would not leave him. He climbed the mountain a second time and looked towards home. Again, he saw the ruined house and the destruction that had taken place. He returned weeping.

When the Sister of the Sun asked him what was wrong, he gave the same excuse. This time, she became angry with the wind and ordered it to stop blowing.

Still, Ivan could not find peace. On his third visit to the mountain, he finally admitted that he longed to return home and discover what had happened.

The Sister of the Sun understood his sorrow. Before allowing him to leave, she gave him a brush, a comb, and two magical apples. Anyone who ate one of the apples, no matter how old, would become young again.

Ivan thanked her and set off on his journey home.

Three gifts and three acts of kindness

On his way, Ivan met Vertogor again. The mighty figure had almost completed his task and had only one mountain left to turn over.

Remembering how Vertogor had wished to live longer, Ivan took out the brush given to him by the Sister of the Sun and threw it into an open field.

At once, mountains rose everywhere. Their enormous peaks reached towards the sky, and so many appeared that no one could count them.

Vertogor was delighted. His work was far from finished, and he could continue turning over mountains.

Ivan travelled onwards until he found Vertodub. The tree-turner had only three oaks remaining.

Ivan threw the magical comb into the field. Immediately, a thick forest sprang from the earth, filled with mighty oak trees.

Vertodub rejoiced at the sight and happily returned to his work.

Finally, Ivan reached the two old seamstresses. He gave each woman one of the magical apples. As soon as they ate them, their youth returned.

Grateful for his kindness, the women presented Ivan with a small handkerchief. They explained that if he shook it, a great lake would appear.

With this precious gift, Ivan continued towards his homeland.

The sister who wanted to eat him

When Ivan arrived at his old home, his sister greeted him with an affectionate embrace.

“Come, dear brother,” she said sweetly. “Sit down and play the harp while I prepare our dinner.”

Ivan sat down and began to play. Everything seemed peaceful, but suddenly a little mouse crept out of a corner and spoke in a human voice.

“Run away, Tsarevich! Escape as quickly as you can. Your sister is sharpening her teeth!”

Ivan understood the danger at once. He slipped away, mounted his horse, and fled towards the dwelling of the Sister of the Sun.

The mouse remained behind, running over the harp strings so that the witch would not immediately realise her brother had escaped.

When the witch had finished sharpening her teeth, she returned to the room, expecting to find Ivan waiting for her. But the room was empty. Even the little mouse had disappeared into its hole.

Furious at having lost her prey, the witch set off in pursuit.

Ivan rode as fast as his horse could carry him. Before long, he heard a noise behind him and looked back. His sister was gaining on him.

He remembered the handkerchief the old women had given him. He shook it, and a deep lake suddenly appeared behind him.

The witch had to swim across the water while Ivan gained distance. But she was swifter than he was, and soon she was close behind him again.

The forest and the mountains delay the witch

As Ivan fled, Vertodub realised that he was being pursued by his dangerous sister. Determined to help the prince, he gathered enormous oak trees and piled them across her path.

The witch could not pass through the tangled mass of timber. She began gnawing through the wood, working furiously until she finally forced a way through.

By then, Ivan had gained more ground.

But his sister continued the chase.

When Vertogor saw her approaching, he lifted a mighty mountain and placed it directly across the road. He piled another mountain on top of it, creating an enormous barrier.

The witch was enraged. She began climbing the mountains, determined to reach Ivan before he could escape.

For a while, the obstacle gave the prince precious time. But the witch was relentless. She climbed over the mountains and soon caught sight of him again.

“This time, you will not escape me!” she cried.

Ivan urged his horse onward. At last, he reached the palace of the Sister of the Sun.

“Sun, Sun!” he called desperately. “Open your great windows!”

The windows opened, and Ivan leapt inside on his horse just as his sister arrived.

The final contest

The witch demanded that the Sister of the Sun surrender her brother.

But the Sister of the Sun refused.

The witch then proposed a contest. Ivan and the witch would each stand on one side of a pair of scales. If she proved heavier, she would eat him. If Ivan proved heavier, he would be allowed to defeat her.

The scales were prepared.

Ivan climbed onto one side and waited. The witch approached the other side, confident that her enormous weight would ensure victory.

But the moment she placed one foot on the scales, something extraordinary happened.

Ivan was hurled upwards with such tremendous force that he flew into the sky and landed in the heavenly chambers of the Sun.

The witch remained on the earth below.

At last, Ivan had escaped the sister who had destroyed his family and pursued him across the land. Protected by the Sister of the Sun, he was beyond her reach.

And so the prince who had once fled his home in fear found safety in the heavens.

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Moral

Kindness is never wasted. The help we give others may return to us when we face our greatest difficulties. Courage also means recognising danger, accepting help, and finding a way forward when direct confrontation is impossible.