In a small household lived three sisters whose characters and fortunes seemed very different. The two older girls considered themselves clever and admired their fine appearance, while their youngest sister was treated as foolish and given the hardest household duties.
Her life changes when she receives a silver saucer and a crystal apple. With a special rhyme taught to her by an old woman, she discovers that the objects can reveal distant lands and wonderful sights. Unfortunately, her sisters become jealous of the gift and allow their envy to lead them into a terrible act.
What follows is a tale of betrayal, magical discovery, loss and forgiveness. The youngest daughter must overcome the cruelty of those closest to her before she can find happiness.
The Three Sisters and the Little Fool
Once upon a time, there lived a peasant and his wife who had three daughters. The two older daughters were regarded as clever and attractive. They dressed themselves well and took pride in their appearance.
The youngest daughter was treated very differently. Her family called her the Little Fool and gave her most of the household work. While her sisters enjoyed themselves, she was expected to remain busy with domestic duties.
Although she was often ridiculed, the youngest girl was not without kindness or curiosity. One day, she encountered an old woman who asked her for a loaf of white bread. The girl gave her the bread, and the old woman rewarded her by teaching her special words to use with a silver saucer and a crystal apple.
The girl remembered the words, though she did not yet possess the magical objects. She continued her ordinary life, keeping the old woman’s instructions in mind.
The Silver Saucer and the Crystal Apple
One day, the girls’ father prepared to travel to a fair. Before he left, he asked his daughters what they would like him to bring back for them.
The older sisters requested fine clothing and other things that would improve their appearance. The youngest asked for something different. She wanted a silver saucer and a crystal apple.
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Her father considered the request unusual, but he agreed to bring the objects.
When he returned from the fair, he gave each daughter what she had requested. The older sisters were pleased with their new possessions, while the youngest was delighted to receive the saucer and crystal apple.
She immediately remembered the words taught to her by the old woman. Placing the crystal apple on the silver saucer, she rolled it around while reciting the special words.
A wonderful sight appeared. The saucer revealed distant cities, open fields, forests, seas and mountains. She could see ships travelling across the water and other remarkable scenes from faraway places. The objects seemed to bring the wider world before her eyes.
The youngest girl was fascinated by what she saw. She continued using the saucer and apple, discovering more of their extraordinary powers.
Her sisters soon noticed the unusual display. They watched the magical visions and realised that their youngest sister possessed something far more valuable than the possessions they had requested from their father.
Their admiration quickly turned into jealousy.
The Sisters’ Jealousy
The two older sisters could not bear the thought that the girl they had always mocked possessed such wonderful treasures. They wanted the silver saucer and crystal apple for themselves.
They began considering how they could take the objects away from her. Their jealousy grew until they decided to get rid of their sister.
One day, they suggested that the three of them should go into the forest to gather berries. The youngest girl agreed, unaware of the danger that awaited her.
The sisters led her deeper into the forest, away from the safety of their home. When they found a suitable place, they attacked her with a spade and killed her.
After committing the crime, they buried her beneath a silver birch tree. They took the silver saucer and crystal apple and returned home without her.
When their father asked where the youngest daughter was, they claimed that she had disappeared. They offered no truthful explanation of what had happened in the forest.
The family was left believing that the girl was missing, while the two older sisters kept the magical objects they had desired.
The Speaking Reed Pipe
Some time after the murder, a shepherd passed through the forest and noticed flowers growing around the place where the youngest girl had been buried.
The sight attracted his attention. He cut a bulrush growing nearby and made a small pipe from it.
When he played the instrument, something extraordinary happened. Instead of producing an ordinary musical sound, the pipe began to sing. Its song revealed the terrible secret hidden beneath the silver birch.
It told the story of the youngest daughter, explaining that her sisters had killed her because they wanted her silver saucer and crystal apple.
The shepherd was astonished by what he heard. The pipe continued to reveal the crime whenever it was played, making it impossible for the truth to remain hidden.
Eventually, news of the mysterious instrument reached the girl’s father. When he learned what the pipe was saying, he went to the forest and discovered the burial place.
He found his daughter’s body beneath the silver birch and understood that the story of her disappearance had been a lie. His grief was great, but he was determined to find a way to bring her back to life.
The Search for the Water of Life
The speaking pipe revealed that the girl could be restored, but only with water from the Tsar’s well.
Her father understood that obtaining this water would not be easy. Nevertheless, he was willing to undertake the journey because he wanted his daughter returned to him.
He travelled to the Tsar and explained his desperate situation. He told him about the murder, the speaking pipe and the revelation that the water from the royal well could restore the girl.
The Tsar listened to his account and agreed to help. He gave the peasant the water of life, allowing him to return to the forest with the means of saving his daughter.
The father hurried back to the silver birch. Using the precious water, he brought his daughter back to life.
The girl was restored, and her father was overjoyed. The mystery surrounding her disappearance had now been solved, and the magical pipe had helped expose the crime.
The Truth Before the Tsar
After the girl’s restoration, her father brought his daughters and the magical objects before the Tsar.
The youngest girl demonstrated the extraordinary power of the silver saucer and crystal apple. Once again, the objects revealed distant places and remarkable sights, showing the Tsar why her sisters had been so eager to possess them.
The speaking pipe had already exposed the murder, and the older sisters could no longer hide what they had done. Their crime was brought into the open, and they confessed.
The Tsar now had the authority to punish them for their actions. However, the youngest daughter did not wish to see her sisters put to death. Although they had treated her cruelly and had even taken her life, she pleaded with the Tsar to forgive them.
The Tsar was moved by her request and agreed to pardon the sisters.
He was also impressed by the youngest girl’s beauty, character and extraordinary treasures. He asked her to become his Tsaritsa, offering her a place beside him.
The girl accepted, but she made one condition. She wanted her parents and sisters to remain with her rather than be separated from the family.
The Tsar agreed to her request.
A New Life at the Royal Court
The youngest daughter had once been dismissed as foolish and forced to perform the hardest household duties. Now she was welcomed into the royal household and chosen to become the Tsar’s wife.
Her parents and sisters were allowed to remain with her, just as she had requested. The family was reunited, and the terrible events that had once separated them came to an end.
The silver saucer and crystal apple remained extraordinary reminders of the gifts that had changed her life. The speaking reed pipe had also played an important role, revealing the truth when the murder might otherwise have remained hidden.
The story ends with the youngest daughter receiving honour and happiness, while the sisters are spared because she chooses forgiveness over revenge.
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Moral Lessons
Jealousy can lead people to commit terrible acts when they allow envy to control their decisions. The two older sisters cannot accept that their youngest sister possesses something special. Their desire for her treasures leads them to betray and murder her, but the truth eventually comes to light.
The youngest daughter’s decision to forgive her sisters also highlights compassion and restraint. Despite the suffering they caused her, she asks the Tsar to spare their lives. Her actions show that forgiveness can be a powerful response to wrongdoing, even when the offender has caused great harm.
Knowledge Check
- What were the three sisters like in the story?
Answer: The two older sisters considered themselves clever and attractive, while the youngest was treated as foolish and made to do the household work. - What two magical objects did the youngest daughter request from her father?
Answer: She requested a silver saucer and a crystal apple. - How did the youngest daughter discover the magical power of the saucer and apple?
Answer: She rolled the crystal apple around the silver saucer while reciting the special words taught to her by an old woman. - Why did the older sisters murder their youngest sister?
Answer: They were jealous of her magical treasures and wanted to possess the silver saucer and crystal apple. - How was the truth about the murder revealed?
Answer: A shepherd made a pipe from a bulrush growing near the girl’s grave. When played, it sang and revealed that her sisters had murdered her. - Why did the Tsar pardon the two older sisters?
Answer: The youngest daughter pleaded with him to forgive them rather than punish them with death.
Source
This retelling is based on “The Tale of the Silver Saucer and the Crystal Apple,” collected by Alexander Afanasyev and translated by Leonard A. Magnus in Russian Folk-Tales, published in 1916.
Explore More Afanasyev’s Russian Folk-Tales
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