Chapter I: The Story of Volgá

The red sun was going down behind the high hills, behind the blue sea. The countless stars showed themselves in the clear sky, and the bright moon was shining in the heavens when Volgá the Hero was born in Holy Russia. Damp Mother Earth was his cradle. The earth rocked, and there was a great storm upon the blue sea, and the fish went down into the deep sea, the birds flew up into the sky, the great aurochs and the deer fled over the hills, the hares and rabbits ran into the thick forest, and the wolves and bears fled away among the fir trees, sables and martens escaped to the islands, because they knew that a hero was born in Russia.

When Volgá was an hour and a half old he spoke with a voice like thunder, and said:

“Come then, O Lady, my mother, young Márfa, put no baby-clothes upon me, nor a sash of silk, but give me strong steel armour, and on my head put a helmet of gold. In my right hand a club, a club made heavy with lead of the weight of a hundred pounds.”

When Volgá was seven years old his mother had him taught to read, and she made him write with a pen. And from all the birds and beasts he learnt their skill and wisdom and the different tongues of all, and he understood the speech of all the beasts of the field and forest, and of all the birds and fishes.

When he was ten years old he learned much magic. First he learned to turn himself into a bright falcon, and next he learned to turn himself into a grey wolf, and the third thing he learned was to turn himself into a brown aurochs, a brown aurochs with golden hoofs.

When Volgá was seventeen he called his friends and companions together and formed a bodyguard of thirty youths save one, and Volgá himself was the thirtieth. He was their Chief, and took them with him on his journeys. He provided for them all and gave them abundance of food and drink, and of sugar sweetmeats many kinds. And warm clothes, too, he gave them, fur coats made of the skins of marten and sable and of panther. When his comrades slept Volgá slept not. Sometimes he turned himself into a grey wolf and ran and leaped in the dark forest and killed moose-deer and bears and wolves. Martens and panthers were his favourite prey, and he spared neither hares nor foxes. And at other times he turned himself into a bright falcon, flew far away over the blue sea and killed geese and white swans, and the little grey ducks he spared not.

One day when he was at Kiev he called his body-guard:

“My good brave comrades,” said he, “listen to your big brother, your Chief. Bring a rope of silk and make a snare. Put it into the dark forest and set the snare upon the damp earth so as to catch beasts of the forest, and catch martens and foxes, black sables and other wild beasts, and go on snaring them for three days and three nights.”

They listened to their big brother, their Chief, and they did the thing he had ordered. They took a rope of silk to the dark forest and set a snare upon the damp earth, but they could not catch a single beast. Then Volgá their Chief turned himself into a lion-beast. He leapt and bounded on the damp earth, through the dark forest, and drove out martens and foxes, black sables and other wild beasts, big bounding hares and little ermines. And Volgá took his own form again, and became a goodly youth.

And again when he was at the town of Kiev with his body-guard of brave youths he said:

“My good comrades, my brave lads, listen to your big brother your Chief. Take a snare of silk and set it in the dark forest at the very tops of the trees, and with it catch geese, swans and bright falcons, and little singing birds, and go on snaring them for three days and three nights.”

And they listened to their big brother their Chief. They did the thing he ordered. They took a snare of silk, set the snare in the dark forest, at the very tops of the trees, but they could not catch a single bird.

Volgá the Chief turned himself into an eagle. He flew up beneath the clouds and struck down geese, swans, bright hawks, and little singing birds.

Again when they were at the town of Kiev, Volgá the Chief said:

“Good comrades, my brave body-guard, listen to your big brother, your Chief. Take sharp axes, good for cutting wood, and build a ship of oak; take fishing nets of silk and go forth upon the blue sea, and fish for all kinds of fish—salmon and white fish, pike and dace, and the most precious fish—sturgeon, and go on fishing for three days and three nights.”

They listened to their big brother their Chief, and they did the thing he ordered. They took sharp axes, good for cutting wood, and built a ship of oak. They took fishing nets of silk, but they could not catch a single fish.

Volgá the Chief turned himself into a big pike and swam in the blue sea. He sent up salmon and white sturgeon, pike and dace, and the costly fish—sturgeon, and drove them into the nets of his men.

And again, when he was at Kiev with his body-guard of good comrades, Volgá the Chief said:

“My good brave comrades, why should we not send to the country of the Tartars to find out what the Cham is thinking of? For the Cham may be thinking of something. And what if he were thinking of riding into Holy Russia? Now, whom shall we send? If we send an old man he will go slowly, and we shall have long to wait. If we send a middle-aged man he will tarry and drink by the way; and if we send a boy he will stop and play. It seems as if Volgá will have to go himself!”

Then Volgá the Chief turned himself into a little bird and flew up beneath the clouds. He flew on and soon came to the country of the Tartars. He came to the house of the Tartar Cham and perched at the Cham’s own window and listened to his secret talk.

The Cham said to his wife:

“Now I tell you, my Queen, I know what I know. In Russia the grass grows not as it used to grow. The flowers bloom not as before. Volgá must be dead and gone.”

The Queen said:

“Come now, Santal, Cham of Tartary, the grass grows in Russia just as before. The flowers bloom in Russia just as before. I dreamed in the night—in dreams one sees all things. It seemed that from the East, that dear country, a bird was flying—a small singing bird—and from the West—the old country—after the little bird there flew a black crow. They flew together over the open plain, and they were pecking at each other, and the little singing bird was pecking the black crow, and she pulled out his feathers, and all were carried away on the wind.”

And the Cham Santal of Tartary answered her: “Oh, my Queen! I am thinking of riding soon to Holy Russia with my army, and I shall take nine cities and give them to my nine sons, and for myself I shall bring back a costly fur coat.”

But the Queen said:

“You will not take nine cities or give them to your nine sons, and you will not bring back for yourself a costly fur coat!”

The Cham of Tartary answered in a rage:

“Oh, you old devil! You were dreaming and saw yourself in your dream!”

And he struck her on her white face, and again he struck her on the other cheek. He threw the Queen down upon the brick floor, and threw her down a second time, and said:

“I shall ride to Holy Russia; I shall take nine cities, and give them to my nine sons; and for myself I shall bring back a costly fur coat.”

Volgá the Chief flew down from the window-ledge to the ground and turned himself into a grey wolf and jumped into the stable yard. He picked out all the good horses and tore out the throat of every one.

Then Volgá turned himself into a little ermine and slipped into the armoury, where the Cham kept a great stock of weapons for his men. Volgá broke all the tough bows, tore out the silken bow strings, destroyed the sharp arrows, bit notches in the sharp swords, and bent the steel maces into a bow. Then he turned himself again into a little bird and soon flew back to Kiev town, where he turned himself back into his own shape, and was once more a goodly youth.

Volgá came to his body-guard of good comrades.

“My brave comrades,” said he, “let us go to the land of the Tartars!”

And they went to the land of the Tartars, and they took all the Tartar army prisoners.