The Snowmaiden
Once upon a time there lived an old man and a woman. They were happy together; the only thing
that upset them was that they had no children.
The winter came with a lot of snow. All children were playing in the street. The old man looked out
of the window and said to his wife:
“Old woman! Shall we go outside and make a little daughter for us out of the snow. We will call her
the Snowmaiden.”
They made a snowball, made arms and legs, a neck and a head, eyes, nose and lips. And they could
not believe when the Snowmaiden came to life – her eyes opened, her lips turned pink. Then she
nodded her head, moved her arms and legs and came out of snow.
The old man and his wife were very happy. The Snowmaiden was getting prettier and prettier every
day. She had long blond hair, big blue eyes, but her cheeks were very pale.
Snowmaiden was very good at helping her parents around the house. She liked to sing to amuse
them during long winter evenings.
The spring came. The sun was getting brighter, the days were getting longer, green grass started to
grow where the snow melted away. Everybody was happy, but the Snowmaiden became sad.
“What is wrong, my dear daughter?” asked her the old woman, “You are so sad”.
“Oh, no, mother. I am fine”, said the Snowmaiden.
The last of the snow melted away, the flowers were everywhere, the birds arrived from hot
countries. Only the Snowmaiden was getting more and more sad. She was hiding from the sun in
the house.
Once a big black cloud brought hale stones. The Snowmaiden ran out to the garden to see them.
And when the hale stones disappeared in the sun, she started to cry.
The summer came and all the girls went to a forest to a festival. They called the Snowmaiden:
“Snowmaiden, come with us to sing and dance”.
The Snowmaiden did not want to go, but her mother asked her and she went with the girls.
The girls went to the forest and started picking flowers, making daisy chains, singing and dancing.
Only the Snowmaiden did not join them and was very sad and quiet.
In the evening the girls made a big pile of tree branches, lit a fire and started to jump over it. They
were very happy and called the Snowmaiden to join them. So she jumped over the fire and melted
so quick that only a little white cloud rose into the blue sky.
Adapted and translated by Vera Smyth, MA, MITIA
The Little Round Bun
Once upon a time there lived an old man and an old woman. They were very poor. So the old man
said to his wife:
“Old woman! Scrape the flour box and sweep the bread bin and make a little round bun.”
She scraped the flour box and swept the bread bin and made a little round bun. She put it in the
oven, baked it and left it on the window sill to cool. But the little round bun jumped out of the
window and rolled away along the road.
On and on it rolled and met a rabbit. The rabbit saw the little round bun and said:
“I will eat you, little round bun.”
“Don’t eat me, rabbit. Let me sing you a song”.
“Let me hear it”, said the rabbit.
“I am a little round bun. I was scraped from the flour box, I was swept from the bread bin, I was
baked in the oven and cooled on the window sill. I ran away from the old man and the old woman
and I will run away from you!”
And off it rolled. On and on it rolled and met a wolf. The wolf saw the little round bun and said:
“I will eat you, little round bun.”
“Don’t eat me, wolf. Let me sing you a song”.
“Let me hear it”, said the wolf.
“I am a little round bun. I was scraped from the flour box, I was swept from the bread bin, I was
baked in the oven and cooled on the window sill. I ran away from the old man and the old woman, I
ran away from the rabbit and I will rum away from you!”
And off it rolled. On and on it rolled and met a bear. The bear saw the little round bun and said:
“I will eat you, little round bun.”
“Don’t eat me, bear. Let me sing you a song”.
“Let me hear it”, said the bear.
“I am a little round bun. I was scraped from the flour box, I was swept from the bread bin, I was
baked in the oven and cooled on the window sill. I ran away from the old man and the old woman, I
ran away from the rabbit, I ran away from the wolf and I will run away from you!”
And off it rolled. On and on it rolled and met a fox. The fox saw the little round bun and said:
“Little round bun, where are you going?”
“I am a little round bun. I was scraped from the flour box, I was swept from the bread bin, I was
baked in the oven and cooled on the window sill. I ran away from the old man and the old woman, I
ran away from the rabbit, I ran away from the wolf, I ran away from the bear and I will rum away
from you!”
“Oh”, said the fox, “I can’t hear you. Can you come closer and sing again”.
So the little round bun came closer and sang its song again.
“I am a little round bun. I was scraped from the flour box, I was swept from the bread bin, I was
baked in the oven and cooled on the window sill. I ran away from the old man and the old woman, I
ran away from the rabbit, I ran away from the wolf, I ran away from the bear and I will rum away
from you!”
“Oh”, said the fox, “I still can not hear. Jump onto my tongue, so I can hear you better!”
The little round bun jumped onto the fox’s tongue and started its song:
“I am a little round bun. I was scraped from the flour box, I was swept from the bread bin…”
But before the little round bun could finish its song the fox opened his mouth and swallowed it.
Adapted and translated by Vera Smyth, MA, MITIA
The Wild Geese
Once upon a time there lived a man and his wife, their daughter and a little son.
“Daughter, daughter”, said the mother, “We have to go to town to the market. Look after your
brother, don’t let the wild geese take him and we will bring you presents”.
The parents went to town. The girl went out to play with her friends. She brought her brother with
her and left him alone in the street. The wild geese came and took the little boy. When the girl came
back, she could not find her brother. She ran to the field and saw the wild geese flying far away
carrying her brother.
She ran after them. She ran and ran and saw a big stove in the field. She asked the stove:
“Stove, stove! Tell me where the wild geese took my brother.”
“Eat my brown scone and I will tell you”.
“Oh, no”, said the girl, “We do not eat scones at home, we only eat cakes and I will not eat your
brown scone!”
So the stove did not tell her anything and the girl had to run further. She ran and ran and saw an
apple tree.
“Apple tree, apple tree. Tell me where the wild geese took my brother.”
“Eat my apple and I will tell you”.
“Oh, no”, said the girl, “Your apples all small and sour. We only eat big sweet apples at home and I
will not eat yours.”
So the apple tree did not tell her anything and the girl had to run further. She ran and ran and saw a
river full of milk.
“River, river. Tell me where the wild geese took my brother.”
“Drink my milk and I will tell you.”
“Oh, no”, said the girl, “We only take cream at home and I will not drink your milk”.
So the river did not tell her anything and the girl had to run further. She ran and ran and saw a
forest and in the forest she saw a little hut. The hut had big chicken legs and could turn around. The
girl looked in and saw a witch and her brother sitting on the bench.
She waited for the moment when the witch went to the kitchen, went into the hut, took her brother
and ran away. But the witch saw the little boy missing and sent the wild geese to get him back.
The girl ran and ran and the wild geese followed her. She saw the river full of milk.
“River, river. Hide me please from the wild geese.”
“Drink my milk and I will hide you.”
The girl drank a glass of milk and the river hid them under the river bank. The wild geese did not
see them and flew by.
The girl ran further, but the wild geese saw her and her brother and followed them.
The girl ran and ran and saw the apple tree.
“Apple tree, apple tree. Hide me please from the wild geese.”
“Eat my apple and I will hide you”.
The girl ate the apple and the apple tree spread its branches and covered the girl and her brother.
The wild geese did not see them and flew by.
The girl ran further, but the wild geese saw her and her brother and followed them.
The girl ran and ran and saw the stove.
“Stove, stove! Hide me please from the wild geese”.
“Eat my brown scone and I will hide you”.
The girl ate the brown scone and the stove hid the girl and her little brother inside. The wild geese
did not see them and flew by.
The home was very close and the girl and her little brother came home safely. The wild geese saw
them, but could not get them and had to go back with nothing. Shortly after their parents came
home. They had a lot of presents for everybody!
Adapted and translated by Vera Smyth, MA, MITIA
The Goldfish
One day the fisherman pulled his net out of the sea. There was only a Goldfish in it. The fish spoke
to the fisherman in a human voice: ”Let me go, old fisherman, make a wish and I will make it
happen.” The old fisherman had never heard of a talking fish, so he let the Goldfish go, saying: ”Go
back to the sea, I don’t need anything”.
He went back home to his wife and told her about the Goldfish. His wife got very angry and said:
“Oh, you old fool. You should have asked the fish for a new bowl, ours is broken.”
The fisherman went back to the sea. The sea was all in light ripples. He called the Goldfish. The
Goldfish came and asked the fisherman why he called her. The fisherman replied: “My wife is very
angry and is asking you for a new bowl, because ours is broken.” “Don’t worry”, – said the Goldfish,
– “Your wife will get a new bowl”. And the fisherman went home.
When he came home his wife met him with the new bowl in her hands. She was very angry and
said: “Oh, you old fool. Why did you only asked for a new bowl? See, our cottage is falling apart. Go
back to the sea and ask the Goldfish for a new cottage”.
The fisherman went back to the sea. The sea turned dark. He called the Goldfish. The Goldfish
came and asked the fisherman why he called her. The fisherman replied: “My wife is very angry and
is asking you for a new cottage, because ours is falling apart.” “Don’t worry”, – said the Goldfish, –
“You will get a new cottage”. And the fisherman went home.
When he came home he could not find his old cottage, instead there was a new big house and his
wife was sitting at the window. She was very angry and said: “Oh, you old fool. Why did you only
asked for a new house? Go back to the sea and ask the Goldfish for a lot of land. I don’t want to be a
fisherman’s wife any more. I want to be a land owner!”
The fisherman went back to the sea. The sea was wild. He called the Goldfish. The Goldfish came
and asked the fisherman why he called her. The fisherman replied: ”My wife is very angry and is
asking you for a lot of land. She doesn’t want to be a fisherman’s wife any more; she wants to be a
land owner.” “Don’t worry”, – said the Goldfish replied, – “Your wife will be a land owner.” And the
fisherman went home.
When he came home his wife met him at the gate, she was very angry and said: “Oh, you old fool.
Why did you only asked for a lot of land? Go back to the sea and ask the Goldfish to make me a
princess”. The fisherman begged her: “You must be mad; you will be the talk of the town!” She
slapped him and said: “How can you, fisherman, argue with me, a land owner! If you don’t go, I will
get you brought you to the sea!”
The fisherman went back to the sea. The sea turned black. He called the Goldfish. The Goldfish
came and asked the fisherman why he called her. The fisherman replied: ”My wife is very angry and
is asking you to make her a princess.” “Don’t worry”, – said the Goldfish, – “Your wife will be a
princess.” And the fisherman went home.
When he came home he saw a royal palace with the guards at the gates. They let the fisherman in.
His wife was standing at the entrance. She had a fur coat, pearls around her neck and red shoes on
her feet. The fisherman came up to his wife, fell on his knees and asked her: “My princess, are you
happy now?” She did not reply, just ordered him to be taken away.
A week or so passed. The fisherman’s wife ordered her husband to the palace. “Go and ask the fish
to make me an ocean-queen and that the fish to serve me!”
The fisherman went back to the sea. The sea was very wild with huge waves. He called the Goldfish.
The Goldfish came and asked the fisherman why he called her.
The fisherman replied:” My wife is very angry and is asking you to make her an ocean-queen and
you to serve her”. The Goldfish did not say anything, just waved her tail and went back to the sea.
The fisherman was waiting and waiting, the sea turned calm, but the Goldfish never came back. The
fisherman went home.
When he came home he saw his old little cottage and his wife sitting at the door with a broken bowl
in her hands.
Adapted and translated by Vera Smyth, MA, MITIA
The Little Hut
Once upon a time there was a little hut in the field. A little fly flew by and knocked on the door:-
Who lives in this little hut?
As there was no answer, the fly got in and made it his home.
A flea jumped by, saw the little hut and knocked on the door:
– Who lives in this little hut?
– I, the little fly, and who are you?
– I am the jumping flea.
– Come live with me!
And the jumping flea got in and made it his home. A buzzing mosquito flew by, saw the little hut
and knocked on the door:
– Who lives in this little hut?
– I, the little fly.
– I, the jumping flea, and who are you?
– I am the buzzing mosquito.
– Come live with us!
And the buzzing mosquito got in and made it his home. A field mouse ran by, saw the little hut and
knocked on the door:
– Who lives in this little hut?
– I, the little fly.
– I, the jumping flea.
– I, the buzzing mosquito, and who are you?
– I am the field mouse.
– Come live with us!
And the field mouse got in and made it his home. A little croaking frog hopped by, saw the little hut
and knocked on the door:
– Who lives in this little hut?
– I, the little fly.
– I, the jumping flea.
– I, the buzzing mosquito.
– I, the field mouse, and who are you?
– I am the croaking frog.
– Come live with us!
And the little croaking frog got in and made it his home. A scared rabbit ran by, saw the hut and
knocked on the door:
– Who lives in this little hut?
– I, the little fly.
– I, the jumping flea.
– I, the buzzing mosquito.
– I, the field mouse.
– I, the croaking frog, and who are you?
– I am the scared rabbit.
– Come live with us!
And the scared rabbit got in and made it his home. A sly fox ran by, saw the hut and knocked on the
door:
– Who lives in this little hut?
– I, the little fly.
– I, the jumping flea.
– I, the buzzing mosquito.
– I, the field mouse.
– I, the croaking frog.
– I, the scared rabbit, and who are you?
– I am the sly fox.
– Come live with us!
And the sly fox got in and made it his home. A grey wolf ran by, saw the hut and knocked on the
door:
– Who lives in this little hut?
– I, the little fly.
– I, the jumping flea.
– I, the buzzing mosquito.
– I, the field mouse.
– I, the croaking frog.
– I, the scared rabbit.
– I, the sly fox and who are you?
– I am the grey wolf.
– Come live with us!
And the grey wolf got in and made it his home.
A big brown bear came by, saw the little hut and knocked on the door:
– Who lives in this little hut?
– I, the little fly.
– I, the jumping flea.
– I, the buzzing mosquito.
– I, the field mouse.
– I, the croaking frog.
– I, the scared rabbit.
– I, the sly fox.
– I, the grey wolf and who are you?
– I am the big brown bear and will live with you in the little hut!
– You are too big, you won’t fit!
– I will live on the roof, – said the big brown bear. He sat on the roof and smashed the little hut.
And all the animals had to get out and go back to the forest.
Adapted and translated by Vera Smyth, MA, MITIA
The Giant Turnip
Once upon a time there lived an old man and his wife. They had a granddaughter, a dog, a cat and a
mouse.The old man planted a turnip. The turnip grew very big. The old man tried to pull the turnip
out. He pulled and pulled, but couldn’t pull the giant turnip out, so he called his wife for help.
His wife took hold of the old man and the old man took hold of the turnip. They pulled and pulled,
but couldn’t pull the giant turnip out. So the old man’s wife called the granddaughter for help.
The granddaughter took hold of the old man’s wife, the old man’s wife took hold of the old man and
the old man took hold of the turnip. They pulled and pulled, but couldn’t pull the giant turnip out.
So the granddaughter called a dog for help.
The dog took hold of the granddaughter, the granddaughter took hold of the old man’s wife, the old
man’s wife took hold of the old man and the old man took hold of the turnip. They pulled and
pulled, but couldn’t pull the giant turnip out. So the dog called a cat for help.
The cat took hold of the dog, the dog took hold of the granddaughter, the granddaughter took hold
of the old man’s wife, the old man’s wife took hold of the old man and the old man took hold of the
turnip. They pulled and pulled, but couldn’t pull the giant turnip out. So the cat called the mouse
for help.
The mouse took hold of the cat, the cat took hold of the dog, the dog took hold of the
granddaughter, the granddaughter took hold of the old man’s wife, the old man’s wife took hold of
the old man and the old man took hold of the turnip.
They pulled and pulled and pulled – and finally – out came the giant turnip!
Adapted and translated by Vera Smyth, MA, MITIA
