Ivan Tsarvetich and the Grey Wolf
Ivan Tsarvetich and the Grey Wolf
A Russian tale
“Bring to me the water of life and the water of death, and then I will let go of your wife.” The crow flew for a long time or a short time, bringing the water of life and the water of death. The Grey Wolf sprinkled the water of death on Ivan's wounds, the wounds healed.
He sprinkled him with the water of life, and Ivan got up. “Oh, how soundly I slept!”
“You would have slept even sounder,” said the Grey Wolf, “if I hadn?t sprinkled you with the water of life and the water of death! Your own brothers killed you and took all that you have gained. Even now one of your brothers is to marry Elena Prekrasnaya. Sit on me quickly!”
In this story, the three sons of a king are sent out to capture the Firebird, a mythical creature that is eating the golden apples in the garden. While the first two sons are lazy, the youngest––Ivan––accomplishes a series of dangerous tasks. The first two sons kill Ivan and take credit for his work. But in the end, Ivan is brought back to life in time to stop the wedding between one of the other sons and the woman Ivan loves. This retribution is swift; Ivan is granted his titles as well as the wife, and the other two brothers are relegated to servants. This fairytale ends happily ever after with this plot twist at the end. The water of death is able to restore Ivan to life by being sprinkled upon his human remains, healing him and allowing him to seize control of his future. Death is temporary, but the values we espouse live longer than ever.