Once upon a time, there lived a Tsar who had three sons: the eldest Dmitry, the middle Vasily, and the youngest Ivan Tsarevich. The elder sons were wise and strong, while Ivan Tsarevich was kind-hearted but simple and not very fortunate. He followed his heart more than court rules. When the sons grew up, the Tsar decided it was time for them to marry. He gave each son an arrow and said:
— Shoot your arrows. Where each arrow lands, there your fate will be. The eldest son shot first. His arrow landed in the courtyard of a noble boyar’s house, and there he found his bride. The second son shot his arrow, and it landed in a merchant’s courtyard — he also found a wife there. Then it was Ivan’s turn. He shot his arrow, and it flew far, far away — beyond forests and swamps. He went to search for it and found it in a marsh, held by a frog. The frog was holding the arrow and spoke in a human voice:
— Take me as your wife, Ivan Tsarevich. Ivan was confused and saddened, but he had to obey his father’s will. So he brought the frog home. His brothers laughed at him, and their wives mocked the strange bride. But the Tsar said:
— If fate has chosen so, so it shall be. The Tsar’s Tests After some time, the Tsar decided to test his daughters-in-law. He ordered them to bake bread. The elder daughters-in-law hired bakers and made beautiful loaves. But at night, the frog turned into a beautiful maiden — Vasilisa the Wise — and baked a magical loaf decorated with patterns of birds, suns, and flowers. The next morning, the Tsar was amazed by Ivan’s loaf. The second task was to weave a carpet. The elder wives made ordinary carpets. But at night, Vasilisa again turned into a beautiful woman and wove a carpet showing forests, rivers, stars, and the moon — as if the whole world was inside it. The Tsar was once again impressed. But Ivan Tsarevich did not know the truth about his wife. One day, he found her frog skin and, while she was asleep, burned it in the fire. When Vasilisa woke up, she wept:
— Oh, Ivan Tsarevich, why did you do this? If only you had waited three days, I would have stayed with you forever. Now I must return to Koshchei the Deathless. And she disappeared, turning into a white swan. Ivan’s Journey Ivan was heartbroken but decided to search for her. He traveled through forests and fields until he met an old wise man.
— Where are you going, Ivan Tsarevich? — asked the old man.
— I am searching for Vasilisa the Wise, — Ivan replied. The old man gave him a magical thread:
— Follow where it rolls, and it will lead you. Ivan followed the thread and came to a hut standing on chicken legs, where Baba Yaga lived. At first, Baba Yaga wanted to eat him, but then she took pity on him.
— It will be difficult to defeat Koshchei, — she said.
— His death is hidden: on an oak tree is a chest, in the chest is a hare, in the hare is a duck, in the duck is an egg. In that egg lies his death. The Battle with Koshchei Ivan Tsarevich found the oak tree, climbed it, and retrieved the chest. Inside he found a hare, then a duck, and finally an egg. He squeezed the egg — and felt Koshchei’s power weaken. At that moment, Koshchei cried out in pain. Ivan crushed the egg — and Koshchei the Deathless fell and died. The Return Vasilisa was freed, and she returned to Ivan Tsarevich. This time, she remained in her human form forever. The Tsar rejoiced that his youngest son had shown courage and love. The elder brothers felt ashamed of their pride. And Ivan Tsarevich and Vasilisa the Wise lived happily ever after.
