The Golden Slipper
Once there lived an old man and an old woman. They had two daughters. One day the old man went into town and bought one little fish for each daughter. The elder…
Once there lived an old man and an old woman. They had two daughters. One day the old man went into town and bought one little fish for each daughter. The elder sister ate her fish, but the younger went to the well and said:
“Dear little mother fish, shall I eat you or not?”
“Don’t eat me,” said the fish. “Let me into the water instead. I will be of use to you.”
She released the fish into the well and went home. The old woman disliked her younger daughter very much. She dressed the girl’s sister in her very best clothes and took her to church for the service. She left the younger daughter two measures of rye and told her to clean it before they returned from church.
The girl went to fetch water and sat crying beside the well. The fish swam to the surface and asked:
“Why are you crying, fair maiden?”
“How can I help crying?” the fair maiden answered. “Mother dressed my sister in her very best clothes and took her to the service. She left me at home and told me to clean two measures of rye before she comes back from church!”
The fish said:
“Don’t cry. Go and dress up, then go to church. The rye will be cleaned!”
She dressed up and went to the service. Her mother did not recognize her. As the service drew to a close, the girl left for home. Her mother came home too and asked:
“Well, you fool, have you cleaned the rye?”
“I have,” she answered.
“What a beauty there was at the service!” her mother said. “The priest neither sang nor read: he just kept looking at her. And you, you fool, look at yourself! What clothes you’re wearing!”
“I wasn’t there, but I know!” said the girl.
“What could you know about it?” her mother said.
The next time, the mother dressed her elder daughter in her very best clothes and took her to the service. She left the younger three measures of grain and said:
“While I pray to God, you clean the grain.”
Off she went to the service, while her daughter went to fetch water from the well. The girl sat beside it and cried. The fish swam to the surface and asked:
“Why are you crying, fair maiden?”
“How can I help crying?” the fair maiden answered. “Mother dressed my sister in her very best clothes and took her to the service. She left me at home and told me to clean three measures of grain before she comes back from church.”
The fish said:
“Don’t cry. Go and dress up, then follow her to church. The grain will be cleaned!”
She dressed up, went to church and began to pray to God. The priest neither sang nor read: he just kept looking at her! The service drew to a close. The prince of that land was at the service too, and he liked our fair maiden very much. He wanted to find out whose daughter she was, so he dropped some resin beneath her shoe. The shoe stayed behind, and she went home.
“I’ll marry the girl whose shoe this is!” said the prince.
The shoe was embroidered all over with gold. Then the old woman came home.
“What a beauty there was!” she said. “The priest neither sang nor read: he just kept looking at her. And you, you fool, look at yourself! What a ragged creature you are!”
Meanwhile, the prince searched through every district for the girl who had lost the shoe, but he could find no one it would fit. He came to the old woman and said:
“Show me your daughter, so I can see whether the shoe fits her.”
“My daughter will dirty the shoe,” the old woman answered.
The fair maiden came in, and the prince tried the shoe on her. It fitted. He married her, and they lived happily and prospered. I was there and drank the beer; it ran over my lips, but none went into my mouth. They gave me a blue kaftan. A crow flew past, crying, “Blue kaftan! Blue kaftan!” I thought I heard, “Take off the kaftan!” So I took it off. They gave me a cap, then began shoving me in the back of the neck. They gave me red shoes. A crow flew past, crying, “Red shoes! Red shoes!” I thought I heard, “You stole the shoes!” So I threw them away.