Russian Fairy Tales — 21 - Chapter 3 - Mythological - Part 4 - Sozh and Dnieper - The Metamprphosis of the Dnieper, the Volga, and the Dvina

To another group of personifications belong those of the Rivers.

About them many stories are current, generally having reference to their alleged jealousies and disputes.

Thus it is said that when God was allotting their shares to the rivers, the Desna did not come in time, and so failed to obtain precedence over the Dnieper.

"Try and get before him yourself," said the Lord.

The Desna set off at full speed, but in spite of all her attempts, the Dnieper always kept ahead of her until he fell into the sea, where the Desna was obliged to join him.

[267] About the Volga and its affluent, the Vazuza, the following story is told:-- VAZUZA AND VOLGA.

[268] Volga and Vazuza had a long dispute as to which was the wiser, the stronger, and the more worthy of high respect.

They wrangled and wrangled, but neither could gain the mastery in the dispute, so they decided upon the following course:-- "Let us lie down together to sleep," they said, "and whichever of us is the first to rise, and the quickest to reach the Caspian Sea, she shall be held to be the wiser of us two, and the stronger and the worthier of respect."

So Volga lay down to sleep; down lay Vazuza also.

But during the night Vazuza rose silently, fled away from Volga, chose the nearest and the straightest line, and flowed away.

When Volga awoke, she set off neither slowly nor hurriedly, but with just befitting speed.

At Zubtsof she came up with Vazuza.

So threatening was her mien, that Vazuza was frightened, declared herself to be Volga's younger sister, and besought Volga to take her in her arms and bear her to the Caspian Sea.

And so to this day Vazuza is the first to awake in the Spring, and then she arouses Volga from her wintry sleep.

In the Government of Tula a similar tradition is current about the Don and the Shat, both of which flow out of Lake Ivan.

Lake Ivan had two sons, Shat and Don.

Shat, contrary to his father's wishes, wanted to roam abroad, so he set out on his travels, but go whither he would, he could get received nowhere.

So, after fruitless wanderings, he returned home.

But Don, in return for his constant quietness (the river is known as "the quiet Don"), obtained his father's blessing, and he boldly set out on a long journey.

On the way, he met a raven, and asked it where it was flying.

"To the blue sea," answered the raven.

"Let's go together!"

Well, they reached the sea.

Don thought to himself, "If I dive right through the sea, I shall carry it away with me."

"Raven!"

he said, "do me a service.

I am going to plunge into the sea, but do you fly over to the other side and as soon as you reach the opposite shore, give a croak."

Don plunged into the sea.

The raven flew and croaked--but too soon.

Don remained just as he appears at the present day.

[269] In White-Russia there is a legend about two rivers, the beginning of which has evidently been taken from the story of Jacob and Esau:-- SOZH AND DNIEPER.

There was once a blind old man called Dvina.

He had two sons--the elder called Sozh, and the younger Dnieper.

Sozh was of a boisterous turn, and went roving about the forests, the hills, and the plains; but Dnieper was remarkably sweet-tempered, and he spent all his time at home, and was his mother's favorite.

Once, when Sozh was away from home, the old father was deceived by his wife into giving the elder son's blessing to the younger son.

Thus spake Dvina while blessing him:-- "Dissolve, my son, into a wide and deep river.

Flow past towns, and bathe villages without number as far as the blue sea.

Thy brother shall be thy servant.

Be rich and prosperous to the end of time!"

Dnieper turned into a river, and flowed through fertile meadows and dreamy woods.

But after three days, Sozh returned home and began to complain.

"If thou dost desire to become superior to thy brother," said his father, "speed swiftly by hidden ways, through dark untrodden forests, and if thou canst outstrip thy brother, he will have to be thy servant!"

Away sped Sozh on the chase, through untrodden places, washing away swamps, cutting out gullies, tearing up oaks by the roots.

The Vulture[270] told Dnieper of this, and he put on extra speed, tearing his way through high hills rather than turn on one side.

Meanwhile Sozh persuaded the Raven to fly straight to Dnieper, and, as soon as it had come up with him to croak three times; he himself was to burrow under the earth, intending to leap to the surface at the cry of the Raven, and by that means to get before his brother.

But the Vulture fell on the Raven; the Raven began to croak before it had caught up the river Dnieper.

Up burst Sozh from underground, and fell straight into the waves of the Dnieper.

[271] Here is an account of-- THE METAMORPHOSIS OF THE DNIEPER, THE VOLGA, AND THE DVINA.

[272] The Dnieper, Volga, and Dvina used once to be living people.

The Dnieper was a boy, and the Volga and Dvina his sisters.

While they were still in childhood they were left complete orphans, and, as they hadn't a crust to eat, they were obliged to get their living by daily labor beyond their strength.

"When was that?"

Very long ago, say the old folks; beyond the memory even of our great-grandfathers.

Well, the children grew up, but they never had even the slightest bit of good luck.

Every day, from morn till eve, it was always toil and toil, and all merely for the day's subsistence.

As for their clothing, it was just what God sent them!

They sometimes found rags on the dust-heaps, and with these they managed to cover their bodies.

The poor things had to endure cold and hunger.

Life became a burden to them.

[273] One day, after toiling hard afield, they sat down under a bush to eat their last morsel of bread.

And when they had eaten it, they cried and sorrowed for a while, and considered and held counsel together as to how they might manage to live, and to have food and clothing, and, without toiling, to supply others with meat and drink.

Well, this is what they resolved: to set out wandering about the wide world in search of good luck and a kindly welcome, and to look for and find out the best places in which they could turn into great rivers--for that was a possible thing then.

Well, they walked and walked; not one year only, nor two years, but all but three; and they chose the places they wanted, and came to an agreement as to where the flowing of each one should begin.

And all three of them stopped to spend the night in a swamp.

But the sisters were more cunning than their brother.

No sooner was Dnieper asleep than they rose up quietly, chose the best and most sloping places, and began to flow away.

When the brother awoke in the morning, not a trace of his sisters was to be seen.

Then he became wroth, and made haste to pursue them.

But on the way he bethought himself, and decided that no man can run faster than a river.

So he smote the ground, and flowed in pursuit as a stream.

Through gullies and ravines he rushed, and the further he went the fiercer did he become.

But when he came within a few versts of the sea-shore, his anger calmed down and he disappeared in the sea.

And his two sisters, who had continued running from him during his pursuit, separated in different directions and fled to the bottom of the sea.

But while the Dnieper was rushing along in anger, he drove his way between steep banks.

Therefore is it that his flow is swifter than that of the Volga and the Dvina; therefore also is it that he has many rapids and many mouths.

There is a small stream which falls into Lake Ilmen on its western side, and which is called Chorny Ruchei, the Black Brook.

On the banks of this brook, a long time ago, a certain man set up a mill, and the fish came and implored the stream to grant them its aid, saying, "We used to have room enough and be at our ease, but now an evil man is taking away the water from us."

And the result was this.

One of the inhabitants of Novgorod was angling in the brook Chorny.

Up came a stranger to him, dressed all in black, who greeted him, and said:-- "Do me a service, and I will show thee a place where the fish swarm."

"What is the service?"

"When thou art in Novgorod, thou wilt meet a tall, big moujik in a plaited blue caftan, wide blue trowsers, and a high blue hat.

Say to him, 'Uncle Ilmen!

the Chorny has sent thee a petition, and has told me to say that a mill has been set in his way.

As thou may'st think fit to order, so shall it be!'

" The Novgorod man promised to fulfil this request, and the black stranger showed him a place where the fish swarmed by thousands.

With rich booty did the fisherman return to Novgorod, where he met the moujik with the blue caftan, and gave him the petition.

The Ilmen answered:-- "Give my compliments to the brook Chorny, and say to him about the mill: there used not to be one, and so there shall not be one!"

This commission also the Novgorod man fulfilled, and behold!

during the night the brook Chorny ran riotous, Lake Ilmen waxed boisterous, a tempest arose, and the raging waters swept away the mill.

[274] In old times sacrifices were regularly paid to lakes and streams in Russia, just as they were in Germany[275] and in other lands.

And even at the present day the common people are in the habit of expressing, by some kind of offering, their thanks to a river on which they have made a prosperous voyage.

It is said that Stenka Razin, the insurgent chief of the Don Cossacks in the seventeenth century, once offered a human sacrifice to the Volga.

Among his captives was a Persian princess, to whom he was warmly attached.

But one day "when he was fevered with wine, as he sat at the ship's side and musingly regarded the waves, he said: 'Oh, Mother Volga, thou great river!

much hast thou given me of gold and of silver, and of all good things; thou hast nursed me, and nourished me, and covered me with glory and honor.

But I have in no way shown thee my gratitude.

Here is somewhat for thee;

take it!'

And with these words he caught up the princess and flung her into the water."

[276] Just as rivers might be conciliated by honor and sacrifice, so they could be irritated by disrespect.

One of the old songs tells how a youth comes riding to the Smorodina, and beseeches that stream to show him a ford.

His prayer is granted, and he crosses to the other side.

Then he takes to boasting, and says, "People talk about the Smorodina, saying that no one can cross it whether on foot or on horseback--but it is no better than a pool of rain-water!"

But when the time comes for him to cross back again, the river takes its revenge, and drowns him in its depths, saying the while: "It is not I, but thy own boasting that drowns thee."