Koschei the Deathless seized Marya Morevna and carried her off, and Prince Ivan sat down on a stone and wept. He wept and wept and started off in search of Marya Morevna.
‘I will tell you what,’ said the ass, ‘I am going to Bremen to become town musician. You may as well go with me, and take up music too. I can play the lute, and you can beat the drum.’
No one would let it be known that he could see nothing, for that would have proved that he was unfit for office or that he was very, very stupid.
The poor little girl had all the cooking, cleaning, and serving to do for all seven brothers and all their seven wives as well.
Formerly dogs could speak. Now they cannot. The reason is that a dog, belonging to a certain man a long time ago, inveigled his master into the forest under the pretext of showing him game.