Welcome to part 8 of Murder Story Monday.
This week I am looking at a version of The Singing Bone from Russia. It is a
long and complex tale that begins like Cinderella, diverts briefly into a bit
of Beauty and the Beast, then comes back to the murder that we are expecting in
this story, then ends on a Cinderella note. It has a happier ending than I would have
liked (while in real life, I prefer forgiveness over revenge, in a story I am considerably more blood-thirsty and want
to see the guilty punished) and is one of the few tales or ballads of this sort
that I have found where the dead person is resurrected. It also is different
from other tales of this genre in that a reed growing in the ground where the
murdered girl’s body was found is turned into a pipe by a shepherd and not the
bone that we have come to expect in these sorts of tales. However, it does still
sing of her murder. It is also the longest tale that I have explored so far.
Many tales (like last week’s Murder Will Out from Iceland) are barely a sketch
compared to the weighty tome of this week’s story.
This Russian tale was collected by Edith M. S.
Hodgetts and published in 1891 in Tales and Legends from the Land
of the Tzar: Collection of Russian Stories.
According to my source material: Hodgetts, who was born and raised in Russia, does not give a specific
source for this tale. In her introduction she states, with reference to her
sources, "Some of these tales were dictated in the original Russian at
school, others were related to me by my nurse and other servants of my father's
household, while some are translations which I have made from various
collections of Russian stories current among the people.
This version came from here.
The
Silver Plate and the Transparent Apple
Russia
There lived once a peasant with his wife and three
daughters. Two of these girls were not particularly beautiful, while the third
was sweetly pretty. However, as she happened to be a very good girl, as well as
simple in her tastes, she was nicknamed Simpleton, and all who knew her called
her by that name, though she was in reality far from being one.
Her sisters thought of nothing but dress and jewellery.
The consequence was that they did not agree with their younger sister. They
teased her, mimicked her, and made her do all the hard work. Yet Simpleton
never said a word of complaint, but was ready to do anything. She fed the cows
and the poultry. If anyone asked her to bring anything, she brought it in a
moment. In fact, she was a most obliging young person.
One day the peasant had to go to a big fair to sell
hay, so he asked his two eldest daughters what he should bring them.
"Bring me some red fustian to make myself a
sarafan [coat without sleeves]," said the eldest.
"Buy me some yards of nankeen to make myself a
dress," said the second.
Simpleton meanwhile sat in a corner looking at her
sisters with great eagerness. Though she was a simpleton, her father found it
hard to go away without asking her what she would like him to bring her, so he
asked her too.
"Bring me, dear father," said she, "a
silver plate and a transparent apple to roll about on it."
The father was rather astonished, but he said nothing
and left.
"Whatever made you ask for such rubbish?"
asked her sisters laughing.
"You will see for yourselves when my father
brings them," said Simpleton, as she left the room.
The peasant, after having sold his hay, bought his
daughters the things they had asked for, and drove home. The two elder girls
were delighted with their presents and laughed at Simpleton, waiting to see
what she intended doing with the silver plate and transparent apple.
Simpleton did not eat the apple, as they at first
thought she would, but sat in a corner pronouncing these words, "Roll
away, apple, roll away, on this silver plate. Show me different towns, fields,
and woods, the seas, the heights of the hills, and the heavens in all their
glory."
Away rolled the apple, and on the plate became
visible, towns, one after another. Ships were seen sailing on the seas. Green
fields were seen. The heights of the hills were shown. The beauty of the
heavens and the setting of the sun were all displayed most wonderfully.
The sisters looked on in amazement. They longed to
have it for themselves and wondered how they could best get it from Simpleton,
for she took such great care of it, and would take nothing in exchange.
At last one day, the wicked sisters said coaxingly to
Simpleton, "Come with us, dear, into the forest and help us pick
strawberries."
Simpleton gave the plate and the apple to her father
to take care of and joined her sisters. When they arrived at the forest they
set to work picking wild strawberries. After some time, the two elder sisters
suddenly came upon a spade lying on the grass. They seized it, and while
Simpleton was not looking they gave her a heavy blow with the spade. She turned
ghastly pale, and fell dead on the ground.
They took her up quickly, buried her under a birch
tree, and went home late to their parents, saying, "Simpleton has run away
from us. We looked for her everywhere but cannot find her. She must have been
eaten up by some wild beasts while we were not looking."
The father, who really had a little love for the girl,
became very sad, and actually cried. He took the plate and apple and locked
them both up carefully in a glass case. The sisters also cried very much and
pretended to be very sorry, though the real reason was that they found out that
they were not likely to have the transparent apple and plate after all, but
would have to do all the hard work themselves.
One day a shepherd, who was minding a flock of sheep,
happened to lose one, and went into the forest to look for it, when suddenly he
came upon a hillock under a birch tree, round which grew a number of red and
blue flowers, and among them a reed.
The young shepherd cut off the reed and made himself a
pipe. But what was his astonishment when the moment he put the pipe to his
mouth, it began to play by itself, saying, "Play, play, little pipe.
Comfort my dear parents, and my sisters, who so cruelly misused me, killed me,
and buried me for the sake of my silver plate and transparent apple."
The shepherd ran into the village greatly alarmed, and
a crowd of people soon collected round him asking him what had happened. The
shepherd again put the pipe to his mouth, and again the pipe began to play of
itself.
"Who killed whom, and where, and how?" asked
all the people together, crowding round.
"Good people," answered the shepherd,
"I know no more than you do. All I know is that I lost one of my sheep and
went in search of it, when I suddenly came upon a hillock under a birch tree
with flowers round it, and among them was a reed, which I cut off and made into
a pipe, and the moment I put the thing into my mouth it began to play of
itself, and pronounce the words which you have just heard."
It so happened that Simpleton's father and sisters
were among the crowd and heard what the shepherd said.
"Let me try your pipe," said the father,
taking it and putting it into his mouth.
And immediately it began to repeat the words,
"Play, play, little pipe. Comfort my dear parents, and my sisters, who
misused, killed, and buried me for the sake of the silver plate and transparent
apple."
The peasant made the shepherd take him to the hillock
at once. When they got to it they began to dig open the hillock, where they
found the dead body of the unfortunate girl. The father fell on his knees
before it and tried to bring her back to life, but all in vain.
The people again began asking who it was that killed
and buried her, whereupon the pipe replied,
"My sisters took me into the
forest and slew me for the silver plate and transparent apple. If you want to
wake me from this sound slumber, you must bring me the water of life from the
royal fountain."
The two miserable sisters turned pale and wanted to
run away, whereupon the people seized them, tied them together, and marched
them off to a dark cell, where they locked them up until the king should
pronounce judgement on them.
The peasant went to the palace and was brought before
the king's son, and falling upon his knees before the prince, he related the
whole story. Whereupon the king's son told him to take as much of the water of
life from the royal fountain as he pleased. "When your daughter is well,
bring her to me," continued the prince, "and also her evil-minded
sisters."
The peasant was delighted. He thanked the young prince
and ran to the forest with the water of life. After he had sprinkled the body
several times with the water, his daughter woke up and stood before him,
prettier than ever. They embraced each other tenderly, while the people
rejoiced and congratulated the happy man.
Next morning the peasant went with his three daughters
to the palace and was brought before the king's son.
The young prince, when he beheld Simpleton, was
greatly struck with her beauty, and asked her at once to show him the silver
plate and transparent apple.
"What would your highness like to see?"
asked the girl, bringing forward her treasures. "Would you like to know
whether your kingdom is in good order, or if your ships are sailing, or whether
there is any curious comet in the heavens?"
"Anything you like, sweet maiden."
Away rolled the apple round about the plate, on which
became visible soldiers of different arms, with muskets and flags, drawn up in
battle array. The apple rolled on, and waves rose, and ships were seen sailing
about like swans, while flags waved in the air. On rolled the apple, and on the
plate the glory of the heavens was displayed. The sun, moon, and stars, and
various comets were seen.
The king's son was greatly astonished and offered to
buy the plate and apple, but Simpleton fell on her knees before him,
exclaiming, "Take my silver plate and my apple. I want no money and no
gifts for them, if you will only promise to forgive my sisters."
The young prince was so moved by her pretty face and
her tears that he at once forgave the two wicked girls. Simpleton was so
overjoyed that she threw her arms round their necks and tenderly embraced them.
The king's son took Simpleton by the hand and said,
"Sweet maiden, I am so struck by the great kindness you have shown your
sisters after their cruel treatment of you, that I have decided (provided you
agree to it) to have you for my wife, and you shall be known henceforth as
the Benevolent Queen."
"Your highness does me great honour," said
Simpleton, blushing. "But it lies in my parents' hand. If they do not
object, I will marry you."
It is, needless to say, that neither parent objected,
but gave their consent and blessing.
"I have one more request to ask your
highness," said Simpleton, "and that is to let my parents and
sisters
live with us in the palace."
The young prince made no objection whatever to this
proposal (though most probably he felt sorry for it afterwards; however, the
story does not say anything about that). The sisters threw themselves at
Simpleton's feet, exclaiming that they did not deserve such kindness after all
that they had said and done to her.
Next day the marriage was celebrated, and crowds of
people ran about everywhere crying out, "Long
live our king and
queen!"
From that day Simpleton was no more, but the
BENEVOLENT QUEEN reigned in her stead.
Stay tuned next week for a tale from Pakistan.
