stories of this class current
in all parts of Europe and Asia, and its result is almost always the
same. But the means by which that result is brought about differ
considerably in different lands. In the Russian tales the "death" of
the Evil Being with whom the hero contends--the substance, namely, the
destruction of which involves his death--is usually the last of a
sequence of objects either identical with, or closely resembling,
those mentioned in the following story of--

KOSHCHEI THE DEATHLESS.[112]

In a certain country there once lived a king, and he had three
sons, all of them grown up. All of a sudden Koshchei the
Deathless carried off their mother. Then the eldest son craved
his father's blessing, that he might go and look for his mother.
His father gave him his blessing, and he went off and disappeared,
leaving no trace behind. The second son waited and waited,
then he too obtained his father's blessing--and he also disappeared.
Then the youngest son, Prince Ivan, said to his father,
"Father, give me your blessing, and let me go and look for my
mother."

But his father would not let him go, saying, "Your brothers
are no more; if you likewise go away, I shall die of grief."

"Not so, father. But if you bless me I shall go; and if you
do not bless me I shall go."

So his father gave him his blessing.

Prince Ivan went to choose a steed, but every one that he
laid his hand upon gave way under it. He could not find a steed
to suit him, so he wandered with drooping brow along the road
and about the town. Suddenly there appeared an old woman,
who asked:

"Why hangs your brow so low, Prince Ivan?"

"Be off, old crone," he replied. "If I put you on one of my
hands, and give it a slap with the other, there'll be a little wet
left, that's all."[113]

The old woman ran down a by-street, came to meet him a
second time, and said:

"Good day, Prince Ivan! why hangs your brow so low?"

Then he thought:

"Why does this old woman ask me? Mightn't she be of
use to me?"--and he replied:

"Well, mother! because I cannot get myself a good steed."

"Silly fellow!" she cried, "to suffer, and not to ask the old
woman's help! Come along with me."

She took him to a hill, showed him a certain spot, and said:

"Dig up that piece of ground."

Prince Ivan dug it up and saw an iron plate with twelve padlocks
on it. He immediately broke o