The Norka
A Russian and Ukrainian fairy tale of a prince who slays a beast.
Here is the rewritten encyclopedia entry, using a new sentence structure and a plain, factual voice.
**The Norka**
This tale, known as “The Norka” (Russian: «Норка-зверь»; Ukrainian: «Норка»), appears in Alexander Afanasyev’s collection of *Russian Fairy Tales* as entry number 138. Its origins are traced to the Chernigov Governorate of the Southern Russian Empire, a region that overlaps with modern-day Chernihiv and Sumy Oblasts in Ukraine and Bryansk Oblast in Russia. Both the British folklorist William Ralston Shedden-Ralston and the Czech folklorist Karel Jaromír Erben confirm this geographic source.
The plot follows a familiar structure. A king, unable to stop a monstrous beast called the Norka from devouring his livestock, promises half his kingdom to whichever son kills it. The two eldest sons ignore the quest, drinking instead. The youngest, a simpleton, wounds the beast and chases it until it escapes under a great stone. Descending into the underworld, he meets a talking horse that calls him Ivan. The horse leads him to three palaces—copper, silver, and golden—each owned by a sister of the Norka. The youngest sister reveals that the Norka sleeps on the sea. She gives Ivan a sword and the Water of Strength, instructing him to behead her brother with a single blow. He does so, and the severed head rolls into the sea, declaring, “Well, I’m done for now!”
The three sisters fall in love with Ivan. Using magic, they shrink their palaces into eggs, teach him the trick, and give him the eggs. He brings them to the surface, where his brothers pull the maidens up but try to kill Ivan by cutting the rope halfway. He substitutes a stone and survives, stranded below. As rain falls, he covers some baby birds with his coat. Their grateful giant mother carries him back to the surface.
Above ground, a tailor tells Ivan that his brothers plan to marry the three maidens. The maidens, however, refuse until they receive wedding dresses made in the underworld style, without measurements. Ivan instructs the tailor to accept the job. That night, he turns the eggs back into palaces, retrieves the dresses, and re-shrinks the palaces. He gives the clothes to the tailor, who is richly paid by the king. Ivan repeats this trick with a shoemaker and other craftsmen.
Quick Facts
- Folk Tale Name
- The Norka
- Aarne-Thompson Grouping
- ATU 301 (Three Stolen Princesses)
- Region
- Eastern Europe
- Published In
- Russian Fairy Tales by Alexander Afanasyev (1865) / Russian Folk-Tales, by William Ralston Shedden-Ralston (1873)
- Related
- The Three Kingdoms (fr) / Dawn, Midnight and Twilight
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The tale was collected by Alexander Afanasyev and appears as number 138 in his Russian Fairy Tales. William Ralston Shedden-Ralston indicated the story originated in the Southern Russian Empire, from the Chernigov Governorate, an area roughly consistent with modern Chernihiv Oblast in Ukraine but also including parts of Sumy Oblast in Ukraine and Bryansk Oblast in Russia. Czech folklorist Karel Jaromír Erben asserts the same origin.
The plot follows a king whose animals are devoured by a huge beast called the Norka. He offers half his kingdom to any son who kills it. The two eldest sons drink and revel instead of hunting, but the youngest third son, a simpleton, wounds the beast and chases it.
Reader's Guide
The Norka is significant as a representative of the widespread folktale type AT 301, 'The Three Stolen Princesses,' also known as 'Three Kingdoms – Copper, Silver and Golden.' Professor Jack Haney confirmed this classification and noted that this type is one of the most popular in the East Slavic tradition. In Ukraine alone, professor Nikolai P. Andrejev recorded 31 variants of this tale type, making it one of the most frequently collected among 'Tales of Magic.'
The tale's motifs have drawn scholarly attention. Both William Ralston Shedden-Ralston and Jack Haney pointed out that the name 'Norka' likely refers to the European otter. The journey on the eagle's back shares similarities with the ancient tale of Etana helping an eagle, a motif later classified as Aarne–Thompson–Uther ATU 537, 'The Eagle as helper: hero carried on the wings of a helpful eagle.'
The tale was translated by folklorist Andrew Lang in The Red Fairy Book, taken verbatim from W. R. S. Ralston's Russian Folk-tales (1873). A version by Karel Jaromír Erben was translated as 'Norka, the Beast,' and professor Jack Haney translated it as 'The Norka Beast.' The story remains a key example of the hero's descent into an underworld and rescue of princesses, a theme that 'form[s] the theme of numerous skazkas,' according to Ralston.
Did You Know?
- The tale was published by Alexander Afanasyev as number 132 in his collection Russian Fairy Tales.
- The tale type AT 301, 'The Three Stolen Princesses,' is one of the most popular in the East Slavic tradition, with 31 variants recorded in Ukraine alone.
- Folklorist Andrew Lang's translation in The Red Fairy Book was taken verbatim from W. R. S. Ralston's Russian Folk-tales (1873).
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