Long ago, a King had three sons. The eldest went hunting, but never returned. His attendants said he had gone towards the Old Mill, chasing a hare and vanished. The next day, the King sent his second son and he, too, vanished the same way. Then, he sent his youngest son who saw the hare, but didn’t chase it. He returned to the Old Mill and found an old woman seated outside. “Granny, who lives here?” asked the young man. “It’s a dragon,” whispered the old woman, “He takes the shape of a hare and lures people and either eats them or locks them up in his dungeons! I’m a prisoner, too, and kept here to serve him.” “Can you help me?” he asked, “If you can find out where his strength lies, I can rescue my brothers and you too!” The old woman assured him she would, though she was frightened.
The Dragon’s Strengt
The old woman gave the dragon his meal when he returned to the Mill. Then, she stroked his head and sang a lullaby. “You are so strong and beautiful,” she flattered him, “Where do you keep all your strength?” “In the fireplace!” said the dragon. The old woman blessed the fireplace and the dragon laughed, “No, it’s not there, but in the willow tree outside!” The old woman blessed the tree. Then, the dragon laughed and told her the truth. “In the Tsar’s kingdom is a lake in which lives a dragon, with a boar inside it,” said the dragon. Inside the boar is a hare, and inside that a pigeon. Inside the pigeon is the sparrow that holds my strength.” The shepherds who went there had stopped going because the dragon had eaten many shepherds! The old woman told this to the Prince, and the next day he set off to the Tsar’s kingdom.
The Dragon of the Lake
The Prince presented himself before the Tsar as a shepherd. He said he would graze them near the lake! The Princess, seeing this, was worried about the young shepherd. The shepherd asked for two boarhounds, a falcon and bagpipes and set off, the next day, with the sheep to the lakeside. After putting the falcon on a perch, tying the boarhounds and putting his bagpipes down, he challenged the dragon loudly. An ugly green monster with scales came out and wrestled with the Prince. The dragon said that, he would dip himself in the lake and toss the shepherd. The Prince said, “If the Princess kisses me on the forehead, I’ll toss you higher!” The dragon slipped into the lake and the Prince went back, playing the bagpipes. The Tsar sent his men to watch the shepherd and they all saw him wrestling and defeating the dragon!
The Princess Helps
The Tsar’s men told him what they saw. The Tsar sent the Princess with the shepherd to encourage him. “It’s the best way to serve your kingdom,” he told her. As the dragon and the shepherd wrestled, the dragon wished to go back to the lake. The Princess kissed the shepherd thrice. He picked up the dragon and flung him high. As he fell, he burst and the boar came out. The boarhounds killed it, and then killed the hare that came out. When a pigeon flew out, the shepherd sent the falcon to kill it and he caught the sparrow! “Tell me where my brothers are!” he demanded. “Cut the willows near the Old Mill and you will find the door to the dungeon!” said the sparrow before he killed it. The Princess married the Prince and they went and released all the prisoners from the Old Mill!
