Gorynytch, the dragon
and
Dobrynja, the heroe
A highly reknowned heroe was Dobrynja, handsome and fearless. One
hot summer´s day he decided to take a bath in the river. His
mother warned him: The river´s first wave belches fire, the
second wave brings sparks and the third issues steam. But
Dobrynja mounted his horse and rode for hours. At last he reached
the river and, being scorched by the sun, he forgot his mother´s
words, took off armour and clothes, and jumped into the waters.
As he swam he wondered about the warning: The river was as
calm as a pond. But one instant later the sky turned black as
night without a cloud being seen. Forth flew Gorynytch, a
three-headed dragon with seven tails. Flames poured out of his
mouth and heavy smoke issued from his ears. He had iron claws,
and the air around him was saturated with sulphur. "An old
prophecy foretells that one day Dobrynja would slay me", he
roared, "but this proves wrong: The heroe now is my victim!".
Dobrynja dived to the shore to fetch his weapons, but his horse
and with it his armour were gone. Nearer and nearer came the
dragon. Dobrynja allready felt the fiery breath upon his skin
when suddenly he beheld his helmet. He filled it with sand and
struck it so violently at the dragon that off sprang one head!
The heroe soon overwhelmed his foe. But before he found means to
hew the other heads off, Gorynytch started to plead for his own
and his hatchlings´ lives. And the heroe had pity. He believed
the foul words of peace and let him go. The dragon, however, had
nothing better to do than to fly to Kiev and abduct Duke
Vladimir´s lovely niece. Dobrynja beheld him carrying his prey
back to the mountains.
In spite of his mother´s warning he rode to Kiev. There he
found the duke´s family and friends mourning the loss of the
virgin. But no one dared to ride for her rescue. One of the
guests had beheld Dobrynja and Gorynytch earlier at the river -
as he thought - making friends. Thus he proposed that none but
the heroe could rescue the lovely maiden. Dobrynja was sent out
at once.
Wretched and dismal he rode back home. There he told his
mother whad had happened. That night while he was sleeping his
mother prepared a seven-fold silky whip. The next morning she
adviced him to get his grandfather´s horse, which had been
neglected for years, and ride to the dragon´s cave. He would
find it unguarded so that he could ride in safely. To kill the
dragon´s hatchlings he just should give his horse a lash with
the whip, and it will trample the brood.
| Dobrynja did as his mother had told him. He had
luckily killed the hatchlings and was just to enter the
cave when Gorynytch rushed in. Seeing his dead children
he cursed the heroe for "breaking the oath".
Three days the fight between the two deadly enimies
lasted. Then suddenly Dobrynja remembered his mother´s
words. He grasped the whip and flogged the dragon who was
soon overwhelmed. This time he had no pity at all and hew
off the three dragonheads. Three days and nights he
bathed in the blood of his foe. At last, when he was
nearly killed by its venom, he again used his whip, and
the blood disappeared. He washed and refreshed himself
and went to rescue the virgin. Eleven caves he broke
open, hundreds of victims he freed, but not the maiden.
She was imprisoned in the twelth cave, where he found her
at last tied to the dump rocky walls with golden chains.
He soon got her out of this foul prison. After a night´s
rest he brought her back safely to Kiev.
My version of the legend tells nothing about a reward,
but I am shure that he married the virgin and gained both
fame and wealth.
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Sources:
Text:
FRÜH, Sigrid (ed.) (1988): Märchen vom Drachen.
Fischer TB vol. 2875, 172 p., Frankfurt a./Main (Fischer).
Postcard:
I. Bilibin. Illustration for the Russian fairy-tale Dobrynia
Nikitich and the Dragon.
Water Color. The Russian Museum. - Aurora Art Publishers,
Postcard No. 4528.3K / 3.1863
