The Little Humpbacked Horse

Once upon a time, there was an old man, who had three sons – Danilo, Gavrilo and Ivan. The family sold wheat for a living, but someone was stealing their wheat. The brothers decided to lie in wait for the thief one night. The two elder brothers fell asleep, but the youngest, Ivan, stayed awake and saw a magic mare, who bore him two magical horses and a little humpbacked horse, which became his faithful companion. Danilo and Gavrilo decided to sell Ivan’s horses to the Tsar, who employed Ivan as his groom. When Ivan was working at the palace, the Tsar heard that he owned a feather of the firebird. The Tsar commanded Ivan to catch the firebird. With the help of the little humpbacked horse, Ivan caught the firebird for the Tsar. The Tsar then decided that he wanted a Tsar-Girl. Ivan and the little humpbacked horse found a Tsar-Girl, only she demanded that the Tsar make himself younger. The Tsar commanded Ivan to test a magic mixture on himself. Ivan turned into a handsome prince, but the Tsar was boiled to death in the cauldron. Ivan married the Tsar-Girl and was crowned Tsar.