The Minstrel

Long ago, in the town of Novgorod, in faraway Russia, there lived a minstrel named Sudko. He earned his living by playing on a balalaika and a kind of guitar, entertaining guests at the great banquets hosted by the nobles. As long as there were plenty of feasts and dances, he made enough money to live comfortably.

However, the day came when no one hired Sudko to play. It was the same for the next few days, and sighing unhappily, he took his balalaika outside the city. There he sat and played to himself all day. At dusk, the waters of the lake began to swirl and foam, and Sudko, terrified, turned and ran back to Novgorod.

The next day, again by Lake Ilmen, he played his balalaika. And again, at sunset, the water roared and foamed, and Sudko rushed back to Novgorod. On the third day, when the water grew dark and began to churn into great waves, Sudko played on. To his amazement, out of the waves, the figure of the King of the Blue Seas appeared.

“I have come to thank you, Sudko,” he roared, “I have been holding a feast, and your music, for the past three days, has charmed and delighted us. Return home now and you will at once be invited to play at the feast of a great merchant. Many other rich merchants and nobles will be there, and you will hear them all boasting about their wonderful possessions.

You, Sudko, must boast that you have no possessions, but I know that in Lake Ilmen there are fish of pure gold. Wager your heart out, as you have nothing else to wager, and they will wager their shops with all the precious wares they contain. Then, take a silken net, come down here, and cast it three times into the lake.”

With that, the king disappeared beneath the water, and Sudko, greatly surprised, returned home. Immediately, he was asked to play at the feast of a rich merchant. He accepted, and everything happened as the King of the Blue Seas had said. Sudko’s wager was accepted, and he led the merchants down to the lake. Three times he cast his silk net into the water, and each time he drew up a golden fish. The astonished merchants had to hand over their shops and goods.

Now Sudko held great feasts, and he soon became as boastful as the others. One day he boasted that he could buy up all the goods in Novgorod for a whole month, so great was his wealth. If he lost, he would pay the city of Novgorod thirty thousand rubles.

For the first few days, his servants bought up everything for sale, but always more was brought from the cities around, and Sudko realized that he was frittering away his wealth needlessly. So he paid the city thirty thousand rubles, took all the goods he had bought, and sailed away to sell them in lands across the sea.

He was so successful that he sailed back to Russia, his ships laden with gold, silver, and pearls. All was fine until a great storm blew up. “We have journeyed far and have paid the King of the Blue Seas no tribute,” said Sudko. So they threw gold and silver overboard, but still, the storm continued.

“It is not gold or silver, but one of us the king wants,” said Sudko at last. Each man wrote his name on a tablet of lead and threw it overboard. All others floated but Sudko’s, which sank to the bottom. So Sudko took his balalaika and made his men put him overboard, clinging to an oak plank.

He sank to the bottom of the sea, and there was the King of the Blue Seas, waiting to welcome him. “I am glad you have come to pay tribute,” said the king. “Play for me to dance.” Sudko played, and the king and his court danced. As the dancing grew livelier, the whole ocean shook, and the ships were dashed by great waves.

As Sudko played, an old man crept up to him and whispered in his ear, “If you wish to escape and return to your home, I can help you.” “Please tell me how,” said Sudko. “The king will offer you a lovely princess as your bride,” said the old man. “Do not refuse, or you will anger him, but do not kiss her or even touch her, or you will never escape. Then, break the strings of your balalaika and tell the king you must return home for more.”

Sudko did as the old man told him. He pretended to be delighted with the lovely princess whom the king offered as his bride, but he told the king that he was sad, for the strings of his balalaika had broken and he must return home for some more before the wedding, so that he could serenade his bride.

That night, when he went to bed, he fell at once into a deep sleep, and when he awoke, he was lying on the outskirts of Novgorod. Sailing up the river came his ships. The sailors rejoiced to see him, for they had left him in the middle of the ocean and thought he had drowned in the storm. They sailed together into the city, where they unloaded the ships and found that Sudko was far richer than when he went away.

Sudko, however, was content now to stay at home, and he never again sailed out onto the blue sea in search of wealth or adventure.