Amidst the verdant landscapes and vibrant traditions of Ukraine, a timeless tale emerges, weaving together the threads of folklore and the resilience of the human heart. This is the story of Ivanko, a young orphan whose compassion and courage will be put to the test as he embarks on a quest to free a cursed maiden from the clutches of a powerful evil. Through his adventures, we are invited to explore the depths of Ukrainian folklore and the enduring power of love to overcome even the darkest of enchantments.
The Tale
In a certain village lived an orphan named Ivanko. When his father and mother died, they left him an old hut and a small garden plot.
In that village there lived a landowner named Stulmordo. People avoided him from ten roads away, for no one wanted to have anything to do with him. One day, the landowner stood next to Ivanko's hut and shouted:
"And who are you?"
"I am Ivanko."
"And what do you need the hut and the garden for?"
"I live in the hut, and I feed myself from the garden. Even a fool knows that."
The lord thought and said, "Go work for me as a coachman, for I'm taking this garden. There will be a beehive on it."
"Don't you, sir, have enough of your own land? It will be a sin!"
"Let the sin go into the sack - with a pestle on top. If you don't want to be a coachman, then get out of the village."
Ivanko baked some potato pancakes, threw a few apples into a bag, and set off. On the bank of the Prut River, he saw a crane. He approached - and the bird did not flee, he took it in his hands - its wing was broken. It asked:
"Help me, young man. I've been sitting here hungry for five days, because the wounds hurt."
Ivanko washed the wounds, tore his shirt and bandaged them. Then he caught a fish in the Prut and fed the bird. He wanted to make her a little house, but as he approached the thicket, he heard:
"Don't tear me, young man, for maybe he who I'm waiting for will come."
"And who are you?"
"I am enchanted reed-girl."
"Whom are you waiting for?"
"My liberator."
"Well, show yourself."
The voice replied, "I've shown myself twice already... But what's the use? They went away and haven't been back to this day. I can show myself one last time."
"Show yourself to me the last time. I swear, I won't deceive you."
"Well, good, look at the top of the thicket."
Suddenly Ivanko saw a beautiful girl in front of him. She was as beautiful as the first spring flower, but very sad.
"Why are you sad?"
"An evil witch stole me from my parents. She wanted me to marry her giant son. I didn't want to and ran away, hid in this thicket. The witch found me and turned me into a reed. To free me, you need to steal my ring and place it on the top..."
And the girl disappeared. She very much pleased our Ivanko. And he decided to help her. He returned to the crane and said:
"We must part ways."
"Where will you go?" asked the crane.
"I'll go look for what can't be spoken of."
"May luck be with you!"
Ivanko walked through fields and forests. Somehow by the road he saw a hut. He entered. In the vestibule were three cats, tied to three posts. Ivanko stroked each cat and gave them a piece of fish.
"Meow, meow, meow..." the cats responded to him.
A voice came from the hut:
"Who's tormenting you there?"
"No one is tormenting us. The young man gave us food."
"Then come into the hut, young man!"
In the hut, Ivanko saw no one, for it was dark there. He struck a fire and lit it. On the stove lay an old, old babushka.
"It's good, my son, that you didn't pass by my hut, for something is pricking in my side. There's no one to bring me water."
"Water? Right away, babushka..."
"You won't bring it yourself, for you'll get lost. Let down one of the cats, it will light the way with its eyes."
Ivanko went into the vestibule and asked:
"Which of you will go with me for water?"
"Each of us once," answered the oldest.
And they went. On the way, Ivanko was curious:
"Tell me, kitty, why are you all tied up?"
"I can't say, the old woman will chase me away. Ask the second one." 
Ivanko cooked kulish, fed the old woman and the cats. He spent the night and wanted to go further. But the old woman didn't let him:
"Stay here a little longer, until my hips stop hurting."
The next day, Ivanko went for water with the second cat.
"Tell me, kitty, why are you all tied up?"
"I can't say, I'm afraid of the old woman..."
On the third day, Ivanko went for water with the third cat. He offered it a morsel of fish and gently stroked its back.
"Tell me, kitty, why are you on a leash?"
"I'm afraid to speak, but I'll tell you. The old woman is the oldest witch. At night, all the unclean forces gather to her and advise how to harm people. Today they will also gather for a gathering. And so that you don't hear, the old woman will plug your ears with wax. So I'll tell you everything."
"Tell me, kitty, did they ever talk about the girl who became a reed?"
"How not? The old woman even said that there were already two young men who wanted to steal the ring from her. She turned them into two stones. They lie there, under the hut, and when the sun warms them, the old woman sits on them and basks."
"And what needs to be done to return them to life?"
"You need to sprinkle the stones with water from the lake that no one has drunk from yet."
Ivanko cooked supper, fed the old woman and the cats, and went to sleep. The old woman said:
"Ivanko, there will be a lot of thunder tonight. I'll plug your ears with fresh wax, so you don't go deaf."
At midnight, all sorts of witches, vampires, and devils began to fly into the hut. There were so many of them that there was nowhere to sleep or stand. Ivanko took the wax out of one ear and heard:
"I heard that the third young man is coming to free the girl from the reed. But I'll show him the price of mischief. I hid the ring in the Iron Mountain."
In the morning, the witch woke the boy and asked:
"Did you hear anything, Ivanko?"
"No, babushka, I slept like a stone." The boy began to get ready to go.
"I'm going with you," said the third cat. "We'll trick the old woman. You'll catch a cat and tie it in my place. The old woman is old and short-sighted, she won't notice right away."
Ivanko did so.
They walked a long time or a little - they came to an open field. Suddenly a roar was heard in the air. The cat said:
"This is the old woman flying after us. It seems she recognized the substituted cat. But I'm smarter..."
He dug a hole and said:
"Climb in here!"
Ivanko climbed in, hid with the cat. The old woman flew by and disappeared.
Ivanko and the cat got out of the hole and continued on their way. They walked for a day, a second, a third - they arrived at a cave. The cat said:
"A sorcerer lives here who is very angry at the witch. You go to him, and I'll catch some mice in the meantime."
The sorcerer was old and weak, like a fly in the fall. He lay and could barely breathe. Seeing Ivanko, he said:
"It's good that you came, young man. Bring me some water, for I can't get up."
Ivanko brought water, cooked a meal, and fed the old man. The sorcerer told him:
"When I was young, all the witches respected me. But when I grew old, they burned my book and left me in this cave. Death awaits me. I'll reveal the greatest secret to you, young man. Do you want to find the Iron Mountain? Then listen carefully. Near the cave, on the south side, there are enchanted slippers buried. Dig them up and take them for yourself. When you come to the sea, throw them into the water - they will become a boat and take you to the Iron Mountain. There is also a lake there, from which no one has drunk yet..."
The sorcerer didn't have time to say more. He closed his eyes and died.
Ivanko buried the sorcerer as it should be. Then he dug up the enchanted slippers and set off with the cat. They walked a long time or a little - but they reached the blue sea.
Ivanko threw the slippers into the waves, and a boat rose from the water in front of him. They sat down and sailed. In one day they reached some island. When they came ashore, the boat turned back into slippers.
On the island, there was a very dense forest. Towering trees reached up to the sky.
Then the cat climbed to the top of the tallest tree and looked around in all directions. He shouted:
"Ivanko, the Iron Mountain is close."
They ran in the direction the cat pointed. In front of the mountain, they climbed into the bushes and began to look for a way to enter it. They were silent, and the mountain was silent.
Suddenly the mountain creaked and opened. Twelve girls with baskets in their hands came out of it.
"Good day, girls," Ivanko greeted them. "Where are you going?"
"For berries. And who are you?"
"I came to visit you."
"We don't receive guests, they are forbidden to us. If our master-giant sees you, you won't visit anyone anymore."
"And what are you?"
"We are the captives of the master-giant."
"And isn't he afraid to let you go for berries alone?"
"He's not afraid, because you can't escape from this island. There is only one boat that this sea accepts."
"And where is that boat?"
"With the sorcerer who is spending his last days in some cave. That boat can't be overtaken by any force."
Ivanko gathered berries with the girls and told them how nice it is to live where there are many people and where there are no such wild thickets. Then he asked:
"And don't you know where the master-giant hides the golden ring?"
"In a golden casket. And the key to the casket is in his left ear. But if you take the ring, you'll pay for it with your life. The master-giant will wake up and kill you immediately. He's stronger than this mountain!"
"And what should I do to take the ring?"
"You must first take the key from his left ear, and then set fire to the book of life of the master-giant, which lies on his table."
The girls filled their baskets with berries. When they returned, the gate opened, the young man hid among the girls and went in with them.
The master-giant was sleeping in a huge hall. He snored so loudly that the mountain trembled.
Ivanko quietly approached him. He pulled the golden key out of his left ear, then took a flint and struck a fire. He blew on the stove and set fire to the master-giant's book of life on the table.
Black as night smoke rose in the wide hall... The master first twisted, then began to disappear somewhere. The legs, torso, arms, neck were disappearing... A piece of the book did not burn, fell to the floor and went out. Then the giant's eyes rose and began to wander around the hall. Ivanko came out of the dark corner, went up to the golden casket, unlocked it and took the ring. The master's eyes were floating after him all the time, but Ivanko was not afraid. He opened the door and shouted:
"Hey, girls! Bring a jug to fill with water from the lake that no one has drunk from yet."
"Here, take the jug," the girls said.
The cat led him to the lake. They filled the jug with water. Then the cat said:
"We need to run before the old woman finds out about the death of her son. She can cause us trouble."
They came to the terrible iron gate.
"Knock three times with the golden key, Ivanko."
Ivanko knocked. The gate opened. Ivanko, the cat, and the girls ran to the sea. The eyes of the master-giant were floating after them.
Ivanko threw the enchanted slippers into the waves. A boat rose from the water. They all sat in it and sailed across the sea. Ivanko looked back. On the shore, the eyes of the master-giant were shining... Tears, big and round like apples, were flowing from them and falling into the sea.
When they reached the other shore, the girls ran out onto the green field. The young man hid the enchanted slippers in his bosom and said:
"Well, nice girls, now go home, for the cat and I have our own way."
The girls thanked the young man and dispersed. Ivanko went to the witch's hut. He poured the water from the lake that no one had drunk from yet over the two stones. The two young men awoke as if from sleep.
"We slept for a long time," they said.
"Oh, you would have slept until the end of the world and the sun, if I hadn't woken you with the water from this jug. Go home, boys. The witch, as I see, no longer has any power."
The young men left. And Ivanko with the cat went to the thicket on the river bank. Ivanko took out the ring and placed it on the top of the reed.
The reed swayed, and suddenly a girl stood in its place - as beautiful as the first spring flower.
Ivanko said, "I won't be able to live a single day without you. Be mine..." The girl gave him the golden ring, and they went to her father and mother. They were honest Hutsuls who had cried their eyes out for their only daughter.
They had a wedding. And the cat was with them all his life - spinning golden thread and telling tales.
