The Treasure: There was once an old couple that were very poor. Sadly, winter came and the woman passed away. But the husband had no money to pay for a funeral. No one would help him dig a grave for free, so he went to digging himself. Luckily, he came across a pot of gold, going back to the pope. After paying the pope, they had a proper funeral for the woman. They feasted, and the pop couldn't help but ask where the gold came from. He became jealous of the man, and decided to dress up as the devil in order to get the gold for himself. But when his wife tried to cut the goatskin costume off, the skin had became one with his body. God had punished his greed.
The Bad Wife: There was once an awful wife who never listened to her husband. One day, to escape the grief, the husband went to pick berries and found a large pit. He went home and told the wife to not go pick berries, knowing she would now. She fell into the pit and the husband joyfully went home. He went to see how things were going, and he pulled a demon out of the pit who begged not to be sent back in the pit with the awful woman. The demon would go around possessing people, and when the man would appear, he would leave. Thus the man was now rich, and the demon would go posses the princess. But the man tricked the demon into going back to the pit, and he lived happily with half of the kings riches.
The Three Copecks: There was once a poor little orphan who decided to sell himself as a slave to the king. He was paid, but would throw the payment into the well, only claiming it until it floated three years later. He bought a kitten that he saved from torment, and then went to sit on a merchants ship. The merchant wanted the cat to chase the mice, and the boy made a deal with him. But when the merchant was offered gold for him, he sold the cat with no intentions of giving the boy any of the payment. The seas began to torment him, and after paying, the storm stopped and he gave all the gold to the boy. The boy then was granted a single wish when he spent the gold on incense. He wished for a wife and did get one.
The Miser: There was once a very stingy merchant. He saw a man give to a beggar that he had just passed by and felt bad, and so he borrowed from the man in order to give to the beggar. When the man came to get his money back, the merchant claimed over and over again that he had no change. The merchant decided to act like he was dead, but when the man took him to be prayed upon in a coffin, he was not able to keep the act up. However, it scared the men who were robbers of the church, and they were able to split the loot amongst themselves.
The Water Snake: One a girl went to bathe in the river when a snake decided to lay on her clothes, only to move if she married him. She had to agree but went home for a week and acted as if nothing had changed... that is until an army of snakes showed up at her home. They stole her and her mother, and took them to the river where they turned into people. The mother left and the girl lived in the water and had three kids. One day, she went to visit her mother and took her kids with her. But the mother tricked the girl into sleeping and went to kill the husband. The girl found out and turned her kids and herself into birds.
Friday: There once was a woman who did not respect Mother Friday, and so she was punished with flax powder in her eyes. She realized what she was being punished for and was very mad at herself for doing so. She prayed for Mother Friday to forgive her and to let her free of her sins. So Mother Friday came back and took the powder out of her eyes.
Wednesday: A woman was spinning until the very early morning, and she prayed to Mother Wednesday to allow her to wake in the morning after a nap to continue spinning. She fell asleep only to wake up to an old woman setting a fire on her stove. She was told to fetch water by Wednesday, but the woman was frightened, and went to her neighbors house instead. the neighbor gave her advice on how to get Wednesday to leave. She did just this and it was successful.
The Leshy: One day a priests daughter went wandering about, and was gone for three years. A huntsman was with his dog in the woods when he came across a peasant. But it was really a forest creature. He chased him to a hut, where the daughter was. The hunter took the girl with him back to town and the priest was very happy. He let the two be married, and the creature was never to be seen again.
Dnieper, Volga, and Dvina: There once was these three orphans. They worked like slaves and were very unlucky souls. They searched far and wide for places to live and settle. The sisters were smarter than their brother, and they left him in a less than desirable place. He woke and chased them into the sea, where they all dispersed.
Emilian the Fool: There was once three brothers; two smart and one dumb. The older two smart ones left and had the younger one look after their wives like a mother. The wives sent him to get water, but while doing so he caught a fish to eat. The fish begged to be put back in the water for good luck. The man did this and by magic, was able to tell things and people to do things for him and it would happen. He ended up at the palace and even married the princess. The two built a castle bigger than the kings himself, and lived happily ever after.
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