Hungarian Folk Tales: Cerceruska
Once upon a time there lived a widower who had two daughters.
His next door neighbour was a widow who never stopped recommending herself to the man.
Hey neighbour, take me for your wife, you won't regret it!
I will bring up your two daughters, and I'll be like a real mother to them.
One day the poor man finally gave in and married the widow next door.
But it did not take long for the woman to start treating the girls badly.
She tried everything to get them away from the house. She nagged her husband:
Take them both to the forest and just leave them there, let them perish!
That was something horrible for the father's ears but still, he did as the woman wanted him to.
Cerceruska, that was the name of the elder girl, heard what her father and stepmother were about to do.
So she filled her pockets with grain so she would leave a trail behind.
Early next morning the father took out his two daughters.
Cerceruska just kept spilling the grain from her pockets all along the way.
When they were deep in the middle of the forest their father told them:
Well my girls, I think it's about time to take a rest, because we are all very tired.
And the girls went to sleep.
When the girls woke up, they started calling their father but he was already far far away.
Don't you worry little sister, we will trace our way back along the grain that I spilled as we came this way.
But they couldn't find the grain because the birds had picked it all up,
and the girls just couldn't find their way home.
On top of all of that, their stepmother had cursed them before they left:
If you drink from the track of an animal, you are going to change into that animal!
As they were walking in the endless forest the younger girl became thirsty .
She spotted the footprint of a cow that was full of clean water.
Sister, oh dear sister, I'm so thirsty, I have to drink.
Don't drink sister, because you will turn into an animal!
A little later the little girl got left behind and she drank from the footprint of a deer.
When Cerceruska looked back she saw the little deer running after her.
Cerceruska kept on going forward with the deer following her until she finally found a hollow tree.
There she gathered up some dry leaves and made a comfortable bed.
One day a young prince was hunting in the forest and he spotted the beautiful Cerceruska.
The prince called after them: Come on out, you beautiful girl!
I cannot, because I have a dear sister and you want to kill her!
Come on out with the deer, I won't touch her!
So Cerceruska finally came out, and she was so beautiful that the prince was lost for words.
When he found his voice again, he immediately asked her to marry him.
Let's get married, I'll be yours and you'll be mine and we'll live happily forever and a day!
He kissed her and embraced her,
then they both got on his horse and the prince married the girl.
Time passed by.
The king was on a hunt one day when Cerceruska gave birth to a son.
His name was Little King Andriko.
Before I forget what I was going to say, I wanted to tell you,
that there lived a mean cook in the court who had an ugly daughter.
She had always dreamed that her own daughter would be the queen one day,
so it was no surprise that she hated Cerceruska.
Your majesty, you are so beautiful!
There is a pond in the garden, you should go and take a look at yourself!
When they walked around the water, the cook suddenly shoved her into the pond.
When this was done, the cook woman quickly changed her own daughter's dress,
and made her lay down in Cerceruska's bed.
Soon the king returned from the hunt.
The evil cook told him the good news.
You have a son, his name is Little King Andriko, just take a look, your majesty!
The king was very happy and he kissed the baby boy.
He was about to kiss his wife but he was horrified at what he saw .
Oh my goodness, what became of my wife, how could she become as ugly as this?!
It was childbirth that did it to her – explained the cook.
The king was sad, but since there was nothing he could do, he finally accepted the change.
Each night Cerceruska came back and visited the deer in her room.
She kept asking: Is Little King Andriko crying?
Of course he is, dear sister. Barren women have no milk.
One day the cook's daughter heard this.
She was determined to get rid of the deer before it caused her downfall.
So she said to the king:
Darling husband, I'm feeling very weak.
I will feel no better until I can eat the heart and liver of this little deer.
The deer must be killed!
As they were sharpening the knife and washing the bowl for her blood,
the deer ran out to the pond and called out:
My darling Cerceruska, get up from the depths, from the stomach of the big fish,
because they want to cut my throat with a knife, they want to catch my blood in a bowl,
they want to kill me too!
Then Cerceruska stepped out of the pond, walked up to the deer, and stroked her gently.
She was even more beautiful than before.
The king heard and saw everything because he was secretly following the deer.
He embraced and kissed Cerceruska who told him everything.
The king immediately went to see the cook.
He said to the cook:
What would you do to the person who would not hesitate to destroy my wife?
What? I would have the person tied to a horse's tail and have him dragged through the town!
And the old woman and her daughter were treated exactly as the old hag had predicted.
The king took Cerceruska and the little deer back to the palace,
and they all lived happily ever after.