English Original
Once upon a time, there lived a King who had three sons: the eldest Szabo, the second Warza, and the youngest Iwanich.
One spring morning, while walking in the gardens, they came upon a piece of waste land with three splendid trees. The King looked at them sadly. When his sons asked why, he told them a story: The trees were planted from seeds given by a magician, who promised they would bear the world's finest fruit. However, the magician warned that if one unripe fruit were plucked, all would rot. For years, on the very night the fruit ripened to golden perfection, it was mysteriously stolen by an invisible hand, despite all guards.
Szabo, the eldest, volunteered to guard the trees that night. He climbed a tree but fell asleep at midnight and awoke to find all fruit gone. The next year, Warza tried and failed similarly.
The third year, Iwanich took his turn. At midnight, a gentle wind shook the tree, and a snow-white swan-like bird alighted on his breast. He seized it, and to his astonishment, found himself holding a beautiful girl named Militza. She explained that an evil magician had stolen the seeds from her dying mother, who had bid Militza reclaim the fruit each year. Iwanich fell in love with her. Before dawn, Militza gave him a diamond ring to guide him to her kingdom and vanished.
The fruit remained, and the King was overjoyed. Iwanich, however, invented a story about fighting a wasp and soon left secretly to find Militza, guided by the ring.
After three months, he reached a terrifying forest. An old beggar warned him of fierce beasts and gave him a bag of breadcrumbs and a live hare. Following the advice, Iwanich distracted the beasts with the food and the hare, escaping unharmed. He then met a strange, prickly little man with two lions tethered to his beard. Grateful for the fed "body-guard" beasts, the man gave Iwanich a lion as a protector through the forest.
Upon leaving the forest, the lion departed as instructed. Iwanich soon found a beautiful white palace where he was reunited with Militza. They married and lived happily for three months.
Then, Militza had to visit her aunt. Before leaving, she gave Iwanich all the castle keys but begged him never to open a small iron door in the north tower, secured with seven locks and bolts.
Overcome by curiosity, Iwanich eventually opened the door. Inside, he saw a man chained in a cauldron of boiling pitch. Pleading for relief, the man asked for water. Moved by pity, Iwanich sprinkled water on him, causing a catastrophic crash. The palace vanished, and Iwanich found himself alone on a desolate heath.
Wandering in despair, he found shelter with the same old beggar from the forest. The beggar directed him to seek work with the witch Corva.
Iwanich found Corva's dreadful house, surrounded by a fence adorned with human skulls. He agreed to serve her for a year, tending her pitch-black mare and foal. The condition was harsh: if either horse escaped, his head would join the others on the fence.
During his service, Iwanich kindly helped three animals in distress: a fish, an eagle, and a fox. Each gave him a token (a scale, a feather, and two hairs) and promised future help.
As the year neared its end, the witch, plotting against him, used magic to make Iwanich sleep. The horses then hid—first in a river, then in the clouds, and finally in a royal hen-house. Each time, using the tokens, Iwanich summoned the help of the fish, the eagle, and the fox to recover them.
After the final success, the mare advised Iwanich to demand her foal as his reward, warning that the witch would try to dissuade him. He did so, and despite the witch's claims that the foal was worthless, he insisted.
The witch, forced to comply, revealed the truth: the man in the cauldron was a mighty magician who had captured Militza. Iwanich was the only one who could kill him. She warned him not to speak to the magician but to seize him by the beard and dash him to the ground.
Iwanich mounted the magical foal, which sped through the air. He intercepted the magician flying in an owl-drawn carriage. Remembering the witch's advice, he seized the magician by the beard without a word. The foal helped finish him.
Instantly, Iwanich was reunited with Militza in her palace. They lived in peace and happiness for the rest of their lives.
中文翻译
从前，有一位国王，他有三个儿子：长子叫萨博，次子叫瓦尔扎，最小的叫伊万尼奇。
一个春天的早晨，他们在花园散步时，来到一片荒地，那里长着三棵华丽的树。国王悲伤地看着它们。儿子们询问原因，他讲了一个故事：这些树是用一位魔法师给的种子种下的，魔法师承诺它们会结出世界上最好的果实。然而，魔法师警告说，如果摘下一个未成熟的果子，所有的果子都会腐烂。多年来，就在果实成熟变成金色的那个夜晚，尽管有人看守，果实总会被一只无形的手神秘地偷走。
长子萨博自告奋勇当晚去守护果树。他爬上一棵树，但在午夜时分睡着了，醒来发现所有果实都不见了。第二年，瓦尔扎尝试了，同样失败了。
第三年，伊万尼奇接替了任务。午夜时分，一阵微风吹动了树，一只雪白的天鹅般的鸟落在他的胸前。他抓住了它，令他惊讶的是，他发现自己抱着一位美丽的姑娘，名叫米利察。她解释说，一个邪恶的魔法师从她垂死的母亲那里偷走了种子，母亲嘱咐米利察每年去取回果实。伊万尼奇爱上了她。黎明前，米利察给了他一枚钻石戒指，可以指引他去她的王国，随后便消失了。
果实保住了，国王欣喜若狂。然而，伊万尼奇编造了一个与黄蜂搏斗的故事，不久便秘密离开，在戒指的指引下寻找米利察。
三个月后，他来到一片可怕的森林。一个老乞丐警告他里面有凶猛的野兽，并给了他一袋面包屑和一只活野兔。伊万尼奇按照建议，用食物和野兔引开了野兽，安然无恙地逃脱了。随后，他遇到了一个奇怪的、浑身是刺的小个子男人，他的胡子上拴着两只狮子。这个男人感谢伊万尼奇喂饱了他的“保镖”野兽，便送给他一只狮子，保护他穿过森林。
离开森林后，狮子按指示离开了。伊万尼奇很快找到了一座美丽的白色宫殿，在那里与米利察重逢。他们结了婚，幸福地生活了三个月。
后来，米利察必须去拜访她的姨妈。离开前，她把城堡所有的钥匙都交给了伊万尼奇，但恳求他千万不要打开北塔楼上一扇用七把锁和门闩锁住的小铁门。
伊万尼奇被好奇心战胜，最终打开了那扇门。里面，他看到一个男人被铁链锁在沸腾的沥青锅里。男人恳求缓解痛苦，要一点水。出于怜悯，伊万尼奇把水洒在他身上，引发了一场灾难性的巨响。宫殿消失了，伊万尼奇发现自己孤身一人站在一片荒凉的石楠地上。
他在绝望中徘徊，得到了森林里那个老乞丐的收留。乞丐指引他去女巫科尔瓦那里找工作。
伊万尼奇找到了科尔瓦可怕的房子，房子周围围着一圈插着人类头骨的栅栏。他同意为她服务一年，照看她的乌黑母马和马驹。条件很苛刻：如果任何一匹马逃跑，他的头就会和其他头骨一起挂在栅栏上。
在服务期间，伊万尼奇好心帮助了三只遇险的动物：一条鱼、一只鹰和一只狐狸。每只动物都给了他一个信物（一片鳞、一根羽毛和两根毛发），并承诺将来会帮助他。
当年限接近结束时，女巫设计陷害他，用魔法使伊万尼奇入睡。马匹随后躲藏起来——先是躲在河里，然后躲在云里，最后躲在一个皇家鸡舍里。每一次，伊万尼奇都使用信物，召唤鱼、鹰和狐狸的帮助，找回了马匹。
最后一次成功后，母马建议伊万尼奇索要她的马驹作为报酬，并警告说女巫会试图劝阻他。他照做了，尽管女巫声称马驹毫无价值，他仍然坚持。
女巫被迫同意，说出了真相：锅里的男人是一个强大的魔法师，他抓住了米利察。伊万尼奇是唯一能杀死他的人。她警告伊万尼奇不要和魔法师说话，而是要抓住他的胡子把他摔倒在地。
伊万尼奇骑上那匹神奇的马驹，马驹在空中疾驰。他拦截了乘坐猫头鹰拉的车飞行的魔法师。记着女巫的建议，他一言不发地抓住了魔法师的胡子。马驹帮忙结果了他。
瞬间，伊万尼奇在宫殿里与米利察重逢。从此以后，他们过着平静幸福的生活。