There once lived an old peasant and his wife. They had nor son nor daughter, and they prayed to God every night so that they could
have a child that would be able to succeed them after they have passed.
One day to their surprise seven sons were born to the couple and all seven boys
were named Semeon. Their mother died shortly after
the birth and the father died shortly thereafter. The brothers were not going
to be able to have a normal childhood from the start.
It is well known that an orphan's life consists of hardship and the need for
survival. This is how life treated the seven brothers. When it came time to
harvest, though they were small and weak, they worked just as hard as the grown
men that were working with them.
While the boys were working in the fields the Tsar happened to drive by and see
them working. He stopped his carriage and called them over. They talked for a
while and he learned that they had no mother or father. The Tsar told them that
he would be their father and asked each of them what skill or trade they wanted
to master.
The first Semeon said that he would be a smith and
erect a pillar so tall that it will almost touch the sky.
The second Semeon said that he would climb that
pillar and keep watch on what is happening in the surrounding kingdoms.
The third Semeon said that he would be a ship
builder.
The fourth Semeon said that he would be a helmsman
and be the captain of that ship.
The fifth Semeon said that he would, if necessary, be
able to take that ship to the bottom of the ocean so fast that no one will be
able to see how he did it.
The sixth Semeon said that he would be able to bring
that ship up from the bottom of the ocean as fast as his other brother took it
down.
The Tsar was pleased to hear that they would be useful to his citizen in his
kingdom and he asked the seventh Semeon what he
wanted to be.
The seventh Semeon answered that he wanted to be a
thief.
The Tsar exclaimed that he was not pleased and that he put thieves in his
kingdom to death.
The Tsar said farewell to the brothers and rode off, having made all of them
his apprentices.
The years passed and the seven Semeons had become
grown men. One day the Tsar summoned all of them to see what they had learned.
The first brother erected a pillar with his skill of blacksmithing and the
second brother quickly climbed to the top of the pillar and started reporting
what was going on in the surrounding kingdoms. He said that in one of the
kingdoms lived Elena the Fair, a princess so beautiful that there was no woman
on the earth like her. Her eyes were as blue as the sky, her cheeks were as red
as roses, and her skin was as smooth and as white as alabaster.
The third brother got to work in the shipyard and built a ship so beautiful, that its only equal was the Tsar's palace. Once the ship
was built the fourth brother got onboard and started steering and navigating
the ship that was lively as a porpoise.
The fifth brother took the ship by the bow and took it to the bottom of the
ocean. A minute later the sixth brother took the ship by the bow and brought
the ship back up to the surface.
The Tsar was overjoyed and he turned to the seventh brother and asked him if he
was as skilled in his trade as his brothers were in theirs. The brother
answered that his skill surpassed that of his brothers.
Hearing this, the Tsar ordered gallows to be prepared, a noose to be tied, and
the seventh brother to be hung for being a thief by profession.
At the moment the noose was to go around the neck of the seventh Semeon he cried out that he would be able to steal Elena
the Fair away from her kingdom for him. He requested that his brothers help him
in his endeavor and for this he should spare his life.
The Tsar was fixated on the fact that Elena the Fair would actually be able to
grace his kingdom. For years he wanted to marry her, but with the
responsibility of running a kingdom he could never journey that far away from
his land. He spared the thief's life and let the brothers take the new ship, which
was stocked with foods and priceless gifts of all kinds, and the brothers
sailed away to the
kingdom
of
Elena
the Fair.
It was a long journey by sea but the brothers finally made it to her kingdom.
As soon as the thief got off the ship he made it a point to learn the
traditions and customs of the foreign land. He learned how to play a flute
unlike any other in the world and learned that there were no cats on this part
of the earth. So he dressed like a merchant, took a kitten from the ship, and
started stroking it while he walked in front of Elena's window.
As soon as she saw the kitten she fell in love with it and ordered all seven
brothers into her palace along with the kitten. When they met with the Elena
the kitten performed tricks and the seventh Semeon played his flute that made a sound that was more beautiful than any other. He
also told Elena grand tales about his homeland and the marvelous cargo he had
on the ship. He also brought with him breathtaking silks and finery that
captivated Elena.
He then told her that what she had before her was nothing compared to what he
had waiting for her to see on the ship. He told her that he had a stone that he
could not bring with him anywhere, since everyone who saw it would want to buy
it. The stone, he told her, was a gift to his Tsar, but he would let her see it
if she accompanied him to the ship.
Elena the Fair was so taken aback that she agreed that she would visit his ship
on the next day.
With her entourage behind her she made her way down to the shore where the ship
was anchored. Only Elena the Fair and her ladies in waiting were allowed to
board the ship. The seven Semeons had prepared for
this moment. As soon as the women came aboard, the fifth brother took the ship
by the bow to the bottom of the ocean. When they were at a safe distance from
the shore, the sixth brother brought the ship back to the surface, and the
fourth brother steered the ship in the direction of their kingdom.
On the shore the dukes, princes, and the nobility watched in horror as they
witnessed the ship disappear into the depths of the ocean. When they saw the
ship come back to the surface they were relieved but still sad, because they
knew Elena the Fair had been tricked and that they would never see her or her
ladies in waiting ever again.
When they arrived to their kingdom the Tsar was overjoyed because he never
thought that Elena the Fair would ever be in his kingdom. He welcomed her and
her ladies in waiting with warmth and charm. Fortunately Elena the Fair fell in
love with the Tsar and they were married and celebrations broke out throughout
all of the land.
As for the seven Semeons he rewarded them with no
more rent on land and exempted them from taxes for the rest of their lives. The
Tsar also realized that his new wife had ladies in waiting who were not yet
married. Coincidentally they were seven of them and the Tsar gave them to the
brothers so they could all be married and live happily ever after.
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