“To the blue sea,” answered the raven.
“Let’s go together!”
Well, they reached the sea. Don thought to himself, “If I dive right through the sea, I shall carry it away with me.”
“Raven!” he said, “do me a service. I am going to plunge into the sea, but do you fly over to the other side and as soon as you reach the opposite shore, give a croak.”
Don plunged into the sea. The raven flew and croaked—but too soon. Don remained just as he appears at the present day.[269]
In White-Russia there is a legend about two rivers, the beginning of which has evidently been taken from the story of Jacob and Esau:—
Sozh and Dnieper.
There was once a blind old man called Dvina. He had two sons—the elder called Sozh, and the younger Dnieper. Sozh was of a boisterous turn, and went roving about the forests, the hills, and the plains; but Dnieper was remarkably sweet-tempered, and he spent all his time at home, and was his mother’s favorite. Once, when Sozh was away from home, the old father was deceived by his wife into giving the elder son’s blessing to the younger son. Thus spake Dvina while blessing him:—
“Dissolve, my son, into a wide and deep river. Flow past towns, and bathe villages without number as far as the blue sea. Thy brother shall be thy servant. Be rich and prosperous to the end of time!”
Dnieper turned into a river, and flowed through fertile meadows and dreamy woods. But after three days, Sozh returned home and began to complain.