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The Story Finder

Voices in Fairy Tales

by Michelle Tocher

Story finder - Curly

Click the image above to fetch a new random story.

Wizard of a Man

The Tsar kept me under lock and key for years, and do you know why? Because I am a wizard of a man, yes indeed! A mere peasant made me of copper, with iron hands and a steel head. I am virtually indestructible.

One day a boy walked past my prison grate. I recognized him as the young Prince Ivan. “Hey, Prince Ivan, could you give me a drink of water?” I asked.

The child went to a fountain and came back with a cup of water. With it, I turned myself into vapor and vanished from the cell.

I resolved to do the young prince a good service one day, and now here he is, riding out to hunt. He’s become the governor of the province!

Well, I intend to improve his position. I’ll make him so strong that he will need no servants. He’ll carry so much weight that he’ll be too heavy for his horse!

Wizard of a Man in Prince Ivan and Princess Martha, Russian Fairy Tales Collected by Aleksandr Afanas’ev.

Wizard of a Man

Who is a person who can ‘carry their own weight’? What sort of person comes to mind? What is the strength they have? What sort of person is able to carry two or three times their own weight? Describe what you see them doing.