dived again, and remained longer under water than the first time, but still did not find the egg. The third time he remained under water longer than the two preceding times, and this time found the egg at the bottom of the sea. When the youth saw that the yunner had found the egg, he was delighted. They made a fire and put the egg in the middle to burn it. This done they returned home. As soon as they reached the shore whence they set out, the youth hastened home, and then he saw that the giant was burning like the egg in the island. The mother was delighted at the return of her son. “Thanks, dear son, for you have triumphed over the life of the giant.” There was yet a little life in the giant. “What folly was mine,” he exclaimed, “to let myself be wheedled into telling the secret of my life to this malign woman!”
Then the giant seized his tube of iron (with which he used to suck the blood of people), but the woman had put one end of it in the fire. Thus he sucked up fire and cinders, and burnt both within and without. At last the fire went out, and with it was spent the life of the giant.
This story occurs in the Cyrilian Serbian as the Dragoness and the Czar’s Son. It is manifestly a form of the Three Citrons legend. It is, briefly, as follows: A Czar had three sons; the first went out hunting, started and pursued a hare which arrived at a mill, turned into a dragoness and ate him. The same happened to the second son. The third son did not pursue the hare, but went after other game and at length reached the mill, and behold at the water mill an old woman (our old friend Jezibaba, in fact). The Czar’s son greeted her in God’s name: “God assist thee, aged mother.” And the old woman accepted the greeting, and responded: “God protect thee, little son!” Then the prince enquired: “Aged mother, where is my hare?” And she replied: “My little son, that was no hare, but was a dragoness! All this country she ravages and destroys.” Hearing this, the Czar’s son was somewhat troubled, and said to the old woman: “Well, what’s to be done? No doubt it is she who has killed my two brothers.” The old woman replied: “Alas! alas! there is no help; therefore, little son, go home while you are safe and sound, and not where they are.” Then he said to her: “Aged mother, do you know what? I’m certain you, too, would be glad to free yourself from this misfortune.” And the old woman hastened to reply: “Oh, my little son I should just think so. The dragoness would have seized me, too, but she has not yet had the chance.” Then he continued: “Hear well what I tell you; when the dragoness comes home ask her where her strength resides; and kiss all the place where she says her strength resides, as if from affection, until you discover where it is, and then, when I return, tell me where it is.” The Czar’s son then returns to the palace, and the old woman stays at the water mill. When the dragoness comes home the old woman begins to ask her: And where has it been, the dear? And whither away so far? And why won’t it tell me where it goes? And the dragoness replies: “Oh
