Sadko

Many people know this fairy tale. It’s about how, in the glorious city of Great Novgorod, there lived a certain Sadko the minstrel. A true natural talent—rare gift: once he plays, the very legs start themselves dancing! He entertained common people, but in his soul he dreamed that he could sail to foreign lands, earn glory for his homeland. He believed that on the way, there, he would find happiness. It’s a pity only that he didn’t have the capital for such a plan. And the boyars and merchants— the fathers of Novgorod—didn’t want to listen to the lad; they drove him off the yard with three shoves. But one day our hero met a maiden, and a beautiful sea trickster promptly devised a way to win a big bet, so that Sadko became rich…