The Jezinkas

The Jezinkas is a Bohemian fairy tale collected by A. H. Wratislaw in his Sixty Folk-Tales from Exclusively Slavonic Sources, number 5.[1]

Parker Filmore included it, as "Grandfather's Eyes", in Czechoslovak Fairy Tales.[2]

Ruth Manning-Sanders included, as "Johnny and the Witch-Maidens" in both A Book of Witches and A Choice of Magic.

Synopsis

A poor orphan named Johnny tried to get into service. He travelled far without finding a place. He came to an old man who had caverns in his head instead of eyes, and whose goats were bleating in their stall. The man took him as a goatherd but warned him against the hills; there, the Jezinkas would put him to sleep and tear out his eyes.

For two days, Johnny obeyed him, but on the third day, he decided the pasture was better there. He took three shoots of bramble and drove the goats to the hill. A beautiful young woman appeared, offering him an apple; he said he had eaten his fill of apples from his master's apple tree. Another appeared, with a rose, offering to let him smell it; he said he had smelled his fill of the more beautiful roses in his master's garden. A third one offered to comb his hair. He said nothing, but when she came close, he trapped her with the bramble shoot. The other two came and could not undo it, and he trapped them as well.

He fetched his master. Taking the oldest Jezinka, he demanded his master's eyes. When she said she did not know, he threatened to throw her into the river. She brought him to a cave filled with eyes and gave him two. His master put them in and wept, saying he could see nothing but owls. Johnny threw that Jezinka into the river. He did the same with the second, and when she gave his master eyes that saw nothing but wolves, he threw her, too, into the river. With the third, after she gave his master eyes that saw nothing but pike, he went to throw her in, but she pleaded with him, gave his master his actual eyes, and vanished.

After that, Johnny pastured the goats, and his master made cheeses. They never saw the Jezinkas again.

See also

References

  1. ↑ A. H. Wratislaw, Sixty Folk-Tales from Exclusively Slavonic Sources, "The Jezinkas"
  2. ↑ Parker Filmore, Czechoslovak Fairy Tales, "Grandfather's Eyes"
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