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Cossack Tales

Nikolai Gogol

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    This is not what I had planned to post next on my Home page, but I found it unexpectedly and thought it would fit the season, Not that I celebrate Christmas or any holidays, but stories about them, especially when based on folk traditions can be amusing. This one, The Night of Christmas Eve, certainly is.
    The first work by Nikolai Gogol I ever read was the play, The Inspector General. I laughed so hard, and hoped that his other works were that funny, too. I have read most of them now, and a few are funny, more are very darkly funny, and some are downright serious, such as the other story that appears with this one, Tarass Boolba. I had already read that one, but it was worth reading again You� may read my review of it and all my Gogol reviews on his Index Page.
    Gogol's short stories can be divided into two groups: the Ukrainian Tales and the Petersburg Tales. Gogol is known as one of Russia's best authors, but he was really Ukrainian, often called Little Russia back then. Russia was constantly at war with itself, for centuries, and the Cossacks, a fierce and savage race, grew out of these people's rage at being invaded and slaughtered incessantly. They took matters into their own hands, since they had nothing to lose, and became a proud class of warriors who spent their off-time drinking and carousing, as these two stories reflect, in two opposite ways. But they also became powerful with a strong hierarchy of leadership. Previous invaders were no longer quite so confident in attacking of these people.
    The first story, The Night of Christmas Eve: A Legend of Little Russia, is a silly fantasy-like tale, similar to A May Night. Here, we first meet a witch as she exits from her chimney and flies around on her broom. We later meet her and all her would-be lovers!! Then the devil, who has only a few hours left before Christmas in which he can capture wayward souls, appears. He is described as "just like a German;

a narrow snout, incessantly turning on every side, and smelling about, ended like those of our pigs, in a small, round, flattened end; its legs were so thin, that had the village elder got no better, he would have broken them to pieces in the first squatting-dance. But, as if to make amends for these deficiencies, it might have been taken, viewed from behind, for the provincial advocate, so much was its long pointed tail like the skirt of our dress-coats. And yet, a look at the goat's beard under its snout, at the small horns sticking out of its head, and at the whole of its figure, which was no whiter than that of a chimney sweeper, would have sufficed to make any one guess that it was neither a German nor a provincial advocate, but the Devil in person, to whom only one night more was left for walking about the world and tempting good men to sin."

    He begins by stealing the moon and hiding it in his pocket because it is too hot, like a live coal, to hold. The bright night suddenly becomes black, and those out walking and reveling can no longer see a thing. The wealthy Cossack, Choop, has been invited to a party at the parish clerk's and an elder, a relation to the clerk, in the archbishop's chapel. He and his kinsman start out, although Choop really does not want to venture into the nasty night, but since the kinsman, too prefers to stay home, Choop insists on going, just to be obstinate.
    As soon as they leave, the blacksmith, Vakoola, shows up at his door, for he is in love with Choop's daughter, Oxana, the most beautiful maiden in the village. He cannot visit her when Choop is at home, since he is strongly opposed to their courting.
    He enters as Oxana is absorbed in looking at herself in a mirror and commenting on her extraordinary loveliness. The problem is, though she is beautiful, she is also an arrogant spoiled brat who has discouraged all the other suitors because she has treated them all so abusively. But the blacksmith, who is one of the most gifted artisans and painters in the village, who has traveled about and painted important buildings, covering them with his gorgeous creations, cannot be discouraged because he loves her so much. Oxana, however, cares not, and ignores and insults him. We leave him just as someone bangs at the door.
    We enter the house of the witch who has returned home from her flight. She is none other than Solokha, the blacksmith's mother. She is not pretty, but has lots of suitors, and the first is the devil himself. I want to add here that of all her suitors, it is the widower Choop in whom she is most interested because of his wealth. Therefore, she is against her son marrying Oxana, as is Choop. Anyways, the devil has just seen Choop and his kinsman walking to the party, and before slipping down Solokha's chimney, he creates a terrible snowstorm. Choop and his kinsman lose their way, then lose each other. Choop attempts to return home. When he does, he hears the blacksmith's voice, who is now angry at Oxana for her rudeness. Choop thinks he has come to the wrong cottage, and the blacksmith, not knowing it is Choop because he has disguised his voice, beats him and send him away.
    But soon after the devil arrives at Solokha's cottage, a knock comes at the door. It is the fat elder, who is supposed to be at the party. The devil hides in a sack.
    And no sooner does the elder begin to flirt with Solokha, than the clerk, who is also supposed to be at the party, arrives. So the fat elder hides in a sack, too—a big sack because he is so fat. The clerk begins frolicking around Solokha, touching different parts of her body. But again comes another knock at the door and this time it is Choop. So the clerk also hides in a sack.
    Meanwhile, Oxana's friends begin to arrive for the caroling and reveling. The blacksmith becomes very jealous, but she announces that she will marry him if he can obtain for her the Czarina's boots. The blacksmith leaves in anger and returns home, shortly after Choop's arrival. So therefore, Choop hops into a sack, this time the one the clerk is already in.
    It all becomes even sillier as the blacksmith leaves in anger, picking up the sacks and wondering if he is getting weak because he cannot lift a few bags of charcoal, not realizing of course that he is lifting Choop, the clerk, the fat elder and the devil. He puts forth his energy and lifts them all, hauling them out of the cottage to the smithy where they belong. Meanwhile he sees Oxana and her friends and declares that he will go kill himself out of anguish.
    But by a strange turn of events, he manages to enlist the help of the devil, or rather, command his obedience, to get what he wants. And I will let you read the story, either online or downloaded on your reader, to find out what happens. This tale takes up a third of the book, with Tarass Boolba taking up the rest. Both are highly recommended.