K56ac. Row of stones and row of logs. .28.29.31.

The girl finds herself in a forest hut, where a bear comes. He orders her to make him a bed of stones and logs.

Russians (Pskov), Belarusians, Terek Cossacks, Lithuanians.

Central Europe. Russian (Pskov) [a stepmother tells her husband to take her stepdaughter to the forest; he ties a board to a birch tree, it knocks in the wind; the girl thinks that her father is chopping wood, but he left; a bear takes her to his place, tells her to make his bed: a row of stones, a row of logs, a mortar at her head; she does all this; the bear gives her the keys and tells her to run around the hut; a mouse takes the keys from her and runs with them instead of her; while the bear is running, the girl puts on the clothes that he had and leaves; towards her come horses (demand to remind her), cows (to milk), sheep (to shear), an oak tree (to sweep it and climb it); the girl has done everything; they all answer the bear that they have not seen the girl; she came home with wealth; the stepmother sent her own daughter; she did not give the mouse the keys, did not fulfill the horses' requests, etc.; the witch caught up with her, collected the bones in a bundle, and hung them on an oak tree; dog: your daughter's bones are hanging on the oak tree]: Ploshchuk 2004, No. 33: 99-104; Belarusians [a stepmother tells her husband to take his stepdaughter into the forest; a father brings his daughter to a hut on chicken legs; tells her to stand with the window to him and the door to his daughter; leaves, hanging a board on a tree; it knocks on the trunk, the girl thinks that her father is still chopping wood; in the evening she shouts: who is in the forest, who is in the swamp, come to me to spend the night; a bear comes, tells her to cook porridge, bake pancakes; the girl gave porridge and a pancake to the mouse; the bear tells her to make a bed for him: a row of stones and a row of logs, a mortar for his head; gives the keys, orders to run in the dark; the mouse runs with the keys instead of the girl; the bear throws logs, does not hit anyone; takes the girl as his wife; they have acquired wealth; the daughter goes to visit home on a team of six horses with a cartload of gifts; the dog barks about this; the stepmother sends her own daughter away; she does not feed the mouse, the bear killed her with the first log; the dog: grandfather's daughter has long been dead; the woman has taken ill]: Shein 1893, No. 48: 92-94 (=Belarusian folklore 2023: 142-145).

The Caucasus - Asia Minor. Terek Cossacks (Sleptsovskaya village) [an old man has his own daughter Dunya, an old woman has her own Masha; the old woman tells her husband to take D. away from her sight; the old man leaves her in a forest hut; the inside of the hut is like a royal tower; a mouse: a bear lives here; D. has eaten her fill; in the evening the mouse tells her to sit on the threshold and shout: Some in the forest, some in the dark - come to me and spend the night; a thick voice from the forest: I am in the forest, I am in the dark, I am coming to you to spend the night; the bear comes up, demands that his front end be transferred over the threshold; then his back end be transferred; sits down to supper, tells her to bring something sweet from the cellar; a mouse from under the table: fair maiden, give me some honey; D. gave it; the bear: now spread me on the floor: a row of stones, a row of logs, and a mortar for my head; D. did so; bear: put out the fire and run, holding the silver keys, and I will throw stones and logs; if you survive, I will reward you, if not, I will gnaw your bones; the mouse sent D. to the cellar, she runs around with the keys herself; the bear abandoned everything; D. from the cellar: alive; in the morning the bear gave her a cart, a chest with goods on it and sent her home; the dog barks at home: Dunyasha is coming, carrying a cart of goods; the old woman got ready with M. to remember D., and she arrived with good goods; the old woman sent M. to the bear; all the same, but when the mouse asked M. for honey, she complained to the bear and he crushed the mouse; the bear beat M. with stones and logs and finished her off with a mortar, gnawed the bones, put them in a sack and hung it on the wall; the old woman sent the old man to hurry M.; dog: The owner is coming, carrying Mashutka's bones in a bag; the old woman killed the dog; she howled when she saw the bones]: Semenov 1893: 194-198.

Baltoscandia. Lithuanians [a stepmother tells her husband to take her stepdaughter to the forest; he hangs a board so that it rattles in the wind, as if he were chopping wood, leaves; the sack contains not flour, but ash, not lard, but a firebrand; the girl enters the hut, the Bear asks to open the door at least with a splinter; she opens it with her hand; she feeds the Mouse; porridge made of ash, but tasty; she makes a bed for the Bear of stones, logs, millstones; the Bear tells her to run around the room, jingling her keys; the Mouse runs, the Bear throws stones, the girl sits under the stove; the Bear tells her to blow in his ear, pies fall out, a carriage with horses; the dog barks that the old man's daughter is coming with gifts; the stepmother sends her own daughter, she does not feed the Mouse, the Bear kills her, burns her, six sparrows bring a basin with ashes, the dog barks about it; the stepmother bursts with anger, the father and daughter eat pies], 226-228 [the stepmother sends her stepdaughter to sleep in the barn; there the devils offer to dance; she asks first to bring her water to wash, soap, then various items of clothing and jewelry; so time passes until the first roosters crow, the devils disappear, the clothing and jewelry remain; the stepmother sends her own daughter, she asks for everything at once, she has to dance, in the morning the stepmother finds her dead]: Lyobite 1965: 221-225.