The Mighty Crayfish, the Insatiable Wife, and the Fish

The Mighty Crayfish, the Insatiable Wife, and the Fish

A man caught a crayfish the size of a mitten for his lunch. But the crayfish began to speak in a human voice! It begged to be released and promised a great reward in return.

The man feared returning home empty-handed to his vicious wife. The crayfish then taught him the magic words: “Fill a hat with fish!” By chanting them, the man could bring home a fine catch of fish every day. Not knowing which fish his wife preferred, the crayfish filled the hat with all kinds of fish found in Estonian waters.

But the woman discovered that the man had made a bargain with the mighty crayfish and realised that more than fish could be demanded from him. At his wife’s command, the man stepped ashore and shouted:

“Crayfish, brother of the lake, dark spirit of the reeds!”

The crayfish agreed to fulfil the wife’s new wishes. From then on, better steaks and cakes were served each day. After tasting the good life, the woman grew greedy, demanding fine clothes, a grand manor house, a beautiful garden, and the life of a noble lady.

The man did not dare argue with her, and so he returned to the crayfish again and again for help.

At last, the crayfish grew angry and warned him:

“If your wife does not stop craving more, you will lose the good fortune you have today!”

But the insatiable woman ignored the warning and demanded even more — she wanted to become queen. Then she wished to become a god.

Hearing this, the crayfish shouted angrily:

“Into the pigsty with the two of you!”

At that very instant, the greedy woman and her timid husband found themselves sitting in a shabby hut upon a pile of straw. There they remained for the rest of their lives, remembering the proverb:

“Don’t bite off more than you can chew.”

Today, the manor house is a school building, and the beautiful green garden on the shores of Lake Tamula has become Kreutzwald Park.

— Fr. R. Kreutzwald, The Mighty Crayfish and the Insatiable Woman