Dawn, Midnight and Twilight
[4] This type refers to a set of stories where three heroes (or three brothers) approach a cave or hollow and send one of them down to rescue three captured princesses.
Dawn fashions a strong rope from the bark of trees and descends the hole, arriving at three palaces, of copper, silver and gold.
The story belongs to a Märchen cycle of a youth that rescues three princesses from their captivity in a subterranean realm and is betrayed by his companions.
He soon finds another exit to the surface, reveals his companions' deceit and marries one of the princesses - a narrative structure commented on by Reinhold Köhler [de].
[8] Professor Jack V. Haney stated that the motif of triplets being born at different times of one single day occurs in East Slavic tradition.
[4] Similarly, Russian folklorist Lev Barag [ru] noted that his motif is "characteristic" of East Slavic folklore: the heroes are bogatyr-brothers born at different times of the day: in the evening (thus being called Vyachorka, Vechernik, or Vechornik), at night (thus being named Punoshnik, Polunoshnik, Upuvnichnik), and in the morning (which gives them the name Zaranka, Zorka, or Svitovik).
[9] In addition, Bashkir scholarship concurs that the motif of the heroes' birth at different times of the day happens in East Slavic tales, as well as among other peoples of the (then) Soviet Union.
[10] A recurrent motif of the tale type is the transformation of the underworld castles of the princesses into a more portable form (usually eggs, apples or balls).
[14] Journalist and children's book author Arthur Ransome published an extended and more detailed version of the story, with the name The Three Men of Power - Evening, Midnight and Sunrise.
[17] The tale type ATU 301 is, according to Jack Haney, "one of the most popular in the East Slavic tradition", as well as being "widely reported" across Europe.
[21] A similar tale was collected in the White Sea region from Russian storyteller Matvei M. Korguev [ru] (1883–1943) with the title "Зорька[a]-молодец" ("Zorka-Molodets"), which professor Jack V. Haney translated as Dawn Lad.
In this realm, the king's three daughters have been captured by a six-headed serpent and their father requests any soul brave enough to rescue them.
Ivan Star-of-Evening climbs the rope with his horse, arrives at three palaces (of copper, silver, and gold), kills three serpents (with six, nine and twelve heads) and takes the princesses to his companions.
Fortunately, the hero finds a winged steed and returns to the realm to expose Bely's betrayal on his wedding day.
[29][30] In a third Siberian tale, "Вечерник, Заутренник[b] и Светлан" ("Evening, Sunrise and Day"), first collected in 1926 from twelve-year-old Vasya Solovyov, an old woman loses her husband in the war.
After Svetazór is born, he commissions a heavy iron club from a blacksmith, and joins his brothers in rescuing the Tzar's three daughters, each held captive in a castle made of metal (the first of copper, the second of silver, and the third of gold).
Vechernik kills the serpent, steals the zmei's horse, and moves to rescue the other princesses: Nochnitsa from a silver hut, and Vechernitsa from a golden house.
Ivan Utrennik reaches the surface, employs himself as a weaver and a shoemaker to provide marriage gifts for the youngest princess (the one from the palace of gold).
[35] In a Ukrainian tale titled "Вечірник, Полуночник і Світанок" ("Evening, Midnight, and Sunrise"), a man and wife live together.
In gratitude, the old man gives Sunrise a magic sword, and the old woman advises him to take care when trying to return to the upper world, by tying a stone with the rope.
In gratitude, the father eagle agrees to take Sunrise to the upper world in exchange for being fed with water and meat.
Daybreak climbs the chain and finds three houses, one of iron, another of copper and a third of silver, each of princesses inside, guarded by a many-headed dragon.
[38] In Romanian variants, the three heroes are born in the same day, at different times, which gives them their names: Serilă, Mezilă and Zorilă (or variations).
[39] In a tale collected by Romanian folklorist Dumitru Stăncescu [ro] with the title Zorilă Mireanu, a poor woman gives birth to three brothers at different times of the day: the first named "De cu seară", born at night; "Miez de noapte", at midnight; and "Zorila" at dawn.
[41][42] In Nikolić's tale, titled "Ноћило, Поноћило и Зорило, три брата рођена" ("Night, Midnight and Dawn, Three Born Brothers"), an old couple wish to have children, so the woman prays to God to be able to have them.
Meanwhile, a local king three daughters finds a tree with three golden apples, when suddenly three clouds appear and abscond with the princesses.
[45][46] A similar tale of three brothers born at different times of the day is attested in Bulgaria with the title Bulgarian: Мрачил, Средвечер и Зорил[a], romanized: Mrachil, Sredvecher i Zoril (English: "Dark, Midnight and Dawn").
[49] In a tale from the Tatar people, published by folklorist Hamit Yarmi [tt] with the title "Тан-батыр" ("Dawn-Batyr"), the three daughters of a padishah are kidnapped by a sudden gust of wind.
With the help of a little mouse, the youth traverses through the thick darkness for seven days and seven nights, until he arrives at seven iron gates he crushes with his weapon.
The female cook runs away from the palace and finds a hut, where she gives birth to her three sons: one born in the morning (Таном, "Tan"), the second in the afternoon (Тюшем, "Tyush") and the third at night (Кисом, "Kis").
