In the Russian versions of the story 'Frog Princess' , Prince Ivan and his two older brothers shoot arrows in different directions to find brides. The other brothers's arrows land in the houses of the daughters of an aristocratic and wealthy merchant. Ivan's arrow lands in the mouth of a frog in a swamp, who turns into a princess at night. The Frog Princess is a beautiful, intelligent, friendly, skilled girl who was forced to spend 3 years in a frog's skin for disobeying her father (Koschei).
Her final test may be to dance at the king's banquet. The Frog Princess sheds her skin, and the prince then burns it, to her dismay. Had he been patient, the Frog Princess would have been freed, but instead he loses her. He then sets out to find her again and meets with Baba Yaga, whom he impresses with his spirit, asking why she has not offered him hospitality. She tells him that Koschei is holding his bride captive, and explains how to find the magic needle without which he would be helpless; with this needle he rescues his bride. In another version, his wife flies into Baba Yaga's hut as a bird.
He catches her, she turns into a lizard, and he cannot hold on. Baba Yaga rebukes him and sends him to her sister, where he fails again. However, when he is sent to the third sister, he catches her and no transformations can break her free again. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Frog_Princess)
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