*Estonian fairy tale : The Dragon of the North*

*Very long ago, there was a terrible dragon. It settled at a place several years until It ate all the men and the beasts there. It’s very difficult to kill it. Because its whole body was covered by scales which were harder than stone or metal. If you looked into his eyes, you would be bewitched and was obliged to rush yourself into the monster’s jaws. However, there was a tradition that if someone possessed King Solomon’s signet-ring, he could kill the monster.*

*There was a man with good heart and plenty of courage travelled to the East to find the way to kill the dragon. After several years, he met a famous Eastern magician who helped him understand the birds’ language. Following the conversations between the two birds, he found and met a switch maiden who had the ring. The switch maiden wanted to get married with the young man and consumed his soul. She offered him the ring with the introduction of its powers. The man tricked the maiden and ran away with the use of the functions of the ring.*

*The man returned to meet the magician for helping him to understand the instruction to kill the dragon which was the secret signs engraved upon the ring. The young man asked the King of a place where the monster was coming to make an iron horse, a great spear, and a chains under his instruction to kill the monster. After killing the dragon, he got married with the King’s daughter. To destroy the dead body of the dragon which smelled badly and could poison the air, the young man who at present was a prince went to seek the help from the Eastern magician. On the way, he was caught by the switch maiden and was put in her prison in a deep cave in a rock. The switch maiden took back the ring. After seven years in prison, the prince was saved by the magician and became the king after the father of the princess passed away.*