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Morfei, a MythSource painting
Slavic

Morfei

01Identity

Morfei in Slavic tradition

Morfei is a cook whose meals appear as soon as he is called. In a tale variant described by William Ralston in Russian Folk-Tales, he first serves an old woman in a woodland hut. She gives him to a travelling general and tells him to serve his new master as faithfully as he served her.

The general needs to bring a king something unseen from a place no one has visited before he can marry the princess. Morfei feeds two shipwrecked crews along the way, making possible the exchanges that supply the general with magical objects. After the first exchange, he secretly follows the general rather than staying with the sailors. Ralston tentatively connects his name with Morpheus, but does not establish that identity. The cook’s part in this variant is distinct from a biography of the Greek dream deity.

SourceRussian Folk-Tales (W. R. S. Ralston, 1873): Morfei the Cook, printed pp. 227-228

  • A cook who produces meals immediately when called. (Russian Folk-Tales (W. R. S. Ralston, 1873))
Top questions

The quick answers

02The myths

The myths of Morfei

1 myth, with sources recorded for each.

Morfei feeds the general and the sailors

A general fell in love with a king’s daughter, but the king set a condition before allowing the marriage. The general had to visit a place where no one had been and bring back something no one had seen. After considering the demand, he travelled across swamps, hills and rivers until he reached a hut in a wood.

An old woman lived there. The general told her why he had come, and she called for Morfei to prepare a meal. Dinner appeared immediately. The next day she gave the cook to the general, instructing him to serve his new master faithfully. The general left with Morfei.

At a river they encountered a shipwrecked crew asking for food. The general called Morfei, and excellent dishes appeared. The sailors were so pleased that they offered a magic volume in exchange for the cook. The general accepted, but Morfei did not remain with them. He secretly followed his master.

Farther on, another shipwrecked crew offered a magic sabre and towel in exchange for Morfei. The general then returned to his city. The magical objects he had obtained enabled him to convince the king that he was a suitable husband for the princess.

Morfei feeds the general and the sailors, a MythSource painting of the scene