Cemetery story

[Parnellus]

I am trying to find the source for a story I read as a child. 

The story took place in Russia, and the main character, a coward, was called "Ivan the Terrible", by the bullyish patrons of the tavern he frequented.  He is persuaded to take a sword into the cemetery at night and drive it down into the earth at the base of a particular grave.  He does so, and dies of fright when he inadvertantly drives it through his cloak, pinning himself to the ground.

Sound familiar?

[BaronLatos35]

It does. I believe there is an American version collected in "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark".

In this version, it is a little girl in a cemetery who on a dare, plunges a knife into a grave only to pin her dress to the ground. She dies of fright.

Sorry I do not know the Russian story name, but most of these folk stories can be found around the world in various forms.

[Fester]

I remember seeing a version of this story on TV when I was young.  Pretty sure it was not Twilight Zone or Night Gallery, but it was something similar.

[Unknown Primate]

There's an episode of The Twilight Zone, titled, "The Grave" with Lee Marvin, that has a similar theme.  Also, a story about a witch named "Bald Sheba" in either CREEPY or EERIE (maybe VAMPIRELLA) has the same basic plot.  Not sure where the tale originated from, though.  Must be a universal (no pun intended) story.

[Fester]

U P, you are right.  I misremembered: it was a Twilight Zone episode.  Thanks for the reminder.

[depressedlarrytalbot]

And Gold Key comics used it as the ending of one of their stories:.

'Vampire Of The Schloss'
Ripley's Believe It or Not #10 (1965)

[Unknown Primate]

I knew it was a TZ episode, but I couldn't remember the name of it.  I had to cheat & google it!  Now, I have to find out which mag the "Bald Sheba" story was in!