Ludwig Tieck
The basic plot of the story evokes folklore, but there is no comparable piece in Ukrainian or Russian traditions. A similar story of a sorcerer appeared in "Pietro Apone" by German romantic Johann Ludwig Tieck, published in Russian in 1828. Other potential subtexts are Tieck's "Karl von Berneck" (1797) and E. T. A. Hoffmann's novella "Ignaz Denner" (1816).