Russian Folklore

Presented in a brand new translation, this most comprehensive collection of classic Russian tales will enchant readers for their raw beauty and constant ability to surprise and excite. Towards the middle of the nineteenth century, following the example of the Brothers Grimm in Germany, Alexander Afanasyev embarked on the ambitious task of sifting through the huge repository of tales from Russian folklore and selecting the very best from written and oral sources. The result, an eight-volume collection comprising around 600 stories, is one of the most influential and enduringly popular books in Russian literature. This large selection from Afanasyev's work, presented in a new translation by Stephen Pimenoff, will give English readers the opportunity to discover one of the founding texts of the European folkloristic tradition. Displaying a vast array of unforgettable characters, such as the Baba-Yaga, Ivan the Fool, Vasilisa the Fair and the Firebird, these tales--by turns adventurous, comical and downright madcap--will enchant readers for their raw beauty and constant ability to surprise and excite.

A scholarly work that aims to be both broad enough in scope to satisfy upper-division undergraduates studying folk belief and narrative and detailed enough to meet the needs of graduate students in the field. Each of the seven chapters in Part 1 focuses on one aspect of Russian folk belief, such as the pagan background, Christian personages, devils and various other logical categories of the topic. The author's thesis - that Russian folk belief represents a "double faith" whereby Slavic pagan beliefs are overlaid with popular Christianity - is persuasive and has analogies in other cultures. The folk narratives constituting Part 2 are translated and include a wide range of tales, from the briefly anecdotal to the more fully developed narrative, covering the various folk personages and motifs explored in Part 1.

Rediscover the magic of Russian folktales in a breathtaking illustrated edition. This collection of traditional stories will sweep you away to the birch forests and ornate palaces of Russia. You'll meet a mysterious girl born from the snow, a terrifying Baba Yaga, and a series of dauntless heroines and heroes willing to fight dragons and cross fiery rivers. Blending whimsical magic with magnificent drama, these tales come to life alongside intricate contemporary art in this special illustrated edition. POPULAR SERIES: The Tales series gives new life to traditional stories. Celebrating the richness of folklore around the world, and featuring the work of beloved contemporary illustrators, these books are treasured by adults and teens alike. ICONIC STORIES: Russian stories hold a special place in the hearts of fairy tales fans. Unforgettable characters like Baba Yaga and the Fire-Bird have captured imaginations for generations. In this collection, readers are sure to find old favorites and discover something new. GORGEOUS SPECIAL EDITION: With a mesmerizing full-page illustration for each story, as well as creamy paper, a ribbon page marker, and a handsome hardcover design, this edition is perfect for gifting and display. Perfect for: • Fans of fairy tales and folklore • Readers with Russian heritage or interested in Russian culture • Illustration and art lovers • Adults and teens • Collectors of illustrated classics • Fans of the illustrator Dinara Mirtalipova

Vladimir Propp is the Russian folklore specialist most widely known outside Russia thanks to the impact of his 1928 book Morphology of the Folktale-but Morphology is only the first of Propp's contributions to scholarship. This volume translates into English for the first time his book The Russian Folktale, which was based on a seminar on Russian folktales that Propp taught at Leningrad State University late in his life. Edited and translated by Sibelan Forrester, this English edition contains Propp's own text and is supplemented by notes from his students. The Russian Folktale begins with Propp's description of the folktale's aesthetic qualities and the history of the term; the history of folklore studies, first in Western Europe and then in Russia and the USSR; and the place of the folktale in the matrix of folk culture and folk oral creativity. The book presents Propp's key insight into the formulaic structure of Russian wonder tales (and less schematically than in Morphology, though in abbreviated form), and it devotes one chapter to each of the main types of Russian folktales: the wonder tale, the "novellistic" or everyday tale, the animal tale, and the cumulative tale. Even Propp's bibliography, included here, gives useful insight into the sources accessible to and used by Soviet scholars in the third quarter of the twentieth century. Propp's scholarly authority and his human warmth both emerge from this well-balanced and carefully structured series of lectures. An accessible introduction to the Russian folktale, it will serve readers interested in folklore and fairy-tale studies in addition to Russian history and cultural studies.

A glorious retelling of the Russian folktale Marya Morevna and Koschei the Deathless from Catherynne M. Valente, set in a mysterious version of St. Petersburg during the first half of the 20th century Koschei the Deathless is to Russian folklore what devils or wicked witches are to European culture: a menacing, evil figure; the villain of countless stories which have been passed on through story and text for generations. But Koschei has never before been seen through the eyes of Catherynne Valente, whose modernized and transformed take on the legend brings the action to modern times, spanning many of the great developments of Russian history in the twentieth century. Deathless, however, is no dry, historical tome: it lights up like fire as the young Marya Morevna transforms from a clever child of the revolution, to Koschei's beautiful bride, to his eventual undoing. Along the way there are Stalinist house elves, magical quests, secrecy and bureaucracy, and games of lust and power. All told, Deathless is a collision of magical history and actual history, of revolution and mythology, of love and death, which will bring Russian myth back to life in a stunning new incarnation. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Professor Yuri M. Sokolov 's 1938 Russian Folklore, originally a Soviet era textbook, was translated as part of a series of significant works on Russian works on the humanities and social sciences.

Summary: Covers the myths and legends of the Russian Empire at its greatest extent as well as other Slavic people and countries. Includes historical, geographical, and biographical background information

Baba Yaga is a well-known witch from the folklore tradition of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. A fascinating and colorful character, she resembles witches of other traditions but is in many ways unique. Living in the forest in a hut that stands and moves on chicken legs, she travels in a mortar with a pestle and sweeps away her tracks with a broom. In some tales she tries to harm the protagonist, while in others she is helpful. This book investigates the image and ambiguity of Baba Yaga in detail and considers the meanings she has for East Slavic culture. Providing a broad survey of folktales and other sources, it is the most thorough study of Baba Yaga yet published and will be of interest to students of anthropology, comparative literature, folklore, and Slavic and East European studies.

"Legends, folk tales and fairy tales all had a profound impact on Russian painting of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The Russian artists who dealt with these subjects chose sometimes to paint large canvases in which the greatness and grandeur of the Russian countryside fuses with the magical world of the imagination. The paintings of Viktor Vasnetsov, Nikolai Roerikh, and Mikhail Vrubel, the illustrations of Ivan Bilibin and Elena Polenova, and the works of Vasily Kandinsky register most impressively the worlds of fantasy and the imagination." "This book presents more than 90 illustrations of these fascinating works, while the essays shed interesting light on how these stories contributed to and influenced the visual arts. The book also contains summaries of the fairy tales depicted in these paintings, whereby the reader is given an overview of the major Russian folk tales."--BOOK JACKET.