Russian Folktales · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Russian Folktales by A. N. Afanasyev.
Chapter 1
Dedication
A brief dedication to J. C.
Chapter 2
The Pronunciation of Russian Words
This chapter provides a guide to pronouncing Russian words, explaining the accent system and the phonetic values of letters such as Ch, G, J, Kh, L, S, V, Y, Z, and Zh, with comparisons to English and other languages.
Chapter 3
Russian Folktales
A collection of traditional Russian folktales featuring magical transformations, cunning animals, heroic quests, and moral lessons about good versus evil, fate, and social hierarchy.
Chapter 4
The Dun Cow
Márya Tsarévna, mistreated by her witch stepmother, is sent to the heath with a dun cow. She discovers the cow magically provides her with fine clothes and food. The stepmother's daughters spy on her, but only the three-eyed sister sees the secret. The stepmother orders the cow slain, but Márya plants a piece of it, which grows into a magic berry bush. Iván Tsarévich marries Márya after she alone can pick the berries. Later, the stepmother turns Márya into a goose and substitutes her own daughter. Iván discovers the truth, burns the goose feathers, breaks a spindle into which Márya transforms, and restores her. He kills the false wife and lives happily with Márya.
Chapter 5
A Tale of the Dead
A discharged soldier visits a miller friend and learns of a sorcerer who rises from the grave at night. Undeterred, the soldier encounters the sorcerer at a graveyard, accompanies him to a wedding where the sorcerer drains the blood of the bride and bridegroom, and learns the secret to revive them and destroy the sorcerer. After a struggle, the soldier revives the couple, then burns the sorcerer on a pyre of aspen wood, ensuring no creature escapes, and brings peace to the village.
Chapter 6
A Tale of the Dead
A discharged soldier visits a miller friend and learns of a sorcerer who rises from the grave at night. Undeterred, the soldier encounters the sorcerer at a graveyard, accompanies him to a wedding where the sorcerer drains the blood of the bride and bridegroom, and learns the secret to revive them and destroy the sorcerer. After a struggle, the soldier revives the couple, then burns the sorcerer on a pyre of aspen wood, ensuring no creature escapes, and brings peace to the village.
Chapter 7
A Tale of the Dead
A discharged soldier visits a miller friend and learns of a sorcerer who rises from the grave at night. Undeterred, the soldier encounters the sorcerer at a graveyard, accompanies him to a wedding where the sorcerer drains the blood of the bride and bridegroom, and learns the secret to revive them and destroy the sorcerer. After a struggle, the soldier revives the couple, then burns the sorcerer on a pyre of aspen wood, ensuring no creature escapes, and brings peace to the village.
Chapter 8
The Bear, the Dog, and the Cat
A dog, abandoned by his master for growing old, is befriended by a bear who helps him regain his place in the household by saving the mistress's child. Later, the dog tries to host the bear at a party, but the bear's singing causes chaos and he is beaten. The dog also secretly feeds a starving cat, but after the dog is killed by a mare, the cat returns home to die.
Chapter 9
Egóri the Brave and the Gipsy
A poor gipsy with a family to feed repeatedly asks Egóri the Brave to inquire of God what trade he should pursue. After three requests and a forgotten stirrup, God decrees the gipsy's trade is to cheat and perjure. The gipsy then uses the golden stirrup as a prop to swindle a lord out of 1,500 roubles, ultimately winning in court by denying everything.
Chapter 10
Danílo the Unfortunate
Danílo the Unfortunate, a noble servant of Prince Vladímir, is given an impossible task: to sew a shúba from unprepared sable skins with molded buttons and embroidered buttonholes. An old woman advises him to seek help from Chúdo-Yúda, the Old Man of the Sea, who summons the Swan-maiden. She magically builds a house and completes the task. Later, Alyósha Popóvich tricks Danílo into boasting about his wife, leading to a confrontation. The Swan-maiden humiliates Prince Vladímir and his guests by magically stranding them in a bog, ultimately elevating Danílo's status.
Chapter 11
The Sorry Drunkard
A drunkard drowns in a river and is turned into a horse by devils. His son, Petrúsha, is invited by the Devil as a guest. Guided by a captive maiden, Petrúsha asks for the sorry horse instead of gold, brings it home, and uses a cross to transform it back into his father. The father reforms and stops drinking.
Chapter 12
The Wolf and the Tailor
A hungry wolf is sent by Christ to eat a mare, a ram, and a tailor, but each outwits him. The mare kicks him, the ram butts him, and the tailor whips him and tears off his tail. When the wolf gathers seven other wolves to hunt the tailor, the tailor tricks them into turning on the tailless wolf, who is torn apart, allowing the tailor to escape.
Chapter 13
The Tale of the Silver Saucer and the Crystal Apple
A peasant's youngest daughter, called the Little Fool, is given a silver saucer and a crystal apple by her father. When she rolls the apple on the saucer, it magically shows cities, seas, and stars. Her jealous sisters lure her into the woods, kill her, and bury her under a birch tree. A shepherd finds the grave, makes a pipe from a bulrush, and the pipe sings of the murder. The father discovers the body and, following the pipe's instructions, obtains living water from the Tsar's well to revive her. The Tsar, amazed by the magic saucer, pardons the sisters at the maiden's request and marries her, making her Tsarítsa.
Chapter 14
The Foundling Prince
A Tsar and Tsaritsa lose their only son, who disappears for fifteen years. A peasant finds the boy in a corn-kiln, and the Tsar recognizes him as his own son after the boy cleverly solves a riddle about how to present himself.
Chapter 15
The Sun and How It Was Made by Divine Will
This chapter describes the divine mechanics of the Sun, explaining its size, the angelic retinue that dresses and undresses it daily, the role of fiery phoenixes and Ksálavy birds in cooling its rays, and the prophetic nature of the cock whose crowing announces resurrection and light.
Chapter 16
The Language of the Birds
A merchant's son, Vasíli, understands the prophetic song of a Nightingale, which foretells that his parents will one day serve him. Enraged, they set him adrift at sea, but the Nightingale accompanies him. He is rescued by a ship's master, and his prophecies save the ship from storms and pirates. Arriving in Khvalýnsk, he interprets the squabbling of a Crow family for the King, winning half the kingdom and the Princess's hand. Later, while traveling, he encounters his parents as servants, fulfilling the prophecy, and reunites with them joyfully.
Chapter 17
Bába Yagá and Zamorýshek
An old man and his wife, unable to have children, follow a mysterious old man's advice to collect eggs from every house in the village and hatch them. Forty healthy sons are born, plus one weakling named Zamorýshek. The sons grow quickly and work hard, but one hayrick is stolen. Zamorýshek captures a magical mare from the sea, who gives him forty-one foals. The brothers then set out to find brides, eventually arriving at Bába Yagá's palace. They are betrothed to her forty-one daughters, but Zamorýshek's horse warns him that Bába Yagá plans to kill them. Zamorýshek swaps clothes with the daughters, so the servants behead the daughters instead. The brothers escape, placing the daughters' heads on stakes, and use Bába Yagá's handkerchief to create a bridge over the sea, thwarting her pursuit.
Chapter 18
The Miraculous Hen
A tale of two brothers who, after being saved from death by a cook, embark on separate paths. The elder becomes king when his candle lights by itself. The younger uses a magical hen's liver to generate gold, wins a princess's hand by feeding her army for three years, but is betrayed when she steals the liver. He acquires magical items (a barrel, flying carpet, whip), raises an army, and transforms the princess into a mare. He reunites with his brother, reveals their mother's treachery during a feast, and she is punished. The younger brother then transforms the mare back into the princess and marries her.
Chapter 19
Mark the Rich
A wealthy and ungracious merchant named Mark the Rich, after a dream that God Himself will be his guest, prepares a grand feast but drives away a poor beggar who is actually Christ in disguise. An old woman shelters the beggar, who prophesies that a newborn peasant boy will inherit all of Mark's domains. Mark attempts to kill the boy multiple times—first by abandoning him in a snowdrift, then by sending a letter ordering his poisoning—but each time the boy is saved, ultimately marrying Mark's daughter. When Mark tries to have the boy thrown into a burning cauldron, he himself falls in and dies.
Chapter 20
By Command of the Prince Daniel
An aged queen, deceived by a witch, gives her son a ring that will only fit his destined bride. After the queen's death, the prince searches far and wide but finds no maiden whom the ring fits. His sister tries it on, and it fits perfectly, leading the prince to insist on marrying her despite her protests. Two beggars advise the sister to make four dolls and place them in the corners of the room. As the wedding approaches, the dolls sing a warning, and the earth swallows the sister. She descends into the underworld, where she meets a fair maiden who is the daughter of Baba Yaga. The maiden hides the sister from Baba Yaga, but eventually the witch discovers her and tries to bake her in the oven. The two maidens trick Baba Yaga into the oven and escape, using a brush, comb, and cloth to create obstacles. Baba Yaga dies in a fiery sea. The sister and the maiden are found by the prince's servant, and through a ruse, the sister reveals herself. The prince marries the maiden, and his sister marries another, living happily ever after.
Chapter 21
The Thoughtless Word
A poor young man, unable to find a bride due to his family's poverty, angrily wishes the Devil would provide him a wife. An old man (the Devil) appears and leads him to an underwater palace where he must choose among twelve maidens. With secret help from a captive maiden (the pope's daughter, stolen nine years earlier after her father's hasty curse), he correctly identifies her by a patch over her eye and escapes with her. They return to her father's house, where she reveals stolen golden and silver vessels, proving the Devil's theft. The young man marries her and reunites with his parents, having been gone three years though it felt like only a day.
Chapter 22
The Tsarítsa Harpist
A Tsar is imprisoned by the Accursed King and forced into hard labor. He writes to his Tsarítsa for help. She disguises herself as a wandering harpist, gains favor with the Accursed King, and secures the Tsar's release. Returning home before him, she resumes her royal guise. When the Tsar arrives, he angrily condemns her for not rescuing him, but she reveals her disguise and is joyfully reunited with him.
Chapter 23
The Tale of Iván Tsarévich, the Bird of Light, and the Grey Wolf
Iván Tsarévich, the youngest son of Tsar Výslav, is sent to capture the Bird of Light that steals golden apples from his father's garden. After his elder brothers fail, Iván obtains a feather but must journey to retrieve the bird. With the help of the Grey Wolf, he attempts to steal the bird but is caught by Tsar Dolmát, who demands the golden-maned horse from Tsar Afrón as ransom. Iván fails again by taking a forbidden golden bridle, and is then tasked with abducting Princess Eléna the Fair for Tsar Afrón. The Grey Wolf assists by seizing the princess, and they flee.
Chapter 24
The Priest with the Envious Eyes
A priest, after serving St. Nicholas poorly, leaves his parish and meets an unknown man who becomes his companion. They cure a dying princess by cutting her into pieces and reassembling her with a magical breath. The priest, driven by envy, later attempts to cure another princess alone but fails, nearly being hanged. The old man saves him, reveals the priest's theft of wafers, and vanishes after giving him all the reward money.
Chapter 25
The Soldier and Death
A discharged soldier, after serving God and the Tsar for twenty-five years, volunteers to spend a night in a haunted palace plagued by devils. He outwits the devils at cards, traps them in his nosebag, and has them beaten by smiths. He later forces a devil to give him a magical glass that reveals Death's position, which he uses to heal the sick. When the Tsar falls ill, the soldier bargains with Death, eventually trapping Death in his nosebag and causing a kingdom where no one dies. After releasing Death, he seeks entry into hell but is refused by the devils who fear his nosebag.
Chapter 26
The Midnight Dance
A widower king with twelve daughters discovers they wear out new shoes every night. He offers a reward to anyone who can discover where they go. A poor nobleman, aided by an old woman who gives him a cap of invisibility, follows the princesses to a subterranean realm where they dance all night with the Accursed Tsar. He collects evidence (a golden flower and a goblet) and reveals their secret, leading to the princesses' confession and his marriage to the youngest daughter.
Chapter 27
Vasilísa the Fair
After her mother's death, Vasilísa is given a magical doll that helps her endure the cruelty of her stepmother and stepsisters. Sent into the forest to fetch fire from Bába Yagá, she completes impossible tasks with the doll's aid and escapes with a skull whose eyes burn her tormentors to ashes. She then weaves fine linen, sews shirts for the Tsar, and marries him, living happily ever after.
Chapter 28
The Animals in the Pit
A pig, wolf, fox, hare, and squirrel journey together to St. Petersburg but fall into a deep pit. To survive hunger, the fox tricks them into singing and then eating those with the thinnest and fattest voices, leading to the deaths of the squirrel, hare, and wolf. The fox then deceives the pig into fatally injuring itself, leaving the fox alone in the pit.
Chapter 29
The Poor Widow
Christ and the twelve Apostles, disguised as simple wanderers, are refused lodging by a rich peasant but welcomed by a poor widow who shares her meager food. Christ miraculously multiplies the food, then commands a wolf to take the widow's cow and sends a keg of money to the rich peasant, perplexing the Apostles. Later, the Apostles experience two wells: one foul and one paradisiacal, where they spend three years in an instant. Christ explains that the first well represents the rich peasant's fate and the second the poor widow's reward.
Chapter 30
Ilyá Múromets and Svyatogór the Knight
Ilyá Múromets encounters the mighty knight Svyatogór and, after a series of events involving Svyatogór's unfaithful wife, the two become sworn brothers. They journey to the Holy Mountains, where Svyatogór enters a tomb that seals him forever, passing some of his strength to Ilyá before being trapped.
Chapter 31
The Smith and the Devil
A smith paints a devil in his smithy and greets it as a fellow countryman for ten years. After his death, his son disrespects the devil by striking it with a hammer and spitting on it. The devil, in revenge, disguises himself as an apprentice and uses his powers to trick a rich old woman into being burned and then rejuvenated. The smith is forced to attempt the same on her husband, but fails and burns him to death. The devil returns to save the smith on the condition that he stop his abuse, and the husband is restored to life.
Chapter 32
The Princess Who Would Not Smile
A princess never smiles or laughs, so her father promises her hand to anyone who can make her smile. Meanwhile, a humble workman, after three years of honest labor, takes only one coin each year, loses it, and eventually recovers all three coins. He gives them to a mouse, a beetle, and a sheatfish, who later help him by cleaning his coat and boots and driving away flies, causing the princess to smile. The workman is then identified as the one who made her smile and marries her.
Chapter 33
The Tsarévich and Dyád’ka
A Tsarévich frees a Woodsprite from an iron tower, is exiled by his father, betrayed by his servant Dyád’ka who usurps his identity, and becomes a scullion and then a horseherd. The Woodsprite's daughters give him magical gifts (a tablecloth, mirror, and pipe). The Tsarévna discovers his true identity through the mirror. A seven-headed monster threatens the kingdom, and the Tsar promises his daughter's hand to its slayer. The Woodsprite gives the Tsarévich a magical horse and strength, he slays the monster, but Dyád’ka claims credit. The Tsarévna rescues the Tsarévich from drowning, reveals the truth, and they marry while Dyád’ka is executed.
Chapter 34
Prince Evstáfi
A Tsarévich who prefers charity to courtly life is condemned to death by his father, but wins a reprieve and uses three chests—gold, silver, and a humble wooden one—to teach a lesson about inner worth versus outward show, humbling the Tsar and the boyárs.
Chapter 35
Vasilísa Popóvna
Vasilísa, the daughter of Pope Vasíli, lives as a man named Vasíli Vasílyevich, dressing in male fashion, riding, and drinking vodka. Tsar Bárkhat, suspecting she is a maiden, tests her with an embroidery frame, a pearl-filled pie, and an invitation to bathe together. Vasilísa outwits him each time, finally revealing her true identity in a letter after the bath.
Chapter 36
The Dream
An old man seeks shelter at a peasant's home and agrees to tell stories in exchange for lodging. After falling asleep, he has a strange dream filled with symbolic visions—candles, birds, snakes, cats, frogs, and mysterious cries. Upon waking, the peasant interprets each element of the dream as revealing hidden truths about his family's relationships, spiritual state, and the eventual collapse of his household.
Chapter 37
The Soldier and the Tsar in the Forest
A soldier, disowned by his general brother, deserts and hides in a forest. There he meets the Tsar, who has become lost while hunting. They spend the night in a hut inhabited by an old woman who is a receiver for robbers. The soldier kills the robbers, takes their gold, and leads the Tsar out of the forest. The Tsar, grateful, later rewards the soldier with a generalship and punishes the brother for denying his kin.
Chapter 38
The Tale of Alexander of Macedon
This chapter recounts the legendary exploits of Tsar Alexander of Macedon, a great and invincible knight who conquered all the kings of the earth. He journeyed to the edge of the world, where he encountered fearsome peoples such as the Gogs and Magogs, including one-eyed, three-eyed, and one-legged beings. After a long war, he chased them into mountains, rolled one mountain over them and another roof-wise on top, placed trumpets on the arch, and returned home. The winds blow through the trumpets, causing a fearsome roar, and the Gogs and Magogs, still alive, fear Alexander and will only escape before the end of the world.
Chapter 39
The Brother of Christ
A pious young man, obeying his dying father's wish to care for the poor, shares Easter eggs with a dirty old man at church and brings him home to break the fast. His cruel mother refuses to join them. The old man, revealed to be Christ, exchanges crosses with the youth and invites him to visit. On the journey, the youth encounters suffering children, maidens, and old men, each asking him to plead with Christ for relief. Christ explains their punishments: the children were cursed in the womb, the maidens adulterated milk, and the old men were indifferent to life. Christ shows the youth Paradise and Hell, where the youth's mother is tormented. The youth weaves a rope of brome-grass for thirty years to save her, but when he tries to pull her out, she curses him, the rope breaks, and she remains in Hell forever.
Chapter 40
Alyósha Popóvich
Alyósha Popóvich, a mighty knight born to the old prebendary Pope León, grows up with superhuman strength and appetite. He and his servant Marýshko Paránov join Prince Vladímir's court. When the monstrous Túgarin Zmyéyevich arrives and insults the prince, Alyósha provokes him. After a brief scuffle in the palace, Túgarin is allowed to leave for a formal duel. The next day, Alyósha prays for rain to dampen Túgarin's wings, then defeats and beheads him in combat, bringing the head back to Vladímir, who initially mistakes him for the enemy.
Chapter 41
God’s Blessing Compasses All Things
Two peasants, Iván and Naúm, argue over whether God's blessing or personal effort brings wealth. They consult a devil in disguise, who sides with Iván, leading Naúm to lose his money and later his right hand. Naúm overhears devils discussing remedies and uses their secrets to regrow his hand, heal a lord's daughter, and fix a mill, becoming rich. Iván tries to replicate the scheme but is caught and killed by the devils.
Chapter 42
Shemyák the Judge
A poor brother, after a series of misfortunes involving his rich brother's horse, a peasant's child, and an old man, faces three lawsuits before Judge Shemyák. The judge, misled by the poor man's threatening gestures with a stone (which he mistakes for a bribe), delivers absurd verdicts that paradoxically benefit the poor man. The rich brother, the peasant, and the son each pay the poor man to avoid the ridiculous outcomes, leading to peace and profit for the poor brother.
Chapter 43
A Story of Saint Nicholas
Iván, a merchant's son, loses his parents and begins trading, guided by an old man who is revealed to be St. Nicholas. Through faith, obedience, and almsgiving, Iván overcomes robbery, gains wealth from jewel-filled bricks, marries the king's daughter Olyóna after she is purified from witchcraft, and eventually becomes a prosperous and righteous king.
Chapter 44
The Potter
A clever potter encounters Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich on the road and impresses him with his wit. The Tsar commissions a large order of clay plates, and the potter later outwits a greedy boyar in a bargain, forcing the boyar to pull his carriage. The Tsar rewards the potter by swapping their clothes, humbling the boyar and elevating the potter.
Chapter 45
The Witch and the Sister of the Sun
Iván Tsarévich, born mute, learns from a groom that his unborn sister will become a witch who devours their family. He speaks for the first time, obtains a horse, and flees. He encounters two old seamstresses, Vertodúb, and Vertogór, each awaiting death upon completing their tasks. Eventually, he is adopted by the Sister of the Sun. He returns home to find his family devoured, and his witch sister pursues him. Using magical gifts (brush, comb, apples, handkerchief) and the aid of Vertodúb and Vertogór, he escapes and is sheltered by the Sun. The witch challenges him to a weighing contest, but he is flung into the Sun's chambers while she remains on earth.
Chapter 46
Márya Moryévna
Iván Tsarévich's three sisters marry a Hawk, an Eagle, and a Crow. After they leave, he sets out and meets the warrior queen Márya Moryévna, whom he marries. Disobeying her warning, he frees the imprisoned Koshchéy the Deathless, who kidnaps Márya. Iván attempts to rescue her three times; on the third attempt, Koshchéy kills him. His brothers-in-law revive him with waters of life and death. Iván then seeks a horse from Bába Yagá, aided by a seabird, a bee, and a lioness, and begins a three-day trial of guarding her mares.
Chapter 47
The Realm of Stone
A soldier who served faithfully but was mistreated deserts his post and eventually enters the service of a king as a garden sentry. After failing to prevent a giant bird from destroying the king's trees, he wounds the bird and follows it into a pit, emerging in a subterranean world where all inhabitants have been turned to stone. He meets a Tsarévna who explains that her sister, the bird, cursed the kingdom. The soldier must read a sacred book for three nights, enduring terrifying demonic assaults, to break the spell. He succeeds, the kingdom is restored, and he marries the Tsarévna, becoming a beloved king.
Chapter 48
The Story of Tsar Angéy and How He Suffered for Pride
Tsar Angéy, proud and mighty, rejects the Gospel verse 'He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble and meek,' imprisoning the priest and tearing the page. He is humbled when an angel takes his form and his kingdom, leaving him naked and beaten. After suffering as a beggar, he repents and is restored, learning humility.
Chapter 49
The Feast of the Dead
A group of girls holding an evening party mockingly invite bones lying on the road to join them. The bones come to life, sit at the table, and demand food and drink. When one girl drops meat, the bones chase the girls, killing two of them while one escapes by hiding and giving clever answers.
Chapter 50
The Quarrelsome Wife
A young man marries a quarrelsome, squint-eyed wife who forces him to do all the housework. To escape her tyranny, he tricks her into falling into a deep pit. Later, he finds a little devil in the pit who agrees to serve him in exchange for being freed. The peasant becomes a successful doctor by exorcising the devil from a prince's palace, but when he tries to retrieve his wife, she falls back into the pit.
Chapter 51
Elijah the Prophet and St. Nicholas
A peasant honors St. Nicholas but neglects Elijah the Prophet. Elijah threatens to destroy the peasant's crops, but St. Nicholas outwits him by having the peasant sell the field to a priest, then buy it back after the hail. When Elijah makes each sheaf yield little grain, St. Nicholas advises threshing one sheaf at a time, producing abundant harvest. Finally, the peasant buys a large candle for Elijah and a small one for Nicholas, reconciling the prophet.
Chapter 52
The Princess to Be Kissed at a Charge
An old man dies, leaving three sons. The youngest, Vanyúshka, faithfully reads prayers at his father's grave, while his elder brothers prepare to compete for the hand of Princess Eléna the Fair, who will marry the man who can kiss her on a flying horse. The father's spirit rewards Ványa with a magical horse, transforming him into a handsome youth. He flies to the palace, kisses the princess, and returns home unnoticed. When the princess seeks her bridegroom, she finds Ványa in his humble form, recognizes him, and they are betrothed.
Chapter 53
The Wood Sprite
A pope's daughter wanders into the woods without permission and is lost for three years, taken by the Wood Sprite. A bold hunter encounters the Wood Sprite, shoots him, and follows him to a hidden hut where he finds the maiden. He rescues her, returns her to her parents, and marries her.
Chapter 54
The Realms of Copper, Silver and Gold
An old man and his wife send their three sons to find brides. The eldest two fail to lift a stone that reveals an underground passage, but the youngest, Iváshko Zapéchnik, succeeds with the help of a three-headed dragon. He descends through the copper, silver, and golden realms, meeting progressively fairer maidens and receiving tokens. He wins the golden realm maiden as his bride and brings all three maidens back up. His elder brothers betray him by cutting the rope ladder, but Iváshko survives, seeks help from the giant Ídolishche and Bába Yagá, and flies home on a mighty eagle. He reclaims his bride and lives happily.
Chapter 55
Chufíl-Fílyushka
Three brothers—Ram, Goat, and Chufíl-Fílyushka—go into the forest to visit their grandfather. While the older brothers hunt, Fílyushka sneaks into a garden to pick apples, is captured twice by the Yagá-Búra (Baba Yaga), but escapes the first time with his brothers' help. The second time, he tricks the Yaga's daughter into the oven, kills the Yaga with her own pestle, and flies home on borrowed goose wings, where his family joyfully celebrates his return.
Chapter 56
Donotknow
Iván the merchant's son, after being given a scabby foal as his 'luck' and surviving his stepmother's attempts to poison him with the foal's help, disguises himself in a bull's hide and bladder, calling himself 'Donotknow.' He is taken to a king's garden as a scarecrow. When an Arab prince besieges the kingdom, Donotknow sheds his disguise, summons a magical horse, and defeats the enemy host three times. The youngest princess notices her kerchief on his wounded hand and insists on marrying him. After he kills the Arab prince in final combat, the king recognizes him as a hero and makes him his heir.
Chapter 57
The Sea Tsar and Vasilísa the Wise
Iván Tsarévich, promised to the Sea Tsar at birth, is sent to the underwater kingdom where he must perform impossible tasks. With the help of Vasilísa the Wise, the Sea Tsar's daughter, he levels land, threshes barley, and builds a wax church. They flee together, using magical transformations to evade pursuit, and finally return to Sacred Russia where Iván marries Vasilísa.
Chapter 58
The Animals’ Winter Quarters
An Ox, Ram, Pig, Goose, and Cock set out to seek summer in winter. The Ox builds a hut, but the others refuse to help, each boasting they can survive the cold on their own. When winter comes, they beg for shelter, threatening to damage the hut if refused. The Ox lets them in, and they live together until a Fox, Bear, and Wolf try to attack. The animals defend their home, goring and tearing the predators, who flee in terror.
Chapter 59
The Story of the Brave and Doughty Knight Ilyá Múromets and the Nightingale Robber
Ilyá Múromets, after thirty years as a stay-at-home, gains great strength, receives his parents' blessing, and sets out for Kíev. He defeats a camp of robbers, rescues the city of Sébezh from three Tsarévichi, and routs a Saracen host besieging Chernígov. He then captures the Nightingale Robber, who had terrorized the region for thirty years, and brings him to Prince Vladímir in Kíev. After the Nightingale Robber is slain for disobeying orders, Ilyá swears brotherhood with Dobrýnya Nikítich. Later, disguised as a beggar, he returns to Kíev to defeat the infidel knight Ídolishche, earning the Prince's honor and a place among the mighty knights.
Chapter 60
Nikíta the Tanner
A dragon terrorizes Kyiv, demanding maidens as tribute. When the Tsarévna is taken, she learns from the dragon that only Nikíta the Tanner can defeat him. Despite initial reluctance, Nikíta is moved by the tears of five thousand children, tarries himself in hemp, fights the dragon, and ultimately drowns him in the sea after plowing a boundary trench from Kyiv to the Caspian.
Chapter 61
The Singing-Tree and the Speaking-Bird
A king eavesdrops on three sisters and marries the youngest, who promises to bear him two sons and a daughter. Her jealous sisters replace each newborn with animals, and the queen is imprisoned. The gardener rescues the children and raises them. When the daughter learns of three magical items—the Talking-Bird, the Singing-Tree, and the Water of Life—her brothers attempt to retrieve them but are turned to stone. The sister succeeds, revives her brothers, and brings home the treasures. The king discovers the truth through the Talking-Bird, reunites with his family, punishes the evil sisters, and releases the queen.
Chapter 62
At the Behest of the Pike
A poor peasant catches a magic pike that grants wishes. He uses it to gain wealth and inadvertently causes the Tsarévna to bear a son. The Tsar marries them in anger and sets them adrift in a tarred barrel. They wash ashore, and the peasant uses the pike's magic to create a palace and a son who grows into a mighty knight. The son seeks a bride, fights a rival suitor, and wins a princess. He later invites all the Tsars and Kings to a feast, where he tricks his grandfather (the Tsar who wronged his mother) into being caught with a stolen duck, leading to a reconciliation.
Chapter 63
The Journey to Jerusalem
An archimandrite captures an unclean spirit in holy water, crosses him, and the devil bargains for release by offering to transport him to Jerusalem and back between matins and High Mass. The archimandrite accepts, makes the journey, and later recounts the miracle to astonished inquirers.
Chapter 64
Vazúza and Vólga
The Vólga and Vazúza rivers argue over which is wiser, stronger, and more honorable. They agree to sleep and race to the Khvalýnsk Sea; the Vazúza cheats by waking early and flowing off, but the Vólga overtakes her at Zubtsóv. The Vazúza submits as the younger daughter and is carried to the sea, and ever since she wakes first in spring to rouse the Vólga.
Chapter 65
The Enchanted Tsarévich
A merchant's youngest daughter asks for a specific flower, which he picks from a snake's garden. The snake demands the first person to greet the merchant upon his return, which is his youngest daughter. She goes to live with the snake, who gradually becomes more intimate with her. When she visits her family, her envious sisters trick her into staying late, causing the snake to throw himself into a pond in grief. She rescues him, kisses him, and he transforms into a handsome prince, whom she marries.
Chapter 66
The Snake Princess
A Cossack accidentally sets fire to a hayrick and rescues a fair maiden who turns into a snake. The snake coils around his neck and instructs him to carry her for seven years and then seek the Kingdom of Tin, where he must live for seven more years. He eventually reaches a tin castle, lives alone for years, and at the end of the term the maiden reappears, revealing she is a king's daughter transformed by Koshchéy the Deathless. She guides him to her father's court, where he asks for a magical keg instead of gold. On his journey, he meets an old man who exchanges a self-slaying sword for the keg, but the Cossack kills the old man and retrieves the keg. He then uses the sword to defeat an enemy army besieging the king's capital, and the king rewards him by giving him the princess in marriage.
Chapter 67
Beer and Bread
A poor peasant, unable to afford food or supplies for a church festival, is visited by an old man who instructs him to borrow malt from a rich neighbor and throw it into his well. Miraculously, the well turns into beer, allowing the peasant to host a grand feast. Later, the old man advises him to borrow grain and sow it in winter snow; come spring, his crop flourishes while the rich man's fails when he tries to imitate the miracle. The poor peasant repays his debts and prospers, while the rich man is left to ponder his sins.
Chapter 68
Sorrow
A poor peasant, tormented by a personified Sorrow, drinks away all his possessions until Sorrow leads him to a hidden treasure. The peasant traps Sorrow under a stone, becomes rich, and later his envious brother frees Sorrow, who then ruins him. The brother eventually tricks Sorrow into a wheel and drowns him.
Chapter 69
Iváshko and the Wise Woman
A young boy named Iváshechko goes fishing despite his parents' concerns. A wise woman (witch) tricks him by having a smith forge a voice like his mother's, captures him, and orders her daughter Alyónka to cook him. Iváshechko tricks Alyónka into the oven instead, then climbs a tall oak tree. The witch and her guests unknowingly eat Alyónka, and when the witch boasts of eating Iváshechko, he reveals the truth from the tree. The witch gnaws through several oaks with iron teeth, but Iváshechko escapes by asking geese and swans to carry him home. He is joyfully reunited with his parents.
Chapter 70
Never-Wash
A retired soldier, having served three campaigns with nothing to show for it, makes a pact with a little devil: for fifteen years he must not shave, cut his hair, blow his nose, or change his clothes, in exchange for wealth and a tsar's daughter in marriage. The soldier grows rich by helping the poor, and when the tsar's treasury runs dry, he lends money in return for a bride. The two elder daughters refuse, saying they would rather marry the devil, and their souls are claimed. The youngest agrees, and after the soldier is magically restored to youth, they marry. The little devil is initially punished for failing to corrupt the soldier but is forgiven when he reveals he has gained the souls of the two elder sisters.
Chapter 71
Christ and the Geese
St. Peter expresses a desire to be God for half a day, and Christ grants his wish. They encounter a peasant girl who leaves her geese unattended on a feast day, trusting God to watch them. Christ reminds Peter that, as God for the day, he must stay and guard the geese. Peter reluctantly obeys and never again wishes to be God.
Chapter 72
Christ and Folksongs
Christ and St. Peter travel through a village, where Christ stops to listen to folksongs while passing by a house chanting hymns, explaining that the folksongs had a good scent but the hymns lacked reverence.
Chapter 73
The Devil in the Dough-Pan
A woman forgets to bless her dough, allowing the demon Potánka to inhabit it. When she remembers and crosses herself, Potánka becomes trapped inside the dough. After three days of being tossed by pigs, he finally escapes and vows never to enter a woman's dough again.
Chapter 74
The Sun, the Moon, and Crow Crowson
An old man promises his three daughters to the Sun, the Moon, and Crow Crowson in exchange for help gathering spilled grain. Each daughter is taken by her respective suitor. The old man visits each son-in-law, but fails to replicate their magical feats at home. His visit to Crow Crowson ends in disaster when both fall from a perch and are killed.
Chapter 75
The Legless Knight and the Blind Knight
Iván Tsarévich, following his parents' advice to heed his attendant Katomá Oaken-cap, seeks to marry Ánna the Fair, who kills suitors unable to solve her riddles. With Katomá's clever riddle, Iván wins her, but Ánna resents Katomá and tricks Iván into having Katomá's legs cut off. Ánna then reduces Iván to a cowherd. Katomá, left legless on a stump, meets a blind knight (also blinded by Ánna). They form a partnership: the blind man carries Katomá, who guides him. They kidnap a merchant's daughter to keep house, but Bába Yagá attacks her. The knights capture Bába Yagá, who agrees to show them the well of Life and Death.
Chapter 76
A Cure for Story-Telling
A porter, whose wife is obsessed with listening to stories, devises a plan to cure her habit. He invites a freezing old man who claims he can tell stories all night, on the condition that the wife makes no interruptions. The man repeatedly recites the same sentence about an owl sipping water until the wife finally protests. The porter then beats her, and she becomes so traumatized that she despises stories from then on.
Chapter 77
General Notes
This chapter provides explanatory notes on various characters, places, and concepts from Russian folklore, including Alyósha Popóvich, Tsar Angéy, Bába Yagá, the Bogatýr, Bryánsk, Chernígov, Christ, the Brother of Christ, and Chufíl-Fílyushka, with etymological and comparative mythological insights.
Chapter 78
The Crystal Apple and the Silver Saucer
A tale with Celtic influences, featuring a magical harp that reveals a murder, the unfortunate Danílo who encounters a witch, and the personification of Death as a skeletal figure. It also introduces Dobrýnya Nikítich, a dragon-slayer and ambassador at Prince Vladímir's court.
Chapter 79
The Dream
This chapter provides extensive notes on Russian folklore, including descriptions of the traditional izbá (hut) and its features, explanations of various folk figures such as Ilyá Múromets and Egóri Khrábry, and discussions of personifications and allegories in common acts of life. It also touches on the attributes of saints like Elijah and Nicholas, and the symbolism of animals like the hawk and crow.
Chapter 80
Midnight Dance. General Notes to This Story
This chapter provides extensive general notes and commentary on various figures, motifs, and cultural references found in Russian folklore, including explanations of Sorrow, St. Nicholas, Svyatogór, the Swan Maiden, Koshchéy the Deathless, the Nightingale Robber, and the mythical Isle of Buyán, as well as a charm for a soldier going to war.
Chapter 81
Glossary
A glossary of terms and names used in the book, providing definitions and cultural context for Russian folklore elements.
Chapter 82
Endnotes
This chapter provides annotations and explanatory notes for the preceding tales, clarifying terms, mythological references, and cultural contexts such as the Vodyanóy, Lěši, and the bylína heroes like Ilyá Múromets.
