# Bába Yagá and Zamorýshek explained — Russian Folktales > Chapter companion for Russian Folktales by A. N. Afanasyev. ## What happens 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. ## Themes in this chapter ### Magic and Transformation The birth of children from eggs, the magical mare from the sea, and the handkerchief that creates a bridge all exemplify transformative magic. ### Trickery and Cunning Zamorýshek outwits Bába Yagá by swapping clothes with the daughters, saving his brothers and escaping her fiery pursuit. ### Family and Betrayal Bába Yagá betrays her own daughters by ordering their deaths, while Zamorýshek protects his brothers through loyalty and cleverness. ## Character check-ins ### Zamorýshek The youngest and weakest of the egg-born brothers, but clever and resourceful; captures a magical mare, warns his brothers, and orchestrates their escape from Bába Yagá. ### Bába Yagá The antagonist who hosts the brothers, betroths them to her daughters, then orders their deaths; uses a fiery shield in pursuit. ### The Old Man The father who collects eggs and raises the forty-one sons; blesses the brothers when they go to seek brides. ### The Old Woman The mother who longs for children and helps raise the egg-born sons. ### The Smith Forges three chains for Zamorýshek; the third chain is strong enough to hold. ## Key lines > Go to the village and collect one little egg from every house and put a brood hen over them, and, what will ensue, you will yourself see. The old man is instructed to gather an egg from each house and set a hen to hatch them, promising a surprising result. _This initiates the miraculous birth of the forty-one sons._ > At midnight a sudden storm rose and the sea raged, and a strange nag rose out of the sea, ran up to the rick and began to eat it. A magical mare emerges from the sea during a storm and starts eating the hayrick. _Zamorýshek captures this mare, leading to the acquisition of forty-one foals._ > When you lie down with your young wives, dress them in your clothes, and put on your wives’ clothes, otherwise you will all be killed. The horse warns Zamorýshek to swap clothing with the daughters to avoid being murdered. _This trick saves the brothers from Bába Yagá's assassination plot._ > Zamorýshek shook the handkerchief in front, and so built a bridge across all the width of the blue sea, and the doughty youths crossed the sea safely. Using Bába Yagá's handkerchief, Zamorýshek creates a bridge over the sea, allowing the brothers to escape. _The handkerchief's magic enables their safe retreat and prevents Bába Yagá from following._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/russian_folktales_se/chapters/b-ba-yag-and-zamor-shek - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/russian_folktales_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/russian_folktales_se/chapters