# The Midnight Dance explained — Russian Folktales

> Chapter companion for Russian Folktales by A. N. Afanasyev.

## What happens

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.

## Themes in this chapter

### Trickery and Cunning

The poor nobleman uses the cap of invisibility and cleverly avoids the sleeping draught to spy on the princesses.

### Social Class and Hierarchy

A poor nobleman rises in status by solving the king's riddle and marrying a princess, highlighting class mobility.

## Character check-ins

### The King

Widower king who seeks to discover his daughters' nightly whereabouts.

### The Tsar

The Accursed Tsar who hosts the princesses in his subterranean realm for nightly dances.

### The Old Woman

Mysterious old woman (Babushka) who gives the poor nobleman the cap of invisibility and advice.

### The Youngest Son

The poor nobleman who undertakes the task, uses the cap of invisibility, and marries the youngest princess.

### The Princess

The twelve princesses, especially the youngest, who dance nightly with the Accursed Tsar.

## Key lines

> Every night these princesses went where nobody knew: it was only for twenty-four hours, and they always wore out a new pair of shoes.

Each night, the princesses secretly went somewhere unknown, returning within a day and always with their shoes completely worn out.

_Establishes the central mystery of the story._

> Whoever guesses it I will give him my beloved daughter as a wife and a half of my kingdom as a dowry.

The king promises his daughter's hand in marriage and half his kingdom to anyone who can solve the riddle.

_Sets the reward for the task._

> I will give you the cap of invisibility; with that you cannot be seen.

The old woman provides a magical hat that makes the wearer invisible.

_Key magical aid for the protagonist._

> He, without noticing, touched the youngest princess’s dress: she was frightened and said to her sisters, 'O my sisters, somebody has stepped on my dress. This is a foretokening of woe.'

The invisible nobleman accidentally brushes the youngest princess's dress, causing her to fear it is an omen of misfortune.

_Shows the princess's sensitivity and foreshadowing._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/russian_folktales_se/chapters/the-midnight-dance
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/russian_folktales_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/russian_folktales_se/chapters