Russian Folktales

I had a great time in Muscovy while I was there. The people were rather fond of my sandwiches, so I didn't wont for employment. Ford also seemed to enjoy taking part in constructing their unique houses. Additionally, by some stroke of mercy, I was raised from poverty for a time by a generous sum of money from my brother. Soon, I was able to wander Muscovy at my leisure and make some acquaintances with the gentry. My Russian has improved quite a bit, and I attribute that partially to the socialization I have been able to accomplish but also due to the amazing tales I became fond of--but more of that later.

A Map of St. Petersburg as I first found it.

Once I started spending time with the gentry of Muscovy, I learned that the Russian monarch, Tsar Peter, has required that all nobility relocate to his new capital in the north, St. Petersburg. The whole ordeal was rather exciting to me, but the Russian nobility were generally put out. I decided to join the nobility and continue my wanderings there, so I once again packed my things. Ford too put down his hammer and joined me again as my vassal. This time, I made sure to bring a towel in case any highwaymen decided to attack.

I secured great lodgings in St. Petersburg by coming into the good graces of a noble family here. They have allowed me to stay with them, and I rather think they believe an acquaintance with an Englishman will endear them to their western-minded monarch. Of course, I have no complaint and have been able to continue to explore what is here in this strangely built city. It seems to change every day, accelerating in growth at an unimaginable rate, making the swamp environment more bearable. Here, I have been able to resume my language studies with one of my favorite pass-times: listening to the storytellers.

While making sandwiches at the inn, I was privileged to hear the spinnings of a storyteller who would often offer me a story for a sandwich. Until recently, the storytellers have had to be rather secretive it seems (Propp 43). I  searched town high and low until I was able to find a suitable pub with one of the most talented storytellers I have heard. And, when my gracious hosts realized my fascination, they invited the storyteller to attend to them and even acquired a book for me called The Great Mirror (Propp 44).

The Great Mirror is a collection of stories that not originally come from Russia, but the book has been translated into Russian from Polish, I believe. Half of the stories have religious overtones and are rather didactic while the others are simply anecdotal (Propp 44). The book is also sometimes called the The Speculum Exemplorum "The mirror of examples" if my Latin is not incorrect.

One of the Lubok with pictures. "Mice Carrying a Cat"

While I was on one of my ramblings, I came across yet another wonderful discovery! While perusing the markets on the street one day, an exuberant vendor shoved a pamphlet of sorts under my nose, “Would the Englishman like a lubok?” he asked. Usually I would have moved on, but I decided to give it a glance. What was written on the pages seemed to be another tale of which I was so fond. I tossed the vendor a kopeck or two and managed to read the whole story before I got home (Terras 149). The Story I read was a bit crude but offered an interesting diversion. Since then, I almost always buy a new pamphlet as I walk through the market.

A picture of the Tsar Maiden.

One of my favorite stories to hear and read is called, “The Tale of the Tsar Maiden” (Propp 46). But I have heard others; "The Tale of the Seven Sages" and "The Tale of Shemyaka's Judgement" are two I have heard often (Terras). "The Tale of the Seven Sages" is one that has also appeared in other works even Chaucer and The Decameron (Terras 111). I have found it in Historia septum sapientum Romae, another compilation of folktales. Even though the story itself is not originally from Russia, the Russians have adopted and tell the story. The story allows the storyteller to tell many tells within a tale.

Some stories have a tragic twist to them, like Father Frost in which a cruel stepmother forces her husband to send his daughter away and fend for herself in the middle of the frosty winter. The sweet daughter ends well because Father Frost takes pity on her, but the cruel stepmother and the stepmother's daughter do not fare so well (Russian Folktales from the 18th Century 889-981).

Father Frost and the Snow Maiden (Дед мороз и Снегурочка)

Russian Folk Tales from the 18th Century. Volume One: The Cultural Heritage Story Book Series, Transcribed and edited by Patrick Bruskiewich, Pythagoras Publishing, 2015.

Terras, Victor. A History of Russian Literature. Yale University Press, 1991.

Propp, Vladimir Yakovlevich Propp. The Russian Folktale. Edited and Translated by Sibelan Forrester, Wayne State University Press, 2012.