Russian Folktales · Chapters

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Chapter companions for Russian Folktales by A. N. Afanasyev.

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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.

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Dedication

The Pronunciation of Russian Words

Russian Folktales

The Dun Cow

A Tale of the Dead