In this Book
- The Complete Folktales of A. N. Afanas'ev, Volume II: Black Art and the Neo-Ancestral Impulse
- Book
- 2015
- Published by: University Press of Mississippi
Up to now, there has been no complete English-language version of the Russian folktales of A. N. Afanas’ev. This translation is based on L. G. Barag and N. V. Novikov’s edition, widely regarded as the authoritative Russian-language edition. The present edition includes commentaries to each tale as well as its international classification number. This second volume of 140 tales continues the work started in Volume I, also published by University Press of Mississippi. A third planned volume will complete the first English-language set.
The folktales of A. N. Afanas’ev represent the largest single collection of folktales in any European language and perhaps in the world. Widely regarded as the Russian Grimm, Afanas’ev collected folktales from throughout the Russian Empire in what are now regarded as the three East Slavic languages, Byelorusian, Russian, and Ukrainian. The result of his own collecting, the collecting of friends and correspondents, and in a few cases his publishing of works from earlier and forgotten collections is truly phenomenal. In his lifetime, Afanas’ev published more than 575 tales in his most popular and best known work, Narodnye russkie skazki. In addition to this basic collection, he prepared a volume of Russian legends, many on religious themes; a collection of mildly obscene tales, Russkie zavetnye skazki; and voluminous writings on Slavic folk life and mythology. His works were subject to the strict censorship of ecclesiastical and state authorities that lasted until the demise of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. Overwhelmingly, his particular emendations were stylistic, while those of the censors mostly concerned content. The censored tales are generally not included in this volume.
Table of Contents
- 179–81 Sivko-Burko
- pp. 3-9
- 185 The Magic Horse
- pp. 27-32
- 187 Two from the Sack
- pp. 35-37
- 188 The Cock and the Grinder
- pp. 38-39
- 189 The Magic Box
- pp. 40-42
- 190–91 The Magic Ring
- pp. 43-57
- 192–94 Horns
- pp. 58-66
- 197 The Marvelous Hen
- pp. 73-78
- 201 Tsar Bear
- pp. 98-102
- 202–5 The Milk of the Beasts
- pp. 103-118
- 206–7 The Sham Illness
- pp. 119-126
- 208–9 The Marvelous Shirt
- pp. 127-133
- 210–11 The Magic Mirror
- pp. 134-144
- 216 The Wise Wife
- pp. 175-181
- 217–18 The Three Kopecks
- pp. 182-185
- 219–26 The Sea Tsar and Vasilisa the Wise
- pp. 186-229
- 227–29 An Incautious Word
- pp. 230-236
- 230–31 The Purchased Wife
- pp. 237-248
- 232–33 The Tsar Maiden
- pp. 249-258
- 236–37 Elena the Wise
- pp. 271-280
- 238 The Self-Playing Gusli
- pp. 281-282
- 239 The Tsarevna Who Solved Riddles
- pp. 283-284
- 240 The Prophetic Dream (I)
- pp. 285-291
- 241 The Prophetic Dream (II)
- pp. 292-294
- 243 The Gold Mountain
- pp. 299-302
- 244–46 The Miraculous Fife
- pp. 303-306
- 247 The Language of the Birds
- pp. 307-308
- 248 The Hunter and His Wife
- pp. 309-310
- 249–53 Clever Learning
- pp. 311-326
- 254–55 The Marvel
- pp. 327-332
- 257 The Lucky Child
- pp. 335-336
- 258 The Treasure Trove
- pp. 337-339
- 259 The Speedy Messenger
- pp. 340-344
- 264 The Tsarevna—A Little Gray Duck
- pp. 353-355
- 265 The Little White Duck
- pp. 356-358
- 266 The Steppe Wildcat
- p. 359
- 267–69 The Frog Tsarevna
- pp. 360-368
- 270 The Serpent Tsarevna
- pp. 369-372
- 271–72 The Enchanted Princess
- pp. 373-386
- 273–74 The Petrified Tsardom
- pp. 387-390
- 275 The Birch and the Three Falcons
- pp. 391-392
- 276 The Cursed Tsarevich
- pp. 393-395
- 277 The Snotty Goat
- pp. 396-397
- 278 Unwashed
- pp. 398-400
- 279–82 The Armless Maid
- pp. 401-410
- 288–89 The Singing Tree and the Talking Bird
- pp. 427-432
- 290–91 Pigskin
- pp. 433-437
- 292 The Gold Slipper
- pp. 438-439
- 293 Blackie
- pp. 440-441
- 294 The Tsarevna in the Underground Tsardom
- pp. 442-443
- 295–96 Know Not
- pp. 444-458
- 297 The Tsarevna Who Would Not Laugh
- pp. 459-461
- 298–99 Night Dances
- pp. 462-465
- 300 The Boy the Size of a Finger
- pp. 466-468
- 301 Verlioka
- pp. 469-473
- 302 One-Eyed Evil
- pp. 474-475
- 303 Misery
- pp. 476-480
- 304 Two Fates
- pp. 481-483
- 305–7 Marko the Luckless
- pp. 484-492
- 310 Il’ia Muromets and the Serpent
- pp. 499-503
- 311 Vasilii Buslavich
- pp. 504-505
- 312 Alyosha Popovich
- pp. 506-508
- 313 Danilo the Hapless
- pp. 509-513
- 315 Baldak Boris’evich
- pp. 519-524
- 316 Vasilisa Popovna, the Priest’s Daughter
- pp. 525-527
- 317 About Mamai the Godless
- pp. 528-534
- Commentaries
- pp. 536-556