Folks

RUSSIAN FOLK

Baba Yaga

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baba_Yaga

In Russian tales, Baba Yaga is portrayed as a hag who flies through the air in a mortar, using the pestle as a rudder and sweeping away the tracks behind her with a broom made out of silver birch. She lives in a log cabin (izbushka) that moves around on a pair of dancing chicken legs. The house does not reveal the door until it is told a magical phrase: Turn your back to the forest, your front to me.

There are stories where she helps people with their quests, and stories in which she kidnaps children and threatens to eat them. Seeking out her aid is usually portrayed as a dangerous act. An emphasis is placed on the need for proper preparation and purity of spirit, as well as basic politeness.

Furmanov town - Ivanovo-region they say it is home place of Baba Yaga. They say that even now old women treat 1-2 years old children by smear them with dough and putting them inside stove.

Stories about Baba Yaga:

http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/babayaga/other.html

Good page about Baba Yaga:

http://stpetersburg-guide.com/folk/yaga.shtml

Koshchey the Immortal

They paint Koshchey very skinny almost like skeleton. He lives in a castle and no people around this castle. He has lots of gold coins in many trunks.

http://www.oldrussia.net/koshchey.html

He is fond of stealing beautiful women, often the bride of the hero.

Koshchey is called the deathless, or immortal because his soul/spirit/life force or his "death" as he calls it, is hidden in a remote, inaccessible place, separate from his body.

His "death" may be hidden in the point of a needle inside the duck's egg. Although called deathless or immortal, Koshchey may die if the hero finds out where the egg that contains his life force or, as he calls it, his "death", is hidden.

If the egg is broken, it's goodnight for Koshchey too. Anyone possessing this egg has Koshchey in their power. He begins to weaken, becomes sick and immediately loses all his magic powers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koschei

Koschei is extremely difficult to kill. His soul is hidden separate from his body inside a needle, which is in an egg, which is in a duck, which is in a hare, which is in an iron chest, which is buried under a green oak tree, which is on the island of Buyan, in the ocean. As long as his soul is safe, he cannot die. If the chest is dug up and opened, the hare will bolt away. If it is killed, the duck will emerge and try to fly off. Anyone possessing the egg has Koschei in their power. He begins to weaken, becomes sick and immediately loses the use of his magic. If the egg is tossed about, he likewise is flung around against his will. If the needle is broken (in some tales this must be done by specifically breaking it against Koschei's forehead), Koschei will die.

The native land of Koschei how they say in fairy-tales is the Caucasus (mountains)

Story about Koschei:

http://blogs.salon.com/0002687/stories/2003/07/09/theTaleOfMaryaMorevna.html

Zmey Gorynych

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zmey_Gorynych

Zmey Gorynych, has three heads, is green, walks on two back paws, has small front paws, and spits fire. According to one bylina, Zmey Gorynych was killed by Dobrynya Nikitch.

He also steals beautiful women as Koschei. He lives inside a mountain and has lots of precious jewelry - gold, stones... and he watches over them.

The homeland of Zmey Gorynych is Kazan - they have dragon as symbol of Kazan (Tatarstan).

Other dragon story:

http://www.oldrussia.net/copper.html

Snow Maiden

The story is about old people who didn't have children and once they made from snow Maiden and she became alive - beautiful girl. She lived with them as their child. Once she went with other children to play and they jumped over bonfire. Snow Maiden also jumped over bonfire and she disappeared as far as she was made from snow.

When Russians celebrate New Year they have 'Дед Мороз' - Grandfather Frost (Santa Claus) and 'Снегурочка' Snow Maiden.

They say Snow Maiden is grand-daughter of Grandfather Frost. Grandfather Frost is dressed in red-color with white beard and Snow Maiden is dressed in pale blue with white plait.

Ustug - Grandfather Frost home place,

Kostroma - Snow Maiden home place.

Story about Snow Maiden:

http://russian-crafts.com/tales/snowmaiden.html

MAGIC THINGS

Magic table-cloth

Magic table-cloth in tales - when one unroll it different dishes/courses appear on top of it.

The magic carpet or Flying Carpet

http://clover.slavic.pitt.edu/tales/images/vasnetsov_flying_carpet.html

The magic carpet in tales used to go in the air like airplane - one just sit on the magic carpet says magic word and it goes up in the air. Same thing if one needs to land - just says magic word and the magic carpet lands.

Seven-league boots

When one in tales needs to go somewhere fast, he puts on magic seven-league boots and go very fast.

Apples of Youth

Special apples - if one eats such apples he/she becomes younger.

Water of Life

Water of life - if somebody is dead and they put this 'water of life' this dead becomes alive again.

The Apples of Youth and the Water of Life:

http://folklore.mashaholl.com/RussianFolktale_Male.html

Golden Fish

Golden Fish - story about:

http://russian-crafts.com/tales/golden-fish.html

http://russian-crafts.com/tales/gold_fish.html

http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/russian/oldpetersrussiantales/goldenfish.html

It was a famous poem-tale written by Pushkin about Golden Fish and he got story for his poem from old-Russian tales.

Vologda-region wants to call them as 'Golden Fish' native land. They have district Vashkinsky with White Lake and symbol of the district is coppery-fish.

The Scarlet Flower

This story was written by Aksakov from Volga-river folk-stories (Tatars, Bashkirs lives there).

They have there poppy-flower and poppy-flower was taken as symbol for the 'scarlet flower'.

It is Bashkiria, Budzayksky-region. Ufa - capital of Bashkiria.

Story about Scarlet Flower

http://www.sunbirds.com/lacquer/readings/1017

The Fly's Castle

The fly's castle in original Russian text is 'teremok' or wooden house with wooden boss and nice-looking - this 'teremok' is like Tomsk-city wooden houses that I've sent you on photo. Do you have it? Look please just to know.

This 'teremok' was style of houses for prosperous people. Now I didn't see this style in other Russian towns mainly Tomsk is famous of them. A wooden house doesn’t stay long also it is not easy to find good wood in Russia other then in Siberia.

So, you can say that now 'teremok' can be found mainly in Tomsk.

Here 'teremok' from Tomsk:

http://www.arttomsk.net/gallery_2.html

Little Round Bun or Kolobok

'Kolobok' doesn't have native land other then all Russia (looks like). There is only like guess to call Pskov-region as homeland of 'kolobok' but it is not officially, it is more like joke.

'Loco Roco' game - Japanese game about 'little round bun' or 'kolobok'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loco_Roco

Also they say 'little round bun'/'kolobok' is like English 'Gingerbread man' in style.

'Kolobok' is round yellow bread. They paint traditionally 'kolobok' as yellow circle with eyes and smiling mouth - just like 'Emoticons' or 'Smileys' in Internet.

Story about Kolobok:

http://www.sunbirds.com/lacquer/readings/1203

TATAR FOLK

Shurale

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shurale

Shurale is a male monster (a forest demon) in Tatar mythology. According to legend, Şüräle lives in forests. He has long fingers, a horn on its forehead, and a woolly body. He kills his victims by luring them to a thicket and then tickling them until they die.

This bogeyman is described as a human-like creature. Shurale (Shoo - rah - leh, pronounced to rhyme with "sure, I lay") has long, bony pointy fingers with which he likes to tickle humans who are unlucky enough to have lost their way in the middle of the black forest (kara urman). Shurale patiently waits behind the trees for his victims. Once the abominable forest creature catches them, he usually tickles them to death.

Story about Shurale

http://www.slitat.org/wr.html#a3

Tengri

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tengri

Tengri is the supreme god. There are no official symbols of Tegriism, however the symbol of the World Tree and the four directions symbol are common. The sun is merely a symbol of Tengri.

Tengri or the god of blue sky was the main god of the Turkic pantheon, controlling the heavenly universe. In the ancient Turkic mythology, Tengri is a pure, white goose that flies constantly over an endless expanse of water, which represents time. Beneath this water, Ak Ana ("White Mother") calls out to him saying "Create". To overcome his loneliness, Tengri creates Er Kishi, who is not as pure or as white as Tengri and together they set up the world. Er Kishi becomes a demonic character and strives to mislead people and draw them into its darkness. Tengri assumes the name Tengri Ülgen and withdraws into Heaven from which he tries to provide people with guidance through sacred animals that he sends among them. The Ak Tengris occupy the fifth level of Heaven. Shaman priests who want to reach Tengri Ülgen never get further than this level, where they convey their wishes to the divine guides. Returns to earth or to the human level take place in a goose-shaped vessel.

Tengri is considered to be the chief god who created all things.

Zilant

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zilant

Zilant is a legendary creature, something between a dragon and a wyvern. Since 1730, it has been the official symbol of Kazan.

Most legends related to Kazan are contradictory and Zilant is no exception. There are several variations on the Zilant legend. According to the first story, a beautiful damsel married a resident of Old Kazan. She had to get water from the Qazansu River and complained to the local khan that his capital was poorly situated. She advised him to move the city to the neighborhood of Zilantaw Hill, and the khan agreed. However, the hill was infested with numerous snakes which were "stout as a log". Their leader was a giant two-headed snake, i.e., Zilant. One head ate only grass, while the other swallowed virgins and youths. A wizard advised the khan to build a straw and wood near the hill. In spring, the snakes came out from their winter burrows and crept into the pile of straw. A knight errant was sent out to set the pile of straw on fire, burning out the snakes. They were deadly even in death, "killing people and horses with their stink". However, the gigantic two-headed snake-dragon escaped to the Qaban lakes. According to the story he still lives in the waters of the lake and, from time to time, takes vengeance on the citizens. According to other stories, the giant snake was transformed into a spirit who founded the underwater kingdom of the lake.

It is also said that say that Zilant did not escape to the lake but instead tried get revenge upon the knight. During the fight that followed, Zilant cut the hero into six parts. The knight, however, had managed to stab the dragon with his poisoned pike, and Zilant eventually died.

There is also a legend about Zilant's return to Zilantaw. They say that Zilant re-established himself in a big cave near the hill. The dragon would occasionally fly over the panic-stricken city and drink water from the Black Lake. At first the people of the city people paid tribute to him, but later they managed to kill him with a wizard's help.

Tatar Zilant is like Russian Zmey Gorynych.

URAL TALES by P. Bazhov

P. Bazhov based his stories on miners' tales from the Ural Mountains. The Urals, on the border between Europe and Asia, is the oldest mountain chain in the former Soviet Union and are famous as a source of precious stones and metals, including gold and copper ores such as malachite. The most famous character from these stories is the Mistress of Copper Mountain, a protector of gems and stones in the Urals, who capriciously bestows the ability to find such treasures only on those who please her.

The Malachite Casket: Tales from the Urals by Pavel Bazhov, which consists of folktales Bazhov heard as boy in the 1890s when the copper smelting industry in the Urals was shutting down. The stories form a cycle of loosely connected tales centering on impoverished miners at the mercy of cruel bailiffs and greedy landlords.