Lux Ferre

The Firebird is in Russian folklore, a magical bird with golden wings and crystal eyes. The Firebird appears in many Russian folktales. One of the best known is “Prince Ivan, the Firebird,

bylina (pl.: bylini) (true story) In medieval Russia, an oral heroic song or poem, originally sung by court minstrels and in recent centuries by skaziteli, peasant bards. The bylini are usually about

Baldak Borisievich In Russian folklore, a hero who defeated the Turkish sultan. One day Baldak Borisievich, with 29 other young men, went directly to the Turkish sultan to “take from him his

Azadovskii, Mark Konstantinovich (1888– 1945) Russian folklorist whose expeditions in 1913–1915 took him to the Amur and Lena Rivers in Siberia, where he gathered materials on folk narratives from the local peasants.

Aliosha Popovich (Aljosa Popovic) (11th century c.e.) In Russian legend, bogatyr (epic hero) who appears in the bylini (epic songs) and in folktales. Aliosha was one of seven legendary bogatyri and the

Alexander Nevsky (1220–1263) In Russian legend, prince-saint who defended Russia against foreign invaders. The heroic personality Alexander Nevsky, the first prince of Novgorod and (after 1252) great prince of Vladimir and all

Ala is in Russian mythology, daughter of Volos, god of beasts and flocks. Serge Prokofiev’s ballet Ala and Lolli (1914–1915) deals with the myth. In the ballet Ala is taken prisoner by

Afanasiev, Alexander Nikolaievitch (Afanasyeu, Afanasyeff) (1826–1871) was a Russian folklorist, compiler of Russian Folktales (1855– 1863), published in eight parts. Afanasiev’s work, which has achieved the status of a Russian classic, was