Ala
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…
Category: Russian Folklore
Afanasiev, Alexander Nikolaievitch
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 Shroud
The Shroud In a certain village there was a girl who was lazy and slothful, hated working, but would gossip and chatter away like anything!…
The Coffin Lid
The Coffin Lid A moujik was driving along one night with a load of pots. His horse grew tired, and all of a sudden it…
The Two Corpses
A soldier had obtained leave to go home on furlough — to pray to the holy images, and to bow down before his parents. And…
The Soldier and the Vampire
A certain soldier was allowed to go home on furlough. Well, he walked and walked, and after a time he began to draw near to…
The Dog and the Corpse
The Dog and the Corpse A moujik went out in pursuit of game one day, and took a favourite dog with him. He walked and…
Domovik
A domovik (also domovoj, domovoy) is in Russian folklore, a household spirit that resides in every home. The domovik traditionally is the ancestral founder of…
Mati-Syra-Zemlya
Mati-Syra-Zemlya (moist Mother Earth) In Russian mythology, earth goddess. The worship of Mati-Syra-Zemlya continued in Russia up to the eve of World War I, when…
Marko the Gravedigger
Marko, the Gravedigger is in Russian folklore, a monk who restored the dead to life. Marko was a gravedigger for the Holy Crypt Monastery during…