If you don’t believe Russian fairy tales are hardcore, remember that in “The Death of Koschei the Deathless”, Prince Ivan first encounters
Princess Marya Morevna amid a field of corpses spanning from horizon to horizon, which turn out to be an invading army that the Princess has just slain in battle, apparently single-handedly. She then invites him into her tent and spends two days and nights banging his brains out, and that’s how he ends up getting married.(Later, the Princess goes off to fight another war and leaves Ivan to look after the housekeeping, with strict instructions not to go into a particular basement. Of course he disobeys, and finds the eponymous Koschei the Deathless bound in enchanted chains, because apparently keeping immortal sorcerers chained up in your closet is just a thing that you do when you’re
Princess Marya Morevna. The subsequent accidental unbinding sets off the main plot, making this tale one of the relatively few instances of the traditional forbidden-room device in which the disobedient spouse is the husband rather than the wife.)
Why I:
- A) love “Fairy Tales,”
- B) Love Russian “Fairy Tales” in particular, and
- C) Look askance at anyone waxing poetical about “Fairy Tale Romances”
Also, check out Vasilisa the Beautiful
Yeah, “Vasilisa the Beautiful” is also a pretty good one – though personally, I prefer the versions where it’s clear that Baba Yaga is fully aware that she’s being used as an unwanted stepchild disposal service, and she resents it, so she’s torn between free child meat and taking the opportunity to give the stepmother an ironic comeuppance. You don’t often get to see her conflicted like that!
Beautiful woman with fire-shooting skull on stick? I’m pretty sure several of my followers want to be her.
Baba Yaga is so important and also let’s not forget how many Russian folktales involve people losing their hands in an almost Star Wars-like amount because its a damn lot.
Published
The Carving Witch 