151 Tales Form Russia

Once, a Tsar had three sons. The Tsar wanted all of them to get married. He told them, “Each of you has to shoot an arrow into the air as far as you can. Then, you will have to marry the girl living at the place where your arrow lands.” As told by their father, […]

A merchant had a single daughter named Vasilisa. She was very beautiful, so she was known as Vasilisa the Beautiful. When she was eight years old, her mother died. Before dying, Vasilisa’s mother gave her a tiny wooden doll. She instructed Vasilisa to give the doll a little to eat and a little to drink

A couple had an only daughter. When the man’s wife died, he married again. But the wicked stepmother did not like the girl. She always thought of ways to get rid of her. One day, the wicked stepmother said to the girl, “Go to my sister, your aunt, and ask her for a needle and

Ivan Tsarevitch had three sisters, the first was Princess Marya, the second was Princess Olga, and the third was Princess Anna. After the death of their parents, the sisters married three wizards. Princess Marya married the Falcon and he took her away into his own realm. Princess Olga married the Eagle and he took her

A farmer was taking some geese to the town to sell. He had a long rod in his hand and was hurrying them. So, the geese complained to every person passing by, “We are so unfortunate. This farmer is driving us so roughly as if we are common, ordinary geese. The farmer does not know

Once, a travelling circus was passing by the town. It led an elephant through the streets as a chief attraction. A crowd had gathered to look at him. Suddenly, a pug dog came out of the corner. The moment he saw the elephant, he dashed at him and started barking loudly. A shaggy old man

Mark was a rich merchant. One night, three beggars came to his house. They asked to stay at his house for the night. Mark was reluctant. But his daughter, Anastasia, requested him to let them stay. They slept in a loft. Anastasia overheard the beggars talking of the seventh son born to peasant Ivan. They

Trishka was a Russian peasant. One day, he noticed that his Caftan, or long-skirted gown, was torn at the elbows. It was simple, he thought. He cut off a quarter of each sleeve, and patched it on the elbows. The elbows looked fine now, but his arms had lost a quarter of their length. Everyone

Once, an ass saw a nightingale and said, “My friend, I have heard that you have a really beautiful voice. I have been waiting from a long time to hear you sing.” Delighted by the praise, the nightingale began to sing, whistling in myriad ways, with long-drawn, sniveling notes. She sang one song after another.

Once, a merchant was ready to set out on a journey. He asked his three daughters, “What gifts do you all want?” The eldest daughter asked for a golden crown, and the second one requested a crystal mirror. The youngest daughter asked only for the little crimson flower. The merchant set out on his journey.

Once, a diamond was lying alongside the pebble in the dust on the roadside. Finally, a merchant picked it up and sold it to the King. The King had it set in his royal crown. Now, the pebble heard of the diamond’s great future and complained about its own hard luck. Once, it saw a

A crowd of people had assembled in front of a merchant’s house. They were wondering at a squirrel that ran in the revolving wheel of its cage. A thrust that was sitting on a nearby tree asked the squirrel, “Friend, please tell me what you are doing.” “My dear fellow,” replied the squirrel, “I don’t

Tsar Elidar and Tsarina Militissa had three sons, Aksof, Hut and Lyubim. Aksof and Hut went out to see the world and never returned. Then, Lyubim set off to search for his brothers. He found a strong horse and a sword in his father’s house. He reached a point with three roads: the sign said

A woodsman had a kind wife and a pretty little daughter, but his wife died. He married a widow with two daughters of her own. She was neither good nor kind and her daughters were nasty little girls. They grew up into very plain-looking, lazy girls while the eldest daughter grew up to be very

An old merchant had three daughters, the two elder ones were greedy and lazy but the youngest was good and wise. The elder girls called her Stupid. The merchant was going to a fair and asked his daughters what they wanted. The eldest wanted a necklace and the second one a golden dress. The youngest