Reading Diary B: Russian Folktales

A Witch Girl

The Witch Girl- “If you like,” says the Cossack, “I’ll show you Death! Call together all the Sotniks and Desyatniks as quickly as possible, and let’s go through the village and look for her.”



The Headless Princess- “It will be still more horrible this time. Here’s a hammer for you and four nails. Knock them into the four corners of the coffin, and when you begin reading the psalter, stick up the hammer in front of you.”

The Warlock- But the third was sharper than the other two. She declared she had taken off her cross, but in reality she kept it on. She took her seat and spun, but said prayers to herself all the while.

The Fox Physician- “Beginning to stir!” replied the fox, who then ate up the old woman, collected her bones and piled them up in a corner, and set to work to knead a hasty pudding.

The Fiddler in Hell- “It was money! I had much money: I gave none to the poor, two pots of it did I bury underground. See now, they are going to torment me, to beat me with sticks, to tear me with nails.”

The Two Friends- The bridegroom looked around. Where the graveyard had been, was now a piece of waste ground. No road was to be seen, no kinsmen, no horses. All around grew nettles and tall grass.

The Shroud- But after they had supped and lain down to sleep, all of a sudden the corpse tapped at the window and said: “Give me my shroud! Give me my shroud!”

The Coffin-Lid- “Do bring them to life, kinsman,” say their relatives. “We’ll give you half of all we possess.”

The Two Corpses- Presently up ran the first corpse—the one that had chased the soldier—and dashed into the chapel. Thereupon the one that was lying on the table jumped up, and cried to it: “What hast thou come here for?”

The Dog and the Corpse- “A bad piece of work, my son!” said the old woman. “The dog was disgusted at your not helping it. There it was fighting with the corpse—and you deserted it, and thought only of saving yourself! Now it will owe you a grudge for ever so long.”

The Soilder and the Vampire- “Why, in order that the bride and bridegroom might die. Tomorrow morning no one will be able to wake them. I alone know how to bring them back to life.”