What Is Hidden in Fairy Tales?

"Tale, perhaps, lies, so it hint, good fellows a lesson!" – we all know this phrase by Alexander Pushkin from his "The Tale of the Golden Cockerel." But we think the poet had no idea how right he was, and that a fairy tale, especially a magical one, was actually a survival guide for primitive hunters. The editorial staff of the "Polet" newspaper turned to students from the Faculty of Philology and Journalism Trade Union as specialists in oral folk art and asked them to talk about the hidden depths of Russian (and not only) fairy tales.

“What is a fairy tale?”

“For modern man, whose reality is explained by the achievements of scientific progress, a fairy tale is nothing more than children's entertainment. However, during the era of the primitive communal system, things were completely different: the myth, which explained the structure of the world, gave birth to the fairy tale as proof of that myth. The fairy tale was told, passed from mouth to mouth – thus, the ancient myth was reenacted and its further affirmation was carried out.”

“So why are fairy tales not a children's topic?”

“The fairy tale reinforced a liminal rite – that is, a rite of passage, obligatory in the life of every person. Most often, it concerns the transition between the two most significant social groups in the life of ancient man – from childhood to adulthood. That is why most of the fairy tales we know end with a wedding. And the fairy tale taught how to behave correctly during such a rite, how to prove that you are human. Therefore, for ancient people, it was important to endure certain trials and not succumb to animal instincts. Whereas now, when we read, for example, "Morozko," we are surprised by the behavior of the main heroine, who assures Morozko that she is not cold, and shares her last food with the forest animals.”

“Who is Baba Yaga and why is she so strange: "bony leg," a nose that "has grown into the ceiling," lives in the forest, always in a hut on chicken legs?”

“The image of Baba Yaga is characteristic not only of our culture; she is an international character. However, our Yaga is, of course, one of the most likable. She never leaves her hut – hence her nose is stuck (in the ceiling): Baba Yaga is a kind of border guard, and the hut is her checkpoint. Yaga guards the border between the living and the dead. It is to the kingdom of the dead that every self-respecting fairy-tale hero must go. She is the border guard from the side of the dead, which is why we can find elements in her characteristic of the other world: bony legs, skulls on the fence, and a hut on chicken legs. You are unlikely to see such a lady in real life.”

“Why does she react so sharply to the smell of the "good fellow" (dobry molodets)?”

“Precisely because she is dead. The "good fellow" is a symbol of life, just coming into its own. Baba Yaga is a symbol of the dead, which necessarily reacts to such an unauthorized intrusion. She must check what kind of person is trying to cross the border of the kingdom of the living – so she tests the conventional Ivanushka according to all the standards of her world.”

“Which fairy-tale character is the most terrible? Why?”

“We believe that the most terrible fairy-tale character rightfully is Likho. Of course, it's not as common a character as Koschei or Baba Yaga, but it possesses truly frightening properties. Likho became the personification of evil and misfortune in Russian culture. A large number of literary monuments have been preserved that reflect folk beliefs about Likho. And of course, even the way Likho looks is frightening – one-eyed, ugly, and completely unnatural. Koschei is more handsome in comparison.”

“Why does the main hero of a fairy tale always go "beyond thrice-nine lands" for his bride?”

"Thrice-nine lands," the "thrice-ninth kingdom," and the "milky river with jelly banks" are purely conventional spaces, and you won't see such outside a fairy-tale context. This is a mythological formula for a journey to the other world, which has corresponding markers – surely no one has encountered a milky river in real life. That is why, for the fairy-tale myth, such unrealistic elements signify the hero's entry into another world.”

“Which of our everyday actions actually have their origins as far back as the Paleolithic?”

“We are sure that you still catch yourself thinking that a dropped knife means guests are coming, or a black cat means trouble. The most ancient beliefs have not gone anywhere: rituals have come down to our days in the form of actions we perform without thinking about their true meaning. The most powerful elements of the ritual have been preserved in the main transitional milestones in every person's life – the wedding and the funeral rite.”

“What sources do you use for information on Slavic folklore? Nowadays, there are many groups of Slavic neo-pagans who adhere to pseudo-historical ideas. How can you tell that you haven't stumbled upon another "guru's" channel?”

“Neo-pagans are reworking not the most authentic Slavic mythology. This phenomenon is caused by the specifics of Russian culture: religion went hand in hand with constantly existing folklore, so ancient beliefs, passed down orally for several centuries, still live within us in the form of omens, proverbs, and everyday traditions. But written sources have hardly survived. As a result, different authors present folklore to their followers in their own interpretation. But we, as philologists, recommend referring to the fairy tales collected by folklorist Alexander Afanasyev – this is a real treasure trove of our culture. And in general, a publication can be considered sufficiently authoritative if it references the works of fundamental researchers – Vladimir Propp, Dmitry Zelenin, Vladimir Toporov, Fyodor Buslayev, and Sergey Rybakov. But of course, it's better to turn directly to the original – and always remember that myth is changeable and fluid.”

At Samara University, they also remember a local legend – the folklorist scholar Sofya Zalmanovna Agranovich. The Faculty of Philology and Journalism has provided access to her lectures for everyone. If you are interested in the topic of the hidden meanings of folk tales, you can listen to the lectures by following the link.

Questions asked by Elena Pamurzina.