This engaging introduction to the Russian folktale considers the origin, structure, and language of folktales; tale-tellers and their audiences; the relationship of folktales to Russian ritual life; and the folktale types that will be presented in translation in subsequent volumes of The Complete Russian Folktale.

CONTENTS

I. The Folktale in Russia

What Is a Folktale? -- Kinds of Folktales

Structure -- Classification

The Narrative -- The Narrator -- The Audience

The Language of the Folktale

II. Recordings and Collections

III. Priests, Skomorokhs, and Tellers of Tales

IV. The Russian Ritual Milieu

Ditheism -- The Ancient Heritage

Creation Myths -- Sacrifices

Rituals of Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Russia

V. The Russian Folktale as a Source for Understanding Ritual

The Bear Rituals in Folk Tradition

The Horse in Ancient Eurasian Tradition and the Russian Folktale

The Horse in Slavic Ritual and Folktale

VI. The Complete Russian Folktale: An Overview

Animal Tales -- Wondertales -- The Legends

The Tales of Everyday Life -- The Anecdotes