13th Century Russian Fairy Tales

Oral traditions are really the only reason these Russian fairy tales remain today. In the 13th century the Pagan Church would persecute fairytales along with many other kinds of folklore because of the magic and witchcraft. The only way these stories could be passed down through was through the word of mouth, and the imaginary creatures and magic not only lived on, but were spread throughout Russian culture.
An archetype is a character, action, or situation that represents typical patterns of human nature. It is known as a universal symbol, or the hero, of the story. The hero’s journey in literature that describes the common adventure of the archetype, who goes to achieve great things or save the day for their group or civilization. It is split into twelve distinct parts: ordinary world, call to adventure, refusal of the call, meeting the mentor, crossing the threshold, tests, allies and enemies, the approach, the
All are based in a very wintry, “Russian” setting, with forests and seasides being focal locations. There always tends to be an evil character and good character, and the stories can often end in a depressing, unexpected manner. All of the stories showed Russian values and dreams, but would often show the consequences of many of these. One Russian dream is to have more money and live a rich life, but it is shown in these stories that in the end, you won’t get what you want if you are greedy or careless. Universally, the stories show the values of appreciation, generosity, endurance, and living with an unbroken spirit. Whether it be characters of goodness or evil, through all the depression and hardship that commonly comes with the stories, Russian folklore has a rich basis for the foundation of the culture of an entire country, and continues to be impactful and influential for the people of