When Ivan the Fool meets Baba Yaga, the witch of Russian folklore fame, on a day that has begun badly for her, he outwits her by making dirt soup, getting a fine, fat pig in the bargain.
A Perfect Pork Stew
Folklore and Fairy Tales
Marushka and the Month Brother
A retelling of the Slavic folktale in which the Month Brothers’ magic helps Marushka fulfill seemingly impossible tasks which prove the undoing of her greedy stepmother and stepsister.
Baba Yaga: A Russian Folktale
When she is sent by her father’s cruel housemaid to the fearsome Baba Yaga, a clever young girl uses kindness to make her escape.
The Devils Who Learned to Be Good
After feeding two starving beggars, an old Russian soldier receives a magical flour sack and deck of playing cards which help him to remove some pesky devils from the Tsar’s palace.
Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave
A retelling of the old Russian fairy tale in which beautiful Vasilisa uses the help of her doll to escape from the clutches of the witch Baba Yaga, who in turn sets in motion the events which lead to the once ill-treated girl’s marrying the tzar.
The Firebird
A retelling of the Russian folktale in which Prince Ivan encounters the magical Firebird who helps him defeat the evil Kostchei.
The Impudent Rooster
Using his amazing swallowing ability, a rooster foils the evil plans of a greedy nobleman and brings back riches to his poor master.
Noah and the Devil: A Legend of Noah’s Ark from Romania
In this Romanian folk version of the Noah story, getting the animals to march, two by two, onto the ark is the easy part–it was persuading his wife to come aboard that gave Noah a headache. And when he snapped, “Oh, you devil, come in!,” that gave the Devil himself just the invitation he needed. Once aboard, in the shape of a mouse, the Devil gnawed a hole in the ark, to sink it beneath the flood.
Fin M’coul: The Giant of Knockmany Hill
Fin M’Coul’s wife, Oonagh, helps him outwit his arch rival, Cucullin.
Christopher: The Holy Giant
As Reprobus carries a child across a river one stormy night, the boy gets heavier and heavier until Reprobus feels he is carrying the world on his shoulders–thus goes the legend of the name Christ-bearer, or Christopher.