Endnotes
Vodyanóy.
↩
Lěši.
↩
Egóri. ↩
V. Bezsónov, Kalěki Perekhózhie ↩
Hut. ↩
Hut. ↩
The Mayor. ↩
Hut. ↩
Hut. ↩
Ten kopeks. ↩
Fur mantle. ↩
Grandmother. ↩
Another variant, “the Fearsome Swan.” ↩
Little Father. ↩
Hut. ↩
This is a simple instance of the prískazka or preface to a story. ↩
A sazhén is seven feet. ↩
Benjamin. ↩
Father. ↩
The Devil in this story is the popular myth of the water-god or spirit, The Vodyanóy. ↩
Countesses. ↩
Village priest. ↩
Death is feminine in Russian. ↩
Ilyá Múromets is one of the heroes of the Bylíny: his great feat is the slaying of the Nightingale Robber. This tale may be eponymous of geography; Svyatogór (Svyáty Góry, Sacred Mountains) Múrom is on the river Oka, in the Province of Vladímir, one of the oldest cities in Russia; the village of Karachárovo is not far off. ↩
Affectionate term for old servant, equivalent to uncle. ↩
The word means velvet. ↩
Hut. ↩
Cf. Dante, “Inferno” ↩
Fitti nel limo dicon; ‘Tristi fummo.
Nel dolce mondo che dal sol s’allegra. …
Or c’attristiam’ nella belletta negra.
This is a prose version of a bylína: Alyósha Popóvich is one of the Kíev cycle. ↩
The strong man, the Serpent’s son. ↩
Hut. ↩
Koról’ king: hence princess. ↩
I have taken this story as it stands. There are obvious gaps I have not ventured to fill up. ↩
A mythical city, very probably derived from Θύλε. ↩
Earls. ↩
Diminutive of Iván; so too Ványa. ↩
Hut. ↩
A bold flier. ↩
Bandy-legged. ↩
Sitting behind the stove. ↩
Ídolishche, i.e. Big idol. ↩
Θεόφιλος. ↩
An equivalent to the Bába Yagá. ↩
Father. ↩
Hut. ↩
Hut. ↩
A mock patronymic for the Bull. ↩
v. note 24. ↩
A great forest in Central Russia, once impenetrable and always legendary. ↩
Grandmother. ↩
Father. ↩
Father. ↩
Hut. ↩
Hut. ↩
Hut. ↩
Shovels are used to insert loaves and pots deep into the oven. ↩
“n” and “k” to be sounded distinct as in pin-case. ↩
Uncle: term of affection. ↩
Princesses. ↩
Earls. ↩
Hut. ↩
The Caspian. ↩
Kazán was the last stronghold of the Tatars. It was stormed in 1549. ↩
Cf. English rough, German rauh, etc. ↩
In which the n and k are to be sounded separately as in pin-case. ↩
Rybnikov, I, 336. ↩