Irina Zheleznova (1924–1987)

When a young prince inadvertently allows his three sisters to be abducted, he is banished from the kingdom, wandering the world until he meets up with each of them again. Learning of the various enchantments that bind their husbands, the prince vows to find the Sun Princess, who alone can free them from their bondage. At first a prisoner in her palace, the prince and the Sun Princess fall in love, only to be parted when the prince's curiosity frees a terrible giant, who then kidnaps his show more beloved. Now a new quest lies before him...

This detailed retelling of a Lithuanian folk epic was fascinating, if somewhat uneven. Perhaps it is a weakness in the translation, The Sun Princess and Her Deliverer being printed by the Moscow-based Progress Publishers, but the sequence of events was not always clear to me. The prince's three sisters are supposedly kidnapped by a dragon, but no mention is made of their abductor when he meets up with them again years later. He seeks the Sun Princess in order to free his brothers-in-law, but his quest is utterly forgotten, until the very end of the story.

But despite these inconsistencies, I enjoyed both the story and the stylized illustrations by A. Makunaite. There are many references here to ancient Lithuanian mythology, from the witch Laume, to the Sun Princess herself, who is clearly meant to represent the goddess Saule. In fascinating contrast to the more patriarchal Greek norms, which assigned masculinity to the sun (Apollo), and femininity to the moon (Artemis), the Lithuanian pantheon included a sun goddess (Saule), and a moon god (Menulis). Well worth the time, for anyone interested in Lithuanian or Baltic folklore, though how the reader might obtain a copy, is another question altogether. show less

Originally published in 1981 by Kiev-based Dnipro Publishers, this massive collection of Ukrainian folktales features seventy-eight stories, varying in both length and style, from brief animal fables to lengthier legends and folk-epics. Translated by Irina Zheleznova, who seems to have worked for most of the major publishing houses of the former Soviet Union, they make an excellent introduction to the folklore of the Ukraine.

Enthusiasts will immediately recognize many of these stories, some show more of which can be already be found under my "ukrainian folklore" tag. The Magic Mitten, in which a series of woodland creatures make a temporary home in a lost mitten, has been retold many times, from Jan Brett's popular The Mitten, to the more obscure, mitten-shaped adaptation by Tom Botting. The Little Straw Bull with the Tarred Back, in which a tar-covered straw bull helps an impoverished older couple change their fortune, has been retold, also by Irina Zheleznova, as The Little Straw Bull. Sir Cat-o-Puss, in which a former house-cat takes a fox for his mate, and, through a series of humorous misunderstandings, convinces the other woodland creatures that he is a fierce fighter, has appeared in picture-book form as Mister Cat-and-a-Half. Finally, The Honest Nephew and the Dishonest Uncle, in which a young man and his uncle debate whether honesty or dishonesty is rewarded, seems to be a variant of a tale also found in Carole Kismaric's powerful The Rumor of Pavel & Paali.

I saw the influence of Aesop in many of the animal fables, particularly selections such as The Fox and the Crane and The Heron, the Fish and the Crayfish. Others, such as The Frog Princess and The Flying Ship, were already familiar to me through similar stories from the Russian tradition. Many of the tales were variations on a theme, with as many as three versions of the same basic story all appearing in the collection. The Fire-Bird and the Wolf and The Iron Wolf are clearly from the same tale-type, as are Ivanko, Tsar of the Beasts; The Greedy Old Woman and the Lime Tree; and The Brother, the Sister and the Devil-Dragon.

I enjoyed this collection, and found it most informative, particularly as it concerns the connections between the folklore of the Ukraine and her various neighbors. I was a little dismayed at the number of false women depicted, particularly sisters, and the cheerful way in which violence against them was incorporated into the tales. There were one of two heroines, such as Marusya in The Clever Maid, but men were usually the more interesting characters. Be that as it may, this was still a very worthwhile read, particularly for those with an interest in the subject. show less

I really had no idea that this simple Ukrainian folktale, in which a lost mitten serves as the temporary home for an ever-increasing number of woodland animals, was so popular! But since joining goodreads a little more than a year ago, it has become apparent to me that it is much favored by those who adapt folktales for children. American readers will probably be most familiar with Jan Brett's colorful picture book, The Mitten, although they might also have come across Alvin Tresselt's 1964 show more version, bearing the same name. I myself have, in my collection, a lovely little mitten-shaped retelling, with text by Tom Botting and illustrations by E. Bulatov and O. Vasiliev.

This edition, printed in the former Soviet Union by the Moscow-based Foreign Languages Publishing House, pairs E. Rachev's engaging, folk-art illustrations with a charming text. Not usually my favorite tale, The Old Man's Mitten nevertheless won me over, particularly when I saw that all the animals had clever, alliterative names like Crunch-Munch the Mouse, Hop-Stop the Frog, Fleet-Feet the Rabbit, and Smily-Wily the Fox. It's a shame that this version is so very difficult to obtain, as I think it would probably be the most fun to read aloud. show less

Published by Moscow-based Malysh Publishers in 1981, this picture-book collection presents eleven folktale from Ukraine, each retold by a different storyteller, and all translated by the prolific Irina Zheleznova. One of a number of English-language publications I own, from the former Soviet Union - printed for export? for tourists? I honestly am not sure - it contains tales both familiar and unfamiliar, including:

The titular The Wheat Stalk, retold by S. Mogilevskaya, in which two lazy show more mice, Hurry and Scurry, let the cock Silver Throat do all the work of making pies - threshing the wheat stalk he finds, having it ground into flour, and baking the pies - and find that he intends to do all the eating as well! An interesting variant on the classic tale of The Little Red Hen, which had me wondering if the alliterative names I often see in Zheleznova's translations come from the original stories, or from her translation of them.

How a Fox Helped a Cat Buy a Pair of Boots, retold by G. Petnikov, in which a cat is initially taken in by a cunning fox, who threatens to kill him, unless he helps the fox buy a pair of boots. The fortuitous arrival on the scene of the dog Brysko helps set all to rights, however.

The very brief (single page) The Lamb and the Wolf, also retold by G. Petnikov, in which a sly lamb outwits the wolf who intends to eat her, convincing him that he needs to "clean his paws" in a nearby trap.

The Little Straw Bull, a third story retold by G. Petnikov, in which an Old Man and Old Woman find themselves the happy recipients of many blessings, when their tar-covered straw bull "captures" a number of animals - a bear, a wolf, a fox, and a rabbit - each of which bargains for his freedom by promising certain gifts in return. This tale can also be found by itself, in the picture-book The Little Straw Bull, which happens also to be translated by Zheleznova.

The Singing Wolf and the Singing Fox, retold by L. Gribova, in which two canid friends present themselves at the house of an elderly couple, singing the same song - "What a fine house this with its roof of straw, / One more fine and rich we never saw" - and receiving as a reward a different animal each time; until finally, the Old Man becoming fed up (and dismayed at the loss of all his livestock), they find themselves being "given" Levontovich the dog.

Sir Cat-O-Puss, retold by E. Blaginina, in which an abandoned old house-cat finds himself married to Little Sister Fox, and, through a series of accidents and misunderstandings, has Bear, Wolf, Boar and Rabbit convinced that he is a very fierce creature indeed! This story has also been retold by famed Russian translator Richard Pevear, in the picture-book Mister Cat-and-a-Half.

The Polecat, retold by E. Blaginina, in which a chicken-thieving polecat finds himself getting a thorough beating (and a terrible scare) when the Old Man from whom he has been stealing - aided by a pumpkin peel, a strip of bast, a stick, an acorn, and a crayfish - pays him a visit.

The classic (and well-known) tale of The Mitten, also retold by E. Blaginina, in which a series of woodland creatures, all with alliterative names - Crunch-Munch the Mouse, Hop-Stop the Frog, Fleet-Feet the Rabbit, Smily-Wily the Fox - take up residence in a lost mitten. This story has been told many times, although this particular version, with these particular animal names, can also be found in Zheleznova's The Old Man's Mitten. Other adaptations include Jan Brett's The Mitten, Alvin Tresselt's The Mitten: An Old Ukrainian Folktale, the recent Aylesworth/McClintock The Mitten, and Tom Botting's mitten-shaped The Mitten: A Ukrainian Fairy-Tale, published (as was this volume) by Moscow-based Malysh.

The Fox, the Pumpkin Shell, the Fiddle, and the Trap, retold by G. Petnikov, in which a fox "drowns" both a pumpkin shell and a fiddle, because she doesn't approve of the sounds they make, only to find that she becomes caught in a different kind of trap. This one was... odd - I'm not sure I really understood it.

The Bun, the Bull, the Fox and the Wolf, retold by G. Petnikov, in which a little round bun runs away from the Old Woman who made him, is gobbled down by Sister Fox, whose wood-carrying sleigh is then broken by Brother Wolf. This oddly disjointed selection seems like an amalgam of a number of different tales, joining together The Little Round Bun and Sister Fox and Brother Wolf, both of which can be found in Dnipro Publishers' 1985 collection, Ukrainian Folk Tales, translated by (who else?) Irina Zheleznova.

And finally, Serko, retold by G. Petnikov, in which an older dog is abandoned by his human master, only to be rescued by a wolf, who concocts a plan (involving a fake attack on the baby of the house) to get the dog back into his human's good graces. This story can also be found in Eric Kimmel's Sirko and the Wolf: A Ukrainian Tale.

All in all, an enjoyable collection, despite the fact that Y. Rachov's illustrations did not greatly appeal to me. Anyone interested in the Ukrainian folk tradition will appreciate this collection, although its high picture-to-text ratio make it more appropriate for younger readers, I think. show less