In this the eighth geocache in this series, the focus is on Slavic Fairy Tales. Looking at Russian Fairy Tales in particular, one can find these well represented in a collection of Russian Fairy Tales collected by Alexander Afanasyev which he published in the mid-19th century. The Russian phrase for "Russian Folk Tales" is РУССКИE НАРОДНЫЕ СКАЗКИ. (Pronounced "Russky Narodnee Skasky")
Many of these tales feature the protagonist Vasilika, who we met in the 2nd geocache of this series, the young woman who went out to meet the Grandmother of the Forest, Baba Yaga, The Firebird is another frequent figure in the tales -- The Firebird is described as a large bird with majestic plumage that glows brightly emitting red, orange, and yellow light, like a bonfire. The feathers do not stop glowing if removed, and one feather can light a large room if not concealed. A typical role of the Firebird in the tales is as an object of a difficult quest. The most famous production of the Firebird was by Sergei Diagelev of Ballet Russes who commissioned composer Igor Stravinsky to create the enormously popular large-scale ballet score known as The Firebird.
Books of Russian Fairy Tales often feature the gorgeous artwork of Russian artist Ivan A. Bilibin, from the late 19th and early 20th century, as in the three illustrations below. The first pciture below depicts a book of Russian tales with illustrations by Bilibin -- the bottom line on the cover says "рисунки И. А. Билибина" which means, "Drawings by I. A. Bilibin" The bottom illustration is one of his renditions of the FireBird.
I've been a connoiseur of fairy tales and myths for some time, enjoying the inspiring works of mythologist Joseph Campbell on this subject, and sometimes exploring them for deeper psychological significance as alluded to by Jungian Analyst Marie Louise Von Franz. For some reason, of all the Fairy Tale illustrations I've enountered, never have I found myself so enchanted as with those by Ivan Bilibin. My present-day interest in learning the Russian language is in part to facilitate immersion in these aspects of Slavic folk culture!.
This geocache quest will take you to an area where you can come a little closer to Russian Fairy Tales . Explore the area within 2 blocks of the cache and see if you find any pathways to the old stories in this region. ...
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