Виктор Мазанов – Tales of Wisdom. Insights from Russian Folklore (страница 16)
Different abilities, common result
– Everyone had different strength, but together they succeeded.
Evolution of fairy tales
– Oral tradition: storytellers passed the tale to children and grandchildren.
– Modern adaptation: old words lose meaning and are replaced by clearer images for today’s children.
Why couldn’t Grandfather pull the turnip out by himself, even though he grew it?
Was the mouse stronger than everyone else because it helped pull the turnip?
Which version of the tale is more interesting and understandable: the one with mysterious “legs” or the one with animals? Why?
Tops and Roots
In a small village at the very edge of a dense forest lived a farmer. All his neighbours respected him – and for good reason. Every morning, as soon as the sun’s edge appeared over the forest, he was already in the field. His land was modest, but the harvest was always abundant because he tended the sowings with love and skill.
In that forest lived a huge brown bear, a real bandit. All the animals feared him and avoided him. He was strong and massive, but infinitely lazy. In summer, while the other animals were busy – some storing food, some raising their young – the bear only knew how to lie in the shade and steal honey from wild bees. He also liked to boss everyone around and frighten them.
“I am the master here!” he roared. “The whole forest is mine, and the lands around it are mine too!”
Because of such neighbours, forest life was impossible.
One spring, when the snow melted and the ground warmed, the farmer decided to enlarge his garden. He chose a strip of land right next to the forest – a sunny, moist spot perfect for turnips. He rose before dawn, took his plow and got to work. By noon he had ploughed the soil, loosened it with a fork, and drawn straight furrows. Just as he was about to sow the first seeds, a thunderous growl was heard. A huge bear emerged from the forest, his fur bristling, his eyes fierce.
– Farmer, – the bear grumbled, – you’re trampling my ground! I’ll crush you now!
The farmer, though frightened, kept his composure:
– Don’t crush me, Mikhail Potapych, I’ll share the harvest with you. What do you want – the tops or the roots?
The bear scratched his ear with a paw. He didn’t like to think; work was for others, and he wasn’t used to it.
– Give me the tops! – he bellowed. – Since they grow up high, they must be the best!
All summer the farmer tended his turnips – watering, weeding, loosening the soil. The bear sometimes came to “inspect” the crop – sometimes trampling the seedlings, sometimes crushing the rows. He didn’t check out of concern, but out of greed – fearing the farmer would cheat him and take all the tops for himself.
Autumn arrived. They gathered to divide the harvest. The bear took his share of the tops – the turnip greens – and, satisfied, went back to the forest. His joy was short‑lived: the greens were hard and bitter, and he could not eat them.
A few days later the bear saw the farmer coming to town in a cart.
– What are you hauling? – asked the bear.
– Roots for sale, – replied the farmer.
– Give me a taste!
The bear tried the sweet turnip roots and became so furious that the trees seemed to shake:
– You cheated! The roots are tasty, but you gave me the useless greens! I’ll crush you now!
– Hold on, Mikhail Potapych! – the farmer pleaded. – Let me sow wheat, and you can take whatever you want again.
– Fine, – the bear growled, – but this time you won’t trick me! The roots will be mine!
And again the farmer worked all summer in the field. Growing wheat was no easy task. At first light he checked the seedlings, protected them from birds, pulled weeds. In the heat he watered, in the rain he made sure water didn’t stagnate. The ears began to fill, turning golden.
The bear, as promised, “guarded” the field. But his protection was of little use. Sometimes he would stumble into the wheat and flatten the stalks with his heavy side. Other times he would trample a path through the field, “checking” whether his roots were growing. One day a mishap occurred – the bear saw a mouse in the field and tried to catch it. He stomped the whole patch of wheat, yet the mouse escaped.
Harvest time came. The farmer carefully cut the golden ears, bound them into sheaves, threshed them. The grain was large and clean – a sight to behold! The bear received the dry wheat stalks – hard, tasteless. He tried to chew them and spat them out. He realized he had been fooled again, but it was too late – he had chosen what to take.
Thus the bear remained hungry in the forest, because he was lazy and did not want to work. The farmer milled the wheat into flour, ate pies all winter, and treated his neighbours. People began to say:
“He who works and thinks will always have a harvest, and he who is lazy and angry will stay hungry.”
Diligence vs. laziness
– Success comes to those who work hard.
– Laziness leads to failure.
Wisdom vs. foolishness
– It is important to think before making decisions.
– Hasty decisions bring bad consequences.
Greed vs. fairness
– Greed often turns against the greedy.
– Honest labor brings a deserved reward.
Why did the bear make the wrong choice twice?
Why was the farmer a successful owner?
Why did the bear, despite his strength, end up with nothing?
What would you do in the farmer’s place when the bear came onto his field?
What does this fairy tale teach?
Father Frost
Once upon a time, in a far‑away village, lived an old man who had married a second time, and his old woman wife. The old man had a biological daughter, Nastenka, who was a step‑daughter to the old woman. The old woman also had her own daughter, Marfa, who was younger than her step‑sister.
Marfa was lazy: she rose late, spent all day lying on the stove, and whenever she failed to do something the old woman praised her with Well done, clever girl! Nastenka, however, was never liked by the old woman; she was constantly scolded at the slightest provocation. All the household work fell on her: feeding the cattle, carrying firewood and water, stoking the stove, keeping the house tidy. She rose at first light and did not go to bed until every chore was finished. While the whole village slept, Nastenka kept working.
The old woman was never satisfied and kept muttering at her step‑daughter:
– Lazy girl, sloppy girl! You haven’t sifted the grain, and the house is poorly swept.
Nastenka endured the harsh words, never replied, and tried in every way to please her step‑mother and serve her daughter. Meanwhile, the stepsister, looking at her mother, constantly insulted Nastenka.
The old man felt sorry for his elder daughter; he loved her for being obedient and diligent, never stubborn, always doing what was asked. He did not know how to help her suffering. He himself was feeble, the old woman was a nag, and her daughter was lazy and obstinate.
One day, after another scolding, the old woman began to think how to get rid of the step‑daughter once and for all. After some thought she said to the old man:
– Well, old man, let’s give Nastenka in marriage.