Russian Fairytales

Russian: Конек Горбунок, Konek Gorbunok

Once upon a time there was a peasant family that owned one wheat field. One morning they found that during the night, someone had been trampling around in the field and ruining the wheat. The two elder brothers stood guard during the next two nights, but because of storms and cold winds they left the field, and in the morning it was trampled down even more. On the third night the youngest brother Ivan, whom everyone thought was the fool in the family, manag...

Russian: Колобок, Kolobok

Once upon a time an old man and woman lived in a village.

One day the old man said to the old woman: "Grandmother, go scrape in the flour-tin and sweep in the corn bin, perhaps you will get enough flour to make a Kolobok."

The old woman went off and scraped round the flour-tin and swept the bottom of the corn-bin and she got a couple of handfuls of flour.

She mixed the floor with sour cream and shaped it into a Kolobok – a kind of little round bun. Then she baked it in the ...

Russian: По щучьему велению, Po schuschemu veleniyu

Once upon a time there lived an old man who had three sons, two of them clever young men and the third, Emelya, a fool. The two elder brothers were always at work, while Emelya lay on the stove ledge all day long with not a care in the world.

One day the two brothers rode away to market, and their wives said:

"Go and fetch some water, Emelya."

And Emelya, lying on the stove ledge, replied:

"Not I. I don’t want to."

"Go, Emelya, or your brothers will ...

Russian: Снежная Королева, Snezhnaya Koroleva

Tale of the Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen

Once upon a time a magician made a magic mirror. In this mirror, a kind face became wicked; a look of hate was reflected as a look of love. One day, however, the mirror broke, and if a sliver of glass from the mirror entered someone’s eye, that person’s soul became evil, if another pierced a heart, that heart grew hard and cold as ice.

In a big town two children, called Karl and Gerda were very close fri...

Russian: Сказка о Бабе Яге, Skazka o Babe Yage

Once upon a time an old man, a widower, lived alone in a hut with his daughter Natasha. Very merry the two of them were together, and they used to smile at each other over a table piled with bread and jam, and play peek-a-boo, first this side of the samovar, and then that. Everything went well, until the old man took it into his head to marry again.

So, the little girl gained a stepmother. After that everything changed. No more bread and jam on the ta...

Russian: Руслан и Людмила, Ruslan i Lyudmila

In days long since past, Prince Vladimir of Kiev held a magnificent feast in honor of the marriage of his daughter Lyudmila and the knight Ruslan. Three jealous suitors looked on – Rogday, Farlaf, and Ratmir. The festivities lasted for hours and when they were over, Ruslan led his beautiful young bride to the waiting nuptial bed. Suddenly a light flashed through the night sky and a clap of thunder shook the ground. A strange mist appeared and from some...

Russian: Аленький цветочек, Alen'kiy tsvetochek

Once upon a time in a far away land, a merchant was preparing to set out on a long journey. This merchant had three daughters, and he asked all of them what they would like as gifts for themselves when he returned from his voyage. The first daughter requested a golden crown, and the second one wanted a crystal mirror. The third daughter asked only for "the little scarlet flower."

The merchant set out on his journey. It did not take him very long to f...

Russian: Сказка о царе Салтане, Skazka o tsare Saltane

Long ago in a faraway kingdom, three sisters were sitting on the bench in front of their house in the courtyard talking, imagining what they would do if they were married to Tsar Saltan. One said that she would prepare a great feast for the entire world. The next said that she would weave linen for the entire world. The third said that she would give the tsar "an heir, handsome and brave beyond compare."

It so happened that the tsar, who was j...

Russian: Сестрица Аленушка и Братец Иванушка, Sestritsa Alenushka i Bratets Ivanushka

Once there lived an old man and his wife, and they had a daughter named Alyonushka and a son named Ivanushka.

The old man and the old woman died, and Alyonushka and Ivanushka were left all alone in the world.

Alyonushka set off to work and took her little brother with her. They had a long way to go, and a wide field to cross, and after they had been walking for a time, Ivanushka began to feel very thirsty. "Sister...

Russian: Морозко - Дед Мороз, Morozko - Ded Moroz

Many years ago there lived an old widower and his pretty, diligent daughter Nastenka. With time, the man married a second time to a woman, who had her own nasty and lazy daughter, named Marfa. The woman doted upon Marfa, praised her at any opportunity, and she despised and hated her stepdaughter. Nastya had to work hard every day, and nevertheless her stepmother was always unsatisfied and made her work more and more.

One day the old woman invented ...

Russian: Царевна-лягушка, Tsarevna-lyagushka

Two or three hundred years ago in some kingdom there lived a Tsar who had three sons. One day the Tsar called his sons and said, "My children, all of you have grown up to a manhood. It is time to think about marriages. Each of you should shoot an arrow as far as you can. The girl who catches your arrow will be your bride whom you will marry."

The eldest son shot an arrow and a boyar’s (nobleman’s) daughter caught it. The middle son shot an arrow and a m...

A very long ago in one village there lived an old miller with his three sons. When he felt his death coming, he left to his sons a heritage: The mill fell to the elder brother’s lot, a donkey came down to the middle brother, and the youngest brother inherited a cat.

The younger brother could not solace himself because of such a miserable share. He thought, "My brothers can get their living honestly if they unite their property; but I can only eat my cat, then make a muff of its fell and then to d...

Russian: Снегурочка, Snegurochka

Very, very long ago in an Old Russian village there lived an old couple: the woodcutter and his wife. They barely made the ends meet, owing to the old man who cut logs in the forest and carried them into the nearest town. They were poor and had no children, so as they grew older they became sadder and sadder. The old woman often asked, "e;Who will take care of us? We are so old." Her husband used to answer, "Don’t worry, old woman. God will not leave us alone, he wi...

Russian: Иван Царевич и Серый Волк, Ivan Tsarevich i Seryy Volk

A very long time ago in a certain kingdom there reigned a Tsar who had three sons, the first was Dimitriy Tsarevich, the second – Vassiliy Tsarevich, and the third – Ivan Tsarevich. The Tsar had a magnificent orchard, where grew his favorite magic apple-tree with golden apples. However every night a Firebird fell into the habit of flying on that apple-tree and tear away few apples. Its feathers were red-and-gold, and bright as a fire...

Russian: Курочка Ряба, Kurochka Ryaba

Once upon a time there lived Grandma and a Grandpa. They were very poor, and often went hungry.

One of their few earthly belongings was a hen, which laid very few eggs. One day the hen laid a golden egg. Grandpa set it on the table and called his wife. They discussed what they should do with the egg. Grandpa thought that if they took it to the tsar they might be honored as nobles and given some land.

"But what good is it to be nobles if we have no finery?" Gran...

Russian: Репка, Repka

Listen, please, listen how sometimes it can be…

Once the Grandpa has planted a Turnip. The Turnip has grown to be enormously huge. The Grandpa went to pick the Turnip. He pulls and pulls it out, but could not pull it out…

Then, the Grandpa called the Grandma, his wife, to help him to pull out the Turnip.

The Grandma holds on to the Grandpa, the Grandpa holds on to the Turnip, they pull and pull, but could not pull it out…

Then the Grandma called their Granddaughter for help.

...

(Russian: Баба Яга и Гуси-Лебеди, Baba Yaga i Gusi-Lebedi)

Once upon a time, there lived a man and his wife. They had a daughter and a little son. One day the mother said to her daughter: "Darling, your father and I are going to work. Take care of your brother, keep an eye on him and don’t leave the house. Be a good girl and we will bring you a present."

After parents left the house, the girl forgot her mother’s instructions, and left her little brother in the garden near the house so she could pl...

Russian: Золотая рыбка, Zolotaya rybka

Once upon a time an old man and his wife lived on the shore of the blue sea. They were poor and lived in an old mud hut. He made a living by fishing, while his wife spun cloth. One day he caught a small golden fish in his net. The fish begged him, "Let me go, old man. I will reward you for my freedom by giving you anything you desire." The fisherman was astonished and frightened because he had never before heard a fish speak. He let the fish go and said kind...

(Russian: Жар-птица и Василиса-царевна, Zhar-ptitsa i Vasilisa-tsarevna)

In a certain kingdom, in a thrice-ten realm that lay far away, beyond the thrice-nine lands, there once lived a mighty king. The king had an archer who was as brave as he was strong, and the archer had a horse that was as strong as it was fleet of foot. One day the archer got on his horse and rode off to the forest to hunt.

He rode along a road, and a wide road it was, and he saw a fire-bird’s feather lying there and flaming ...

(Russian: Маша и Медведь, Masha i Medved)

Once upon a time there lived an old man and woman who had a granddaughter named Masha. One day some friends of Masha’s decided to go to the forest to gather mushrooms and berries and they came to Masha’s house to ask her to go with them.

"Please, Granny and Grandpa," said Masha, "do let me go to the forest."

"You may go but see that you keep close to the others and do not lose sight of them or you might get lost," the two old people replied.

Masha and ...