The Bogatyr Stories retold by Ilya Boyashov — Russian epic tales that go beyond the school curriculum and the usual folk fairy tales!
Did you know that in Rus’ there weren’t just three bogatyrs, but more than fifteen? And that Zmey Gorynych had a whole family?
In real Russian bylinas, everything is much more complex and interesting than what the familiar folk fairy tales might tell you. The bogatyr cycle of Russian bylinas is very large and includes many plots with different branches and variations of endings depending on the time, place, and the storytellers themselves—there were dozens of them.
"The Bogatyr Stories" outlines the contours of Russian folk epic while preserving its authenticity and style, and the masterful performance by Alexey Bagdasarov turns these stories into true old songs of a gusli-player and storyteller.