The Historical Roots of the Fairy Tale

“Historical Roots of a Magic Fairy Tale” is a fundamental work by V. Ya. Propp, translated into many languages (from English to Japanese) and reissued repeatedly. V. Ya. Propp studies the magic fairy tale using material from Russian and foreign folklore. You will learn what prototypes lie behind all the fairy-tale heroes—from Ivan the Fool and the Beautiful Vasilisa to Baba Yaga, the forest spirit (leshy), and Koshchei the Deathless.

How are the heroes’ actions connected to ancient rites and beliefs? What secrets and historical parallels are hidden in the structure of the stories we love since childhood (from Russian folk tales to the Brothers Grimm)?