Silver Hoof: Ural Tales

Pavel Petrovich Bazhov 1879-1950 - a famous Soviet writer, folklorist, and creator of Ural tales. He was born into a family of a mountain worker in a small Ural town of Sysert. He was one of the best students in... the factory school. After graduating from the Perm Spiritual Seminary, he worked as a Russian language teacher. Every year during the school holidays, P.P. Bazhov would travel around his homeland, studying the work of stonecutters, engravers, gunsmiths, and other Ural craftsmen, recording legends and tales. This working folklore became the basis for his famous Ural tales. The first tale by P.P. Bazhov, The Girl Azovka, was published in 1936. In 1939, the collection of folklore stories about life and customs in the Ural region, The Malachite Box, was released, which brought the writer worldwide fame. Until the end of his life, the writer continued to add to this box of tales. The main characters of P.P. Bazhov's tales are ordinary people - honest, hardworking miners who find happiness in their craftsmanship. Mythological characters often come to their aid - the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, the Fire Nymph, and others. The Mistress of the Copper Mountain is an underground princess, a keeper of treasures, secrets of craftsmanship, and a protector of brave, creative individuals. She often intervenes in people's lives: she helps some, while punishing others for greed, cowardice, and laziness. The mischievous Fire Nymph points out where gold deposits are located, but not everyone will see her; only those who believe in their luck, do not despair, and are not greedy. The little goat Silver Hoof also appears for the orphan Darionka and grandfather Kokovana for a reason - kindness, generosity, compassion, and faith in miracles are always rewarded.