Heroes of Slavic Myths. From Antiquity to Our Days

It may seem that what unites the god of spring light Yarilo, the cat Bayun, the hero Dobrynya Nikitich, the harmful kikimora, the beautiful firebird, and the cantankerous water spirit? And the beautiful mermaids, the busy household spirit, and the proud Perun – all of these are heroes of Russian oral folk art. Long ago, many centuries back, our Slavic ancestors invented them in an attempt to understand the complex world around them. The life of these brave people was difficult and full of dangers. To protect themselves from the mighty forces of nature, countless enemy neighbors, diseases, and other misfortunes, they called upon the help of good gods and spirits. Some were to protect the crops from drought, others – to assist in hunting, and others tried to ensure that peace and harmony reigned in the home. At the same time, it was important to avoid evil beings lurking to harm a person literally at every step… With the advent of printed words, the heroes of oral folk art did not fade into the past, but settled on the pages of books. One of them is in your hands. By reading it, you will learn what Baba Yaga really looked like, was Koschei truly immortal? And many other amazing secrets!