Poetic Views of Slavs on Nature. The Creation of the World and the First Beings

Historian and folklorist Alexander Nikolaevich Afanasyev (1826–1871) was a curious researcher of Slavic traditions, beliefs, and customs. The result of his many years of experience was "Poetic Views of the Slavs
on Nature: An Attempt at Comparative Study of Slavic Traditions and Beliefs in Connection with Mythical Legends of Other Related Peoples." This is a fundamental work dedicated to the historical and philological analysis of the language
and folklore of the Slavs in connection with the language and folklore of other Indo-European peoples.
The present edition, "The Creation of the World and the First Beings," reproduces the second volume of "Poetic Views." The text is adapted to modern orthography with some retention of features of the old spelling, to give a feel for the taste and aroma of the verbal expressions of a bygone era.