The Tale of Vasilisa. The Heroine's Journey, the Skull Groom, and the Wonderful Transformation

A guide to the archetypes and symbols that hide behind the images of Vasilisa, mysterious riders, a skull with burning eyes, and Baba Yaga.

Vasilisa the Beautiful — that same girl with the skull-lantern from the famous Bilibin illustration. She has... become the most recognizable fairy tale heroine of our time.

In this book, Vasilisa's journey is explored from two perspectives. Firstly, according to the theory of V. Y. Propp, with numerous parallels in folklore and folk customs. Secondly, from the perspective of Jungian psychology and the theory of archetypes: the death of the "good mother," encounters in the dark forest, Yaga's trials, respect for the Mystery, liberation from the Shadow's power. In this context, the plot and images of the fairy tale turn out to be reflections of the processes occurring in the human psyche.

Folklorist and psychologist Vladimir Ryabov invites us to look deep into the fairy tale and see in it a universal story of inner transformation. To learn what this story can tell us about ourselves.