20 Endangered Languages in Europe: Your Complete Guide
February 21st was an International mother language day.
8 minute read
The Russian language is the most popular Slavic, East Slavic, language.
It is also the official language of the Russian Federation, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgistan, with almost 150 million speakers.
It is considered as one of the most beautiful languages.
No wonder if we look back at the history, culture, and, of course, literature, it is, indeed, the language that made all that very possible.
Russian literature and fairy tales
Let's get back to the literature.
There is no need to go into details about Russian literature because we all know how magnificent it is.
This time we would like to emphasize Russian tales.
And not just any other tales, but fairy tales. Russian fairy tales or in Russian- Руские сказки are considered to be some of the most beautiful tales.
Their characters, events, and descriptions are something worth learning the Russian language.
Thanks to translators, today, we can all read anything that comes to our mind in any language we want.
That goes for fairy tales, too. But, reading books in their original language has no price.
Why not enjoy learning the Russian language and falling in love with it, which is more likely to if you read Russian fairy tales.
It can be fun, and you won't be aware that you’re learning something in Russian.
If you want some help from Russian natives, you can contact our Russian tutors.
Here are some of the most famous Russian fairy tales
The little round bun- Kолобок
This fairy tale is considered to be the most famous Russian fairy tale.
It has several versions, but the basic story remains the same.
Kolob is a round ball that comes to life and escapes from the home from grandma and grandpa.
Through the tale, Kolob meets a lot of animals who want to eat it but always succeeds in escaping. Originally, ‘kolob’ is an old Russian round palt, so this is why the ball's name is Kолобок.
Vasilica the Beautiful- Васили́са Прекра́сная
This is the story about a girl named Vasilisa, who was the daughter of a merchant.
When Vasilisa was eight years old, her mother gave her a wooden doll on her deathbed along with the instructions to give her food and water.
After her mother’s death, her father remarried, so the relationship between her new stepmother and Vasilisa wasn't good.
The doll was magical, so she helped Vasilisa perform all the tasks her stepmother wanted.
And then…you should read or listen to the rest of the tale.
We assure you, you won't regret it. After all, this is one of the most beautiful Russian fairy tales for a reason.
Father Frost- Морозко
This fairy tale is about a woman who had a daughter whom she loved very much, and a step-daughter whom she hated.
One day she asked her husband to take the step-daughter to the fields to die, but Father Frost or Морозко found her.
Since she was very kind, he gave her many beautiful things and garments. When her father came for her body, she was still alive and well, too.
To find out what happened next, go ahead and enjoy this beautiful fairy tale named Морозко.
The frog princess (Tsarevna Frog)- Царевна Лягушка
You’ve surely heard of this one.
This fairy tale has different versions; many consider it has come from their country, but initially, the fairy tale The frog princess is Russian.
Like other fairy tales, this one also begins with a king and his three sons.
The king wanted his sons to get married, so he created a test so that they can find their brides by shooting an arrow.
Each prince would find his bride where the arrow lands.
The arrow of the youngest son landed on a frog.
Then the king gave to his potential daughter-in-laws various tasks to perform.
The frog was the best among the other two competitors, that were quite lazy, and succeeded in all tasks.
You maybe assume what happened next and what was the ending, but we recommend you read it or listen to it by yourself. You can do it in English first and then try in Russian.
Little snowgirl- Снегурочка
Тhis fairy tale is about an old couple, Ivan and Maria, who had no children.
One day, while it was snowing, they saw some children playing outside, so they decided to go out themselves and play a little.
Unexpectedly, they made a snow sculpture shaped like a girl.
Then a ray of the Sun came, and the snow figure blinked.
She started to move her arms, then legs, and then finally, her lips got pink. She was alive!
This fairy tale is not considered as the top 5 of the best and most famous Russian fairy tales, but this one is the author's favorite.
Why precisely this one is the author's favorite, find out by reading or listening to the fairy tale.
What did we learn so far from Russian fairy tales?
If we summarize, do you realize that only by reading this article you've learned Russian a bit? So, only from this article, we've learned at least ten new words (or more). If you don't believe me, let's check them out:
Сказка- tale, fairy tale ( singular)
Сказки- tales, fairy tales (plural)
Колоб- an old Russian palt
Колобко- little round ball (the name)
Прекрасная- beautiful ( feminine)
Moroz –frost
Morozko- Father Frost
Тсаревна-Princess
Лягушка- The frog
Снег- snow
Снегурочка- snow maiden ( personal name)
Final thoughts
It was just a quick look at the words we used in the article. Picture then how many words, phrases, sentences you can learn only by reading or listening to fairy tales.
Imagine how it would be if a native speaker tells you the tales. Wouldn't that be magnificent? If you want to listen to these beautiful fairy tales in Russian, take a look at our Russian tutors.
Have you already tried learning Russian with Руские сказки?
Which one is your favorite?
Don't be shy.
Share with us in the comments.