What do you think?
Rate this book
The Magic Ring: Russian Folk Tales from Alexander Afanasiev's Collection
This is a collection of 30 Russian Folk tales, translated from the original language into English.
158 pages, Hardcover
First published September 22, 2011
About the author
Alexander Afanasyev
288 books115 followersAlexander Nikolayevich Afanasyev (Russian: Александр Николаевич Афанасьев) was a Russian folklorist who recorded and published over 600 Russian folktales and fairytales, by far the largest folktale collection by any one man in the world. His first collection was published in eight volumes from 1855-67, earning him the reputation of a Russian counterpart to the Brothers Grimm.
Born in 1826 in Boguchar, in Voronezh Governate, he grew up in Bobrov, becoming an early reader thanks to the library of his grandfather, a member of the Russian Bible Society. He was educated at the Voronezh gymnasium and from 1844-48 he studied law at the University of Moscow. Despite being a promising student, he did not become a professor, due largely to attacks upon his work by the conservative Minister of National Enlightenment, Count Sergey Uvarov.
Afanasyev worked for thirteen years at the Moscow's Main Archive Directorate under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Empire, during which time he also amassed a huge library and published numerous articles and reviews. In 1862 he was fired from his position, because of his association with philosopher Alexander Herzen. Jobless for a number of years thereafter, he sold his library in order to support his family, eventually finding work as a secretary at the Moscow City Duma and at the Moscow Congress of Justices of the Peace.
Afanasyev wrote a large theoretical work (three volumes of 700 pages each) – "The Poetic Outlook of Slavs about Nature" (Поэтические воззрения славян на природу) – which came out between 1865 and 1869. In 1870 his Русские детские сказки (Russian Children's Fairy Tales) were published. He died in poverty in 1871, at the age of forty-five.
(source: Wikipedia)
Born in 1826 in Boguchar, in Voronezh Governate, he grew up in Bobrov, becoming an early reader thanks to the library of his grandfather, a member of the Russian Bible Society. He was educated at the Voronezh gymnasium and from 1844-48 he studied law at the University of Moscow. Despite being a promising student, he did not become a professor, due largely to attacks upon his work by the conservative Minister of National Enlightenment, Count Sergey Uvarov.
Afanasyev worked for thirteen years at the Moscow's Main Archive Directorate under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Empire, during which time he also amassed a huge library and published numerous articles and reviews. In 1862 he was fired from his position, because of his association with philosopher Alexander Herzen. Jobless for a number of years thereafter, he sold his library in order to support his family, eventually finding work as a secretary at the Moscow City Duma and at the Moscow Congress of Justices of the Peace.
Afanasyev wrote a large theoretical work (three volumes of 700 pages each) – "The Poetic Outlook of Slavs about Nature" (Поэтические воззрения славян на природу) – which came out between 1865 and 1869. In 1870 his Русские детские сказки (Russian Children's Fairy Tales) were published. He died in poverty in 1871, at the age of forty-five.
(source: Wikipedia)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
July 31, 2012
The synopsis for this particular edition is, for some reason, in English instead of in Dutch - the reason I mention this is because the Dutch edition only includes 50 fairytales, and not the 200 promised in the English synopsis.
Russia has always interested me greatly, but I personally haven't gotten around reading any of the great classics just yet. I grew up with Russian folk songs (especially when a certain Belgian guy by the name of Helmut Lotti decided to record them as well), my mom loves Russia and the Romanovs, so I must have gotten it from her. Still, I have zero reading experience when it comes to Russian works.
I love fairytales, so when I saw a cheap copy of this particular book, I figured it was time to get some Russian-related reading done. Reading fairytales is always interesting, because as long as the fairytales are European (and maybe this is a global thing, but I've only read European fairytales so far) there are many parallels that can be drawn. Stories that have the same premise, or the same build-up. You find a couple of those stories in here, too. I'm not one to take notes while reading (that makes it look a bit too much like a homework assignment, something I actually try actively to avoid when reading for fun), so I can't tell you exactly which story shares what characteristic with a certain other famous fairytale, but I do remember very clearly that one story had the same opening as Beauty and the Beast (at least, the version the 1946 French and the 1978 Czech version are based on). The rest of the story differs slightly, but the parallels are there. That's just the one example however, there are many more!
Another thing that's quite curious about these fairytales is the insane amount of repetition. Character names are repeated a lot (Wassilissa, Iwan [without luck], etc.). There seems to be a theme of Tsars marrying merchant's daughters, the Baba Jaga makes frequent appearances, there are many magical devices (e.g. a little doll) which can make or do anything in just one night, and it's constantly stressed that the morning is wiser than the evening. So yes, loads of repetition. But then I suppose that's a fairytale characteristic, though I never noticed it quite as clearly as I did now.
Overall, quite an enjoyable read.
Russia has always interested me greatly, but I personally haven't gotten around reading any of the great classics just yet. I grew up with Russian folk songs (especially when a certain Belgian guy by the name of Helmut Lotti decided to record them as well), my mom loves Russia and the Romanovs, so I must have gotten it from her. Still, I have zero reading experience when it comes to Russian works.
I love fairytales, so when I saw a cheap copy of this particular book, I figured it was time to get some Russian-related reading done. Reading fairytales is always interesting, because as long as the fairytales are European (and maybe this is a global thing, but I've only read European fairytales so far) there are many parallels that can be drawn. Stories that have the same premise, or the same build-up. You find a couple of those stories in here, too. I'm not one to take notes while reading (that makes it look a bit too much like a homework assignment, something I actually try actively to avoid when reading for fun), so I can't tell you exactly which story shares what characteristic with a certain other famous fairytale, but I do remember very clearly that one story had the same opening as Beauty and the Beast (at least, the version the 1946 French and the 1978 Czech version are based on). The rest of the story differs slightly, but the parallels are there. That's just the one example however, there are many more!
Another thing that's quite curious about these fairytales is the insane amount of repetition. Character names are repeated a lot (Wassilissa, Iwan [without luck], etc.). There seems to be a theme of Tsars marrying merchant's daughters, the Baba Jaga makes frequent appearances, there are many magical devices (e.g. a little doll) which can make or do anything in just one night, and it's constantly stressed that the morning is wiser than the evening. So yes, loads of repetition. But then I suppose that's a fairytale characteristic, though I never noticed it quite as clearly as I did now.
Overall, quite an enjoyable read.
June 24, 2025
Para que siempre que me quieras escuchar,
tenga una historia que contarte.
tenga una historia que contarte.
November 28, 2021
تجربتي الثانية مع قراءة الحكايات الشعبية الروسية التي جمعها ألكسندر أفانسييف، بعد تجربتي مع كتاب "بابا ياجا". والحقيقة أن هذه النسخة (من ترجمة عبد الرحمن عبد الرحمن الخميسي وإصدار المشروع القومي للترجمة) لم تكن فقط الأسبق إصدارًا، وإنما كانت أيضًا الأفضل ترجمةً والأسلم لغةً والأجود طباعةً والأكبر حجمًا بل الأكثر احتواءً على قصص تظهر فيها البابا ياجا.
October 11, 2021
Un par de cuentos me recordaron a algunos capítulos de "Los cuentos de la calle Broca" y yo amaba ese programa. <3
March 19, 2018
Leggere fiabe è sempre bello, ma a parte un paio che già conoscevo le altre hanno tutte un corrispettivo occidentale, quindi non ho trovato una grande innovazione. Lettura piacevole, ma non molto illuminante.
October 1, 2021
El cuento de el soldado y la muerte de Afanasiev forma parte del universo de tomos o recopilaciones de viejas tradiciones eslavas.
Este relato narra los hechos fantásticos de un soldado al enfrentarse a la muerte, sin embargo, si bien se impuso en algunos momentos de la narración, la muerte forma parte natural en la vida del hombre, por lo cual su ausencia puede afectar el ciclo vital natural de la existencia.
Por otro lado, es sumamente respetable y respetado el trabajo de este escritor Ruso, el cual forma parte de los estudiosos de los siglos XIX y XVII, que lograron recopilar estos cuentos, los cuales eran solo transmitidos de forma oral, lo cual magnifica y revalora su arduo trabajo de investigación en campo. Si bien anterior a esos siglos se manejaron algunas tradiciones escritas, eran solo para usos religiosos y eclesiásticos, por lo cual, su difusión en la sociedad era algo limitada.
En conclusión, es un relato corto pero sumamente atractivo, ya que forma parte de la historia y colectividad folclórica Rusa. En el futuro revisare otros relatos sobre este autor.
Leído para el club de lectura Clásico es Leerte - 09/2021
Este relato narra los hechos fantásticos de un soldado al enfrentarse a la muerte, sin embargo, si bien se impuso en algunos momentos de la narración, la muerte forma parte natural en la vida del hombre, por lo cual su ausencia puede afectar el ciclo vital natural de la existencia.
Por otro lado, es sumamente respetable y respetado el trabajo de este escritor Ruso, el cual forma parte de los estudiosos de los siglos XIX y XVII, que lograron recopilar estos cuentos, los cuales eran solo transmitidos de forma oral, lo cual magnifica y revalora su arduo trabajo de investigación en campo. Si bien anterior a esos siglos se manejaron algunas tradiciones escritas, eran solo para usos religiosos y eclesiásticos, por lo cual, su difusión en la sociedad era algo limitada.
En conclusión, es un relato corto pero sumamente atractivo, ya que forma parte de la historia y colectividad folclórica Rusa. En el futuro revisare otros relatos sobre este autor.
Leído para el club de lectura Clásico es Leerte - 09/2021
May 28, 2022
O.5/5
Truyện cho con nít nhưng toàn lừa lọc, gian trá, giá trị nhân văn cực ít. Đúng là hành tinh Nga lạ lùng.
Biên tập kém, lỗi dấu câu, lặp từ, lặp luôn cả câu.
Truyện cho con nít nhưng toàn lừa lọc, gian trá, giá trị nhân văn cực ít. Đúng là hành tinh Nga lạ lùng.
Biên tập kém, lỗi dấu câu, lặp từ, lặp luôn cả câu.
March 21, 2017
(Ups, me olvidé de escribir una reseña antes).
He disfrutado mucho leyendo estos cuentos tradicionales rusos. Me ha gustado establecer relaciones entre los cuentos de Rusia y los cuentos de hadas centroeuropeos de Andersen y los hermanos Grimm, tienen elementos en común como el hecho de que las cosas ocurran de tres en tres, los príncipes y princesas y los animales que hablan entre otras muchas cosas. Pero lo mejor ha sido ver los elementos que tienen en común los cuentos rusos entre sí: los personajes de Iván el tonto, Vasilisa la sabia o Baba Yaga aparecen constantemente. También los libros mágicos, las pelotas que indican el camino y algunas formulas como: "pasado un tiempo, no se sabe si mucho o poco" o "en un reino trasmontano" equivalentes a nuestro "érase una vez" o "comieron perdices". Sé que estos cuentos tienen una edición con ilustraciones de Iván Bilibin que es quizá el mejor ilustrador de cuentos rusos, pero mi edición con ilustraciones de A. Kurkin me gusta mucho porque sabe mantener un estilo pictórico muy fiel a la tradición rusa.
He disfrutado mucho leyendo estos cuentos tradicionales rusos. Me ha gustado establecer relaciones entre los cuentos de Rusia y los cuentos de hadas centroeuropeos de Andersen y los hermanos Grimm, tienen elementos en común como el hecho de que las cosas ocurran de tres en tres, los príncipes y princesas y los animales que hablan entre otras muchas cosas. Pero lo mejor ha sido ver los elementos que tienen en común los cuentos rusos entre sí: los personajes de Iván el tonto, Vasilisa la sabia o Baba Yaga aparecen constantemente. También los libros mágicos, las pelotas que indican el camino y algunas formulas como: "pasado un tiempo, no se sabe si mucho o poco" o "en un reino trasmontano" equivalentes a nuestro "érase una vez" o "comieron perdices". Sé que estos cuentos tienen una edición con ilustraciones de Iván Bilibin que es quizá el mejor ilustrador de cuentos rusos, pero mi edición con ilustraciones de A. Kurkin me gusta mucho porque sabe mantener un estilo pictórico muy fiel a la tradición rusa.
January 21, 2023
Una lectura llena de vodka y bellotas. Es muy interesante desgranar culturas y literaturas nuevas y con estos cuentos se puede hacer muy bien. Sin duda lo mejor ha sido poder comentarla en lectura conjunta con el Fénix club literario y las risas echadas 🐿️
September 4, 2012
Mi Infancia
Read
March 20, 2022goodreads me esta pidiendo que haga captchas complejos cada vez que termino un libro porque mi comportamiento erratico le hace creer que soy un bot, no hay remate
April 10, 2023
Đừng để trẻ em đọc quyển này (hoặc đọc cho trẻ em nghe quyển này) làm ơn!
Quyển này không có tính giáo dục cũng như ý nghĩa bài học gì luôn.
Quyển này không có tính giáo dục cũng như ý nghĩa bài học gì luôn.
February 21, 2026
Bu kitap çıktığında çok sevinmiştim ama bari ikincisi de yayımlansaydı yalandan. Altı yüzden fazla masalın derlendiği muhteşem bir sözlü kültür kaynağı var orada, çok kıymetli. Neler çıkacak kim bilir o masalların ve motiflerin başka nerelerde gezip dönüştüğünü görebildiğimizde. Ama yok, aynı on beş masal gezip duruyor tüm çevirilerde ve yayınlarda. Propp'un Biçimbilim'i fakültelerde başvuru kaynağıyken orada referans verdiği masallara ulaşamıyoruz. Rusça öğrenmeye başladım ya bu yüzden, yarım yamalak anlamaya çalışıyorum elimdeki kaynaklardan bazen. Birileri nolur artık Afanasyev'in derlediği masalları çevirip toparlasın.
March 5, 2024
This collection of folktales is very simplistic and, at times, very violent and sometimes very funny and sometimes very difficult to understand. My favourites were "The Fly's Tower" -- super funny and "The Golden Fish" which was very similar to "The Fisherman and his Wife" from Grimm's Fairy Tales. Makes you realize all cultures have these little stories which were told to entertain, make people laugh, help to teach a lesson, help to understand the world around us, and tell tales of super humans.
November 12, 2023
A very interesting collection of Russian national fairy tales. The climate of folklore and atmosphere transports you to old Russia. Some of them were very interesting, while others were not. There were archaisms in the collection, which somewhat interfered with the smooth reading of the fairy tales, however, the dictionary that was available in the book helped to find their way through the text. 4/5 💫
January 17, 2024
Recopilación de 33 cuentos rusos de los cuales para mi parecer los mejores fueron:
-El Zarevich Cabrito
-El gigante Verlioka
-La invernada de los animales
-La Vejiga, la Paja y el Calzón de líber - *Mi favorito*
-El Sol, la Luna y el Cuervo
-El Pez de Oro
-Basílisa la Hermosa
-El soldado y la Muerte
-El Zarevich Cabrito
-El gigante Verlioka
-La invernada de los animales
-La Vejiga, la Paja y el Calzón de líber - *Mi favorito*
-El Sol, la Luna y el Cuervo
-El Pez de Oro
-Basílisa la Hermosa
-El soldado y la Muerte
April 22, 2024
Cuentos soporíferos, algunos sin apenas moralejas. Siento que a lo mejor el problema es que la traducción no ha hecho justicia a estos cuentos populares rusos. Si supiera ruso, lo leería en su versión original.
April 8, 2025
Me encantan los cuentos
January 11, 2024
Lo siento, pero no me han gustado. No consigo ver la moraleja o el disfrute en ellos.
August 17, 2012
Selectie uit de door Afanasjev verzamelde en opgetekende Russische volkssprookjes. Deze onderscheiden zich van de West-Europese volkssprookjes door typische regelmatig terugkerende figuren: de heks Baba Jaga, die in een hut op kippenpoten woont, dat 'verkeerd staat', zich voortbeweegt in een vijzel en die soms een of meer dochters heeft, en Kosjtsei de onsterfelijke, wiens dood zich op een schier onvindbare plaats bevindt. Gek genoeg zien de sprookjesvertellers er geen been in om deze twee vaste figuren keer op keer hun einde te laten vinden.
Daarnaast komen er nogal wat tsarenzonen voor die Iwan heten en mooie, verre prinsessen die Wassilissa de wijze heten, alsook drie-, zes- en twaalfkoppige draken, koperen, zilveren en gouden rijken, valken 'met een wakkere blik' en kluwentjes waar je achter aan moet lopen.
Met deze elementen wordt er in de wijdlopige en grillige sprookjes eindeloos gevarieerd, zodat ze een beetje lezen als variaties op een thema. Dat levert wonderlijke verhalen op, maar ook veel herhalingen, die soms dicht tegen clichés aan beginnen te leunen, zij het dan clichés van een verder volslagen onbekende traditie.
Daarnaast komen er nogal wat tsarenzonen voor die Iwan heten en mooie, verre prinsessen die Wassilissa de wijze heten, alsook drie-, zes- en twaalfkoppige draken, koperen, zilveren en gouden rijken, valken 'met een wakkere blik' en kluwentjes waar je achter aan moet lopen.
Met deze elementen wordt er in de wijdlopige en grillige sprookjes eindeloos gevarieerd, zodat ze een beetje lezen als variaties op een thema. Dat levert wonderlijke verhalen op, maar ook veel herhalingen, die soms dicht tegen clichés aan beginnen te leunen, zij het dan clichés van een verder volslagen onbekende traditie.
December 15, 2008
This is a selection of tales from Afanasiev's exhaustive collection of tales. Illustrations are traditional and in the style of ones that you might find on a Russian laquer box. This collection 's majority of tales are about peasants with only a few containing the classic characters of Baba Yaga, Koshei the Deathless, and others. Some of the endings are quite brutal, in true Russian folk tale style, to the point of almost being humorous at the same time. The editor's note at the end provides a solid, succinct background of Afanasiev's life and the tales he collected. Entertaining, interesting, and enjoyable for someone who has an interest in Russian tales. Despite the heavy illustrations, these are not good read aloud versions for children.
February 1, 2014
No book for beginners
Even though some aspects of fairy tales may seem suitable for foreign language learners - constant repitition, simple themes - this book is not 100 % suitable for beginners of the Russian language. The translation is great and helps a lot though unfortunately very many words are archaic, no longer used today. Also the plot jumps from one place to the next making it hard to guess the meaning of unknown words.
On the other hand this aspect makes the stories fun to read. The Russian fairy tales are very distinct from Western European fairy tales in that they have a certain weirdness element. Lots of fun to read!
Even though some aspects of fairy tales may seem suitable for foreign language learners - constant repitition, simple themes - this book is not 100 % suitable for beginners of the Russian language. The translation is great and helps a lot though unfortunately very many words are archaic, no longer used today. Also the plot jumps from one place to the next making it hard to guess the meaning of unknown words.
On the other hand this aspect makes the stories fun to read. The Russian fairy tales are very distinct from Western European fairy tales in that they have a certain weirdness element. Lots of fun to read!
November 17, 2019
Jedná se opravdu o kouzelnou sbírku dětských pohádek, které mají místy morbidnější nádech a jejich konce mohou být v očí malých čtenářů trošku zatrpklejší. Věřte mi, většinu těhlech příběhů znáte, jen v trochu jiném znění a s menšími odchylkami. Najdou se tady, ale i takové, které jsem já osobně slyšela poprvé. Krásná záležitost pro zimní večery v teple domova. Četla jsem vydání z roku 2019, Fragment, s nádhernými ilustracemi od Olgy Zakis. Doporučuji všem milovníkům nádherných ilustrací, pohádek, ruské kultury a slovanského folkloru☺️
January 23, 2023
Fantástico recorrido por los tradicionales cuentos rusos, en los que no ha faltado sangre, fantasía, gallos con guadaña y una gran Baba subida en el caldero de camino a su casa de patas de gallina.
Lo mejor de esta lectura ha sido la compañia, con la que hemos analizado cada cuento, descubriendo sus moralejas de la mano del fantástico Irus.
Es enriquecedor indagar en otras culturas y encontrar similitudes con cuentos tradicionales de nuestra niñez.
Lo mejor de esta lectura ha sido la compañia, con la que hemos analizado cada cuento, descubriendo sus moralejas de la mano del fantástico Irus.
Es enriquecedor indagar en otras culturas y encontrar similitudes con cuentos tradicionales de nuestra niñez.
February 10, 2013
Leuk. Wel veel van het zelfde.... Tsaren, koopmannen, Baba jaga, boze stiefmoeders. Ze verschillen eigenlijk niet eens zoveel van de europese sprookjes, alleen komt er duidelijk meer wodka in voor en wordt er duidelijk meer gedreigd met hoofden afhakken
May 22, 2015
Uno de mis libros más queridos de la infancia. Todavía tengo el recuerdo de lo que imaginaba al leer estos cuentos , eran tan distintos a lo que leía habitualmente que se quedaron conmigo hasta el día de hoy.
September 17, 2017
Cuentos, cuentos y más cuentos por doquier y muchos de ellos hilarantes.
Una buena colección de cuentos tradicionales que de no ser por el trabajo del autor podrían haber quedado en el olvido.
Muy recomendable.
Una buena colección de cuentos tradicionales que de no ser por el trabajo del autor podrían haber quedado en el olvido.
Muy recomendable.
December 19, 2016
Volver a leer uno de mis libros más releídos en la infancia, no es sólo un placer, sino un viaje en el tiempo.
April 4, 2021
Es un libro con cuentos en los que puede disfrutar un niño y un adulto, Alexander hizo una búsqueda cultural sobre las raíces de su nación bastante interesantes
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews