1) Баба Яга
Baba Yaga
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baba_Yaga
In Russian tales, Baba Yaga is portrayed as a hag who flies through the air in a mortar, using the pestle as a rudder and sweeping away the tracks behind her with a broom made out of silver birch. She lives in a log cabin (izbushka) that moves around on a pair of dancing chicken legs. The house does not reveal the door until it is told a magical phrase: Turn your back to the forest, your front to me.
There are stories where she helps people with their quests, and stories in which she kidnaps children and threatens to eat them. Seeking out her aid is usually portrayed as a dangerous act. An emphasis is placed on the need for proper preparation and purity of spirit, as well as basic politeness.
Furmanov town - Ivanovo-region they say it is home place of Baba Yaga. They say that even now old women treat 1-2 years old children by smear them with dough and putting them inside stove.
Stories about Baba Yaga:
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/babayaga/other.html
good page about Baba Yaga:
http://stpetersburg-guide.com/folk/yaga.shtml
2) Кощей Бессмертный
Koshchey Bessmertny
Koshchey the Deathless
Koshchey the Immortal
Koschei
They paint Koshchey very skinny almost like skeleton. He lives in a castle and no people around this castle. He has lots of gold coins in many trunks.
http://www.oldrussia.net/koshchey.html
He is fond of stealing beautiful women, often the bride of the hero.
Koshchey is called the deathless, or immortal because his soul/spirit/life force or his "death" as he calls it, is hidden in a remote, inaccessible place, separate from his body.
His "death" may be hidden in the point of a needle inside the duck's egg. Although called deathless or immortal, Koshchey may die if the hero finds out where the egg that contains his life force or, as he calls it, his "death", is hidden.
If the egg is broken, it's goodnight for Koshchey too. Anyone possessing this egg has Koshchey in their power. He begins to weaken, becomes sick and immediately loses all his magic powers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koschei
Koschei is extremely difficult to kill. His soul is hidden separate from his body inside a needle, which is in an egg, which is in a duck, which is in a hare, which is in an iron chest, which is buried under a green oak tree, which is on the island of Buyan, in the ocean. As long as his soul is safe, he cannot die. If the chest is dug up and opened, the hare will bolt away. If it is killed, the duck will emerge and try to fly off. Anyone possessing the egg has Koschei in their power. He begins to weaken, becomes sick and immediately loses the use of his magic. If the egg is tossed about, he likewise is flung around against his will. If the needle is broken (in some tales this must be done by specifically breaking it against Koschei's forehead), Koschei will die.
The native land of Koschei how they say in fairy-tales is the Caucasus (mountains)
Story about Koschei:
3) Змей Горыныч
Zmey Gorynych
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zmey_Gorynych
Zmey Gorynych, has three heads, is green, walks on two back paws, has small front paws, and spits fire. According to one bylina, Zmey Gorynych was killed by Dobrynya Nikitch.
He also steals beautiful women as Koschei. He lives inside a mountain and has lots of precious jewelry - gold, stones... and he watches over them.
The homeland of Zmey Gorynych is Kazan - they have dragon as symbol of Kazan (Tatarstan).
Other dragon story:
http://www.oldrussia.net/copper.html
4) Снегурочка
Snow Maiden
The story is about old people who didn't have children and once they made from snow Maiden and she became alive - beautiful girl. She lived with them as their child. Once she went with other children to play and they jumped over bonfire. Snow Maiden also jumped over bonfire and she disappeared as far as she was made from snow.
When Russians celebrate New Year they have 'Дед Мороз' - Grandfather Frost (Santa Claus) and 'Снегурочка' Snow Maiden.
They say Snow Maiden is grand-daughter of Grandfather Frost. Grandfather Frost is dressed in red-color with white beard and Snow Maiden is dressed in pale blue with white plait.
Ustug - Grandfather Frost home place,
Kostroma - Snow Maiden home place.
Story about Snow Maiden:
http://russian-crafts.com/tales/snowmaiden.html
5) Magic things
a) Скатерть-самобранка
Magic table-cloth
Magic table-cloth in tales - when one unroll it different dishes/courses appear on top of it.
b) Ковёр-самолёт
The magic carpet or Flying Carpet
The magic carpet in tales used to go in the air like airplane - one just sit on the magic carpet says magic word and it goes up in the air. Same thing if one needs to land - just says magic word and the magic carpet lands.
с) Сапоги-скороходы
Seven-league boots
When one in tales needs to go somewhere fast, he puts on magic seven-league boots and go very fast.
d) Молодильные яблоки
Apples of Youth
Special apples - if one eats such apples he/she becomes younger.
e) Живая вода
Water of Life
Water of life - if somebody is dead and they put this 'water of life' this dead becomes alive again.
The Apples of Youth and the Water of Life:
http://folklore.mashaholl.com/RussianFolktale_Male.html
6) Золотая рыбка
Golden Fish - story about:
http://russian-crafts.com/tales/golden-fish.html
http://russian-crafts.com/tales/gold_fish.html
It was a famous poem-tale written by Pushkin about Golden Fish and he got story for his poem from old-Russian tales.
Vologda-region wants to call them as 'Golden Fish' native land. They have district Vashkinsky with White Lake and symbol of the district is coppery-fish.
7) Летучий корабль
Flying Ship
http://www.sunbirds.com/lacquer/readings/1143
8) Жар-птица
Firebird
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/1484/legend.html
8)
Sivka-Burka (horse)
http://www.artrusse.ca/FairyTales/sivka-burka.htm
9) Былинные богатыри
Bylina bogatyr
Ilya of Murom
http://www.artrusse.ca/Byliny/ilya_robber.htm
http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/IlyaMur.html
Sadko
http://www.artrusse.ca/Byliny/sadko.htm
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LINKS:
http://www.bama.ua.edu/~adrozd/rus252/folklorelinks.html
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Also from tv-news:
some more -
---------------
n d: the scarlet flower
n d: little round bun
n d: the fly's caste
n d: http://russian-crafts.com/tales.html
Kostroma - 'Snow Maiden' homeplace
http://forum.visp.ru/viewtopic.php?id=8778
'Little round bun' or 'kolobok'.
'Kolobok' doesn't have native land other then all Russia (looks like). So far I found only like guess to call Pskov-region as homeland of 'kolobok' but it is not officially, it is more like joke.
'Loco Roco' game - Japanese game about 'little round bun' or 'kolobok'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loco_Roco
Also they say 'little round bun'/'kolobok' is like English 'Gingerbread man' in style.
'Kolobok' is round yellow bread. They paint traditionally 'kolobok' as yellow circle with eyes and smiling mouth - just like 'Emoticons' or 'Smileys' in Internet.
'The fly's castle' or 'teremok'.
The fly's castle in original Russian text is 'teremok' or wooden house with wooden boss and nice-looking - this 'teremok' is like Tomsk-city wooden houses that I've sent you on photo. Do you have it? Look please just to know.
This 'teremok' was style of houses for prosperous people. Now I didn't see this style in other Russian towns mainly Tomsk is famous of them. Wooden houses doesn't stay long also it is not easy to find good wood in Russia other then in Siberia.
So, you can say that now 'teremok' can be found mainly in Tomsk.
Here I send you photo of a 'teremok'-house next to the building with our 1-room-flat (we don't live there now) in Tomsk:
attached file <<frunze.jpg>>
one can say this is 'teremok' (not new and bright because it is old house).
Also here 'teremok' from Tomsk:
http://www.arttomsk.net/gallery_2.html
The scarlet flower - 'alenkiy tsvetochek'
This story was written by Aksakov from Volga-river folk-stories (Tatars, Bashkirs lives there).
They have there poppy-flower and poppy-flower was taken as symbol for the 'scarlet flower'.
It is Bashkiria, Budzayksky-region. Ufa - capital of Bashkiria.
Koschei
Zmey Gorynych
http://gubernia.pskovregion.org/number_243/07.php?print
Вологодскую область, которую «все знают как родину Деда Мороза
Псковская область в таком случае может запросто претендовать на роль родины Снегурочки, Колобка