The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki. A fairy tale is a story, either told to children or as if told to children, concerning the adventures of mythical characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others. ... Alexander Nikolayevich Afanasyev (Russian: Александр Николаевич Афанасьев) (11 July 1826 — 23 October 1871) was a Russian folklorist best known for his pioneering study and publication of Russian folktales. ... Illustration by Ivan Bilibin to Vasilissa the Beautiful Narodnye russkie skazki, or Russian Fairy Tales, is a collection of Russian fairy tales, collected by Alexander Afanasyev and published by him between 1855 and 1863. ...

It is Aarne-Thompson type 531. Other tales of this type include Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful, Corvetto, King Fortunatus's Golden Wig, and The Mermaid and the Boy.^[1] Another, literary variant is Madame d'Aulnoy's La Belle aux cheveux d'or, or The Story of Pretty Goldilocks.^[2] Antti Amatus Aarne (1867 - 1925) was a Finnish folklorist, who developed the initial version of what became the Aarne-Thompson classification system of classifying folktales, first published in 1910. ... Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 126. ... Corvetto is an Italian literary fairy tale written by Giambattista Basile in his 1634 work, the Pentamerone. ... King Fortunatuss Golden Wig is a French fairy tale collected by Colonel A. Troude and G. Milin in Le Conteur breton ou Contes bretons. ... The Mermaid and the Boy is a Lapp fairy tale collected by J. C. Poestion in Lapplandische Märchen. ... Marie-Catherine le Jumelle de Barneville, Baronne dAulnoy (1650/1651–4 January 1705) was a French writer known for her fairy tales. ... The Story of Pretty Goldilocks is a literary fairy tale written by Madame dAulnoy and collected by Andrew Lang in The Blue Fairy Book. ...

Synopsis

A royal huntsman found a feather of the firebird and, though his horse warned him against it, picked it up. The king demanded that he bring him the bird. The huntsman went to his horse, who told him to demand that measures of corn be spread over the fields. He did, and the firebird came to eat and was caught. He brought it to the king, who said that because he had done that, now he must bring him Princess Vasilisa to be his bride. The horse had him demand food and drink for the journey, and a tent with a golden top. With it, they set out to a lake where the princess was rowing. He set up the tent and set out the food. The princess came and ate, and drinking foreign wine, she became drunk and slept. He carried her off. In Russian folklore, the Firebird (жар-птица, zhar-ptitsa, literally ember bird from жар ember, flameless fire) is a magical glowing bird from a faraway land, which is both blessing and doom of its captor. ...

Princess Vasilisa refused to marry without her wedding gown, from the bottom of the sea. The king sent the huntsman for it. He rode the horse to the sea, where the horse found a great crab and threatened to crush it. The crab asked the horse to spare it and summoned all the crabs to fetch the wedding gown.

Princess Vasilisa refused to marry without the king ordering the huntsman to bathe in boiling water. The huntsman went to his horse, who charmed his body. He bathed in the boiling water and became handsome. The king went to bathe in the same water, and died. The people took the huntsman as king instead, and he married the princess.

See also

• The Gifts of the Magician
• Tsarevitch Ivan, the Fire Bird and the Gray Wolf
• How Ian Direach got the Blue Falcon
• The Sister of the Sun

The Gifts of the Magician is a Finnish fairy tale. ... Ivan Tsarevich catching the Firebirds feather, by Ivan Bilibin Tsarevitch Ivan, the Fire Bird and the Gray Wolf is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki. ... How Ian Direach got the Blue Falcon is a Scottish fairy tale, collected by John Francis Campbell and included by Andrew Lang in The Orange Fairy Book. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

References

External links

• The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa