Russian Myths (Legendary Past) [Paperback]

Elizabeth Warner (Author)

Book Description

Series: Legendary Past | Publication Date: July 1, 2002

The coming of Christianity to the state of Kievan Rus' at the end of the tenth century had an enormous impact on the development of Russian civilization. Despite the abandonment of the pagan gods, both Christian and pagan practices and beliefs continued to coexist for centuries, producing a system known as "dual faith." Russian Myths deals with mythic beliefs, notions, and customs--concerning the veneration of earth, water, fire, and air, demons and spirit-beings in the world of nature, the cult of the dead, and witchcraft--many of which have their roots in the pre-Christian past but still survive to the present day. To illuminate the evolution of major themes and motifs and set Russian myths in the context of mythology the world over, Elizabeth Warner draws upon a rich variety of sources, including anecdotal narrative forms and religious legends, epic songs, funeral laments and folk religion, and, of course, the folktales where the sacred gives way to pure imagination in the depiction of mythic themes and characters.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this new addition to "The Legendary Past" series, Warner (Russian, emerita, Univ. of Durham), an authority on Russian folklore and ethnography, gives an overiew of the customs and themes underlying Russian beliefs. While the advent of Christianity at the end of the tenth century profoundly affected the development of the culture, pagan beliefs have continued to coexist with the new religion to the present day, resulting in a "dual faith." Drawing upon a variety of sources (e.g., epic songs, funeral laments, religious legends), Warner expertly discusses the most significant themes of this faith the cult of the dead, animism in nature, and magic to shed light on the development of major themes in Russian mythology. There is no formal bibliography, though a "Suggestions for Further Reading" section is included, as is an index and a selection of works in Russian used in preparation. A glossary would have been beneficial, as the author uses a variety of Russian folkloric terms, each defined once and briefly within the text. Nonetheless, this basic introduction to the subject provides information invaluable to understanding the primary sources; recommended for folklore collections in all libraries. [Other titles in the series include Aztec and Maya Myths, Celtic Myths, Chinese Myths, Egyptian Myths, and many more. Ed.] Katherine Kaigler-Koenig, The Ellis Sch., Pittsburg.
- Katherine Kaigler-Koenig, The Ellis Sch., Pittsburgh
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: University of Texas Press; 1 edition (July 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0292791585
• ISBN-13: 978-0292791589
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #492,773 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Depending on your requirements, this may not be the book for you., March 26, 2010

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DF "avid reader D" (East of the Mississippi) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Russian Myths (Legendary Past) (Paperback)

If you are looking for a lot of information on Russian myths and/or folk beliefs, this extremely slender and overpriced volume is not the place to turn. (As an alternative, you might try Russian Folk Belief by Linda Ivanits, which, while a bit too scholarly in tone for easy digestion, is still full of valuable bits of information. In particular, I appreciate how she places beliefs and mythology in the context of both time and place, as these folk beliefs change over time.) The mythology in Russian Myths, while fine for what it is, can be found in other places as well--with more stories. However, as I was looking for reference material related to the region's folk beliefs, this was fairly useless to me.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not the best out there., June 29, 2011

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Rodnover - See all my reviews

This review is from: Russian Myths (Legendary Past) (Paperback)

As someone who has been avidly studying Slavic folklore and myth for four years, I found this book disappointing. It may be a good place to start, but there are many books out there which contain much more information. Some of what the book contains, I would consider downright misinformation:

For instance, the author actually denies that the folklore about St.Elijah has any non-Christian influence, even though countless folklorists have submitted evidence of this. Granted, St. Elijah brought fire down from the sky as a miracle in the Old Testament, but in Slavic folklore, St.Elijah is *literally* up in the sky causing each thunderstorm, battling the devil with stone arrows. He is wrathful, and ruins the crops of peasants who don't honor him. In Serbia, he also throws lightning-spitting golden apples, and in Bulgaria shoots arrows at dragons who with-hold rain from the earth. The Russian peasants actually used to call Saint icons "Bogi" (Gods). Yet she claims there is nothing at all extra-Biblical about St.Elijah in Slavic folklore. This author clearly is all about intact mythology, and cannot be bothered to comb through folklore.


Much better books would be Forests of the Vampire (Slavic Myth and Mankind). Bulgarian folk customs by Mercia MacDermott, and Songs of the Russian People for anyone interested in Slavic myth and folklore.

5.0 out of 5 stars Good quality book, September 4, 2009

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Yelena P. Francis (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Russian Myths (Legendary Past) (Paperback)

This is a very good book for those who like folklore: everything is in concentrated form, well-illustrated, rather easy to read in comparison with most research books. Logical, clear, very useful in Russian Folklore Course.