7 h 11 minAudiobook6 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if kindness is your strongest weapon, and the animal beside the road knows more than the king?
In Fairy Tales of the Slav Peasants and Herdsmen by Alexander Chodzko, humble heroes face hard tasks in a world where magic is close to daily life. These tales come from Russian, Polish, Serbian, Czech and other Slavic traditions. Kings set hard tasks, poor farmers face danger, and witches wait in strange forest houses.
The youngest son may be mocked, but patience and good advice give him a chance. The clever peasant faces powers far greater than himself. Across tales of village life, magic helpers and family troubles, kindness meets greed, courage meets cruelty, and an ordinary person must find a way through.
What you’ll discover
- Village and pasture tales Enter a world of villages and pastures, where ordinary people face danger and unexpected magic.
- The humble hero Follow overlooked younger sons and poor peasants whose kindness matters more than strength or standing.
- Magic close at hand Meet talking horses, helpful birds and small objects that offer answers to seemingly impossible problems.
- Courage against power Watch clever villagers face greedy lords and heroes confront rulers or monsters stronger than themselves.
- Family, justice and greed Explore homes troubled by jealous brothers, cruel masters and stepmothers who make children suffer.
Who will love it
For readers who love folk tales, fairy-tale patterns and the roots of familiar stories, and anyone curious about Slavic culture. Talking animals, forest witches and humble heroes offer tales of magic, courage and kindness.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Tales born in village and pasture
- The poor hero wins by kindness
- Magic helpers and strange creatures
- Courage and cleverness against power
- Family, justice and the cost of greed
- How the tales are told
Who’s who
- The youngest sonA poor and often mocked hero who succeeds through kindness, patience and good advice rather than strength.
- The kingA ruler who sets hard tasks or holds a prize that the hero must earn.
- The witch of the forestA dangerous and powerful figure in a remote hut who may test the hero or help him.
- The talking animalA horse, bird or wolf that gives advice and repays kindness shown to it.
- The stepmotherA jealous family figure who brings hardship to a child or younger sibling.
- The clever peasantAn ordinary villager who outwits a greedy lord or a monster with a quick tongue.
Formats and delivery
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 7 h 11 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 6 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Fiabe dei contadini e dei pastori slavi
by Alexander Chodzko · 1864
Poor heroes face witches and impossible tasks in Slavic folk tales where kindness, courage and wit earn their reward.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
Fairy Tales of the Slav Peasants and Herdsmen is a collection of folk tales gathered by Alexander Chodzko, a scholar of Slavic languages and cultures who was born in the Polish and Lithuanian lands and later worked in France. The book was published in English in 1896, after his death in 1891, in a translation of the French collection he had put together from tales told across the Slavic world.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Tales born in village and pasture
The stories in this book were not made up by one writer at a desk. They were carried by voice, from parents to children and from one herdsman to another. Long winter evenings, shared work and wandering storytellers kept them alive in the Slavic lands.
Because of this, the tales are plain and direct. They move fast, and they use simple patterns, such as three tasks, three brothers or three sets of gifts. A listener could remember these patterns easily, and that helped the stories survive.
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What is Fairy Tales of the Slav Peasants and Herdsmen about?
It is a collection of folk tales from the Slavic peoples, told by country people. The stories feature poor heroes, magic helpers, witches and kings, and they stress courage, kindness and justice.
Who was Alexander Chodzko?
Chodzko was a nineteenth-century scholar of Slavic languages and folklore, born in the Polish and Lithuanian lands. He collected and studied the tales and songs of ordinary people and died in 1891.
Are these tales true or ancient?
They are traditional folk tales, not history. They were passed on by voice for generations before being written down, and the collection was published in English in 1896.
The author
Alexander Chodzko
1804–1891 · Polish poet and orientalist
Alexander Chodzko (1804–1891) was a Polish poet and orientalist, born in what is now Belarus. He published poetry in 1829 and collected Slavic folk tales. He worked as a diplomat in Persia and later lived in France, where he taught Slavic languages at the Collège de France. He died near Paris.
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