A. N. (Aleksandr Nikolaevich) Afanas'ev

Russian Folk-Tales

"Russian Folk-Tales" by A. N. Afanas'ev is a collection of nearly 600 fairy and folktales published between 1855 and 1863. Drawing from Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian traditions, the collection includes iconic stories like "The Frog Princess," "Father Frost," and "The Firebird." Influenced by the Brothers Grimm and other European folklorists, Afanas'ev's compilation became a cornerstone of Slavic folklore scholarship. These tales of magical creatures, cunning heroes, and immortal villains later inspired Vladimir Propp's groundbreaking structural analysis of folktales.