An Anthology of Russian Folk Epics

This anthology presents translations of thirty songs about Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya, Sadko, and other legendary characters of Russian folklore. An extensive introduction provides basic background about Russian epics, their poetics, the history of their collection, their performance context, and their main interpretations. In addition, there is a short introduction to each song, explaining its plot, allusions, and interpretations. A glossary of common terms and a selected bibliography of studies about the Russian epic in English and Russian are also included in the volume.