Tales of the Peoples of the Russian North

The mythology of the peoples of the Russian North represents an entire universe, a magical world inhabited by fantastical beings: a bear-werewolf, a wise reindeer that taught a boastful horse a lesson, a mysterious geida, a cunning bat that quarreled birds with animals, and a brave shepherd who defeated the devil himself.
All these characters are heroes of the 55 tales collected in this book from the Veps, Izhors, Karelians, Komi, Nenets, Russians, and, in particular, Pomors, Saami, Ingermanlandians, and Vozhans—the ancient guardians of northern culture, who have lived for centuries in the harsh regions of the European part of Russia. Many of the folk groups represented in our anthology are today on the verge of extinction, and their languages are included by UNESCO in the Atlas of the World's Endangered Languages.
The unique texts, carefully collected from various sources of the 19th century and adapted for children's reading, are complemented by rare illustrations from Russian and Western artists of the 19th – early 20th century.