The way the three fairytales, The Frog Tsarevna, Tsarevich Ivan and Grey Wolf and Vasilisa the Beautiful, are told emphasizes the legend and mythical themes. The repeated saying of “whether a long time passed or a little no one knows” was consistent in the three fairytales. This saying did not add to the plot of the stories or add to the character development. It made the stories feel like myths and legends. Emphasizing that nobody really knows if this happened or not. Giving the reader an emphasis on the theme of the story through the narrative structure. Also the narrative structure hinting at the type of story being told.

The important role of the Grey Wolf in the fairytale, Tsarevich Ivan and Grey Wolf, was unexpected and eluded to the importance of trust in a relationship. A Grey Wolf is not usually portrayed as a good character in most fairytales such as The Three Little Pigs. So, I was not expecting the relationship between Tsarevich Ivan and Grey Wolf to be trust worthy. Tsarevich Ivan trusted the Grey Wolf many times to carry out tremendous deeds. This is all after the Grey Wolf ate Ivan’s horse. The role of the Grey Wolf was important to help Ivan through many challenges and wrongdoings. The relationship between the Grey wolf and Ivan was displaying the importance of trust.

An element in Tsarevich Ivan and the Grey Wolf, Vasilisa the Beautiful, and The Frog Tsarevna that struck me was the similarities to West European fairytales. Take The Frog Tsarevna. This story is very similar (almost the same) as the Princess and the Frog. Vasilisa the Beautiful is identical to the story of Cinderella, what with her having an evil stepmother and stepsisters. These folktales spread across Western Europe, and Russia created twists on these stories to fit their culture. All three of these are old oral tales transcribed in the mid-1800s to early 1900s. The similarities of these old folk stories to other Western European folk stories seemed to indicate to me that Europe was influencing Russia (and Russia was influencing Europe) much more than it ever had before.

Because of the similarities to other European folklore stories, focusing on what makes these distinctly Russian provides an insight into the values of Russia at the time. I found the incorporation of Russian legend Baba-Yaga important in making the stories part of Russia’s beliefs rather than the generic European take. In The Frog Tzarevna and Vasilisa the Beautiful, Baba-Yaga’s influence is prominent. She seems to be two-fold: an evil witch, on the one hand, and a wild but wise figure on the other. In The Frog Tzarevna, she exemplifies the standard of the wise old crone, offering advice to the hero. In earlier Russian history, older women were guardians of wisdom, often benevolent. When Ivan finds Baba-Yaga’s hut in this story, she gives advice freely, serving the role of wise advisor. In Vasilisa the Beautiful, Baba-Yaga shows her other side: a witch that forces Vasilisa to suffer through tribulations and threatening to eat her. This version of Baba-Yaga plays an important role, forcing Vasilisa to depend on herself and develop into womanhood. However, this Baba-Yaga is not benevolent but quite dark.