The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf

"The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf" or “Tsarevich Ivan, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf” is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Russian Fairy Tales. Ivan Tsarevich is a placeholder of sorts for the male protagonist of many famous Russian folk, myths and legends (Ivan is one of the most common names in Russia). Sometimes Ivan is the son of a peasant, sometimes he is the son of a tsar, (“tsarevich” means “tsar’s son”) but he is just about always the youngest of three sons. While his two older brothers fail due to ineptitude or maleficence, Ivan always succeeds in his task. The story begins when a firebird steals golden apples from the tsar's prize orchard. The tsar enlists the help of his 3 sons and promises that whoever catches the bird will inherit the kingdom… The Russian skazki (skazatz = to tell) are the mass of folk-tales distributed widely throughout all the Russias. Handed down, by constant repetition, from generation to generation, a possession common to peasant's hut and Prince's palace from a time when history did not exist, they are to-day, from Archangel to the Black Sea, and from Siberia to the Baltic, almost as much a part of the life of the people as the language itself. Other famous Russian fairy tales are: Vasilisa The Beautiful, Marya Morevna, Morozko, Finist Clear Falcon 's feather, Sister Alenushka and brother Ivanushka, The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf, Princess Frog and many more.