Somehow assumed that all kinds of vampires and werewolves came to us from the West, but between the Russian folklore and has a lot of characters who are also, in fact, is the reverse.Remember the tale of the Clear-Finist the Falcon, a gray wolf, which helps Prince Ivan, not to mention the fact that Ivan gets a wife Princess Frog.
Finist has the ability to turn around a bird.Grey Wolf takes many forms: it can turn around and fleet-footed horse and beautiful princess, and even become a double of Ivan Tsarevich.A Frog Princess secretly take off from itself frog skin and begin to perform various household duties.So that they are completely covered by the definition shifters, although their transformation from human animal is linked with the lunar cycle.
In fact, the image of the princess-frog is found not only in Slavic folklore.Similar themes are also present in the Greek folk tales and fairy tales in Italian.Until they somehow did not reach the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault, and that's not common among brides overseas princes croaking beauty.And we have even two versions of the fairy tale "The Frog Princess".Their content is similar, but the differences are insignificant.For example, in one embodiment, a fairy tale, our heroine performs all tasks independently father the king, and the other for her weave and bake Nurse-nurse, whom she calls to his aid.However, a separate call her work difficult, since character uses magic that greatly facilitates its efforts.But her rival wives, brothers Prince Ivan, this method is not available, so that they are in a losing position.
From the point of view of justice image Frog Princess is hardly exclusively positive.Sympathy she earns so that the reader is the burning of sympathy rivals frog skin, which is why the heroine is forced to leave her beloved husband and go to Koscheyu Immortal.After the plot was Koschey and enchanted beauty, angry at her because she rejected his matrimonial plans, simply put - refused to become his wife.Rather than continue the courtship, the villain decided to punish his rebellious bride, turning it into a frog.Himself Koschey quite drawn to the role of "Dark Lord" as a magician on the one hand, and on the other, constantly making plans for the capture of the universe, not disdaining theft beauties: he kidnaps Vasilisa the Wise in the image of the princess-frog, the Marju Morevna.
But the question now is not so much Koshchei much about the vicissitudes of married life Prince Ivan.In some embodiments, a fairy tale daughter are innocent, and skin burns frog prince himself, based on the fact that without this attribute his wife ceases to be a werewolf.But, as mentioned above - it is particular.A very Russian fairy tale "The Frog Princess" ends the same way: Ivan Tsarevich Koshchey cunning wins and frees his beautiful wife.They live, as in all fairy tales, happily and die in one day.
