Slavic Folklore (basic guide to research): Encyclopedias & Dictionaries

Includes extensive entries for Slavic Folklore and Slavic Mythology by Roman Jakobson. Provides the best general overview of Slavic folklore and mythology.

In 4 volumes. Volume 3 (Europe) contains extensive content on the Slavic folk ways and traditions in Poland, Russia, Serbia, Croatia, and Ukraine. Each section also provides a list of recommendations for further reading.

A standard source for the study of folklore, this encyclopedia discusses genres of folk literature (for example, ballad, riddle, legend, tale, and myth), standard actors of the discipline (for instance, hero, fool, and trickster), and traditional topics such as music, dance, storytelling, and folk art, as well as folkloristics. Emphasis is on Europe and the United States. (Adapted from a review by Richard K. Burns, Library Journal.)

A guide to the lore of the Middle Ages. Articles focus on the great tales, traditions, and customs of the age; religious beliefs; key works of oral and written literature; traditional music and art; holidays and feasts; food and drink; and plants and animals, both real and fantastical. Emphasis is on classic European folklore from 500 to 1500 C.E. (Adapted from a review by Richard K. Burns, Library Journal.)

An exhaustive work that is particularly rich in mythologies. A detailed section on Slavic religion by Marija Gimbutas (volume 12) covers Slavic mythology, both the upper and lower pantheons, and includes a lengthy bibliography. Separate entries for some figures (such as Mokosh, Dazhbog, rusalki, domovoi, Baba Yaga, etc.) can be found in other volumes. Folkloric terms and figures are present in the encyclopedia (i.e. shamanism, trolls, etc.).

This work addresses folklore as the original literature, folklore in literature, and folklore and literature as parallel forms of art. Hence it includes important folklorists, collectors, and authors, as well as concepts. Entries related to Slavic folklore include: Balkan folklore and literature, Baba Yaga, bylinas, rusalki, fool in Christ, Prague linguistic circle, Pre-Soviet prose and folklore in Russia, Vladimir Propp, Russian ballad, Russian folk-lyric song, and Russian formalism. A few Russian authors whose works demonstrate folk motifs have also been included (i.e. Akhmatova, Gogol, and Nekrasov).

In addition to general terms, concepts, and folklorists, the 3-volume set includes material from Slavic folklore: Baba Yaga, Bannik, Bogatyr, Bylina, Dobrynya Nikitich, Domovoi, Firebird, Ilya Muromets, Ivan Tsarevich, Kikimora, Leshy, Aleksander Sergeyevich Pushkin, Rusalka/Rusalki, Sadko, Snegurochka/Snowmaiden, and Vodianoi, as well as sample retellings of The Golem of Prague: A Jewish Folktale and Koshchei the Deathless: A Russian Folktale. Offers a bibliography and an extensive index.

One of two encyclopedias that are the gold standard for Russian literature. Provides detailed entries on the study of folklore in Russia, important Russian folklorists and collectors, as well as genres of folk literature, such as chastushka, bylina, folk song, folk tale, folk drama, etc.

Includes three parts:
Part 1. Animal tales, tales of magic, religious tales, and realistic tales (with an introduction);
Part 2. Tales of the stupid ogre, anecdotes and jokes, and formula tales;
Part 3. Appendices.