Hostess of the Copper Mountain

«малахит» на Яндекс.ФоткахOne of the most nice, romantic and beautiful Russian fables is the fable about Hostess of the Copper Mountain, written by Pavel Bazhov (this for example "A Box of Malachite" Translate)

that tells about the Goddess of the Mountains of Ural.


People that lived in that region and had to go for days and months in the mountains covered by virgin forest to find minerals for their art work, were afraid of Hostess. Nobody had to call her by name, like nobody had to call by

name bears and other "hosts" of the Great Forces of the Nature. Russians invented many other words to explain, whom are they speaking about. They thought, if the God or the spirit hears his/her name, he/she can come and kill or make something bad to the person that called it.

And the Hostess was in this sense very special. She looked for very talented masters and made all the possible to attract them into her mountain. She showed them her wellness and they loved those minerals (stones?) sooooo much that forgot anything more and worked for the Hostess all their life, making for her things of incredible beauty. (picture and interesting info)

«Камешек Малахита» на Яндекс.Фотках

One girl loved her master so much that she went to the Hostess, that had stolen her fiance, and put him back home. But he was not a normal man more. And even his daughter was not the daughter of the heroic girl, but was more similar to the Hostess... So sad was the fable.

Interesting is, that normally the fables have happy end, but the fables collected by Bazhov are the only fables I know, I think, that are resigned to the fate.

Other interesting confront. There is a similar character in the fable of H.C. Andersen "The Snow Queen" (I'm not sure that it's the right translation, I know this fable in Russian). There the sense is that the Queen is the Great Force too, but there is not this feeling of submission to the unavoidable fate...

I don't know if there is this usage in other nations -tell me it, pls, how it is for your nation, it's interesting...

«Малахит.» на Яндекс.Фотках

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