Fairy-Tale: The Golden Mountain

Esteemed Readers, today I would like to share with you a fairy-tale which fits to our capitalistic time pretty well. In fact, the problem of gold, wealth & avidity has always been a serious reasons for many nasty crimes. As we have already discussed, the Russian folklore is hostile to huge possessions & denies even “la vie bourgeoise” as a probable alternative of a good life.

The story tells about a merchant’s son, whose name remains unknown, & his light-mindedness that led him to an extreme poverty. However the follow  wasn’t taken aback. He began seeking for a job & this search involved him into some bloody adventures. The story ends well…he remains alive, but what a moral price he pays in the end!

Again we have a thriller which action takes place in far oversea lands. Again there is cruelty & a beautiful wise maiden saving the hero. The plot highlights a double nature of shady dealings, raises a problem of a labour slavery, so it seems urgent even for our days.”How much gold is enough?” “If the wealth is worth of the human sacrifice?” “When is it time to stop?” are the main messages of the story. Although, it seems to me, that there is no definite moralité in this tale as each of us will comprehend it in accordance to his/her own perception of “wealth”.

Enjoy reading!

Here is the full text: Russian Folk Tale 13

Maria KethuProfumo

Source: Verra Xenophontovna Kalamatiano de Blumenthal, Folk Tales From the Russian, 1903