The Fire-Fairy facts for kids

"The Fire-Fairy" or "The Dancing Fire Maid" (Russian: Огневушка-поскакушка, tr. Ognevushka-poskakushka) is a magical short story by Pavel Bazhov. It's a fairy tale based on old stories from the Ural region in Siberia, Russia. The story was first published in 1940 in a children's book called Morozko. Later, it became part of a bigger collection of stories called The Malachite Casket collection.

In "The Fire-Fairy," characters meet a special creature from Ural folklore named Poskakushka. Her name means "the jumping or hopping girl." She can do a magical dance that shows where gold is hidden underground! This story is one of the most loved tales in the collection. Pavel Bazhov himself said that "The Fire-Fairy" was a "child-toned" story. This means it has a simple plot, often features children as main characters, and mythical creatures usually help them, leading to a happy ending.

How Was "The Fire-Fairy" Published?

The Story's First Appearance

In 1939, a book editor named Klavdiya Rozhdestvenskaya was working on a children's book called Morozko. She wanted to include another one of Bazhov's fairy tales, "Silver Hoof". She asked Bazhov if he had any other stories.

Bazhov told her he had an idea about a character named Poskakushka. To get the story just right, he needed to visit an old factory. He wanted to "relive old memories" by talking to people who told stories there. After a quick trip to Polevskoy, Bazhov finished "The Fire-Fairy." The story was then published in Morozko and quickly became very popular with children.

Translations for English Readers

In 1944, the story was translated from Russian into English by Alan Moray Williams. It was published as "The Fire-Fairy" in a collection called The Malachite Casket: Tales from the Urals. Later, in the 1950s, Eve Manning made another translation of The Malachite Casket. In her version, the story was called "The Dancing Fire Maid."

The story was also included in a collection by James Riordan in 1974. Riordan heard these tales when he was sick in Sverdlovsk. He rewrote them from memory after returning to England. He called himself a "communicator" rather than a "translator" because he wanted to share the stories in his own way.

What Inspired The Fire-Fairy?

Old Stories from Miners

Bazhov's stories are based on the oral lore of miners and gold prospectors in the Ural region. In their old tales, Poskakushka is a dancing girl who shows people where to find gold. People believed that such mythical creatures helped explain why some miners were luckier than others. They also helped explain natural things, like why gold was found in certain places. Some even said she was the daughter of Poloz the Great Snake from another story, "The Great Snake".

The River and the "Hopping Girl"

Experts who study folklore believe the character is linked to the Poskakukha River. This river is near the Polevskoy Copper Smelting Plant. The name of the river, Poskakukha, and its cute form, Poskakushka, literally mean "the jumping (or hopping) girl."

Gold prospectors noticed that gold was found in unusual spots there. It was in some places, but not right next to them. The mining pits looked like miners had "jumped over" some areas. This gave rise to the idea of the "hopping girl." There was even a mine called Poskakushkinsky, which you had to "jump over the marshes" to reach.

Ancient Beliefs and the Fire-Fairy

Some experts, like Nataliya Shvabauer, thought that the character of Poskakushka might not have been in the original Ural folk stories. However, they believed Bazhov created her using old "mythological rules." These rules are thought to be from pagan beliefs.

The Fire-Fairy and her magical dance that reveals gold might be based on a Mansi goddess named Sorni-Nai. In Russian, she was called the Golden Woman. Her name means "Gold-Fire" in the Mansi language. Alexei Ivanov, another expert, said that the Dancing Fire Maid's pagan roots "cannot be denied." This is clear from her connection to gold and fire, and her dancing in a circle, like in old pagan dances called khorovods. For other Finno-Ugric peoples, gold was also linked to fire.

A 1968 film called Tales of the Ural Mountains (Russian: Сказы уральских гор, tr. Skazy uralskikh gor) suggested that Bazhov heard about the Poskakushkinsky mine and then created the character from scratch. For him, "hopping" sounded magical and connected to fire, which led to the Fire-Fairy. However, other research shows that Poskakushka did exist in local folklore.

What Happens in "The Fire-Fairy"?

The First Meeting

The story begins with a group of gold prospectors sitting around a fire in the woods. Among them are an old man named Yefim (also called Grandpa Efim) and an 8-year-old boy named Fedyunka, whom his father calls "Tyunka."

Suddenly, a tiny girl jumps out of the fire!

... just like a doll, she was, but alive. Her hair was red, her sarafan blue, and she held a blue kerchief in her hand. She looked around them merrily and her teeth shone white. Then she put one hand on her hip, raised the blue kerchief with the other and began to dance.

After her dance, she disappears. The prospectors are so amazed that they almost forget what happened. Only Fedyunka clearly remembers the dancing maid. He also hears an eagle-owl's cry, which sounds like the bird is laughing at him.

Yefim explains that the girl was the Fire-Fairy, a sign of gold. He says, "If the dancer shows herself, there's gold in that place." The next morning, the prospectors start digging, but they can't remember the exact spot where the maid danced. Fedyunka blames the owl, but no one believes him. The other children at the factory start calling him "Dancing Tyunka" (Russian: Тюнька Поскакушка, tr. Tjunka Poskakushka). Only Yefim doesn't laugh at him, and they become good friends.

One day, they see the Fire-Fairy again. But once more, the eagle-owl scares her away. Fedyunka is sure that the Fairy would have shown them the way to gold if the owl hadn't hooted.

Fedyunka's Adventure

When winter comes, Fedyunka's father leaves to work in the mine. Fedyunka stays with his mean step-mother. He decides he would rather live with Yefim. On his way to the village, he sees the Fire-Fairy again. He follows her and gets lost in the forest.

But the maid dances around him, and the snow melts! Winter turns into summer, flowers bloom, and birds sing on a birch tree. The Fairy laughs at Fedyunka and gives him an old spade. This spade helps him find his way out of the forest.

The next day, Fedyunka and Yefim go back to the birch tree. They find a lot of gold there! They can't keep their secret forever, and eventually, the landlord takes control of the gold mine. But Fedyunka and Yefim live comfortably for many years because of the gold they found.

Adaptations of The Fire-Fairy

The story of "The Fire-Fairy" has been brought to life in different ways:

• A 1956 filmstrip called The Fire-Fairy.
• A 1968 film called Tales of the Ural Mountains (Russian: Сказы уральских гор, tr. Skazy uralskikh gor). This film was about Bazhov's work and included a part based on "The Fire-Fairy."
• The Fire Maid, a 1973 opera for schools. Robert Long wrote the music, and Dorothy Gulliver adapted the story and wrote the lyrics.

The 1979 Animated Film

A children's hand-drawn animated film called Ognevushka-poskakushka (The Fire-Fairy) was made in 1979. It was created by Soyuzmultfilm, a famous animation studio. Natalia Golovanova directed and wrote the film, and Viktor Kuprevich composed the music.

In the film, the main characters are the boy Fedyunka (voiced by Galina Ivanova) and his grandfather (voiced by Lev Durov). One winter, the grandfather realizes they don't have much food. His grandson Fedya goes into the forest, visits the Fire-Fairy (voiced by Viktoria Lepko), and asks her for some potatoes.

The film also featured the voices of:

• Marina Voskaniants
• Marina Rogova
• Violetta Kolesnikova
• Vladimir Krumin
• Leonid Kayukov
• Vladimir Vyshegorodtsev
• Alexander Gorlenko
• Lev Ryabinin