The Stone Flower facts for kids

The Stone Flower (Russian: Каменный цветок, tr. Kamennyj tsvetok), also known as The Flower of Stone, is a special kind of folk tale called a skaz. It comes from the Ural region of Russia. The story was collected and rewritten by Pavel Bazhov. It first appeared in the newspaper Literaturnaya Gazeta on May 10, 1938. Later, it became part of a famous story collection called The Malachite Box. Many people think "The Stone Flower" is one of the best stories in this collection. It has been translated from Russian into English many times.

Pavel Bazhov said his stories fit into two groups. Some were "child-toned," meaning they had simple plots, child characters, and happy endings. An example is "Silver Hoof". Others were "adult-toned," which meant they were more serious. Bazhov called "The Stone Flower" an "adult-toned" story. The tale is told by an imaginary character named Grandpa Slyshko (Russian: Дед Слышко), which means "Old Man Listenhere".

How the Story Was Published

First Appearances

A critic from Moscow, Viktor Pertsov, read "The Stone Flower" in 1938. He was very impressed by it. He helped publish a shorter version of the story in Literaturnaya Gazeta on May 10, 1938. He also wrote a good review about it called The Fairy Tales of the Old Urals.

After appearing in the newspaper, the story was published in a book called Uralsky Sovremennik in 1938. Then, on January 28, 1939, it was included in the well-known Malachite Box collection.

English Translations

In 1944, the story was translated into English by Alan Moray Williams. It was part of a collection called The Malachite Casket: Tales from the Urals. The title was "The Stone Flower". Later, in the 1950s, Eve Manning translated The Malachite Casket. In her version, the story was called "The Flower of Stone".

The story was also published in a collection called Russian Magic Tales from Pushkin to Platonov in 2012. This book was put out by Penguin Books. In this version, Anna Gunin translated the title as "The Stone Flower".

What the Story is About

Danilo's Journey to Find Beauty

Vladimir Preobrazhensky as Danilo in The Tale of the Stone Flower ballet, March 1, 1954.

The main character is a young man named Danilo. People in his village think he is a bit strange because he is weak and often lost in thought. He goes to learn from a skilled stone-craftsman named Prokopich. One day, Danilo is asked to make a beautiful cup from stone. He shapes it like a thornapple flower. The cup is smooth and neat, but Danilo is not happy with it. He feels it's not beautiful enough. He says that even a simple flower "brings joy to your heart," but his stone cup won't make anyone happy. Danilo feels like he is just ruining the stone.

An old man tells Danilo a legend. He says that the most beautiful Stone Flower grows in the land of the Mistress of the Copper Mountain. Those who see this flower will truly understand the beauty of stone. But there's a catch: "life loses all its sweetness" for them. They become the Mistress's stone craftsmen forever. Danilo's fiancée, Katyenka, asks him to forget about it. However, Danilo really wants to see the Flower.

He goes to the copper mine and finds the Mistress of the Copper Mountain. He begs her to show him the Flower. The Mistress reminds him of his fiancée. She warns Danilo that he might never want to return to his people. But Danilo insists. So, she shows him the amazing Malachite Flower.

Danilo goes back to the village. He breaks his stone cup and then disappears. Some people said he went crazy and died in the woods. Others believed the Mistress took him to her mountain workshop forever.

Who Was Danilo Based On?

The character of Danilo the Craftsman was inspired by a real miner named Danila Zverev (Russian: Данила Кондратьевич Зveрев; 1858–1938). Pavel Bazhov met him at a lapidary studio in Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg). Zverev grew up in a village called Koltashi. Before the October Revolution, he moved to Yekaterinburg and became a gemstone expert.

Bazhov later wrote another story about Zverev's life called "Dalevoe glyadeltse". Danila Zverev and Danilo the Craftsman shared many things. Both lost their parents early. Both looked after cattle and were often punished for daydreaming. Both also had poor health since they were children. Danila Zverev was so small and thin that villagers called him "Lyogonkiy" (Russian: Лёгонький, meaning "Lightweight"). Danilo in the story had a nickname "Nedokormysh" (Russian: Недокормыш, meaning "Underfed"). Danila Zverev's teacher, Samoil Prokofyich Yuzhakov, was the inspiration for Danilo's old teacher, Prokopich.

What Happens Next?

"The Master Craftsman"

The story of Danilo continues in "The Master Craftsman" (Russian: Горный мастер, tr. Gornyj master). This story was published in several magazines in 1939. It was also translated into English as "The Master Craftsman" and "The Mountain Craftsman".

The story begins after Danilo disappears. For several years, Danilo's fiancée, Katyenka (Katya), waits for him. She refuses to marry anyone else, even though people make fun of her. She is the only one who believes Danilo will come back. People start calling her "Dead Man's Bride."

When both of Katya's parents die, she moves to Danilo's house. She takes care of his old teacher, Prokopich. She knows living with a man might harm her reputation, but she does it anyway. Prokopich is happy to have her. He earns money by cutting gems. Katya manages the house, cooks, and gardens.

When Prokopich gets too old to work, Katya realizes she can't support herself only by needlework. She asks him to teach her stone craft. Prokopich laughs at first, thinking it's not a job for a woman. But he soon agrees. He teaches her how to work with malachite.

After Prokopich dies, Katya decides to live in the house alone. Her unusual behavior and refusal to marry make people think she is crazy or even a witch. But Katya strongly believes that Danilo will "learn all he wants to know, there in the mountain, and then he'll come." She decides to try making medallions and selling them.

There are no gemstones left, so she goes to the forest. She finds a special piece of gemstone and starts working. When the medallions are finished, she goes to town to the merchant who used to buy Prokopich's work. He buys all her medallions, even though he's hesitant at first, because her work is very beautiful. Katya feels like this is a sign from Danilo.

She runs back to the forest and calls out for him. The Mistress of the Copper Mountain appears. Katya bravely demands that she give Danilo back. The Mistress takes Katya to Danilo and says, "Well, Danilo the Master Craftsman, now you must choose. If you go with her you forget all that is mine, if you remain here, then you must forget her and all living people." Danilo chooses Katya, saying he thought about her every moment.

The Mistress is happy with Katya's bravery. She rewards her by letting Danilo remember everything he learned in the Mountain. She warns Danilo never to tell anyone about his time there. The couple thanks the Mistress and returns to the village. When people ask about his disappearance, Danilo says he simply went to Kolyvan to train with another craftsman. He marries Katya. His stone works are amazing, and everyone starts calling him "the mountain craftsman."

Other Stories in the Family

The story of Danilo's family continues in "A Fragile Twig," published in 1940. This tale focuses on Katyenka and Danilo's son, Mitya. It is the last story about Danilo's family. Bazhov had plans for a fourth story, but he never wrote it. He once said he wanted to write about Danilo's children and their skills, bringing the story up to modern times. But this plan was later dropped.

Films and Theatre

Films Based on the Story

• The Stone Flower (1946): A Soviet film that uses parts of "The Stone Flower" and "The Mistress of the Copper Mountain" stories.
• The Stone Flower (1977): An animated film based on "The Stone Flower" and "The Master Craftsman."
• The Master Craftsman (1978): Another animated film by Soyuzmultfilm studio, also based on both stories.
• The Book of Masters (2009): A Russian fantasy film that loosely uses ideas from Bazhov's tales, including "The Stone Flower."
• The Stone Flower (1988): A two-episode television film. It was a filmed version of a play from the Maly Theatre.

Theatre and Ballet

• The Stone Flower (1944): A ballet with music by Alexander Fridlender.
• The Stone Flower (1949): Klavdiya Filippova combined "The Stone Flower" and "The Master Craftsman" into a children's play.
• The Stone Flower (1950): An opera in four acts by Kirill Molchanov. It was his first opera.
• The Tale of the Stone Flower (1954): A famous ballet with music by Sergei Prokofiev.
• Skazy (1987): Also called The Stone Flower, this was a play by the Maly Theatre.