Their lair – the forest – is the same: it’s a place of magic and fairy tales, holding many beauties and even the solution to some of Vasya’s problems, but it also guards her enemies and can mean her death. While God is all good and the Devil is pure evil, the spirits can be gentle and cruel, friendly and hostile, benevolent and merciless, good and evil.
This distinction is at the heart of the story: while Christianity deals with absolutes, the spirits of the old folk tales are more complex. It’s not seen by Vasya as a dark, evil place – the home of Christian demons – but it can still be merciless if one is not careful. The forest is the main setting of The Bear and the Nightingale. Vasya is saved at the last minute by another folkloric being, but the bear is bound to come for her again. He’s a bear and a spirit, and he tries to claim her soul. One day, she wanders too far into the forest and meets a one-eyed man near a gnarled oak tree. The protagonist is Vasilisa Petrovna, Pyotr’s youngest daughter, who is born with the gift of second sight: unlike her brothers and sisters, Vasya can see and talk to the forest spirits near her house, who she tries to help and befriend. Treat the old spirits – and nature by proxy – with respect, the story intends to teach, or else. The stepmother is taken aback and sends her own daughter to the forest, expecting the same result, but is rewarded only with death.
Her display of bravery impresses Frost, who sends her back home with gold and precious jewels. The forest is cold and silent, and yet the maiden doesn’t complain, even when the blue-eyed king appears and makes the weather even harsher.
The people in Pyotr’s house – a Russian boyar – gather to hear old Dunya tell the tale of a maiden who is sent to the forest to marry the king of winter, Frost, because her jealous stepmother wants her to die. The book opens with a story being told at night. The novel, written by Katherine Arden, offers a touching tale packed with layered characters and discussions. It’s also a story about religion, depicting a battle over the imagination of the people, changing their beliefs and behavior. The Bear and the Nightingale is a fairy tale about a Russian girl that gets lost in the woods and meets an ancient, cruel bear.
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