A Tale of the Dead I
A peasant, traveling at night, encounters a grave that opens, revealing a corpse that escapes its coffin. The peasant, intrigued, takes the coffin lid and confronts the corpse, who demands its return. In exchange for the lid, the corpse reveals it has killed two young men in the village and provides a method to revive them. The peasant follows the instructions, successfully bringing the youths back to life. However, instead of gratitude, the villagers suspect the peasant of murder and attempt to punish him. He pleads his innocence, recounting his encounter with the corpse. The villagers, convinced of the corpse's malevolence, dig up the grave and stake the corpse to prevent further harm. The peasant is celebrated for his bravery and rewarded for his actions.
By Alexander Nikolayevich Afanasyev · First published 1820 · Genre: Fantasy, Folklore, Adventure · 677 words
First lines
One day a peasant was going by night with pots on his head. He journeyed on and on, and his horse became tired and came to a spot in front of God's acre. The peasant ungirded the horse, set it to graze, but he could not get any sleep. He lay down and lay down, suddenly the grave began opening under him, and he felt it and leaped to his feet. Then the grave opened and the corpse with the coffin lid got out, with his white shroud on; got out and ran up to the church door, laid the coffin lid at the gate and himself went into the village.
What this Textopian page supports
A Tale of the Dead I is listed on Textopian as a short story by Alexander Nikolayevich Afanasyev, dated 1820 CE.
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- Work type: Short story
- Author: Alexander Nikolayevich Afanasyev
- Date: 1820 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fantasy, Folklore, Adventure, Dark Comedy, Moral Tale
- Length: 677 words
- Structure: 1 section, 14 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)
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- Work identity for A Tale of the Dead I by Alexander Nikolayevich Afanasyev
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- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering A Tale of the Dead I?
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Genres
- Fantasy — The story involves supernatural elements such as a talking corpse and the ability to revive the dead, characteristic of the fantasy genre.
- Folklore — The narrative reflects traditional folk tales with moral lessons and cultural beliefs about death and the afterlife.
- Adventure — The peasant's journey and encounters with the corpse create an adventurous plot filled with unexpected events.
- Dark Comedy — The absurdity of the situation and the peasant's boldness in dealing with a corpse introduce elements of dark humor.
Tags
Folklore · Russian Literature · Short Story Collection · Anthology · Mythology · Fairy Tales · Slavic Mythology · Death and the Afterlife · Mortality · Grief · Loss · Psychological Insight