Bony Legs vs. Hansel & Gretel

Post by **haas mark** » 2002-11-11 05:39am

Discuss plot, characterization, whatever.

Dargos · Post by **Dargos** » 2002-11-11 05:47am

UM....call me uninformed, but who is bony legs? Insufficient data.

Post by **haas mark** » 2002-11-11 05:55am

Dargos wrote:UM....call me uninformed, but who is bony legs? Insufficient data.

Sorry....Bony Legs is a Russian Folk tale. Ummm....I can't remember all of it off the top of my head, but here goes basics of it:

Kid named Sasha.

Forest.

Mom says don't go into forest.

Sasha goes into forest.

There's a witch there (methinks this might have a better comparison with Little Red Riding Hood).

Sasha has a basket with bread, butter, milk, and meat in it.

Witch's house:

Creaking gates that speak.

Sasha rubs butter on the gates to keep them from telling the witch that he's there.

Talking Dog: very skinny.

Sasha gives dog meat to keep it from telling the witch that he's there.

Talking cat: very skinny.

Sasha gives cat milk to keep it from telling the witch that he's there.

Somehow lured inside (its been a while since I have read the story).

Boat with chicken feet has a lot to do with something....but not yet.

Witch gets mad at gate, dog, and cat...

Finds kid, starts chasing...

Kid grabs mirror, comb, and somehow the tub comes into it....

The witch chases the kid, who throws down the comb....Turns into a bunch of trees that acts as bars.

Witch can't get thru.

Sasha still on the side with the house. Throws mirror down. Turns into lake.

Gets cat and dog and the tub; puts in water, turns into boat.

Paddles home with two new pets.

Sorry if I guessed that maybe someone else had read this....maybe not.

Dargos · Post by **Dargos** » 2002-11-11 05:58am

Well...just from your description of the Bony Leg tale, I would think the story seems more exciting than the ol' Hansel and Grettel tale.

Do all Russian stories have Items with chicken feet attached to them? I know Babba Yaga's house had chicken feet on it as well.

Post by **haas mark** » 2002-11-11 06:06am

Dargos wrote:Well...just from your description of the Bony Leg tale, I would think the story seems more exciting than the ol' Hansel and Grettel tale.

Do all Russian stories have Items with chicken feet attached to them? I know Babba Yaga's house had chicken feet on it as well.

Actually, I think the house had chicken feet, as well....and who knows?

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2002-11-11 06:12pm

Bony Legs = Baba Yaga, I believe.

Post by **haas mark** » 2002-11-11 07:07pm

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:Bony Legs = Baba Yaga, I believe.

Apparently so, I asked my Russian Prof today.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2002-11-11 07:11pm

I think Baba Yaga is suppost to be some kind of Russian demon or something.

Verilon: did you get Bony Legs from an ilustrated kids' book?

Post by **haas mark** » 2002-11-11 07:19pm

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:I think Baba Yaga is suppost to be some kind of Russian demon or something.

Verilon: did you get Bony Legs from an ilustrated kids' book?

Sorta....was a book I read as a kid. Just a variation of Baba Yaga. It DID have text, tho.

Post by **haas mark** » 2002-11-11 07:20pm

Oh, and Baba Yaga (Bony Legs) was a witch, not really a demon.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2002-11-11 07:29pm

Yeah, I was first exposed to it as Bony Legs, too. Might have read the same book. Later read about Baba Yaga, noticed the similarities and put two and two together.

IIRC, that book's version of 'Bony Legs' was basically a less-evil version of Baba Yaga.

Post by **haas mark** » 2002-11-11 07:30pm

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:Yeah, I was first exposed to it as Bony Legs, too. Might have read the same book. Later read about Baba Yaga, noticed the similarities and put two and two together.

IIRC, that book's version of 'Bony Legs' was basically a less-evil version of Baba Yaga.

Maybe so.