The Feather of Finist the Falcon
"The Feather of Finist the Falcon" is a Russian fairy tale that centers on themes of love, sacrifice, and the quest for identity. The story begins with a merchant who, upon visiting a fair, fulfills the wishes of his two elder daughters but struggles to obtain the mystical feather of the falcon, Finist, for his youngest daughter, Marya. His eventual success leads to an unexpected promise that Marya will marry Finist.
As the tale unfolds, Finist, who visits Marya in disguise, becomes a target of jealousy from her sisters, culminating in a trap that injures him. This prompts Marya to embark on a perilous journey to find him, during which she encounters three witches who provide her with magical gifts. Ultimately, she confronts the challenges posed by Finist’s betrothed and, after several trials, reunites with her beloved.
The narrative is rich with symbolic motifs, including the transformative nature of birds in folklore, the significance of the number three, and the presence of the enigmatic figure Baba Yaga, who embodies both assistance and hindrance. The story not only reflects the cultural landscape of Russian folklore but also emphasizes the enduring nature of true love and the trials it may overcome.
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The Feather of Finist the Falcon
Author: Alexander Afanasyev
Time Period: 1851 CE–1900 CE
Country or Culture: Russia
Genre: Folktale
PLOT SUMMARY
A merchant is leaving for the fair one day and asks his three daughters what they wish him to bring back for them. His older two daughters request dresses, but his youngest daughter, Marya, asks for the feather of Finist the Falcon. The merchant goes to the fair twice but is only able to bring back what his older daughters requested. He asks Marya if she wants anything besides the feather of Finist, but she remains steadfast in her desire for it.
During the father’s third visit to the fair, he is able to acquire the feather of Finist the Falcon. In exchange for the feather, the father must promise that Marya will marry Finist. Perhaps attracted by his own feather, Finist visits the young girl’s bedroom at night and woos her. He explains that his feathers will allow her to disguise herself if she wishes. During the falcon’s visit, the other two sisters listen in on their conversation. Finist visits Marya often, and the older sisters become very suspicious. They eventually tell their father that they think Marya has a lover, but he does not believe them.
One day, the older daughters set a trap with knives in the window so that the falcon will be injured when he visits Marya again. Finist arrives and is hurt; before he leaves, however, he tells his love that she must search for him, noting that it will be an arduous journey that will wear out three pairs of iron shoes and three iron staves. The falcon leaves, and when he does not return to her, Marya sets out to find him.
The first place she comes to is the hut of a witch, often known as Baba Yaga. The witch gives the girl expensive gifts, such as a silver spinning wheel and a golden spindle, and then instructs her to visit another witch. This second witch gives the girl a silver dish and a golden egg and then instructs her to go see yet another witch. This witch also gives Marya expensive and magical gifts, such as a golden embroidery frame and a needle that sews itself. This final witch instructs the girl to go to the castle, where Finist the Falcon is planning to marry another girl.
In some versions of the story, Marya trades all of the witches’ gifts to Finist’s would-be princess in exchange for a night with him. In another variation, the girl sees the princess trying to wash the blood from the injured Finist’s shirt and washes it herself in exchange for a night alone with him. In both versions, before allowing Marya to spend the night with Finist, the princess puts a magical pin in his hair to keep him asleep. This way, the two cannot fall in love. On the third night, the pin falls out of Finist’s hair, and he awakes and recognizes the young girl. Finist marries Marya, his true love.
In a different version of the tale, Finist asks the nobles which girl he should marry: the one who sold him or the one who bought him. The nobles declare he should marry the one who bought him. In others, Marya returns home to her father and sisters. When the family attends church, Marya goes with Finist, dressed in her fine feather clothes; her sisters do not recognize her, and when they return home, they tell her stories of a prince and princess who were at church. The third time they go to church like this, the father sees Finist’s carriage outside the door and realizes that Marya married the falcon.
SIGNIFICANCE
The most popular telling of “The Feather of Finist the Falcon” appears in the highly influential collection Russian Fairy Tales, collected by Russian folklorist Alexander Afanasyev and published by him between 1855 and 1863. Throughout his career, Afanasyev recorded and collected over six hundred Russian folktales and fairy tales. He grouped these stories according to their themes, imagery, and style. His work was a major contribution to the distribution and legitimization of Russian peasant culture and folk belief.
In the Aarne-Thompson classification system of recurring plot patterns and narrative structures in folklore, “The Feather of Finist the Falcon” is classified as type 432, in which the prince or lover is a bird. The stories classified as type 432 typically contain a woman who falls in love with a nobleman in the shape of a bird who is wounded by a trap. The woman then seeks out the wounded bird, cures him, and ultimately marries him.
In Russian folklore, birds are typically interpreted as beings of wisdom and knowledge. Many times these birds transform into humans or share physical traits with humans, such as the prophetic Gamayun bird, who has a human head. Falcons appear throughout world mythology and are typically used as symbols for the gods or messengers. The powerful Egyptian god Horus has the head of a falcon, and in Norse mythology, the goddesses Frigg and Freyja both have cloaks of falcon feathers that allow them to fly.
One of the most famous figures of Russian folklore, the Baba Yaga, appears in this story as well. She appears frequently in various folktales of the Russian and Slavic languages. She is commonly depicted as an old woman who lives in the forest in a house on two chicken legs. She is a rather ambivalent figure who either hinders those who seek her out or provides them aid. In the case of Marya, she provides her with gifts to bribe Finist’s princess.
Another common fairy-tale element in this story is the use of the number three, often referred to as the rule of three. Like in “The Feather of Finist the Falcon,” other tales frequently have the youngest of three children becoming the hero. Additionally, Marya’s father must go to fair three times to get the feather, Marya is given gifts by three witches, and Finist does not awake until the third night.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Afanasyev, Alexander. “The Feather of Finist, the Bright Falcon.” Russian Fairy Tales. Trans. Norbert Guterman. New York: Pantheon, 1945. 580–87. Print.
Field, Anne. “Russian Folktales.” Book Links 9.5 (2000): 52–57. Print.
Heiner, Heidi Anne. “The Feather of Finist the Falcon.” Russian Wonder Tales by Post Wheeler. SurLaLune Fairy Tales, 8 May 2005. Web. 19 May 2013.
Johns, Andreas. Baba Yaga: The Ambiguous Mother and Witch of the Russian Folktale. New York: Lang, 2004. Print.
Post, Wheeler. Russian Fairy Tales. New York: Senate, 1996. Print.