Byliny Book: Hero Tales of Russia

The collection presents English retellings of Russian byliny, offering four heroic narratives that follow legendary warriors—Volga, Mikúla, Svyatogór and Ilyá—whose deeds combine martial encounters with supernatural episodes and clashes with invading foes. A preface and brief notes guide readers through names, pronunciation, and cultural background. Each tale preserves epic motifs—feats of strength, loyalty to a ruler, and encounters with monstrous or foreign enemies—rendered in accessible prose and accompanied by decorative illustrations. The volume introduces younger readers to traditional oral epics and the social values they express without scholarly apparatus.