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Sue GodseyI loved the Russian folktales. It is one of the reasons I picked this book. It has been on my radar a while, since I am very interested in folklore.
I did storytelling as a side gig for many years. I have not done it as much in the past 6 years or so, but I am still very interested in folklore from all over the world. I am not super well-versed in Russian folklore per se, but I was familiar with Baba Yaga, the Rusalka, and the Domovoi. I have also read several tales about packs of wolves attacking humans in winter. I did enjoy the fleshing out and updating of that tale. I did not anticipate the direct clash between Christianity and the belief of the old gods that would drive the plot. It brought up a lot of interesting questions and ideas.
In my culture, I can only claim regional folklore. Although I am currently in Texas, I spent a great deal of my life in the foothills of the Ozarks, so I read and told Ozark folktales along with others.
What did you think about the folklore element? What about folklore in your culture?