Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #12 March 2015 | Page 54
Excerpts from “A field guide to the Russian
Wilds”
Valery Riddle
Several pages found scattered in a forest glade. Author unknown.
much as talks. Worthy heroes meet her, and she helps
Flying creatures
them find the right way to solve a problem, or tells
them the future or shares her infinite knowledge. She
Alkonost
is also the messenger of our Slavic gods and often
Everybody wants to be happy. But boundless happicomes to tell their wish to the humans.
ness is known to be harmful. If you see a bird with
light-coloured feathers and the head of a woman,
Firebird
then you might soon find out why. When Alkonost
If I told you that the feathers of this bird can light up
starts singing in her heavenly voice, humans know no
the darkest room, and its singing cures blindness and
trouble or grief. They can’t
diseases, would you want
stop listening to her and
to have one of your own?
it soon drives them crazy.
In that case, bring a gold
You might try closing your
cage with some apples
ears, of course, but if you
inside as a bait because you
are still looking at Alcan’t catch it with your bare
konost, it won’t help. The
hands. It also hurts to look
mere sight of her makes
at its plumage which burns
people want to listen.
brighter than any fire. UnBecause who in their right
fortunately, there’s only one
mind can refuse to be hapof its kind in the world, and
py even for a split second?
it lives in a highly secured
garden. The Firebird itself
Sirin
guards something else—the
Sirin’s voice is just as
Apples of Youth—so it’s no
pleasant, and she looks
wonder many brave heroes
like Alkonost, except that
have tried to acquire either
her feathers are black. But
and failed, one after anothbeware.However, whilst
er.
just as captivating, listening to her will make you lose Zmey Gorynych
your memory. But choose your own fate, because what You know when you think you have one problem,
Sirin really makes you forget is the sadness and the
and you try to solve it but it turns out there are more
sorrow of your life. However, she always flies away,
where that came from? This creature causes the same
indifferent to human future. A person who has once
trouble to passing travellers. At first glance you’d
listened to her soon dies, as troubles start following
think it’s a dragon, and if you are brave enough, you
him or her everywhere.
might try to chop its head off. Except then it turns out
it has three. Or five. Or seven. Or nine. Or twelve.
Gamayun
Clearly the people who lived to tell the tale were
Unlike the previous two birds, meeting Gamayun is
sensible enough to run away instead of wasting time
a stroke of luck. You can tell her apart from the othon the math. Zmey Gorynych’s hobbies are burning
ers by her multi-colored feathers. She doesn’t sing so
villages and snacking on young girls while it’s at it.
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