#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. The Fairy Taimyr – North indigenous peoples’ rare legends collection – publication was one of the results of the expeditions to the peninsula villages, organized by the Norilsk Development Agency (NDA) in 2021.
The book became the fifth in the fabulous series of the writer Alexandra Agafonova, who participated in the research trip to the Yenisey bay settlements. The collection contains 18 rare and unknown legends of indigenous ethnic groups and one cross-cutting author’s story about naughty boys, which unites the past and the future.
“The material for fairy tales was found in folklore collectors’ manuscripts, in conversations with storytellers, and also during expeditions, when the author managed to communicate with the Taimyr inhabitants. The fairy tales tell about friendship, devotion, courage and overcoming life’s hardships”, said the NDA.
Illustrations for fairy tales were created by Ksenia Voronova – spirits, shamans, magical animals and insects are presented in the artist’s style. Costumes, national ornaments and household items of the Taimyr peoples are authentically depicted. The book author was consulted by the Taimyr House of Folk Art representatives and a culturologist Evgenia Vengo.
The author cares about the indigenous peoples languages preserving. Four fairy tales have been translated into the Dolgan, Evenki, Enets and Nenets languages, voiced and available in audio fairy tale format using a QR code on the pages.
“It’s hard to keep languages alive when only a couple of hundred people speak them. It is difficult to remember legends and myths if there is no one to tell them to. The Fairytale Taimyr book was written so that people in different parts of the world could feel the spirit of the Arctic peninsula and find out what kind of fairy tales live on this land”, Alexandra Agafonova addresses readers.
The book was published with a circulation of three thousand copies. You can buy the collection in the country’s online bookstores.
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Text: Anzhelika Stepanova, Photo: Norilsk Development Agency
