Stone Flower
What garden is hiding it from people?
“
Every tale has a reason. Some of them teach us to be humble, others teach us to be wise. But there is also that kind of tale that is nothing but a lantern. "
A russian writer
that animated a stone
Bazhov Pavel Petrovich (1879-1950) is a russian writer-folklorist. Behind the legends of the Urals that he turned into the most enigmatic tales of the Russian literature there is always a real life and a dangerous beauty of nature, its treasures and people trying to get them and survive. Yet the imaginary of his tales is so vividly intermingled with reality that it becomes difficult to tell the two worlds apart.
Originally the Ural mines were renowned for copper extraсtion and casting. And it was green copper ore that brought the world-wide fame to the region and a national symbol to the country: higly spread all over the place it was baptised as "a russian stone". In the list of its peculiar properties that made the mineral extremely popular among the genle folk there were lots of superstitions: a man drinking constantly out of the malachite cup was said to understand the language of animals, while the owner of the green copper amulet was protected from the evil eye, jinx and all forms of bad luck and illnesses including melancolie.
Originally the Ural mines were renowned for copper extraсtion and casting. And it was green copper ore that brought the world-wide fame to the region and a national symbol to the country: higly spread all over the place it was baptised as "a russian stone". In the list of its peculiar properties that made the mineral extremely popular among the genle folk there were lots of superstitions: a man drinking constantly out of the malachite cup was said to understand the language of animals, while the owner of the green copper amulet was protected from the evil eye, jinx and all forms of bad luck and illnesses including melancolie.
Nowdays the green copper ore mines in Russia are said to be exhausted unless not all the deposits have been discovered yet. Whatsoever it appears that Pavel Bajov had preserved the green stone for posterity in his folk tales collection "The Malachite Box".
The story written on its pages reveals to the reader the mysterious life and destiny of the Copper Mountain Mistress - a guardian of the Urals treasures. In front of the errant chisellers a solid stone spirit appeared in the form of either a beautiful green-eyed lady dressed in luxirious clothing or a lizard with a crown on the head.
With those who were looking for an easy way to become rich the Mistress was harsh and merciless. But those who were working hard and using her treasures for the sake of art and beauty, she was generous and clement. But the price for such benevolence was heavier than a miner's sack : to completely resign oneself to the control of stone and its paralysing beauty and become stone deaf to the long-forgotten love of the abandonned fiancee ...
The story written on its pages reveals to the reader the mysterious life and destiny of the Copper Mountain Mistress - a guardian of the Urals treasures. In front of the errant chisellers a solid stone spirit appeared in the form of either a beautiful green-eyed lady dressed in luxirious clothing or a lizard with a crown on the head.
With those who were looking for an easy way to become rich the Mistress was harsh and merciless. But those who were working hard and using her treasures for the sake of art and beauty, she was generous and clement. But the price for such benevolence was heavier than a miner's sack : to completely resign oneself to the control of stone and its paralysing beauty and become stone deaf to the long-forgotten love of the abandonned fiancee ...
The eye-catching colour
that strikes like a lightning
Credits
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Without having a chance to ask for a personal permission on publishing the above-mentioned illustrations we'd like to thank and pay our respect to Vyatcheslav Nazarouk et Macha Dudar, to say nothing of Daria Koutepouva - a modern handworker whose lavalier is on the title page of this column. We also send a special thank to our friend Pavel Nesterov. The inspiration we've got for the creation of this literary page we owe to this namesake of the great Urals writer...
Interesting fact
straightway from Cannes
Did you know that...
A homonymic film directed by Alexander Ptouchko came out in the USSR on April, 28th in 1946. The same year it was shown
at the Cannes Festival among 44 films in the official selection
in competition and was awarded with
the International Grand Prix for the Colour.
at the Cannes Festival among 44 films in the official selection
in competition and was awarded with
the International Grand Prix for the Colour.
Summary
that will keep you in suspence
" Once upon a time there lived an old bondman - a chiseller named Prokopitch. He used to be the best craftsman but the age and hard work had robbed him of forces and turned into a wreak. The lord of manor enjoined him to take young apprentices capable of succeeding him in his craft. But only one cowherd Danila, a young boy with a sharp eye for the beauty of nature, was destined to rejoice the cockles of the old artisan's heart and become his favourite disciple.
One day the landlord ordered Procopitch to carve a never-before-seen Malachite box , but the old man was too weak to carry it through. It was Danila's turn to put the last hand to it. Once the job was done, the young apprentice got another whim to see to - a cup in the shape of the flower. One day when he was sitting on the river bank dreaming about this new challenge, a beautiful girl Katya came up and offered him a flower. Its beauty conquered his imagination and, in sign of his love to Katya, Danila carved a cup strikingly resembling to her naive present. Since then Danila was haunted by one and only thought: to make a perfect flower so that all the rest would сrumble to dust in the light of its surpassing beauty. And one day an old man told him that a stone flower was growing on the Copper mountain surveilled by its Mistress together with the clandestine treasures hidden inside.
Winter was drawing near until the day сame when Katya and Danila were to get married. In the midst of the wedding Danila went out of the house and, driven by the unknown force, headed off to the mountain striving to find the Stone Flower. He did find both the desirable plant and its owner but that meeting had prepared him a test of love to Katya and a question of his will's freedom. Only a chiseller's experienced hand and a loving heart of Katya could feel the razor's edge and how close that shave was..."
One day the landlord ordered Procopitch to carve a never-before-seen Malachite box , but the old man was too weak to carry it through. It was Danila's turn to put the last hand to it. Once the job was done, the young apprentice got another whim to see to - a cup in the shape of the flower. One day when he was sitting on the river bank dreaming about this new challenge, a beautiful girl Katya came up and offered him a flower. Its beauty conquered his imagination and, in sign of his love to Katya, Danila carved a cup strikingly resembling to her naive present. Since then Danila was haunted by one and only thought: to make a perfect flower so that all the rest would сrumble to dust in the light of its surpassing beauty. And one day an old man told him that a stone flower was growing on the Copper mountain surveilled by its Mistress together with the clandestine treasures hidden inside.
Winter was drawing near until the day сame when Katya and Danila were to get married. In the midst of the wedding Danila went out of the house and, driven by the unknown force, headed off to the mountain striving to find the Stone Flower. He did find both the desirable plant and its owner but that meeting had prepared him a test of love to Katya and a question of his will's freedom. Only a chiseller's experienced hand and a loving heart of Katya could feel the razor's edge and how close that shave was..."
based on a soviet screen adaptation of P.Bajov's "Stone Flower" tale
For cinema addicts
not afraid to be lost in translation
Press the play button below