NUMBERS IN THE RUSSIAN FOLKTALES
Anna Rafaeva
ABSTRACT
The paper is devoted to numbers, their functions and some commonly used formulas in
Russian folktales. Some numbers and their role in the world image of folktales will be discussed
closely.
Статья посвящена числам, их функциям в русских сказках, а также некоторым широко
используемым числовым формулам. Ряд чисел и их роль в картине мира русской сказки
будут рассмотрены подробно.
KEYWORDS
Numbers, Russian folktales, function, sacral number, formula, world image, lexical
compatibility
INTRODUCTION
Numbers are the important part of the naïve world image in mythology and folklore.
Numbers, especially those from 3 to 10, have their own semantics and lexical compatibility, and
they differ for different numbers. Some numbers are sacral, like 3 in Russian tradition or 4 in
China tradition and some Indian myths and legends. The others, for example 13, are known as
demonic and unhappy. The paper is devoted to numbers, their function and some commonly
used formulas in Russian folktales.
At the beginning of the work, all the numerals were found automatically in the corpus of
tales from [1], and the list of concordances for the numerals and some adjectives, like
двенадцатиголовый (twelve-headed), and nouns, like полсотни instead of пятьдесят (fifty),
Трехглазка (Three-eyed – the girl’s name) was made. Special terms for money, weight and
measure were also included.
These concordances were used to study the semantics of numbers in Russian tales. For
each number its frequency and lexical compatibility were fixed, and this data was used to
describe the number. Some interesting results for natural numbers will be discussed in next
sections.
NUMBERS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS IN FOLKTALES
Unexpectedly, numbers are very often in Russian tales, and more than 2/3 of texts (388 from
528) have two or more numbers, while other texts do without numbers at all. Some motives do
not need numbers at, and others (for example, journey) can be represented with the help of
numbers or using one of the special tale formulas. The hero can travel three days, three years, or
unknown time:
скоро сказка сказывается, да нескоро дело делается (it’s quickly to say, it’s long to do).
Numbers are used not only for counting (especially in cumulative tales), but to describe monster,
countries and the way to other world, difficult task or magic power of helper or bride, for
example:
three-headed (six-headed, nine-headed) dragon;
magic horse with two or six wings;
the hero’s wife makes a carpet, which is sold for ten thousand rubles; (other storytellers can
say beautiful carpet, try to describe it or talk about the reaction of king and merchants).
it takes 9 years to travel to the island where the deer with golden horns live, etc.
So, numbers and counting have some regular functions in Russian tales:
1. Counting, especially in cumulative tales.
Mosquito, or fly (or other insect) finds a hut (tower, dead horse’s head) and lives there alone.
Then frog or some other animal comes, two of them live together. Then come hare, fox and other
animals, after each of them storyteller repeats: three of them live together, four of them live
together and so on, until the bear, who is too big to come inside, ruins the hut.
In Russians tales of this tale type animals appear in ascending order: insect, frog, hare, fox
and so on. In some other Slavic traditions the order is partially random, but the smallest animal is
the first and the biggest one (usually bear) appears the last and destroys the hut.
2. Counting can also performs magic and protective function, for example:
An old man travels to heaven. There he meets 12 evil goats, the first with one eye, the second
one with two, and so on. He says: dream, the first eye, dream, the second eye… But he fails to
count all the twelve eyes of the last goat and is caught by it.
3. Numbers are often used to describe magic world or supernatural being. For example,
dragons always have many heads, usually 3, 6 and 9.
4. Sometimes numbers are used to describe something big or numerous, so it’s one of the
ways to represent semantic function many:
Dragon eats 3 (6, 12) cows at once;
Childless couple gets 41 sons by magic;
Hero is supposed to eat a half (or a quarter) of a roasted bull;
Magic helper is so quick, that he runs more than 5 000 miles in a minute, etc.
Some numbers have their own semantics and appear in special context, while others, like
three and multiples of three, are used very often.
So, I suppose, that the main function of numbers in folktales is magic. Three is known very
well as sacral and magic number. Counting and numbering helps hero to protect himself from
numbered enemies, measured strength of monster can be overpowered, and seven heroes
perform the impossible task together. Besides, the other world (i.e., the world of magic and
supernatural) itself can be described with the help of magic numbers.
FREQUENCY
If numbers function like some kind of magic, so the frequency of particular number has to
depend on its semantics and its place in folklore system more, than on other reasons.
On Figure 1., 15 most frequent numbers are shown in descending order.
Figure 1. Most frequent numbers in Russian folktales
One is excluded from consideration, because in different contexts it can also mean:
One (number);
One, alone, exclusive element: один сын (one son), одна-единственная корова (only one
cow);
The last element: змей съел всех, кроме одного мужика (dragon ate everyone, except of
one man);
Unknown element: один человек (a man), один из купцов (one of merchants).
Besides, in Russian tales enumeration often begins with two or even three: eldest Simeon,
second Simeon, third Simeon… till seventh Simeon; or
К вечеру собрался старик, отправился в лес и спрятался <…> На другую ночь пошла в
лес старуха и тоже ничего доброго не сделала; а на третью ночь отправилась молодая
жена выручать своего мужа.
(In the evening the old man (hero’s father – A.R.) went to the forest and hide <…> Next night
the old woman went to the forest and also did nothing good; on the third night the young wife
went to rescue her husband).
According to V. Toporov, in some traditions 3 opens the sequence of natural numbers, and is
considered as perfect and sacral number and even as the model of the universe. Other sacral
numbers in Slavic tradition are 4, 7 (as 3 + 4), 9 (3 * 3, three triads) and 12 (3 * 4). Two in this
model means dyad, friends or enemies, and it’s the first semantic opposition to the whole,
monad, known by humanity [2: 630]. Russian oral tradition knows one and two, as well as other
natural and fractional numbers, but three is used more often than the rest of the numbers together
(see Figure 1.).
As shown on Figure 1., other frequent numbers are 2, 12, and 4, all of them are sacral. But the
sacral number 7 is preceded by profane 100 and 5. So, the decimal number system became more
important for the storytellers, than one of the sacral and magic numbers. To solve this problem,
lexical compatibility of numbers in tales was studied.
SOME NUMBERS, THEIR COMPATIBILITY AND SEMANTICS
3 is mentioned very often in folktales, especially in tales of magic. Three brothers act in many
texts, three dragons are to be defeated by hero, dragon can be three-, six-, nine- or twelveheaded, the journey takes three years, helper is paid by three hundred rubles, and so on. Besides,
3, 6, 9 and 12 often form the sequences of multiples of three.
But there are some nouns, that never or rare appear in an amount of three. For example, oak is
often single (about 300 examples), in some texts there are twelve oaks, seven oaks, nine oaks, but
three oaks appear only twice. 3 is used to describe both the world of humans (our world) and the
world of supernatural (other world), while 12 is mostly used to present supernatural being, power
or strength. Besides, there are very few texts, where 3 and 12 are applied for the same class of
objects. So, I suppose, that for tales of magic 12 is “more supernatural” than 3, and its special
function is to show difference between our world and other world.
Curiously enough, that 13 has weak positive connotations in tales, while in other oral Russian
tradition this number is known as bad, dangerous and possessed by devil. In folktales 13 is
represented as 12 + 1, where the last object is good choice for hero, for example, 12 girls are
together, the 13th is alone, and she becomes the helpful bride and helps the hero to rescue from
her monster father.
4 has no special semantics in cumulative and animal tales. Only in tales of magic 4 is closely
connected with the four cardinal directions: north, east, south, and west. So, in tales of magic,
like many myths and legends, 4 organizes horizontal dimension of the universe.
7 is known as number with strong magic power and is used very often in spells and legends,
but this number is rare enough in folktales. It can be assumed, that 7 is too magic for the genre of
folktales. This assumption requires verification on a larger corpus of folktales.
COMMONLY USED FORMULAS
The usage of formulas in the text depends on the genre of the tale. Thus, only two formulas
are very often in cumulative and animal tales:
Addition of 1: 1 + 1 + … + 1 (N times, where N is not fixed) and
Subtraction of 1: N – 1 – … – 1 (N – 1 times).
Both formulas can be used in the single text; the first of them is often preceded by the second.
Other tale formulas (for example, N + 1) are rare for these tale genres.
It seems that novelistic and religious tales have no specific formulas. So, the tales of magic
are the most interesting field to study formulas. The tales of magic have addition and subtraction
of 1, and some other formulas:
N + 1, where N > 2: eleven swans and the twelfth one; twelve girls and the thirteenth one, two
clever brother and the stupid one;
N – 1: twenty nine youths and the helper thirtieth.
Three and multiples of three: three-headed dragon, six-headed dragon, nine-headed dragon.
N * 10, N * 100, … where N is one of the magic numbers: seven villages for seven hundred
rubles, twelve thousands helpers.
N * 11: thirty three, seventy seven and so on.
Other formulas, like
1 + 1 + N: An old man owned a bad hut, a cock and five hens or
N + 2 (N – 2): hero cuts off five heads of dragon, then the last two
are very rare.
The calculations in Russian fairy tales are accurate and errors are unusual, so the formulas are
meaningful.
CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORK
So, numbers in Russian folktales are various and have a lot of functions: to show magic and to
protect from evil, to store the beginnings of calculation and to surprise the storyteller’s public.
Semantization of numbers is high, especially in the tales of magic and maybe animal tales, so
Russian tales represent the naïve world image, where each number has its own meaning.
These results were got with the help of computer system SKAZKA 2 (FolkTale 2). The
system contains the corpus of tales and some program tools for automatic and automated study
of folktales. Now, the most important tasks are to develop the system and to describe semantics
of Russian tales. Some linguistic tools are also under construction.
REFERENCES
1. Afanasjev, A. (1984-1985). Narodnyje russkie skaski A.N. Afanasjeva (Russian folk
tales from A.N. Afanasjev). Moscow: Nauka.
2. Toporov, V. (1994). Chisla (Numbers). In: Myths of nations of the world :
Encyclopedia– Moscow, Rossijskaja enciklopedija. Pp. 629-631.