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1001 Stories Collection

The Gigantic Turnip

1001 thegiantturnip
Added on 01st July 2020

Oral tradition Russian folktale

Russia Animals Family Folk and fairy tales
1001 , Audio , Text , Storymap

Many people co-operate to pull up a giant turnip.

Story

When an old man plants some turnips, one turns out to be gigantic. He cannot pull it out of the ground himself, but even after his wife and their grandchildren help him, the turnip is still stuck. How will they ever get it out?

Why we chose it

This was one of the stories in our original audio stories collection. These stories are particularly suitable for learning to retell.

Where it came from

The story appears in Alexander Afanasyev’s Russian Fairy Tales (1855-1863). Inspired by the Brothers Grimm, Afanasyev began collecting Russian and Slavic folktales, many of which had been orally passed down. The tale stems from the Christian moral of collaboration and helping each other.

Where it went next

The story has been adapted several times in Russian and English, the most well-known being Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy’s 1940 version. It is still just as popular today, especially for young children.

Associated stories

The tale is a progressive story as are many nursery rhymes and the fairy-tale The Gingerbread Man.

Afanasyev’s collection also includes famous stories such as Vasilisa the Beautiful The Frog Princess, Twelve Dancing Princesses, and The Firebird.

Added on 01st July 2020

Oral tradition Russian folktale

Russia Animals Family Folk and fairy tales
1001 , Audio , Text , Storymap

Story Resources

  • The Giant Turnip story map PDF (385.772 KB)
    Download
  • The Giant Turnip story text PDF (196.736 KB)
    Download