Tamara and the Sea Witch

When a poor young woman ventures deep into the woods gathering mushrooms, and happens upon the enchanted well of which she has been warned, her compassion for the one trapped inside leads to a dizzying change of circumstance. Now the wife of a mysterious prince, and living in a splendid castle,

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Tamara is still unhappy, for she does not know her husband's name, and sees him only three days out of the year. But will her questions lead to happiness or tragedy...?

This lovely tale, in which a worthy peasant girl frees her princely husband from the enchantment of a wicked sea witch, is retold and illustrated by Krystyna Turska, the Polish-British author who was awarded the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1972 for The Woodcutter's Duck. I am not entirely sure that this is a genuine Russian folktale, as I have never encountered it in any other collection, but my experience with Turska's other titles leads me to suspect that it is. However that may be, Tamara and the Sea Witch is an engaging story, with charming, stylized illustrations. Well worth the time of any folklore enthusiast!

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