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Where exactly is the ‘Far Far Away Kingdom’ in Russian fairy tales? 

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The path to it is long and difficult and no one returns from there the same. Why? Because it is the otherworld, the underworld, the land of the dead.

If you read Russian folk fairy tales, you cannot help but notice how difficult it is to get to the Far Far Away Kingdom of the 13th state. In various fairy tales, this place is separated from the world of the living by a dense forest, a deep sea and/or a fiery river and, without magical helpers, you cannot find the secret paths that lead there. The entrance to this world is usually guarded by ‘Baba Yaga’ in a hut standing on chicken leg-shaped stilts, who sometimes helps the hero get to his goal and, sometimes, interferes and tries to eat him! 

But, if he managed to get into this world, then real miracles awaited him there: a magical garden with a firebird and rejuvenating apples; golden-maned horses; wolves and crows speaking with a human voice; dead and living water; and a beautiful princess with ‘Koschei the Deathless’ guarding her.

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But, the stakes in this world are high: the hero could literally die at every step. And, more often than not, this is what happens. Usually, as a result of betrayal by someone close to him, Ivan Tsarevich (if the tale is about him) dies, his body is cut into pieces and thrown in a deserted place. Then, one of the animals, whom the hero had previously helped, finds the remains, pours ‘dead’ water on them, so that the pieces grow together, and then some ‘living’ water to bring him back to life. And the young man, risen from the dead, goes to punish the villains and reclaim from them what rightfully belongs to him. 

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As an alternative to death at the hands of an enemy, there may be cauldrons with cold and boiling water, in which one must bathe. The idea is the same – the hero must literally or symbolically die, in order to be resurrected in a new capacity: stronger, more robust, more handsome than before. Then, no difficulties will scare him – he will overcome all obstacles and return home victorious with treasure and a beautiful wife. 

Therefore, many folklorists, including the famous Vladimir Propp, compared the hero's journey to the ‘Far Far Away Kingdom’ with an ancient initiation rite. A young man sets out on a journey and returns as an adult man.