What does a Russian ball of yarn and Ariadne's thread have in common?

The first association evoked by the "magic ball of yarn" is Ariadne's thread, which helped Theseus escape the Minotaur's labyrinth. However, interestingly, this magical object is no less important in Russian fairy tales and appears regularly.

In folklore, not every object can be magical. Its power comes from its origin – it must be obtained "from there", from another world, the ‘Thirtieth Kingdom’", a mythical realm that is both the realm of the dead and the source of miracles. This is why the magic ball of yarn, like living water or rejuvenating apples, has a special power – it serves as a guide.

In Russian fairy tales, the hero most often receives the ball of yarn from Baba Yaga, the guardian of the boundary between the human world and the other world. This object has a single, but important, function: to lead the hero the way. Most often, this is the path from one Baba Yaga to another – her sister. Something like the pre-mapped route in a car navigation system. In such stories, there are usually three old sisters, with the third, eldest, being the most powerful, but all three end up helping the hero.

But, the ball of yarn can also help in other ways: it can lead the hero out of an impenetrable forest or lead him to the goal of his journey – the kidnapped princess, the water of life or some other object of his quest. This motif is similar to Ariadne's thread: both lead the way to salvation from a hopeless situation.