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Woe

Woe

Author	Anonymous
Translator	W.R.S Ralston
Language	Russian
Genre	Tale
Publication date	1873
Publication place	Russia

Woe, or Woe -- The Poor Man’s Companion, is an anonymous Russian folktale published in 1873. This folktale deals with misfortune being personified; it is a story where misery is attached to characters as a living agent. The misfortune personified in this story, Woe, attaches to and destroys two brothers’ lives with an excessive drinking habit. The brothers cannot easily destroy Woe as it follows them everywhere, yet by using deception they eventually evade and destroy Woe.

Plot Summary

Woe is narrated with a third person point of view which observes two brothers. One brother is a rich merchant, and the other is a poor peasant. The poor peasant, tired endlessly of struggling, decided to ask his brother for help. The merchant invited his brother and his wife to a party and ignored them both, sending them off with no food.

The poor brother began to sing a song to imitate the joy of the merry merchants who ignored them, and as he sang Woe started to sing along with him. His wife could not hear Woe, yet Woe began to speak to the peasant. Woe ordered the peasant to the pot-house to drink away his sorrows. Day after day, selling every item the peasant had, Woe made the peasant drink excessively.

Until one day, when Woe showed the peasant a hidden hole with a cart of gold inside to continue drinking with, the peasant tricks and captures Woe in the hole. Now rich and free of Woe, the peasant used the money to become twice as rich as his brother.

After, the peasant invites his brother to a party to show off his riches, and his brother quickly becomes envious. His brother, being told the story of Woe, decides to free Woe so his brother can be destroyed once more. Woe confuses the merchant to be the other brother and attaches himself to him immediately.

Woe ordered the merchant to engage in the same excessive drinking habit leaving him with nothing, until the merchant tricks Woe with a game of hide and seek. Tricking Woe to hide in a cart, the merchant flings the cart into the river to drown and destroy Woe and lives normally for the rest of his days.

Themes

Woe engages with themes of deception, destruction, and misfortune.

Deception is used by both brothers and Woe alike. Woe introduces this theme by deceiving the poor brother by pretending to be his friend, singing along with him after the disappointment of his brother’s party. The poor brother declares to never depart from Woe from that point onwards.The poor brother, after learning Woe only brings him misfortune, uses deception to get rid of Woe’s attachment to him. The peasant tricks Woe to jump into the hole where the cart of gold was hidden, capturing Woe. The merchant brother uses deception to get rid of Woe’s attachment to him as well after previously releasing him from the hole. The merchant tricks Woe to hide in a cart and flings him into the river, drowning him.

Destruction is seen in Woe’s actions to the two brothers. Woe, attaching to each brother, destroys their life. First, Woe forces them to engage in unhealthy drinking habits that cost them their belongs and free will. Secondly, Woe follows each brother everywhere and offers them no chance of freedom.

Misfortune, or misery, is a theme that Woe is personified as. The “Woe” that follows them everywhere is acting as a living agent in this story which causes the characters harm and unhappiness.

Literary Contexts

Personification

The translator of Woe, W.R.S Ralston, titles the chapter that Woe is featured in as “Mythological (Miscellaneous Impersonifications)”. Originally in Russian folktales, personification exists as a form of evil known as Likho. Likho interacts with characters that tend to show ill will towards others, like the merchant expressing envy towards his brother. Additionally, likho is also known to illustrate malevolent or unfortunate ideas, which the character Woe exhibits.

In this story the personification is used through the character Woe. Sometimes the personification is called Goré, Béda, or Misery in other forms of literature such as poetry. In Russian folktales, there tends to be similar stories that engage in the same message, themes, and ideas with the only difference being the name the personification goes by.

There is a variant of Woe found in Tula Government, which replaces the character of Woe as Nuzhda, or Need. Alongside other variants of personification in Russian folktale such as Luck and Fate.

Personification is not always seen through living agents of feelings or ideas, personification can be seen though certain days of the week as well. Such as the “St. Pyatinka” or “Mother Friday,” that punishes peasants who disobey her holy day of Friday. Wednesday and Friday, in ancient Russian culture, are days sacred to the memory of the Lord’s passion and death.

Genre

Russian folktales are classified into different types of tales depending on characteristics in the story, Woe is categorized as a tale of everyday life. The story focuses on the lives of peasant and merchant brothers.

In a tale of everyday life, the characters usually deal with some type of subversion. In this case, Woe is used as a tactic of subversion from staying healthy and successful. When faced with the subversion, the characters in tales of everyday life are expected to outwit the function of subversion, and both brothers are successful in outwitting Woe.

There is no overbearing function of magic in this story, and no important use of animals or monsters which additionally contributes to Woe existing as a tale of everyday life.

Other References to Fortune/Misfortune in Russian Folktales

In Russian Fairy Tales A Choice Collection of Muscovite Folk-lore, the book that features the translated version of Woe, offers additional information on other Russian folktales that share similar ideas to Woe.

Ivan the Unlucky

An extremely unlucky peasant named Ivan, in search of luck, asks the king for advice. The king's daughter offers to marry him because the Lord might offer Ivan another sort of fortune. After the marriage, Ivan is no longer unlucky.

A Grodno Government Skazka

A poor man meets two ladies, Fortune and Misfortune. The man explains how poor he is and the ladies offer him farthings, but his wife repeatedly gives away or loses the money. Finally, the ladies give him two more farthings and tells him to give them to a fishermen. The fishermen then catches a fish that brings him great wealth.

Unlucky Wealthy Merchant Skazka

A wealthy merchant has lost everything his father gave him and fails to be successful at any job. Traveling to find luck, a king takes pity upon hearing his life story. The king grants him the name of "Luckless", and declares that he will be granted free board and lodging at any location as long as he leaves after twenty-four hours.