"Small Silver Hoof") is a fairy tale short story written by Pavel Bazhov, based on the folklore of the Ural region of Siberia.
In this fairy tale, the characters meet the legendary zoomorphic[1] creature from the Ural folklore called Silver Hoof.
[10] The exact origin of the creature is unknown, but deer have significant roles in the mythology of various peoples located all over the world.
[1] While the character of Silver Hoof is in fact based on the legends, the actual storyline was penned by Bazhov.
[13] The author heard the tales about the goat with a silver hoof at the Urals from the hunter named Bulatov.
She accepts, and when she asks about his profession, he reveals that he works as a gold prospector in summer, and in winter he's hunting a certain goat in the forests, because he wants "to see where he stamps his right forefoot".
In the forest, Kokovanya goes hunting every day and comes back with a lot of regular goat meat and skins.
"[19] Pavel Bazhov indicated that all his stories can be divided into two groups based on tone: "child-toned" (e.g. "The Fire-Fairy") and "adult-toned" (e.g. "The Stone Flower").
[21] In Bazhov's tales chrysolites, unlike ill-omened malachite and emeralds, are meant for humans and bring happiness to their lives.
As an amulet, the chrysolite can banish demons, strengthen spiritual resistance, give courage and protect from night terrors.
[22] Bazhov himself did not believe that gemstones could bring luck or protect from envy, jealousy and the evil eye.
These people are traditionally portrayed as the closest to the otherworldly, but at the same time they are the least reliable narrators in the adult world.
She commented that he had been obviously trying to create a fun children's play, and therefore had added a clear antagonist and a lot of secondary characters, such as the fox, the bear, the eagle-owl.
[29] Lyubov Nikolskaya composed the children's opera Silver Hoof based on the story of the same name in 1959.
The series included the following films: Sinyushka's Well (1973), The Mistress of the Copper Mountain (1975), The Malachite Casket, The Stone Flower (1977), Podaryonka, Golden Hair (1979), and The Grass Hideaway (1982).
[35][36][37] Podaryonka is a stop motion animated film directed by Igor Reznikov, with screenplay by Alexander Rozin.