Ruslan and Ludmila

Ruslan and Ludmila is an epic fairy tale by Russia's most celebrated poet, Alexander Pushkin. Set during the age of Kievan Rus', the poem tells the tale of the abduction of the Grand Prince's daughter, Ludmila, by the evil wizard Chernomor on her wedding night. The heroic knight Ruslan embarks on an exciting quest to find and rescue his bride, all the while battling rival knights, evil sorceresses and other fantastic foes. Based on folktales Pushkin heard as a child, Ruslan and Ludmila first appeared in the literary magazine Son of the Fatherland in the spring of 1820. Enthusiastically received by the public, the story garnered Pushkin significant national attention and marked the beginning of his illustrious literary career. The poem inspired Mikhail Glinka's famous opera of the same name and is regarded as staple of Russian folktale tradition.