Tag: Folklore

Aladdin’s Chinese Roots and the French Connection | August 30 2025, 11:39

In the original tale of “One Thousand and One Nights,” Aladdin is a boy who lives with his mother in China (!). It is often emphasized that the story takes place in China, but the names of the characters are still Arab. Some believe that Aladdin is Chinese, although of course nationalities did not exist back then.

Moreover, it’s generally complicated with where the tale originates. In “1000 and One Night” (or Arabian Nights) Aladdin was added by the French translator Antoine Galland, who was told the tale by “Maronite Hanna from Aleppo” Hanna Diyab, even the date from the diaries is known – May 5, 1709. Over the course of a month, Diyab told him fifteen more tales. Ten of these, including “Ali Baba,” were later published in the last four volumes of Galland’s “Nights” (1712–1717). Thus, “1000 and One Night” was written by a French translator based on motifs from various places.

Writes twenty-year-old Diyab, the one who told the translator.

“There was an old man who often visited us. He was in charge of a library of Arab books. He read well in Arabic and translated books from this language into French. At that time, he translated the book Tales of 1001 Nights. This man asked for my help with some issues he did not understand, and I explained them to him. The book was missing several nights, and I told him the stories I knew. Then he supplemented the book with these stories and was very pleased with me.” (MS Sbath 254, f. 128a)

Historical Insights into the Legendary Seven-League Boots | July 17 2025, 16:42

Here you have the real “fast-walking boots” or, as they were called in Europe, “seven-league boots,” France/Germany, 19th century. Remember, Mr. Ogre in “Sleeping Boy” wore them. You wouldn’t be mistaken to say that they were difficult not only to run in, but even to walk in. Why are they called “seven-league” then?

This is interesting. Actually, their original name in French is „bottes de sept lieues (seven-league boots), and in German — Siebenmeilenstiefel (seven-league boots), from which the name came into Russian.

Regular postal communication in France started in the 15th century when postal stations with horses for exchange were built. The distance between the stations initially was 7 leagues/lieues (about 30-35 km).

Transportations were performed by coaches that had from 4 to 6 horses. The coachman managed them, and on the lead horse sat the ‘fourrier,’ who set the pace of the journey. The work of the fourrier was more dangerous, as in the event of an accident he had more chances of being injured, falling under the carriage wheels or being crushed by a falling horse compared to the coachdriver.

Therefore, fourriers were entitled to special tall and sturdy boots, which, according to some data, were attached to the saddle (but this is not certain). When mounting, he would wear these boots. That is, in these seven-league boots they didn’t even walk, but sat.

These boots were sewn from several layers of treated leather, with wooden soles and iron inserts. In such boots, it was difficult to fall from the saddle, even if one fell asleep, and if one fell sideways, they could withstand the weight of a horse, protecting the rider from serious injuries.

Naturally, such large and heavy boots, which were often dried by the fire, raised questions among children, and the fourriers, smoking their pipes and smiling, would tell them about the magical seven-league boots that one could put on and leap seven leagues in a blink. Undoubtedly, one of these children must have been Charles Perrault 😉