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Overview

Ralston’s Dead Witch introduces an elderly woman with a daughter and granddaughter. Before dying she specifies that her corpse must be washed with fiercely boiling water. While the daughter goes to summon neighbours, the granddaughter sees two demons, one large and one small, emerge from beneath the stove. The larger removes the corpse’s skin in one pull and directs the smaller to drag the flesh under the stove.

The larger demon inserts itself into the abandoned skin and lies where the woman had lain. The returning daughter dismisses the child’s warning, but she and the neighbours carry out the dead woman’s instruction. Unable to endure the boiling wash, the disguised demon jumps up and flees through the doorway, taking the skin with it. The women consequently have no corpse left to bury. The narrative distinguishes a demon impersonating the body from the original woman rising herself. Ralston explicitly supplies the English story title; the account is a supernatural tale and not documentary evidence that a historical woman was a witch.

Large and small demonsEmergence beneath stoveSkin used as bodily disguiseDisguise flees boiling wash
01

Origins & earliest records

Ralston, Russian Fairy Tales, hosted Hurst edition: The Dead Witch, pp. 34–35; note 26; numbered source: Afanasief VIII, p. 165.

02

Records & interpretation

The complete English tale and its source note preserve the stated sequence. The printed Hurst title page is undated; no modern catalogue year is asserted as a physical-copy date.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Russian Fairy Tales: The Dead Witch, pp. 34–35; note 26

    W. R. S. Ralston, translator · Historical Hurst edition; printed title page undated

    Source note: Afanasief VIII, p. 165. Complete translated tale; original Russian not independently collated.

Family & connections

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References

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  1. Primary historical translationRalston: The Dead Witch, pp. 34–35; note 26Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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