1 обряды творила ‘Performed the rituals’...The old belief in domestic spirits lasted for many centuries, even after Russia was Christianized. It was necessary to make ritual sacrifices and leave offerings for the household spirits like the domovoi, dvorovoi, bannik, and the ovinnik to stay in their favor. If one failed to honor these spirits in the proper fashion, they would pull various pranks on the homeowner. (cf. Ivanits 51-63)
2 сделались нeвeстaми Fairy tales are often preoccupied with marriage. For fairy tale maidens, it is often the culminating point of these tales. (cf. Marcia Lieberman, “Some Day My Prince Will Come”)
3 Скоро сказка сказывается, не скоро дело делается. This is a cliché phrase that appears in many fairy tales. It’s vagueness illustrates Max Lüthi’s idea of depthlessness, i.e., a lack of temporal relationships.
4 старшей дочери The stepdaughter, the daughter from the first wife, is usually the ideal maiden: obedient, respectful, meek, beautiful, etc. All of the stepmother’s frustrations are directed at her, and the stepmother often means to do the girl real harm. It is typical, in these tales, for the stepdaughter to fill a Cinderella-type role. At the same time, the girl’s father plays a passive role, often unable to stand up to his overbearing and jealous wife. One unusual feature of this tale is that the stepdaughter (the Cinderella-like character) is the oldest of the three sisters; more typically she is younger than her step-siblings, in keeping with the fairy-tale tendency to make the youngest child the hero or heroine. See Баба-Яга (100), Баба-Яга (102), Баба-Яга (103), Морозко (96).
5 богу помолилacь Christian references are rare occurances in fairy tales.
6 Де́вица окостеневала чуть слышно сказала: «Ой, тепло, голубчик Морозушко!» In fairy tales, it is always the dear, beautiful girl who is abused or distressed. In this context, there is glamour in suffering—women in distress are interesting, even more so if they’re pretty. Marfusha responds appropriately to the situation by remaining passive: passivity leads to being chosen. (cf. Lieberman above)
7 Подъехавши к дочери, он нашел ее живую, на ней шубу хорошую, фату дорогую и короб с богатыми подарками. The girl has successfully passed her test and has recieved the ultimate prize—she gets a dowry and, as indicated by her bridal veil, is now ready to get married. She has proved herself as a fit wife.
8 Я на свадьбе был, мед-пиво пил, по усу текло, да в pот не попало. A standard conclusion for a fairy tale. ‘I was at the wedding and drank mead, but it ran down my moustache and none went into my mouth.’ The meaning is essentially ‘I didn’t actually drink anything, I’m still thirsty, and I would like some sort of reward for having sat here and entertained you with my story. (Hint, hint: I would like some mead).’