The bear just fell down, hurt his bottom, jumped up, and ran away as fast as he could. And from then on all the animals feared the cat. The cat and the fox, meanwhile, had enough meat for the whole winter, and they lived happily ever after, and still live there to this day. Although the only thing that turnips seem to have in common with potatoes is that they are both root vegetables, turnips were the most common food in rural Russia before the potato became ubiquitous. That is why the turnip appears so often in Russian folk tales.
Turnips really are rather sweet, as vegetables go.
Today, of course, modern building materials and techniques are used. For more on Russian names, follow the link to the Dictionary of Period Russian Names . Although it is a dictionary of medieval Russian names, the introduction contains a good explanation of what a patronymic is. Translated from the Russian by Masha Gedilaghine Holl. Russian Fairy Tales.