The purpose of this study is to explore the logic and deployment of an epic of Three Underground Kingdoms(СУС301) which is one of Russian folktales about underground nation’s destroying her enemies and examine its artistic value and significance. In this story, a Bogatyr’(a warrior) born in a supernatural way defeats the monsters in the underground world and rescues a virgin abducted and marries her. This is the popular repertoire spread all over the world. Russian Folktale, Three Underground Kingdoms is classified into ‘marriage ordeal theme’ cycle and ‘heroic theme’ cycle. In the type where the axis of the epic is constructed on the basis on ‘marriage issues’ of heroes, the epic introduction formalities of heroes have the secondary meanings. However, in the story of this cycle, the image of ‘false’ heroes are introduced, which introduces the motif for the recognition of the ‘true’ heroes, complicates the story structure accordingly, and results in the additional semantic conflicts. In the heroic theme cycle aiming at epic introduction formalities of heroes, the mysterious birth of heroes and the episode of the childhood of the heroes play a unique role, and the narration about the marriage of heroes is the secondary thing, losing its significance. The images of enemies in Russian folktales in this type transform adequately depending on the type and perform semantic functions which are different from each other. In the marriage ordeal cycle type, the images of enemies have the semantic potential emphasizing the function of abductors and in the heroic theme cycle type, emphasizes the function as the mythic master of another world. As shown in her golden light, the image of the bride unveils the unique property pertaining to other world or compensates the heroic deeds of the heroes. In the Russian folktales about underground nation’s destroying her enemies where the battle between the heroes and their enemies are the axis of the narration, the magical assistors are positively necessary and important elements too. These assistors appear in a large number and in diverse forms. It is likely that diverse magical supports are needed because of the complex structure of other worlds and the unique ontological problems of the corresponding folktales.
The variant forms of Russian folktales about underground nation’s destroying her enemies are very interesting in terms of semantics. It is classified by the important inner-epic characteristics-who is the true hero?, not by the spatial and mythic issues shown in the name, ‘Three Underground Kingdoms’. It is likely that the contrast between Bogatyries rather than the spatial contrast between ‘this world’ and ‘another world’ might look more realistic to the story tellers and the listeners who transmitted the folktales. As shown in the stories - Ivan Suhenko and Bely Polianin(№139) and Medvedko, Usynia, Gorynia, Dubynia - Bogatyries(№141, №142)- in Afanas’ev’s Russian Folk Tales, the title emphasizing the contrast between ‘true’ hero and ‘false’ hero evidences this.