Where Did Milk Rivers and Kissel Banks Come From?

The article examines the origins of the phraseological unit "milk rivers [and] kissel banks" (<with kissel> banks) meaning ‘a well-fed, free life’. Its etymology has traditionally been explained by plots of Russian folk fairy tales depicting rivers of milk, beer and banks of kissel, or by a Biblical motif. However, in these sources the expression is used as a ready-made formula, apparently already established in folklore. The phraseological unit contains two key words: milk (rivers) and kissel (banks). The word "milk" may be associated with rituals aimed at increasing milk yield. In magical rites the symbolism of flowing water was employed and associated with milk. Although kissel was a ritual dish, the origin of the word may initially be explained by features of the natural landscape: many rivers flow through marshy areas, and the viscous soil was therefore associated with kissel. In Russian fairy tales, the image was reinterpreted: if the rivers are milky, then the banks are kissel, that is, kissel came to be perceived primarily as a dish, and the expression “rivers of milk and kissel banks” started to denote a well-fed, prosperous life.