Russia has had a hard history its cold and dark climate mixed with an abundance of enemy invaders from the Mongol’s to the French made this one of the most difficult places in the world in which to attempt to make a living. So terrifying was the life of the common people in early Russia that like much of the rest of Europe they chose to give up their freedom for serfdom. In Russia however many of these serfs where virtual slaves, able to be bought and sold, and so it was that the largest block of people in Russia where in essence slaves. These poorest of peoples had a huge impact on the stories of Russia, altering its thinking even in stories of tradesmen.