April 17, 2015

How Well Do You Know Russian Fairy Tale Characters?


How Well Do You Know Russian Fairy Tale Characters?

This Friday, April 17, would have been the 120th birthday of Soviet folklorist Vladimir Propp, creator of a classification system for fairy tale plot lines. In his honor, today we present the recurring characters of Russian fairy tales.

Baba Yaga

Possibly the most familiar of the Russian characters, Baba Yaga is clearly a witch. Like the familiar witches of the Western tradition, she is typically an old hag who lives in isolation from the rest of society and is able to fly on a common household implement (in this case, a giant mortar and pestle). She lives in the forest, in a house on chicken legs (or just one leg), often described as being without doors or windows. In fairy tales she is often the villain, but being a magical old woman, sometimes she appears as a benevolent figure, offering the hero some helpful magical object.

Koschey and Other Villains

Koschey the Immortal, the ruler of the underworld, unlike Baba Yaga, is more unambiguously a villain. He has a bad habit of stealing the hero’s bride, and the fairy tale usually isn’t over until he dies. But here’s the catch: Koschey’s death is a physical object that the hero must find. Usually Koschey puts it on the end of a needle, then puts that needle in an egg, the egg in a duck, the duck in a rabbit… The list goes on.

Hero Dobrynya Nikitich with a slain Zmey - and his prize!

Other villains and obstacles include Zmey Gorynych, a multi-headed fire-breathing dragon, also with a bad habit of stealing young women; Chudo-Yudo, a sea-based creature of massive proportions; and the Cat Bayun, a giant man-eating cat that purrs you to sleep. Gotta stay on your toes!

Dangers of the Forest

The ancient Slavic world was filled with spirits. Sometimes they could be helpful, and sometimes, if angered, they could be a more immediate danger than some of the big-league villains. The forest as a whole was tended by the leshy, a shapeshifter who would lead travelers astray if they were mean, or help them find their way out of the forest if they helped him. Bodies of water held the double danger of the vodyanoy, the water spirit, and rusalki, siren-like mermaids. And, of course, the besy, minor evil spirits, were ubiquitous, causing small-scale mayhem and requiring effort to tame.

The slightly-leery leshy

Heroes and Positive Characters

Most male heroes go by Ivan – either Ivan-tsarevitch (Prince Ivan) or Ivan-durak (Ivan the idiot). The name is about as descriptive as naming the character John Doe – Ivan is the Russian everyman. His female counterpart is often Vasilisa, nicknamed “the wise” or “the beautiful.” Another positive character, familiar to Western audiences from Stravinsky’s ballet, is the Firebird, whose golden feathers gleam like a thousand candles and which is often the object of a hero’s quest.

An artistic depiction of the firebird.

Image credit: snob.ru, Wikimedia Commons, veche.razved.ca

Tags: fairy tales
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
22 Russian Crosswords

22 Russian Crosswords

Test your knowledge of the Russian language, Russian history and society with these 22 challenging puzzles taken from the pages of Russian Life magazine. Most all the clues are in English, but you must fill in the answers in Russian. If you get stumped, of course all the puzzles have answers printed at the back of the book.
Russia Rules

Russia Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955