Professional Documents
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Mike Dixon-Kennedy
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130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911
Santa Barbara, California 93116-1911
Preface, ix
How to Use This Book, xi
Brief Historical and Anthropological Details, xiii
Encyclopedia of
Russian and Slavic Myth and Legend, 1
References and Further Reading, 327
Appendix 1, 331
Glossary of Terms
Appendix 2, 333
Transliteration from Cyrillic to Latin Letters
Appendix 3, 335
The Rulers of Russia
Appendix 4, 337
Topic Finder
Index, 353
vii
PREFACE
Having studied the amazingly complex sub- This volume is not unique. A good num-
ject of world mythology and legend for more ber of books have been published about the
than twenty years, I have found few stories myths and legends of the ancient Russians
more stirring than those of ancient Russia. and Slavs. However, as a quick look at the
Regrettably for us, at the end of the twenti- Bibliography will show, many of these are
eth century very few Russian pre-Christian available only in languages other than
(pagan) beliefs remain. Those that have sur- English.Thus this book presents, possibly for
vived have been Christianized, their pagan the first time, the myths and legends in their
roots now long forgotten. translated form. In addition, a great deal of
My introduction to Russian legend was historical, geographical, and biographical
the story of the witch Baba-Yaga, told me information related to the Slavs and their
by someone whose identity I have since for- mythology has been included so that readers
gotten. Many years later, as I began to may gain the deepest possible understanding
research world mythology and legend, Baba- of the myths and legends against their cul-
Yaga resurfaced as I delved into the myster- tural and geographical background. A
ies and delights of ancient Russian and detailed map of the area covered by this vol-
Slavic folklore. ume has been included to make this last task
This book is a general guide to the myths easier; for even though certain places or
and legends of the Russian Empire at its countries described might be familiar, there
greatest extent, along with those of countries are a fair number that are not so well known.
and peoples that can be broadly defined as Russian and Slavic beliefs weave a rich
Slavic or that have influenced and been tapestry between the real world and the
influenced by Slavic cultures. Today, at the world of pure fantasy. Here we have a culture
end of the twentieth century, Russia or Rus that believed in a large number of supernat-
is a huge country that occupies a large part ural and fantastical beings, from dragons to
of Europe and Asia.Yet it was once a land of one-eyed or multiheaded monsters, from
modest size that subsequently underwent shape-changing wolves to soulless beings.We
centuries of expansion and change. Pop- also find a curious mix of the pagan and the
ulations came and went, and each migration Christian; for even though Russia adopted
added to the culture base of the country as it Christianity as the state religion in A.D. 988,
progressed from one incarnation to the paganism remained popular until the end of
nextfrom principality to empire. All this the nineteenth century, and in more remote
movement has left the rich legacy of mythol- areas, even up to the present day. Thus we
ogy and legend detailed in this volumea find Christian themes interwoven with
legacy inherited by a land that covers pagan ideas: Dragons fight priests, saints
approximately one-sixth of the earths total encounter nymphs, and witches enter the
landmass. kingdom of heaven.
ix
x PREFACE
xi
xii HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
the word may be correctly applied to any tsaritsa or czaritsaA woman who is
daughter. empress and rules in her own right, regard-
tsarina or czarinaThe wife of a tsar; less of whether she is married to a tsar.
an empress, but not necessarily a ruler in her A glossary of other terms used in the
own right. (Unlike a tsaritsa, she is empress book may be found in Appendix 1.
merely by virtue of her marriage.)
BRIEF HISTORICAL AND
ANTHROPOLOGICAL DETAILS
xiii
xiv HISTORICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL DETAILS
A
erania.
Adalbert went on to evangelize
Hungary and possibly Prussia and
Poland as well but was murdered in
997, along with his two companions
Benedict and Gaudentius, by
Prussians who suspected them of
ADALBERT OF PRAGUE, SAINT being Polish spies.
Prussia and Poland Adalberts body was thrown into the
The patron saint of Prussia and Poland, water near Knigsberg (modern Kalin-
whose feast day is 23 April. Adalbert (c. ingrad, a Russian city that is separated from
956997) was born to a noble Bohemian the rest of the country by Lithuania) but was
family and baptized Voytech. At his confir- later recovered after it washed ashore in
mation, he took the name Adalbert, after his Poland. He was enshrined at Griezno, but his
teacher of the same name in Magdeburg. relics were forcibly repatriated to Prague in
When his teacher died in 981, Adalbert 1039. Saint Adalbert is usually depicted with
returned to Prague and was consecrated a club and lancesthe weapons used to
there in 982, becoming the first native murder himand often with a two-headed
bishop of the city. However, Adalbert cross.
encountered stiff opposition to his attempts See also: Bohemia; Hungary; Poland; Prussia
to convert others to Christianity, and in 990
he withdrew from Prague to Rome, where AFRON
he joined the Benedictine abbey of Saints Russia
Boniface and Alexis. Duke Boleslaus The tsar of an unnamed realm, which some
(Boleslaw I, the Brave) of Poland peti- say lay in the Thrice-Ninth Kingdom, and
tioned Pope John XV (pope 985996) for the owner of the Horse with the Golden
the return of Adalbert to Prague, and shortly Mane. When Ivan Vyslavovich was caught
thereafter Adalbert was sent back under trying to steal both the horse and its golden
papal decree. bridle (though the shape-changing wolf
Conditions appeared to have improved, helping Ivan Vyslavovich had warned him
and Adalbert founded the Benedictine abbey not to touch the bridle), Afron gave him a
at Brevnov. The peace, however, was short- chance to redeem himself. If Ivan
lived, and the populace once again grew hos- Vyslavovich could bring him Elena the
tile to him and his teachings when he Beautiful, after whom Afron had lusted for
attempted to give sanctuary to a woman quite some time, he would not only forgive
who had been accused of adultery. The Ivan Vyslavovich but would also give him the
horde dragged the woman out of his church Horse with the Golden Mane and its bridle.
and summarily executed her, whereupon If he failed, Ivan Vyslavovich would be
Adalbert promptly excommunicated every- branded a common thief.
one involved. Once again he was obliged to Ivan Vyslavovich succeeded in abducting
flee to Rome, from where he was yet again Elena the Beautiful with the help of the
ordered to return, this time by Pope Gregory shape-changing wolf who had been helping
V (pope 996999). However, in his absence, him throughout his journey, which began as
1
2 AGOG-MAGOG
a quest assigned to him by his father, Tsar birthgiving, nourishing mother. She
Vyslav Andronovich, to capture the Firebird. owned the Golden Book of Fate, which con-
However, Ivan Vyslavovich fell in love with tained the names and destinies of every
Elena the Beautiful, and vice versa, so the human being either living or yet to be born.
wolf assumed her shape when they came She brought the soul of the newborn baby
back to Afrons palace. Afron kept his word down from heaven so that a complete human
and gave Ivan Vyslavovich both the Horse being could come into existence and then
with the Golden Mane and its golden bridle, entered the name of the new person in the
and Ivan and the real Elena the Beautiful Golden Book of Fate. It was only when the
rode away on the horse.The wolf resumed its name had been entered in the book that the
true form and rejoined them, thus leaving person became a fully fledged member of the
Tsar Afron with nothing. human race. Other Siberian tribes thought
See also: Elena the Beautiful; Firebird,The; the mother-goddess dwelt in heaven on a
Horse with the Golden Mane,The; Ivan mountain that had seven stories. There she
Vyslavovich;Thrice-Ninth Kingdom,The; not only gave newly born people their lives
Vyslav Andronovich but also determined the fate of all people and
equipped them with the potential to do both
AGOG-MAGOG good and evil.
Armenia The Altai Tatars acknowledged a similar
A mysterious monster with whom Badikan deity known as the milk lake mother, and
was said to have done battle. With Armenia the Yakuts themselves have a curious myth
lying so close to the Holy Land, it seems rea- about a White Youth who encounters a calm
sonable to assume that Agog-Magog was a lake of milk near the cosmic tree, the
derivation of Gog and Magog (Revelation world pillar of Yryn-al-tojon, the white
20:8), whose names would probably have creator Lord. After seeking the blessing of
been familiar to the common populace the tree, this youth felt a warm breeze, heard
through the work of missionaries and travel- the tree creak, and saw a female divinity,
ers to and from the holy cities. Ajysyt, rise from the roots. She offered him
See also: Badikan milk from her full breasts, and after satisfying
his thirst, the youth felt his strength increase
AITVARAS a hundredfold. Thus, the milk-breasted
Lithuania mother of life, the mother-goddess, and the
A mysterious and curious flying creature cosmic Tree of Life are combined into one
sometimes depicted as a cockerel and some- sustaining and nourishing entity.
times shown with the head of the lucky See also: Golden Book of Fate,The; Lena,
Zaltys (grass snake) and the fiery tail of a River; Siberia;Tatars;Tree of Life,The;White
comet. Youth;Yakuts;Yryn-al-tojon
See also: Zaltys
AJYSYT-IJAKSIT-KHOTAN
AJYSYT SiberiaYakut
SiberiaYakut Birthgiving, nourishing mother, an aspect
The mother-goddess of the Yakuts, a Turkic of the Yakut mother-goddess Ajysyt.
people living near the river Lena in Siberia. See also: Ajysyt;Yakuts
Literally translated, her name means birth-
giver, though she is also referred to as the AK MOLOT
mother of cradles and was believed to be Tatar
present whenever one of her devotees gave One of a pair of heroes who are described in
birth. As Ajysyt-ijaksyt-khotan, she was the a poem as engaged in mortal combat, the
ALENUSHKA 3
other hero being Bulat.Ak Molot managed to then divided into two groups. One group of
inflict numerous wounds on his enemy that Alans continued to migrate westward with
would have killed any normal man, but Bulat the Germanic peoples, appearing in Gaul,
was not normal, for he did not carry his soul. Lusitania (Portugal), and finally, North
After three years of fighting, Ak Molot saw a Africa, where they merged with the Vandals.
golden casket hanging from the sky on a The other group, wandering eastward, settled
white silken thread. Ak Molot shot down the in the Caucasus Mountains. Their descen-
casket and opened it, whereupon ten white dants, the Ossetes of the Republic of
birds flew out, one of which contained Bulats Georgia, tell a story similar to that concern-
soul.While still fighting Bulat, Ak Molot shot ing the passing of King Arthur. It is quite
the birds one after another, and then, as the possible that the story of Arthur was carried
tenth bird fell to the ground, Bulat died. to the region by the Romans, although this
See also: Bulat has never been proven. The story of Batradz
the Ossete hero might also have been the
ALAKO source of the Arthurian legend, as it seems to
SlavRomany be the older of the two.
The god of the moon, formerly called See also: Arthur, King; Batradz; Caspian Sea;
Dundra. Sent to the earth by his father, Caucasus; Georgia; Ossetes; Sarmatians
Dundra taught the Romany people their
laws and became their protector. When he ALATNIR
had finished his task on earth he ascended Slav
into the skies, where he became Alako. He A brilliant white stone that lies on the island
watches over his people and carries their of Buyan. Frequently mentioned as a potent
souls to live on the moon after death. One force in magical spells and charms.
day Alako will return from the moon and See also: Buyan
lead his people back to their lost homeland.
Alako was worshiped as recently as the ALENKA
late nineteenth century. Votaries carrying Russia
idols of Alako that showed him holding a The daughter of an unnamed witch that
quill in his right hand and a sword in his left some authorities identify as Baba-Yaga. The
would gather once a year at full moon, set up witch brought the lad Ivashko home for sup-
his idols, and offer songs and prayers to him. per and ordered Alenka to cook him.
These rites were then followed by a feast. However, when the witch went out again,
Alako was also central to the rites of passage. Ivashko tricked Alenka, pushed her deep into
At Christian baptisms, a child would be bap- the hot coals, locked the oven door, and hur-
tized in the names of both Christ and Alako, ried outside to hide in the forest canopy.The
and all newlyweds were consecrated to him. witch returned and berated her absent
See also: Dundra; Moon daughter for having left the meal unat-
tended. She then sat down to dine with her
ALANS friends, unaware that they were feasting on
Russia Alenkaa fact soon brought to light when
Iranian-speaking nomadic tribe of the bar- Ivashko reappeared.
barian peoples known as the Sarmatians, See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga); Ivashko
who inhabited Russia in Roman times.They
first appeared in history north of the Caspian ALENUSHKA
Sea, and between the second and fourth cen- Russia
turies A.D. migrated westward into the east- Although of royal lineage,Alenushka and her
ern provinces of the Roman Empire. They brother Ivanushka were forced to wander
4 ALEPPO
like gypsies after their parents died. During the tsar rejoiced to see his wife restored to
their wanderings the pair came to a pond full health.
where a herd of cattle were grazing. Ivanushka remained by the water, bleat-
Ivanushka rushed to the water to slake his ing for his sister. In the palace the sorceress
thirst, but Alenushka stopped him, warning nagged the tsar to kill Ivanushka, saying that
him that if he drank he would turn into a she had grown tired of the way he smelled.
calf. At first the tsar would not hear of it, but
Next they came to a lake beside which a eventually he reluctantly agreed. Ivanushka,
flock of sheep were grazing. Again learning of his fate, asked the tsar for per-
Ivanushka ran to the waters edge, and again mission to go to the seashore. The tsar
Alenushka stopped him from drinking, agreed.
warning him that if he did he would turn There Ivanushka called out to his sister,
into a lamb. Near the next stretch of water but Alenushka replied that she could not
some pigs were rooting about. Alenushka come because of the boulder tied around her
once more stopped Ivanushka from drink- neck. Ivanushka returned to the palace, but at
ing, this time warning him that he would midday once more asked permission to visit
become a piglet. By the time they reached the seashore, where he again called to his sis-
the next watering hole, near which a herd of ter and received the same reply. As dusk
goats were grazing, Ivanushkas thirst was so began to fall Ivanushka asked permission of
great that he ignored his sisters advice. As the tsar a third time. Once more the tsar
soon as he drank the water, Ivanushka agreed; but this time, his curiosity aroused by
turned into a kid. Ivanushkas strange behavior, he followed the
Alenushka harnessed her brother, and the kid to the edge of the water.There Ivanushka
two continued on their way.They eventually called to his sister, and this time she came
arrived at a royal palace, where Ivanushka ran bobbing to the surface.
off to eat the well-manicured grass.The royal The tsar immediately swam out to
guards brought Alenushka and her brother Alenushka, released the boulder, and car-
before the tsar, who was immediately capti- ried her back to the palace. There he
vated by Alenushka and asked her to marry ordered his guards to light a huge bonfire.
him. She consented and she and her brother When the sorceress came out to see what
remained at the tsars palace. they were doing, the tsar threw her onto
Some time later the tsar had to be away on the fire, where she burned to death. As the
business. While he was absent, a sorceress sorceress died, the gardens around the
who had designs on his affections cast a spell palace burst into flower once more, and
on Alenushka, who fell ill, growing thinner Alenushka and Ivanushka lived out their
and weaker each day. By the time the tsar days happily together.
returned, the flowers and the grass around See also: Ivanushka
the palace had died, and Alenushka was very
wan. Awhile later, the tsar again had to leave ALEPPO
the palace on business.This time the sorcer- Armenia
ess told Alenushka that she could cure herself City to which Martiros promised his dying
if she went to the seas edge at dusk and father he would never travel to trade. He
drank a little of the water.Alenushka went to later broke his promise when he learned that
the sea to drink, but as she bent down to the the people of Aleppo paid exorbitant prices
water, the sorceress tied a huge boulder for goods, especially boxwood. Ancient
around her neck and threw her far out to sea. Aleppo (todays Halab) is located in northern
The sorceress then assumed the likeness of Syria.
Alenushka and returned to the palace, where See also: Martiros
ALESHA 5
ALIOSHA
Russia
Variant spelling of Alesha. Although Alyosha
is yet another variant spelling of the same
Slavic name, the very different tales of
Alesha/Aliosha and of Alyosha recorded in
this volume should not be confused. The Portrait of Alexander the Great (Library of Congress)
similarity between these two legends in cer-
tain details (e.g., both protagonists are the
time. The gashes made by Alklhas fangs are
sons of priests) might or might not indicate a
clearly visible on the surface of the moon,
common origin.
and similar marks also could be seen on the
See also: Alesha; Alyosha
sun if it were not so bright.
See also: Moon; Sun
ALKA
Lithuania ALKONOST'
A collective term for sacred fields, springs, or Russia
groves that could not be plowed, fished, or A demoness, or sirinhalf woman and half
felled. These Alka were holy places for the birdwho torments the damned. Possibly of
cremation of the dead and for votive offer- Persian origin, Alkonost' lives in Rai, the
ings to the gods. abode of the dead, where her song tortures
the souls of the dead who led evil lives, giv-
ALKLHA ing them no rest.
Siberia See also: Rai; Sirin; Underworld,The
The personification of the darkness of the References: Haase 1939
sky, a monster that filled the universe with a
huge body and enormous wings of impene- ALLELUIAH
trable blackness. Alklha fed on the moon Russia
each month, slowly nibbling away until the Christian name given to one of the three
moon disappeared. However, the moon did female spirits that oversee the functions of
not agree with Alklha, and the resultant irri- human lifethe Russian equivalents of the
tation caused Alklha to vomit and thus Greek Fates. Her companions were Milo-
return the moon to the night sky.Alklha also serdnia and Miloslaviia.
tried to eat the sun, but it was far too hot, so See also: Miloserdnia; Miloslaviia
it disappeared only in part, or only for a short References: Bezsonov 1861
ALMAFI 7
as his pity had overcome his greed, he could His sleep was disturbed by a loud crowing
grant Third Almafi one wish. Third Almafi from the branches above him. Sitting up,
thought for a moment, then asked for his Third Almafi saw a large golden cockerel in
two brothers to be released from their the tree, the tone of its crowing telling Third
enchantments. The old man told Third Almafi that all was not well with the bird.
Almafi that they were already on the road Third Almafi asked it what the problem was,
home, and then he vanished once more. whereupon the cockerel told him that he
Third Almafi continued on his journey, was under an enchantment, having origi-
and after another days travel, as exhaustion nally been a prince engaged to a beautiful
was again beginning to overtake him, he maiden.
came to a huge castle with no windows, just Third Almafi took pity on the plight of
a single small door. Inside he found a huge the prince and said that he would do what-
hall with a row of tables in it.The first table ever he could to help. The cockerel flew
held a bowl of porridge and a note saying down from the tree and told Third Almafi
that whoever ate the porridge would never that the enchantment had been placed on
be hungry again.Third Almafi sat down and him by Deceit, who owned a well of
emptied the bowl, and afterward he felt as if enchanted water. If Third Almafi could
he need never eat again. obtain a cupful of the water and spray the
He then moved to the second table, where cockerel with it three times without the
he found a bottle of water along with a note birds knowledge, the enchantment would be
saying that whoever drank the water would broken and the prince would be himself
never feel thirst again. Without hesitation again. Third Almafi leaped to his feet and
Third Almafi drank the water and then asked the cockerel to point him in the direc-
moved on to the third table, where he found tion of the well, but the cockerel did not
a small jar containing some ointment, and a know its whereabouts. However, the cock-
note saying that whoever anointed them- erel told Third Almafi that he should travel to
selves with the ointment would be filled the Talking Mountain, and it would give him
with the strength of a thousand men. Third the directions he required. When Third
Almafi duly anointed himself and then went Almafi asked how he was to find the moun-
to the fourth table. There he found a sword tain, the cockerel told Third Almafi to tear
and a note saying that whoever wore the off a part of his crest, which would guide
sword would be invincible. Third Almafi him.
buckled on the sword and then went to the Third Almafi did as he was told and set
fifth table, where he found another small jar off after the piece of golden crest, which
of ointment along with a note saying that flew just ahead of him. For three days and
whoever anointed their eyes with the lotion three nights Third Almafi traveled without
would see everything. Third Almafi applied rest until he reached a vast forest in the
the lotion and then lay down to rest, for now middle of which rose a lofty mountain at
he knew that he had to find the mysterious whose foothills the crest stopped flying.
flying palace and the maiden he had Third Almafi found a cave on the slopes of
glimpsed. the mountain and entered. Inside was a
For a full year Third Almafi wandered the marble slab inscribed with instructions on
world, looking for the flying palace, and how to awaken the voice of the mountain.
through all that time he never felt hunger or Following the instructions,Third Almafi left
thirst. During his travels Third Almafi came the cave, uprooted twelve tall pine trees
to the edge of an immense forest, where he from the forest below, dragged them into
sat down and fell asleep beneath a large oak, the cave, and set them afire.Then he waited
even though he didnt really need to rest. until the last embers died away, whereupon
ALMAFI 9
the mountain spoke, telling Third Almafi After a long journey he came to the foot
how to find both the well of Deceit and the of an immense mountain and decided to
beloved maiden of the cockerel prince. climb it so that he might spy the flying
Almafi traveled three weeks to reach the palace in the distance. Seven days later he
well, which was guarded by a twelve-headed stood on the summit, far above the clouds,
dragon. Drawing his sword, Third Almafi and saw the flying palace heading straight
quickly disposed of the vile monster and toward him. As it swept past, Third Almafi
then lay down to rest. When he awoke he sprang upward and landed in the courtyard
found that Deceit had bound him hand and of the palace. Quickly searching through
foot and thrown him into a deep dungeon. the palace, which was deserted, Third
Third Almafi waited three weeks in that Almafi found the maiden chained to the
dungeon before Deceit returned, surprised balcony. Using his great strength, he tore
to find the prisoner still alive although he the chains apart, and he and the maiden
had had no food or water. Deceit moved embraced. Then Third Almafi asked her
closer to Third Almafi to have a better look. what had happened.
Third Almafi, who had loosened his bonds She told him that her father, a king, once
earlier, now tore them off and quickly bound had the misfortune of wounding a terrible
Deceit hand and foot with them.Then Third monster.The monster swore that one day he
Almafi carried Deceit out of the dungeon, would steal away the kings most precious
built a huge bonfire, and burned Deceit to possessionhis daughter. For a long time she
death. Then Third Almafi drew water from had lived a virtual prisoner, but at length the
the well and made his way back to where the king relaxed the guard and she was allowed
golden cockerel waited. to wander in the palace gardens. There, one
When the cockerel asked Third Almafi if day, she had heard a humming in the air, and
he had succeeded in his task, Third Almafi looked up to see the flying palace heading
said he had not. The cockerel dropped its down toward her. As it swept overhead the
head in despair, and Third Almafi sprayed the monster leaned out and took hold of her.
water over it three times, restoring the prince She had been a prisoner for three years.
to his human form.The two of them then set Although at first the monster had allowed
out to rescue the princes beloved from her her to wander through the hundred rooms of
place of imprisonment, which lay, as the the palace, he had chained her after she tried
Talking Mountain had told Third Almafi, to escape.
beneath the sea, in a glass mountain. Third Almafi searched the palace. In the
At the edge of the sea Third Almafi hundredth room he came across the monster
dipped his head beneath the waves and saw fast asleep and woke him with a swift kick.
the mountain far offshore. Then, calling all The two wrestled, the monster managing to
the animals of the sea to their aid, Third throw Third Almafi only once before the
Almafi had them raise the mountain to the youth got the upper hand and smashed the
surface, for even he could not breathe monsters head open. He returned to the
under water. When the mountain surfaced, embrace of the maiden, and together they
Third Almafi hauled it ashore and smashed pondered the manner in which they might
it with a single, carefully aimed blow. The leave the palace, which at that moment was
maiden stepped from the glass fragments flying on its two tremendous wings over a
and embraced the prince, and all three set wide sea. Third Almafi decided that when
off for the princes kingdom, where Third they were over land again he would simply
Almafi acted as best man at the wedding. cut off the wings with his sword.
Then Third Almafi set out to resume his Some days later the maiden saw land in
own quest. the distance. As they drew closer the maiden
10 ALYONKA
recognized the land, and soon she caught beside the coffin of his dead daughter for
sight of her fathers palace. Waiting until the three nights, reading aloud from the Psalms.
appropriate moment, Third Almafi cut the Alyosha knew that the witch had faked
wings from the flying palace, which floated her death.At his lessons that day he asked his
to the ground next to the kings. The king teacher for advice. The old woman told
celebrated the return of his daughter, and a Alyosha how he might protect himself; and
little while later, he dispatched his messen- thus prepared, Alyosha went to the church as
gers to bring Third Almafis mother, father, night fell to begin his lonely vigil, first care-
and brothers to the kingdom, where prepara- fully inscribing a circle in the stone floor
tions were being made for the marriage of with a knife the old lady had given him. At
the maiden to Third Almafiwho eventually the stroke of midnight, the lid of the coffin
would inherit the kingdom and would rule opened and the witch climbed out. She qui-
with kindness, compassion, and wisdom. etly made her way toward where Alyosha was
See also: Deceit; Dragon;Talking Mountain, seated with his back toward the coffin, read-
The ing the Psalms. However, as the witch
References: Biro 1980 reached the circle, she stopped, and no mat-
ter how hard she tried, she was unable to
ALYONKA cross it; and so she spent the remainder of the
Russia night clawing helplessly at Alyoshas neck.
See Alenka. Alyosha kept reading the Psalms and did not
turn around, for turning would have broken
ALYONUSHKA the spell and he would have fallen prey to the
Russia witch.As the first cock crowed, the witch ran
See Alenushka. back to the coffin and tumbled in, and
Alyosha went home.
ALYOSHA The following night the very same thing
Russia happened, but when the witch reached the
The son of a priest who was taught how to circle in the stone, she started to mouth
read and write by an old woman. One day, eerie sounds. As these sounds filled the
on his way home from his lessons, he passed church, a huge wind blew up inside the
the palace of the local, unnamed tsar and sanctuary, and Alyosha felt as if his body
peered in through a window. There he saw were being invaded by a thousand creeping
the tsars daughter, and as he watched, she insects.Yet not once did Alyosha falter in his
took her head from her shoulders, washed reading of the Psalms, and not once did he
and dried it, and then replaced it. Alyosha turn around; and at daybreak the witch had
was astounded. He immediately realized that to return to her coffin.
the princess was a witch. Worse for Alyosha, The third night came and Alyosha
the witch had caught sight of him at the returned to the church. This time he ham-
window and was plotting a way to keep her mered nails into the coffin lid before sitting
secret. down to read from the Psalms. At midnight
Feigning illness, the princess called the tsar the lid of the coffin flew off and the witch
to her bedside, eliciting his promise that sprang out, chanting strange spells that con-
when she died he would have the son of the jured up all the demons of hell. All through
local priest stand guard over her coffin three the night the demons tormented Alyosha,
nights in a row. The tsar gave his word, and but not once did he falter or turn around,
the very next morning the princess was and at daybreak the terrible images faded
dead.The tsar went to the home of the priest away and the witch tumbled back into her
and told him that Alyosha must sit vigil coffin.
AMUR 11
Then, as the cock crowed the second were reunited, and Alyosha Popovich was
time, the tsar entered the church. He was shown in his true light.
alarmed to find his daughter face down in See also: Bogatyr'; Dobrynya Nikitich; Dunai
her open coffin. However, after Alyosha Ivanovich; Godenko Bludovich; Il'ya
explained all that had passed, the tsar Muromets; Ivan Gostinyi Syn; Kiev;
ordered the foul witch to be burned at the Lithuania; Nastas'ya, Princess; Nastas'ya
stake and buried beneath a heavy stone slab. Nikulichna;Vasilii Buslayevich;Vasilii
Kazimirovich;Vladimir Bright Sun, Prince
In return for Alyoshas loyalty and faithful
References: Speranskii 1916; Ukhov 1957
service, the tsar bestowed on him a vast
treasure. AMBROSE
HungaryMagyar
ALYOSHA POPOVICH A young prince who was imprisoned
Russia beneath the earth, possibly in the under-
One of seven legendary bogatyri who assem- world, by an old witch. The prince finally
bled to go on a journey together. The other elicited from the witch the information that
six were Vasilii Buslayevich, Vasilii Kazi- she kept her power in a shining beetle, and
mirovich, Ivan Gostinyi Syn, Godenko her soul in a black beetle.These beetles were
Bludovich, Dobrynya Nikitich, and Il'ya to be found inside a box, inside a pigeon,
Muromets. A legend that is purported to inside a hare, all of which were inside a wild
explain why the bogatyri disappeared from boar kept in a green field. If both beetles were
Holy Russia may be found in the entry for killed, then she would die. After some time
Vasilii Buslayevich. the prince managed to escape from his prison
Alyosha Popovich also puts in a brief and found the boar, which he quickly killed.
appearance in the legends surrounding the After he recovered the two beetles, he
wedding feast of Dunai Ivanovich and the crushed the shining one first. At this, the
Princess Nastas'ya, where he is described as witch took to her bed. The young prince
the most valiant man in all Russia.The valor confronted her there and crushed the second
of Alyosha Popovich, however, is called into beetle, whereupon she died.
question when he recommends Dobrynya See also: Koshchei (the Deathless);
Nikitich to Prince Vladimir Bright Sun as Underworld,The
the man most suited to go to the assistance
of the King of Lithuania. Alyoshas intention AMELF(I)A TIMOFE(Y)EVNA
was not to aid his prince or the besieged Russia
King of Lithuania but rather to rid Kiev of The widowed mother of Vasilii Buslayevich
Dobrynya Nikitich so that he might marry and Dobrynya Nikitich, in the first case hav-
Dobrynyas wife, Nastas'ya Nikulichna. ing been the wife of Buslai, and in the second
Several times over a period of several years case as the wife of Nikita. Amelfia Timo-
Alyosha delivered news of the death of feyevna is depicted as a powerful and wealthy
Dobrynya Nikitich, and each time, he asked sorceress who constantly advised her sons
Nastas'ya Nikulichna to marry him. She although her advice was seldom taken.
always refused, saying that she preferred to See also: Buslai (~y); Dobrynya Nikitich;
wait another three years. However, she even- Nikita;Vasilii Buslayevich
tually agreed, and preparations were made References: Speranskii 1916; Ukhov 1957
for the wedding. News of the impending
ceremony reached Dobrynya Nikitich, who AMUR
returned to Kiev in disguise and sang songs Russia
of celebration at the couples wedding feast. This Siberian river originates at the junction
In the end, Dobrynya Nikitich and his wife of the Shilka and the Argun Rivers in south-
12 ANAHITA
eastern Siberia, then runs east- and south- On these days men and women young and
eastward until it nears the Songhua, a tribu- old would strip naked and jump and shake
tary flowing northward from China, where it themselves about, saying that they had seen
turns again and heads northeastward along Saints Paraskeva and Anastasia and had been
the Sikhote Alin mountains.The Amur emp- ordered to honor them with their lascivious
ties into the northern end of the Tatar Strait, dances. These celebrations were condemned
which separates mainland Russia from the as pagan rituals in 1589 by the Patriarch of
island of Sakhalin.Today the modern city of Constantinople. The Stoglav Council, set up
Nikolayevsk-na-Amure lies at the rivers during the latter half of the sixteenth century
mouththe traditional homeland of a native by Ivan the Terrible, also condemned the fes-
Siberian people known as the Gilyaki tivals, calling them orgies; but the cult
(Nivkhi). The Amur holds the same great remained active, especially in Ukraine, where
historical and cultural significance for the Friday was considered the Sabbath until well
Gilyaki and other native people of the region into the eighteenth century.
as the Dnieper does for Russians and See also: Constantinople; Ivan Groznyi;
Ukrainians. Nedelia, Saint; Paraskeva, Saint; Ukraine
See also: Gilyaki (Nivkhi); Siberia References: Afanas'ev 186569; Bezsonov
1861; Haase 1939; Ralston 1872
ANAHITA
Armenia ANDREW, SAINT
A goddess of Iranian origin, Ardva Sura Russia
Anahita (the high, the powerful, the Patron saint of Russia, Scotland, and Achaia
immaculate) was widely worshiped in and of fishermen and old maids. Saint
Armenia, where she was commonly referred Andrews feast day is 30 November. One of
to as Anahita. Depicted as a young woman the twelve apostles, brother of Simon Peter,
with an expansive bust, she wore a crown of he was a fisherman converted and baptized
stars, brocade and otterskin clothing, fine by John the Baptist and became one of Jesus
jewels, and golden sandals. Anahita was the Christs closest companions (see Mark 1:29
goddess of all the watersrivers, streams, and 13:3; John 1:40 and 6:8; and Acts 1:13).
lakes, and the sea, as well as the life-giving Tradition holds that Andrew preached the
fluids of mankind, such as semen and moth- gospel in Asia Minor and Scythia and was
ers milk. crucified in Achaia (Greece) on the order of
the Roman governor. The belief that his
ANAITIS cross was x-shaped dates from the tenth cen-
Armenia tury but did not gain popularity until the
Goddess with a temple at Acilisena, where fourteenth. Among Russias patron saints in
the unmarried daughters of noble families addition to Andrew are Saints George and
entered the goddesss service as temple pros- Basil.
titutes.After their term of service to the god- See also: Basil, Saint; George, Saint; Scythia
dess, the young women commonly married
without apparent difficulty. ANDRONOVICH,VYSLAV
Russia
ANASTASIA, SAINT See Vyslav Andronovich.
Russia
Connected with Saints Nedelia and Para- ANNA
skeva. Twelve Fridays in the year were Russia
believed sacred to Paraskeva, and conse- The sister of Basil II, the Byzantine emperor.
quently also to Saints Nedelia and Anastasia. In 998,Vladimir I made the political decision
13
An icon of the apostle Andreas (Saint Andrew) from Macedonia, c. 1600 (collection of Professor D.Walter
Moritz, Hanover, Germany; Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY)
14 APPRENTICE, THE
to accept Christianity as part of a pact with took the goblet to the king, claiming that it
Basil. Another condition of this pact was had once been his property but had been
Vladimirs marriage to Anna. stolen by a band of forty thieves and that
See also: Basil II, Bulgaroctonus; Byzantine those thieves now were trying to sell it back
Empire;Vladimir I to him. The king lost no time in having the
forty thieves and their apprentice brought
APPRENTICE, THE before him. The Apprentice told the king
Armenia how he had come to have the goblet and said
The unnamed son of the laborer Ohan. that he would bring his majesty eleven more
Having proved himself no good at anything, like it to prove that the jeweler was lying.
his father took him to the home of forty The king agreed and freed the Apprentice
thieves to become their apprentice. The first but detained the forty thieves in case the
task the thieves gave their apprentice was to Apprentice did not keep his word. The
fetch water from a nearby well. However, thieves were thrown into the kings dun-
when the Apprentice leaned over the well geons, and the Apprentice set out from the
and dipped his pitcher into the water, he city to find eleven more goblets just like the
found that he could not pull it out again.The one from the well, although in truth he had
Apprentice tugged with all his might, and no idea where to go or what to do.
the pitcher came out of the water with a pale After several days ride the Apprentice
white hand holding tightly onto it. Quick as came to a large city. There he found all the
a flash, the Apprentice took hold of the white people shuffling around with sorrowful
hand and began to pull. A shriek emanated expressions etched on their faces. When the
from beneath the surface of the water, from Apprentice asked an old woman what the
which another hand appeared holding a fan- problem was, he was told that the kings only
tastic golden goblet. Not wanting to lose the son had died and that every night his grave
pitcher, the Apprentice released the hand and was defiled and the people had to rebury the
snatched the goblet. He then made his way dead prince the following day. The Appren-
back to the home of the thieves, the pitcher tice quickly made his way to the palace and
full of water in one hand and the goblet hid- sought an audience with the king, telling
den under his shirt. him that he would guard the grave of the
The thieves were immensely surprised to prince and ensure that it was never again
see their apprentice return, for no one had tampered with.
ever succeeded in drawing water from the The king told the Apprentice that he
well before: Everyone who had tried had would give him whatever his heart desired if
been pulled under the water and drowned. he could make that so. The Apprentice kept
When asked where he had got the water, the vigil over the grave through the night. On the
Apprentice told his masters what had hap- stroke of midnight three doves flew down,
pened at the well, finishing up by showing settled by the grave, and discarded their feath-
them the goblet.Their eyes lit up when they ers to become three beautiful maidens. One
saw the goblet, for they instinctively knew of the maidens took out a tablecloth and a
that it was priceless and that they should be crimson wand, and tapping the cloth, a ban-
able to sell it for enough to be able to retire quet was instantly laid.Then the maiden went
and live in luxury for the rest of their days. to the gravestone and tapped it with the
All forty thieves and their apprentice set wand.The ground opened up, and the prince
off for the nearest city, and there they showed stepped out of his grave and sat down to eat
the goblet to the city jeweler, who offered to with the three Dove Maidens.
take it to the king for an assessment of its The Apprentice watched from his hiding
value. The thieves agreed. The jeweler then place, and then, taking careful aim, he fired
APPRENTICE, THE 15
an arrow at the Dove Maidens.The maidens for eleven golden goblets as his reward. The
hastily donned their feathers again and flew king said he could not grant the Apprentices
away, leaving behind the tablecloth and the request but he did know where the
crimson wand.The Apprentice made himself Apprentice might find such goblets.
known to the prince, gathered up the cloth The following morning the Apprentice
and the wand, and had the prince return to set sail with one of the merchant ships, and
his grave, promising to release him from after a journey of seven days and seven
death very shortly. nights they came to the island of the king of
When the king and his ministers came to the houris. On the island was a beautiful
the grave in the morning they were de- palace. The Apprentice walked boldly up to
lighted to find that everything was just as it, knocked on the door, and entered. Inside
they had left it the evening before.The king he found an old man preparing a stew, an
was even more delighted when the Ap- old man who told the Apprentice to hide, as
prentice struck the grave with the wand and the houris would soon return, and if they
the prince climbed out and embraced his found him there, they would tear him to
father. However, when the Apprentice asked pieces.
for eleven golden goblets just like the one he Sure enough, moments after the Ap-
had gotten from the well, the king told him prentice had hidden, three white doves flew
that one such goblet was worth more than down into the courtyard, discarded their
his entire kingdom and that he could not feathers, and sat down to dine. During the
give the Apprentice what he wished. meal the first houri toasted the Apprentice
Saddened by this, the Apprentice would not who had managed to acquire her golden
accept anything else from the king, and goblet. The second toasted the Apprentice
instead he resumed his travels. who had secured her tablecloth and crimson
After several days ride the Apprentice wand, and the third toasted the Apprentice
came to another city, where he found all the who now held her bracelet. When the
people starving. When he asked the king of Apprentice heard these toasts in his name, he
that city what the problem was, he was told made himself known and was welcomed to
that their food had to be brought to the city their table.
by ship, but that whenever a ship entered the After they had eaten, the three houris sat
harbor, a hand would reach out from the in sad and silent contemplation. When the
water and sink it.The Apprentice asked for a Apprentice asked them what was wrong,
small boat, and having provided a feast for they told him that they had a brother who
the entire city thanks to the tablecloth, he had been taken captive by the giant Azrail,
rowed out into the harbor to await the next and that no one had ever been able to set
consignment of food. him free. The Apprentice said he would
He did not have to wait long before a fleet gladly perform this task if they would reward
of forty merchant ships sailed toward the him with the eleven goblets he needed to set
harbor mouth. As the first ship entered the the forty thieves free. They agreed and took
harbor, the Apprentice saw a pale white hand the Apprentice to see their father, the king of
rise out of the water, a golden bracelet the houris. When the king asked the
around its wrist.The Apprentice took hold of Apprentice what he needed to undertake his
the bracelet and pulled with all his might, quest, the Apprentice asked for a horse from
and the bracelet slipped over the hand, which the kings stables, the use of the kings sword,
then disappeared beneath the waves. When a bow and arrows, and a large steel mace. So
all forty ships had been unloaded and the equipped, the Apprentice rode out to find
people of the city had collected their food, the lair of the giant Azrail, guided by the
the Apprentice went to the king and asked kings chamberlain. After several days ride
16 APRAKSI(I)A
they came to the foot of Mount Djandjavaz, The Apprentice did as he was advised, and
the home of the giant. he was duly rewarded and married. The fol-
Leaving the chamberlain at the foot of lowing day the Apprentice and his new wife
the mountain, the Apprentice rode onward returned to the palace of the king who held
and upward until he came to a group of the forty thieves in his dungeons, and pre-
huge buildings.When he approached them, sented him with the eleven goblets. Seeing
he found his way barred by the two huge that the jeweler had indeed been lying, the
servants of Azrail; but having no time for king summoned the jeweler and had him
them, the Apprentice spurred his horse, and executed. Then the king, who was elderly
in one swift swing of his sword, decapitated and lacked an heir, abdicated in favor of the
them both. As their huge heads fell from Apprentice, who made the forty thieves his
their shoulders, the Apprentice caught chamberlains and ministers.
them and threw them onto an overhead See also: Azrail; Djandjavaz, Mount; Dove
balcony. The noise awakened Azrail, who Maidens,The; Ohan
came out to see what all the commotion References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967, vol. 1
was about.
When Azrail saw the Apprentice and the APRAKSI(I)A
dead bodies of his servants, he roared a chal- Russia
lenge, quickly armed himself, and came out See Evpraksiya (~ia), Princess.
to meet the Apprentice carrying seven
maces, seven swords, and a bow with seven ARCONA
arrows. The Apprentice neatly dodged the Baltic Coast
first mace thrown by Azrail, picked it up, and Located on the Baltic coastline, the site of
hurled it back, telling Azrail to have another the god Svantovits chief temple. Here the
go.The giant threw all seven of his maces, all god was depicted on a carved wooden pil-
seven of his swords, and fired all seven of his lar, in four aspects, holding a bulls-horn cup
arrows, but they all missed the Apprentice. in his right hand. A white stallion, sacred to
Seeing the giant totally devoid of weaponry, the god, was kept either in the temple itself
the Apprentice urged on his horse, and at the or in the temple precincts, together with its
gallop, let fly with his mace, which caught saddle and bridle and Svantovits sword and
Azrail on the side of the head and knocked battle flag.
him to the ground. In a flash, the Apprentice See also: Baltic; Svantovit (~dovit)
sliced off the giants head with his sword and
then cleaved it in two with a second mighty AREVHAT
blow. The head pleaded to be cut in half Armenia
again, but the Apprentice refused, for he A beautiful maiden who was caught and
knew that a third blow would restore Azrail brought to the royal palace for the sole pur-
to life. pose of being fed to Odz-Manouk, the ser-
Instead the Apprentice tethered his horse pentine son of an unnamed king and queen.
and entered the home of Azrail, where he Arevhat was lowered through the roof of the
found the son of the king of the houris chamber in which Odz-Manouk was held,
bound in chains. With a single swipe of his and the trapdoor was shut.
sword, the Apprentice set him free, and the Later in the day the king went to look in
two returned to the king of the houris. En on his son, and he was astonished to find the
route the houri prince told the Apprentice to girl still alive. His astonishment turned to
ask as his reward not only the goblets but also bewilderment when he saw that Odz-
the hand of the princes youngest sister as his Manouk was no longer a dragon but a hand-
bride, and the ring of the king of the houris. some prince, having been transformed when
ARMENIA 17
Arevhat spoke kindly to him and showed no rounded by dense forestlands, Arkhangel'sk
fear. Released from the chamber, it was not was for centuries sustained by its wood, fur,
long before Odz-Manouk and Arevhat were and leather industries.
married. See also: Dvina, River; Ivan Savel'evich;White
Some days later, Odz-Manouk asked his Sea
new wife just exactly who she was. She told
him that she was an orphan and had not ARMENIA
always been the radiant woman he saw General
before him. Once she had looked quite ordi- A country in the Caucasus mountain
nary; but one day, while she sat sewing out in region. People lived in historic Armenia by
the hills, her bobbin fell down a narrow 6,000 B.C., the earliest societies there proba-
ravine and into a crevice. She reached down bly being tribal groups that lived by farming
into the crevice and could not reach the or cattle raising. In the eighth century B.C.,
bobbin; but she saw an old woman at the a union of several tribes formed the king-
bottom who told her how to enter her home dom of Urartu, introduced irrigation, and
in order to retrieve it. built fortresses, palaces, and temples. In the
Where Arevhat was inside, however, the sixth century B.C., ancestors of the
door disappeared, and the girl realized that Armenians migrated, probably from the
she was in the presence of a witch.The witch west, to the Armenian Plateau, where they
first asked Arevhat to clean her home, which settled alongside the native population. The
she did, and then to comb her hair. Arevhat kingdom of Urartu was conquered by the
did these tasks with kindness, and then she Medes, a people from what is now Iran, in
allowed the old woman to rest her head in the fifth century B.C.
her lap while the old woman slept, having Soon after Urartu fell to the Medes, the
first given Arevhat instructions to wake her Medes themselves were conquered by the
when she saw yellow water flowing. Arevhat Persians. Armenia remained under Persian
did as instructed. When the old hag was and then Greek rule for hundreds of years,
awakened, she took Arevhat by the ankles while managing to maintain a degree of
and plunged her into the yellow water.Then autonomy. King Tigran II, who came to
she sent her on her way, transformed into a power in 95 B.C., built an independent
radiant beauty; and so it happened that she Armenian kingdom that reached from the
was brought to the palace. Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea; but
See also: Odz-Manouk the Romans defeated Tigran in 55 B.C., and
References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967, vol. 1 Armenia became a part of the Roman
Empire. In the early third century A.D.,
ARKHANGEL'SK Armenia became the first nation to adopt
Russia Christianity as its state religion. The
The home of Ivan Savel'evich. The city of Armenian alphabet was developed in the
Arkhangel'sk (also known in English as early fifth century A.D. by an Armenian
Archangel) is located on the flatlands of the cleric, and in 451 the Armenians, under
northern branch of the river Dvina, 28 Vartan Mamikonian, defended their religion
miles (45 km) from the point where the against the Persians in the Battle of Avarair.
river flows into the White Sea. English mer- Arabs conquered Armenia in the seventh
chants first occupied the area near the century A.D., and in 884, an independent
rivers moutha former Norse settlement Armenian kingdom was established in the
in 1584. Originally called Novo- northern part of the region. Seljuk Turks
Kholmogory, the city was renamed in 1613 conquered the country in the mid-eleventh
in honor of the archangel Michael. Sur- century, but Armenians established a new
18 ARTHUR, KING
state in Cilicia on the Mediterranean coast Round Table are known throughout the
the last Armenian kingdom, which fell to world. The only connection between King
invading Mamluks (a powerful political class Arthur and the heroes (legendary or other-
that dominated Egypt from the thirteenth wise) of Russian and Slavic myth and legend
century until their massacre in 1811) in 1375. stems from the similarity of a story told of
By 1514, the Ottoman Empire had gained Batradz, a hero of the Alans, as well as a pos-
control of Armenia, and it would rule west- sible connection to the Serbian Prince
ern Armenia until its defeat in World War I, Marko, who, it is said, lies asleep awaiting a
in 1918. Persia gained control of eastern time when his services are once more
Armenia in 1639 and ruled it until 1828, required.
when the region was annexed by Russia. It Although the similarities in these stories
became independent in 1991, after nearly 70 may be purely coincidental, it is commonly
years as a part of the Soviet Union, and today assumed that either the legend of Arthur was
it is a member of the Commonwealth of carried to Slavic regions by Roman soldiers
Independent States, a loose association of or the stories of Batradz were taken to
former Soviet republics. Britain and subsequently attached to the
See also: Caspian Sea; Caucasus; Russia already growing folklore regarding King
Arthur.The connection between Arthur and
ARTHUR, KING Prince Marko is more tenuous: In this case, it
General seems likely that the legend of King Arthur
Semimythologized, legendary ruler of Bri- led to that of Markos enchanted sleep until
tain whose exploits with the Knights of the the time of his countrys greatest need.
See also: Alans; Batradz; Marko, Prince
AS-IGA
SiberiaOstyak
Old Man of the Ob', a benevolent water
spirit venerated by the Ostyak people who
lived beside the great Siberian river.
See also: Ostyaks; Siberia
ASKOLD
Scandinavia and Russia
According to Russian tradition as recorded in
the Primary Chronicle, internal dissension and
feuds among the Eastern Slavs around
Novgorod became so violent that they vol-
untarily chose to call upon a foreign prince
who could unite them into one strong state.
Their choice was Riurik, or Ryurik, a
Scandinavian (or Varangian) chief, who in
862 became ruler of Novgorod. Two other
Scandinavians, Dir and Askold, possibly leg-
endary figures, gained control of Kiev. Later,
the cities of Novgorod and Kiev were united
Head of King Arthur, from The Beautiful Fountain under a common ruler.
(Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg, See also: Dir; Kiev; Novgorod; Primary
Germany; Scala/Art Resource, NY) Chronicle; Riurik
AVARS 19
ASLAN ATRIMPAASA
Armenia Scythia
Lion, the third name by which Zurab was The goddess of the moon.
known (after Zuro).Aslan is also the name of
a king, the father of Gulinaz in the story of AURORA BOREALIS
Samson. It is quite possible that the two Russia
Aslans are one and the same, although this Nainas, the personification of this familiar
can be neither proved nor disproved. and spectacular natural phenomenon, was
See also: Gulinaz; Samson; Zurab betrothed to Niekia. However, the two were
References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967, never married, due to the intervention of
vol. 4 Peivalk and his father, the sun.
See also: Nainas; Niekia; Peivalk; Sun
ASTLIK
Armenia AURORAS
A star, also described as the goddess of stars, Russia
and the wife of the god Vahagn.The couples The two primary stars, Zvezda Dennitsa and
marriage might be interpreted as incestuous, Zvezda Vechernyaya (Morning Star and
as Vahagn created the stars. Evening Star), daughters and attendants of
See also: Vahagn Dazhbog and sisters to the twosome say
threeZoryi.
ASTRAKHAN' See also: Dazhbog; Evening Star; Morning
General Star; Zoryi; Zvezda Dennitsa; Zvezda
A city on the Volga River delta, in south- Vechernyaya
western Russia.The city, which extends onto
several islands in the delta, is an important AUSEKLIS
trading center because of its direct connec- Baltic
tions by waterway with ports on the Caspian The deification of the planet Venus seen in
Sea and the Volga River. Like Moscow, the morning sky shortly before sunrise,
Astrakhan' is dominated by an old fortress, a known as Auseklis in Latvia and as Ausrine in
kremlin. Astrakhan' once served as the capi- Lithuania.
tal of a Tatar state. The Mongol conqueror See also: Morning Star;Venus
Tamerlane (13361405) destroyed the capital
in 1395. However, it was later rebuilt, and in AUSRINE
1556, Ivan Groznyi captured the city and Lithuania
made it part of Russia. See Auseklis.
See also: Caspian Sea; Ivan Groznyi; Kremlin;
Mongols; Moscow;Tatars;Volga AUTRIMPAS
Prussia
ATHOS, MOUNT The god of seas and of lakes.
Serbia
Serbian mountain where legend records that AVARS
the body of Prince Marko was buried by a General
priest who came across the corpse beside the A Mongolian people who conquered (c. A.D.
burial place of Sarac. It is also said by some to 461) the Uighurs, a Turkic tribe sometimes
be the place where Prince Marko simply called the pseudo-Avars, and with the
sleeps and awaits his return to the land of the Uighurs formed an alliance on the Volga
living. steppes (in what later would be Russia). In
See also: Marko, Prince; Sarac the middle of the sixth century this confed-
20 AVDOT'YA
The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) on a moonlit night (Abe Black/Archive Photos)
eration was almost annihilated by the Turks. they were almost completely exterminated
The survivors, mostly Uighurs led by Avar by the Moravians, the survivors being ab-
chiefs, took the name of Avars and split into sorbed by the Slavic peoples.
two bodies. One part remained in eastern Of the Avars who remained in eastern
Europe. The other moved westward until Europe very little is known. However, the
they reached the river Danube and settled in available evidence indicates that one of the
Dacia, whence they initiated raids of con- twenty-seven Lezghian tribes of Dagestan,
quest. Russia, might be their descendants. Esti-
At the end of the sixth century the terri- mated to number more than 150,000, these
tory of the Dacian Avars extended from the modern Avars are Muslims and speak a lan-
river Volga to the Baltic Sea, and they ex- guage similar to Arabic.
acted enormous tribute from the Byzantine See also: Byzantine Empire; Caucasus;
Empire. During this period, under Baian, Danube; Khan; Moravia;Volga
their khagan, or khan, they were possibly
the greatest power in Europe, and tremen- AVDOT'YA
dously influenced the later development of Russia
a large part of Europe by driving most of The wife of Mikhail Potyk.The couple made
the Western Slavs to the areas they have a pact that if one of them died, the other
occupied ever since. After the death of would join the deceased in the tomb.
Baian, the power of the western Avars Avdot'ya died first, and true to his word, her
declined under strikes by the Slavs and husband was lowered into the tomb beside
Bulgars, and in 795 and 796 they were her. First, however, he took the precaution of
crushed by Charlemagne (742814). Later having a rope connected to the church bell
AZERBAIJAN 21
Azerbaijani interior ministry special forces patrol an ancient Muslim cemetery outside Kazakh, Azerbaijan, 14
May 1991. (Reuters/Archive Photos)
22 AZNAVOR
1813 and 1828. In 1918, following the houris. Although many tried, none man-
Russian Revolution, Azerbaijan became an aged to defeat the giant. When the
independent state; and in 1920 it united with Apprentice heard of the plight of the
Georgia and Armenia to form the Trans- houris brother, he said that he would
caucasian Soviet Federated Socialist Re- defeat the giant and release the captive,
public (SFSR). When the Transcaucasian provided the brothers gave him eleven
republic was dissolved in 1936, Azerbaijan golden goblets, which he needed to free
became a constituent republic of the USSR. his friends.The houris agreed and took the
The collapse of communism in the USSR in Apprentice to see their father, who
1991 led to the reassertion of Azerbaijans equipped the Apprentice with a horse, a
political independence. The new republic bow and arrows, the kings sword, and a
joined the United Nations in 1992. large steel mace. Thus outfitted, the
See also: Armenia; Georgia;Transcaucasia Apprentice was led to the foot of Mount
Djandjavaz by the kings chamberlain.
AZNAVOR Riding ahead alone, the Apprentice
Armenia quickly killed the two giant servants of
Mysterious demon defeated by Badikan. Azrail. The noise of battle woke Azrail,
Little is known about his origins, his charac- who came out of his huge castle to see
ter, or his deeds, as the legend offers no what was going on.
details. When he saw the bodies of his servants,
See also: Badikan Azrail roared a challenge and quickly armed
References: Khatchatrian 1933 himself with seven maces, seven swords, and
a bow with seven arrows. The Apprentice
AZOV, SEA OF neatly dodged the first mace thrown by
General Azrail, picked it up, and hurled it back,
A large, shallow inland sea bounded by telling Azrail to have another go. The giant
Ukraine and Russia.The Sea of Azov is con- threw all seven of his maces, all seven of his
nected to the Black Sea by the Kerch Strait swords, and fired all seven of his arrows, but
and covers about 14,500 square miles they all missed the Apprentice. Seeing the
(37,550 square kilometers). Its maximum giant totally devoid of weaponry, the
depth is only about 48 feet (15 meters). Its Apprentice spurred on his horse, and at the
western end is called the Sivash, or Putrid gallop, let fly his mace, which caught Azrail
Lake, because of the numerous foul-smelling on the side of the head and knocked him to
marshes and lagoons therelagoons that the ground. In a flash, the Apprentice sliced
yield important chemicals for industry. The off the giants head with his sword and then
Don River flows into the Gulf of Taganrog, cleaved it in two with a second mighty
which lies at the northeastern end of the sea. blow. The head pleaded to be cut in half
See also: Black Sea; Don; Ukraine again but the Apprentice refused, for he
knew that a further blow would restore
AZRAIL Azrail to life.
Armenia See also: Apprentice,The; Djandjavaz, Mount;
A giant who lived on Mount Djandjavaz Houri
and who captured the brother of the three References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967.
BABA-YAGA (-JAGA, -IAGA)
Russia
Possibly the best known of all Slavic leg-
endary characters, this witch is known
B
as Ienzababa or Jezda in Poland, and
Jazi Baba to the Czechs (baba mean-
ing old woman and yaga being
Russian for hag). Baba-Yaga is
usually portrayed as malevolent, but
she is occasionally a benefactress.
Like most Russian witches, Baba-
BABA Yaga is an immortal shape-changer, a
Poland true sorceress with a deep knowledge of
Old woman, the name given to the last everything in the world (the Russian word
sheaf harvested. Also, the spirit that was for witch, ved'ma, comes from the root ved',
believed to live in this last sheaf. meaning to know). Baba-Yaga is the per-
Sometimes the sheaf was composed of sonification of death; she is the Devils hand-
twelve smaller sheaves lashed together, the maiden. She is never portrayed as a goddess,
women racing each other as each bound for she is far too earthly to be considered a
her smaller sheaf, because the one who fin- true deity. Yet in her earliest form, she dis-
ished last was certain to have a child the played an aspect of the Great Goddess, the
next year. The Lithuanian counterpart is patron goddess of women, benevolent to all.
the Boba. Not until the Christian era was she down-
See also: Boba graded to a fearsome witch, and even then
she retained a wide following among
women.
BABA LATINGORKA Post-Christian legends provide evidence
Russia of the importance of Baba-Yaga to women.
A sorceress related to the dragon Go- One story says that an old couple had a
ryshche, she appeared to Dobrynya Ni- daughter but could find no godmother for
kitich in the guise of an old hag and chal- her.After much searching, they found an old
lenged him to a fight, armed with a sword woman who said she would act as the childs
and lance that reached into the skies. Two godmother. This old woman then revealed
versions exist of the fight. In one, herself as Baba-Yaga and spirited the girl
Dobrynya was mortally wounded by Baba away to live with her.The girl later commit-
Latingorka and died in shame. In the sec- ted some unrecorded crime against Baba-
ond, he did not die until his wound had Yaga, who, rather than eating the child as she
been avenged by Il'ya Muromets, who would have done in pre-Christian stories,
defeated the hag. Many authorities believe simply exiled her into the dark forest.There
that Baba Latingorka is an incarnation of the girl was found by a prince who was out
that most terrible of all Russian witches, hunting. He took her back to his kingdom,
Baba-Yaga. where she subsequently bore him three sons,
See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga); Dobrynya each with the moon and stars upon his fore-
Nikitich; Dragon; Goryninka; Goryshche; head. Learning of her goddaughters where-
Il'ya Muromets abouts, Baba-Yaga appeared, demanding that
References: Astakhova 193851; Evgen'eva and the three children be given her as expiation
Putilov 1977; Speranskii 1916 for the girls misdeeds. She then made off not
23
24
only with the children but also with their that Baba-Yaga also spins the thread of life
mother. The prince, predictably distraught, from the bones and entrails of the dead. Any
set out to find them. After some time, he hero who looked inside the cottage would
came to a clearing in the forest. In the clear- be likely to find Baba-Yaga crammed into
ing a bright fire was burning around which every corner of the house, with her nose
all manner of animals were gathered, block- pressed hard against the roof.
ing his passage. In the center, next to the fire, Descriptions of Baba-Yaga vary widely.
sat Baba-Yaga with the princes wife and Some describe her only as an old crone and
three sons. The prince pleaded to be admit- leave the details to imagination. Others
ted, but the animals let him pass only after describe her as an aged, ugly crone who is
the princes wife asked Baba-Yagas permis- so emaciated that she is little more than
sion.The hag allowed the prince to carry off skin and bone. Her teeth are long and very
his three sons but not his wife. As the story sharp, occasionally made of iron, and some-
developed, Baba-Yaga came to be equated times her canines are so long that they pro-
with Mary, Mother of God, and the forest trude over her lips. Her teeth need to be
home of the witch became the kingdom of sharp, for Baba-Yaga is a cannibal, one gaze
heaven. from her eyes usually being enough to pet-
The oldest surviving stories of Baba-Yaga rify her victimseither turning them tem-
suggest that she is an ancient deity with ori- porarily to stone so that she could take
gins perhaps as long ago as Paleolithic times, them home, unpetrify them, and eat them,
when she was the patroness of herds and or simply immobilizing them with fear.
herdsmen, the goddess of horses, and the Her hair is a tangled mass of writhing
patron goddess of farmers and farming. Her snakes. This aspect, like her petrifying eyes,
oldest personification, however, is as mistress suggests a classical Greek influence, for
of all animals, a bird goddess as reflected by these are both essential attributes of the
the chicken legs on her house, with which Gorgon Medusa. Her nose and her breasts
she is as one. are made of iron. The bones of her victims
Although unnamed in the story of Ivan form the gate and fence that surround her
the Pea, the old crone who lives in the forest home, each post being adorned with a
in a strange house that revolves in the wind human skull, the eyes of which light up at
is none other than Baba-Yaga. In that story night.These bones are symbolic not only of
she is far from the malevolent witch; but Baba-Yagas association with death but also
maybe even Baba-Yaga realized that she of her role as the source of new life, which
would have been no match for Ivan the Pea. she brews from the bones of the dead. Her
Almost every story about Baba-Yaga soup often contains leftover body parts,
describes her dwelling as a cottage in the such as fingers, toes, and eyes. The house
most remote and inaccessible part of a deep itself is also said by some to be made of
forest, which makes her the khoziaika lesa human bones, with legs for doorposts,
(mistress of the forest).This cottage sits on hands for the bolts, and a mouth with
four sets of hens legs, one at each corner, and razor-sharp teeth for the lock. Others say
revolves either freely in the wind or when that these parts are associated only with the
some unheard word is spoken. Some versions bone fence and that Baba Yagas house
of the legend say that the cottage was not resembles any other peasant hutapart
fixed to the ground and could run around on from its chicken leg supports.
its hens legs. Others say that the hens legs In her benevolent guise, Baba-Yaga
were simply supports for the four corners appears as a normal, aged peasant woman
and that the center of the house was fixed on with luxuriant hair and a kindly face and dis-
the spindle of a spinning-wheel, indicating position, and as often as not, wears the tradi-
26 BABA-YAGA (-JAGA, -IAGA)
that will help him release his bride Maria ciated with the bear, who sometimes
Morena, who has been taken prisoner by replaces her in the role of master of the for-
some unnamed captor.When the young man est, and the serpentboth animals to be
arrives at the home of the witch he is con- feared and respected. She demands human
fronted by the bone fence that surrounds it. sacrifice from her supplicants in return for
On closer inspection, however, the young the sustenance of life.
man sees that one spike on the fence has no In Russian legend, Baba-Yaga is closely
skull on top. As he is inspecting the fence he associated with serpents and dragons. Kosh-
is confronted by the witch, who informs him chei the Deathless, whose name derives from
that the last picket has been reserved for his kost' (bone), is a dragon in human guise,
skull, although he can escape death and his destiny and all he does guided by the
obtain what he came for if he completes a dualistic aspects of Baba-Yaga. She confers
simple taskcontrolling the forty mare- on him immortality but also gives him a
daughters for twenty-four hours. Needless to soul, thus making him mortal. Baba-Yaga is
say, the hero of this story completes the task, also the controlling force behind the multi-
receives a supernaturally empowered steed headed, fire-breathing dragon Chudo-Yudo,
from the witch, and completes his quest to who sits watch over the Water of Life and
free his bride. Death, a role that has often led Chudo-Yudo
Although Baba-Yaga may essentially be to be considered a bizarre offspring of the
regarded as a feminine deity, she is equally at witch and thus a brother to the forty mare-
home in the world of men. She carries a daughters.
wand with which she can transform herself In Belorussia, Baba-Yaga and her associ-
and those at whom she directs its power, and ates are held to drain the energy of the sun
she rules over the male genitalia. She is also with their magical fires, destroy plants, and
more likely to appear in her benevolent guise turn the power of the earth against mankind.
to men than to women. She owns a fire- Thus, in this region at least, Baba-Yaga and
breathing, flying horse, giving her an aspect her sisterhood are seen as being in control of
as the horse goddess, as well as a self- the elements of the earth. If humanity does
directing, self-cutting sword, both items not please or placate them, then Baba-Yaga
being more readily lent to men than to and her kind will use their awesome powers
women. She also will lend other, feminine to turn the earth itself against those it is
articles to deserving youths, such as mirrors, meant to support.
rings, and balls of yarn. Baba-Yaga is also the One particular story, that of Vasilissa the
patroness of wandering minstrels, for she Beautiful, clearly demonstrates both the
owns a self-playing gusli that some allude to malevolent and benevolent sides of Baba-
as the first instrument of the type ever made. Yaga and her powers. In this story the witch
With links to the werewolf and vampire, assigns the poor girl impossible tasks, telling
Baba-Yaga and her kind, the volkhvy (seers), her that she will be eaten if she fails; but
would perform their chief rites and cause when Vasilissa has completed all of the tasks,
the most trouble at midsummer, the same Baba-Yaga gives her a magical skull that rids
time that the female elders of villages would her of her cruel stepmother and stepsisters.
go into the fields at night to look for medi- Another story about a VasilissaVasilissa the
cinal herbs and other plants. Baba-Yaga is Wisedemonstrates the compassionate
the wolf goddess who devours all who try to nature of Baba-Yaga: In this story the witch
enter her sphere. She induces nightmares tells Ivan the Young how he might regain his
and hallucinations as well as deadly diseases, wife,Vasilissa the Wise, and keep her forever.
all three relating to her role as the goddess of See also: Chudo-Yudo; Day; Devil,The;
death and the underworld. She also is asso- Dragon; Great Goddess; Ienzababa; Ivan the
28 BAB'E LETO
Pea; Ivan the Young; Jazi Baba; Jezda; Khoziaika See also: Koliada
lesa; Koshchei (the Deathless); Leshii (~y); References: Propp 1963; Sokolov 1945
Maria Morena; Moon; Night; Sun;Tree of Life,
The; Underworld,The;Vampire;Vasilis(s)a the BABII PRAZDNIK
Beautiful;Vasilis(s)a the Wise;Volkhv;Water of Russia
Life and Death,The;Werewolf
Old womans holiday. An alternative name
References: Afanas'ev 1974, Baroja 1964; Dal'
1957; 1957, and 186569; Matorin 1931;
for Radunitsa, used widely in Kievan Rus'.
Newell 1973; Snegirev 1839;Wosien 1969; Babii Prazdnik, celebrated near Easter time,
Zemtsovskii 1970 was dedicated to the god Rod and included
a feast prepared and eaten in honor of the
BAB'E LETO dead. During this feast, women decorated
Russia eggsa practice that was incorporated dur-
Indian summer (literally, old womans sum- ing Christian times into the festival of
mer), a period of the Russian agrarian cycle Easterand placed them on the graves of
that started officially on Saint Simons Day (1 deceased ancestors, symbolizing rebirth.
September), after the harvest, and culminated See also: Radunitsa; Rod()
in the Pokrovskaia Subbota in October. References: Snegirev 1839; Sokolov 1945;
Zabylin 1880
Bab'e leto was marked by several significant
household events: Old fires were extin-
guished and new ones laid and lit by the mis- BABUSHKA-LYAGUSHKA-
tress in honor of the ancestral spirits. The SKAKUSHKA
dead were remembered, new spinning was Russia
started, new beer was brewed, and marriages Grandmother Hopping Frog, the frog that
were arranged. Although most of these ritu- lived in the Green Marsh and was asked by
als (e.g., the lighting of fires) were observed Baba-Yaga to help Petrushka in his quest to
only on Saint Simons Day, the old womans find the place I-Know-Not-Where and the
summer would run throughout September, thing I-Know-Not-What. Babushka-
right up to the Pokrovskaia Subbotathe Lyagushka-Skakushka said that she would
Feast of the Intercession, or Day of help Petrushka, provided he carry her in a
Protection. Bab'e leto was also a time when jug of fresh milk to the River of Fire, for she
rulers would go out among the people, seek- was old, and without the rejuvenating pow-
ing their renewed support. ers of that river, she would not have the
See also: Pokrovskaia Subbota strength. Baba-Yaga agreed and took the frog
References: Snegirev 183739; Zabylin 1880; back to her home in her pestle and mortar.
Zemtsovskii 1970 There she prepared a jug of fresh milk,
placed the frog in the jug, woke her son-in-
BAB'IA KASHA law, and told him what to do.
Russia Petrushka took the jug with the frog in it,
Old womans gruel, the day after Koliada, mounted Baba-Yagas swiftest horse, and
on which a Russian family would eat a meal within a matter of a few minutes, stood
of kut'ia specially prepared in the bathhouse beside the River of Fire.There Petrushka let
so that the family would receive the blessings the frog out of the jug and placed her on the
of a good harvest, direct from the spirits of ground. Placing one foot in the River of
their ancestors.The kut'ia was a type of mush Fire, Babushka-Lyagushka-Skakushka started
made of eggs and grainfoods symbolic of to grow until she was the size of Petrushkas
rebirth. In Ukraine the festival centered on a horse. The frog told the archer to climb on
rite in which the entire family drank kut'ia her back and hold tight, which Petrushka
from a horned vessel. did, while the frog continued to grow until
BADIKAN 29
she was taller than the tallest tree in any for- As he wondered who might own such a
est. The frog made sure that Petrushka was building, the sun was blotted out by the
holding on tightly, and then she leaped shape of an enormous giant making its way
through the air, landing in a foreign land and toward the palace, a giant with armor of
breathing out slowly until she resumed her steel, a casque (helmet) and shoes of bronze,
normal size. and a bow and arrows of wrought iron. As
Babushka-Lyagushka-Skakushka informed the giant reached the gates to his castle he
Petrushka that they were now in I-Know- stopped, sniffed, and proclaimed that he
Not-Where. The frog then told Petrushka could smell human flesh. Unafraid, Badikan
that he should go to the lowliest hut in a stepped out of the shadows and made him-
nearby village and hide there behind the self known to the giant. The giant in turn
stove, for within that hut lived I-Know-Not- introduced himself as Khan Boghu.
What. Petrushka thanked Babushka- Badikan replied that he had heard of Khan
Lyagushka-Skakushka and set off. He found Boghu and had traveled to his land to do bat-
the hut with little difficulty and hid himself tle with him. Khan Boghu laughed and told
inside as instructed. Badikan that if he were that great a warrior,
Though the legend does not say so, it is perhaps it would be better if they became
reasonable to assume that after delivering friends. Badikan laughed and agreed that he
Petrushka to his desired destination, would live with the giant as his companion.
Babushka-Lyagushka-Skakushka returned to The following morning Khan Boghu told
the Green Marsh. Badikan that he had a problem with which
See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga); Green Badikan might be able to help. In the
Marsh; I-Know-Not-What; I-Know-Not- Kingdom of the East there lived a king
Where; Petrushka; River of Fire,The whose daughter was the most beautiful
maiden in all the world, and Khan Boghu
BADIKAN had fallen in love with her. If Badikan could
Armenia bring him the maiden, Badikan would be
The youngest of the forty sons of an rewarded. Badikan assented, and armed and
unnamed king. As each son came of age, the provisioned by Khan Boghu, he set off.
king sent him off to a distant land to prove In the Kingdom of the East, Badikan
his worth and find a wife. Finally it was found employment as a gardener in the
Badikans turn to be likewise dispatched.The palace gardens, and there he caught his first
King gave him a sword, a bow and arrows, glimpse of the princess. Immediately he was
money and servants, and a magnificent horse, smitten by her beauty, and she too, guessing
and then gave Badikan his blessing and sent that he was far more than a gardener, fell in
him on his way. love with Badikan. However, as the city was
Badikan traveled far and wide. He crossed heavily fortified to protect it against attack,
the Kingdom of Darkness and the Kingdom Badikan could not hope to escape with the
of Light. He did battle with Agog-Magog princess. She, however, said that she would
and the demon Aznavor, overcoming them travel beyond the city walls, and there she
and many other beasts both natural and would allow Badikan to abduct her.
supernatural. However, his servants all were Thus it was that several days later the
killed in these battles and his money was princess left the city with a retinue of forty
spent by the time he reached an enormous handmaidens. Badikan waited until the party
palace. The palace had been built in a time was crossing a river in single file, and then he
before man walked upon the earth, and it swooped down, plucked the princess from
was so large that it would have taken Badikan her mount, and sped off into the mountains
a week to scale its walls. with her, hiding her safely before returning
30 BADNIK
to dispose of the soldiers sent by her father to the ox had drained them and had fallen into
track them down. a drunken stupor, Badikan leaped forward
The princess was overjoyed to be in the and cut off its head. As the head fell, Khan
company of Badikan, but her joy turned to Boghu, who was out hunting, stumbled and
despair when Badikan admitted that he had fell, and instantly he knew that the princess
abducted her at the request of Khan Boghu. had betrayed him and the ox was dead. Khan
However, the princess gained a stay of mar- Boghu staggered to his feet and hurried back
riage when she told Khan Boghu that she to his palace as quickly as he could, consid-
had promised her parents that she would ering the pain he was suffering for the very
refrain from marrying for seven yearsa first time. Seeing him coming, the princess
delay that Khan Boghu gladly consented to. fled to the rooftops, fully intending to throw
From then on both the princess and Badikan herself to her death if the need arose.
conspired to discover why Khan Boghu Badikan, meanwhile, had cut open the ox,
remained invulnerable to all weapons. caught the fox by its tail, and cut off its head.
The princess settled into a routine of As the head rolled from the fox, blood began
appearing loving and caring toward Khan to flow freely from Khan Boghus nose.
Boghu, and it wasnt long before Khan Badikan then cut open the fox, took out the
Boghu lapsed into a false sense of security. mother-of-pearl box, and broke its lock. As
One night, while Khan Boghu was glowing the lock broke, Khan Boghu began to cough
in the light of the princesss compliments, he up blood. Badikan then let out the seven
dropped his guard and told her that he could sparrows. He strangled the first two, and
not be killed because he did not carry his Khan Boghu fell to his knees. He strangled
seven souls with him.Those seven souls were two more, and Khan Boghus arms and legs
hidden inside seven sparrows that could not grew numb. He strangled two more, and
be caught.The sparrows, in turn, were secure Khan Boghus heart and liver burst. Then
inside a mother-of-pearl box that could not Badikan caught the last sparrow and crushed
be opened, and the box was inside a fox that it in his hands, and as he did, all life left Khan
could not be caught. If that were not enough, Boghu in a cloud of black smoke.
the fox was inside an ox that could not be Badikan then hurried back to the
overcome, and thus he was safe for all time. princess. A few days later they were married,
When Khan Boghu went hunting the fol- and for the rest of their days they ruled Khan
lowing day, the princess told Badikan how he Boghus domain together.
might find Khan Boghus soul and thus kill This story should be compared with that
him. When Khan Boghu returned, Badikan of Koshchei the Deathless, for he too had his
asked whether he might be allowed to travel soul hidden outside his body so that he
on an adventure, promising to return when might remain invulnerable, and like Khan
he had satisfied his need, for he was bored Boghu, he was tricked by a womans wiles
doing nothing in Khan Boghus palace. Khan into revealing his secret.
Boghu consented, and Badikan made his See also: Agog-Magog; Aznavor; Boghu,
farewells to the princess and set off on his Khan; Kingdom of Darkness,The; Kingdom
fabulous horse. of Light,The; Kingdom of the East,The;
His first stop was at the home of a group Koshchei (the Deathless)
of sorcerers who told him that the ox could References: Khatchatrian 1933
be overcome with seven barrels of strong
wine. So equipped, Badikan rode for many BADNIK
days until he found the huge ox. Hiding RussiaNovgorod Province
behind some rocks, Badikan left the seven The name given to the log ritually burned
open barrels of wine in the open, and when to bring the Koliada festivities to a close.
BALKAN(S) 31
The burning of the log symbolized death farmers from the Russian steppes, and later,
and rebirth, the sun, and the ancestors of the sometime during the Bronze Age (c.
people. 2,000500 B.C.), by Celts.The Slavic peoples
See also: Koliada first arrived in the region around the third
References: Afanas'ev 1869 century A.D., and migrated to the peninsula
in large numbers in the sixth century. There
BAGPUTYS they were joined by Bulgar tribes during the
Lithuania seventh century, the Bulgars eventually
A sea god who is particularly associated with assimilating with the Slavs. Slavic, Magyar,
storms, Bagputys rides the choppy seas in a and Germanic settlements evolved in com-
boat with a golden anchor. parative isolation due to natural barriers of
communication, and as a result, each of these
BALD MOUNTAINS groups developed its own religion, language,
Russia and customs. All suffered periodic persecu-
A mountain range near Kiev. In the legend tion by the Turks. During the Byzantine era
of Ivan the Pea, these mountains were said to (3951453), a form of Orthodox Chris-
mark the boundary of the kingdom of the tianity was established in parts of the
dragon that carried off Ivans sister, Vasilissa Balkans, while Islam spread in those regions
of the Golden Braid, and killed his two held by the Turks. From the late Middle Ages
brothers. on, the Ottoman Turks gradually took con-
See also: Dragon; Ivan the Pea; Kiev;Vasilis(s)a trol of almost the entire peninsula; but the
of the Golden Braid balance of power in the Balkans changed
again after the siege of Vienna (1683), when
BALKAN(S) the Ottoman Turks were driven back by the
General Austrian Habsburgs and by Russia, both
The Balkan peninsula, located in southeast- powers seeking access to the seas surround-
ern Europe, stretches from the Black and the ing the peninsula.
Aegean Seas in the east to the Adriatic and In the nineteenth century, one Balkan
Ionian Seas to the west, and is bounded by nation after another developed strong
the Mediterranean to the south. The plural nationalist movements, forcing Turkey to
form of the name refers to the lands that concede a degree of autonomy to each con-
make up the region: Slovenia, Croatia, stituent nation. The Balkan League of 1912
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Mon- was formed to counter Turkish rule in the
tenegro, Albania, continental Greece, south- area, and this led to the Balkan Wars. Two
east Romania, Bulgaria, European Turkey, years later Pan-Slavism contributed to the
and the former Yugoslav Republic of outbreak of World War I when the heir pre-
Macedonia. The peninsula is linked to the sumptive to the Austrian emperor was assas-
rest of Europe by an isthmus that is 750 sinated at Sarajevo by a young Serbian
miles (1,200 km) wide between Rijeka on nationalist named Gavril Princip. After
the west, and the mouth of the river Danube World War I ended in 1918 and the
on the Black Sea to the easta strategically Ottoman Empire was dismantled, Bosnia
important route from the Mediterranean and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slavonia, and
Sea to the Black Sea. Carniola united with Serbia and Mon-
The Balkans have been inhabited since c. tenegro to form the Kingdom of the Serbs,
200,000 B.C. By the seventh millennium Croats, and Slovenes, which was later
B.C., a distinctive Stone Age culture had renamed Yugoslavia.
evolved in the region.The peninsula was set- See also: Black Sea; Bosnia; Bulgaria;
tled around 3,500 B.C. by seminomadic Croatia; Danube; Herzegovina; Macedonia;
32 BALTIC
sun set, the two travelers heard a pack of The king eyed the two suspiciously, think-
wolves approaching, and as the howls grew ing they were spies for his enemies, and had
louder, Baron was so frightened that his them bound and dragged off to his dungeons.
trembling caused him to lose his footing and There they were left for several days before
fall from the tree. being dragged into the presence of the king
Haron, however, remained calm and told and his beautiful daughter. Haron was imme-
Baron that they should simply sit beneath the diately smitten by her beauty, and she likewise
tree and talk, giving the impression that they by his countenance. The king questioned
were just two of many.They did exactly that, both Haron and Baron and, not believing
and the wolves, thinking that they would be their story, called on his guards to take them
set upon by an unknown number of men, out and hang them. However, the kings
left them alone. The following night exactly daughter interceded, and the king allowed
the same situation arose, this time with a her to hear their stories and be their judge.
pack of bears, and again Haron and Baron She listened to what both Haron and
deceived the bears into thinking that they Baron had to say, and then went to her
were not alone, although Baron was still father, told him that she believed that they
extremely scared. posed no threat, and asked that her father
Once again, as they made their camp the should call upon Loqmn the Wise to
next night, Baron sought to make his bed in restore Barons sight. This he did, and when
a tree, leaving Haron on the ground. Baron Baron could see again, he pleaded with the
climbed down to eat, but when Haron grew King to take him out and hang him, as he
thirsty, Baron refused to lead him to a nearby could not stand to look Haron in the face
stream. Thus Haron had to guide himself to after the way he had treated him. Haron and
the refreshing water. There Haron heard a the princess lifted Baron to his feet, and
bird alight on a branch above him, a bird that Haron and Baron were reconciled.The king
told him to splash the water from the stream then consented to the marriage of Haron
on his eyes. Haron did so, and his sight was and his daughter, a wedding at which Baron
immediately restored. Overjoyed, he rushed served as best man.
back to the camp to tell Baron, but all Baron See also: Haro(n)
could think about was bettering his already References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967,
perfect sight, and he rushed down to the vol. 10
stream to splash water in his face. However,
when he did so he was immediately struck BARSTUKAI
blind. From that moment on their roles were Lithuania
reversed, and Haron had to lead Baron. An underworld being sometimes described
The following evening the two once as a fairy, who was believed to influence the
again made camp in the shade of a tree. harvest and to perform household chores for
Haron did not seek to make his bed in the those who had made offerings to Puskaitis.
tree but stayed with Baron. As they settled to Offerings were left these fairies by farmers
prepare their evening meal they heard the who would lay out tables of food in barns,
sound of a man on horseback approaching where the Barstukai were believed to gather
them, the hoof falls of the horse accompa- and feast at midnight.
nied by the sound of many men on foot. As See also: Fairy; Puskaitis; Underworld,The
they listened to the men approaching, a
huntsman on a white horse entered the BASIL, SAINT
clearinga huntsman that Haron immedi- Russia
ately recognized as the king of the land they One of the most famous of Russian saints, to
were traveling through. whom the landmark cathedral in Red
34 BASIL II, BULGAROCTONUS
Saint Basils Cathedral, Red Square, Moscow, October 1996 (Reuters/Ulli Michel/Archive Photos)
Square, Moscow, was dedicated. Saint Basil is celebrate his victory over the Kazan' Tatars.
said to have started his life as a wandering In the seventeenth century the cathedral
nomad, and through that wandering he was renamed Saint Basils, a name it bears to
became as one with God. A historical char- this day.
acter from the first half of the sixteenth cen- See also: Ivan Groznyi; Ivan the Terrible;
tury, Basil is said to have marched naked into Kazan';Tatars
Moscow, where he punished dishonest mer- References: Fedotov 1960 and 1966
chants as Christ had the money-lenders in
the synagogue and reminded Tsar Ivan IV BASIL II, BULGAROCTONUS
(dubbed Groznyi, The Terrible) of his Russia
atrocities. Basil lived with a widow but never Lived from c. 958 to 1025. The son of
married her, and in so doing demonstrated Romanus II and sister of Anna, Basil as-
that a man may protect the innocent, an act cended the imperial Byzantine throne as sole
in direct contrast with the actions of the tsar. ruler in 976.Within a few years, his rule was
Basil openly reproached the tsar for his endangered by an uprising of nobles led by
bloody repression, but because Basil died in Bardas Sclerus, who was assisted by General
1550, he never witnessed the worst excesses Bardas Phocas. Basil put down this revolt, but
of Ivans reign. the rebellion continued to simmer.The same
Basil was buried in the church of Our two men led a second revolt almost a decade
Lady of Kazan', which Ivan had built to later, this time threatening to topple Basil.
BEL BELYANIN 35
The emperor was saved when he entered authority over fifty bishops in Pontus. Basil
into an alliance with Vladimir I, who, as part remained resolutely opposed to the hetero-
of his pact with Basil, converted to doxy of the Byzantine emperor Valens,
Christianity and married Anna.Vladimir sent whom he eventually forced to withdraw
six thousand troops to Basils aid, tipping the from Caesarea.After this victory, Basil found-
scales in his favor, and the Byzantine emperor ed a new town, Basilia, where his preaching
defeated the uprising in 989.The troops sent consistently drew large crowds. He died on 1
by Vladimir became the core of the future January 379 at the age of 49, worn out by ill-
Varangian Guard, an lite unit of the ness, austerity, and hard work. His feast day is
Byzantine army. Basil II fought a fifteen-year 2 January.
war against the Bulgars that culminated in See also: Andrew, Saint; George, Saint
his victory in the Belasica mountains. This
victory earned him his epithet Bulgaroc- BATRADZ
tonus (Bulgar-slayer), for he had thousands Russia
of prisoners blinded and then led back, in Hero of the Alans, Sarmatian ancestors of the
groups of a hundred, by a one-eyed man, to Ossetes. The story of this heros death is
the Bulgar Tsar Samuel, who reputedly died remarkably similar to that of King Arthur.
of shock at the sight (1015). Bulgaria was Having sustained a mortal wound, Batradz
annexed to the Byzantine Empire in 1018, called upon his two companions to throw his
and the eastern frontier of the empire was sword into the water. Twice they pretended
extended to Lake Van in Armenia. Basil II to carry out the task, and twice their deceit
died seven years later, in 1025. was uncovered.When they finally complied,
See also: Anna; Armenia; Bulgaria; Byzantine the waters turned blood red and the surface
Empire;Vladimir I was whipped into a frenzy although no wind
blew. Some have suggested that this is the
BASIL THE GREAT, SAINT origin of the return of Arthurs sword
Russia Excalibur to the Lady of the Lakea plausi-
Patron saint of Russia, with Saints Andrew ble theory, as it is known that Sarmatian sol-
and George. Born c. 329 at Caesarea to a diers served in the Roman army in Britain
wealthy, respected, and extremely pious fam- under Lucius Artorius Castus.
ily (all of the members of his family are ven- See also: Alans; Arthur, King; Ossetes;
erated as saints), Basil was educated in the Sarmatians
schools of Caesarea, Constantinople, and
Athens. He taught rhetoric in Caesarea for a BATU KHAN
short time but soon followed his family into Russia
religious life, visiting holy sites and monas- Historical twelfth-century leader of the
teries in Spain, Egypt, and Palestine before Mongol hordes who, thanks to the inter-
settling as a hermit on the shores of the river necine wars being fought in the area, con-
Iris at Annesi in 358. He quickly attracted a quered Ukraine and central Russia with lit-
number of companions, and together they tle or no resistance.
founded the first monastery in Asia Minor, See also: Mongols; Ukraine
establishing the principles on which
Orthodox monasticism thenceforth would BEL BELYANIN
operate. Russia
Ordained in 363, Basil left his monastic The tsar of an unnamed kingdom, husband
community in 365 to take administrative of Nastas'ya of the Golden Braid, and father
control in Caesarea under Archbishop Euse- of three sonsPeter Belyaninovich, Vasilii
bius, whom he succeeded in 370, receiving Belyaninovich, and Ivan Belyaninovich. One
36
Detail showing Saint Basil the Great, from a mosaic on the right wall of the apse, Duomo, Cefalu,
Italy (Alinari/Art Resource, NY)
BEREGINY 37
day when the three children were young, a Polish realm. It remained under Polish rule
huge gust of wind blew Nastas'ya away. until 1796, when Catherine II (the Great)
Many years later her three sons set off on a recovered the lost territory. In 1918,
quest to find their mother, a quest that Ivan Bolshevik troops invaded Belarus', and the
completed. following year they established a Communist
See also: Ivan Belyaninovich; Nastas'ya of the government there. In 1922 Belorussia
Golden Braid; Peter (Belyaninovich);Vasilii became a republic of the Soviet Union. From
Belyaninovich 1922 to 1991, the country was part of the
Soviet Union, during which time it was
BELARUS' called the Belorussian Soviet Socialist
General Republic, or simply Belorussia. It gained
See Belorussia. independence in 1991, when the Soviet
Union ceased to exist. The language spoken
BELOBOG by Belorussians is closely related to Russian
Slav and is sometimes referred to as White
The name Belobog is derived from the Russian.The countrys official name now is
Russian words belyi (white) and bog (god). Belarus'.
The White God represents the beneficent See also: Lithuania; Poland
forces of goodness, light, and life. He is eter-
nally opposed by Chernobog, the Black BELUN
God, who represents the forces of evil and is Russia
the cause of all misfortune. Belobogas the The Russian name for the White God,
White God was called in the Balkan lands (in known in the Balkans as Belobog. The per-
Russia, he was known as Belun)was usu- sonification of goodness, light, and life, Belun
ally represented as a venerable old man with was particularly important in Russiaa land
a flowing white beard, dressed in white situated in northern latitudes where much of
clothes. He roamed the countryside during the year passes in virtual darkness. Belun is
the day, doing works of kindnesscuring represented as an old man dressed in white,
sick animals, seeing to it that a hunter made with a flowing white beard, who can be seen
a good kill, finding lost items, or ensuring a only during the daylight hours, when he
good crop. Belobog and Chernobog are two performs all manner of kind acts for peoples
of the oldest Slavic deities. They might well benefit. Belun is also an alternative name for
have originated with nomadic peoples in Buyan, although many sources consider the
western Asia or the Himalayas, being closely paradisal island of Buyan merely an earthly
related in character to Ahura Mazda and manifestation of the deity.
Ahriman in ancient Persian myth; but they See also: Buyan
also have counterparts in almost every cul-
ture around the world where beliefs in the BEREGINY
duality of good and evil are found. Russia
See also: Belun; Black God; Chernobog The nymphs of river, lake, and forest, whose
name is related to bereg (shore) and beregina
BELORUSSIA (meaning both shore and earth). The
General bereginy appear to be among the most
Originally part of the Russian empire, ancient of hunting and fertility deities.Their
Belorussia, or White Russia, traces its his- cult was associated with the birch, which is
tory back to Kievan Rus'. During the four- the first tree to flower in spring. Later the
teenth century this land was incorporated bereginy were separated into individual clas-
first into Lithuania and subsequently into the sifications, such as the russalki or vili, the
38 BESSARABIA
Armored bogatyri on horseback travel the countryside in search of evil in Bogatyri, an undated Vasnetsov
painting in the Tretyakov Gallery. (V.Vasnetsov/Sovfoto/Eastfoto/PNI)
Selyaninovich; Sviatogor;Volkh Vseslav'evich; Hiding behind some rocks, Badikan put out
Volshebnye skazki the seven open barrels of wine, and when the
ox had drained them and fallen into a
BOGHU, KHAN drunken stupor, he leaped forward and cut
Armenia off its head. As the head fell, Khan Boghu,
An enormous giant who is central to the who was out hunting, stumbled and fell and
story of Badikan. Khan Boghu was the pos- instantly knew that he had been betrayed and
sessor of seven souls, which he kept inside the ox was dead. Khan Boghu staggered to
seven sparrows that could not be caught.The his feet and hurried back to his palace as
sparrows, in turn, were inside a mother-of- quickly as he could, considering the pain he
pearl box that could not be opened, which now found himself suffering for the very first
was inside a fox that could not be caught. If time. Seeing him coming, the princess, who
that were not enough, the fox was inside an had fallen in love with Badikan and told her
ox that could not be overcome. With his lover of Khan Boghus weakness, fled to the
seven souls thus protected, Khan Boghu rooftops, fully intending to throw herself to
believed himself secure from his enemies for her death if need be.
all time. When Badikan discovered this Badikan, meanwhile, had cut open the ox,
secret, he set out to kill the giant. caught the fox by its tail, and cut off its head.
Badikans first stop was at the home of a As the head rolled from the fox, blood began
group of sorcerers, who told him that the ox to flow freely from Khan Boghus nose.
could be overcome with seven barrels of Badikan then cut open the fox, took out the
strong wine. So equipped, Badikan rode for mother-of-pearl box, and broke its lock. As
many days until he found the huge ox. the lock broke, Khan Boghu began to cough
BORIS, SAINT 41
up blood. Badikan then let out the seven A period of civil wars began in 1419, fol-
sparrows. When he strangled the first two, lowing the execution of John Hus, a
Khan Boghu fell to his knees.When he stran- Bohemian religious reformer. Called the
gled two more, Khan Boghus arms and legs Hussite Wars, these were chiefly religious
grew numb. When he strangled yet another conflicts in which Huss followers fought
two, Khan Boghus heart and liver burst.Then loyal Roman Catholics. The two sides man-
Badikan caught the last sparrow and crushed aged to reach a compromise in 1436, after
it in his hands, and as he did so, all life left which most Bohemians gradually became
Khan Boghu in a cloud of black smoke. Protestants. Bohemia came under the rule of
See also: Badikan the Catholic Habsburg family in 1526. The
References: Khatchatrian 1933 Bohemian Protestants overthrew the Habs-
burgs in 1618, but the dynasty regained
BOGORODITSA power in 1620 and subsequently ruled
Russia Bohemia for almost 400 years, during which
Birth-Giver of God, name for Mary, mother time Bohemia lost most of its religious and
of Christ. A post-Christian cult was devised political freedom. Beginning in the late eigh-
around the Virgin Mary by the early Russian teenth century, Czech leaders in Bohemia
Orthodox clergy to bring the pagan worship worked for a rebirth of patriotism and cul-
of goddesses into the sphere of Christian the- ture. A revolt in 1848 was unsuccessful.
ology.The Virgin Mary soon became a central In 1918, following the conclusion of
focus of Russian Orthodoxy. World War I, Bohemia became a province of
References: Bulgakov 1932, 1944 the new independent republic of Czecho-
slovakia until the government of Czecho-
BOHEMIA slovakia abolished the countrys provinces in
General 1949. In 1992, after the Soviet Union col-
Bohemia is a region in the western part of lapsed and many nations of eastern Europe
the Czech Republic that covers 20,374 had reasserted political independence, the
square miles (52,768 square kilometers). state of Czechoslovakia was voted out of
Bohemia is a saucer-shaped plateau ringed existence and the independent countries of
by hills and mountains. The Sudeten the Czech Republic and Slovakia were cre-
Mountains form Bohemias northeastern ated in its place. Bohemia became a region in
boundary, and the Bohemian Mountains the the Czech Republic.
regions western boundary. Most Bohemians See also: Czechoslovakia; Czechs; Slovakia
belong to the Slavic grouping known as
Czechs. The first known inhabitants of BORIS, SAINT
Bohemia were the Boii, a Celtic tribe that Russia
lived in the region during the fourth century Russian Orthodox saint who according to
B.C., from whose name Bohemia is derived. some legends was a smith who, along with
The Czech word for Bohemia, Cechy, refers Saint Gleb, forged the first plow. This plow
to the Czechs, who had settled in the region was of enormous proportions, and was forged
by about A.D. 500. In 1158, Emperor with implements of like size.The two smiths
Frederick I of the Holy Roman Empire gave were reported to have used twelve golden
the title of king to the Duke of Bohemia. hammers, and tongs that weighed almost four
Bohemia reached its political and cultural hundredweight, or twelve poods. Other ver-
peak in the 1300s, when Charles IV sions of this legend name the two saintly
(131678) ruled as king (from 1346, he also smiths as Saint Kuz'ma and Saint Dem'yan.
was the elected king of Germany, and after Boris and Gleb are Russias oldest saints,
1355, Holy Roman emperor). sons of Prince Vladimir Bright Sun, and
42 BORUSHKA MATUSHKA
brothers of Sviatopolk. The earliest account made Bosnia a banat (province) under the
of the martyrdom of the brothers dates from control of a ban (viceroy). Ban Stephen
the twelfth-century Primary Chronicle. In this Krotomanic extended Hungarian authority
version, Boris hears of his fathers death over the principality of Hum (also known as
while he is fighting the invading Pecheneg Zahumlje), later known as Herzegovina.
hordes. Boris quickly returns to Kiev, where Krotomanics nephew and successor Stephen
he learns that his older brother Sviatopolk Tvtko further extended the boundaries, and
plans to kill him and take his lands and in 1376 proclaimed himself king of Serbia
inheritance. However, instead of acting and Bosnia. The kingdom began to disinte-
against his brother in order to evade death, grate after the death of Tvtko, and a rebel-
Boris makes things easier for Sviatopolk and lious Bosnian chieftain seized the Hum
submits to his fate. Gleb then learns that region early in the fifteenth century and
Sviatopolk plans the same end for him, and established it as Herzegovina, which means
he too submits to the inevitable. The broth- independent duchy. By 1463 the Ottoman
ers are recorded as dying in 1015, and shortly Empire had conquered most of Bosnia, and
afterward they were canonized as Protectors Herzegovina fell to them in 1483. The two
of the Land of Rus'. territories remained provinces of the
The cult of Boris and Gleb was not Ottoman Empire for the next 400 years,
Christian in origin, but the church gave its although unsuccessful uprisings against the
blessing in order to satisfy the newly con- Turks occurred frequently during the nine-
verted populace. teenth century.
See also: Dem'yan, Saint; Gleb, Saint; Kiev; The population of the area included
Kuz'ma, Saint; Pechenegs; Primary Chronicle; Roman Catholic Croats, Orthodox Serbs, and
Sviatopolk;Vladimir Bright Sun, Prince Muslims (Slavs who converted to Islam during
References: Bezsonov 1861; Cross and Ottoman rule) by the late nineteenth century.
Sherbowitz-Wetzor 1953; Golubinskii 1903; Unrest among the various ethnic groups, cou-
Zenkovsky 1963
pled with the increasing deterioration of the
Ottoman Empire, led to a general decline of
BORUSHKA MATUSHKA the area. During the Congress of Berlin in
Russia 1878, the double monarchy of Austria-
One of the names of the magical horse Hungary negotiated with other European
owned by Il'ya Muromets, the other being rulers for administration rights over the area,
Kosmatushka. and by 1908 it had annexed the two provinces.
See also: Il'ya Muromets; Kosmatushka Austro-Hungarian rule did little to quell the
References: Astakhova 193851 ethnic tensions in the region. Bosnia became a
center of nationalist agitation for political
BOSNIA independence and cultural autonomy. Europe
General began to take sides in the disputes: Austria-
Nearly three millennia ago, the territory now Hungary and Germany opposed the growing
called Bosnia and Herzegovina formed part Serbian nationalism, and Russia and Great
of Illyria, which became known as the Britain partially supported it.
Roman province of Illyricum in the first In June 1914 the heir to the throne of
century B.C. Following the collapse of the Austria-Hungary, Archduke Francis Ferdi-
Roman Empire, first the Goths and then the nand, and his wife were assassinated in
Slavs conquered the territory. Various petty Sarajevo by Gavril Princip, a Serb student
Slav princes ruled the area until the twelfth from Bosnia.This act precipitated World War
century A.D., when Hungary made the area I. During the war, Croats and Serbs mostly
one of its dominions. The Hungarians later fought together, hoping to create a kingdom
BOZHENA 43
Young Bosnia members on trial in Sarajevo. Gavril Princip, one of the groups members, shot the Austro-
Hungarian regent, Archduke Ferdinand, and his wife on 20 June 1914. (Archive Photos)
that would unite all of the South Slavic peo- merchant guilds in 1416 and remained in
ples. On 1 December 1918, following the control until 1476, when the city came
overthrow of the monarchy of Austria- under the control of Ivan the Great. During
Hungary at the close of the war, Bosnia and the sixteenth century the boyars formed
Herzegovina merged and became part of the such a powerful group that they began to
independent Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and threaten the authority of the tsar. However,
Slovenes under the Serbian monarchy of their influence was decisively broken by Ivan
King Alexander from 1921 to 1934. When Groznyi in 1565 when the tsar confiscated
conflict between Croats and Serbs led to most of their land.
greater national tensions, Alexander tight- See also: Ivan Groznyi; Ivan the Great;
ened control over the country, and in 1929 Novgorod
he renamed the kingdom Yugoslavia (which References: Zenkovsky 1963
means Land of the South Slavs).
See also: Herzegovina; Hungary; Serbia BOZHENA
Russia
BOUYAN From bog, god, bozhena was the name given
Slav to the bathhouse in Russian folklore, the
See Buyan. home of the bannik. Marriages were often
sanctified in the bathhouse, and those so
BOYARS sanctified were considered more sacred than
Russia those conducted in church, the bathhouse
Aristocratic landowners in Russia. These being the traditional center of prophecy, sor-
nobles wrested power in Novgorod from the cery, and healing.
44 BRIANSK WOODS
thread. Ak Molot shot down the casket and Sensing their approach, Bulat pretended
opened it, whereupon ten white birds flew to have lost his ring and told his companions
out, one of which contained Bulats soul. to continue on their way while he returned
While fighting Bulat, Ak Molot also man- to look for it. Vasilissa Kirbit'evna tried to
aged to shoot down the birds, one after dissuade him by giving him her own ring,
another, and as the tenth bird fell to the but although Bulat accepted the offered
ground, Bulat died. ring, he still returned along the route they
See also: Ak Molot had followed. Coming across his pursuers, he
killed all but the tsar before returning to his
BULAT THE BRAVE companions.
Russia Tsar Kirbit returned home and gathered
Found being flogged in a market square for together twice as many men. Bulat the Brave
owing a large sum of money to a merchant, once again sensed their approach, and this
Bulat was saved from further torment by time pretending to have lost his scarf, he
Ivan, who paid the money Bulat owed to the returned and dispatched them all, leaving
merchant. Thinking nothing of this, Ivan only the tsar alive to return home. Knowing
walked away from the market square; but that his daughter was lost to him forever,Tsar
Bulat ran up to him, thanked him for saving Kirbit gave up the chase and returned home
him, and told him that if he had not helped to mourn her.
him, Ivan never would have found the girl As night fell Bulat, Ivan, and Vasilissa
Vasilissa Kirbit'evna, who was prophesied to Kirbit'evna made their camp. Bulat told Ivan
become his wife. that he would scout the area and ordered
To fulfill his destiny, Ivan followed Bulat him to stay awake and watch over the
the Braves instructions exactly.The pair rode maiden. Ivan managed to stay awake half the
a great distance until they came to the land night but fell asleep soon after midnight.
of Tsar Kirbit. There, in a tower, just as had When Bulat woke him in the morning the
been foretold, they found the maiden. girl was nowhere to be seen. Bulat scolded
Purchasing some chickens, ducks, and geese, Ivan, telling him that Koshchei the Deathless
Bulat told Ivan to have them roasted and to had abducted her and that they would have
hand him a wing whenever he returned to search for her.
from trying to capture the girl. Bulat then After several days ride they came across a
went to the tower and threw a stone to herd of cattle being tended by two men.
attract the attention of the girl, cracking the Having discovered from one of the herdsmen
gilded roof of the tower in the process. that the cattle belonged to Koshchei, they
Running back to Ivan, Bulat had him give killed the men and dressed in the herders
him a chicken wing and then returned to the clothing before driving the herd back to
tower, where he offered it to Vasilissa where Koshchei lived.
Kirbit'evna. In order to maintain her beauty in such a
Three times Bulat did this, each time dreary place,Vasilissa Kirbit'evna had taken to
offering the girl the wing he carried, first of washing her face in goats milk morning and
chicken, then of duck, and finally of goose. night.As Bulat and Ivan drove the cattle into
As the maiden leaned out of the window to the yard a maid was just filling a cup with the
take the last wing offered, Bulat grabbed her, goats milk for Vasilissa Kirbit'evna. Bulat
and the three made away as fast as their slipped the girls ring off his finger and slyly
horses would carry them. The following dropped it into the milk. When Vasilissa
morning, when Tsar Kirbit saw the damage Kirbit'evna found the ring she immediately
to the tower and found his daughter missing, knew who the two herdsmen were and
he and a number of his men gave chase. rushed out to greet them. Bulat told the girl
46 BULGARIA
that she must discover where Koshchei kept it was pounced upon by the eagle Bulat and
his soul, for without it they could not kill Ivan had spared. Out of the duck fell the egg,
him.Then he bade her quickly to help them which rolled into the sea, whence it was
hide. Scarcely were they secreted when recovered by the lobster. Having Koshcheis
Koshchei flew in. soul in their possession, Bulat and Ivan
Pretending to have missed him very returned to Vasilissa Kirbit'evna. That
much, Vasilissa Kirbit'evna snuggled up to evening, when Koshchei returned, they con-
Koshchei, telling him that she had been fronted him and smashed the egg on his
scared for him. He replied that she had no forehead, killing him.
need to be frightened, for he did not carry Ivan returned to his homeland, where he
his soul with him. It was hidden in a broom married Vasilissa Kirbit'evna in fulfillment of
in the kitchen. When Vasilissa Kirbit'evna the prophecy and made Bulat the Brave his
told Bulat this, he knew that Koshchei was most trusted friend and adviser.
lying, so he told the girl to be even more See also: Ivan; Koshchei (the Deathless);
cunning. Vasilis(s)a Kirbit'evna
That evening, when Koshchei returned,
Vasilissa Kirbit'evna presented him with the BULGARIA
broom, finely decorated, as a gift, telling him General
that his soul was too precious to leave lying A country of southeastern Europe that is
around. Koshchei laughed. He then told her bounded to the north by Romania, to the
that his soul was in fact inside the goat that west by the former Yugoslavia, to the south
provided the milk she washed in.Again Bulat by Greece, to the southwest by Turkey, and
knew he was lying, so Vasilissa Kirbit'evna to the east by the Black Sea. In ancient
presented Koshchei with the goat, elabo- times, as the Roman province of Moesia
rately decorated. Koshchei once again Inferior, the territory comprised Thrace
laughed, and told her that his soul was not in and Moesia. It was inhabited by the
the goat but rather in an egg, inside a duck, Thraco-Illyrians. Beginning in the sixth
inside a hare, under a huge oak on a remote century A.D. Slavic tribes migrated into the
island in the middle of an endless ocean. region and either absorbed or drove out the
When Vasilissa Kirbit'evna relayed this to original inhabitants. In the latter half of the
Bulat, he knew that at last Koshchei had told seventh century, the region was conquered
the truth. Immediately he and Ivan set off by the Bulgars (a people of Turkic stock),
the find the island. En route they grew dan- who migrated from their domain on the
gerously short of food. Coming across a dog, east side of the Black Sea, crossed the lower
they made to kill it. The dog pleaded for reaches of the Danube River, and subjugat-
mercy, saying that he would be of use to ed Lower Moesia, then a province of the
them. Bulat set the dog free. Next they came Byzantine Empire. Imperial armies failed
to an eagle, and the same thing happened. repeatedly to dislodge the invaders during
On the shore of the ocean they met a lob- the eighth century. Fewer in number than
ster, and exactly the same thing happened the Slavic population of Lower Moesia, the
again. Bulgars gradually became Slavicized during
Crossing the ocean took many days, but this period, and by the end of the century
finally they came to an island on which a sin- they had annexed considerable additional
gle, huge oak tree grew. Bulat unearthed the territory and laid the foundations for a
tree with ease, and the hare jumped out and strong state under Khan Krum, who
ran away. Instantly the dog they had spared reigned from 803 to 814.The Krum armies
appeared and caught the hare. Out of the inflicted a devastating defeat on an invading
hare the duck flew high into the sky, where Byzantine force in 811 and almost suc-
BULGARIA 47
Maritsa Valley, completing the subjugation of married at one time to Nikita but do not
Bulgaria in 1396. During the next five cen- mention whether this marriage occurred
turies the political and cultural identity of before or after Amelfias marriage to Buslai,
Bulgaria was almost destroyed. However, or how the marriage ended.
after a century of terrorism and persecution, See also: Amelf(i)a Timofe(y)evna;Vasilii
the Turkish administration improved and the Buslayevich
economic condition of the remaining Bul-
garians rose to a level higher than it had been BUSLAVLEVICH,VOL'GA
under the kingdom, although unsuccessful Russia
revolts against Turkish rule still occurred See Vol'ga Buslavlevich.
from time to time.
In the late eighteenth and early nine- BUSLAYEVICH,VASILII
teenth centuries, with the revival of a litera- Russia
ture glorifying Bulgarias history, nationalism Also: Busla(y)ev,Vasilii
became a powerful movement. In 1876 the See Vasilii Buslayevich.
Bulgarians revolted against the Turks but
were quelled. In an act of sadistic reprisal, the BUYAN
Turks massacred about 15,000 Bulgarian Slav
men, women, and children. In 1877, An oceanic island described by some as par-
prompted by the desire to expand toward the adise. The home of the North, East, and
Mediterranean Sea and by Pan-Slavic senti- West winds, the soft west wind being
ment, Russia declared war on Turkey. As a known as Dogoda. These winds were the
result of the ensuing Russo-Turkish War, in attendants of the Sun, whoaccording to
which Turkey was defeated, a part of Bulgaria some accountsalso lived on the island.
became an autonomous principality, and Buyan is sometimes described as the home
Eastern Rumelia, another region, was made of the two Zoryi, the daughters of
an autonomous Turkish province. DazhbogZorya Utrennyaya and Zorya
See also: Black Sea; Byzantine Empire; Vechernyaya. Further accounts made Buyan
Byzantium; Constantinople; Cyril and a silent, subterranean city that was the eter-
Methodius, Saints; Danube; Macedonia; nal, peaceful home of the dead.
Magyars; Romania; Serbia
See also: Belun; Dazhbog; Dogoda; Sun;
Wind; Zorya Utrennyaya; Zorya Vechernyaya
BUSI-URT
Finno-Ugric Votyak BYLICHKA
One of the classes of urt. The spirit of the Russia
grain field who protects the d'u-urt, the soul (pl. bylichki) One of the three main types
of the grain, and ensures a good harvest. of Russian legend, the other two being the
See also: D'u-urt; Urt bylina and the skazka. Bylichki deal with
the supernatural world and with beings
BUSLAEV,VASILII that come from the land of the dead, the
Russia underworld. When pagan beliefs were at
See Vasilii Buslayevich. their strongest in ancient Russia, the com-
mon peasants half-believed the bylichki.
BUSLAI (~Y) These legends are generally short and told
Russia in the first person, being related from father
The husband of Amelfia Timofeyevna and to son and thence passed down through the
father by her of Vasilii Buslayevich. Legends generations.
indicate that Amelfia Timofeyevna also was See also: Bylina; Skazka; Underworld,The
BYZANTINE EMPIRE 49
Engraving of Saint Sophia in Constantinople, c. 1837 (Print and Picture Collection, Free Library of
Philadelphia)
50 BYZANTIUM
brought about a crisis. Emperor Leo III had From its early foundations in Kiev, this Slavic
prohibited religious images, thus precipitat- Orthodoxy pervaded Russia, where the fea-
ing a struggle in which Eastern Orthodox tures of Eastern Christianity took firm hold.
monks became the principal defenders of the However, during the centuries-long rule of
icons. Eventually the icons were restored, and the Ottoman Turks in the Balkans some
with them a measure of independence for Christian populations were forced to em-
the church. However, during the seventh and brace Islam.
eighth centuries three of the four great See also: Byzantium; Constantinople; Kiev
Eastern Orthodox capitals were captured by
the dynamic new faith of Islam. Only
Constantinople remained immune for a BYZANTIUM
time; however, besieged by the Turks, it fi- General
nally fell in 1453. The name given by the Greeks to a city on
Among the points of controversy between the Bosporus. In A.D. 330 the Roman
Constantinople and Rome was the evange- emperor Constantine the Great moved the
lization of the Slavs that began in the ninth capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to
century. Even though several Slavic tribes Byzantium and renamed the city Constan-
Poles, Moravs, Czechs, Slovaks, Croats, and tinople. The city became the seat of power
Slovenesdid adopt the Western rites, the for the Byzantine Empire.Today it is known
vast majority of Slavic peoples became as Istanbul,Turkey.
Christians in the Eastern (Byzantine) church. See also: Byzantine Empire; Constantinople
During the past several centuries, the
Caspian has been shrinking in size because
the rivers that empty into it (chiefly the
Volga, Ural, Emba, Terek, and
C
Kura) bring less water than it loses
by evaporation. The Caspian Sea
lies 92 feet (28 meters) below sea
level and is drained by no natural
outlets to the ocean. The waters of
the Caspian are less salty than
ocean waters and abound with
CAIN both freshwater and saltwater fish.
Armenia
See also: Kayen. CAUCASUS
General
CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS A series of mountain ranges that extend 750
General miles (1,200 km) between the Caspian and
Part of the great mountain system of central the Black Seas. The highest peak is Elbruz,
Europe. The Carpathians extend about 900 which rises to 18,480 feet (5,633 m).
miles (1,400 kilometers) along the border
between Slovakia and Poland and into CAUTIOUS MOTHER CROW
Ukraine and Romania, with most of the Armenia
range being situated in Slovakia and A mother crow once told her children to be
Romania. The highest peak in the wary of man, especially if they saw a man
Carpathians is Gerlachovsky (8,711 feet, or stooping to pick up a stone. One of the
2,655 meters), in Slovakias Tatra Mountains. young birds asked his mother what they
The Carpathians are an extension of the should do if they encountered a man already
mountain range that includes the Alps, holding a stone, to which the mother replied
although the Carpathian peaks are generally that their question showed her that they
lower than the Alps and have fewer lakes, were already cautious enough to go forth
glaciers, and waterfalls. into the world and come to no harm.
One of the fables of Vardan.
CASPIAN SEA See also: Vardan
General References: Marr 189499
A great salt lake below sea level, the Caspian
is the largest inland body of water in the CHARITY
world. It lies between Europe and Asia east Russia
of the Caucasus Mountains and is bordered The village that is home to the beautiful,
by Kazakhstan on the north and northeast, half-naked spinning-woman who cures
Turkmenistan on the southeast, Iran on the Peter of Murom of his sores in exchange for
south, Azerbaijan on the southwest, and his promise of marriage. When Peter of
Russia on the west and northwest. Murom attempts to renege, his strength saps
The Caspian Sea covers 143,250 square away and the sores reappear. Convinced that
miles (371,000 square kilometers). It is about he has no choice, Peter of Murom marries
750 miles (1,210 kilometers) long at its the maiden, who reveals that her true name
greatest extent and varies from 130 to 300 is Fevroniia.
miles (209 to 483 kilometers) in width. See also: Fevroniia; Peter of Murom
51
52 CHEREMISS-MORDVIN
CILICIA CONSTANTINE
General Slav
Also: Kilikia The given name of Saint Cyril, who did not
Armenian state established on the Medi- adopt the name Cyril until he had become a
terranean coast in the mid- to late eleventh monk.As he died soon afterward, in A.D. 869,
century. This kingdom fell to Mamluk he was known only a short time as Cyril.
invaders in 1375.The territory now is part of See also: Cyril and Methodius, Saints
modern Turkey.
CONSTANTINOPLE
CIRCASSIANS General
General City of Constantine, the name by which
People of the northwestern Caucasus, also Byzantium was known between A.D. 324,
referred to as the Cherkess. They are found when the Roman emperor Constantine I
today chiefly in the Adygeya and Cherkess chose the city as his capital, and 1453, when
autonomous oblasts (political subdivisions the Ottoman Empire conquered the city and
of the Russian Federation) and in larger renamed it Istanbul.
See also: Byzantium
groups in Jordan, Turkey, and Syria. They
belong to the Abkhaz-Adygei language
group, a nonIndo-European group dis- COPPER CITY, THE
tantly related to Georgian, and are linguisti- Armenia
cally related to many other mountain peo- One of a succession of cities visited by
ples of the Caucasus and Transcaucasus. Habrmanis wife on her quest to find her
Since the seventeenth century they have husband and restore him to her side.
been Muslims. Although Circassia was See also: Habrmani
References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967,
ceded to Russia in 1829, its fiercely inde-
vol. 4
pendent inhabitants were not subjugated
until 1864, by which time many had left the
Caucasus and migrated to various parts of COPPER KINGDOM, THE
the Ottoman Empire. Russia
One of three kingdoms in the realm of
Whirlwind, which was located on a plateau
CITY OF THE KING, THE at the top of some tremendously high moun-
Russia tains. The tsaritsa of this kingdom had been
A city in the Kingdom by the Sea, in which imprisoned by Whirlwind in a copper palace
Sviatogors future bride had lived for thirty that was guarded by dragons. She was set free
years on a dunghill. by Ivan Belyaninovich, along with her sisters,
See also: Kingdom by the Sea, The; the tsaritsas of the Silver Kingdom and the
Sviatogor Golden Kingdom, when he killed Whirl-
wind and released his mother, Nastas'ya of
CLAY CITY, THE the Golden Braid. She married Vasilii
Armenia Belyaninovich, one of the two brothers of
One in a succession of cities that Habr- Ivan. Her sister the tsaritsa of the Silver
manis princess-wife traveled through on her Kingdom married Peter Belyaninovich, and
quest to find her husband and be reconciled Elena the Fair, the tsaritsa of the Golden
with him. Kingdom, married Ivan Belyaninovich.
See also: Habrmani See also: Dragon; Elena the Fair; Golden
References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967, Kingdom,The; Ivan Belyaninovich; Nastas'ya
vol. 4 of the Golden Braid; Peter Belyaninovich;
54 COSSACKS
COSSACKS
General
A group of people in the former USSR,
chiefly of Russian and Ukrainian stock, who
lived principally on the steppes that lie to the
north of the Black Sea and the Caucasus
mountains and extend eastward to the Altai
mountains in Siberia. Some historians trace
the origin of the Cossacks to serfs who fled
the principality of Moscow in the fourteenth
and fifteenth centuries A.D. and established
wheat-growing and stock-raising communi-
ties in the valleys of the Dnieper, Don, and
Ural Rivers and in Siberia.The name Cossack
derives from the Turkish word kazak, which
means free person.The individual Cossack
communities, like other Russian peasant
communes of the time, owned land in com-
mon. These communities were governed by The famine in Russia, 1892; a Cossack patrol near
village assemblies that were presided over by Kazan prevents peasants from leaving their village.
elected village elders called atamans or het- (Wood engraving in the Illustrated London News,
mans.The chief ataman or hetman of a region from a sketch by a Russian officer; Library of
enjoyed great power and prestige, exercising Congress)
the authority of a military leader in times of
war and that of a civil administrator in
peacetime.
In the sixteenth century, as the tsars Russian tsars used the Cossacks as border
extended their realm, the Cossacks were sub- troops and as a special military and police
jected to the authority of the Russian gov- force for the suppression of internal unrest.
ernment, which tried to incorporate them In the latter nineteenth and early twentieth
into the state on the same basis as the other centuries the tsarist government used
inhabitants of the country. As subjects of the Cossack troops to perpetrate pogroms (orga-
tsar, all Cossack males aged between 18 and nized massacres, from gromthunder)
50 became eligible for military service.They against Jewish people. Cossack troops were
were most often conscripted as members of employed on a large scale in the suppression
the cavalry. Cossack horsemen became of the Russian Revolution of 1905, but they
famous in the wars of the tsars against the refused to be used for the same purpose dur-
Tatars in the Crimea and the Caucasus. ing the Revolution of 1917.
The Cossacks, however, cherished their During the civil war that followed the
tradition of freedom, which frequently 1917 Revolution, the majority of Cossacks
brought them into conflict with the tsars. In fought against the Bolshevik armies. The
the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the establishment of the Soviet system brought
Cossacks, supported by peasants, engaged in about many changes in Cossack life. The
two widespread revolts (167071 and 1773 richer Cossacks were deprived of their
74) in the lower Volga Valley. In later years the wealth, and traditional forms of local admin-
CROATIA 55
istration were abolished. Cossack soldiers seventh century the Carpathian Croats
were relieved of their special military and ousted the Avars and were in turn con-
police duties, and Cossack cavalry units were quered by the Franks. Later the region was
prohibited. Cossacks were forced to engage made into a duchy. Croatia was an indepen-
in collective farming. Many were deported dent kingdom from 925 until the end of the
from their lands and resettled in Kazakhstan eleventh century, when a period of anarchy
or in Siberia. Nonetheless, Cossack customs led to intervention by Hungary. Except for
and traditions continued to be practiced in periods of occupation by the Ottoman
several parts of Russia during the Soviet Empire, most of what is today the Republic
period, particularly in the regions of the Don of Croatia was an autonomous kingdom
and Kuban' Rivers. within the Habsburg Empire from 1102
During the last years of the USSR, until the Hungarian revolution of 184849.
Cossack organizations experienced a sudden Dalmatia and Istria were dominated for a
revival. In 1990, Cossack associations were time by Venice and France, respectively.
formed in traditional Cossack areas of the After the Hungarian revolution, Croatia and
Russian south including the lower reaches of Slavonia became separate Austrian crown
the Don River, the North Caucasus, and the lands. In 1867 the Austrians and Hungarians
Ural Mountains. The same year, a national created the dual monarchy of Austria-
union of various Cossack associations was Hungary from the Habsburg Empire, and
founded in Moscow. After the USSR was Croatia was assigned to the Hungarian
dissolved in 1991, the movement spread to crown the following year. Croatia gained its
areas outside traditional Cossack lands, so autonomy and was formally joined with
that by the end of 1992, Cossack associations Slavonia in 1881.
had appeared in several large northern cities, During World War I, Croats and Serbs
such as St. Petersburg and Moscow. fought side by side, hoping to create a king-
See also: Black Sea; Caucasus; Dnieper; Don; dom that would unite all of the South Slavs.
Kazakhstan; Moscow; Siberia;Tatars;Volga On 1 December 1918, following the over-
throw of the monarchy of Austria-Hungary
CRIMEA at the close of the war, Croatia became part
General of the independent Kingdom of the Serbs,
The Crimea is a peninsula in southern Croats, and Slovenes under the Serbian
Ukraine that juts out into the Black Sea and monarchy of King Alexander I. When con-
the Sea of Azov. It covers about 10,400 flict between Croats and Serbs led to greater
square miles (27,000 square kilometers) and national tensions, Alexander tightened con-
is joined to the mainland by the narrow trol over the country, and in 1929 he
Isthmus of Perekop. renamed the kingdom Yugoslavia (Land of
See also: Azov, Sea of; Black Sea; Ukraine the Southern Slavs). Tensions between the
two ethnic groups continued, however, and
CRNOJEVIC, IVAN the postwar history of the state was marked
Serbia by the struggle of the Croats for greater
See Ivan Crnojevic. political autonomy. Croatian extremists
assassinated Alexander in 1934, and the fas-
CROATIA cist movement Ustasa began to garner sup-
General port among discontented Croat peasants. In
A constituent republic in the former 1939 the approximate present boundaries of
Yugoslavia. Part of Pannonia in Roman the republic were defined and the area was
times, the country was conquered by the named Croatia.
Avars in the sixth century A.D. During the See also: Avars; Hungary; Mongols; Pannonia
56 CRYSTAL CITY, THE
on the Roman Catholic calendar, and 11 and the Slovaks. Most of the Czechs lived in
May on the Orthodox calendar. the western part of the country, in the
See also: Byzantine Empire; Constantinople; regions of Bohemia and Moravia, whereas
Cyrillic alphabet; Opsikion;Tatars the Slovaks lived primarily in Slovakia, an
area in the east.
CYRILLIC ALPHABET Celtic and Germanic tribes also lived in
General what became Czechoslovakia more than
Around A.D. 860, Greek missionaries from 2,000 years ago.The first Slavic tribes settled
Constantinople came to Slavic lands to con- in the region about A.D. 500. Several tribes
vert the people to Christianity. The people united to form a state in the ninth century
lacked a written alphabet, however, so the that became the core of the Great Moravian
missionaries devised for them a unique sys- Empire, which soon covered much of central
tem of writing known as Cyrillic, from the Europe. Hungarian tribes conquered the
name of one of its inventors, St. Cyril. (Cyril empire in 907 and ruled Slovakia for nearly
and his brother St. Methodius, also known as 1,000 years.
the Apostles to the Slavs, are often credited In 1212, Bohemia became a semi-
with having created this alphabet.) The independent kingdom within the Holy
Cyrillic alphabet, like its Latin counterpart, Roman Empire, a German-based empire in
has Greek roots, being based on the ninth- western and central Europe. In 1526, the
century uncial script. Additional characters, Austrian Habsburgs began ruling Bohemia,
however, were devised to represent Slavic which during the ensuing decades gradually
sounds that had no Greek or Latin equiva- lost most of its powers of self-governance. In
lents. The Cyrillic alphabet originally con- the late eighteenth century Czech intellectu-
sisted of 43 letters.Various smaller versions of als began actively to encourage a national
this alphabet are currently used in Russia (32 identity among their compatriots. A similar
letters), Ukraine (33 letters), Serbia (30 let- movement that emerged around the same
ters), and Bulgaria (30 letters), but not in time in Slovakia was put down by Hungarian
Poland, the Czech and Slovak Republics, or rulers. Not until 1993 were the nationalist
Slovenia, where modified Latin alphabets are aspirations of the two peoples realized.
used. An interesting division exists in the See also: Bohemia; Czechs; Hungary;
Balkan countries, where the Roman Moravia; Slovakia
Catholic Croats use the Latin alphabet but
the Greek Orthodox Serbs employ Cyrillic CZECHS
for the same language. General
Appendix 2 shows the modern Cyrillic The word Czechs as used in this book refers
alphabet as used in present-day Russia, along to people who speak the Czech language and
with its most common English transliteration. who live in central Europe, roughly inside the
See also: Bulgaria; Cyril and Methodius, bounds of the former Czechoslovakia (today,
Saints; Czechs; Poland; Serbia; Slovakia; the independent Czech and Slovak repub-
Slovenia; Ukraine lics). Czechoslovakia was created as an inde-
pendent state after the breakup of the Austro-
CZECHOSLOVAKIA Hungarian empire at the end of World War I,
General in 1918. It comprised the Bohemian crown
A state in central Europe from 1918 until lands: Bohemia, Moravia, and part of Silesia,
1992. On 1 January 1993 the state of the three areas in which the Czech language
Czechoslovakia ceased to exist and was originated; and Slovakia, a part of Hungary
divided into the Czech Republic and that was inhabited by Slavs.
Slovakia. Czechoslovakia was home to two See also: Bohemia; Czechoslovakia; Hungary;
closely related Slavic peoples, the Czechs Moravia; Slavs; Slovakia
58
Early-twentieth-century photograph of Prague, the capital of Czechoslovakia, looking to the ancient Roman
palace and Saint Vitus Cathedral (Archive Photos)
which belonged to Tsar Afron, not only
would Dalmat forgive Ivan but he also
would give him the Firebird and its cage.
Ivan Vyslavovich tricked Dalmat with
D
the help of a shape-changing wolf
who became the Horse with the
Golden Mane, and after Ivan had
ridden away on the real one,
resumed his shape as a wolf and
disappeared.
See also: Afron; Dmitrii (Vyslavovich);
DACIA Firebird,The; Horse with the Golden
General Mane,The; Ivan Vyslavovich;Vasilii
The name given to the land today known as Vyslavovich;Vyslav Andronovich
Romania, during the period prior to the
Roman occupation in A.D. 106. Dacia also DALMATIA
included parts of modern Hungary, but General
those areas did not become parts of Hungary One of the two primary geographical
until the modern borders were established; regions of modern Croatia, the other being
so it is correct to refer to Dacia as the the Pannonian Plains. Dalmatia is a coastal
ancient name for Romania. The Dacians region between the Adriatic Sea and
the earliest known inhabitants of the Bosnia-Herzegovina. Once a state in its own
regionwere living in Dacia by the fourth right, it became a part of the former
century B.C., although their origin and the Yugoslavia when the Kingdom of the Serbs,
exact date of their arrival are unknown. Croats, and Slovenes was formed on 1
Trajan conquered Dacia in A.D. 106 and December 1918 from Bosnia-Herzegovina,
made it a province of the Roman Empire, Croatia, Dalmatia, Montenegro, Serbia, and
and the country thereafter became known as Slovenia.
Romania. See also: Bosnia; Croatia; Herzegovina;
See also: Hungary; Romania Montenegro; Pannonia; Serbia; Slovenia
59
60 DANUBE
Detail in marble from the Column of Trajan, Rome, showing the Roman campaigns against the Dacians, c. 106
B.C.A.D. 13 (Alinari/Art Resource, NY)
the Balkans. At that time, most of the rivers Way (the Milky Way), or in a boat such as
middle and upper course lay within the that used by the Sun on his return trip to
Austrian Empire and the lower part the east.
belonged to the decaying empire of the See also: Birds Way,The; Dievas; Milky Way,
Ottoman Turks. As Turkish control over the The; Moon; Sun
Balkans weakened, Austria and other
European powers moved to prevent Russia DAWN
from acquiring the strategic Danube delta. Russia
See also: Avars; Black Sea; Byzantine Empire; The rising sun, personified in the goddess
Byzantium; Constantinople; Dunai Ivanovich; Zorya Utrennyaya.
Magyars; Nastas'ya, Princess; Nastas'ya See also: Zorya Utrennyaya
Nikulichna; Romania
DAY
DARK PRINCESS, THE Russia
Russia Although there are no legends specifically
The euphemistic name given to the wife of focused on Day, the legends of Baba-Yaga
Paul, the ruler of Murom. describe Day as being under the witchs
See also: Murom; Paul command, as are the Sun and the Night. In
these tales Day is described as a horseman
DARKNESS with a white face, dressed from head to foot
Russia in white, and riding a brilliant white horse
The personification of the night, which that has a white saddle and harness. He is the
would hold the Sun captive without the brother of Night, who is his complete oppo-
daily intervention of Perun. site. Days relationship to the Sun is never
See also: Perun; Sun revealed. Some specialists say that the Sun
might be the father of both Day and Night;
DATAN but this assertion appears in none of the sto-
Poland ries that mention Day.
One of the three gods of the field, the others See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga); Night; Sun
being Lawkapatim and Tawals.All three were
invoked to ensure a good harvest, because if DAZHBOG
they were not called upon for their help, they Russia, Poland, Serbia
could become malevolent and ruin the crop. Also: Dadzbog
See also: Lawkapatim;Tawals The son of sky god Svarog, brother to fire
god Svarozhich, Dazhbog is god of the sun,
DAUSOS happiness, destiny, and justice. He gradually
Lithuania superseded his father as the supreme deity in
Mysterious realm of the deadpossibly the the Russian pantheon. The giver of warmth
moongoverned by Dievas. It was not a and light, he was much revered by the early
heaven or a paradise but simply a world that Russians because much of Russia is covered
lay beyond the slippery high hill of the sky, by snow and ice most of the year and the
which the dead had to climb.To stop them- winter nights are unendurably long.The dis-
selves from slipping down again, the dead appearance of Dazhbog was always greeted
needed strong fingernails or claws like those with dismay, and occurrences such as
of an animal. As the journey was believed to eclipses, when Dazhbog was said to have
be very long, spirits were also said to have been devoured by wolves, were taken as fore-
made the trip on horseback, in the smoke of warnings of terrible times to comeof
cremation fires, by traveling along the Birds plague, famine, or war.The Russians believed
62 DEATH
that Dazhbog ruled over the twelve king- See also: Anna; Auroras; Kiev; Mesyats; Moon;
doms of the zodiac and was served by two Sun; Supreme Deity; Svarog; Svarozhich
beautiful maidens, the two Zvezdy (Zvezda (~gich);Vladimir I; Zvezda Dennitsa; Zvezda
Dennitsa and Zvezda Vechernyaya)the Vechernyaya
personifications of the Aurorasand by the References: Gimbutas 1971; Ivanov and
seven planets; and that comets acted as his Toporov 1965
messengers. Daily he drove his golden chari-
ot, which was drawn by a pair of fire-breath- DEATH
ing white horses, across the sky from his Armenia and Russia
golden palace in the east, while his balding In the traditions and cultures of many peo-
old uncle Mesyats (the moon) awaited his ples throughout the world, death is personi-
arrival in the evening. Some stories, howev- fied as a skeletal figure dressed in black.
er, say that Dazhbog married Mesyats, who Nobody can cheat him when he calls. One
in this case would be female, and that their Armenian story shows Death in an unusually
union begot the stars. Occasionally the gen- benevolent light, although he certainly does
ders of Dazhbog and Mesyats are reversed, not start off that way when he calls on a
making Dazhbog the sun goddess, and young man and tells him that he will die on
Mesyats the moon god. Later tradition said his wedding day. The young man, terrified,
that Dazhbog lived in the sun, whence he takes to his heels. After several days of walk-
ruled over twelve kingdomsone for each ing and worrying, the young man comes to
sign of the zodiac. the foot of Mount Biledjan, where he sees an
In 988, when Vladimir I married Anna old man sitting on a stone throne, a staff in
and converted to Christianity, Dazhbogs his hand.The old man calls to the youth and
huge statue in Kiev was ceremonially top- asks him why he looks so troubled.When the
pled into the river, along with the statues of young man replies that he is running from
other pagan deities. Dazhbog then became Death, who has warned him that he will die
increasingly identified with Lucifer, the on his wedding day, the old man reveals him-
bearer of Gods light who fell from the sky to self as Time, adding that Death is under his
outer darkness. control. The youth then begs to be spared
Polish belief held that Dazhbog lived in from the clutches of Death, whereupon Time
the east, in a paradise of milk and honey, a tells him to drink of a well in the distance,
land of eternal sunlight, whence he rode out for the water of the well will free him of his
each new morning in a golden chariot with fear so that he might live his life to the
diamond wheels that was drawn by twelve fullest, though not in his own hometown.
white, fire-breathing horses (some accounts The young man drinks from the well, as
say that his chariot was drawn by three instructed. Immediately his fear of Death
horsesone of gold, one of silver, and one vanishes, and the young man continues on
of diamonds). The Serbs saw Dazhbog as an his way until he comes to a town where he
upright young man who lived in a palace in settles and over the years amasses a small for-
the east, whence he drove his carriage out tune. However, after several years his
every morning. Again, some accounts say thoughts turns to his parents, so he sets off
that he had twelve white horses, others that for home, carrying his fortune with him. No
he had three made respectively of gold, sil- sooner does he enter his parents house than
ver, and diamonds. As the day wore on he Death reappears and demands the young
grew steadily older before dying each mans soul. Seeing Death, the young mans
evening as a red-faced, bloated, elderly gen- mother throws herself in front of her son,
tleman. He was reborn the next morning as telling Death to take her soul instead. Death
a young man. agrees and starts to draw the womans soul
63
The Final Moments, page from the fifteenth-century French Hours of Marguerite de Coetivy (ms.
74/1088, folio 90, Muse Cond, Chantilly, France; Giraudon/Art Resource, NY)
64 DEBESTEVS
An undated woodcut of Ded Moroz, the spirit of Frost, flying through the air (from the collections of Carol
Rose; photo by David Rose)
elsewhere, to reside in the underworld, When the old man arrived at the smithy,
where he is the lord of the dead and of the Devil had gone and the smith was back
demons, witches, and serpents, and to bring at the forge. Threatened with all kinds of
misfortune to the living. Some authorities punishment if he did not do for the
claim that the witch Baba-Yaga is the servant landowner as he had done for his wife, the
of the Devil, but there is no evidence in the smith was obliged to do as he was asked.
legends to support this. One particular leg- Throwing the landowner into the fire, he
end shows that the Devil could also have a burned him until only his bones were left.
compassionate nature, provided he was These he placed in the tub and poured milk
shown the respect he thought he deserved. over them. Several hours passed and nothing
An unnamed smith once saw a frighten- happened. Anxious about her husband, the
ing image of the Devil in a local church. recently rejuvenated woman came to the
Upon returning to his smithy, he commis- smithy, and finding only the charred bones of
sioned a painter to re-create the likeness on her husband, she ran off to have the young
the doors to his workshop. For ten years he smith arrested for murder.
always gave the Devil a cordial greeting as he After she left, the Devil reappeared, and the
came to work and bade him a good night smith explained his predicament. The Devil
every evening as he left.After the smith died, then revealed who he was and told the smith
his son inherited the smithy, but the youth that if he promised from that moment forth
swore never to show something so hideous always to be civil to him and never to strike
the respect his father had. Instead he used to his image again, he would restore the man.
hit the image with a large hammer, squarely The smith agreed, and by the time the woman
between the eyes, every time he passed it. For had returned to have the smith arrested she
three years the Devil withstood these insults, was greeted by her rejuvenated husband.
until he could bear it no longer. See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga);
Transforming himself into a young man, Underworld,The
he went to the smithy, where he asked to be
made the smiths apprentice. Having been DEVIL AND THE SOLDIER, THE
taken on, the Devil soon proved his worth Russia
and was often left to mind the forge. On An old soldier, on his way home after being
one such occasion the aging wife of a local discharged from the army of an unnamed
landowner came to the smithy to have her tsar, was seated by a lake when he was con-
horse shod.The Devil told her that they had fronted by a red-horned demon.The demon
just started a new line of business, the reju- made a pact with the soldier that for the next
venation of old people. The vanity of the fifteen years, in return for untold riches, the
old woman got the better of her, and she soldier would not wash, shave, comb his hair,
paid the Devil in advance to renew her cut his nails, wipe his nose, or change his
youth. clothes. However, if the soldier broke any of
Gathering two pails of milk, the Devil took these rules even once, then the Devil would
hold of the woman in his tongs and cast her have his soul.
into the middle of the furnace.When all that The soldier agreed, and had the demon
was left were her bones, the Devil removed bring him a sack of money and then trans-
these from the fire and placed them in a tub. port him to Moscow in a flash.There the sol-
He then poured the milk over the still crack- dier quickly bought a wonderful mansion
ling bones, and within a few minutes a young and settled down to pass the next fifteen
woman stepped forth. Returning to her hus- years in splendid isolation. Every day the sol-
band, she persuaded him to go for the same diers fortune continued to grow, and soon
treatment. he found that he did not have enough room
DIEVAS 67
to store it all.Therefore he started to distrib- that in return he did not even possess the
ute his wealth among the poor of Moscow; soldiers soul. His anger subsided, however,
but still his fortune continued to grow, and when he learned that the two elder daugh-
his fame began to spread far and wide. ters of the tsar had said they would rather
The tsar heard of the old soldiers generos- marry the Devil than the soldier.The Devil
ity, and being almost bankrupt, he called for rubbed his hands in glee and waited until in
the soldier to be brought before him so that due course he was able to add their souls to
he could solicit a donation from him. The his vast collection.
soldier duly presented himself to the tsar, his See also: Moscow;Water of Life and Death,The
hair and beard touching the floor in a matted
mass, his nose constantly running, and his DEVILS CASTLE
clothes in the most disgusting state. Worst of Armenia
all was the smell, which was nauseating. The lair of Tapagz, the oldest of the demons.
The tsar offered the old soldier the rank of See also: Tapagz
a general in his army in return for a large sum
of money. The soldier politely refused the DIDA
post, but promised to give the tsar all the Slav
money he needed if one of the tsars three The female counterpart of Dido, the pair
daughters would become his wife. The tsar likely to have been twins born to the deities
instantly agreed and called for his oldest Lada and Lado.
daughter to be brought to him. However, as See also: Dido; Lada; Lado
soon as she saw the hideous apparition before References: Afanas'ev 186569; Znayenko 1980
her, the girl said that she would rather marry
the Devila comment noted by the demon DIDILIA
who had struck the deal with the soldier. Poland
The tsars second-oldest daughter was One of a pair of fertility deities, the other
brought in, and she retorted in exactly the being Zizilia. The twin mothers of divine
same manner, and her name likewise was twins, Didilia and Zizilia were venerated as
noted by the demon. Finally, the tsars goddesses of erotic and maternal love.
youngest daughter was brought into the hall, See also: Zizilia
and although her initial reaction was one of References: Afanas'ev 186569; Znayenko 1980
disgust, she knew that her father was depend-
ing on her.Thus, with tears rolling down her DIDO
fair cheeks, she agreed to marry the soldier. Slav
Preparations for the marriage were soon The consort of Lada; or, according to some
in full swing, and the tsar had collected his sources, the son of Lada. Dido had a female
gold, when the fifteen years the soldier had counterpart named Dida, and it seems likely
agreed to came to an end.The demon came that Dido and Dida were twins born to the
to the soldier, and unable to convince the deities Lada and Lado.
soldier to continue in the service of the See also: Lada; Lado
Devil, restored him to his former self, and References: Afanas'ev 186569; Znayenko 1980
then rejuvenated him with the Water of Life
and Death. Shortly afterward, the soldier and DIEVAS
the tsars daughter were married. Lithuania, Latvia
The demon returned to his master and Heavenshine, the high god of the sky, ances-
reported all that had happened. The Devil tor of everything that exists, and the most
was furious to think that fifteen years ancient of gods. His name is cognate with the
wealth had been wasted on the soldier and Sanskrit dyut, to shine, and deiuos, of the
68 DIEVO SUNELIAI
bined into a single force that bars Igors way, Black Sea east of Odessa. The river features
signals disaster, and leads Igor toward his in many of the Russian legends that evolved
enemies. around the court of Vladimir Bright Sun at
See also: Igor Kiev. In the legend of Sukhman, the river is
References: Mann 1979; Zenkovsky 1963 reported to have told the hero that the Tatar
army was attempting to cross her to reach
DJANDJAVAZ, MOUNT Kiev.
Armenia See also: Black Sea; Kiev; Sukhman;Tatars;
The home of the giant Azrail. Vladimir Bright Sun, Prince
See also: Apprentice,The; Azrail
References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967, DOBRYNYA NIKITICH
vol. 1 Russia
Friend of Dunai Ivanovich and his compan-
DMITRII (VYSLAVOVICH) ion in travel from the court of Vladimir
Russia Bright Sun in Kiev to Lithuania, to bring
One of the three sons of Tsar Vyslav back Princess Evpraksiya to be Vladimirs
Andronovich; brother to Vasilii Vyslavovich bride. In Lithuania he persuaded the king to
and Ivan Vyslavovich.When their father sent allow Evpraksiya to marry Vladimir Bright
the three on a quest to locate and capture the Sun, whom the king held in very low
Firebird, Dmitrii traveled with Vasilii, and esteem. Dobrynya brought the princess back
Ivan traveled alone. When Ivan Vyslavovich to Kiev by himself after Dunai Ivanovich set
was on his way home, having successfully off in pursuit of a mysterious marauder who
completed the task, and bringing the Horse had circled their camp at night.
with the Golden Mane and the maiden Dobrynya, whose name is derived from
Elena the Beautiful with him, his brothers dobryi (good), is probably best known as a
ambushed and killed him. Then they dragon-slayer. Having slain the young of a
returned home with the spoils, claiming she-dragon named Goryshche, Dobrynya
Ivans success as their own, and cast lots to was warned by his mother, Amelfia Timo-
determine each mans share.Vasilii won Elena feyevna, never to return to the Sorochinsk
the Beautiful, and Dmitrii won the Horse Mountains, where the dragon lived, and to
with the Golden Mane. Both brothers were stay away from the river Puchai. Dobrynya
thrown into the tsars deepest dungeon after ignored what he thought were the ramblings
Ivan Vyslavovich returned, having been of an old woman, and he was soon back in
miraculously brought back to life with the dragon-hunting country.
help of the Water of Life and Death, sprin- Tired and dusty from his long journey,
kled on him by the shape-changing wolf that Dobrynya stripped off his clothes, and leav-
had helped him earlier in his quest. ing them with his horse on the bank, dived
See also: Elena the Beautiful; Firebird,The; into the river Puchai. As soon as he entered
Horse with the Golden Mane,The; Ivan the swiftly flowing waters, he saw fire and
Vyslavovich;Vasilii Vyslavovich;Vyslav sparks leap into the air, accompanied by thick
Andronovich;Water of Life and Death,The black smoke. Out of this smoke emerged the
twelve-headed she-dragon Goryshchethe
DNIEPER dragon whose offspring Dobrynya had pre-
Russia viously killed.As the dragon asked Dobrynya
River, total length 1,400 miles (2,250 km), what she should do with him, the knight saw
that rises in the Smolensk region of White his chance and dived beneath the waters,
Russia and flows south past Kiev, Dne- coming ashore on the bank opposite that on
propetrovsk, and Zaporozhe to enter the which his clothes and weapons lay, his horse
70 DOBRYNYA NIKITICH
having been frightened away when the ing morning, he mounted the chestnut and
dragon appeared. made ready to leave. Just as he was about to
Just as he thought he was finished, spur the horse on, his mother gave him a
Dobrynya caught sight of a priests hat lying silken whip, telling him to whip the horse,
in the grass. As a bogatyr', a knight of Holy should its strength begin to fail.
Russia, he knew that this would make a for- Placing the whip in his pocket, Dobrynya
midable weapon; but when Dobrynya lifted spurred the horse, which cleared the walls of
it, he found that it was extremely heavy. As the city in a huge leap and sped off faster
the dragon flew toward him, Dobrynya bran- than the eye could follow. In no time at all,
dished the hat and severed the dragons they had reached the foothills of the
heads. As the dragon dropped to the ground, Sorochinsk Mountains. There the ground
Dobrynya leaped onto her and readied him- teemed with the young of the she-dragon.
self to finish her off. Goryshche begged for Dobrynya set upon them, trampling them
mercy, promising never to raid the lands of with his horse. After a while, having been
Holy Russia again and never to carry off any bitten badly, the horse began to falter.
more Russian people. Dobrynya likewise Remembering the words of his mother,
promised never to return to the Sorochinsk Dobrynya took the whip from his pocket
Mountains.Then he released the dragon. and gently whipped his mount between the
Having lost his horse and his weapons, ears and hind legs. Instantly the horses vigor
Dobrynya had to make his way home to returned, and they made their way to the
Kiev on foot. When he arrived there he cave of the she-dragon.
found that in his long absence a disaster had Needless to say, Goryshche was not happy
befallen the court of Prince Vladimir Bright to see Dobrynya. She complained bitterly
Sun. The very dragon whom Dobrynya had about the death of her offspring, and even
spared had broken her word, and flying over more so about the fact that Dobrynya, a
the city, had carried away the Princess knight of Holy Russia, had broken his word.
Zabava,Vladimirs favorite niece, holding her Dobrynya retorted that it was she who had
between her jaws.Vladimir Bright Sun called first broken their pact, and he demanded the
together his knights and challenged them to return of Zabava. When the dragon refused,
rescue the unfortunate maiden. Dobrynya attacked her. For three days the
Alesha, the son of the priest Leontii, told pair fought, until finally Dobrynya was vic-
Vladimir that Dobrynya appeared to be torious. However, Dobrynya now found
familiar with the dragon that was responsi- himself stranded in the middle of a vast lake
ble, adding that he believed that the dragon that had formed from the dragons blood, a
regarded Dobrynya as her brother. When lake that the earth would not soak up.
Vladimir Bright Sun heard this, he com- Calling on Mother Earth, he commanded
manded Dobrynya to bring back the girl or her to open up and swallow the dragons
be beheaded. blood. Instantly a huge chasm appeared and
Dobrynya went home and told his the lake was drained. Dobrynya climbed
mother what had transpired, complaining down from his horse and entered the net-
that he would have to walk to the Soro- work of caves in which the dragon had
chinsk Mountains because he had no horse. lived. Inside he found, and released, many
His mother told him of his fathers old chest- hundreds of Russians, before he found
nut, which stood mired in dung inside the Princess Zabava in the very last chamber.
stables.Telling her son to clean up the horse Leading her outside, he perched her in front
and feed it, she also advised him to get a of him on his horse and returned to Kiev at
good nights sleep. Dobrynya followed his the same speed with which he had departed.
mothers advice to the letter, and the follow- When he returned he was greeted as a great
DOBRYNYA NIKITICH 71
hero by Prince Vladimir Bright Sun and all The woman immediately climbed down
the people of the city. He was also greeted at from her horse and took Dobrynya out of
home by his horse Voroneyushka, Little her pouch, demanding to know who he was.
Raven, which had at long last returned to She said that if he were older than her, she
its stable. would kill him; if he were younger, she
Some time later, despite his great popular- would consider him her brother; and if they
ity in Kiev, Dobrynya Nikitich sat at his win- were the same age, she would marry him.
dow brooding. When his mother, Amelfia Dobrynya refused to tell the woman any-
Timofeyevna, asked him what was wrong, he thing, but the horse had recognized him and
replied that it was long past the time when told the woman that his name was Dobrynya
he should have married but that all of the Nikitich and that he was the same age as the
eligible maidens of the city had already been woman. The latter then told Dobrynya that
spoken for. His mother told him that if he her name was Nastas'ya Nikulichna and that
were ever to find a bride, he would have to as they were the same age, they should marry.
travel beyond the confines of the cityan Dobrynya agreed, and the two of them rode
idea that immediately appealed to Dobrynya. back to Kiev.
Even if he failed to find a wife, he was sure Dobrynyas mother, the widow Amelfia
to have some adventure. Timofeyevna, welcomed the woman, and
As Dobrynya left for the stables, his before long a great wedding had been
mother called after him, telling him to leave arranged, which would be attended by
his own horse Voroneyushka behind and Prince Vladimir Bright Sun and his wife
instead to take the horse that had belonged to Evpraksiya. For three days and three nights
his father, which had served him well in his the wedding feast continued, and then
quest to find the Princess Zabava. Dobrynya Dobrynya and his new wife Nastas'ya
followed the advice of his mother, and armed returned to live with Amelfia Timofeyevna.
himself before riding out from the city onto After her marriage, Nastas'ya stayed at home,
the steppes. A short time later he came across like any other Russian wife.
the tracks of another rider and hurried after Some three years later Prince Vladimir
them. Having ridden hard for a short distance Bright Sun arranged a great banquet in Kiev
Dobrynya spotted a polianitsa (female war- and invited all the bogatyri to attend. As the
rior) spurring her jet-black steed across the banquet drew to a close,Vladimir addressed
plains. Dobrynya quickly strung an arrow in the knights present, asking which of them
his bow and let it fly.The arrow flew straight would lead an army against the forces of an
and true and struck her on the side of her enemy who had attacked his father-in-law,
helmet. Instead of hurting the rider, the the King of Lithuania. At first none of the
arrow simply fell to the ground, and the knights responded, so Vladimir asked the
woman rode on as if nothing had happened. question a second time. This time Alyosha
Dobrynya let a second arrow fly, with exactly Popovich stood and told the prince that
the same result; but the third arrow hit the there was none better qualified to serve the
womans helmet again and caused her to stop purpose than Dobrynya Nikitich, who had
and look around. Seeing Dobrynya, she lifted once served in the army of the King of
him from his horse by his hair and thrust him Lithuania. Reluctantly Dobrynya agreed, and
into a deep pouch that she always carried he went home to prepare for the coming
with her; and for three days he brooded there expedition.
in silence as they rode across the steppes. On There his mother questioned him about
the fourth day the womans horse stumbled what he was doing, and with great reluctance
and complained that it could no longer con- Dobrynya told her of his mission, telling her
tinue to carry a polianitsa and a bogatyr'. not to worry; for if he were killed, he would
72 DOBRYNYA NIKITICH
join his late father, Nikita, in heaven and strel and went to the palace to serenade the
would see her there one day. Amelfia wedding guests. There, seated on the stove,
Timofeyevna blessed her son and then ran to the customary location for minstrels and
tell Nastas'ya, her daughter-in-law, of beggars in the palace, Dobrynya sang songs
Dobrynyas impending departure. Nastas'ya in celebration of the marriage.
ran to her husband, who told her about his So touched was Nastas'ya by the min-
mission, adding that she should wait for him strels songs that she asked permission of
for 12 years, and that if he had not returned Prince Vladimir Bright Sun to give him a
by that time, she should divide his wealth drink. The prince agreed. Having accepted
equally between the church and the poor the drink from his wife, Dobrynya asked
and then seek a new husband. However, permission of Prince Vladimir Bright Sun to
Dobrynya advised her that she should not return the compliment. Vladimir gave per-
marry Alyosha Popovich, for the two men mission, and Dobrynya gave Nastas'ya a cup
had exchanged crosses and were thus broth- of mead into which he had slipped his wed-
ers in the eyes of God. ding ring. As soon as Nastas'ya found the
With that Dobrynya kissed his wife, ring, she fell to the floor and begged her
mounted his horse, and left for Lithuania. husbands forgiveness.
Three years passed and Dobrynya did not The banquet fell silent at the sight of the
return home. News of his death was brought bride begging the forgiveness of the minstrel,
to Kiev by Alyosha Popovich. Amelfia but it soon became apparent that the minstrel
Timofeyevna wept for her son, but Nastas'ya was none other than Dobrynya Nikitich,
refused to accept the news and continued returned from Lithuania. Prince Vladimir
her long vigil. Bright Sun welcomed him warmly, but all
Three more years passed, and Alyosha Dobrynya could think of was how he had
Popovich once more rode into Kiev and been betrayed by his brother in God,Alyosha
brought news of the death of Dobrynya Popovich. Having forgiven his wifefor she
Nikitich, and again Nastas'ya refused to could not have known the truthDobrynya
believe him. turned to Alyosha, who also begged forgive-
Six more years passed before Alyosha ness. Dobrynya rejected Alyoshas pleas, and
Popovich came back to the court of Prince grabbing him by the neck, threw him to the
Vladimir Bright Sun, again bringing news of ground, drew his sword, and raised his arm to
the death of Dobrynya Nikitich. This time, strikebut was prevented from doing so by
although Nastas'ya did not believe her hus- the great Il'ya Muromets. Dobrynya sheathed
band was dead, she knew that she had hon- his sword and left the palace with his wife,
ored his wishes, and so she agreed to marry refusing from that day forth to speak to
Alyosha Popovich.Thus the city of Kiev pre- Alyosha, and for the rest of their lives
pared for the marriage of Alyosha and Dobrynya Nikitich and Nastas'ya Nikulichna
Nastas'ya, while at the Lithuanian border lived in peace and happiness.
Dobrynya Nikitich slept a long and deep See also: Alesha; Alyosha Popovich; Amelf(i)a
sleep. Timofe(y)evna; Bogatyr'; Dragon; Dunai
As he awoke, two white doves flew into Ivanovich; Evpraksiya (~ia), Princess;
his tent and spoke of the wedding arrange- Goryshche; Il'ya Muromets; Kiev; Leontii;
Lithuania; Mother Earth; Nastas'ya
ments being made at that very moment in
Nikulichna; Polianitsa; Puchai; Sorochinsk
Kiev. Hearing the news, Dobrynya quickly Hill;Vladimir Bright Sun, Prince;
gathered his possessions, mounted Voro- Voroneyushka; Zabava (Putyatichna), Princess
neyushka, and rode like the wind all the way References: Astakhova 1961; Evgen'eva and
back to Kiev.There he was joyfully reunited Putilov 1977; Gil'ferding 1951; Rambaud
with his mother. Then he dressed as a min- 1879
DOMOVOI 73
DODOLA DOMOVIK
Serbia Slav
Goddess of rain, propitiated in times of Alternative name for the domovoi, and the
drought by dressing a girl from head to foot one that is perhaps most correctly used when
in grass, herbs, and flowers so that even her referring to him in connection with his
face was hidden. This girl, now known as female counterpart or wife, the domovikha.
Dodola, would walk through the community See also: Domovikha; Domovoi
in the company of a group of other girls, stop
in front of every house, and dance. The ret- DOMOVIKHA
inue would form a circle around the girl and Slav
sing a propitiation song, while the lady of the The wife of the domovoi.This female house-
house would come out and throw a bucket hold spirit lived in the cellar or henhouse,
of water over Dodola. whereas her mate lived in the stove. The
domovikha (also known as domania or
DOGODA kikimora) would help good wives by doing
Slav household chores for them and would annoy
The god of the west wind, he was perceived bad ones by tickling their children awake in
as the most gentle of the deities that person- the middle of the night.
ified the winds. He lived on the island of See also: Domovoi; Kikimora
Buyan with the east and north winds, and
according to some sources, the Sun. DOMOVOI
See also: Buyan; Sun;Wind Slavic
Also: Kaukas; Majahaldas; Majasgars, Domo-
DOJRAN, LAKE vik,Tsmok
Serbia (pl. domovoi) The spirit of a familys found-
Shallow lake that straddles the border ing ancestor who lived in the stove, the focal
between Macedonia (in the southern part of point of the Russian home. The domovois
former Yugoslavia) and northern Greece, east connections to familial ancestors (or dedy)
of the border town of Gevgelija. guaranteed him a stable place in folk tradi-
According to Serbian legend, the lake was tions, especially in rural communities, well
originally a dry hollow in the center of into the modern era. The domovoi, whose
which there was a deep well safeguarded by name comes from dom (house), looked after
13 locks. A local girl named Dojrana, deeply the welfare of the family and was sometimes
in love with a local boy, was taken by the affectionately referred to as dedushka (grand-
Turks. Preferring death to concubinage, dad) or chelovek (fellow). His wife, the
Dojrana is said to have committed suicide by domovikha, lived in the cellar or henhouse
throwing herself into the well. The locks and helped good wives by doing domestic
could not be closed after her suicide, and the chores, annoying slovenly ones by tickling
water from the well gushed forth to form their children to wake them in the middle of
Lake Dojran, which was named in her the night.
memory. According to legend, the corps of do-
See also: Macedonia movoi staged a revolt against Svarog when
the universe was created. Svarog drove them
DOMANIA from his realm, whereupon they fell to earth,
Slav some into backyards, some down chimneys
Another name for the domovikha, or the and into stoves, some into forests, and some
kikimora. onto the plains. Each group was domovoi,
See also: Domovikha; Kikimora and each had the same characteristics; but
74 DON
over the years those outside the home disap- self, he suggested that the man drill a large
peared or were assimilated with other spirits, hole in the cask. He could then plug the
leaving a single race of domovoi. hole during the day but let all the water out
Very few people claim to have caught a at night. The man foolishly followed this
glimpse of the domovoi, although everyone advice, and when the domovoi came to
has heard him in the creakings and groan- water the horses he found the cask empty.
ings of their house.Those who say they have Enraged, he smashed the stables to pieces
seen this spirit describe him as a dwarfish, and killed all the horses.
aging man covered with a long beard and The importance of the domovoi was
soft, silky fur, even on the palms of his hands reflected in the fact that every time the
and the soles of his feet.The only parts of his master of the house left, his wife would
body visible through this downy covering ensure that the mouth of the stove was cov-
are his piercing eyes and his pointed nose. ered so that the domovoi did not leave as
Sometimes he would also be depicted with well. Later traditions said that the domovoi
horns and a tail, but he was usually con- lived not only in the stove but also in the
ceived of according to peasant lore, as an cattle sheds and stables, for he was particu-
animated haystack. Less approachable and larly fond of farm animals. At night he
much shier than the domovoi was the would feed the horses and then comb and
dvorovoi, the spirit of the household yard, groom them, neatly plaiting their manes
who might have been a descendant of the and their tails. Every time the peasant
domovoi. bought a new animal he would lead it
Although mischievous, the domovoi around the yard to make sure that the
would never harm the family with whom he domovoi approved of his purchase, and
lived unless he was offended in some way. would ask the domovoi to welcome the
During daylight hours the domovoi stayed newcomer to his home. However, the spirit
hidden or used his shape-changing abilities of the yard, including the stables and sheds,
to disguise himself as an animal while he was usually referred to as the dvorovoi.
roamed the fields and woods. At night he See also: Dedy; Domovik; Domovikha;
would return to his human hosts home, eat- Dvorovoi; Kaukas; Majahaldas; Majasgars;
ing the bread and salt that were left out for Svarog;Tsmok
him, or upsetting pots and furniture if he felt
in any way ill treated. DON
One story concerning the domovoi tells General
of two peasants who lived next door to each River that rises south of Moscow and flows
other. One owned horses that were well fed 1,180 miles (1,900 kilometers) before enter-
and well groomed, whereas the neighbors ing the extreme northeastern extremity of
horses were sickly and thin.Wishing to find the Sea of Azov. For almost four months of
out why his horses were so much finer than every year it is closed by ice. In its lower
those of his neighbor, the peasant hid at reaches the river is a mile (1.5 kilometers)
night and caught the domovoi grooming, wide, and its upper navigable reaches are
feeding, and watering his horses from the connected to the Volga River by canal.
large water cask in the yard. The following
day, not wanting his drinking water supply DONETS
to be contaminated by an ugly spirit, he General
asked his jealous neighbor what he should The chief branch of the river Don, the
do. The neighbor knew that a domovoi was Donets runs through the northeastern cor-
surely helping this lucky fellow, and keen to ner of Ukraine, an area known as the Donets
see him reduced to the same terms as him- Basin.
DRAGON 75
also scolded Dunai for seeking the hand of placed on the head of one of them, and the
his younger daughter in Vladimirs behalf, other would then shoot an arrow down the
instead of that of his elder daughter. Just as he blade of a knife and through the ring with-
was about to have Dunai dragged off to the out disturbing it. Dunai bade his wife take
dungeons, one of the kings men rushed into the first turn, and three times she suc-
the hall to tell the king that Dobrynya was ceeded. Yet when it came to Dunais turn,
bludgeoning the kings men to death.Taking she pleaded with him not to attempt the
this as a divine sign, the king quickly agreed feat, asking him to forgive her for her fool-
to the suit and bade the three of them a safe ish challenge.When Dunai refused, she told
journey. him of their unborn childa child with
That night, as they slept, they heard sus- arms to the elbow that were of solid gold
picious sounds nearby but were not and legs of silver from hips to knees. Stars
attacked. The following morning Dobrynya clustered around his temples; from every
and Princess Evpraksiya rode off toward hair on his head there hung a pearl; the
Kiev, while Dunai tracked down the bandit moon shone from his back; and the sun
that had been stalking them the previous radiated from his eyes.
night.When he caught up with the stranger, Unimpressed, Dunai proceeded with
he knocked him from his mount and the contest, dipping the point of his arrow
demanded to know where he was going. into the venom of a poisonous snake.
Looking down, Dunai saw that the person However, he failed to make the target, and
he had knocked from the saddle was a the arrow pierced Nastas'yas heart. As she
woman. died, they cut the baby from her womb,
This woman told Dunai that she was and it proved to be every bit as wondrous
Princess Nastas'ya, Evpraksiyas elder sister. as she had said it would be. Grief-stricken,
She had been hunting when Dunai and Dunai sank the butt of his spear into the
Dobrynya left with her sister, and she had set ground and fell onto its point. Two rivers
out in pursuit, aiming to rescue her sister sprang up from where husband and wife
from her abductors. So taken was Dunai lay dead: One was the river Nastas'ya, and
with her courage that he spared her life and the other, the river Dunaibetter known
asked her to become his wife. Quickly they today as the Danube.
rode to Kiev, and they were married at the See also: Alyosha Popovich; Churilo
same service at which Vladimir married Plenkovich; Danube; Dobrynya Nikitich;
Evpraksiya. Evpraksiya (~ia), Princess; Kiev; Lithuania;
The wedding feast lasted twelve days, Moscow; Nastas'ya, Princess;Vladimir Bright
during which time a great many boasts Sun, Prince
References: Evgen'eva and Putilov 1977
were made. Dunai Ivanovich boasted that in
the city of Kiev there was none who could
compare with him. His new wife chided DUNAY (-USHKA)
him, saying that even though she had only Russia
been in the city for a short time, already she Variant names for Dunai Ivanovich, Du-
had noticed that Churilo Plenkovich was nayushka being a familiar form that would
the best-dressed man in all Russia and have been used by family and close friends.
Alyosha Popovich was the most valiant. See also: Dunai Ivanovich
However, now that she had arrived in Kiev,
there was no finer archer in the city than DUNDRA
herself. Dunai rose to the boast and chal- SlavRomany
lenged Nastas'ya to a test of skill with the The original name of the god of the moon,
bow and arrow. A silver ring was to be who later became known as Alako. Ac-
78 DUSK
cording to legend, Dundra was sent to earth culture, especially in the most remote re-
by his father, to teach the Romany people gions.
their laws and to serve as their protector. References: Dal' 1957
When he had finished his task on earth he
ascended into the skies, where he became DVOROVOI
Alako. He watches over his people and car- Slav
ries their souls to live on the moon after The spirit of the household yard. Closely re-
death. One day Alako will return from the lated to the domovoi, the dvorovoi lives in the
moon and lead his people back to their lost sheds and stables, where he tends the animals.
homeland. New animals brought to the house are intro-
See also: Alako duced to him so that the dvorovoi can wel-
come them to their new home. However, the
DUSK dvorovoi is believed hostile to animals with
Russia white fur, although he tolerates chickens with
The setting sun, personified in the goddess white feathers, for they have their own god.
Zorya Vechernyaya. The dvorovoi could be influenced in one
See also: Zorya Vechernyaya of two ways: by bribery or by punishment. If
a piece of bread and some bits of sheeps
DVINA wool were left out, then the dvorovoi prob-
General ably would do as he was bidden. He also
The name of two rivers in eastern Europe. could be made to do what was wanted by
The Western Dvina, or Daugava, rises west of taking a long stick and a thread from the
Moscow and flows into the Gulf of Riga in shroud of a dead man.This thread was to be
Latvia.This river is 633 miles (1,019 kilome- tied to the stick and then used to whip the
ters) long.The other, the Northern Dvina, is yard, in the process of which the dvorovoi
an important waterway in northwestern was sure to be lashed. Those who could see
Russia, formed by the Sukhona and the dvorovoi would pin him to a fence with
Vychegda Rivers. It is 455 miles (732 kilo- a pitchfork. However, as the story of Katya
meters) long and flows into the White Sea at shows, the dvorovoi was a jealous character
the port of Arkhangel'sk. who could exact his own revenge.
See also: Arkhangel'sk; Moscow;White Sea See also: Domovoi; Katya
E
Dmitrii Vyslavovich and Vasilii
Vyslavovich, Ivans jealous brothers.
Ivan Vyslavovich was killed, and
Elena fell by lot to Vasilii.The treach-
ery of the two brothers was revealed
after Ivan was restored to life by the
wolf, who used the Water of Life and
EARTH MOTHER Death to resuscitate him. Dmitrii and
General Vasilii were thrown into a deep dungeon,
See Mother Earth. and Elena the Beautiful married Ivan
Vyslavovich.
EKIM See also: Afron; Dalmat; Dmitrii
Russia (Vyslavovich); Firebird,The; Horse with the
Aleshas squire. Ekim accompanied his mas- Golden Mane,The; Ivan Vyslavovich;Vasilii
ter from Rostov to the court of Prince Vyslavovich;Vyslav Andronovich;Water of
Vladimir Bright Sun at Kiev. There he Life and Death,The
caught the knife thrown at Alesha by the vile
monster Tugarin. ELENA THE FAIR
See also: Alesha; Kiev; Rostov;Tugarin; Russia
Vladimir Bright Sun, Prince The tsaritsa of the Golden Kingdom, one of
three kingdoms in the realm of Whirlwind.
ELENA THE BEAUTIFUL She and her sisters, the tsaritsas of the Copper
Russia Kingdom and the Silver Kingdom, were the
A princess from an unnamed kingdom who prisoners of Whirlwind. When Ivan
was abducted by Ivan Vyslavovich and his Belyaninovich came to Whirlwinds realm to
helper, the shape-changing wolf. Ivan rescue his mother, Nastas'ya of the Golden
Vyslavovich had been set the task of abduct- Braid, whom Whirlwind had abducted years
ing Elena by Tsar Afron after he had been earlier, Elena told Ivan where he might find
caught trying to steal Afrons Horse with the Nastas'ya, making him promise to return and
Golden Mane and its bridlethat being a free her as well. This he did, although his
task assigned Ivan by Tsar Dalmat, who had brothers Peter and Vasilii Belyaninovich tried
caught Ivan trying to steal the Firebird and to claim the credit for themselves and
its cage for his father (Tsar Vyslav An- returned home with Elena and the other two
dronovich). Elena was abducted by the wolf, tsaritsas, leaving Ivan stranded in Whirlwinds
who helped Ivan Vyslavovich in recompense realm. After Ivan Belyaninovich returned
for having killed his horse. By the time they home with the help of Lame and One-Eye,
arrived at the kingdom of Tsar Afron, Ivan two servants of Whirlwind, it was Elena who
and Elena had fallen in love. The wolf first realized that someone had arrived who
assumed Elenas form so that the lovers possessed magical powers from the realm of
could evade Afron. Ivan Vyslavovich and Whirlwind. Elena also devised the three tasks
Elena rode away on the Horse with the that uncovered the treachery of Peter and
Golden Mane and were later rejoined by the Vasilii. She later married Ivan Belyaninovich.
wolf. Her sister, the tsaritsa of the Copper
79
80 ELETSKOI
Kingdom, married Vasilii Belyaninovich, and given twofold. The champion thought for a
her other sister, the tsaritsa of the Silver moment and then asked the king to put out
Kingdom, married Peter Belyaninovich. one of his eyes.
See also: Copper Kingdom,The; Golden One of the fables of Vardan of Aygek.
Kingdom,The; Ivan Belyaninovich; Lame; See also: Vardan
Nastas'ya of the Golden Braid; One-Eye; References: Marr 189499
Peter (Belyaninovich); Silver Kingdom,The;
Vasilii Belyaninovich;Whirlwind ERISVORSH
Slav
ELETSKOI The god of storms. To the Czechs he was
Russia known as Varpulis, the god of storm winds
One of the earliest religious icons of the and an attendant of Perun.
Virgin Mary that miraculously appeared. See also: Perun;Varpulis
Dating from 1060, the Eletskoi icon was
found in a forest near Chernigov. Modern ERLIK
thinking attributes the appearance of these Siberia, Lapland
holy relics to the early clergy who recog- First life, the being created by the sky god
nized the importance of associating the Ulgan from a speck of mud found floating
Virgin Mary with the nature goddesses that on the surface of the primordial ocean, for
pervaded pagan religious belief. The clergy the single purpose of helping the sky god to
must have reasoned that icons found near create the rest of the universe. Ulgan sent
pagan holy trees and water would be read- Erlik to fetch more mud from the ocean
ily accepted and revered even by those least floor, which he did, though he hid some of
likely to convert to Christianity. All avail- the mud in his mouth, fully intending to cre-
able evidence suggests that this ruse was ate a universe of his own from it. However,
successful. as Erlik chewed the mud, it started to swell
See also: Chernigov until he was forced to spit it out, the mud
References: Matorin 1931 and saliva mixture spraying across the land
created by Ulgan to form all the damp and
ELIAS putrid places of the worldthe swamps and
Russia marshes.
The Christian name with which the attrib- Meanwhile, Ulgan had created not only
utes of Perun became associated. Both leg- the land but also the first people, whom he
endary figures were believed to have power fashioned out of the mud and then imbued
over rain and harvest. with a divine spirit of life. However, Ulgan
See also: Perun ran out of mud and left the people to dry out
References: Frazer while he went to fetch some more, leaving a
huge dog to guard them. Where this dog
ENVY came from is not recorded, but he was prob-
Armenia ably created by Ulgan. Erlik saw the new
A king once had two champions, each of people drying out and tried to bribe the dog
whom was being eaten away by envy of the to let him have them. The dog refused,
other. The king resolved to do something whereupon Erlik spat on the new people,
about this and summoned one of his cham- covering them in saliva. When Ulgan
pions.The king told the fellow that he could returned, he turned the new people inside
ask whatever he wanted and it would be his; out before finally bringing them to life, and
but he warned that whatever the champion mankind has been that way ever sincedry
asked for, the other champion also would be on the outside and foul and wet on the
EZERINIS 81
inside. Ulgan then banished Erlik to purga- therefore more closely resembles Swedish
tory in the underworld; but before Erlik and Finnish than Russian.
went, he snatched as many of the newly cre- See also: Finno-Ugric; Latvia; Lithuania
ated people as he could to be his servants.
Since that day the dead have been inside-out EVENING STAR
versions of the living.And Erlik, the first cre- Slav
ated being, became the god of death and The personification of the planet Venus seen
ruler of the underworld. in the early evening sky. In Slavic mythology
See also: Ulgan; Underworld,The the Evening Star is Zvezda Vechernyaya, the
sister to Zvezda Dennitsa, the Morning Star.
ERMOLAI-ERAZM Together the sisters are collectively referred
Russia to as the two Zvezdy, the daughters of
A fifteenth-century monk who recorded a Dazhbog, and sisters to the two, or three,
number of post-Christian legends. The Zoryi.
monk is best remembered for his account of See also: Dazhbog; Morning Star;Venus;
the legend of Fevroniia. Zoryi; Zvezda Dennitsa; Zvezda Vechernyaya
See also: Fevroniia
References: Zenkovsky 1963 EVIL
Russia
ERZYA The personification of all that is bad,
General although not equated with the Devil. Evil is
The northern branch of the Mordvin peo- usually feminine and personified as the aged
ple, their southern counterparts being the hag One-Eyed Likho (likho being Russian
Moksha. for evil).
See also: Moksha; Mordvins See also: Likho, One-Eyed
F
by the blood of the serpent. Covered
in sores, he set out in search of a cure
for himself and his kingdom, which
had been struck down as a result of his
apparent fratricide. Traveling with a
large coterie, Peter arrived at a village
called Charity, where he was carried to an
FAIRY isolated cottage. There he was confronted
General by a very beautiful, half-naked woman, who
A supernatural being with magic powers sat spinning. The woman told Peter that she
who could help or harm human beings. In lived alone, the remainder of her family being
recent legend, fairies have been pictured as long dead, and that she would cure him of his
very small and sometimes as very lovely and affliction on the condition that he married
delicate. In medieval stories, however, fairies her. Peter immediately agreed. No sooner
were often of human size. had he done so than his sores disappeared and
his strength returned. However, Peter now
FARAONY saw no reason to marry the maiden and made
Russia ready to leave the cottage. As he did so, his
One of the many variant names applied to strength sapped away and the sores erupted
the russalki, others being mavki, navki, and again. Convinced that he had no choice in
vodianiani. the matter, Peter agreed to the union, and the
See also: Mavki; Navki; Rus(s)alki (~ulki); couple were duly married.
Vodianiani At their wedding the woman told Peter
References: Pomerantseva 1975 that her name, or rather the name she had
chosen to use as his wife, was Fevroniia.
FEVRONIIA Together Peter and Fevroniia traveled back
Russia to Murom, where the influential boyars,
Paul, the Christian ruler of the city of angry because Peter had married a mere
Murom, was visited by the Devil, who peasant, accused Fevroniia of poor manners
appeared to his wife, euphemistically referred at the feast thrown in honor of their prince.
to as the Dark Princess, in the form of a ser- Fevroniia retaliated by performing a series of
pent. Only she could recognize the Devil; all miracles, such as turning crumbs from the
those around her saw only the image of Paul. table into frankincense and myrrh. These
When she told her husband of the visit she acts, however, did not assuage the anger of
had received in her bedchamber, Paul advised the boyars, who demanded that she be ban-
her to ascertain from the Devil the manner of ished from the court because as a powerful
Pauls death. She did as he asked, and found sorceress, she could hold their wives in thrall.
out that Pauls brother Peter of Murom Fevroniia agreed to leave Murom, provided
would kill him. However, when Peter came that Peter accompany her.
to do the dirty deed, he succeeded only in So Peter, Fevroniia, and their retinue set
killing the serpent that had assumed Pauls out from Murom by boat. However, as they
guise. At this point in the legend the Dark made camp that evening, Peter began to
Princess ceases to be mentioned, from which worry about their exile. Fevroniia assuaged
83
84 FINLAND
FINLAND
his fears by performing another miracle: She General
took the branches that had been cut to fuel Scandinavian country that is bounded to the
the cooking fire and blessed them, telling north by Norway, to the east by Russia, to
Peter that by morning they would be tall the south and west by the Baltic Sea, and to
FINNO-UGRIC 85
the northwest by Sweden. The country was the beginning of the nineteenth century,
originally inhabited by Lapps, but they were Finnish had no official status, Swedish being
driven northward by Finnic invaders from the language of education, government, and
Asia around the first century B.C., into the literature in Finland. It was not until the
area they occupy to this day. During the publication of the Kalevala in 1835 that the
twelfth century the country was conquered Finns linguistic and nationalistic feelings
by Sweden, and for the following two cen- began to emerge.
turies the area was the scene of a great num- See also: Baltic; Estonia; Finno-Ugric; Karelia;
ber of wars between Sweden and Russia. As Lapps; Livonia
a duchy of Sweden, Finland was allowed ever
greater autonomy, becoming a Grand Duchy FINNO-UGRIC
in 1581. In 1809, during the Napoleonic General
Wars, Finland was annexed by Russia. It Closely related to both the Baltic and Slavic
remained under Russian imperial rule until languages, with which they became assimi-
1917, when it declared independence during lated, the Finno-Ugric languages do not
the Russian Revolution. Russia at first tried belong to the Indo-European family. Their
to regain its lost territory, but finally recog- language grouping, a subfamily of the Ural-
nized Finlands independence in 1920. Altaic family, contains more than twenty dif-
The inhabitants of Finland speak Finnish, ferent tongues spoken from Norway in the
a Finno-Ugric language closely related to west to Siberia in the east, and to the
Estonian, Livonian, Karelian, and Ingrian. At Carpathian Mountains in the south. The
86 FIREBIRD, THE
Finno-Ugric peoples may be subdivided into shone as bright as day. Owned by Tsar
four main groups according to their geo- Dalmat, the bird used to steal the golden
graphical position. The first group includes apples that grew in the garden of Tsar Vyslav
the Finns, Lapps, Estonians (although Estonia Andronovich. The latter set his three sons
is generally thought of as a Baltic country), Dmitrii Vyslavovich, Vasilii Vyslavovich, and
Livonians, and Karelians. The second group- Ivan Vyslavovich the task of locating and
ing comprises the Cheremiss-Mordvin peo- obtaining the bird for him. Ivan succeeded in
ples of the middle and upper Volga.The third this quest; but his brothers ambushed and
group includes the Votyaks, Permyaks, and killed him, claiming that they had completed
Zyrians, who inhabit the Russian provinces the quest when they presented the bird to
of Perm and Vyatka; and the last group, the their father. Their false claim was exposed
Voguls and Ostyaks of western Siberia. The when Ivan Vyslavovich was restored to life by
Magyar people of Hungary are normally the Water of Life and Death, which was
included in the fourth grouping because sprinkled on him by the shape-changing
they originated in western Siberia, but they wolf that had been helping him in his quest.
are considered a Turkic people. The Firebird remained in the ownership of
The Finno-Ugric peoples were widely Vyslav Andronovich, for Dalmat had given
influenced by their Indo-European neigh- the bird to Ivan after the latter completed a
bors, the Balts, the Slavs, and the Norse, or task that Dalmat had assigned him. Dmitrii
Teutons, and as a result many of their legends and Vasilii were thrown into their fathers
bear direct comparison with those of both deepest dungeon for their treachery.
the Balts and the Slavs. See also: Dalmat; Dmitrii (Vyslavovich); Ivan
See also: Carpathian Mountains; Cheremiss- Vyslavovich;Vasilii Vyslavovich;Vyslav
Mordvin; Estonia; Finland; Hungary; Karelia; Andronovich;Water of Life and Death,The
Lapps; Livonia; Magyars; Mordvins; Ostyaks;
Permyaks; Siberia;Voguls;Volga;Votyaks; FIRST ALMAFI
Zyrians HungaryMagyar
See Almafi.
FIREBIRD, THE
Russia FOMA NAZARIEV
A fabulous bird described as having eyes that Russia
sparkled like crystal and golden feathers that One of two cogovernors of the city of
Novgorod, the other being Luka Zinoviev.
The pair accepted a wager of thirty thousand
rubles offered them by Sadko that the latter
had amassed a fortune sufficient to buy
everything that was for sale in the city. Sadko
ultimately lost the bet because as soon as he
had bought something, the governors
brought in more goods to take the place of
those purchased.
See also: Luka Zinoviev; Novgorod; Sadko
father died, the two eldest made sure that the home again when they encountered a greedy
bulk of the estate went to them.A short time deacon who asked what they were carrying.
later, the local fair arrived, and all three sons The two smart brothers said that they had
set out to sell their goods. The two eldest been gathering mushrooms; but the fool
took the finest cattle, calves, sheep, and lambs, laughed, said that they were lying, and
whereas all the fool had was a bony old ox. opened his sack to reveal the gold within.
En route to the fair the fool passed The deacon leaped down from his horse and
through a wood. An old birch tree was began cramming his pockets full of the fools
groaning in the breezea sound that the gold. The fool took offense at this, took out
fool took to be an offer for his ox. The fool his hatchet, and killed the deacon.
bartered with the tree and finally agreed to a The two eldest brothers were aghast.They
price of twenty rubles. The tree creaked hurriedly took the body home and buried it
again, and the fool agreed to leave the ox and in their cellar, telling the fool not to mention
return the following day for his money. Back what had happened to anyone. Some days
at home, the fool told his brothers that he later the townsfolk came to the door and
had sold his ox for twenty rubles.When they asked whether the brothers had seen the dea-
asked him to show them the money, he told con.The fool immediately told them that the
them he had to return to collect it the next deacon was buried in their cellar. However,
day. His brothers cursed him as a fool and left without his knowledge, his two brothers had
him alone. dug up the deacon and buried a goat in his
The following day the fool returned to place. Thus, when the townsfolk dug in the
the wood and demanded his money.The tree cellar, all they found was the corpse of the
creaked, which the fool took to be a request goat; and from that day forward, no one ever
for one more days credit, terms to which he believed the fool again.
agreed. That night, when the fool told his
brothers what had transpired, they called him FROST
every bad name under the sun. Thus, when Russia
the fool returned the next morning, he took In most Russian folktales and legends, Frost
his ax with him, and when the tree was not appears as a nameless demon. In the tale of
forthcoming with his twenty rubles, he cut it Marfusha, Frost has the name Morozko. In
down.As the tree fell, a horde of gold hidden another story, where he remains nameless,
at its roots by long-ago robbers tumbled out. he appears to a peasant as a thin, hunched
The fool stuffed as much as he could into his man with gray hair and bushy white eye-
pockets before returning home to fetch his brows. Frost is usually a malevolent spirit;
brothers, there being far too much gold for however, as the story of Marfusha illus-
him to carry. trates, he can show compassion when he is
The three brothers filled a number of so disposed.
sacks with the gold and were on their way See also: Ded Moroz; Marfusha; Morozko
The Secret History of the Mongols, a Mongol
epic written during the mid-thirteenth cen-
tury, the tribe for a time ignored its new
chief. It was not long, however,
G
before Temujin began to attract
followers, form alliances, and build
an army. He used harsh training and
strict discipline to create a supe-
rior fighting force that was well
equipped and that employed new
tactics and weapons.
GABIJ(I)A Temujin used his army to extend
Lithuania his power over neighboring tribes, and by
The goddess of fire and the domestic hearth. 1206 he had become the ruler of Mongolia.
Some accounts say that she was brought to That year, an assembly of Mongol chieftains
earth by Perkunas; others, that she was car- proclaimed him Genghis Khan, a title that
ried by a swallow that was badly burned probably means either universal ruler or
while carrying her. invincible prince. After becoming the ruler
See also: Perkunas of Mongolia, Genghis Khan set out to con-
quer China. First he attacked a kingdom in
GENGHIS KHAN northwestern China called Xi Xia, or Hsi
General
(c. 11621227) A Mongol conqueror who
founded the largest land empire in history
and ruled an area that stretched across cen-
tral Asia from the Caspian Sea to the Sea of
Japan. Genghis (also Chinghiz) Khan was a
political and military genius who united
Mongol and other nomadic tribes into an
effective, disciplined fighting force. Genghiss
warriors were known for their use of terror
to intimidate their opponents, and they fre-
quently killed their prisoners.
Genghis Khan was an intelligent man
with superior organizational abilities. He
showed great generosity to his followers; and
although he had little interest in cultural
matters, he promoted literacy among his
people, as well as establishing the first
Mongol code of laws, called the Yasa or
Yasak.
Genghis Khans original name was Te-
mujin, which means ironworker. His father
was the chief of a small Mongol tribe.
Temujin inherited the position of chief Nineteenth-century engraving of Genghis Khan
around age 13, when members of an enemy (Print and Picture Collection, Free Library of
tribe poisoned his father; but according to Philadelphia)
89
90 GEORGE, SAINT
Hsia. He then invaded northeastern China, Saint Georges Day (23 April) marked the
and in 1215 he took Beijing (Peking), the beginning of the agricultural year, a day on
capital of the Jin (Chin) Empire. In 1218, which George appeared in his fertility
Genghis Khan broke off his assault on China aspect. In Belorussia, as in other areas, the
and swept into central Asia, where he day was marked with a ceremony in which
crushed the kingdom of Khorezm, or a young man who was called George for the
Khwa rizm, which occupied an area roughly day, and representing the saint, dressed in
contiguous with modern Uzbekistan and greenery and flowers and led an entourage
Turkmenistan. In 1220, he destroyed the of singing maidens into the fields to stimu-
cities of Bukhara and Samarqand (Samarkand late the fertility of the ground. In Ukraine
in present-day Uzbekistan), and Neyshabur the ceremony combined both Christian and
(Nishapur in modern Iran). Two smaller pagan elements. There a priest led a com-
armies of Genghis invaded the plains north pany into the fields to bless the soil, and then
of the Caspian Sea, and by 1223, they had the company, or in some cases the priest
conquered the Kipchaks and had defeated himself, would roll on the ground to imbue
the Russians at the Kalka River. From 1225 it with their own inherent fertility. Saint
until he died in 1227, Genghis Khan again George supplanted the ancient fertility
laid siege to Xi Xia. His grandson, Kublai deities, being depicted as the guardian of all
Khan, completed the conquest of China. aspects of agriculture, from plants to cattle
See also: Caspian Sea; Khan; Mongols; and beyond. He was described as winging
Turkmenistan; Uzbekistan his way across the land on his white steed,
reviving the soil and all life that lay dormant
GEORGE, SAINT within it, his powers allegedly given him by
Russia the Virgin Mary.
Patron saint of Russia. His preeminence stems Russia was not the only country to adopt
from his emergence in the sixteenth century.A Saint George as patron saint. England,
warrior saint who embodied aspects of Perun Portugal, and Greece all delegated this role to
and Svantovit, George was the dragon-slaying Saint George; but in Russia, the saint seems
hero who awed the earth and its inhabitants. to have been more potent than elsewhere.
He was also a symbol of the consolidation of As with many saints, not much is known
Muscovite sovereignty, and his warlike depic- about Georges lifeindeed, it cannot be
tion in art, seated atop a great white charger confirmed that he actually existed. It has
and carrying a spear, suggested that the tradi- been suggested that he may have been tor-
tional sacrificial image of the Muscovite ruler tured and put to death by Diocletian at
had changed to that of an aggressive and self- Nicomedia on 23 April 303. Some, however,
assertive defender of the land. prefer the idea that he died c. 250 at Lydda
Saint George first appeared as the patron in Palestine, where his alleged tomb is exhib-
of Russian rulers in 1415, under the ited.The famous story of Georges fight with
Muscovite Grand Prince Vasilii II. This pa- the dragon cannot be traced to an earlier
tronage was advanced under the rule of Ivan source than Legenda Aurea by Jacobus de
III (the Great), the successor to Vasilii II, Voragine (123098), which was translated as
and marked the transformation of the Kievan Golden Legend by Caxton in 1483.
ideal of service into overlordship. For the first See also: Dragon; Perun; Saint George and
time the ruler was not seen as the servant of the Deceitful Fox; Svantovit
the people; instead, the people were seen as References: Afanas'ev 186569; Bezsonov
servants of the crown. Saint George was so 1861; Delehaye 1927; Gimbutas 1971;
popular in Moscow that forty-one churches Kazanskii 1855; Leroy-Beaulieu 1905;
there are dedicated to him. Tereshchenko 1848
91
Sixteenth-century Russian icon of Saint George and the dragon (Rubliev Museum, Moscow; Beniaminson/Art
Resource, NY)
92 GEORGIA
that lay ahead. As he thought of the immen- weight roughly equivalent to 36 lbs, or
sity of this task, he called out to the ant for 16.38 kg). Other versions of this legend
help.The ant appeared and gave the prince a name the two saintly smiths as Saints
grain of wheat, which he told Ivan to place Kuz'ma and Dem'yan.
at the foot of the glass mountain. Ivan Boris and Gleb are Russias oldest saints.
thanked the ant and rode on. They are described as sons of Prince
Having introduced himself to the tsar Vladimir Bright Sun and brothers of
and told him his aim, Ivan rode to the foot Sviatopolk. The earliest account of the mar-
of the glass mountain, which by this time tyrdom of the brothers dates from the
covered almost three-quarters of the king- twelfth-century Primary Chronicle. In this,
dom. Ivan tethered his horse to a tree and Boris hears of his fathers death while he is
placed the grain of wheat at the base of the fighting the invading Pecheneg hordes. Boris
mountain.Then he hid among the trees and quickly returns to Kiev, where he learns that
watched. As he looked at the grain of his older brother Sviatopolk plans to kill him
wheat, it began to glow, and a trickle of and take his lands and inheritance. However,
water began to flow from the base of the instead of attempting to avoid his death,
mountain. That trickle quickly became a Boris smooths the way for Sviatopolk and
raging torrent as the mountain continued to submits to his fate. Gleb then learns that
melt, and Ivan had to find higher ground or Sviatopolk plans the same fate for him, and
be swept away. he too submits to the inevitable. The broth-
The dragon, on returning to his lair, saw ers are supposed to have died in 1015, and
water gushing from the base of the moun- shortly afterward they were canonized as
tain and swooped down to see what was protectors of the land of Rus'.
causing it. As the dragon landed, the torrent Although the cult of Boris and Gleb was
of water became even more intense, and a not Christian in origin, the church sanc-
great wall of water dashed the dragon to its tioned it in order to satisfy the needs of the
death and then carried its remains away. Ivan newly converted populace.
then rushed over to what remained of the See also: Boris, Saint; Dem'yan, Saint; Kiev;
mountain and released the princess, and Kuz'ma, Saint; Primary Chronicle; Sviatopolk;
together they hurried back to her father. Vladimir Bright Sun, Prince
Several days later Ivanby then called Ivan References: Bezsonov 1861; Cross and
the Dragon Killerand the princess were Sherbowitz-Wetzor 1953; Golubinskii 1903;
Zenkovsky 1963
married. Ivan inherited the kingdom some
years later when the tsar abdicated in his GODENKO BLUDOVICH
favor. Russia
See also: Dragon; Ivan the Dragon Killer
One of the seven bogatyri who undertook a
legendary quest together.The other six were
GLEB, SAINT Vasilii Buslayevich,Vasilii Kazimirovich, Ivan
Russia Gostinyi Syn, Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya
Russian Orthodox saint. According to leg- Nikitich, and Il'ya Muromets. This legend,
end, he and Saint Boris were smiths who which purports to explain why the bogatyri
forged the first plow. This plow was of disappeared from Holy Russia, may be found
gigantic proportions, and was forged with in the entry about Vasilii Buslayevich.
implements of like size. The two smiths See also: Alyosha Popovich; Bogatyr';
were recorded as having used twelve golden Dobrynya Nikitich; Il'ya Muromets; Ivan
hammers, and tongs that weighed almost Gostinyi Syn;Vasilii Buslayevich;Vasilii
four hundredweight, or twelve poods (a Kazimirovich
pood being an old Russian measure of References: Speranskii 1916; Ukhov 1957
94
Late-fourteenth-century Russian icon of Saints Boris and Gleb on horseback from the Cathedral of
the Dormition, the Kremlin, Moscow (Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow; Scala/Art Resource)
GOLDEN HORDE, THE 95
See also: Genghis Khan; Khan; Kiev; although others were readily hired, he was
Mongols; Moscow passed over due to the softness of his hands.
He had almost given up hope when a
GOLDEN KINGDOM, THE golden carriage entered the square, those
Russia others still looking for work quickly taking
One of three kingdoms in the realm of to their heels, leaving the young man quite
Whirlwind, located on a plateau atop a alone. The carriage drew up beside him and
tremendously high mountain range. The its owner, a wealthy merchant, offered him a
tsaritsa of this kingdom, Elena the Fair, a job, good food, and fine clothes. The young
prisoner of Whirlwind, lived in a golden man readily accepted the offer and climbed
palace that was guarded by dragons. She was into the carriage. Minutes later the carriage
set free by Ivan Belyaninovich, along with stopped beside a golden ship, which they
her sisters, the tsaritsas of the Silver Kingdom boarded. Several days later they landed on an
and the Copper Kingdom, when he killed island on which stood a magnificent golden
Whirlwind and released his mother Nastas'ya mansion and a huge, glittering mountain.
of the Golden Braid. She married Ivan, and As the ship moored, the merchant and the
her first sister, the tsaritsa of the Silver young man disembarked to be greeted by the
Kingdom, married Peter Belyaninovich. Her merchants daughter, a maiden of such
other sister, the tsaritsa of the Copper beauty that the young man immediately lost
Kingdom, married Vasilii Belyaninovich his heart to her. All day long the young man
(Peter and Vasilii being the two brothers of labored, unloading the ship and carrying the
Ivan). provisions to the mansion. Then the mer-
See also: Copper Kingdom,The; Dragon; chant invited him to dine with himself and
Elena the Fair; Ivan Belyaninovich; Nastas'ya his daughter, for the following day the young
of the Golden Braid; Peter (Belyaninovich); man would start the work he had been hired
Silver Kingdom,The;Vasilii Belyaninovich; to do.
Whirlwind The banquet laid out in the mansion was
finer than the young man had ever seen in all
GOLDEN MOUNTAIN, THE his privileged youth.After the meal, the mer-
Ukraine chant poured two goblets of wine and
The tale of the Golden Mountaina pushed one toward the young man.As he did
Ukrainian version of the story of Grishka so, the merchants daughter called to her
and the Mountain of Goldrevolves around father from outside the room, and he left. As
the unnamed, idle son of a rich merchant. he left by one door, the maiden came in
Having grown up amid a life of luxury through another and hurried over to the
where he had only to ask for a thing and it young man. She handed him a tinderbox,
would be given, the merchants son knew telling him that should he ever find himself
nothing about managing money and had no in danger, he only had to strike the tinderbox
skill or profession.When his father suddenly and help would come.
died, the young man quickly squandered the The young man quickly pocketed the tin-
large fortune his father had left him. derbox and drank the goblet of wine. No
Destitute and suddenly friendless, the young sooner had he drained his goblet than he
man sold the golden buttons from his coat, slumped across the table and fell into a deep
his last asset in the world, and with the sleep, for the wine had been drugged. The
money bought food and a spade. Then he merchant got up from the table and went out
went to the town square and waited for into the stables, where he harnessed two
someone to come along and employ him.All strong horses to a cart and then killed an old
day long the young man waited, but nag, cleaned out the carcass, and loaded it
GOLDEN MOUNTAIN, THE 97
onto the cart. Then he went back into the before him and asked him what he desired.
mansion and carried the young man out and He immediately asked to be taken back to
sewed him up, with his spade, inside the body his hometown, and in a flash he found him-
of the old horse.The merchant then drove to self standing in the deserted market square
the foot of the Golden Mountain, where he where his journey with the merchant had
unloaded the carcass and set his horses to started.
graze while he hid behind some bushes. As The young man lived quietly by himself
dawn broke, a flock of ravens with iron beaks until his hands had healed from the labor on
and claws flew down from the mountain and the mountain, and then he went back to the
picked up the carcass and carried it to the market square to await the return of the mer-
summit. There they started to tear away the chant. He waited patiently every day for
flesh of the old horse. As the sun broke over almost two months.Then the merchant reap-
the horizon, they had picked the bones clean peared and the young man stood his ground
and were beginning to peck at the body of as those around him seeking honest employ-
the young man inside. ment fled. So it was that the young man once
The youth awoke as the pain chased away again found himself on the island. The mer-
the last effects of the drugged wine, and he chants daughter was amazed when she rec-
chased away the birds with his spade. ognized the young man to whom she had
Wondering where he was, he called out for given the tinderbox; but she bit her lip and
help. From the foot of the mountain the said nothing to her father.
merchant shouted that the young man That evening, as the merchant poured the
should dig and roll the gold down the two goblets of wine, the young man passed
mountain. If by evening he had dug a cart- some comment that made the merchant turn
load of gold, then the merchant would tell around, and as he did so, the young man
him how he might descend the mountain. If swapped the goblets. Then, when the mer-
he had not, then the merchant would leave chant fell into a deep sleep, the young man
him there to be devoured by the ravens went out into the stables, hitched the horses
when they returned to roost at sunset. to the cart, killed and gutted an old nag, and
All day long the young man dug into the sewed the merchant and a spade inside.Then,
mountain, and by evening the cart below just as the merchant had done, the young
was fully laden. However, as he stopped dig- man drove to the foot of the mountain,
ging and looked down the mountain, he saw unloaded the carcass, unhitched the horses,
that the merchant was hitching his horses to and watched from his hiding place as the
the cart and making ready to leave. The ravens carried the carcass up to the summit
young man shouted down to the merchant, of the mountain.
asking to be told how to get down. The As the sun rose and the ravens began to
merchant simply laughed at him and told tear at the merchant, he awoke and fought
him that he would never get down and that off the ravens with his spade. From the foot
he should enjoy the time he had left, for of the mountain the young man called up to
when the sun set the ravens would return him and told him to dig a cartload of gold
and tear him to pieces. With that the mer- before sunset.The merchant dug furiously all
chant drove away, and the young man sat day, and by evening the cart was fully laden
down to ponder his fate. with gold.As the sun began to set, the young
As he pondered, the sun began to set, and man drove away and left the merchant to his
he saw the ravens in the distance. Just then well-deserved fate. He drove the cart back to
he remembered the tinderbox, took it out, the golden mansion, where he took the mer-
and struck it twice. Instantly two men chants place, married the merchants daugh-
(described in the legend as Cossacks) stood ter, and lived a life of ease, never employing
98 GORYNICH
any unfortunate lads to mine gold from the black smoke. Out of this smoke emerges the
Golden Mountain. twelve-headed she-dragon Goryshche.While
See also: Cossacks; Grishka; Mountain of the dragon asks Dobrynya what she should
Gold; Ukraine do with him, the knight seizes the moment
and dives beneath the waters, coming ashore
GORYNICH on the bank opposite that where his clothes
Russia and weapons lie, his horse having been
A terrible dragon that was the nephew of the frightened away when the dragon appeared.
sorcerer Nemal Chelovek. Just as he thinks the game is up, Dobrynya
See also: Dragon; Nemal Chelovek catches sight of a priests hat lying in the
grass. As a bogatyr', a knight of Holy Russia,
GORYNINKA he knows that this hat will make a formida-
Russia ble weapon; but when he lifts it, it seems
A sorceress related to Goryshche the dragon. extremely heavy. As the dragon flies toward
She appears to Dobrynya Nikitich in the him, Dobrynya brandishes the hat and severs
guise of an old hag and challenges him to a all but one of the dragons heads.The dragon
fight, armed with a sword and lance that drops to the ground and Dobrynya leaps
reaches into the skies. Many authorities astride her, preparing to finish her off.
believe that Goryninka (also known as Baba Goryshche begs for mercy and promises
Latingorka) is an incarnation of that most never to raid the lands of Holy Russia again,
terrible of all Russian witches, Baba-Yaga. and never to carry off any more Russian
See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga); Dobrynya people. Dobrynya likewise promises never to
Nikitich; Dragon; Goryshche return to the Sorochinsk Mountains; and
References: Astakhova 193851; Evgen'eva and having made their pact, the two part ways.
Putilov 1977; Speranskii 1916 Absent his horse, Dobrynya must make his
way home to Kiev on foot.When he arrives
GORYSHCHE he finds that in his long absence a disaster has
Russia befallen the court of Prince Vladimir Bright
(from gora, mountain) A multiheaded she- Sun. The very dragon that Dobrynya spared
dragon related to Baba Latingorka, or had broken her word, and flying over the city,
Goryninka, and Sviatogor. Goryshches lair is she had carried away the Princess Zabava,
in a cavern in the Sorochinsk Mountains, Vladimirs favorite niece.Vladimir Bright Sun
where she holds many Russiansher food calls together his knights and challenges them
supplyin captivity. Dobrynya Nikitich to rescue the unfortunate maiden.
undertakes a quest to find Goryshche and Alesha, the son of the priest Leontii, tells
end her murderous ways. Vladimir that Dobrynya seems to know the
Having slain her young, Dobrynya is dragon quite well, adding that he believes
warned by his mother,Amelfia Timofeyevna, that the dragon regards Dobrynya as her
never to return to the Sorochinsk Mountains brother. When Vladimir Bright Sun hears
and to stay away from the river Puchai. this, he commands Dobrynya to bring back
Dobrynya ignores what he thinks of as the the girl or be beheaded.
ramblings of an old woman, and he is soon Returning home, Dobrynya explains what
back in dragon-hunting country. Tired and has transpired to his mother, complaining that
dusty from his long journey, Dobrynya strips he will have to walk to the Sorochinsk
off his clothes, and leaving them with his Mountains because he has no horse. His
horse on the bank, dives into the river mother tells him of his fathers old chestnut,
Puchai. Suddenly he sees fire and sparks which is standing in the stable, mired in its
leaping into the air, accompanied by thick own dung. Telling her son to clean up the
GREEN MARSH 99
horse and feed it, she also advises him to get all the people of the city. At home, he is also
a good nights sleep. Dobrynya follows his greeted by the sight of his horse
mothers advice to the letter.The next morn- Voroneyushka, Little Raven, which has at
ing, as he mounts the chestnut and makes long last returned to its stable.
ready to leave, his mother hands him a silken See also: Alesha; Amelf(i)a Timofe(y)evna; Baba
whip, telling him to whip the horse with it if Latingorka; Bogatyr'; Dobrynya Nikitich;
the beasts strength begins to fail. Dragon; Goryninka; Kiev; Leontii; Mother
Placing the whip in his pocket, Dobrynya Earth; Puchai; Sorochinsk Mountains;
spurs the horse, which clears the city walls in Sviatogor;Vladimir Bright Sun, Prince;
Voroneyushka; Zabava (Putyatichna), Princess
a single leap and speeds away faster than the
References: Evgen'eva and Putilov 1977;
eye can follow. In no time at all they reach Nechaev and Rybakov 1959; Speranskii
the foothills of the Sorochinsk Mountains. 1916; Ukhov 1957
There the ground is teeming with the young
of the she-dragon. Dobrynya attacks them, GRAMOVITSA
riding over their dead bodies; but gradually, Russia
having been bitten badly, the horse begins to The personification of the Virgin Mary as
falter. Remembering the words of his Mary the Thunderer, an aspect in which
mother, Dobrynya takes the whip from his she appears as a column of firea character-
pocket and gently lashes his mount between istic previously attributed to Perun. In this
the ears and hind legs. Instantly the horses aspect she is responsible for the rainbow
vigor returns, and they finally arrive at the bridge that connects heaven and earth,
cave of the she-dragon. allowing the rain to flow freely over the
Needless to say, Goryshche is not happy to fields.
see Dobrynya and complains bitterly about See also: Perun
the death of her offspring, and even more so References: Afanas'ev 186569; Matorin 1931
about the fact that Dobrynya, a knight of
Holy Russia, has broken his word. Dobrynya GREAT BEAR
retorts that it is she who first broke their General
pact, and demands the return of Zabava. The common name for the constellation
When the dragon refuses, Dobrynya attacks Ursa Major.
her. For three days they battle, until finally See also: Ursa Major
Dobrynya triumphs. However, Dobrynya
now finds himself stranded in the middle of GREAT GODDESS
a vast lake that has formed from the dragons General
blooda lake that the earth will not soak up. The head goddess of any pantheon, whether
Calling on Mother Earth, he commands she be the goddess of the sun, the moon, or
her to open up and swallow the dragons the earth. The Great Goddess was usually
blood. Instantly a huge chasm appears and the but not alwaysthe most respected female
lake drains away. Dobrynya climbs down from deity. In some cultures the Great Goddess
his horse and enters the network of caves in was considered too remote or aloof to be
which the dragon lived. Inside he finds and interested in the affairs of mere mortals, and
releases many hundreds of Russians before he there her cult was weak.
sees Princess Zabava in the very last chamber. See also: Moon; Sun
Leading her outside, he perches her in front
of him on his horse, and they return to Kiev GREEN MARSH
at the same speed as that with which he Russia
departed.When he returns, he is greeted as a The home of Babushka-Lyagushka-Ska-
great hero by Prince Vladimir Bright Sun and kushka (Grandmother Hopping Frog), the
100 GREGORY OF SMOLENSK
oldest living creature. Baba-Yaga asked her to At a banquet that night, the merchants
help Petrushka in his quest to locate the daughter gave Grishka a tinderbox, telling
place I-Know-Not-Where and the object I- him that if he ever had need of assistance, all
Know-Not-What. he had to do was strike the steel against the
See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga); Babushka- flint, and help would be at hand.
Lyagushka-Skakushka; I-Know-Not-What; I- The following morning the merchant led
Know-Not-Where; Petrushka Grishka to the great Mountain of Gold that
rose from the center of the island, but no
GREGORY OF SMOLENSK matter how hard he might try, Grishka found
Russia it too steep to climb. The merchant clapped
A fourteenth-century ecclesiastical chroni- Grishka on the back and told him not to
cler who boasted that he had heard the earth worry, and sat him down with a goblet of
bemoaning the loss of her children to the wine to refresh him so that he might try
Mother of God.These stories were obviously again. The wine was drugged, and Grishka
an attempt by the chronicler to convince soon fell into a deep sleep. As soon as he had
others that even Mother Earth herself had dozed off, the merchant cut the throat of the
accepted the inevitability of full conversion horse that had accompanied them, gutted it,
from paganism. sewed Grishka up inside the carcass, and then
See also: Mother Earth quickly hid.
Two enormous black crows alighted,
GRISHKA picked up the carcass, and carried it up to the
Russia top of the mountain, where they picked its
A young and handsome yet very poor peas- bones clean. Grishka woke up and drove the
ant who sought work by waiting among crows away, and then called out to the mer-
other men seeking employment in the mar- chant, who replied from the foot of the
ket square of an unnamed town. Several men mountain. The merchant promised that if
had been picked by the time a richly attired Grishka toiled hard that day, he would divine
merchant drove into the square in a solid a means by which he could descend the
gold carriage.All the other prospective labor- mountain safely.
ers turned on their heels and fled when they Grishka dug gold all day long, rolling it off
saw the merchant approach, but Grishka the sheer sides of the mountain to the mer-
stood his ground.Thus he was the only man chant below, who loaded it onto a series of
present when the merchant asked him if he carts. As night began to fall, Grishka called
was looking for work, and he was also able to down that he had done enough for one day
command the princely sum of one hundred and was ready to come down.The merchant
rubles a day for his services. simply laughed, shouting back to Grishka
Grishka climbed into the merchants car- that ninety-nine men before him had per-
riage, and soon they had traveled the short ished on the summit of that mountain and
distance to the harbor.There they boarded a that he would become the hundredth. Then
magnificent ship and set sail. Eventually a the merchant rode away, and Grishka sat
small island came into sight, the merchants down to ponder his predicament with the
golden palace shining like a beacon in the crows circling overhead.
bright sunlight. As they sailed into the small It was then that Grishka remembered the
harbor and moored, Grishka and the mer- tinderbox. He struck a spark from it and was
chant were met by the merchants wife and immediately joined by two shining youths,
his beautiful daughter. Grishka immediately who asked what he desired. Grishka asked
fell in love with the maiden, who likewise them to get him off the mountain. In an
fell in love with him. instant Grishka found himself on the shore
GULINAZ 101
of the island, just as a boat was sailing past. way down, and Grishka called up to him,
Grishka called out to the sailors to rescue saying that it would be the merchant and not
him, but they simply laughed and proceeded he who became the hundredth man to die
on their way. Grishka struck another spark, upon that summit. Grishka went to the mer-
and an evil wind blew the ship back to the chants palace and was joyfully reunited with
shore so that the sailors had no choice but to the merchants daughter, who agreed to
pick up Grishka and carry him home. become his wife. As the couple sailed away,
After he had returned home and rested a the crows alit on the summit of the
while, Grishka returned to the market square Mountain of Gold.
and waited for the merchant to arrive. Soon See also: Mountain of Gold
the gold carriage entered the square, and all
the other men waiting took to their heels GUDIRI-MUMI
and fled. Grishka this time bargained a price Votyak
of two hundred rubles a day, and once again Mother of thunder, the goddess of thunder
he was taken to the merchants island. and lightning.
However, when they again stood at the foot
of the mountain and the merchant offered GULINAZ
Grishka a drink to refresh himself, Grishka Armenia
politely declined until the merchant himself The daughter of King Aslan, who was
had accepted a drink from his grateful abducted and imprisoned by a Tapagz.
employee. Grishka poured the merchant a Samson, who had seen her in a dream, set
drugged drink from his own flask, and when out to find and release her from the cave in
the merchant had fallen asleep, he cut the which she was held captive.This he did, after
throat of the horse that had accompanied killing the Tapagz. Samson and Gulinaz
them, took out its entrails, sewed the mer- then set out for home, where they were mar-
chant up inside, and hid. ried in due course. For the full legend, see
The crows duly appeared, carried the car- the entry for Samson.
cass to the top of the mountain, and stripped See also: Aslan; Samson;Tapagz
its bones. Thus the merchant found himself References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967,
at the top of the Mountain of Gold with no vol. 4
instructed the old man to go into the forest,
where he would find a well. At that well he
should shout to Mother Earth and tell her
what Habrmani wanted.
H
The peasant forlornly did as
he was asked, and when he
returned home he was amazed to
find that his dilapidated old hut had
become a palace finer than even
that of the king. The following
morning the peasant once again
HABRMANI set out for the kings palace to
Armenia repeat his request. The king was amazed
A sorcerer prince who assumed the guise of when he saw the magnificent new palace,
a snake and hid in a bundle of firewood that and he knew that forces were afoot about
had been gathered by an old peasant. That which he knew nothing and which he could
night he made himself known to the old not control. However, he was not ready to
man and his equally aged wife and was sub- give up his only daughter so easily; so he told
sequently accepted into the family. One the old man that he must now go back and
evening, the snake spoke to the old man and lay out gardens around the new palace, or he
told him that the very next day he should go would lose his head.
to the local king and ask for the hand of the Again the peasant related the demand to
princess for his son. The old man protested, Habrmani, who told him to go back to the
but Habrmani insisted, and finally the man well and ask Mother Earth, as he had done
agreed to go. before. This the peasant did. The following
All did not go well at the palace the fol- morning the peasant went back to the king,
lowing morning. At first the palace guards the gardens around the new palace being the
tried to throw the old man out on his ear; finest any mortal had ever seen. Again the
but he insisted that he had something king would not give up his daughter with-
important to ask the king, so they uncere- out setting another task, this time telling the
moniously dragged him off and deposited peasant, again under threat of losing his
him in a pile on the floor before the throne. head, to provide a carpet that stretched
The king asked him what he wanted, and between the two palaces.
the old man boldly asked the princesss hand Habrmani sent the peasant back to the
for his son. well, and the following morning the old man
The king laughed to himself, thinking trekked back to the king and told him that
that the old peasant was mad; but he told everything he had been asked to do, he had
him that he would give the hand of his done. However, the king assigned him one
daughter in marriage if by the following last task: to provide seven invisible minstrels
morning the peasant could build a fine with pipes and drums, a demand that the old
palace that rivaled that of the king. If he man easily complied with, thanks to
failed, however, the king would have his Habrmani, Mother Earth, and the well.
head. Thus the old man trudged back to his Finally, seeing that there was nothing that the
ramshackle hut, sure that he was living his old man could not achieve, the king relented
last few hours on the earth. Habrmani and asked the old man to present his son.
knew exactly what to do when the old peas- When the king saw that the youth was a
ant told him of the kings command. He snake, he was horrified; but as he had given
103
104 HABRMANI
his word, he gave the order for wedding his wife. Immediately resolving to find
preparations to begin. Habrmani, the princess strapped on iron
The wedding feast lasted seven days and sandals, took up a steel staff, and set out.
seven nights. When all the guests had de- Habrmani, still wounded from the tour-
parted and Habrmani and his new wife nament, had traveled by magic to a realm
were left alone, Habrmani removed his ruled by a witch and her daughter whom the
snakeskin and revealed himself to be a hand- witch wanted Habrmani to marry. How-
some prince. He told his wife that he would ever, Habrmani was so in love with his
only assume his manly guise when they were princess that when his wound had healed, he
alone, and would live as a snake during the succumbed to a fever that felt as if he were
day. He also warned her not to breathe one burning in the fires of damnation. The
word about his human form; for if she did, witchs daughter fetched pitchers of water
the magic spell would be broken and she from dawn to dusk in an attempt to cool the
would lose him, and everything would be as fever, but Habrmani simply lay there,
it was before. writhing in agony.
Many weeks passed, and although sorely The princess, on the other hand, was
tempted on more than one occasion, the wending her way through the world, until she
princess kept her bond, and she and came to the Clay City.There she met a maid
Habrmani lived a life of happiness. at a well, collecting water in a pitcher. She
However, the king then decided to hold a asked the girl if Habrmani lived in the city.
tournament in which all the nobles of his The girl told the princess that she had not
kingdom would take part. Habrmani stole heard of Habrmani, and sent her on to the
away and shed his snakeskin. He then dressed Crystal City, which lay one years walk away.
in blue armor and rode to the tournament, The princess tried that city and received the
where everyone was amazed by his prowess. same response, this time being sent to the
The princess immediately guessed that this Copper City. From there she was sent to the
mysterious blue knight was none other than Iron City, then the Steel City, then the Silver
her beloved Habrmani. Many ladies of the City, and finally the Golden City.
court made fun of the princess, saying that There she met the witchs daughter get-
her husband would not dare slither onto the ting water at the well.The princess asked the
tournament ground, for he would surely be girl if she knew where Habrmani was, and
trampled to death. At length their taunts she was delighted to hear that he was in that
became intolerable, and the princess retorted city, although for seven years he had lived a
that her husband was the finest knight at the life of torment in the clutches of a vile fever.
tournament that day. The princess asked the girl for a drink from
No sooner had she spoken the words than the pitcher, and surreptitiously slid her wed-
Habrmani was struck by a lance and thrown ding ring into the water as she drank. The
from his horse.When he regained conscious- princess then sat down to wait while the
ness, his wife beside him, he told her that she witchs daughter took the pitcher to where
had lost him. She could only recover him by Habrmani lay. As he drank the water, he
binding iron sandals to her feet, taking up a found the ring and was immediately cured of
steel staff, and traveling the world for seven his fever. Habrmani sent the witchs daugh-
years, during which time she would pass ter to fetch the woman from the well, and
seven castlesone each year. Then thus Habrmani and his princess were
Habrmani, the palace, its gardens, the car- reunited. However, they had yet to escape
pet, and the pipers vanished, and the princess the witch.
was left alone in the ramshackle hut that had That night the old witch asked the
once been the home of the old peasant and princess to massage her feet until she fell
HAHENGAN 105
asleep, and then to sleep at the foot of her keep her safe. The witch came to the forest
bed. Habrmani advised his wife that the and knew that within its depths she would
witch intended to kill her with a powerful find Habrmani as a small snake wound
kick; so the princess placed a large log in her around a fine young sapling that was his
place after the witch had fallen asleep. Just as wife. However, from within the trees,
Habrmani expected, in the morning the log Habrmani pleaded for mercy, and the witch
had been smashed. When the witch realized agreed in return for a kiss from the snake.
that she had been tricked, she tried to get the Habrmani agreed, whereupon the witch
princess lost by sending her out to gather five returned to her city, and Habrmani and his
sacks of feathers in the forest. However, wife resumed their human forms again.They
Habrmani told the princess how she could returned home, where they found the palace
gather them easily, and she quickly returned and its gardens restored, and there they lived
with the required amount. The witch then out their days, Habrmani never again
sent the princess to bring her twelve dresses resorting to the use of his snakeskin.
like no others in the world.This time, when See also: Clay City,The; Copper City,The;
the princess told her husband of the task she Crystal City,The; Golden City,The; Iron
had been assigned, Habrmani decided that City,The; Mother Earth; Silver City,The;
the time had come for them to escape. Steel City,The
Having traveled a fair distance from the References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967,
vol. 4
city, Habrmani told his wife to look around
and see if they were being followed. She saw
a cloud of dust in their wake, a cloud that HAHE
Habrmani guessed would be the witchs SiberiaSamoyed
daughter. He instantly turned his wife into a Wooden idols that personified various
windmill and himself into a deaf miller.Thus, household spirits. The idols would be care-
when the witchs daughter reached them, he fully wrapped and carried on the households
could only respond with nonsense, and the hahengan, a sled especially reserved for this
witchs daughter returned to her city empty- purpose. The hahe had various functions:
handed. The witch guessed what had hap- One guaranteed wedded bliss; another was
pened and sent her daughter out again. the patron of fishing; another the guardian of
Habrmani and his wife had traveled a health and the patron of medicine; and
good distance farther when the princess saw another saw to the health and welfare of the
the cloud of dust again catching up to them. reindeer herds.
This time Habrmani turned his wife into a When the services of the hahe were
garden and himself into a deaf gardener. As required, the idol would be taken from the
before, the witchs daughter was thwarted hahengan and erected where the influence
and returned to her mother.This time it was was required, such as in a wood, on the banks
the witch herself who set off in pursuit of of a river, or in the house. Then the mouth
Habrmani and the princess. of the idol would be smeared with oil or
Having returned to their normal, human blood, and a dish of meat or fish would be set
forms, Habrmani and the princess had trav- before it. In return for this food the hahe was
eled a good distance when they saw a huge expected to respond favorably to requests.
cloud of dust following them. Habrmani
told his wife to throw her comb on the HAHENGAN
ground. Instantly a huge forest sprang up SiberiaSamoyed
around them. Habrmani turned his wife The sled that was reserved to transport the
into a small sapling and himself into a small hahe of a household or individual.
snake, winding himself around his wife to See also: Hahe
106 HANSEATIC LEAGUE
The king eyed the two suspiciously, and that took nine years in the construction.
thinking them enemy spies, he had them However, as the bishop was consecrating the
bound and dragged off to his dungeons. church, the hermit reappeared with the
There they were left for several days before same message.This time the king took hold
being brought before the king and his beau- of the hermit and asked him just what was
tiful daughter. Haron was immediately smit- missing.The hermit replied that the missing
ten by the princesss beauty, and she likewise item was the nightingale Hazaran, and then
by his countenance. The king questioned he disappeared.
both Haron and Baron, and not believing The king had three sons, and they eagerly
their story, called on his guards to take them volunteered to discover the whereabouts of
out and hang them. However, the kings the nightingale and bring it back to their
daughter interceded, and the king allowed father. Having ridden for a month, the three
her to hear their stories and be their judge. sons encountered a hermit at the junction of
She listened to what both Haron and three roads.The hermit told the three that he
Baron had to say, and then went to her father who followed the first road would return, he
and told him that she believed they posed no who followed the second road may or may
threat. She also asked her father to call upon not return, and he who followed the third
Loqmn the Wise to restore Barons sight. road had little chance of returning.The three
This he did; and when Baron could see brothers cast lots. Then the eldest took the
again, he pleaded with the king to take him first road, the middle son the second road,
out and hang him because he could not and the youngest the last.
stand to look Haron in the face after the way After his two brothers had set off, the
he had treated him. Haron and the princess youngest brother asked the hermit why he
lifted Baron to his feet, Haron and Baron had little chance of returning. The hermit
being reconciled. The king then consented told him that the road was beset with haz-
to the marriage of Haron and his daughter, a ards, and then told the youth how he might
wedding at which Baron served as best man. overcome each one. Well prepared, the
See also: Baro(n) youngest brother set out.
References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967, Before long he came to the first obstacle,
vol. 10 a river with poisonous waters and no bridge.
The youth dismounted, took a drink, and
HAZARAN declared, the Waters of Life! At that, a
Armenia bridge appeared, and he crossed the river
From the Persian Hazrn, bird of a thou- safely. A short time later he came across a
sand songs, Hazaran is a fabulous nightingale huge thistle. This he picked, smelled, and
who appears in a post-Christian legend. declared the Flower of Paradise. Riding on,
An unnamed king had taken seven years the young man came across a wolf and a
to build a wonderful church. As it was being lamb tied to wooden posts, a heap of grass
consecrated, a strong wind rose and a hermit before the wolf, and a joint of meat in front
appeared before the king, congratulating him of the lamb. The youngest brother gave the
on building such a fine church but adding grass to the lamb and the meat to the wolf,
that it was a pity just one thing was missing. and continued down the road.The last obsta-
The hermit then disappeared, and the king cle was a two-sided gate, one side open and
ordered that the church be destroyed and the other side closed. Following the instruc-
rebuilt. tions of the hermit, the young man closed
Seven years later exactly the same thing the open side and opened the shut side, and
happened. This time the king ordered that riding through, found the palace of the mis-
an even grander church be built, a church tress of Hazaran.
108 HAZARAN
Meanwhile, the eldest brother had ridden they all turned back into people, who fled in
his road and come to a fine palace, where he all directions.The very last stone he whipped
had decided he would remain to live a life of turned into his brother, and the two rode
luxury, in the service of its lord.The middle back together to the crossroads, where they
brother had likewise had an easy journey; were reunited with their eldest brother.They
but the palace he came to hid a danger to took Hazaran from the hermit, and set out
which he succumbeda huge Arab who toward home.
whipped the youth and turned him into En route the three ran out of water.
stone. Luckily, a short distance farther down the
The youngest brother, having entered the road they came to a well.They lowered the
palace, encountered the mistress of the youngest brother down to fetch water.
nightingale lying on a bed. As he watched, While the young man was at the bottom of
Hazaran flew down from its perch and the well, the two other brothers discussed
alighted on the maidens chest, where it how they would look in their fathers eyes
started to sing, and in an instant the maiden if they allowed their young brother to take
fell asleep.As she did so the young man dart- all the glory. As a result they left the unfor-
ed forward, snatched up Hazaran, kissed the tunate youth in the well and returned to
maiden on the cheek, and made his way back their father with the nightingale, telling the
along the road. Seven days later the maiden king that their brother had perished along
awoke from her sleep, and seeing that her the way.
bird had vanished, she commanded her traps The king placed Hazaran in his church,
along the road to stop the thief. They could but the bird would not sing and looked close
not, for the spell that held them had been to death. Several days later the maiden came
broken when the youth followed the advice to the king and demanded to know who had
of the hermit. stolen her bird. The two brothers said that
The young man made his way safely back they had, and when asked what they had
to the crossroads, where he once again encountered on the way, they replied that
encountered the hermit and asked for news they had encountered nothing. Immediately
of his brothers. When the hermit told him the maiden knew that they were lying, and
that they had not returned, the young man so she seized the brothers and their father,
gave Hazaran to the hermit for safekeeping threw them into a dungeon, and ruled in
and then set off down the first road. In the their stead.
town surrounding the first palace, he found In the meantime, the young prince had
his brother working as a servant in an inn. been rescued from the well and made his
He told him of his success, and together they way back home on foot.When he arrived in
rode back to the crossroads. Leaving his the city he was told all that had happened,
eldest brother there with the hermit and the and he ran to the dungeon to release his
nightingale, the youngest brother set off to father and his brothers. There he was con-
find his other sibling. fronted by the maiden, who asked him
At the second palace he too encountered exactly the same questions she had asked his
the huge Arab; but when the whip was brothers. He told the maiden all he had
aimed in his direction, the young man sim- encountered, and she immediately knew that
ply stepped aside, took hold of the whip, and he was telling the truth. A few days later the
pulled it from the Arabs grasp. Then he maiden and the young prince were married
turned the whip on the Arab, and turned in the kings magnificent church, where
him into stone. Guessing that the stones that Hazaran sits and pours out an endless stream
lay all around had once been people, the of song.
young prince began whipping them, and References: Khatchatrian 1933
HUNDRED SILVER PIECES, THE 109
Undated illustration of a welcoming houri (from the collections of Carol Rose; photo by David Rose)
Hungary from the early sixteenth to the late by these internal problems, Hungary was
seventeenth centuries, after which the coun- defeated by the Ottoman Empire in the
try became part of a huge empire ruled by Battle of Mohacs in 1526. The Ottomans
the Austrian branch of the Habsburgs, a seized central Hungary soon afterward and
powerful European dynasty. The empire of made the eastern third of the country, a
the Habsburgs collapsed after World War I, in region called Transylvania, a dependent prin-
1918, and Hungary lost about two-thirds of cipality. The Austrian Habsburgs, who had
its land but regained its independence. long wanted to make Hungary part of their
The history of the Hungarian state begins empire, took the countrys western and
in the late ninth century when tribes of northern sections, and in the late seventeenth
Magyars, led by a chief named Arpd, swept century drove the Ottomans out of most of
from the east into the middle Danube Basin. Hungary. The Habsburgs gained complete
During the early tenth century, Magyar control of the country in the early eigh-
armies raided towns throughout much of teenth century.
Europe; but in 955, the German King Otto I In the early nineteenth century, Count
defeated the invading Magyars, putting an Istvn Szchenyi led a movement to revive
end to their frequent raids. Hungarian culture and national pride and to
Around 970, Arpds great-grandson Geza promote economic and social reforms. In the
became leader of the Magyars and began to 1840s, Lajos Kossuth became the most
organize the various Magyar tribes into a important leader of the reform movement
united nation. After Geza died, his son and eventually turned it into a drive for
Stephen, a Roman Catholic, carried on his Hungarian independence. In 1848 a govern-
work. Stephen asked Pope Sylvester II (pope ment responsible to parliament was formed
9991003) to give him the title King of with Austrian consent. Other changes were
Hungary, a proposition to which the pope also made, but disagreements between the
agreed. Stephen I, Hungarys first king, was two countries finally led Hungary to fight
crowned in 1000. As king, Stephen made for its independence. Kossuth became head
Roman Catholicism the countrys official of a revolutionary Hungarian government,
religion, and for this work, the Catholic which declared the countrys complete inde-
Church declared him a saint in 1083, 45 pendence from Austria in April 1849; but the
years after his death. Austrians, aided by the Russians, defeated the
In 1241, armies of the Mongol Empire Hungarian army in August of that year, and
invaded Hungary, and within a few months, Hungary again came under Habsburg rule.
they had overrun much of its territory. The In 1867, a group of Hungarians led by
death of the Mongols ruler forced the Ferenc Dek was able to force the emperor
invaders to withdraw the following year, of Austria, Francis Joseph I, to give Hungary
leaving much of the country in ruins. equal status with Austria. Under this arrange-
However, under the leadership of the Arpd ment, called the Dual Monarchy, both coun-
kings, Hungary gradually recovered. tries had the same monarch and conducted
After the death of the last Arpd king in foreign, military, and certain financial affairs
1301, Hungary remained an independent jointly, but each country retained its own
kingdom for another 225 years. John constitutional government to handle all
Hunyadi, a Hungarian nobleman of Ro- other matters.
manian descent, led Hungarians in defeating In 1914, a Serbian student from Bosnia-
the Ottoman Empire in 1456. Hunyadis son Herzegovina killed the heir to the Austro-
Matthias Corvinus became king of Hungary Hungarian throne. Austria-Hungary sus-
in 1458. A period of conflict and disorder pected its southern neighbor Serbia of
followed Matthiass death in 1490.Weakened instigating the killing, and as a result,Austria-
112 HUZUL
Hungary declared war on Serbiaa move gary again became a monarchy, although it
that marks the start of World War I had no king.
(19141918). In the war, Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary and the Allies signed the Treaty
and the Ottoman Empire supported Austria- of Trianon in 1920. The treaty was part of
Hungary, forming the Central Powers. The the World War I peace settlements and
Central Powers fought Serbia, France, Russia, stripped Hungary of more than two-thirds
Britain, and other Allied forcesincluding of its territory. Parts of Hungary went to
the United States, which entered the war on Czechoslovakia, Romania, Austria, and the
the side of the Allies in April 1917. Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes
A defeated Austria-Hungary signed an (later called Yugoslavia). Hungarys present
armistice on 3 November 1918. On 16 boundaries are about the same as those set
November, the Hungarian people revolted by the treaty.
and declared Hungary a republic. Count See also: Bulgaria; Czechoslovakia; Danube;
Mihly Krolyi was made president. Magyars; Mongols; Romania; Serbia;
Hungarian Communists and Socialists joined Transylvania
together to form a coalition government in
March 1919, whereupon Krolyi resigned and HUZUL
Bla Kun, leader of the Communists, took Slav
control of the new government as dictator. Ancient people inhabiting the Carpathian
Kuns rule lasted only a few months, col- Mountains about whom very little is known.
lapsing largely because Kun could not From the scant records that do exist, they
defend Hungary against attacks from Ro- appear to have held great influence by means
mania, which sought Hungarian territory. In of taboos and magic. For example, the Huzul
addition, most Hungarians did not support believed that if mice obtained the cut hair of
Kuns policies, which included taking over an individual, that person would suffer bad
the countrys factories and farms. Late in headaches, and in severe cases might even go
1919, Admiral Mikls Horthy came to insane.
power. With Horthy acting as regent, Hun- See also: Carpathian Mountains
IARILO
Russia
Ardent Sun, the sun god who has a fem-
inine personification in Iarila. Iarilo
I
was just one aspect of a quadruple fer-
tility deitythe other aspects being
Kupalo, linked with water; Kostromo-
Kostrobunko, linked with grain; and
Lado, a name used in invocations of the
fertility deity as a single entity. Each of
these aspects also had a feminine per-
I-KNOW-NOT-WHAT sonificationKupalo becoming Ku-
Russia pala, Kostromo-Kostrobunko becoming
An unidentified object that Petrushka had to Kostroma, and Lado becoming Lada. Iarilo
obtain, being told that he could find it in I- and Iarila, like their other aspects, were
Know-Not-Where. Petrushka had the help of considered Divine Twins. Their effigies
the witch Baba-Yaga and the magical frog were often burned together in a ritual sug-
Babushka-Lyagushka-Skakushka in complet- gestive of the marriage of brother and sis-
ing his seemingly impossible task. I-Know- tera ritual thought to stimulate the fertil-
Not-What turned out to be an invisible being ity and potency of the aspect they
by the name of Nobody.When asked where he represented (in the case of Iarilo and Iarila,
came from, Nobody would reply,I know not the sun).
where; and when asked what type of being he See also: Iarila; Kostroma; Kostromo
was, he would reply,I know not what. (-Kostrobunko); Kupala; Kupalo; Lada; Lado;
See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga); Babushka- Sun
Lyagushka-Skakushka; I-Know-Not-Where; References: Snegirev 183739;Vernadsky 1959
Nobody; Petrushka
IAROSLAVNA
I-KNOW-NOT-WHERE Russia
Russia The wife of Igor, a powerful sorceress who
An unidentified place in which Petrushka used her supernatural powers to protect her
had to obtain an object simply known as I- husband.
Know-Not-What. Petrushka had the help of See also: Igor
the witch Baba-Yaga and the magical frog References: Mann 1979; Zenkovsky 1963
Babushka-Lyagushka-Skakushka in com-
pleting his seemingly impossible task.
See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga); Babushka- IAROVIT
Lyagushka-Skakushka; I-Know-Not-What; Baltic Coast
Petrushka Wrath, an alternative name for Svantovit.
See also: Svantovit (~dovit)
IARILA
Russia IENZABABA
The feminine personification of the sun god Poland
Iarilo. Polish name for the witch Baba-Yaga.
See also: Iarilo See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga)
113
114 IGOR
A miniature painting of Prince Igor defending his land against invaders (Sovfoto/PNI)
IL'YA MUROMETS 115
See also: Derevliane; Kiev; Lay of Igors pre-Christian times as the giant Sviatogor.
Campaign; Oleg; Olga However, there appears to be some confu-
References: Cross and Sherbowitz-Wetzor sion here, as one story places both Il'ya
1953 Muromets and Sviatogor together, which
obviously they could not have been if they
IL'MEN', LAKE were one and the same. Il'yas surname is
Russia actually an epithet that simply means he
Lake to the south of Novgorod. Personified came from the city of Murom, not far from
as a venerable, bearded old man, the lake was Moscow. Il'ya was born in the village of
respectfully referred to as Granddad Lake Karacharovo, the son of a peasant named
Il'men'. Both benevolent and malevolent, the Ivan, and thus was given the patronymic of
lake was more likely to respond to the wishes Ivanovich, his more common name of
of water spirits and fish than to those of man. Muromets being used to identify him after
On one occasion he sent a huge surge of he had left his hometown. Born a cripple,
water up a river known as Black Stream sim- too weak to even move, he was miraculously
ply because a mill had been built on that cured at the age of 33 by a group of men,
river, and that mill had blocked the fishes kaleki or pilgrims (some stories identify them
access to the lake. On this occasion a human as Jesus Christ and two of the apostles), who
messenger carried a message from Black gave him a drink made of honey.
Stream, and Lake Il'men' appeared as a well- The pilgrims gave Il'ya advice on how he
built peasant dressed in blue kaftan, trousers, should spend his life, mentioning that he
and hat. should avoid confrontation with Sviatogor
See also: Black Stream; Novgorod and Mikula Selyaninovich and Volga Yaro-
References: Gil'ferding 1951; Ukhov 1957 slavich. They told Il'ya that although he
might defeat Volga in battle,Volgas cunning
IL'YA would surely defeat Il'ya in the end.The pil-
Russia grims then vanished from sight, and Il'ya
The Russian name for the Old Testament went to find his parents so that they might
prophet Elijah, who following the adoption join him in celebrating his cure.
of Christianity by Russia, replaced the god of Shortly after his cure, Il'ya vowed to travel
thunder Perun. Elijah, or Il'ya, shared many to Kiev, to offer his services to Prince
of Peruns powers and attributes, such as Vladimir Bright Sun and his wife Evprak-
being able to call down rain and fire from siya.Attending mass in Murom before setting
heaven. out, he vowed that he would neither fight
See also: Perun nor spill blood before he reached Kiev that
evening, where he would once again attend
IL'YA IVANOVICH mass.
Russia This vow meant that Il'ya intended to
Also known as Il'ya Muromets. The patro- travel more than 500 miles in a single day
nymic, Ivanovich, means son of Ivan, and a feat that would have been impossible had it
Muromets means man from Murom. not been for his wondrous horse Sivushko,
See also: Il'ya Muromets which galloped like the wind and cleared
mountains in a single leap. Some sources
IL'YA MUROMETS state that a single leap of this wondrous ani-
Russia mal covered fifty versts, a verst being the
A Russian knight, or bogatyr', who was a equivalent of approximately two-thirds of a
hero of the Russian epic tales, or byliny, mile (so fifty versts would be around 33
although he appears to have originated in miles). Arming himself with his saber, his
116 IL'YA MUROMETS
bow and arrows, his massive mace, and a house stood on seven pillars and covered an
long, very sharp lance, Il'ya set out on the area seven versts by seven versts (about five
most direct route to Kiev, which would take miles long by five miles wide). When they
him past the city of Chernigov (although saw Nightingale tied to the stirrup of Il'ya
some sources identify the city in this partic- Murometss horse, they rushed out of the
ular episode as Smolensk). house to attack. However, Nightingale made
As he approached the city he saw that it them put down their weapons and had them
was under siege. Praying to God to release invite Il'ya into the house to be their guest.
him from his vow, he charged the heathen Il'ya guessed that as soon as he was inside the
hordes and killed the entire army. The peo- house he would be beaten; so wasting no
ple of Chernigov welcomed him as a hero time, he killed all of Nightingales daughters
and offered to make him their tsar. Il'ya and their husbands.
refused, and instead asked them to point out Il'ya came at last to Kiev and presented
to him the most direct road to Kiev. This himself to Vladimir Bright Sun. He had
they did, warning him that on that route he arrived slightly too late to attend mass as was
would have to cross the Black Mire, a swamp his intention. When he told Vladimir of all
that pulled people down into its depths; ford that had befallen him that day, the prince did
the raging river Smorodina; and then in the not believe him; so Il'ya led the prince out
Briansk Woods he would be ambushed by into the courtyard where Nightingale was
Solovei Rakhmatich, son of Rakhmat, a ter- still tied to his horse. Vladimir commanded
rible brigand, half man and half bird, who Nightingale to whistle, but he refused, saying
was commonly known as Nightingale. that as Il'ya had defeated him fairly, only Il'ya
Unafraid, Il'ya set out along the overgrown could command him now. Il'ya ordered him
road. (It was overgrown because for the pre- to whistle, but only at half-strength.
vious thirty years Nightingale had let no one Nightingale put his fingers to his lips, and
pass, killing all who attempted the journey.) ignoring what Il'ya had said, whistled at full
Sivushko cleared the Black Mire in a sin- strength. All around, the guards and courtiers
gle bound and then leaped across the raging fell dead.Vladimir himself was blown around
torrent of the river Smorodina. Eventually the courtyard.
Il'ya came to a stream called Smorodinka, Having been accepted by Vladimir
beside which, in a nest in a tree, lived Bright Sun as a great knight worthy of
Nightingale (some sources say Nightingales becoming a member of his court, Il'ya took
nest was so large that it covered the tops of Nightingale out onto the steppe and
seven trees). As Nightingale saw the knight beheaded him. The human half of his body
approach, he whistled with all his might. All he fed to the wolves, and the bird half to the
around him the trees and grass were flat- carrion crows. Then Il'ya returned to Kiev,
tened; and so strong was the blast that even and there he lived as a respected member of
Il'yas horse stumbled. Chiding it to regain its the court of Prince Vladimir Bright Sun,
feet, Il'ya fired an arrow at Nightingale, strik- setting out frequently across the steppes to
ing him on the temple and knocking him pursue many adventures.
from his perch. On one occasion Il'ya Muromets traveled
Il'ya leaped down from his horse and to the Holy Mountains (some sources say
quickly bound Nightingale before he that these events took place while Il'ya was
regained his senses. Then he tied him to the en route from Murom to Kiev after his
stirrup of his horse and continued on his miraculous cure). There Il'ya came across a
way. A short distance down the road they huge white pavilion beneath an oak tree,
were to pass the house in which lived inside which stood a huge bed. Some sources
Nightingales daughters and sons-in-law.This say the bed was ten fathoms long and six
IL'YA MUROMETS 117
fathoms wide (80 feet by 48 feet). Curious he asked Il'ya to remove the lid, Il'ya found it
about who owned such a bed, Il'ya tied far too heavy. Three times he hit it with his
Sivushko to the oak tree and lay down on mace; but each time he struck, a steel band
the bed, where he slept for three days and closed around the coffin, securing the lid.
three nights. Then the earth began to trem- Sviatogor blew some of his strength into
ble. Sivushko stamped his feet and called out Il'ya so that the knight could use the giants
that the mighty Sviatogor was returning to sword; but this just made matters worse, for
his tent. Il'ya leaped up from the bed and two steel bands closed around the coffin
untied his horse so that it might hide, and every time Il'ya struck it with the sword.
then he climbed the oak tree. Resigning himself to his fate, Sviatogor had
From his position in the oak tree Il'ya Il'ya tie his horse to the tree, so that it would
watched as Sviatogor approached his pavilion die there beside its master. Il'ya did as asked
carrying a crystal casket on his shoulder. At and then sadly rode away from the coffin,
the pavilion Sviatogor placed the casket on knowing that Sviatogor, the last of the giants,
the ground. He unlocked it with a golden would shortly be no more.
key from around his neck, opened it, and Il'ya returned to Kiev and served his
drew out a beautiful womanhis wife. The prince faithfully for many years. One day,
couple then ate a fine meal, after which when he realized that his end was near, he
Sviatogor grew sleepy and went to bed. His departed the city one last time to ride across
wife, however, did not immediately join him, his beloved countryside. As he rode he came
having decided that she would first go walk- to a three-way crossroad. Each road was
ing. As she walked, she caught sight of Il'ya marked by a sign saying that one road led to
Muromets hiding in the tree. She bade him certain death, the second led to certain mar-
climb down, and threatening to wake riage, and the last led to certain wealth.As he
Sviatogor, made the bogatyr' lie with her. was old, Il'ya knew that he had no reason to
Then she placed the knight in her husbands marry and no need for wealth, so he took the
pocket and went to sleep next to the giant. first road, as it seemed the most appropriate.
The following morning Sviatogor placed Il'ya spurred on Sivushko. After riding
his wife back in her crystal casket, and mount- three hours and covering a distance of three
ing his mighty horse, set off to ride through hundred versts (two hundred miles), he came
the Holy Mountains. Before long his horse to a huge palace, the home of more than
stumbled for the very first time in its life; and forty thousand robbers.The robbers attacked
when Sviatogor chided it, the horse com- him, but Il'ya simply rode among them and
plained that once he had only to carry a killed them all. He then returned to the sign-
bogatyr' and his wife but now he was forced to post and changed the wording so that anyone
carry a wife and two bogatyri. Immediately who passed that way would know the road
Sviatogor guessed that his wife had been was now safe.
unfaithful to him, and taking her out of the Il'ya turned Sivushko down the second
casket, he cut off her head. Then he reached road, rode another three hours and three
into his pocket and pulled out Il'ya Muromets, hundred versts, and pulled up in front of a
and the two rode on together, Sivushko having second palace.A beautiful maiden lived in the
followed the party at a discreet distance. palace. She invited Il'ya to dine with her and
Before long the two came across a huge spend the night, and if he did, then he would
stone casket. Dismounting, Il'ya lay down in remain with her always, as her husband. Il'ya
the coffin, but he found it far too large and ate and then followed the maiden to her bed-
bade Sviatogor try it out. Even though Il'ya chamber; but instead of lying down when
Muromets pleaded with him not to close the invited to, he took hold of the maiden and
lid, Sviatogor did just that. However, when threw her onto the bed, guessing that this was
118 IMPS OF MISFORTUNE
some form of trap. Just as he suspected, the Russian legends. In one such legend, that of
bed opened up and the maiden fell through Volkh Vseslav'evich, India is ruled over by
to the dungeons beneath. Il'ya took the King Saltyk, whom Volkh kills, to rule in his
maidens keys, went down into the dungeons, stead.
and released the many prisoners she had See also: Saltyk;Volkh Vseslav'evich
taken in this manner. Then he rode away,
leaving the deceitful maiden locked in her IOANN THE LONG-SUFFERING,
own dungeons. Returning once more to the SAINT
signpost, he altered its wording so that every- Russia
one would know that the road was now safe. According to a medieval tale, this Russian
Finally Il'ya traveled the third road, again saint buried himself up to the chest for thirty
riding three hours and covering three hun- years in order to discipline his body. The
dred versts. At journeys end he came to a Devil lit underground fires in an attempt to
huge boulder in the middle of a field. This move Ioann, but to no avail. Finally the Devil
rock weighed 270 poods (around 9,720 assumed the guise of an awesome dragon
pounds), but Il'ya easily lifted it to reveal a that threatened to burn the saint to death.
huge hoard of gold, silver, and precious One Easter night the dragon took the saints
stones. Il'ya distributed these riches among head in its jaws and scorched his hair and his
the poor and had enough left to build a small beard; but even this would not deflect the
church. He then returned to the crossroads, saint from his purpose. After this the Devil
where he once again altered the wording on gave up.
the sign to let all who passed know what he See also: Devil,The; Dragon
had done.Then Il'ya returned to Kiev.
His last act was to build Kiev a cathedral. IRON CITY, THE
As soon as it was completed he died and his Armenia
body turned to stone. Some versions of the One of the succession of cities that the
account say that Il'ya became the last stone princess wife of Habrmani traveled through
needed to complete the building. on her quest to find her husband and restore
See also: Black Mire; Bogatyr'; Briansk him to her side.
Woods; Bylina; Chernigov; Evpraksiya (~ia), See also: Habrmani
Princess; Il'ya Ivanovich; Karacharovo; Kiev; References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967,
Mikula Selyaninovich; Moscow; Murom; vol. 4
Nightingale; Rakhmat; Sivushko; Smorodina;
Smorodinka; Solovei (~y) Rakhmatich;
ISTANBUL
Sviatogor;Vladimir Bright Sun, Prince;Volga
General
Yaroslavich
References: Astakhova 193851; Chadwick
The modern name for Byzantium, also
1964; Gil'ferding 1951; Gimbutas 1971; known as Constantinople.
Khudiakov 1863; Nechaev and Rybakov See also: Byzantium; Constantinople
1959; Rambaud 1879; Speranskii 1916
ISTVAN
IMPS OF MISFORTUNE HungaryMagyar
Ukraine The elder of the two sons of a poor wid-
See Misfortune,The Imps of. ower, the other son being Janos. Istvan was
morose, lazy, selfish, and bad-tempered,
INDIA whereas his brother was the complete oppo-
Russia sitecheerful, generous, kind, and good-
Having no connection with the real country, natured.The family lived in a small kingdom
India is a fantasy land mentioned in many beset by problems, for two seven-headed
ISTVAN 119
dragons had taken up residence in the kings his clothes and dived in; but no matter how
palace. One dragon was of copper and the hard he searched, he could not find even a
other of iron, and both had refused to leave single key. Thus it was that Istvan had to
until the kings daughter consented to marry spend another night in the open, this time
one or the other.They had compounded the frozen to the bone in his wet clothes.
problem by turning the unfortunate princess As day broke Istvan went back to the
into a dragon as well. The king proclaimed palace and hammered on the small side door.
that whoever could release the princess from The old crone appeared and told him to go
the clutches of the dragons would receive away. However, he insisted that he be given
her hand in marriage and half the kingdom the third test, so the crone took him to the
as her dowry. kings chamber, where he saw the three drag-
News of this proclamation reached ons.The old crone told him to say which was
Istvans father, who told the boy to go and the princess. Istvan had no idea and chose at
see if he could make something of his life by random. He chose one of the real dragons,
liberating the princess. Istvan grumbled con- which instantly bellowed with all its might.
tinuously as he made his way to the royal A giant entered the hall, picked up Istvan,
palace. En route he sat down to eat and spied took him outside, and threw him onto the
a colony of ants. Gathering up his food, as he ground, which opened up and swallowed
did not want it contaminated, Istvan kicked him.
the anthill and continued on his way until he Meanwhile, Istvans father was waiting for
came to a lake. There he sat down to eat news of his son.When none arrived, he sent
again, only to be annoyed on this occasion by Janos to see if he would fare any better. Janos
twelve ducklings playing in the reeds. Istvan traveled the same road as had his elder
picked up a handful of pebbles and threw brother, and on the way he too sat down to
them at the ducklings, which scattered. eat. As had happened with his brother, a
Istvan traveled on. After spending an colony of ants gathered around the crumbs
uncomfortable night in the open, which did that fell from his food. However, instead of
nothing to improve his already foul temper, kicking the anthill, Janos took out a cake and
he arrived at the palace and knocked on a broke it into fine crumbs, which he fed to
side door. Before long an old crone came to the ants. He then continued on his way.
the door and asked Istvan what he wanted. Before long, he came to the lake on which
When he said that he had come to free the the twelve ducklings were swimming. Seeing
princess, the old crone told him he had three them, Janos reached into his bag, took out a
tests to pass.With that, she threw a handful of loaf of bread, broke it into pieces, and threw
millet on the ground, and told Istvan that his the pieces to the birds.Then he made his way
first test was to pick up every grain; but as he to the palace.
bent down to do so, an army of ants appeared As his brother had done before, Janos
and devoured the millet. The old crone knocked on the door. He was greeted by the
slammed the door, and it remained closed old crone with the same challenge. She
the rest of the day, no matter how hard Istvan threw a bag of millet on the ground, and as
hammered on it. Janos bent down to pick it up, a column of
The following morning, having spent yet ants appeared and did the job for him. Next
another uncomfortable night in the forest, the old crone threw the twelve golden keys
Istvan returned to the door and knocked into the lake and closed the door. Before
hard. The old crone opened the door, took Janos even had time to take off his shirt, the
out twelve golden keys, and threw them into twelve ducklings appeared with the keys in
a lake, telling Istvan that he had to collect all their beaks.The next time Janos knocked on
twelve as his second test. Istvan stripped off the door he was greeted not by the old crone
120 ITUGEN
but by a beautiful maiden dressed in the and the remainder later, when he abdicated
crones rags. She told him that she had been in Janoss favor. As for Istvan, his ordeal
held under a spell, which he had broken taught him a much-needed lesson; and from
through his kindness to the ants and the that day forth he was the most pleasant per-
ducklings. son anyone could hope to meet.
The maiden led Janos into the palace and See also: Dragon; Janos
told him how to distinguish the princess References: Biro 1980
from the two real dragons. She then gave the
young man a sword with which to kill the ITUGEN
dragons, telling him that after he had dis- Mongolia
posed of them he must return to the palace Mother Earth, the wife of Tengri and the
and put on a pin-encrusted suit of clothes mother by him of numerous children, all
and stamp his foot three times, whereupon a called Tengri. Her children live on earth as
giant would appear. This was the giant who the spirits of everything in the worldfrom
held his brother Istvan in Thrall. Janos, the visible objects, such as trees or the flames of
woman said, must then let the giant do as he a fire, to abstract notions, such as law, order,
wanted. and human nature. The wife of Tengri is
Janos thanked the woman, who instantly sometimes referred to as Umai.
vanished. He entered the kings hall, where See also: Mother Earth;Tengri; Umai
he correctly identified the princess and cut
off the heads of the two dragons, thus releas- IVAN
ing the princess from her enchantment and Russia
returning her to her human form. Then A peasant from the village of Karacharovo,
Janos went outside, put on the pin-studded near Murom, and the father of Il'ya
suit, and stamped his foot three times. Ivanovich, who was better known as Il'ya
Beneath his feet a huge giant appeared, Muromets.
picked up Janos, and placed him in his See also: Il'ya Muromets; Karacharovo;
mouth. The giant, however, could not swal- Murom
low Janos because of the pins; nor could he
spit him out, as Janos sat on the giants IVAN
tongue. The pain was more than the giant Russia
could endure, and he asked Janos to climb A young tsarevich from an unnamed king-
out of his mouth. Janos said he would, on dom. As a youth he set out to find Princess
three conditions. Vasilissa Kirbit'evna, whom he had been
The first was the release of Istvan, who prophesied to marry. On his way, he paid the
was duly returned unscathed. The second debt of Bulat the Brave, who, indebted to the
was a promise to leave the kingdom and tsarevich, told him that had he not helped
never return, and the third was for two huge him, Ivan would never have found the
beams of wood. The giant produced these, maiden. Together they traveled to the king-
and Janos climbed out; but before the giant dom of Tsar Kirbit, and there they found the
had time to close his mouth, Janos wedged in girl in a tower with a gilded roof. Bulat the
the beams, thus preventing the giant from Brave captured the girl, and the three of
ever closing his mouth again.The giant then them made away at full speed. When they
ran away from the palace as fast as he could were chased by Kirbit and his men, Bulat the
go, and he was never heard of again. Brave twice dispatched the pursuers, on each
Janos and the princess were married that occasion leaving only the tsar alive.
very day, the king gladly giving his new son- One night as Ivan lay sleeping, Vasilissa
in-law half his kingdom as a wedding present Kirbit'evna was abducted by Koshchei the
IVAN BELYANINOVICH 121
Once inside, he was greeted by the tsaritsa then he substituted a barrel of water that
of the Copper Kingdom. She did not know sapped the strength of those who drank it.
where Nastas'ya of the Golden Braid was He then hid beneath his mothers cloak to
kept, but she suggested that Ivan journey watch.
onward to the Silver Kingdom, for the tsar- As Whirlwind returned and leaned over
itsa of that kingdom, her middle sister, might Nastas'ya, Ivan reached out and grasped the
know the whereabouts of Ivans mother.The mace that Whirlwind always carried. Bearing
tsaritsa gave Ivan a copper ball to follow and Ivan high into the air,Whirlwind tried, with-
bade him farewell. out success, to shake him free. Returning to
Outside Ivan placed the ball on the the palace, Whirlwind drank from the barrel
ground and followed it all the way to the which Ivan had exchanged for the strength-
Silver Kingdom.There he placated the drag- giving water, and his strength was completely
ons that guarded the gates in the same way sapped. Having drunk from the good barrel,
he had the others, and on entering, was Ivan was filled with tremendous power; and
greeted by the tsaritsa of the Silver King- with a single blow of his sword, he decapi-
dom. She, like her sister, did not know the tated Whirlwind. He burned the body and
whereabouts of Ivans mother, but she gave scattered the ashes.Then he quickly released
him a silver ball to follow. his mother, and the two made their way back
This Ivan did until he came to the Golden through the three kingdoms, with Ivan free-
Kingdom. Once more he quietened the ing each tsaritsa in turn. Finally all five came
dragons that stood on guard and entered the to the top of the mountain at the bottom of
gleaming palace. Inside he was greeted by the which Vasilii and Peter were still waiting.
tsaritsa of the Golden Kingdom, whose name After Ivan lowered their mother and the
was Elena the Fair. She knew exactly where three maidens down to Vasilii and Peter, the
Nastas'ya of the Golden Braid was being jealous brothers spurred their horses toward
held. As had her two sisters, she gave Ivan a home, intending to claim Ivans success as
ballthis one made of goldto follow, their own.
which would lead him to where his mother Ivan wandered back to the palace of
was being held by Whirlwind. Whirlwind, where he found a small whis-
Ivan duly followed the ball until he came tle, on which he blew. Instantly two ser-
to a palace that was even more impressive vants appeared, called Lame and One-
than those he had just visited, this one shin- Eyefor that is what they were. Ivan
ing with diamonds and other precious requested food, and the servants, who had
stones. Pacifying the six-headed dragons that served Whirlwind before, magically made a
guarded the gates, he entered the great hall of magnificent banquet appear. After he had
the palace, where he found his mother eaten and slept, Ivan asked them if they
seated upon a magnificent throne and could return him to his own land.The next
dressed in the most wondrous clothes Ivan moment, Ivan found himself standing in
had ever seen. the middle of the marketplace outside his
Amazed to see her son, Nastas'ya ex- fathers palace.
plained that the secret of Whirlwinds Instead of going straight home to find out
strength lay in a barrel in the wine cellars of what had happened to his two brothers, Ivan
the palace that contained a magical water, hired himself out as an apprentice to a shoe-
which bestowed tremendous strength on maker.That night, as Ivan and the shoemaker
whoever drank it. She then told her son how slept, Lame and One-Eye made a wonderful
he might defeat Whirlwind, who was due to pair of shoes that the shoemaker went into
return at any minute. Ivan took a drink from the market to sell the very next morning. As
the barrel his mother had shown him, and Elena was soon to be married, having been
IVAN GROZNYI 123
death of his father, Grand Prince Vasilii, in rested and dragged off to the banks of the
1533. Following a period when power was Moskva River, where the executioners block
first in the hands of his mother, Elena, and awaits him. The tsarina, Ivan Tsarevichs
then after her murder in 1537, of the boyars, mother, goes to the house of her brother and
Ivan finally took the throne in 1547 and tells him what has occurred. Her brother,
became the first ruler to style himself tsar' Nikita Romanov, hurries to the banks of the
Russian for Caesar. In an attempt to con- river, where he stops the execution and then
solidate his absolute power and undermine finds out who betrayed his nephew. Nikita
anyone who was in a position to contest it, Romanov then seeks out the informer and
Ivan initiated a series of reforms that weak- kills him. Ivan Groznyi acknowledges his
ened the upper nobilitythe princes and mistake and rewards Nikita Romanov for
boyarsin favor of the minor gentry. In preventing the death of the tsarevich.
1549 he convoked a legislative assembly and However, it is this very tsarevich whom his-
inaugurated a period of legal reform of both tory records as having been killed by his
state and church that was to last for a decade, father in 1581; so even if the story is true and
establishing a new code of law and a radical Nikita Romanov did manage to save the
system of local self-government. In 1552 he youth this once, Ivan Groznyi eventually
liberated Kazan' from the Tatars, and two accomplished the evil deed by his own hand.
years later, in 1554, he occupied Astrakhan'. See also: Astrakhan'; Boyars; Bylina; Crimea;
In 1558 he invaded Livonia and captured the Ivan IV; Ivan the Terrible; Ivan Tsarevich;
important Baltic seaport of Narva. Kazan'; Livonia; Moscow; Nikita Romanov;
In 1565, rumors of a boyar uprising Novgorod;Tatars
brought about an offer by Ivan to abdicate; References: Chadwick 1964; Chistov 1967
but he was reinstated by popular demand
with sweeping powers to take whatever IVAN KUPALO
actions he deemed fit against his opponents. Russia
These powers led to a prolonged period of The feast of midsummer, occurring at the
arrests and summary executions. In 1570 summer equinox, during which the fertility
Ivan ravaged the city of Novgorod. In 1571 of Mother Earth and married women was
his capital city, Moscow, was overrun and celebrated. The entire community partici-
burned by Crimean Tatars. (Ivan took bloody pated in rituals that symbolically linked the
revenge against the Tatars the following year.) fertility of human mothers with that of the
In the last years of his reign, in an attempt to fields. The female members of the commu-
redress some of his excesses, Ivan posthu- nity led in the orgiastic celebrations, which
mously rehabilitated many whom he had involved ritual bathing by both men and
executed during the middle period of his women in lakes and rivers (Kupalo is derived
reign. However, in 1581 he accidentally from the verb kupat' [to bathe]).
killed his eldest son in a fit of anger, which The earliest records of the festivities of
left power in the hands of Ivans sickly and Ivan Kupalo come from twelfth-century
feeble-minded second son Fyodor after church chronicles that almost always confuse
Ivans death in 1584. them with the Rusaliia. These ancient writ-
Ivan Groznyi is featured in a story titled ings say that the oldest unmarried peasant
The Tsar Resolves to Kill His Son. This bylina women would be dressed as brides and led to
opens during a feast held in Moscow in the banks of a river or lake.There they would
honor of the states warriors both male and dance and worship the goddess, then jump
female. During the feast, Ivan Groznyi learns into the water, and later return to the village
that Ivan Tsarevich, his son, has conspired to sprinkle the houses with the sanctified
against him. He immediately has him ar- water. After the water rituals, bonfires would
IVAN THE DRAGON KILLER 125
be lit and the villagers would jump over and spent the winter together, during which time
through the flames. everything they ever wanted or needed mag-
Kupalo, the deity central to these celebra- ically appeared. However, when spring came
tions, had a female counterpart in Kupal'- Ivan had to return to his home to sell his
nitsa. In regions where different names were catch. As they parted, the russalka gave him
applied to the deity central to the festival, instructions on how he might find her again.
each likewise had a female counterpart. Some time later Ivan found he could not
Thus, Lado was accompanied by Lada, live without the russalka. Remembering
Kostromo by Kostroma, and Iarilo by Iarila. what his lover had told him, he sought out
The duality of the deity central to the festi- her home: He climbed a tree that hung
val demonstrates the need for the male and above the water, and at the stroke of midday,
the female to complete the necessary circle, he dived into the water. As he reached the
although at all times the importance of the bottom of the river, his lover rushed out
female spirit far outweighed that of the male. from the weeds and embraced him. Ivan
See also: Iarila; Iarilo; Kostroma; Kostromo stayed a long time beneath the waters of that
(-Kostrobunko); Kupal'nitsa; Kupalo; Lada; river, but in the end he longed to return
Lado; Mother Earth; Rusaliia home. Remembering that anyone could be
References: Cross and Sherbowitz-Wetzor protected from the charms of the russalka by
1953; Mansikka 1922; Snegirev 183739; the holy cross, he made the sign and was
Zabylin 1880
immediately transported back home. How-
ever, having crossed himself, he could never
IVAN SAVEL'EVICH again return to his russalka.
Russia See also: Arkhangel'sk; Novaya Zemlya;
A young seal-hunter who lived in the city of Rus(s)alki (~ulki)
Arkhangel'sk, in northern Russia, and who
according to one story became captivated by IVAN THE DRAGON KILLER
the unearthly beauty of a russalka and spent Ukraine
one long winter in her company. A young tsarevich who set out to rescue his
While seal hunting in winter on the bleak neighbor who was at the mercy of a dragon
islands of Novaya Zemlya, well within the that lived atop an ever growing glass moun-
Arctic Circle, Ivan spent many lonely nights tain. Along the way he was bitten by an ant
alone in his hut playing his balalaika. One and was on the verge of squashing it, when it
night the oil in his lamp ran out and he con- promised to help him if the young prince
tinued to play in the dark. As he played, he would spare its life. Ivan did so and contin-
heard the sound of someone dancing inside ued on his journey, pondering the task that
his hut. Knowing that he was alone, he was lay ahead of him. As he thought of the
frightened and quickly refilled and relit his immense task he called out to the ant for
lamp. The hut was empty. The following help.The ant appeared and gave the prince a
night the same thing happened. Finally he grain of wheat, telling him to place it at the
hid the lit lamp behind a thick curtain, and foot of the glass mountain. Ivan thanked the
as soon as the sound of dancing started, he ant and rode on.
drew back the curtain to reveal a young girl. Having introduced himself to the tsar, and
This girl explained to Ivan that she was a told him his aim, Ivan rode to the foot of the
russalka but because she had a human father, glass mountain which by this time covered
she was able to remain out of the water for almost three quarters of the kingdom. Ivan
as long as she liked, provided she was in the tethered his horse to a tree and placed the
presence of only one person. Ivan fell hope- grain of wheat at the base of the mountain.
lessly in love with the russalka, and they Then he hid amongst the trees and watched.
126 IVAN THE FOOL
As he looked on, the grain of wheat began to marriage, to whoever found her and brought
glow, and as it did so a trickle of water began her home. Many men tried and failed, and
to flow from the base of the mountain.That the tsar grew ever more despondent. One
trickle quickly became a raging torrent as night a lowly guard named Ivan was standing
the mountain continued to melt, and Ivan watch in the tsars garden when he overheard
had to find higher ground or be swept away. two crows talking. These crows talked about
The dragon, on returning to his lair, saw a sorcerer named Nemal Chelovek who had
the water gushing from the base of the once visited the realm and made off with the
mountain and swooped down to see what daughter of the tsar, going so far as to name
was causing it. As the dragon landed the tor- the kingdom in which the sorcerer lived and
rent of water became even more intense, and describe how he might be defeated.
a great wall of water dashed the dragon to its Ivan listened intently, and when his watch
death and then carried its remains away. Ivan came to an end, he asked the tsars leave to
then rushed onto what remained of the search for his daughter.The tsar was less than
mountain, released the princess, and together responsive to the idea of a humble soldier
they hurried back to her father. Several days going to look for his daughter, especially
later Ivan and the princess were married, when so many nobler men had tried and
Ivan inheriting the kingdom some years later failed. However, when Ivan assured the tsar
when the tsar abdicated in his favor. that he would not fail, the tsar relented.
See also: Dragon; Glass Mountain,The However, he warned the soldier that if he
failed, he would pay with his life.
IVAN THE FOOL Two days later Ivan set sail for the
Russia Southern Seas. En route he made a detour
See Silver Roan and came ashore at a small island on which
lived two leshii who had jointly inherited the
IVAN THE GREAT self-cutting Samosek Sword some thirty years
Russia before. As Ivan stepped onto the island he
The ruler and Grand Duke of Russia from heard the two leshii fighting over whose the
1462 to 1505, also known as Ivan III sword truly was. When he approached, they
(14401505). Ivan successfully asserted asked him to act as their judge. Ivan agreed.
authority over a number of Russian princi- He proposed that he hold the sword and then
palities and routed the Tatar occupiers, unit- shoot an arrow into the woods. Ownership of
ing these lands for the first time under a sin- the sword would be awarded to the leshii
gle Russian ruler. In 1472 he married who brought the arrow back to Ivan. The
Sophia, a niece of Constantine XI Palo- leshii readily agreed. Ivan then shot an arrow
logus Dragases (14041453, the last By- far into the woods, and the two leshii ran off
zantine emperor), assumed the title Ruler of and quickly found it, and then fell to fighting
all Russia, and adopted the two-headed over whose it was. Ivan reboarded his ship
eaglethe emblem of the Byzantine and set sail with the Samosek Sword for the
Empireas his royal crest. kingdom of Nemal Chelovek.
See also: Byzantine Empire;Tatars Two days later the ship landed and Ivan
stepped ashore. He found Nemal Cheloveks
IVAN THE GUARD mansion unguarded, for the sorcerer never
Russia imagined anyone would be foolish enough
When Nemal Chelovek, a sorcerer, kid- to enter his domain. Ivan slipped into the
napped the only daughter of an unnamed mansion and quickly located the daughter of
tsar and his wife, the tsar immediately offered the tsar, who told him that Nemal Chelovek
half his kingdom, and his daughters hand in intended her to become the bride of his
IVAN THE GUARD 127
nephew the Gorynich, a terrible dragon. palace armorer make an exact replica, which
Ivan told her not to worry, for he would she substituted for the real sword. Soon Ivan
deliver her.When she heard this, the princess rode out to attack the army of the prince a
gave Ivan her ring, a token that signified that third time. Without the magical weapon, he
they were betrothed and would become hus- had to fight as any normal soldier, and
band and wife upon returning home. though he killed a great many of the enemy,
At that moment, Nemal Chelovek in the end he was toppled from his horse and
returned to his mansion and stormed into left for dead.
the great hall where Ivan stood with the The tsar rejoiced that his daughter was at
princess.When the sorcerer saw Ivan, he cast last free to marry a man of royal blood, and
a spell that made him grow until his head within hours the wedding had been
brushed the ceiling, and then he rushed to arranged. That night, as the wedding feast
attack. Ivan, however, simply lifted the progressed in the palace, Ivan awoke on the
Samosek Sword, which flew through the air battlefield, surrounded by dead bodies. As he
and neatly decapitated the oncoming giant. walked, he grew increasingly hungry. He
Then the sword went through the mansion came to a bush that had yellow berries, and
and killed all of Nemal Cheloveks servants without thinking, he ate two berries.
before returning neatly to Ivans hand. Immediately his head began to ache terribly.
Several days later Ivan presented the tsar When he put his hand to his head, he was
with his daughter, expressing the hope that horrified to find that it had sprouted two
they would soon marry. The tsar, however, horns. Farther on, he came across another
tried to get out of his promise by saying that bush, this one with red berries, and as he was
a foreign prince had asked for the princesss still hungry, he ate two berries. Once again
hand and would not look kindly upon being he experienced a crushing headache, and
passed over for a mere soldier. The soldier when he felt his head, he was relieved to find
was not to be put off, and he showed the tsar that the horns had disappeared.
that he already wore the princesss ring, Realizing the potential of the berries, Ivan
whereupon the tsar relented and called for collected a pocketful of both yellow and red
the wedding preparations to begin. berries and set off toward the tsars palace,
During the wedding feast a messenger where he could clearly hear the sounds of
rushed into the hall and announced that the the wedding celebration. Back at the palace,
rejected prince had invaded the kingdom Ivan disguised himself as a beggar and gave
with a vast army. Amid the confusion, Ivan one of the palace maids some yellow berries
slipped out of the palace, strapped on the to give to the princess in celebration of her
Samosek Sword, and rode out to meet the marriage to the prince.The maid placed the
advancing army. Then, releasing the sword, berries on the princesss pillow. That night,
he decimated the army, leaving only the when she came to her room, the princess ate
prince and his generals alive. Ivan then the berries. As soon as she swallowed them,
returned to his new wife and calmly re- she had a splitting headache, and two horns
ported the news, and the feast continued. sprouted from her forehead.
A few weeks later news came that the So distressed was the tsar that he offered
prince had formed a new army and was half his kingdom to whoever would cure his
again on the march. Ivan again rode out, daughter. Still disguised as a beggar, Ivan
annihilated the army, and returned un- came to see the tsar and promised to cure the
scathed; this time, only the prince survived. princess. The tsar himself led the beggar to
The prince wrote in secret to Ivans wife, his daughters room; but before entering, the
asking her to help him. The princess found beggar stopped the tsar and told him that the
out about the Samosek Sword and had the cure might not be painless and that under no
128 IVAN THE MARES SON
circumstances were they to be disturbed, for alive. If she found the arrow lying on the
then the cure would not work. The tsar let ground, then she would know that he was
the beggar into the room and told the palace dead.
guard to let no one else enter until the beg- Ivan promised his mother that he would
gar came out again, no matter what noises do so, and left. Several days later he came to
they might hear inside. a clearing in the forest. In the middle of this
Inside the room Ivan discarded his dis- clearing was a young man on his hands and
guise and took a heavy wooden club out of knees. When Ivan asked him what he was
his tunic. Then he approached the princess, doing, the youth replied that he was looking
who stared at him in disbelief and then for his arrow. Ivan found the arrow and
screamed as Ivan began to beat her black and handed it to the young man, who told him
blue for her treachery.Then he told her that his name was Ivan the Suns Son. The two
he had the cure for her affliction, but he agreed that from that day forth they would
would give it to her only if she returned the live as brothers.
Samosek Sword to him. She ran to a cup- A few days later the two Ivans returned to
board, took out the sword, and gave it back the clearing, where they found another
to Ivan. He took the sword, ran to find the youth searching the ground. He too had lost
prince, and then unleashed it, watching in his arrow, and again Ivan the Mares Son
delight as the head of the prince rolled onto found it. This youths name was Ivan the
the floor.Then Ivan returned to the princess Moons Son, and he too agreed to live as
and gave her two red berries, and the horns their brother. In the middle of the clearing
instantly vanished. they built themselves a home of wooden
The princess fell into Ivans arms, but he poles covered with the skins of the animals
pushed her away, telling her that as she had they had hunted. Every night each Ivan
been unfaithful and as her father and mother placed his arrow upright in the ground out-
were likewise dishonorable, he would banish side their home.
them from the kingdom and rule in their One morning, to their surprise, they
stead. From that day forth Ivan ruled the found that during the night their arrows had
kingdom with a fair hand; and thanks to the been richly decorated. Ivan the Moons Son
Samosek Sword, the kingdom remained safe said that he would keep watch that night and
from all would-be invaders. catch the culprit, but he fell asleep, and in the
See also: Leshii (~y); Nemal Chelovek; morning their arrows had been decorated
Samosek Sword once again. Exactly the same thing happened
when Ivan the Suns Son stayed on guard.
IVAN THE MARES SON The third night, Ivan the Mares Son said he
SiberiaTungus would stand watch.
The hero of a story that comes from the On the stroke of midnight three herons
Tungus people of Siberia. Ivans mother was flew down into the clearing, smashed them-
a mare that had escaped from a peasant cou- selves against the ground, and instantly
ple who intended to eat her. As she ran became three beautiful maidens. Each
through the forest, she came upon the corpse plucked the arrow of the man she professed
of a Tungus warrior, and licking his body, she to love from the ground and set about deco-
instantly conceived a son, whom she called rating it. Ivan crept from his hiding place and
Ivan. She raised the boy alone. One day, she hid their herons wings and feathers. When
told him the time had come when he must the three maidens had finished the arrows,
fend for himself, adding that he should leave they could not find their heron skins. The
his arrow standing upright in the ground eldest maiden called out for whoever had
every night so that she would know he was hidden them to come forward, saying that if
IVAN THE MARES SON 129
he were older than they, then he would be Ivan the Mares Sons mother later found
their father. If he were younger, he would be his arrow lying on the ground among the
their brother; but if he were the same age, bodies of the demons. She located his body
then he would become her husband. and his head, licked the body all over, and
Ivan crept from his place of concealment kicked it with her hind legs. The body
and revealed himself to the eldest of the three became whole again. She licked and kicked
maidens, who told him that her name was the body again, and the body stirred. Once
Marfida. The other maidens were Marfidas more she licked and kicked her son, and he
sisters, and the three agreed to become the jumped to his feet, fully revived. Next they
wives of the three Ivans. All six lived happily sought out and found the bodies of the
in their home in the clearing. other two Ivans, whom the mare also
However, one day when Ivan and his brought back to life. She then left the three
brothers returned from their days hunting brothers discussing how they might rescue
they noticed that their wives were becom- their wives.
ing very pale and thin. On investigation After hunting for three days, they
they discovered several holes that had stitched a long rope from the hides they had
appeared in the ground beneath their collected. To one end of this rope they
home. Puzzled, Ivan and his brothers de- attached a leather cradle. Climbing into the
cided that instead of hunting the following cradle Ivan the Mares Son was lowered
day, they would stand guard. The following down the hole through which the serpent
day, while his brothers dozed in the warmth had originally appeared. At the bottom he
of the sun, Ivan the Mares Son saw a huge found himself in the underworld, the home
serpent crawl out of one of the holes of the serpent. Following a barren track,
beneath their home.Wrapping itself around Ivan came to a lake. There he saw three
the three wives, it started to suck their womenMarfida and her sisterscoming
blood. Ivan drew his bow and shot the ser- to draw water. Ivan fired an arrow in front
pent, which quickly slithered back into the of his wife to tell her that he was there.
hole whence it had come, warning Ivan as After the sisters had drawn water, Marfida
it went that it would return three days later, lagged behind the others, and she and Ivan
riding on a cloud of fire. were reunited.
For three days the three Ivans made as Marfida told Ivan that he was to kill the
many arrows as they could before taking serpent at exactly midday, while it slept in its
turns to watch for the approach of the cloud hammock. Ivan did as she instructed, and he
that would bring the serpent. Ivan the and the three maidens made their way back
Moons Son saw it first. Ivan the Suns Son to the leather cradle. The wives of Ivan the
watched it approach. By the time Ivan the Moons Son and Ivan the Suns Son were
Mares Son came to see, it was directly over- hoisted up first. When it was Marfidas turn,
head, with the serpent in the middle, sur- she beseeched Ivan the Mares Son to go
rounded by his army of demons. first, but he refused. Having raised Marfida,
A mighty battle ensued. Ivan the Moons Ivan the Moons Son and Ivan the Suns Son
Son was killed first. Some time later Ivan the cut the rope and threw the cradle back down
Suns Son was killed too. Ivan the Mares Son the hole, thus trapping Ivan the Mares Son
fought on alone until he had reduced the in the underworld.
army of demons to a third of its original size. Once more his mother came to the res-
Then he too was killed, his head cut clean cue. Having discovered him lying dead at the
from his body. The serpent gathered up the bottom of the hole, she restored him to life
three maidens and disappeared with them as she had done before.Then she told him to
down one of the holes beneath the house. hunt until they had enough meat for the
130 IVAN THE MOONS SON
journey back to the land of the living. Ivan IVAN THE MUTE
did as instructed, and finally they set out. Russia
Each time the mare turned her head, Ivan A young tsarevich, born without the ability
fed her some meat. As they neared the exit, to speak. At the age of twelve he was told by
he ran out of meat; so he cut off a toe from his favorite groom that he was about to have
his right foot and fed that to his mother. a sister, but was warned by the same groom
Next he cut off his calf, and finally, an ear. that the girl would be a fearsome witch who
After they had left the underworld, Ivans would eat her family and everyone who
mother coughed up the pieces of her son came near her. The groom advised him to
that she had been fed, and licking his ask his father for a swift horse, the swiftest his
wounds, made him whole again. father owned, so that he might escape before
Three days later Ivan came across it was too late.
Marfida, who was being made to drag a The tsar, delighted to hear his son speak
heavy load as punishment for remaining for the first time, personally picked out the
faithful to her husband. Ivan lifted her onto horse for his son. Having traveled quite a dis-
his shoulders, and then caught up with and tance, the young tsarevich started to look for
killed his two false brothers. Taking the a place to live. First he came across two old
three heron skins from his pocket, he seamstresses, who told him that they would
plucked a few feathers from each and made be glad to take him in but they did not have
himself a pair of wings, on which he flew long to live, for once they had finished the
with the three maidens to their homeland, work they were doing, it would be time for
where they lived out their days in peace and them to die.
happiness. Brokenhearted, Ivan left and traveled on,
See also: Ivan the Moons Son; Ivan the Suns next meeting a man whose task in life was to
Son; Marfida; Siberia;Tungus; Underworld,The uproot massive trees. Called Uproot Oak,
this man too would have been happy to take
IVAN THE MOONS SON Ivan in, but he too only had a short time to
SiberiaTungus live, for as he told the youth, when he had
Youth whose lost arrow was found by Ivan uprooted all the oaks in the forest he was
the Mares Son, whom he thereafter treated clearing, then it would be his time to die.
as his brother.These two lived together, shar- Once more overcome with grief, Ivan
ing a home with a third brotherIvan the journeyed on until he met a giant of a man
Suns Son. During a battle with a huge ser- who was busy tipping a range of mountains
pent that had been sucking the blood of the onto their sides. This man, whose name was
three brothers wives, the three Ivans were Overturn Mountain, told Ivan that he would
killed and their wives carried off to the ser- gladly take him in if it were not for the fact
pents underworld lair. All three were that his days would be at an end after he had
restored to life by Ivans mother, the mare. overturned the entire mountain range.
Then the two other Ivans lowered Ivan the Down at heart, Ivan rode on until he
Mares Son into the underworld to rescue came to the home of Suns Sister. She took
their wives. After he had found and rescued the youth in and treated him as her own.
the women, Ivan the Mares Son was left for After a while Ivan began to think about his
dead by his false brothers, who made off with family. He climbed a mountain, gazed far
all three wives. He was rescued by his into the distance in the direction of his
mother, and killed both Ivan the Moons Son home, and cried.When he returned home to
and Ivan the Suns Son. Suns Sister, he said that the tears in his eyes
See also: Ivan the Mares Son; Ivan the Suns were due to the wind.Twice more this hap-
Son; Underworld,The pened. However, Suns Sister had forbidden
IVAN THE PEA 131
the wind to blow, so she knew that the tears having the right to destroy the other. Ivan sat
had another cause. Ivan finally had to tell her on the scales first; then the witch, his sister,
what was wrong. sat down. She was so heavy that Ivan shot off
As Ivan prepared to leave, Suns Sister gave into the heavens, straight into the Suns
him three items to help him on his journey: Sisters palace, where he remained secure
a comb, a brush, and two apples that had the from his sisters rivalry.
power to rejuvenate whoever ate them. On See also: Overturn Mountain; Suns Sister;
his way Ivan met his friends once more. Uproot Oak
Overturn Mountain had only two mountains
left to topple before he died. Ivan threw IVAN THE PEA
down the brush, and a massive mountain Russia
range sprang from the earth. Uproot Oak had The youngest son of Tsar Svetozar and his
only two trees left to uproot. Ivan threw wife, and brother to two other princes, both
down his comb, and a huge forest of oak trees unnamed, and to a sister, Vasilissa of the
appeared. Finally Ivan came to the two seam- Golden Braid. Ivan the Pea was miraculously
stresses, who were stitching the last seam of conceived when his mother swallowed a
their piece. Ivan gave each of them an apple, small pea, which grew inside her until she
and they were instantly young upon the very gave birth to a son. Ivan the Pea grew at a
first bite. In return they gave Ivan a kerchief very fast rate, and by the age of ten he was
that they told him had magical properties. the strongest knight in all the kingdom.
At last Ivan came to his home and was Learning of the fate of his sister, who had
welcomed by his sister, who asked him to been carried away by a dragon, and his two
play on the psaltery while she prepared a brothers who had gone in search of her, Ivan
meal. After she went out, a mouse warned the Pea vowed to find them and bring them
Ivan that his sister had really gone to sharpen home.
her teeth. The mouse offered to run up and For three days he rode, until he came to a
down the strings of the psaltery so that Ivan small wooden house on chickens legs in the
could make his escape. forest that rotated in the wind.The old crone
When Ivans sister discovered how she had that lived in that house gave him directions
been tricked, she set off in hot pursuit and to the land of the dragon, in return for which
was soon catching up with Ivan. Seeing her Ivan the Pea promised to bring her some of
riding like the wind after him, Ivan threw the life-restoring water that the dragon
down the kerchief, which immediately owned.
became a huge, deep lake. Swimming across Finally arriving at the dragons golden
it slowed Ivans sister down and allowed him palace, which rested on a single silver pillar,
to increase his lead over her. Again she Ivan the Pea found his captive sister. He
started to close the gap just as Ivan rode past ignored his sisters pleas to run for his life,
Uproot Oak, who blocked the road with a although his two brothers already lay dead in
huge pile of oak trees, which Ivans sister had the vaults below the palace. Instead, Ivan the
to gnaw her way through. Again she closed Pea had the court smith make him a huge
in on her brother just as he passed Overturn mace that weighed five hundred poods
Mountain, who blocked the road with a pile (18,000 lbs or 8,190 kg). This mace took
of towering mountains. Finally Ivan made it forty hours to make, and fifty men were
safely back to the home of Suns Sister, who needed to lift it; but Ivan the Pea lifted it eas-
locked him safely inside.Yet his sister would ily with one hand and tossed it high into the
not give up. air. So high did it fly that three hours passed
Finally she suggested that they should be before it came down again. Ivan the Pea eas-
weighed on a huge pair of scales, the heavier ily caught it with one hand, the impact not
132 IVAN THE SOLDIER
harming him in the least, although it bent the richest merchant in the town, though he
the mace slightly. Ivan the Pea simply laid the had never dared live there. As soon as the
mace across his knees and straightened it out house had been completed, a horde of evil
again. demons had moved in and made the place
Soon the dragon came home and leaped uninhabitable.
on Ivan the Pea; but Ivan simply stepped Ivan asked the old woman how he might
aside and killed the dragon with one throw find the rich merchant, and then he bade her
of the mace, which flew through the palace farewell. A little while later he entered the
walls and landed many hundreds of miles shop of the rich merchant and asked for per-
away. Ivan the Pea then found the Water of mission to sleep in the empty house that
Life and Death, filled a flask with it for the night. The merchant was horrified, for he
old crone in the forest, restored his brothers knew that sleeping in the house would mean
to life by sprinkling some of the water over certain death; but Ivan argued that as a sol-
them, and then returned to his homeland dier he had cheated death on several occa-
with his sister and brothers, stopping en sions, and at length the merchant agreed,
route to deliver the flask to the old crone. supplying Ivan with a dozen candles, three
After the death of his father, Ivan the Pea pounds of dried walnuts, and one large
became the tsar. boiled beetroot, which Ivan placed in his
Although the old crone living in the for- knapsack. Then he made his way to the
est is not named in this story, it is generally empty house.
agreed that it is none other than the witch There he made himself comfortable, lit
Baba-Yaga. the candles, and settled down to see what
See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga); Dragon; might happen. As the town clock struck
Svetozar;Vasilis(s)a of the Golden Braid; midnight, the first shriek filled the house.
Water of Life and Death,The Soon the house was filled by a horde of
demons with red, horned heads and green
IVAN THE SOLDIER eyes that glowed with evil. When they saw
Russia Ivan they celebrated the fine meal they were
A professional soldier who, after twenty-five soon to have, but Ivan simply stared back at
years of service to an unnamed tsar, was dis- them, and in a threatening voice, dared them
charged and sent on his way with nothing in to try it. The demons were taken aback and
his knapsack but a few meager rations. After even frightened by this unexpected response;
several days travel, when his rations had been so the eldest demon stepped forward and
exhausted, Ivan came across a flock of geese challenged Ivan to a trial of strength. Ivan
swimming on a lake. He killed three and agreed.
hurriedly packed them into his knapsack. The first test was to squeeze water from a
Then he made his way to the nearest town. stone. The eldest demon went first and
There he knocked on the door of a run- squeezed his stone so hard that it crumbled
down farmhouse and asked the old woman into a heap of fine dust. Ivan applauded and
who answered the door to roast a goose for then took the large boiled beetroot from his
him, keeping the second as payment for her bag and slowly squeezed it with great deliber-
trouble, and the third in exchange for a good ation so that all the demons could see the
quantity of wine.That night Ivan dined as if blood he was squeezing from it.The demons
he were a tsar, and then he settled down to stared in disbelief; and in the silence, Ivan
smoke his pipe. As he relaxed, he noticed a delved into his knapsack, took out a handful of
wonderful mansion a short distance away. walnuts, and began to munch on them.
He asked the old woman whose home it The demons asked what he was eating,
was, and she replied that it had been built by and he replied that he was eating walnuts,
IVAN THE SOLDIER 133
adding that none of them could even start to The demon still inside squealed in horror
chew his walnuts.The eldest demon laughed and hurriedly told Ivan that the pouch was
and told Ivan to throw him one. Ivan no ordinary one. All Ivan had to do was
reached down into his knapsack, took out a think about what he wanted, and it would
small stone, and threw this to the demon, appear in the pouch. Likewise, if Ivan were to
who without looking at what he was open the pouch and tell something to get
putting in his mouth, began to chew. into it, there was no way anything could
However, no matter how hard he chewed, resist his command. Ivan tried the pouch, and
he could not even start to crush the stone. when he found that it worked, he declared
All the while, Ivan stood there, popping one himself satisfied and set the demon free
walnut after another into his mouth, chew- with a stern warning that the next time they
ing them up with ease. met would be the demons last.
Ivan then turned to the demons and Ivan then went to the rich merchant and
derided them for the inability of their leader told him that his new home was now free of
to beat him in these simple contests. He then demons and that he would never be troubled
suggested that they might redeem themselves again. The merchant quickly moved into his
a little by showing him how easily demons house and threw a great banquet in honor of
could squeeze into a small placea space the soldier; but when he offered Ivan a
such as his knapsack, for example. The reward, Ivan refused it, and the following
demons took the bait; and as soon as the last morning he set off again toward his home
demon had crammed itself into the knap- village. Several days passed before Ivan
sack, Ivan bent down and quickly fastened it. reached his village, where he was greeted by
Then Ivan settled down and slept soundly his aged mother. She told him that his father
the rest of the night.The following morning had passed away five years before. That
he was awakened by two servants sent by the evening, with the aid of the pouch, Ivan and
rich merchant, who were more than sur- his mother ate a feast fit for a tsar.
prised to see Ivan still alive. The pouch helped Ivan restore the for-
Ivan scoffed at them and asked them to tunes of his family. He used it to provide
show him the way to the local blacksmith, money to build a new home and buy new
which they did. He set off with his knapsack. equipment; and if ever the cupboards were
At the smithy he told the three smiths to bare, all he had to do was use the pouch, and
hammer his knapsack flat. Before long, all the cupboards were full once again. For seven
three smiths were hammering at the knap- years Ivan and his mother lived well; but then
sack with all their might, the demons inside the old soldier fell ill, and after a few days he
squealing for mercy. Ivan refused to allow the was confronted by Death himself. For several
smiths to give up until the demons promised minutes Ivan and Death argued, but Death
never to trouble the town or the merchant remained intransigent; so with the last of his
again and declared that they would gladly feeble strength, Ivan reached for his pouch.
pay a kings ransom for their freedom. Within seconds he had managed not only to
Ivan relented and let out all the demons trap Death inside his pouch but also to fully
except the leader, keeping him in return for recover from his illness.
the kings ransom promised. A short time Ivan agreed to let Death out of the pouch
later a small demon returned, carrying a only after Death promised to let him live
small leather pouch. Ivan took the pouch and another thirty years and not to take the life
found that it contained nothing. Thinking of any other living person during that time.
that the demons were trying to trick him, For those thirty years, Ivan and his mother
Ivan turned to the smiths and told them to lived a comfortable life; but one day, thirty
resume their hammering on the knapsack. years to the day after Ivan had released
134 IVAN THE SOLDIER
Death, Death came to him and told him that Death inside, barely alive, down from the top
his time was up. of the tree; and carried it home with him.
Ivan shrugged and told Death to bring There he made his peace with his family,
him his coffin. Death grinned and brought prayed for absolution from his sins, and then
the coffin to Ivan, telling him to jump in. lay down and let Death out of the bag, telling
However, Ivan replied that he was not pre- him that his time had come and he would be
pared to get into his coffin without instruc- Deaths first victim. Death looked down at
tions on how to do so properly; he was a sol- Ivan, laughed, and took to his heels, shouting
dier, after all. So he asked Death to show him after him that he would never come for Ivan,
the correct manner in which one should and Ivan could go to hell.
enter a coffin. Death complied, whereupon Ivan reflected on his situation and decided
Ivan slammed the lid of the coffin, nailed it that perhaps Death had the right idea. Saying
down, took it to the nearby river, and cast goodbye to his family a second time, Ivan set
Death adrift. out for Hell. At the gates of the infernal
For several years Death floated, first down regions Ivan was stopped and asked what his
the river and then on the open sea. Then, purpose was. When he told his story to the
during a particularly violent storm, the cof- gatekeeper, Ivan was astonished to find the
fin was smashed against some rocks, and gates immediately closed and barred to him.
Death was released. He set out immediately The gatekeeper hurried away and returned
to find the cunning old soldier. Back at moments later with the Devil himself. Again
Ivans home, Death hid until he thought he Ivan explained the purpose of his visit, but
could take Ivan by surprise, and then he the Devil would not permit him to enter.
leaped out of the shadows. However, Ivan Ivan argued for some time, and then he real-
was not to be outmaneuvered by Death, and ized that his situation was impossible.
he quickly grabbed an empty grain sack and Turning to leave, Ivan took his pouch
brandished it at Death. Thinking the sack from his pocket, and when the Devil saw it,
was Ivans pouch, Death took to his heels. he quickly backed away. Ivan then realized
And that was the last anyone ever saw of what it was that the Devil feared, and open-
Death (at least, according to one version of ing the pouch, he flourished it in the direc-
the legend). After that, Death took to creep- tion of the Devil, saying that if the Devil
ing up on people unexpectedly; but he would not let him in, then maybe he should
never again called on Ivan, who is said to be take the Devil to Heaven.The Devil pleaded
alive to this day. with him, and after some time the two
Another version of the legend starts in the agreed that Ivan should have two hundred
same way but differs after Ivan captures fifty souls to take with him to Heaven
Death in his pouch. Instead of extracting a souls that were quickly turned over to Ivan,
promise from Death, Ivan takes the pouch to who left.
the Briansk Woods and hangs it from the top As he approached the kingdom of
branches of the tallest tree. From that day Heaven, he was seen by the angel at the gates
forward, no one in the whole world died. to the kingdom, who took the news of his
Ivan forgot all about Death hanging from the approach to God. God told the angel to let
tree, and lived on in comfort with his the two hundred fifty souls into Heaven but
mother. However, one day Ivan was traveling then to close the gates and refuse Ivan
through a wood when he was stopped by a entrance. However, after his run-in with the
decrepit old crone who blamed him for not Devil, Ivan was prepared for some such ruse,
letting her die at her allotted time. Ivan so he let the souls out one by one, and when
immediately remembered Death. He went to the last soul had been released from his
the Briansk Woods; took the pouch with pouch, he gave that soul the pouch and told
IVAN THE YOUNG 135
him what to say once he had passed the gates heir; so he told them to go out into a field
and entered Heaven. However, the soul for- and shoot off arrows in different directions.
got what he had been asked to do; and so Each son should first write his name on his
Ivan goes on living, growing older and older, arrow so that they could be identified.
only to die when the world itself is de- Wherever a sons arrow landed was where he
stroyed. would rule; and he would marry the daugh-
See also: Briansk Woods; Death; Devil,The ter of the house in which his arrow landed.
Ivans arrow landed in a swamp, where he
IVAN THE SUNS SON found it in the possession of a shape-
SiberiaTungus changing frog who was, in reality,Vasilissa the
Youth whose lost arrow was found by Ivan Wise (some Ukrainian sources name the frog
the Mares Son, whom he agreed to live with princess as Maria). After Ivan agreed to
as a brother. They were later joined by Ivan marry the frog, she revealed her full beauty
the Moons Son. All three lived in a clearing to him and told him that she would be a frog
in a forest, where they had found and mar- by day and a beautiful maiden by night.
ried three magical maidens. However, a ser-
pent came and started to feed on the blood
of their wives. In an epic battle all three Ivans
were killed and their wives carried off to the
underworld by the serpent.
Ivan the Mares Sons mother restored all
three to life, and then they lowered her son
into the underworld to rescue the three
wives. Having killed the serpent and rescued
the maidens, Ivan the Mares Son was left for
dead by his false brothers, who made off with
all three women. Restored to life once more
by his mother, Ivan the Mares Son escaped
from the underworld, killed both Ivan the
Moons Son and Ivan the Suns Son, and flew
away with the three maidens to their home-
land, where they lived their remaining days
in peace and happiness.
See also: Ivan the Mares Son; Ivan the
Moons Son; Underworld,The
Ivan fulfilled his promise and married the Ivan Groznyi learned that his son, Ivan
frog, and for some time they lived happily Tsarevich, was plotting against him. The tsar
together.Then the tsar devised three tests for immediately had his son arrested and
the wives of his three sons. Each time, the dragged off to the banks of the Moskva
frog won, though the wives of Ivans two River where the executioners block awaited
brothers cheated by spying on her. Finally him. The tsarina, Ivan Tsarevichs mother,
the tsar threw a banquet in honor of his three rushed to her brothers house and told him
daughters-in-law at which the frog appeared what had occurred. Her brother, Nikita
in her human form. Seizing the opportunity Romanov, hurried to the riverbank, where
to keep his wife in all her beauty, Ivan rushed he stopped the execution. He found out who
home before she did and burned her frog had betrayed his nephew, sought out the
skin. When she returned, she told Ivan her informer, and killed him. Ivan Groznyi later
name for the first time, told him to seek her acknowledged his mistake and rewarded
in the land of the eternal sun, and promptly Nikita Romanov for preventing the death of
vanished. his son. However, history records that this
Ivan left his home and traveled until he very tsarevich was killed by his father in
came to the home of the witch Baba-Yaga. 1581. If Nikita Romanov was successful in
At first, the witch was annoyed at being dis- intervening on this occasion, Ivan Groznyi
turbed; but with coaxing, Baba-Yaga eventu- nevertheless eventually accomplished the evil
ally told him how he might capture Vasilissa deed by his own hand.
the Wise, who flew in every day to visit her. See also: Ivan Groznyi; Nikita Romanov
Ivan hid and waited.When Vasilissa the Wise References: Chadwick 1964; Chistov 1967
had arrived and made herself comfortable, he
pounced on her; but she managed to wriggle IVAN VYSLAVOVICH
free, rapidly changing her shape. Ivan then Russia
visited Vasilissa the Wises middle sister, and The son of Tsar Vyslav Andronovich, and
exactly the same thing happened. Finally brother of Dmitrii Vyslavovich and Vasilii
Ivan journeyed to the home of Vasilissa the Vyslavovich.Their father owned a wonderful
Wises youngest sister, and this time he man- garden in which there was an apple tree on
aged to hold onto his wife as she changed which golden fruit grew. All was well until a
her shape.When she changed into an arrow, Firebird took to visiting the garden and steal-
Ivan broke it across his knee, and Vasilissa the ing the apples. Perplexed, the tsar promised
Wise resumed her human form and told him half his kingdom to whichever of his three
that she would be his forever. sons could catch the thief.
Together Ivan and Vasilissa the Wise The first night, Dmitrii kept watch but fell
returned home.There the tsar made Ivan his asleep by the time the Firebird landed. The
heir, and Ivan ruled in his fathers stead. second night, Vasilii took his turn, but the
See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga); Maria; same fate befell him. The third night, Ivan
Ukraine;Vasilis(s)a the Wise took his turn. After three hours the garden
was filled with a wondrous light and the
IVAN TSAREVICH Firebird settled on the tree. Ivan crept up
Russia behind the Firebird and took hold of its tail.
A tsars son named Ivan (tsarevich being a title The Firebird struggled so hard that it man-
that meant merely son of the tsar). The aged to escape from Ivan, but in the process
only Ivan Tsarevich referred to in the legends she lost one of her tail feathers to him. The
of early Russia was a son of Ivan Groznyi following morning he presented that feather
who was the subject of a story entitled The to his father, who treasured it above any of
Tsar Resolves to Kill His Son. During a feast his other possessions.
IVAN VYSLAVOVICH 137
A miniature on a black lacquer box depicts Ivan Vyslavovich and a princess being aided by a magical gray wolf.
(Vakurov Isarevich/Sovfoto/Eastfoto/PNI)
As time passed, the tsar began to long for they came to a walled garden within
the Firebird itself rather than just one of its whichso the wolf informed Ivanthe
feathers. Once again he promised half of his Firebird was kept in a gilded cage.The wolf
kingdom to whichever of his sons could warned Ivan to take only the Firebird and
bring the Firebird back for him. All three set not to touch the cage; but when Ivan saw
out on the quest, although none knew where the beauty of the cage, he forgot the wolf s
they should look. advice and took it down from its place in a
Ivan rode aimlessly for several days until tree. Immediately he was surrounded by
he came to a crossroad that warned of death guards, who hauled him off to confront the
for anyone who took anything but the right- Firebirds owner,Tsar Dalmat.
hand road, although this road would lead to The tsar was understandably furious, but
the death of the riders horse. Ivan took the gave Ivan a chance to redeem himself, telling
right-hand road. After three days, he came him to ride to the kingdom of Tsar Afron
across a huge gray wolf that tore his horse in and acquire for him the Horse with the
half. Saddened by this loss, Ivan continued on Golden Mane. If Ivan achieved this, he
foot until he was almost exhausted. would be rewarded with the Firebird. If not,
Just then the wolf that had attacked his he would be branded a common thief.
horse rushed up, apologized for having Outside the palace Ivan apologized to the
killed the horse, and offered to take Ivan wolf for ignoring his advice, and asked his
wherever he wanted to go. Ivan explained help in acquiring the Horse with the Golden
his quest to the wolf, which immediately Mane. The wolf told Ivan to jump on his
sped off with Ivan on his back, much faster back, and soon they were standing outside
than any horse could have traveled. Soon the stables of Tsar Afron.
138 IVAN VYSLAVOVICH
The wolf told Ivan how he might bring to the Horse with the Golden Mane. Once
the horse out unchallenged but warned him again the wolf transformed himself into the
not to touch the horses golden bridle. Once horse and was left in its stead, while Ivan left
inside the stables, Ivan could not resist the with the Firebird in its gilded cage. A short
bridle, and he was immediately arrested by distance down the road, he thought of the
the palace guards and dragged before Tsar wolf, who was instantly by their side.
Afron. Like Dalmat, Afron was furious; but Riding back toward Ivans home, they
he too gave Ivan a chance to save his good came to the spot where the wolf had first
name. He told Ivan to bring him the princess attacked Ivan, killing his horse. Telling Ivan
Elena the Beautiful. If Ivan did this, his and Elena the Beautiful that he could go no
reward would be the Horse with the Golden farther, the wolf left them to continue their
Mane and its bridle. journey on the Horse with the Golden
Once more Ivan apologized to the wolf Mane.At the border of Ivans homeland they
and asked its help. He jumped onto the passed Ivans brothers Dmitrii and Vasilii.
wolf s back, and the two travelers soon found Jealous of Ivans success, they ambushed him
themselves in the land of Elena the Beautiful. and killed him, dividing the booty by lot.
Leaving Ivan on the edge of a plain, the wolf Dmitrii won the Horse with the Golden
moved toward the railings that surrounded Mane and Vasilii won Elena the Beautiful,
the palace gardens.That evening, as Elena the whom the brothers swore to silence at
Beautiful strolled in the garden, the wolf cap- swords point.
tured her and ran off to where Ivan was wait- For thirty days Ivans body lay where he
ing. Ivan leaped onto the wolf s back, and had been killed, until it was discovered by
they sped back toward the land of Tsar the wolf. Thinking of a way in which he
Afron. Elena the Beautifuls servants were in could revive his young friend, the wolf
hot pursuit, but the wolf easily outran them. caught a young raven (some versions say it
By the time they reached the palace walls was a crow) and threatened to tear it in half.
of Tsar Afron, Ivan had fallen deeply in love The raven, or crow (named Voron Voro-
with Elena the Beautiful, and vice versa. nich), pleaded for mercy, to which the wolf
Now Ivan asked the wolf again for help, and replied that he would spare the young bird
the wolf agreed. He would become the if the birds mother would bring him some
image of Elena the Beautiful and would take of the Water of Life and Death. The bird
her place with Tsar Afron while the two agreed and flew off. Three days later, she
lovers made their getaway. When they were returned with two little bottles of the Water
safely away, Ivan had only to think of the of Life and Death. To test the water, the
wolf, and the latter would return immedi- wolf tore the mother bird in half and then
ately to his side. sprinkled the water from one bottle over
Tsar Afron was delighted when the false the carcass. Immediately the bird flew up
Elena the Beautiful was presented to him by into the sky, fully restored.The second bot-
Ivan. He kept his promise and gave Ivan the tle the wolf sprinkled over Ivan, who came
Horse with the Golden Mane and its bridle. back to life.
Ivan rode off on the horse and met up with Ivan returned to the royal palace during
the real Elena the Beautiful, who was waiting the wedding feast of Vasilii. When Elena the
for him in the forest. After traveling a short Beautiful saw Ivan, she told the tsar the truth,
distance, Ivan thought of the wolf, which upon which Dmitrii and Vasilii were cast into
immediately appeared at their side. the palace dungeons. Elena the Beautiful
When the travelers arrived at the palace of then married Ivan, to whom ownership of
Tsar Dalmat, Ivan once again asked the wolf the Horse with the Golden Mane was
for his help, for he had grown very attached restored.
IVASHKO 139
See also: Afron; Dalmat; Dmitrii himself to forge her a voice so that she would
(Vyslavovich); Elena the Beautiful; Firebird, sound just like Ivashkos mother. Equipped
The; Horse with the Golden Mane,The; with her new voice, she hurried back to the
Vasilii Vyslavovich;Voron Voronich;Vyslav lake and called for Ivashko to come to the
Andronovich;Water of Life and Death,The shore.When he did, she grabbed the boy and
made off to her home in the heart of the for-
IVANOVICH, DUNAI est. There she ordered her daughter Alenka
Russia to heat up the stove and roast Ivashko, while
See Dunai Ivanovich. the witch went to gather her friends for the
fine feast of young human flesh.
IVANOVNA, KATRINA Alenka did as her mother told her and
Russia heated up the stove, but when it came time
See Katrina Ivanovna. to put Ivashko in to be cooked, the young
boy tricked the girl, and it was she instead
IVANUSHKA who was thrust into the heart of the stove.
Russia Ivashko left the house and hid in the canopy
The brother of Alenushka, Ivanushka was of the forest outside.
transformed into a kid after he drank from a When the witch returned with her
lake near which some goats were grazing, friends, she chided her absent daughter for
although he had been warned by his sister leaving the house unattended. Judging from
not to drink. When Alenushka later was the aroma that their meal was ready, she and
trapped at the bottom of the sea by an evil her companions sat down and ate until
sorceress who had designs on Alenushkas there was nothing left but a few bare bones.
husband, the tsar, Ivanushka pined for her by After they had eaten, the witch rolled
the edge of the sea.Worried that Ivanushkas around joyfully on the grass outside her
actions would betray her secret, the sorcer- home, shouting with glee about how she
essdisguised as Alenushkapersuaded the had enjoyed the roasted Ivashko. From the
tsar to kill Ivanushka. The desperate top of the trees, Ivashko whispered that the
Ivanushka went three times to the edge of witch had enjoyed roasted Alenka. Looking
the sea to call for his sister. On the third up, the witch saw Ivashko. She tried to
occasion the tsar followed him and rescued shake him down from the trees, but Ivashko
Alenushka, with whom he returned to the hung on.
palace. He immediately killed the sorceress Furious that she had been tricked, the
by throwing her onto a huge bonfire. witch started to gnaw at the trunk of the
See also: Alenushka tree, but she had gnawed only halfway
through when her two top front teeth broke.
IVASHKO Rushing to the smith, she had him fit her
Russia with steel teeth. Returning to the tree, she
The youngest son of an old peasant couple. started to gnaw again, but now her two bot-
Against his parents better judgment, Ivashko tom front teeth broke. These too were
persuaded them to let him go fishing. replaced by the smith, and the witch
During the day his parents came to the returned again to her task.At last she gnawed
waters edge and brought Ivashko food and through the tree; but Ivashko simply leaped
drink. However, they did not go unobserved, to an adjoining one, and the witch had to
for a witch witnessed everything and set start all over again.
about trapping the young boy for her supper. Just then a flock of swans and geese flew
Rushing to the local smith, the witch overhead. Ivashko called out to them to carry
ordered him under threat of being eaten him home. Two flocks passed over, but the
140 IVO
third swooped down, picked up Ivashko, and her sons death in a dream, which she
carried him back to his anxious parents. recounted to the local priest.While she was
Although the witch in the story of in church, her son rode up to the door, his
Ivashko is unnamed, most authorities agree black horse covered in blood. Ivo was
that it is none other than Baba-Yaga, the best wounded in seventeen places and was hold-
known of all Russian witches. ing his severed right hand in his left. His
See also: Alenka; Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga) mother helped him down from his horse
References: Afanas'ev 1957 and bathed his wounds, whereupon Ivo told
her that he and his men had been returning
IVO from Italy with a vast treasure when they
Croatia were ambushed three times by Turks. The
Hero who lived in Senj, on the eastern first two ambushes, Ivo and his men escaped
coast of Croatia opposite the island of Krk. without loss.The third, however, cost Ivo all
On one occasion he was reputed to have his men. As he finished the story and was
routed fifty thousand Turks with just eight blessed by the priest, Ivo died in his
hundred men. His death is recounted in a mothers arms.
Croatian heroic ballad. His mother foresaw See also: Croatia
JEZDA
Poland
One of the Polish names used to refer to the
witch Baba-Yaga, signifying that the
J
witch is associated with nightmares.
The other name the Poles use to refer
to this complex character is Ienzababa.
See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga); Ienzababa
References: Afanas'ev 1974
JUMALA
JANOS UgricUral Mountains
HungaryMagyar The supreme being, mother of all things.
The younger of the two sons of a poor The oak tree was her sacred symbol. Jumala
widower, his younger brother being Istvan. bears a similarity to Mother Earth, but she is
See also: Istvan greater, for she alone created the universe.
References: Biro 1980 She is also one with the universe, for all that
exists is contained within her body. In some
regions Jumala is considered a male deity;
JAZI BABA
but in fact Jumala is androgynous, at once
Czech
both male and female. Jumala possibly devel-
The Czech name for the witch Baba-Yaga.
oped from an ancient sky deity, as the name
See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga); Czechs
is cognate with the word for dusk.
See also: Mother Earth
JAZYGES
General JURAS MTE
Ancient tribe of Sarmatians, who originally Latvia
occupied the shores of the Black Sea. The sea goddess, respectfully called Mother
See also: Black Sea; Sarmatians of the Seas.
141
ernment abolished the Kalmuck Republic
and exiled thousands of people to Siberia.
However, many Kalmucks escaped to
Europe and the United States. In
K
1958 the Kalmuck Autonomous
Soviet Socialist Republic was
reconstituted, and many of the people
were returned to the Volga River region.
Today they make up more than half of
the total population of Russias
Kalmuck autonomous region.
KALINA The people are engaged chiefly in
Russia farming, and are unique among Mongols in
The name used by Katrina Ivanovna, the practicing Buddhism.
wife of Stavr Godinovich, while impersonat- See also: Astrakhan'; Mongols; Siberia;
ing the ambassador of the King of Greece at Turkestan;Volga
the court of Prince Vladimir Bright Sun.
See also: Katrina Ivanovna; Stavr Godinovich; KALVAITIS
Vladimir Bright Sun, Prince Lithuania
The divine smith who daily forges the new
KALMUCKS (KALMYKS) sun. He also makes a wedding ring for the
General dawn goddess so that she can marry the sun
One of the major divisions of the Mongols. every morning, and a silver belt and golden
From the fifteenth to the seventeenth cen- stirrups for Dievas and each of Dievass sons,
turies, the Kalmucks were nomads who the Dievo suneliai.
competed with China for control of Beijing. See also: Dievas; Dievo suneliai; Sun
Later they migrated to the lower Volga River
region in eastern Europe. In c. 1771, a group
of some 300,000 Kalmucks decided to KAMS
return to China to escape Russian domina- Russia
tion.They took part in one of the largest and The name sometimes given to the super-
most difficult mass migrations in recorded natural army with which the bogatyri
history. They were attacked en route by attempted to do battle, in the epic poem
Russian and Turkic bands, and only one- Why There Are No More Bogatyri in Holy
third of the group reached Chinese Tur- Russia. The poem explains that these
kestan.There they settled in the fertile basin bogatyri grew too confident of themselves
of the Ili River. Some Kalmucks stayed on and attacked a large, supernatural army.
the steppes of the Volga region, and their However, every time a supernatural warrior
descendants still live there. Kalmucks are also fell to the bogatyri, two more sprang up to
found throughout Central Asia. take his place; and at last the bogatyri
The tsarist government of Russia at- admitted defeat and fled to the mountains,
tempted to settle the Kalmuck nomads on a where they were turned to stone.
See also: Bogatyr'; Il'ya Muromets; Mikhail
reservation near Astrakhan', and the Soviet
Potyk; Mikula Selyaninovich; Sviatogor;
government established a republic for them Volkh Vseslav'evich
in 1935. During World War II the Kalmucks References: Evgen'eva and Putilov 1977;
collaborated with the invading Germans Nechaev and Rybakov 1959; Speranskii
against the Soviets. In return the Soviet gov- 1916; Ukhov 1957
143
144 KANDEK
References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967, lake swing after he had drained it of water.
vol. 3 Quickly the sprite disappeared and re-
peated Kapsirkos threat to the vodianoi,
KAPSIRKO the water demonchief of the demons and
Russia sprites who lived in the lake. He came to
A poor but cunning peasant, who when the surface and asked Kapsirko what he was
caught stealing firewood from his master was doing. Again Kapsirko repeated his threat.
threatened with being sent to the frozen The vodianoi asked what Kapsirko wanted
wastelands of Siberia. However, his master of him.
decided that he would give Kapsirko a When Kapsirko said that he wanted his
chance to redeem himself, and he assigned old masters wife back, the vodianoi refused.
him a seemingly impossible task. Kapsirko Kapsirko then suggested three contests, the
was to steal his masters horse from a heavily winner of all three to be awarded the lady.
guarded stable. He accomplished this task, The vodianoi agreed. The first test was to
but still his master was not satisfied; so the stand together on the very edge of the lake,
master told Kapsirko to steal his wife away where each would whistle as loud as he
from him. could in an attempt to make the other fall
Kapsirko achieved this by enticing the into the water. The vodianoi went first, and
lady out of the house and bundling her into Kapsirko almost fell in. When it was
his waiting sleigh. He then made off with her Kapsirkos turn, he whistled loud and long,
down to a lake near which a vodianoi, or but hit the vodianoi with a club so that the
water demon, lived. The vodianoi asked water demon fell headlong into the water,
Kapsirko to sell the lady to him, which unaware that Kapsirko had hit him.
Kapsirko did for a capful of money.The price The second contest was to be a race, but
having been negotiated, the vodianoi made Kapsirko derided the vodianoi, saying that he
off into the depths of the lake with the lady, had a grandson who could easily beat the
telling his servant to fill Kapsirkos cap with demon. The vodianoi accepted that Kap-
money. Being a cunning man, Kapsirko cut a sirkos grandson was a hare, and said that as
hole in his cap and placed it on the sleigh Kapsirko was so confident, maybe the hare
before the water sprite filled it. The cap should run rather than Kapsirko himself.
leaked its contents into the sleigh, which was Kapsirko readily agreed, for earlier he had
soon filled with coins. trapped two hares. As the race started,
Kapsirko then returned home. With his Kapsirko let loose the first hare, which easily
newfound wealth, he no longer had to be outran the vodianoi. When the vodianoi
subservient to his old master. However, after returned, out of breath, Kapsirko presented
a few weeks, his old master called him to his him with the second hare, which was as fresh
home, for he was missing his wife and as the morning dew.
wanted Kapsirko to get her back for him. The final contest was to be a wrestling
The master promised Kapsirko half his estate match. Again Kapsirko tricked the vodianoi,
and a large amount of money if he succeed- saying that his grandfather, an old bear, could
ed. Kapsirko agreed and rode down to the easily beat the demon. Again the vodianoi
shores of the lake, where he built himself a accepted this, and he was, of course, severely
shelter and spent hours twisting a rope. beaten as he attempted to wrestle the bear,
One day while he was working on the which was displeased to have been awakened
rope, a water sprite appeared and asked from hibernation.
Kapsirko what he was doing. Kapsirko In the end, the vodianoi submitted and
replied that he was making a rope from returned the lady to Kapsirko, who took her
which he would make the demons of the back to his old master, who kept his promise
146 KARACHAROVO
and gave Kapsirko half his estate and a large Woman did not carry her soul with her but
sum of money. rather kept it in a golden casket. That casket
See also: Siberia;Vodianoi (~nik) was hidden inside a black chest beneath a
copper rocka rock that rose from the earth
KARACHAROVO to the heavens and marked the edge of the
Russia nine seas that flowed through the under-
The village near Murom that was the birth- world, a point where the nine seas met and
place of Il'ya Muromets. became one, rising to the surface of the
See also: Il'ya Muromets; Murom earth.
The horses ran to the place where the
KARELIA copper rock emerged from the underworld,
General dug up the black chest, and removed the
Karelia is an autonomous republic in north- golden casket. Then the two horses carried
west Russia, between the Finnish border and the casket back to where Kartaga and the
the White Sea. It was occupied in early times Swan Woman were still fighting. There the
by nomadic Finnic settlers, who gave the piebald horse transformed himself into a bald
area its Finno-Ugric languagestill spoken man, opened the casket, and killed the seven
today, despite the best efforts of the Russian birds that flew out.These birds held the soul
government to enforce language laws man- of the Swan Woman, who fell dead as the last
dating the use of Russian. Karelia came bird was killed.
under Russian rule in the late Middle Ages. See also: Swan Woman; Underworld,The
Sweden controlled a part of the region from
the thirteenth to the late fifteenth centuries, KASHCHEI (THE DEATHLESS)
and again from the seventeenth to the early Russia
eighteenth centuries. Subsequently Finland See Koshchei (the Deathless)
occupied a part of Karelia (from 1918 to
1920 and from 1941 to 1944). KATRINA IVANOVNA
See also: Finland; Finno-Ugric;White Sea Russia
The wife of Stavr Godinovich, who upon
KARTA hearing of her husbands imprisonment did
Lithuania not become downhearted but instead rose to
The sister of Dekla and Laima-Dalia, though the challenge; gathered her retinue of thirty
only in instances where there are three god- archers, thirty chess masters, and thirty min-
desses of fate. Usually Laima-Dalia was con- strels; and set off for Kiev to free her unfor-
sidered the sole goddess of fate. The three tunate husband. She felt honor bound to do
goddesses were believed to control the des- so, as her husbands plight had resulted from
tinies of all living things, from a single blade his boasting about her prowess.
of grass to a human being. A short distance from the walls of Kiev,
See also: Dekla; Laima(-Dalia) Katrina and her retinue made camp. Katrina
then proceeded alone into the city, disguised
KARTAGA as a man. A short time later, she presented
Tatar herself at the court of Prince Vladimir Bright
A hero who appears in a poem recounting Sun as Kalina, ambassador of the King of
his struggle with the Swan Woman. For Greece, saying that she had traveled to Kiev
many years the couple wrestled, with neither to exact tribute from Prince Vladimir Bright
gaining the upper hand. Meanwhile, Kartaga Sun under threat of a terrible war.Vladimir
owned two horses, one piebald and one asked for three days and three nights to
black, and both horses knew that the Swan reflect on the demands of Kalina; but Katrina
KATRINA IVANOVNA 147
refused, saying that as ambassador he would the archers in his camp were weary from the
accept the hand of the Princess Zabava in journey but that he would be glad to try.
marriage in lieu of the tribute. Again Three times Vladimir shot an arrow at the
Vladimir asked for time to think. Katrina said targetcomposed of a ring and a knife
he could have twenty-four hours, and and on each occasion, he missed. Then the
returned to her camp. ambassador took aim and let fly a single
However, as she made her way back, she arrow, which flew straight through the ring
was secretly watched by Zabava and and split itself in two on the knife blade.
Evpraksiya, Vladimirs wife, who guessed Vladimir knew that he was beaten. The
that the ambassador from Greece was a ambassador turned to Vladimir and told the
woman. Thus, when Vladimir came to prince either to produce the tribute
Zabava to tell her the news and to ask her required by Kalina or to have Princess
to marry the ambassador to save them from Zabava taken to the cathedral in readiness
a terrible war, Zabava and Evpraksiya told for their marriage. With a heavy heart
Vladimir about the ruse and sought to Vladimir went to his niece and commanded
expose the fraud by challenging the ambas- her to prepare herself for her wedding to the
sador to manly contests. ambassador, and then he went back to where
The following day, the ambassador the ambassador waited to say that the bride
returned to Kiev and asked Vladimir for his was on her way.
reply.Vladimir stalled, asking for more time, The ambassador then issued a challenge of
whereupon the ambassador grew very angry his own, saying that Vladimir and he should
and demanded that Zabava become his wife ride out onto the steppes and test their
there and then.Vladimir remained calm and strength together. Vladimir replied that it
suggested that while the wedding prepara- would be a waste of time, as there was no
tions were being made, they should sit a man in all of Russia who could compete
while and play the gusli. Katrina knew what with the ambassador. The ambassador
was coming, and said that it had been a long taunted Vladimir, saying that if the prince
time since he had played the gusli, but could not produce a champion and would
agreed to sit and play, as his own players not compete himself, then perhaps there was
were weary from the long journey from one in the palace dungeons who would
Greece. The ambassador outplayed and out- compete.
sang all of the challengers in Prince Vladimir remembered Stavr Godinovich
Vladimirs court. and his idle boast, and immediately he told
Vladimir was astounded. The ambassador his guards to release him and arm him for
could not possibly be a woman.Yet he decided combat against the ambassador from Greece.
to continue to stall, and so he challenged the Stavr soon rode out from Kiev, and hidden
ambassador to a game of chess. The ambas- by the dust thrown up by their horses, Stavr
sador replied that his own chess masters were and his wife were reunited. The pair then
weary from the journey to Kiev but that he returned to Kiev, where Katrina Ivanovna
had played chess as a child. Quickly Katrina revealed her true identity to Prince Vladimir
outplayed every chess master Vladimir could Bright Sun. Then, laughing together, Stavr
produce, beating Vladimir himself in so few Godinovich and his wife Katrina Ivanovna
moves that the prince could not help but rode out of Kiev, leaving Prince Vladimir
think that he was playing the greatest chess Bright Sun thinking that Stavr had not made
master in all the world. Convinced that the an idle boast.
ambassador was a man, Vladimir continued See also: Evpraksiya (~ia), Princess; Kalina;
with his plan and challenged the ambassador Kiev; Stavr Godinovich;Vladimir Bright Sun,
to an archery contest. Again Katrina said that Prince; Zabava (Putyatichna), Princess
148 KATYA
KATYA KAZAKHSTAN
Slav General
A beautiful young peasant girl who had been Among the former constituent republics of
orphaned and had inherited her parents the USSR, Kazakhstan is unusual in that its
house. Over time she grew conscious of the indigenous people, the Kazakhs, are not a
fact that she was being helped around the majority in their own country, being out-
house by a dvorovoi. As the years passed, she numbered there by other, nonindigenous
was able to see him clearly, a handsome ethnic groups. A large-scale influx of
youth who had obviously fallen in love with Russians took place in the nineteenth and
her. Katya invited the spirit to live with her. twentieth centuries, as a result of which
He plaited her hair and made her promise Kazakh society came under the influence of
never to undo his handiwork. the Russian language and of Slavic ideas.
Some years later Katya realized that her However, the native Kazakhs did not com-
lover was incapable of physical affection. pletely assimilate with the Russians, and they
Yearning for human love and affection, she retain their own unique culture. The official
met and became engaged to Stefan. The state language of Kazakhstan is Kazakh, a
night before her wedding, after she had Turkic language, although Russian also is
bathed, Katya undid her hair, which had spoken by the majority of the population.
grown very long, and brushed it thoroughly Today the Slavic immigrants are concen-
before retiring. The following morning her trated in the northern part of the country
neighbors broke into her house when their and form a majority in Almaty (formerly
knocks went unanswered and found her still Alma-Ata), the capital of Kazakhstan.
in bed. Her long hair had been twisted and
knotted around her neck. She had fallen vic- KAZAN'
tim to her jealous dvorovoi lover, who had Tatar
strangled her with her own hair. The capital of the Tatar republic, which lies
See also: Dvorovoi on the Volga River about 500 miles (800
kilometers) east of Moscow. Kazan' is a cul-
KAUKAI tural center of the Tatars, who founded the
Latvia city in the fifteenth century. Ivan Groznyi,
Subterranean spirits who are ruled by the first tsar of Russia, captured the city in
Puskaitis. 1552.
See also: Puskaitis See also: Ivan Groznyi; Moscow; Tatars;
Volga
KAUKAS
Slav KAZIMIROVICH,VASILII
One of the variant names applied to the Russia
domovoi, it might owe its origin to the See Vasilii Kazimirovich.
Latvian name, kaukai.
See also: Domovoi; Kaukai KEREMET
Votyak
KAYEN A powerful but mischievous deity whoso
Armenia the Votyak people of at least one village
Also: Cain thoughtcaused famines through bad har-
The ruler of Kilikia, or Cilicia, who had his vests because he was unmarried. After one
palace in Adana. He is featured in the legend particularly bad harvest, the village elders vis-
of Purto. ited a neighboring village and arranged for
See also: Cilicia; Kilikia; Purto Keremet to marry Mukylin, the earth mother.
KIEV 149
When everything had been arranged, the vil- Mokosh. Some authorities have suggested
lage elders returned home and made the nec- that Khor, or Khors, a sun god, was the off-
essary preparations.They loaded wagons with spring of Perun and Mokosh.
food and drink, decorating the wagons See also: Mokosh; Perun
brightly before driving them to the neighbor- References: Gimbutas 1971; Ivanov and
ing village as if they were bringing home a Toporov 1965; Propp 1963;Tereshchenko
bride. There they cut a sod from the sacred 1848; Zemtsovskii 1970
grove and took it home with them, thus mar-
rying Keremet to Mukylin. From that day KHORIV
forth the harvests were always good, though Slav
the harvests of their neighbors were forever The Primary Chronicle says that Kiev was
bada state of affairs blamed on the unwill- founded by three Viking brothers named Kiy,
ing marriage of the earth mother to Keremet. Schek, and Khoriv, sometime before the
See also: Mukylin;Votyaks founding of Novgorod. The legendary Kiy,
Schek, and Khoriv may have a historical
KHAN basis, but this cannot be confirmed. The
Also: Khagan Primary Chronicle places them in Kiev before
General Riurik founded Novgorodbecause by that
Honorific title applied to a Mongol,Tatar, or time, the descendants of these three were liv-
Turkic ruler, perhaps most famously recalled ing in Kiev as tributaries of the Khazars.
from the historical Mongol leader Genghis These descendants were killed when Oleg
Khan. In the legends of ancient Russia, the wrested Kiev from the Vikings, in 882.
title is used indiscriminately to refer to the See also: Kiev; Kiy; Novgorod; Oleg; Primary
ruler of any foreign or supernatural power. In Chronicle; Riurik; Schek;Vikings
some versions of the legend of Dunai References: Cross and Sherbowitz-Wetzor
Ivanovich and the Princesses Nastas'ya and 1953
Evpraksiya, their father is said to be a Tatar
khan instead of the king of Lithuania (as KHOZIAIKA LESA
other legends have it). Russia
A khan was seen, by Russian subjects, as Mistress of the forest, a title that usually
being far removed from their own ruler, who applies to the witch Baba-Yaga but might
was answerable to the people. The khan was equally be applied to any of the many wood-
above the law, an overlord and conqueror rul- land spirits.
ing over a subdued people. He was, therefore, See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga)
the antithesis of a tsar or a grand prince and References: Wosien 1969
was regarded with disdain tinged with fear.
See also: Dunai Ivanovich; Evpraksiya (~ia), KIEV
Princess; Genghis Khan; Lithuania; Mongols; Russia
Nastas'ya, Princess;Tatars The capital of Ukraine, situated at the con-
fluence of the Desna and Dnieper Rivers.
KHAN BOGHU Founded in the fifth century, Kiev replaced
Armenia Novgorod as the capital of Slav-dominated
See Boghu, Khan. Russia in 882. It was also the center of the
Orthodox faith after Vladimir I converted to
KHOR(S) Christianity in 988. As the seat of Prince
Russia Vladimir Bright Sun and his court, Kiev is
One of the triad of supreme deities in the the most important city mentioned in
earliest times, the others being Perun and Russian legends.
150 KIKIMORA
The Primary Chronicle says that Kiev was Schek; Ukraine;Vladimir I;Vladimir Bright
founded by three Viking brothers named Sun, Prince
Kiy, Schek, and Khoriv, before the founding References: Cross and Sherbowitz-Wetzor 1953
of Novgorod. History supports an early date
for the foundation of both Kiev and KIKIMORA
Novgorod, and the chroniclers who re- Slav
corded their slightly dubious histories well A female domestic spirit sometimes de-
after the events obviously did not have a true scribed as the wife of the domovoi. Depicted
understanding of their subject. Kiev had as having chickens legs and a long, beaklike
been founded long before the Scandinavians nose, Kikimora (also known as Domania and
came to Russia.The latter did not found the Domovikha) could be persuaded to perform
city but brought it prosperity and thus household chores for busy wives by washing
ensured its growth. Kiy, Schek, and Khoriv the kitchen utensils in a brew made from
might actually have lived, but this is not cer- ferns. She would only assist competent
tain. The Primary Chronicle places them in housekeepers.Those who were lazy or slop-
Kiev before Riurik founded Novgorod, by py would be punished. Kikimora would lose
which time the descendants of the three small items, spoil food, and wake the children
Vikings were living in the city as tributaries at night by tickling them.
of the Khazars. These descendants were See also: Domovoi
killed when Oleg wrested Kiev away from
the Vikings in 882. KILIKIA
See also: Desna; Dnieper; Khoriv; Kiy; General
Novgorod; Oleg; Primary Chronicle; Riurik; See Cilicia.
KINGDOM BY THE SEA, THE 151
An undated woodcut from a story of mortals bargaining with the King of the Forest (from the collections of
Carol Rose; photo by David Rose)
152 KINGDOM OF DARKNESS, THE
dunghill in the City of the King, she had lan- wiser birds warned the peacock that kings
guished thirty years. were born and did not owe their positions to
See also: City of the King,The; Sviatogor their finery; but the peacock would not lis-
ten. News of the peacocks pretensions
KINGDOM OF DARKNESS, THE reached the ears of the eagle, which swooped
Armenia down on the proud bird and stripped him
One of the lands crossed by Badikan during and his family of their feathers.The peacock
his journeys. It is reasonable to assume that was not only reminded of the nature of a
this kingdom never saw the light of day true king but lost his riches as well.
(hence its name), and therefore, that it is an One of the fables of Mekhithar Gosh.
earthly representation of the darkness of the See also: Mekhithar Gosh
underworld.
See also: Badikan; Underworld,The KIRBIT
Russia
KINGDOM OF LIGHT, THE The tsar of an unnamed kingdom and father
Armenia of the beautiful maiden Vasilissa Kirbit'evna.
One of the lands crossed by Badikan during His daughter was stolen from him by Ivan,
his journeys. It is reasonable to assume that whom it had been prophesied she would
this kingdom never knew the darkness of the marry, and Bulat the Brave. Giving chase,
night (hence its name), and therefore, that it Tsar Kirbit alone survived the onslaught of
is an earthly representation of heaven. Bulat. Gathering twice as many men did him
See also: Badikan no good, for Bulat killed them all, again leav-
ing only Kirbit alive to mourn the loss of his
KINGDOM OF THE EAST, THE daughter.
Armenia See also: Bulat the Brave; Ivan;Vasilis(s)a
The kingdom in which the princess lived Kirbit'evna
with whom the giant Khan Boghu fell in
love. Badikan traveled there to abduct her on KIRBIT'EVNA,VASILIS(S)A
behalf of the giant, but the pair fell in love, Russia
and from that day forth they conspired to See Vasilis(s)a Kirbit'evna.
discover the secret of Khan Boghus immor-
tality. When they finally uncovered the KIRGHIZ
secret, they quickly disposed of the giant, Siberia
were duly married, and thenceforth ruled Ancient Siberian people who believe them-
over the lands of Khan Boghu. selves the result of a divine conception. In a
See also: Badikan; Boghu, Khan far-off land, so the legend goes, a ruler had a
References: Khatchatrian 1933 beautiful daughter whom he locked away so
that no man might see her. The girls only
KINGS ARE NOT CREATED BY contact with the outside world was an old
FLATTERY ALONE serving woman.When the girl had grown to
Armenia adulthood she asked the old woman to show
A proud peacock once strutted about, show- her the world outside her dark and gloomy
ing off his fine feathers to the birds who prison, promising that she would not reveal
came to admire his beauty. Before long the her trip to anyone. The old woman agreed;
peacock began to respond to their flattery but no sooner had the girl stepped outside
and started to say that with his fine feathers the palace than she was seen by the gods,
he should be king of the birds in place of the who immediately impregnated her. Her
eagle with its dull plumage. Some of the father was furious and had the unfortunate
KOLIADA 153
maiden locked in a golden casket and thrown See also: Ghovt; Suren
into the sea.The casket floated across the sea References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967,
until it was broken apart on a rocky coastline vol. 4
where the girl gave birth, her child being the
first Kirghiz and the progenitor of the peo- KOLDUN
ple. The ancient homeland of the Kirghiz is Russia
today known as Kyrgyzstan. Thought to possess supernatural knowledge,
the kolduny (pl.) of the Varangian period were
KIRNIS considered direct successors to the ancient
Slav shamans. Unlike their female counterparts, the
Minor fertility deity who ensured that cher- volkhvy (seers), who would only allow admit-
ries ripened successfully. tance of the opposite sex through blood lin-
eage, the kolduny (or wizards) were open
KIY about their practices and welcomed all who
Slav wished to participate. In a patriarchal society,
The Primary Chronicle says that Kiev was the kolduny might have held far greater sway
founded by three Viking brothers named Kiy, than the volkhvy; but in ancient Russia, where
Schek, and Khoriv, before the founding of women were the principal bearers of tradition
Novgorod. Kiy, Schek, and Khoriv might and protectors of the community, the opposite
actually have existed, although this cannot be was true. In later times, when wizardry was
proven.The Primary Chronicle places them in practiced by groups of men and women com-
Kiev before Riurik founded Novgorod, by bined, sorcerers began to be called znakhari.
which time the descendants of these three The kolduny, as the possessors of special
were living in the city as tributaries of the knowledge, were often consulted in cases of
Khazars.These descendants were killed when community dispute or disaster, when they
Oleg seized power in Kiev in 882. acted as mediators or as diviners of guilt.
See also: Khoriv; Kiev; Kiy; Novgorod; Oleg; There is evidence that they might have
Primary Chronicle; Riurik; Schek;Vikings favored men over women: For example, after
References: Cross and Sherbowitz-Wetzor 1953 a failed harvest in the regions of Rostov and
Suzdal', in 1070, the women were blamed,
KK CHAN with bloody results.
Tatar See also: Shaman;Varangians; Znakhar'
The hero of a Tatar poem who gave a ring References: Tokarev 1957
that held half his strength to a maiden.
Sometime later Kk Chan was engaged in KOLIADA
mortal combat and did not quite have Russia
enough strength to kill his opponent. Just Winter solstice ceremony that began on or
then the maiden came by and dropped the around 12 December. The word Koliada
ring into Kk Chans mouth, and feeling his comes from kolo (round, or circle); and the
strength renewed, he quickly overcame and name of Koliadas companion ceremony,
killed his opponent. Sviatki, is related to svet (light). (The festival
See also: Tatars known as Sviatki is only a small part of the
ceremony of Koliada.)
KOKNAS The traditional festival of Koliada united
Armenia an entire community in worship of its ances-
The sister of Suren who was, in fact, a Ghovt, tors, thereby ensuring the rebirth of the land
or she-devil. For the full story see the entry in the coming new year.Young women were
for Suren. central to the ceremonies. In the Sviatki rit-
154 KORKA-MURT
eggs at Easter, representing the resurrection young man squeezed the egg, whereupon
of Jesus Christ. Koshchei let out a piercing scream.Then the
Koshchei the Deathless, who in some young man crushed the egg, and Koshchei
sources is described as a dragon and a male instantly died.
aspect of Baba-Yaga, finally met with his There are many different versions of this
own death after he had kidnaped the beauti- story, but they all have a common theme in
ful Vasilissa Kirbit'evna. Bulat the Brave per- that the soul of the warlock is hidden in
suaded Vasilissa to find out where her captor some bizarre and inaccessible place.The egg,
Koshchei kept his soul. After recovering the however, is not the only vessel in which the
egg, Bulat returned to the forest home of soul is hidden. In one variant, where
Koshchei, and breaking the egg on Kosh- Koshchei appears as a serpent (possibly a
cheis forehead, killed him. dragon), the soul is contained within a peb-
An alternate version of the story of ble that could be found in the yolk of the
Koshchei the Deathless has him living in a egg, and death could only come to the ser-
magnificent golden palace where he keeps pent if that stone were smashed into his fore-
an unnamed princess prisoner, a princess head. Needless to say, no matter where the
whose lover continuously walks outside soul is or what its vessel, Koshchei the
the walls of the palace, unable to find a Deathless always dies and the hero always
way in. The princess sought to kill rescues the maiden.
Koshchei but knew that he did not carry See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga); Bulat the
his soul with him, so she made up to him Brave; Dragon;Vasilis(s)a Kirbit'evna
and asked him where his soul was hidden. References: Afanas'ev 186569; Ivanov and
Koshchei first said that his soul was in a Toporov 1965
broom in the kitchen, but this was a lie, as
when the princess threw the broom onto KOSMA
the fire, Koshchei remained unharmed. So Russia
she tried again, and this time Koshchei told Variant of Kuz'ma.
her that his soul was in a worm that lived
beneath the largest of three oak trees in a KOSMATUSHKA
field at the top of a high hill. The princess Russia
told her lover the news, and he sought out One of the two names given to the magical
the field, cut down the largest of the three horse of Il'ya Muromets, the other being
oaks, dug up the roots, and crushed the Borushka Matushka.
worm. Koshchei the Deathless remained See also: Borushka Matushka; Il'ya Muromets
unharmed. References: Astakhova 193851
The princess then tried again, and this
time was told that the soul could be found KOSTIA NIKITIN
hidden in an egg. That egg was in a duck Russia
which was in a hare, both animals in turn One of the druzhina of Vasilii Buslayevich,
being within a basket that itself was locked in Kostia stood guard over the stern of the
a steel chest that lay beneath a great oak that pirates ship while they sailed the waters of
grew all by itself on a small island far out at Lake Il'men'.
sea. The princess related the story to her See also: Il'men', Lake;Vasilii Buslayevich
lover, who set off, found the oak, retrieved
the egg, and came back to the palace, where KOSTIA NOVOTORZHENI
he confronted Koshchei. Dismayed to see the Russia
egg in the young mans hand, Koshchei The first bogatyr' to take the tests set by
reached for a sword, and as he did so the Vasilii Buslayevich and pass, and thus the first
156 KOSTROMA
KOSTROMA
KOT BAYUN
Russia
Russia
Fertility goddess who in tenth-century art is
A talking cat that lived in the Thrice-Ninth
represented as a diamond-headed column in
Kingdom within the Thrice-Ninth Land.
a temple, surrounded by horses enclosed in
Petrushka was sent to fetch Kot Bayun by a
lozenge shapes. The horses are surmounted
tsar who sought to be rid of Petrushka so as
by human figures standing with their arms
to marry his wife Masha. When the tsar
raised to the sky. Kostroma is the female
assigned Petrushka this task, Petrushka re-
counterpart of Kostromo and as such is con-
turned home crestfallen. His wife told him
nected with grain, both male and female
to go to bed and sleep soundly that night
aspects being seen as divine twins. They are,
and in the morning she would equip him
in fact, a part of a complex quadruple agrar-
for his task. As promised, Masha woke him
ian deity with male and female aspects con-
in the morning and gave him three felt hats,
sidered as a single entity, the other pairings
a pair of pincers, and three metal rods.
being Lado and Lada, Iarilo and Iarila, and
Petrushka followed Mashas advice to the
Kupalo and Kupala. Sometimes the quadru-
letter. Before approaching the cat, he put the
ple pairing within the deity was reduced to a
three felt hats on his head and took the first
single pairing, that pairing having different
metal bar in one hand and the pincers in the
names in different regions. In Murom the
other.The cat hissed and clawed viciously at
pairing was Kostromo and Kostroma,
Petrushka, but the hats protected him,
whereas in Kostroma province it was Iarilo
though they were torn to shreds. Shortly
and Iarila.
before the cat tore away the third hat,
Kostroma was celebrated each year on
Petrushka managed to catch the flaying leg
29 June, St. Peters Day, or the following
in the pincers and started to beat the animal
Sunday, in a festival known as the Funeral
with the first metal rod, which was made of
of Kostroma.Various versions of the festi-
iron.When that bar broke, he seized the sec-
val were performed, according to region
ond, made of brass, and continued to beat
and regional consideration. Generally, how-
the animal. When the second bar broke, he
ever, a bonfire would be lit and a young
took up the last one, made of tin, and con-
maiden from the community chosen to
tinued the punishment. This bar grew hot
represent Kostroma. She would be borne,
and bent but did not break, and in the end
with great reverence, to a local watercourse
the cat and begged mercy and promised to
where she was ritually bathed. They would
go with Petrushka to his tsar.
then return to the village to end the day
When Petrushka again stood before the
with feasting, dancing, and games. Some-
tsar, he bowed and told his ruler that he had
times the maiden would be replaced with a
accomplished his mission.The tsar looked at
straw effigy, but the rituals remained fairly
the cat and asked Petrushka how he could be
constant.
See also: Iarila; Iarilo; Kostromo
sure that this was indeed Kot Bayun.
(-Kostrobunko); Kupala; Kupalo; Lada; Lado; Petrushka released the cat, which immedi-
Murom ately bared its teeth, arched its back, spat, and
References: Cross and Sherbowitz-Wetzor flew at the tsars throat.The tsar called out for
1953; Mansikka 1922; Snegirev 183739; help, whereupon Petrushka simply bran-
Zabylin 1880 dished the pincers and the tin bar, and the cat
KREMARA 157
returned to his side. Petrushka then locked thought Mr. Kotsky was about to attack
the cat in a cage within the palace and him, so he jumped down and ran off, meet-
returned to the arms of Masha his wife. ing up with a huge wolf who was coming
This, however, was not the end of to see just what kind of animal Mr. Kotsky
Petrushkas torment at the tsars hands. For was. The boar and the bear told the wolf
the remainder of the story see the entry for what had happened, and from that day forth
Petrushka. all the animals of the forest lived in fear of
See also: Masha; Petrushka;Thrice-Ninth the terrible Mr. Kotsky. All, that is, except
Kingdom,The;Thrice-Ninth Land,The for the vixen, for she had seen the fright in
Mr. Kotskys eyes, and having coaxed him
KOTSKY, MR. down from the tree, she lived a life of lux-
Ukraine ury and ease as the other animals served
An aging tabby cat that lived with a bad- their every need.
tempered farmer who drove him away from
the farm when he grew too old to effectively KRASNAIA GORA
hunt rats and mice. Mr. Kotsky took to wan- Russia
dering the forests, where he was befriended Red Mountain, a widespread springtime
by a vixen who had never seen a domestic festival that, according to some authorities,
cat and therefore believed Mr. Kotsky when stems from the ancient Slavic custom of
he said that he was the fiercest animal in the burying the dead on hilltops or hillsides.The
world. festival occurred at sunset, when young
The vixen took Mr. Kotsky back to her women and young men would come to-
lair, and from that day on she did all the gether and dance and sing about the coming
hunting, while Mr. Kotsky grew strong and of spring while holding bread and eggs.
rather fat. As Mr. Kotsky grew, so did his Often the ritual would be performed by
appetite, and before long the vixen was find- young women alone who would dance
ing it difficult to catch all the food the cat around a single girl standing in their midst
needed. Thus she went out into the forest and holding bread and an egg that had been
and told all the animals about Mr. Kotsky, his dyed red. The bread represented the fertility
ferocity, and his appetite, adding that all the of the previous year; the egg symbolized the
animals must help her hunt, otherwise Mr. fertility of the earth waiting to be reborn;
Kotsky would be angry and would easily and the color red (krasnoe) signified the daily
deal with them. death and rebirth of the sun.
The following day, the animals of the for- References: Afanas'ev 186569; Snegirev
est caught a huge ox and dragged it back to 183739
the vixens lair. Mr. Kotsky hurried out and
leaped onto the carcass, tearing at its skin KREMARA
and shouting that he needed more to eat.As Slav
he set about the dead ox, a wild boar was The patron spirit of adult pigs and possibly
hiding in a pile of leaves when it was bitten the brother of Kurwaichin in Poland, he is
on the tail by a gnat. As the boar twitched, usually coupled with Priparchis, the patron
Mr. Kotsky saw the leaves move and, think- of piglets in common Slavic belief. Kremara
ing that they hid a mouse, leaped into them was believed to assume responsibility for the
with his claws extended. The boar was so continued good health of adult pigs after
terrified as Mr. Kotsky landed that he Priparchis had overseen their successful birth
leaped out of the leaves, Mr. Kotsky being and weaning. No true cult developed around
equally surprised and leaping into a tree Kremara; but the spirits patronage was tradi-
where a huge bear was hiding. The bear tionally evoked by pouring beer onto a fire,
158 KREMLIN
which resulted in a pungent aroma thought the Italian Renaissance classical style with
to attract Kremara. more traditional Russian forms, such as those
See also: Kurwaichin; Priparchis used in the Kremlins Cathedral of the
Annunciation (14841489).
KREMLIN During the seventeenth century, the tow-
General ers and buildings of the Kremlin were
A fortified enclosure surrounding the ad- enlarged and redecorated.The major Kremlin
ministrative core of a Russian town, which buildings of this period are the Terem Palace
generally consisted of a church or cathedral, (16351636) and the Palace of the Patriarchs
a central plaza or marketplace, and in the (16451655). In the eighteenth and nine-
larger towns and cities, a palace and other teenth centuries construction continued, but
government buildings. The name comes this time in the baroque and later neoclassical
from the Russian kreml', which means styles. Notable buildings from this period
fortress. Many Russian cities have krem- include the Arsenal (17021736), the Men-
lins, but the most famousknown simply as shikov Tower (17051707), the Senate (1776
the Kremlinis the vast walled compound 1787), and the Grand Kremlin Palace (1838
in Moscow. 1849). Buildings added during the twentieth
Moscows Kremlin has a long history as the century include the Presidium (19321934)
seat of government in Russia. Beginning in and the Palace of Congresses (19601961),
the twelfth century, when Moscow was the the great hall of which currently houses gov-
administrative center of only one of many ernment meetings and performances of bal-
Russian states, its princes ruled from the lets and operas.
Kremlin. The Kremlin was the headquarters See also: Ivan the Great; Moscow; St.
of tsarist rule from the mid-sixteenth century Petersburg
until 1712, when Peter the Great moved the
Russian capital to St. Petersburg. Moscow and KRICCO
the Kremlin again became the seat of govern- Slav
ment in 1918, shortly after the Bolsheviks Minor fertility deity who protected the fruits
took control of Russia, and remained the seat of the field.
after the Soviet Union was created in 1922.
With the breakup of the Soviet Union in KRIMBA
1991, the Kremlin became the seat of govern- Slav
ment of independent Russia. A goddess of the house who was principally
The Moscow Kremlin is a triangular worshiped in Bohemia.
enclosure with a circumference of nearly 1.5 See also: Bohemia
miles (2.4 kilometers). The first Kremlin on
the site was built in 1156. The present KRUKIS
Kremlin walls have stood since the late fif- Slav
teenth century, when Moscow became the The patron spirit of blacksmiths, who
most powerful Russian city. At that time, according to some sources, also watched over
architects from northern Italy and from the welfare of domestic animals along with
throughout Russia were called to work on Peseias.
the Kremlin. Italian architects built the See also: Peseias
Cathedral of the Assumption (14751479),
the Granovitaya Palace (14871491), the Bell KUL'
Tower of Ivan the Great (15051508), and Ostyak
the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael A water spirit who haunted large lakes and
(15051509).The architects carefully blended areas of deep water. His appearance always
KURKE 159
festival a young cockerel was sacrificed to and riding his fathers horse.This he did; and
Kurke and a few ears of grain were left stand- whereas it had taken his brothers many
ing in the field to feed the spirit. months to travel, it took him a matter of
See also: Rugiu Boba hours.As night fell on the very first day, hav-
ing already passed the apple tree and the
KURWAICHIN mountain of gems, the young man came to
Poland the crest of a hill and saw two suns in the val-
The patron spirit of sheep, and according to ley below him, one in the sky, and one on the
some sources, the brother of Kremara. Both ground.
were offered beer poured into the fireplace. Riding down into the valley, the young
See also: Kremara prince discovered that the sun on the ground
was a magnificent golden feather, which he
KUSH-PARI picked up, and ignoring the warning of his
Armenia horse, tucked into his hatband.Then he rode
From the Turkish kush (bird) and the Persian on, and before long he came to a city. He was
pari (winged spirit), Kush-Pari was exactly seen by the palace guard, who brought the
that, a winged spirit in the form of a bird. king news of the approach of a rider with the
The legend from Armenia concerning the sun on his head.As soon as the prince arrived
Kush-Pari exhibits many Turkish and at the city he was led to see the king, who
Anatolian influences and shows how during took the feather from him, and without even
the expansionist years of the Russian a word of thanks, dismissed the young man
Empire, these influences came to be regarded and set the feather on his wall. From that day
as an integral part of their heritage. forth the king had time only for the feather,
An unnamed king in an unnamed realm all other affairs of the city having to be han-
was going blind as he grew older. This king dled by his advisers.
had three sons, and one by one he sent them One day the king started to yearn for
to find a cure for his afflictiona cure that more than just the feather, and so he called
could only be found where no horse had for the young man who had found the
ever trod.The first son traveled to a tree that feather to be brought before him. There the
miraculously came to life overnight, bearing young prince was told to go and fetch the
huge applesapples that he took back to his whole bird to whom the feather belonged.
father, who was disappointed, for he had Failure would result in his execution by
already been to that place and the apples beheading.The prince told his troubles to his
could not provide his cure. horse, and the next day the horse led him to
The second son traveled past the tree and a forest that had a white poplar tree growing
came to a mountain, the top of which was in its midst. Under the tree, so his horse
awash in precious stones. Convinced that no advised him, was a white marble pool in
one had ever set foot on the mountainfor which a Houri-Pari, a nymph from paradise,
if they had, surely all the gems would have came to bathe. The horse told the young
been carried awaythe son filled a saddle- man to wait until the maiden had bathed and
bag with them and returned to his father.Yet had donned her golden feathers again before
his father had visited that mountain many he seized her by the legs.
years before, and now, just as had happened The prince did as he was instructed, and
then, the gems had turned to colored glass. before long he was riding back to the city
Finally the youngest son was called upon with the Houri-Pari for the king. The king
by his father to seek out the cure. In a dream took the bird from the prince and summarily
the young man was advised to set out dismissed him, and then set the bird in a
equipped with his fathers ring and sword golden cage, and from that day forth spent
KUZ'MA, SAINT 161
every day and every night in the presence of leaped onto the back of the mare and rode
the bird. her until she quieted and followed his every
Before long the Houri-Pari spoke to the command.Then the prince led the mare and
king, saying that she would become the most her thirty-nine offspring to the city of the
beautiful maiden in all the world if the king king.There, under the guidance of his horse,
would fetch for her her handmaiden, who the prince hung the ring his father had given
was being held prisoner by a red demon him into the middle of a vat, from a thread
somewhere between the Black Sea and the tied to his sword, which he laid over the top
White Sea. (In this case the White Sea was of the vat.Then he milked each of the thirty-
not the Russian Beloe More. If not entirely nine mares into the vat.
imaginary, the White Sea in Anatolia would The prince then undressed, bathed in the
have been the Mediterranean Sea, which is milk, redressed, resheathed his sword, and put
Akdeniz, White Sea, in Turkish.) The king his fathers ring on his finger. Having done so
agreed and once again sent for the hapless he sent the message to the king that his bath
young prince, whom he commanded upon of mares milk, which would transform him
pain of death to bring back the handmaiden. into a Houri-Pari, was ready. The king hur-
The following morning the young prince ried to the vat and stepped in, and was
allowed his horse to take him to the shores of immediately boiled to a pulp. The young
the Black Sea. Once there, on the advice of prince then dressed himself as king and took
his horse, the young man unsheathed his his place.
fathers sword and pointed it out across the Kush-Pari knew what had happened and
waters, which immediately divided, leaving immediately cast off her feathers and ran to
him a dry path across. After crossing the sea, the side of the young man who now was
the prince quickly came to the home of the king; the couple was married before the
red demon, whom he decapitated. He res- next day dawned. That morning, however,
cued the handmaiden and then rode back to the young king remembered his father, and
the king. Once again the king did not thank he told his new wife the story of his origi-
the young prince but simply took the hand- nal quest. She knew of the affliction, for she
maiden and dismissed the young man. herself had caused it when her husbands
The king presented the Houri-Pari, father had failed to take her captive.
whose name was Kush-Pari, with the hand- Together they rode back to the blind king,
maiden and told her to cast off her feathers and there Kush-Pari cured his blindness, and
and become his wife. She refused, saying that she and the young prince became the new
if she did, he would surely die. Yet if he rulers in his stead.
would bring her the forty fiery mares that The bird with golden plumage is encoun-
lived by the Red Sea, and if he bathed in tered among myths and legends of a great
their milk, he too would become a Houri- many peoples around the world, and ele-
Pari, and they could then be united. ments of the legend of the Kush-Pari are
Once again the king sent for the unfortu- strikingly similar to that of the Firebird.
nate prince and sent him on this latest quest See also: Black Sea; Firebird,The; Houri-Pari;
under threat of beheading. The prince was White Sea
once again guided and helped by his horse, References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967,
which turned out to be one of the forty fiery vol. 1
horses (for although the stories spoke of
forty mares, there were in fact only thirty- KUZ'MA, SAINT
nine mares, and one stallion). At the edge of Russia
the Red Sea the stallion lay down, and before Russian Orthodox saint who, according to
long his mother came to him. The prince some legends, collaborated with Saint Dem'-
162 KUZ'MA, SAINT
yan in forging the first plow (other versions as he could, all the time reciting the Lords
of this legend name the two saintly smiths as Prayer.
Saints Boris and Gleb). Kuz'ma and Dem'- For three days and nights the boy ran as
yan, however, had nothing at all to do with fast as his legs would carry him, continually
smithing; they were doctors who had been reciting the prayer, for every time he stopped
martyred.Their connection with the legends his recitation, he could feel the hot breath of
surrounding smiths stems simply from the the dragon on his neck. Finally, on the fourth
fact that Kuz'ma sounds similar to the day, almost totally exhausted, he came to the
Russian word for a smithy, kuznya. As a smithy where the saints Kuz'ma and Dem'yan
result, in the Russian Orthodox calendar of were putting the finishing touches on the
saints, they became the patrons of smiths and first plow that mankind would have. The
craftsmen. Churches dedicated to them were tsarevich ran straight into the smithy, and the
often to be found in the part of a town in two saints immediately slammed shut the
which smiths and craftsmen carried out their massive iron doors in an effort to protect him.
business. From outside, the dragon demanded that
The plow reputedly forged by Kuz'ma the two saints relinquish the boy to meet his
and Dem'yan was of enormous proportions, fate. The saints refused, so the dragon licked
and was forged with implements of like size. the iron doors, his tongue penetrating them
The two smiths were reported to have used on the fourth lick. However, as the dragons
twelve golden hammers, and tongs that tongue appeared through the doors, the two
weighed almost four hundredweight, or saints caught hold of it with their red-hot
twelve poods (a pood is an old Russian mea- pincers, and thus captive, they harnessed the
sure roughly equivalent to 36 pounds or dragon to the plow and made him plow a
16.38 kilograms). One story, apparently of deep furrow, the great mounds of earth that
Ukrainian origin, tells how this plow was he threw up thereafter being known as
first used. dragons ramparts.
For some reason not told in the story, the Kuz'ma and Dem'yan, as the magical
people of southern Russia angered God so smiths of legend, were also believed capable
greatly that he sent a fierce dragon to wreak of forging nonmaterial objects: Russians, in
havoc throughout their land. Every day, in a their wedding songs, would ask Kuz'ma and
futile attempt to appease the dragon, a differ- Dem'yan to forge them a wedding with links
ent family was obliged to sacrifice a son. so strong that they would last forever. In this
Finally it was the tsars turn to sacrifice his way Kuz'ma and Dem'yan came to be
son; and though many of his loyal subjects regarded as the patron saints of marriage.
offered to send their son in the place of the 1 November was Koz'ma and Dem'yan Day
tsarevich, the dragon would not agree to this. (also known as Matushka Kozma-Demian),
Reluctantly the tsar led his son to the an important agricultural feast day. On this
appointed place, where he left him to await day young women would go out to seek
his fate.While the boy was waiting, an angel their future husbands.
appeared to him and offered him a means of See also: Boris, Saint; Dem'yan, Saint; Dragon;
escape. Teaching the tsarevich the Lords Gleb, Saint; Matushka Kozma-Demian
Prayer, the angel told the youth to run as fast References: Chicherov 1957
deuces. Lada, here without Lado, is venerat-
ed as the Great Goddess, the parthenogenet-
ic mother of Dido, who is either her son or
her consort (or perhaps simply Lado by
L
another name).
An eighteenth-century text seems to
confirm that by that time, Lada had
assumed an ascendancy over Lado, who
was then seen as her son-consort,
though here Lado is referred to as
Dido or Dida (although the latter
LADA name has a feminine ending, Dida is
Slav almost always referred to as a male).
Also: Liuli See also: Dida; Didilia; Dido; Great Goddess;
The goddess of beauty, female counterpart of Iarila; Iarilo; Kostroma; Kostromo
Lado. Lado and Lada are commonly referred (-Kostrobunko); Kupala; Kupalo; Lado; Lel;
to in unison, in the songs sung by women Mokosh; Polel; Zizilia
while planting grain or at wedding cere- References: Afanas'ev 186569; Haase 1939;
monies. As a pair, the divine twins Lado and Snegirev 183739;Vernadsky 1959;
Znayenko 1980
Lada form one aspect of a quadruple fertility
deity, the other aspects being Kupalo, who is
linked with water; Kostromo-Kostrobunko, LADO
linked with grain; and Iarilo, linked with the Slav
Sun. Each of these aspects also has a feminine The male counterpart of Lada.
personificationKupalos being Kupala,
Kostromo-Kostrobunkos Kostroma, and LADOGA, LAKE
Iarilos Iarila. Russia
Lada has been tentatively linked with a Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia is the
Latvian goddess, though it also has been sug- largest lake in all of Europe, covering 6,835
gested that she derived from the Finno- square miles (17,703 square kilometers).
Slavic Mokosh, or the Great Goddess of the Ladoga is situated 40 miles (64 kilometers)
northern Letts and Mordvins. Other author- northeast of St. Petersburg. Along with Lake
ities identify her with Loduna, the Scan- Onega to its northeast, Lake Ladoga forms
dinavian goddess of fire, the hearth, and part of a canal system that links the Baltic
herds. She may, however, have a more and White Seas. Ownership of Lake Ladoga
southerly origin in the classical Leto, the was divided between the Soviet Union and
mother by Zeus of Apollo and Artemis. Lada Finland until 1940, when the Soviet Union
and Lado are also connected with the twin took possession of the lake after war against
deities Zizilia and Didilia worshiped by the Finland. The lake now belongs to the
Poles, who also venerate Lada and Lado Russian Federation.
though in this instance she appears con- See also: Baltic; Finland; St. Petersburg;
nected with the classical Leda, the mother of White Sea
the twins Castor and Polydeuces. One sev-
enteenth-century chronicler extenuates this LAIMA(-DALIA)
connection by naming Lada as the mother of Lithuania
Lel and Polel, both of whom have been The goddess of fate, to whom lime trees
directly connected with Castor and Poly- were sacred. Her name is cognate with laim,
163
164 LAME
happiness; she was sometimes referred to pendent country; it is shared among Norway,
as Laima-Dalia (meaning Happiness-Fate). Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Lapland covers
Lithuanian in origin, the goddess later about 150,000 square miles (388,000 square
gained cult status throughout the Baltic kilometers) and has no definite boundary to
countries. She was believed to control the the south, ending approximately at the Arctic
fate of all life-formsanimal, plant, and Circle.
human. Some stories refer to three, or even See also: Finland; Lapps; Russia
seven, goddesses of fate, though Laima is
usually conceived as a single deity. In LAPPS
instances where there are three goddesses of General
fate, Laimas sisters are named Karta and Though currently the Lapps are very much
Dekla. All three jointly controlled the des- a minority racepossibly numbering fewer
tinies of each and every living thing, from than 20,000they once occupied the
the single blade of grass to humankind. entire territory that is todays Finland.
Laima was responsible for choosing the Starting around the first century B.C., the
moment of an individuals death and had Lapps were driven northward by Finnic
special responsibility for the lives of women, invaders from Asia. Their current homeland
from conception through birth, marriage, in the far north is known as Lapland.
and childbirthwhen, perversely, her res- Having no political definition or precise
ponsibility came to an end. Laima would boundaries, Lapland is situated roughly
favor the chaste and would punish those within the Arctic Circle and belongs to four
whom she considered unchaste (or those different countriesNorway, Sweden,
whom the village gossips deemed so) by Finland, and Russia. The correct name for
pinching or poking them. the Lapp people is Saami, though for sim-
See also: Dekla; Karta plicitys sake the more common term Lapp
has been used in this book.
LAME See also: Finland; Lapland; Russia; Saami
Russia
One of the two servants of Whirlwind. He LATVIA
and his companion, One-Eye, are so called General
because that is exactly what they were. European nation situated on the eastern
Endowed with magical powers, they helped shore of the Baltic Sea. Latvia was an inde-
Ivan Belyaninovich return home after he pendent state between 1918 and 1940, when
killed Whirlwind, and they later helped Elena the Soviet Union occupied it and made it
the Fair prove the treachery of Ivans broth- one of the fifteen Soviet republics. Latvia
ers Peter Belyaninovich and Vasilii Belya- regained its independence in 1991.
ninovich. An ancient people lived in what is now
See also: Elena the Fair; Ivan Belyaninovich; Latvia as early as 7000 or 8000 B.C. They
One-Eye; Peter (Belyaninovich);Vasilii were forced out about the time of Christ by
Belyaninovich;Whirlwind invaders who became the ancestors of todays
Latvians. In time, these people established
LAPLAND trade with Arabs, Estonians, Lithuanians,
General Romans, and other groups, and developed
Lapland is located in the extreme northern their own language and culture. The Vikings
part of Europe, above the Arctic Circle. The raided Latvia during the eighth century, and
region is called Lapland because it is the Russian forces attacked Latvia several times
homeland of a people who are known as in the tenth century. The Teutonic Knights,
Lapps. However, the territory is not an inde- an organization of German crusaders, in-
LAZAR 165
the next valley. Lazar founded the village of blue blood and as rough as the bark on a tree.
Lazaropolje at the spot where he crawled However, not much of his skin could be seen
from the hillside. because he was covered from head to foot
See also: Macedonia with a long, shaggy coat of hair, almost
always green in color. His hair was long and
LEL tangled, and he had strange, protruding, pale
Russia green eyes. Some representations of the leshii
One of the twin offspring of Lada, the other show him (a leshii was almost always male)
being Polel.These twins have been identified with horns and cloven hooves. To make
with the divine twins Castor and Polydeuces recognition easier for mere mortals, the leshii
of classical Greece (or Castor and Pollux, as wore his shoes on the wrong feet and cast no
they became known in Rome). shadow.
See also: Lada; Polel The leshii had the ability to change his
References: Afanas'ev 186569; Znayenko 1980 size or shape at will, and to appear or disap-
pear in an instant. His flair for changing size
LENA, RIVER meant that in one moment he could be small
Russia enough to hide behind a single blade of
The chief waterway of a large district of east- grass, but the next be so tall as to tower above
ern Siberia, in Russia.The river rises on the the tallest tree in the forest that was his
slopes of the Baikal Mountains and flows home. The shape-changing ability of the
northeast 2,734 miles (4,400 kilometers) leshii meant that he could instantly become
before emptying into the Arctic Ocean any one of the animals in the forest, espe-
through the Laptev Sea. Along its middle cially the wolf or the bear (which enjoyed his
course, the Lena flows through a region that special protection)or even a human.
is inhabited by the Yakuts, a Turkic people As the leshii almost never left the forest,
who fish, farm, and raise livestock. only those who entered the forest were likely
See also: Siberia;Yakuts to encounter him. Since the leshii was the
spirit that controlled the forest, people left
LEONTII him votive offerings in the form of eggs and
Russia pancakes. Particularly active in the spring,
A priest from Rostov and the father of having hibernated or taken a winter holiday
Alesha. with his wife, the Leshachikha, and their
See also: Alesha; Rostov children, the leshii returned with wild
shrieks to enjoy leading people astray in the
LESHACHIKHA thickest parts of his forest home. The leshii
Slav could, however, be foiled by a traveler who
The wife or female counterpart of the removed all his clothes and put them on
Leshii. again back to front, with shoes on the wrong
See also: Leshii (~y) feet, thus imitating the leshiis style of dress.
Cowherds were even reported to have made
LESHII (~Y) pacts with leshiis to prevent their cattle from
Slav straying.
Also: Ljeschi(e) One such story tells of a peasant who built
A demon-god, the spirit of the forest from his smallholding in a remote and lonely part
which it takes its name, for les means wood of the countryside. One night this peasant
or forest. A leshii resembled an old man, welcomed a passing traveler, fed him well,
being extremely wizened, and had skin that and gave him a good bed to sleep on, and the
usually was tinged with blue because of his next morning refused the mans offer of pay-
LIKHO, ONE-EYED 167
and the smith found his exit barred. That for his breakfast, the ewe for his lunch, and
night Likho drove her sheep into the hut, the lamb for his dinner.The lion laughed and
and the smith was forced to spend an asked the fox who or what had taught him to
uncomfortable night in the company of Evil give such fair shares. The fox simply replied
and her sheep.The following morning Likho that it had been the eye of the wolf that had
drove her sheep out of the hut, feeling each guided him.
one as it passed her. The smith took off his One of the fables of Vardan.
sheepskin coat, turned it inside out, and See also: Vardan
safely crept past Likho; she thought he was References: Marr 189499
simply another of her flock.
Once outside, the smith jeered at Likho LITHUANIA
and then made his way off through the for- General
est. After a good distance the smith saw a One of the three Baltic countries (with
wondrous golden ax sticking out of a tree Latvia and Estonia).The Lithuanian language
stump. He felt strangely compelled to take has retained many features of the Indo-
hold of it; but when he did, he found that the European family of languages and is one of
ax would not move. Worse than that, his only two Slavic languages surviving today in
hand had become fixed to the handle, and no the Baltic region (Estonian being of Finno-
matter how hard he pulled he could not free Ugric origin, and more closely related to
himself. Then the smith heard Likho hurry- Finnish and Swedish than to the Slavic lan-
ing through the forest toward her ax, and guages).
without a moments hesitation the smith Scholarly opinion is divided as to when
took a sharp knife from his pocket, cut off his the ancient Lithuanian people first occupied
hand, and ran for home as fast as his legs the country today known as Lithuania. Some
could carry him. believe they arrived around 2500 B.C.; oth-
The moral of this post-Christian tale is ers, that they migrated to the area sometime
clear: Although it is relatively easy to find around the beginning of the first century
evil, it is much harder to escape evils A.D. The first reference to the people by
clutches; and it is better not to meddle with name, however, comes much laterin 1009,
what one does not understand. in a medieval Prussian manuscript known as
See also: Evil the Quedlinburg Chronicle.
With the rise of the medieval lords in adja-
LIONS SHARE, THE cent Prussia and Russia, Lithuania acted as a
Armenia buffer between Germany to the west and the
A lion, a wolf, and a fox once formed a team Mongols and Tatars to the east, constantly
to hunt. At the end of the first day they had being subjected to invasion and attempted
killed a ram, a ewe, and a lambspoils that conquest over a number of centuries. As a
the lion told the wolf to divide among them. result, a loose confederation of Lithuanian
The wolf gave the ram to the lion, as it was tribes was formed in the early Middle Ages
the largest; the lamb to the fox, as it was the and subsequently became the Kingdom of
smallest; and he took the ewe for himself. Lithuania in 1251. In the thirteenth century
The lion roared his disapproval and hit the A.D., when the Teutonic Knights, a German
wolf so hard that one of his eyes fell out, for militaristic religious order, were establishing
he knew that the ram would be old and their power, the Lithuanians resisted, and c.
tough, the lamb tasty but very small, and that 1260 they defeated the order.About a century
the best meat would be that of the ewe. later a dynasty of grand dukes called the
The lion then told the fox to divide the Jagiellons established, through conquest, a
spoils.The fox told the lion that the ram was Lithuanian empire that reached from the
LIULI 169
Baltic to the Black Sea.The Lithuanian Prince July 1940 the new parliament unanimously
Gedimin occupied Belorussia and western approved a resolution requesting incorpora-
Ukraine, and his son Grand Duke Olgierd tion of Lithuania in the USSR. Soviet forces
added the territory between Ukraine and the withdrew following the German invasion of
Black Sea. Jagiello, the son of Olgierd, suc- Russia, whereupon the Germans pillaged
ceeded his father in 1377. In 1386 he married Lithuanian resources, and as a national resis-
Jadwiga, queen of Poland, and after accepting tance movement developed, killed more than
Christianity, he was crowned Wladyslaw II 200,000 people. In summer 1944 the Soviets
Jagiello, king of Poland. reoccupied Lithuania and reestablished it as a
Jagiellos cousin Witold revolted against Soviet republic, and Lithuania settled into
him in 1390 and forced Jagiello to recognize comparative calm.
him as vice regent two years later. Witold Multiparty elections were held in Feb-
made the grand duchy into a prestigious state, ruary 1990 and independence was declared
and in 1401 Jagiello made him a duke. the following month. The USSR used eco-
Together the reconciled cousins decisively nomic, political, and military pressure to
defeated the Teutonic Knights in 1410. In keep Lithuania within the union as long as it
1447, under Jagiellos son Casimir IV, could; but after the Soviet state collapsed in
Lithuania and Poland formed an alliance. August 1991, the central government grant-
With the accession of Casimirs son Alex- ed independence to Lithuania, Estonia, and
ander I in 1501, the countries had a single, Latvia on September 6, and all three Baltic
common ruler, and in 1569 they agreed to a republics were admitted to the United
common legislature and an elective king. Nations later that month.
Although the political union of Poland and See also: Baltic; Belarus'; Black Sea; Estonia;
Lithuania was induced by the threat of Latvia; Mongols; Poland; Prussia;Tatars;
Russian conquest, it actually provided little Teutonic Knights; Ukraine
protection. Poland was partitioned in 1772,
1793, and 1795, and Lithuania became a part LITO
of Russia, except for a small section that was Bohemia
awarded to Prussia. Unhappy with tsarist rule, The personification and spirit of summer,
Lithuanians staged large-scale nationalist ritually carried into a village every year in
insurrections in 1812, 1831, 1863, and 1905. the form of a newly cut sapling with a good
During World War I the German army covering of leaves. The tree was decorated
occupied Lithuania, but at the end of the war with ribbon of many colors, and a female
nationalists established the countrys indepen- doll was hung among its branches.
dence. Lithuanias independence was recog-
nized by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, and LITTLE BEAR
in August 1922 the Lithuanian constituent General
assembly, which had been in session since The common name for the constellation
May 1920, approved a constitution that pro- Ursa Minor.
claimed the country a democratic republic. See also: Ursa Minor
With the outbreak of World War II and
the partition of Poland by Germany and the LIULI
USSR, the Lithuanian and Soviet govern- Slav
ments concluded a mutual-assistance treaty Related to Lada, the goddess called Liuli is
in October 1939. A pro-Soviet government the mistress of growtha fertility aspect far
assumed power in Lithuania the following beyond Ladas role as the goddess of beauty.
June and shortly afterward began a campaign Liuli could be called upon by reluctant
for Lithuanias inclusion in the USSR. In brides in the hope that she would intervene
170 LIVONIA
Immediately the king sent one of his min- chamberlain, and this time it was suggested
isters, who rode Lulizar. The old woman that the boy should reclaim the rosary of
embraced the princess and sent her on her the kings grandfather that had fallen into the
way, the old womans daughter accompany- hands of a terrible she-devil.
ing the princess and the minister in the guise The king sent his son-in-law, again rid-
of a boy. En route Lulizar spoke to the old ing Lulizar, to the castle of the demoness.
womans daughter, advising her to ask no There Lulizar told her that she should catch
reward other than ownership of Lulizar.This the rosary before it fell into the she-devils
she did after the king had been reunited with hand and then leap into the ravine that ran
his daughter.The king not only consented to past the castle, and Lulizar would catch her
the gift of Lulizar but also granted the youth on her back. The boy did as instructed;
he saw before him his daughters hand in but the noise of her escape woke the she-
marriage. devil, who saw the fleeing figure of Lulizar
The wedding feast lasted seven days and and her rider. The she-devil knew that she
seven nights; and on the last night, the could never catch Lulizar, so instead she
princess realized that her new husband was a shouted a curse after them, saying that if the
woman, and ran to tell her mother, the rider be a man, then he should become a
queen. Alarmed at the news, the queen told woman, and if the rider be a woman, then
the king.The royal parents were at a loss.The she should become a man. Thus when
king finally decided that they should send Lulizar returned to the palace, all was well,
their son-in-law on a mission from which for the princess found that her husband was
there would be no return. now indeed a young man; and she implored
The king sent for his son-in-law and her father to stop sending him on perilous
told him to fetch the brother of Lulizar. In missions.
the stables the boy told Lulizar of his mis- Thus the princess and her husband were
sion; but all Lulizar would say was that there reconciled, and the king gave them domin-
was nothing to worry about, for with her to ion of their own, and Lulizar lived in their
help, they would accomplish the quest with stables and advised them whenever the need
ease. Thus they rode out from the palace, arose.
found Lulizars brother, captured him, and References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967,
brought him back to the palace, where they vol. 1
presented him to the king. The king con-
sulted his chamberlain about what to do LUQMN THE WISE
next. The chamberlain suggested that the Armenia
boy should be sent to the house of the Variant of Loqmn the Wise.
demons, to collect the seven years back taxes
they owed. LUSAGHEN
The king summoned his son-in-law and Armenia
dispatched him again on a mission from Radiant, a water sprite, the daughter of the
which there was sure to be no return. Once King of the Waters. A young man who was
again Lulizar brought the quest to a satisfac- down on his luck and who remains nameless
tory conclusion by decimating the marble in the legends once sat down beside the well
quarry of the demons, who rushed out to see in which Lusaghen and her parents lived.
what all the commotion was; and while they Lusaghen immediately fell in love with the
were gone, the boy entered the house and young man. She told him to return to his
took the back taxes.They then rode back to parents so that his mother might come and
the palace and gave the king the money he ask her father, the King of the Waters, for her
was owed. Again the king consulted his hand in marriage, as was the custom.
172 LUSAGHEN
Returning to the well, where his mother See also: King of the Forest; King of the
was waiting, the young man presented the Waters
King of the Waters with the chest of cloth- References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967,
ing.With profuse gratitude, the king thanked vol. 10
him and immediately gave his blessing to the
marriage of Lusaghen and the youth.
Lusaghen then dressed and rose from the LYTUVONIS
well, and by nightfall she and the gallant Lithuania
youth were married. The Lithuanian god of rain.
Bulgaria. The Republic of Macedonia has
an area of 9,928 square miles (25,713
square kilometers). Greek Macedonia cov-
ers 13,206 square miles
M
(34,203 square kilometers),
and Bulgarian Macedonia
2,502 square miles (6,480 square
kilometers). The kingdom of
Macedonia was powerful in
ancient times, when the
Macedonian ruler Alexander
MAAN-ENO the Great conquered much of
Estonia Asia and spread Macedonian and Greek
The consort of the supreme being Ukko, culture throughout his empire.
and joint creator of man. She had specific The earliest known settlements in
responsibility for the success of the harvest Macedonia were villages established about
and the fertility of women. 6200 B.C. A number of different peoples
See also: Ukko settled in the region over the next several
thousand years. The people living there
MACEDONIA eventually came to be known as Mace-
General dones, and the region as Macedonia. The
A region on the Balkan Peninsula of south- name Macedones comes from the Greek
eastern Europe that includes the territory word makednon, meaning higha refer-
of todays Republic of Macedonia (for- ence to the groups mountainous home-
merly a part of Yugoslavia), plus parts of land.
northern Greece and southwestern The earliest known rulers of the
Macedonians were members of the Argead
dynasty, founded by King Perdiccas I about
650 B.C. During the sixth and fifth cen-
turies B.C., the Argeads expanded Mace-
donian rule into nearby regions. King
Philip II continued this expansion, and by
338 B.C., he controlled all of Greece. Philip
was assassinated in 336, and his son
Alexander became king (he subsequently
became known as Alexander the Great).
Alexander died in 323 B.C., without leaving
a strong successor.
Macedonia became a Roman province c.
140 B.C. and a part of the Byzantine Empire
in A.D. 395. In the sixth century, Slavs from
eastern Europe raided and settled in
Macedonian towns, and in the late ninth
century, Bulgars from central Asia conquered
Macedonia. In 1018, the Byzantine Empire
Coin of Philip II, king of Macedonia (Bibliothque regained control and ruled the region until it
Nationale, Paris, France; Giraudon/Art Resource, NY) became part of Serbia in the early fourteenth
175
176 MADER AKKA
century. However, in 1371, the Ottoman run by Turkish invaders during the six-
Empire again conquered the region, after teenth century and remained a Turkish
which it remained part of the Ottoman kingdom until the end of the seventeenth
Empire for more than 500 years. century, when the Turks were driven out by
By the late nineteenth century the the Habsburgs and Hungary came under
Ottoman Empire had begun to collapse. Austrian rule.
Bulgaria controlled Macedonia for a brief Magyar, the native tongue of Hungary, is
period in 1878, before most of the region still spoken in isolated parts of Czecho-
was returned to Ottoman rule. At the end of slovakia,Yugoslavia, Romania, and Moldova.
the Second Balkan War (1913), Macedonia The Magyar kingdom was first established in
was divided among Serbia, Greece, and the late ninth century, when the ten Magyar
Bulgaria. Serbian Macedonia became the tribes overran the countryuntil then
Yugoslav republic of Macedonia in 1946 and inhabited by Celts and Slavsunder a chief
an independent country in 1991. named Arpd. Like most of the region,
See also: Alexander the Great; Bulgaria; Hungary has had a very turbulent history
Byzantine Empire; Serbia that unfortunately has nearly erased the
ancient customs and beliefs of the Siberian
MADER AKKA Magyar people.
Finno-Ugric Lapp See also: Czechoslovakia; Finno-Ugric;
Hungary; Moldova; Romania; Siberia
The wife of Mader Atcha, she was responsi-
ble for the creation of the body of man,
whereas her husband created the soul. MAIN
See also: Mader Atcha Siberia Evenk
A hero who returned light to the world after
it was stolen by a mighty elk that lived in the
MADER ATCHA upper world. The theft plunged mankind,
Finno-Ugric Lapp which lived in the middle world, into dark-
The divine creator, husband of Mader Akka. ness. Main put on a pair of winged skis and
He created the soul, the life force of man, traveled to the upper world, where he shot
whereas his wife created the body. If the the elk with an arrow, released the sun, and
child to be born was a boy, then Mader Atcha returned light to the middle world. Main
sent it to his daughter Uks Akka for comple- himself did not return to the middle world
tion and placement in a human woman; if it because every day the elk returns to life and
was a girl, he sent it to another daughter, Sar steals the sun, and every night Main has to
Akka, for the same purpose. kill it again to ensure that daylight will return
See also: Mader Akka; Sar Akka; Uks Akka
to mankind in the morning.
MAGYARS MAJAHALDAS
General Slav
The Magyars are the largest single ethnic One of the various alternate names for the
grouping in Hungary. Of mixed Ugric and domovoi.
Turkic origin, the Magyars arrived in See also: Domovoi
Hungary from western Siberia toward the
end of the ninth century.They are general- MAJAS KUNGS
ly regarded as a Finno-Ugricspeaking Latvia
people due to their place of origin, though God of the home, the Latvian version of the
their language today more closely resem- Lithuanian Zemepatis.
bles a Turkic language. Hungary was over- See also: Zemepatis
MAL, PRINCE 177
MAKAR'EVSKAIA MAKOSH
Russia Finno-Slavic
Religious icon of the Virgin Mary found near Simple variant of Mokosh.
a pagan sacred spring in 1442. Between the
eleventh and fifteenth centuries many such MAL, PRINCE
icons miraculously appeared. It has now Russia
been generally accepted that the Christian The peaceful leader of the Derevliane, he
clergy placed the icons at various sites where courted the widowed Olga in an attempt to
they could be found, thus indicating the marry her and thus to acquire the Kievan
potency of the Christian faith and particu- kingdom.What happened then is related in a
larly of the Virgin Mary. When the icons folktale known as Olgas Revenge.
appeared at pagan sacred sites, such as springs Upon hearing the suit of Prince Mal,
or groves, the people understood them as Olga sends messengers to the Derevliane
asking them to send royal envoys to her so
that they might discuss a possible marriage
alliance.When those envoys arrive, however,
Olga has them immediately thrown into a
deep trench and buried alive. Next Olga
sends for further envoys to visit her, inviting
them to a great feast at which the proposed
alliance would be discussed. When these
envoys arrive, Olga invites them to refresh
themselves in the bathhouse. Then she has
her men set fire to the bathhouse with her
guests inside.
Now Olga turns her thoughts against
Prince Mal and the Derevliane. She and her
entourage travel to the grave of Igor, her
husband, which happens to lie within the
realm of the Derevliane.There she invites the
Derevliane to a feast in honor of Igor, and
when all her guests are drunk, her men hack
them to pieces. She assumes command of the
army of the Derevliane and demands three
pigeons and three sparrows as tribute from
every household. When these have been
delivered, she fixes firebrands to their claws
This fourteenth-century religious icon, The Virgin of and sets them free so that they might fly back
Tlog, is one of many such as the Makar'evskaia that to their homes and burn the homes of the
appeared between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries. Derevliane. Olga proceeds to vanquish
It is now on display in a Russian Orthodox church. Prince Mal and to assume rule over the lands
(Sovfoto/Eastfoto/PNI) of the Derevliane.
178 MARENA
See also: Derevliane; Igor; Kiev; Olga he flew away with Marfida and her sisters to
References: Cross and Sherbowitz-Wetzor their homeland.
1953 See also: Ivan the Mares Son; Ivan the Moons
Son; Ivan the Suns Son; Underworld,The
MARENA
Russia MARFUSHA
Winter or Death, the name given to the Russia
tree used in the ceremonies of Kupalo. The eldest daughter of an aging peasant,
See also: Kupalo stepdaughter to his second wife, and stepsis-
ter to the couples two younger daughters.
MARFA VSESLAV'EVNA Although she was her fathers favorite,
Russia Marfusha was hated by her stepmother, who
The mother of Volkh Vseslav'evich. Volkh called her lazy and idle and made her do all
was conceived when Marfa stepped on a ser- the household chores, though her own two
pent, which wound itself around her and daughters did nothing from morning to
impregnated her. Born in Kiev, he became a night. Finally the stepmother decided that
great wizard. Marfusha should marry. One winters morn-
See also: Kiev;Volkh Vseslav'evich ing she made the girl carry all her belongings
out to the sleigh and told her browbeaten
MARFIDA husband to take the girl out into the forest
SiberiaTungus and leave her to her future husbandthe
The wife of Ivan the Mares Son. One of husband she had in mind being Morozko,
three sisters with whom she used to fly, the frost demon.
wearing heron skins, to decorate the arrows Saddened by the thought of what would
of Ivan the Mares Son and his two become of his daughter, the man obeyed his
adopted brothers, Ivan the Moons Son wife and left Marfusha in the middle of the
and Ivan the Suns Son. When Ivan the forest. Growing colder by the minute,
Mares Son hid their heron skins, she swore Marfusha heard Morozko approaching.As he
to marry him. Her sisters married the other arrived he asked her three times if she was
two Ivans. warm enough, and each time, although
All was well until a serpent started to visit frozen half to death, she replied that she was
their home during the day and suck their quite warm. Finally Morozko took pity on
blood. All three Ivans were killed during a the girl, wrapped her in warm furs, and gave
battle with the serpent, who carried Marfida her wondrous gifts.
and her sisters off to its underworld lair. Ivan The following morning Marfushas father
the Mares Son was restored to life by his reappeared, certain that he would find her
mother along with his two brothers. frozen. To his delight, he instead conveyed
Lowered into the underworld, Ivan the the still living and wondrously clothed
Mares Son killed the serpent and rescued the Marfusha back to the house.The stepmother
three maidens. However, Ivan the Moons was horrified that her plan had backfired; but
Son and Ivan the Suns Son left Ivan the seeing the finery that Morozko had be-
Mares Son in the underworld and made off stowed on Marfusha, she insisted that her
with all three women. Ivan the Mares Son own daughters must now be left in exactly
was restored to life once more and rescued the same place.
from the underworld by his mother. He This they were; but when Morozko came
killed his false brothers, and having made to them, they both bitterly complained about
himself wings from feathers he had plucked the cold, and so he froze them to death. Of
from the heron skins he had hidden earlier, these two girls only the name of the eldest is
MARIA 179
knownParakha. When the father brought father, who told him that although his arrow
their bodies home, his wife berated him for had been retrieved by a frog, Ivan was
killing her daughters; but the man could no honor-bound to marry her.
longer stand her scolding, and he finally All three brothers were married at the
made her realize that it was all her fault. same service followed by a banquet at which
From that day forth, his wife treated the beauty of the two human wives was
Marfusha lovingly and did all the work the praised and the frog princess was made the
unfortunate girl had been made to do before. butt of many cruel jokes. Ivan the Young and
Marfusha finally married the son of a his new bride left the banquet early to the
neighbor and lived happily for many years on sounds of hilarity and hurried to their new
the gifts Morozko had given her, which home.
became her dowry. Some time later the tsar decided to put his
See also: Morozko; Parakha three daughters-in-law through a series of
tests to discover which was the best.The first
MARIA test was to embroider a rushnik (a towelpl.
Ukraine rushniki ). The two human wives set to work
The shape-changing daughter of the Sea with needle and thread, while the frog
King. She is known in Russia as Vasilissa the princess told Ivan to sleep soundly and not
Wise and appears in a story that is basically worry about the fact that his wife was a frog.
the same as that of Vasilissa, though the way The following morning Ivan awoke to see
her husband reclaims her is markedly dif- the rushnik his wife had embroidered with
ferent. the help of the animals of the forest, and
An unnamed tsar had three sons who all knew that she was no ordinary frog. The
came of age and asked their father, as was the rushnik was the finest anyone had ever seen,
custom, for his permission to seek wives. He and Ivans wife was easily adjudged the best
agreed, saying that the sons should each fire seamstress of the three wives.
a single arrow, and where that arrow landed The tsar then decided to see which of his
they should seek their wife. The eldest son three daughters-in-law was the best baker.
went first. His arrow fell into the courtyard He told his three sons to tell their wives to
of a neighboring ruler. The rulers daughter bake him a loaf of bread. Convinced that the
picked up the arrow and agreed to the young wife of Ivan the Young had had magical assis-
princes proposal. tance in completing the first test, the two
The second son went next. His arrow fell human wives watched through the kitchen
into the courtyard of a rich merchant, where window this time. They saw the frog open
that merchants daughter found it and picked the door and step outside to call the animals
it up. Thus the second prince became of the forest to her assistance. However, as she
betrothed. The youngest son, whose name stepped outside, the frog princess caught the
was Ivan the Young, went next. His arrow aroma of the two womens perfume; and so
flew through the clouds, so no one saw she mixed flour, water, and soot together and
where it landed, and Ivan had to set out to placed the mixture in the oven. Certain that
look for it. For three days Ivan looked for his they had her secret, the two human wives
arrow without any success. He was about to went home and copied what they had seen.
head for home when he passed through a Meanwhile the frog princess had thrown
swamp, and there, sitting on a lily pad, he saw away the foul mixture and with the help of
a large green frog holding his arrow.The frog her forest friends, had produced the most
spoke to Ivan saying that she would return exquisite loaf of bread any had ever seen.
the arrow only if he agreed to marry her. Thus, while the two human wives were
Ivan was horrified and hurried back to his cleaning out their ovens and starting over
180 MARIA
again, Ivan was presenting the loaf to his travel to the Thrice-Ten Kingdom and enlist
father, who again judged in favor of Ivans the help of Baba-Yaga, her aunt.
unusual wife. When the two human brides As the sun rose, a dark cloud gathered
produced their best results, the tsar imme- around the home of Ivan and Maria. Maria
diately sent the bread to his swineherd to was suddenly transformed into a cuckoo and
be fed to the pigs, but even they would not flew away. Ivan the Young pined for his beau-
eat it. tiful wife, unable to either eat or sleep. At
Finally the tsar decreed that he must find length he decided to go in search of his
out which of his daughters-in-law was the beloved. After almost a years travel, Ivan
best dancer, and he announced that a ban- came to the Thrice-Ten Kingdom and the
quet and grand ball would be held in seven forest in which Baba-Yaga lived. Fighting his
days. Now the two human wives felt certain way through the thick undergrowth, Ivan
that they would get the better of Ivans wife, came to a clearing as the sun began to set;
as they saw no way on earth that a frog could and there, on four chickens legs, stood Baba-
do more than hop, let alone dance. However, Yagas little house. Entering the house, he
Ivans wife told him that on the night of the found the witch asleep on her stove, woke
ball, he was to go alone and tell his father her, and told her the purpose of his visit.
that his wife would arrive late.Then, she told Maria had already told her to expect him,
him, they would hear three loud claps of and she had slept a whole year on the stove
thunder. On the third he was to leave the ball for fear of missing him. Ivan stayed the night
and escort her inside. Ivan did as he was with Baba-Yaga, and in the morning she
instructed, and after enduring almost two gave him a ball of thread with instructions to
hours of cruel jokes, he left the hall on hear- follow it wherever it went and to stop
ing the third clap of thunder. whenever it stopped. Ivan thanked Baba-
Outside he stopped dead in his tracks. At Yaga and set off in pursuit of the ball of
the foot of the steps sat a magnificent car- thread. At length the thread came to rest
riage from which the most beautiful woman beside the sea. Ivan settled down to rest in a
was stepping down. He hurried down the thicket and soon fell asleep. A bit later he
steps to her. She told him that she was his was awakened by the rustling of feathers.
wife, the Princess Maria, the daughter of the Sitting up, he saw thirty swans land on the
Sea King. As Ivan the Young led her into the beach, discard their feathers, and start to
hall and introduced her to his father, all eyes bathe in the sea. Ivan saw that his wife was
fell on Maria, and the hearts of all the men among them, and when their backs were
present ached with jealousy. turned, he hurried out of his hiding place
Ivan, however, knew that his wife had and hid Marias feathers.
taken off her frog skin. Making some excuse, When the maidens had finished bathing,
he hurried home, found the skin, and burned they changed back into their feathers and
it, because he thought that if the skin were flew away, leaving only Maria standing on
gone when his wife returned, she would not the beach. Ivan made himself known to his
be able to become a frog again and would wife, who embraced him and told him that
always be beautiful. However, when Maria he must come to the undersea kingdom of
returned from the ball and found her frog her father that night, and when the Sea King
skin burned, she told Ivan that she had been asked him what he wanted, he should say
placed under a spell by her father, and if Ivan that he simply wanted to see what the bot-
had waited only a little while longer, the spell tom of the ocean looked like.
would have been broken. Now he would Thus, as the sun sank below the horizon,
have her only until daybreak; and if he ever Ivan the Young walked into the sea and con-
wanted to find her again he would have to tinued walking until he came to the palace of
MARINKA 181
the Sea King. There, when the Sea King As Ivan the Young spoke, the Sea King
asked Ivan what he wanted, Ivan replied as scowled and grew angry, banging his fists on
he had been instructed, and the Sea King his throne. As his anger grew, the seas began
invited Ivan to stay. In his room in the palace, to boil. Maria took Ivan by the hand, and the
Ivan was visited by Maria, who told him that pair fled along the seabed and upward until
the next morning her father would offer they fell exhausted on the beach. Behind
Ivan the choice of thirty black fillies, each of them the storm raged, but they had escaped
which would be identical, and she would be the fury of the Sea King and were free to
the one that tapped one hoof. return to their home in Ivans kingdom.
The following morning the Sea King led See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga); Ivan the
Ivan into a paddock in which thirty black fil- Young; Sea King; Sea Tsar;Thrice-Ten
lies were lined up.The Sea King told Ivan to Kingdom,The;Vasilis(s)a the Wise
choose one as a gift. Ivan walked around the
fillies, but not one of them moved. He MARIA MORENA
walked around them a second time, and Russia
again they all remained motionless. Ivan The bride of an unnamed youth. When
walked around them a third time, and this Maria Morena is taken prisoner by an
time he noticed an almost imperceptible unnamed captor, her husband is told that he
movement of a hoof, and he immediately must travel to Baba-Yagas home to secure a
indicated his choice. horse that will help him release his bride.
That night Maria came back to Ivan and When the young man arrives at the witchs
told him that her father would again give home, he is startled by the bone fence that
Ivan a choice, this time of thirty white doves, surrounds it. On closer inspection, however,
twenty-nine of which would be her sisters he sees that one spike on the fence has no
and the thirtieth herself. All would look skull on top. As he examines the fence more
identical, but she would be the one that closely, he is confronted by Baba-Yaga, who
turned its head to the left. informs him that the last picket has been
Just as she had said, the Sea King led Ivan reserved for his skull. However, he can escape
the Young to a dovecote and gave the prince death and obtain what he came for if he
the choice of thirty beautiful birds. Ivan completes a simple taskcontrolling the
walked around the dovecote once, but not witchs forty mare-daughters for twenty-four
one bird stirred. He walked around a second hours. Needless to say, the hero of this story
time, and they all remained motionless. Ivan completes the task, receives a supernaturally
then walked around the dovecote a third empowered steed from the witch, and suc-
time, and this time one bird moved its beak ceeds in his quest to free his bride.
a fraction to the left, and Ivan immediately See also: Baba-Yaga, (-Jaga, -Iaga)
made his selection. References: Afanas'ev 1957
Yet again Maria visited Ivan in the mid-
dle of the night and told her husband that MARINKA
the Sea King would give him the choice of Russia
thirty maidens, each the image of herself, A powerful sorceress who assumed the guise
and that she would be the one upon which of Princess Evpraksiya in Kiev, where she
a fly alighted.Thus it was that Ivan was given came to the attention of Dobrynya Nikitich.
his choice the following morning, and the Although he had been warned by his mother
third time he walked around the thirty iden- that she was a powerful witch, Dobrynya
tical maidens, he saw the small fly and took no notice of the warning, and he soon
immediately chose the real Maria, claiming fell under Marinkas spell. Dobrynya returned
her as his wife. to his mother to ask her permission to marry,
182 MARKO, PRINCE
but his mother withheld her blessing. Marko became, like many other Serbs, a vas-
Dobrynya nevertheless married Marinka and sal of the Turkish invaders, fighting for the
was soon transformed by her sorcery into a Sultan against the Christians at the Battle of
golden bull. Rovine in Romania in 1394. Popular legend
This magical transformation triggered a says that before that battle he prayed to God
great battle between Marinka and Do- to give the Christians the victory, even if that
brynyas mothera battle not fought with meant he would lose his life.
conventional weapons but rather with Legend tells of his death in this manner.
magic. Dobrynyas mother finally overcame One morning he was riding Sarac along a
Marinka and released her son from the spell. road when the normally surefooted horse
According to some sources, Dobrynya then stumbled and wept, omens that Marko
tore Marinka in two. immediately recognized as evil. Instantly a
See also: Dobrynya Nikitich; Evpraksiya (~ia), vila appeared and told him that because none
Princess; Kiev could kill Marko and none should own Sarac
References: Evgen'eva and Putilov 1977; but Marko, the time had come for both
Gil'ferding 1949 horse and rider to die.
Marko recognized this as a message from
MARKO, PRINCE God. He had attained the age of 300, and
Serbia Sarac was 160; they accepted that their time
A historical figure who became a legendary had come. Marko killed Sarac and gave his
hero of the Serbs. A man of enormous trusted friend an elaborate burial. He then
strength (the mace he wielded in battle broke his sword and spear and threw his
weighed more than 180 pounds) and cun- mace over the mountains and far out to sea
ning, Marko had an inexhaustible capacity before lying down to die.
for alcohol. He was chivalrous, fearless, and A continuation of this legend says that a
passionate, though he was also capable of the priest found his body and took it to Mount
most ruthless brutality, even to women. Athos for burial. A more popular belief says
Marko was in league with the supernatural that Marko never died but instead, like King
mountain nymphs, the vile, and owned a Arthur, sleeps in a cave in the mountains, to
horse named Sarac that was the fastest in the rise again in a time of great need. One
world and had the power of speech. Sarac, Bulgar variant embroiders this idea, saying
like his master, had a considerable liking for that Marko sleeps in the cave with his beard
alcohol and Marko often shared his wine wound several times around him.
with the horse. See also: Arthur, King; Athos, Mount;
Marko is traditionally depicted as a very Romania; Sarac;Vila
large man, with very dark, almost black eyes
and a black mustache as large as a six- MARTHA (~FA)
month-old lamb. He wears a kalpak, a fur Russia
hat, and a cloak made of wolf-skins. His The sister of Mary in the biblical story.
spear is slung across his back, and a dama-
scened sword hangs from his belt. From MARTIROS
Saracs saddle hangs Markos huge mace and Armenia
a large wineskin. A young merchant from Yerevan who had
In poetry and popular tradition Marko promised his father as the old man lay dying
was identified with the resistance against the that he would never trade in Aleppo.
invading Turks. He was the exemplar of However, finding that he could not get a fair
heroic valor and the embodiment of the price for his wares and hearing that the peo-
spirit of true independence. In historical fact ple of Aleppo paid exorbitant prices, espe-
MARUSYA 183
cially for boxwood, he asked for his mothers Martiros that he had once lived with the
blessings, bought forty bales of boxwood, and young merchant and his family, and that
set off toward Aleppo. Late in the evening when Martiros had lost an eye, he had gladly
and still some distance from Aleppo, Martiros given him one of his. Now that he was old
stopped at a tavern for the night. he needed it back. Martiros was astonished.
After the merchant went to sleep, a thief Thinking quickly, he suggested that they go
stole one of the bales of boxwood, piled half to the local magistrate the following morn-
of it in the fireplace, and liberally spread the ing and have him decide.That night Martiros
rest around the tavern. When the merchant again listened at his wall, and when they saw
came down to eat, the thief asked the mer- the magistrate the next day he told the offi-
chant what he was traveling to Aleppo to sell. cial that he would give up his eye if it
When Martiros said that it was boxwood, the weighed the same as the one-eyed thief s
thief pointed to the wood lying all around other eye.
them and offered Martiros seven pots of gold The thief fled from the court, realizing
for the wood, which was so common there that the only way this could be accomplished
that the people used it as firewood. was if they took out his one good eye. He
Martiros was not to be put off, realizing returned to his two thieving friends, and
that if he sold the boxwood without actually when they heard what had happened, they
traveling to Aleppo, he would not be able to all fled the area. Martiros took his boxwood
tell his mother what he had seen there.Thus into Aleppo and sold it for a large amount of
Martiros entered the city the following day gold before returning home to live a life of
and was told that boxwood was so scarce luxury.
there that it could bring a kings ransom. See also: Aleppo
Hearing this, Martiros told an old shop- References: Khatchatrian 1933
keeper what had happened to him at the inn.
The shopkeeper advised him to ask the cook MARUSYA
at the inn for help. Martiros did this and was Ukraine
told to listen at his wall that night, for the Marusya and her young brother Vasilko lived
room next to his was occupied by three far out on the steppes with their trapper
thieves. father and mother. One day, in order to sell
Martiros did as he was advised and learned the furs they had trapped during the long
that he could only get out of his predicament winter months, the parents set off for a fair,
if he demanded a really unusual payment for leaving Marusya in charge of her young
the boxwood. The following morning the brother. They instructed Marusya to stay
merchant offered to sell his bales of boxwood indoors with Vasilko at all times, as a flock of
for seven pots of fleasa price that the wild geese had been carrying off small chil-
thieves had no ability to pay. Thus they dren and they feared for Vasilkos safety.
decided to deceive Martiros a different way, At first the two children obeyed their par-
so they hired a man to learn all he could ents, but soon the house became so hot and
about the young merchant. When the one- stuffy that Vasilko had his sister open the
eyed thief met Martiros as he walked door, saying that if they heard the geese
through the streets of Aleppo, he was able to coming they could easily close the door. Still
inquire after Martiross mother and neigh- the house remained hot and sultry, and it
bors, and to speak of many other subjects wasnt long before Vasilko was asking his sis-
that only Martiros himself could possibly ter whether they could sit outside, saying that
have known. if they heard the geese coming they could
When Martiros asked the thief how he easily hurry back inside. Marusya agreed, and
came to know these things, the thief told the two sat down in the hot sunshine. Before
184 MARUSYA
long Vasilko asked Marusya if she would the stove if it knew which way the geese had
fetch a pitcher of water. Marusya agreed and flown with her brother, and when the stove
went into the house. While she was filling replied that it did, Marusya ate some of the
the pitcher, she heard the honking of geese cold, hard buckwheat biscuits and then
and Vasilkos scream. cleaned the stove and cleared away all the
Marusya ran out of the house and saw the rubbish.The stove then pointed out the par-
geese flying away with her little brother. ticular mountain where the geese had their
Carefully locking the door behind her, nest and told Marusya to hide in the bushes
Marusya set off after the geese. Although she until all the geese were fast asleep, and then
soon lost sight of the geese, Marusya contin- make away with her brother as fast as she
ued in the direction she had last seen them could.
flying, and after some time she came to a Marusya thanked the stove and ran to the
river of honey with banks made of kisel' (a mountain and hid and waited until she was
pudding of pured fruit thickened with quite certain that all the geese had fallen
cornstarch). Marusya asked the river if it had asleep. She then crept into their nests and
seen the geese. The river replied that it had found Vasilko, and the pair made away as
but it would not tell Marusya the direction quickly as they could. When day broke, the
in which they had flown until she had drunk geese discovered that Vasilko was gone, and
some of its honey and eaten her fill of the they set off in hot pursuit. As Marusya and
kisel'. Marusya did this, and then tidied up Vasilko heard the geese honking behind
the riverbanks.The river then told the young them, they came to the stove, which told
girl the direction the geese had taken, and them to climb into its oven. This they did.
Marusya hurried off after she had thanked They sat quite still inside while the stove
the river for its assistance. pointed the geese in the wrong direction.
At length Marusya came to a forest, but When the geese had flown away, Marusya
she did not know where to look. In the mid- and Vasilko climbed out of the oven, thanked
dle of the forest stood an ancient apple tree the stove, and hurried off toward the forest.
laden with sour, green apples, its branches As they reached the apple tree in the cen-
crawling with hundreds of caterpillars. ter of the forest, they again heard the honk-
Marusya asked the tree if it had seen the ing of the geese, which had realized they
geese and her brother Vasilko, which it had. were headed the wrong way. The apple tree
Yet when Marusya asked the tree to tell her told the two children to stand close to its
where they had gone, the tree refused, saying trunk. Then it shook its branches and cov-
that Marusya must first taste its sour apples. ered them in a pile of leaves.When the geese
Marusya ate several of the apples until her arrived, the tree pointed them in the direc-
eyes streamed and her toes began to curl, and tion opposite to the one that Marusya and
then she cleared all the caterpillars from the Vasilko would be taking.When the geese had
tree and swept up all the fallen leaves. The left, the two children shook off the leaves,
tree then told Marusya which path to follow. thanked the tree, and hurried toward the
Thanking it, Marusya hurried after her river.
brother. Just as they reached the banks of the
The path took her far out onto the steppe, honey river, Marusya and Vasilko heard the
toward a range of mountains in the far dis- geese approaching. The river told them to
tance. As she began to wonder if she was jump in, and then it covered them with kisel'
indeed following the right path, she came to so that they were well hidden when the
an old stove beside the patha stove that geese arrived.The river sent the geese in the
was filthy, covered in rubbish, and full of wrong direction, and Marusya and Vasilko
hard, cold buckwheat biscuits. Marusya asked climbed out, thanked the river, and made it
MASHEN'KA 185
ing the bear not to sneak any pies for himself feast was seen as feeding the goddess, and the
because she would see him. sledding was a means of securing the plea-
On his way to the village where Ma- sure of the goddess, who would then ensure
shen'kas parents lived, the bear sat down to the fertility of the ground and a good crop.
eat one of the pies. From inside the basket Having been serenaded and fed, the straw
came Mashen'kas voice, warning him that doll would be taken out into the fields,
she could still see him; so the bear put the pie where it would be torn apart. Food would
back and hurried on his way.Three times this spill from the doll, which would then be
happened.At last the bear reached the village burned. The ashes would be scattered over
and left the basket outside Mashen'kas house the fields to further the influence of the god-
before running back into the forest. As dess.This tearing apart of the doll and burn-
Mashen'kas parents opened the basket, their ing of its remains has been seen as a way of
daughter leaped out. scaring away winter with the warmth of
For some time Mashen'ka would not springthe fate of the doll perhaps demon-
leave the house for fear that the bear would strating what the village people would do to
return. When the bear came back one day, winter if he stayed too long.
however, it was only to say goodbye and to References: Afanas'ev 186569; Propp 1963;
tell Mashen'ka he forgave her for tricking Tereshchenko 1848;Vsevolodskii-Gerngross
him. As he left, he threw a leather bag into 1929; Zemtsovskii 1970
the house. For several days neither Ma-
shen'ka nor her parents would touch the MATERGABIA
bag; but in the end curiosity overcame fear. Slav
When they opened the bag, a large quantity Female spirit who directed the housekeeping
of gold and silver coins poured out. From and who was always offered the first piece of
that day on, Mashen'ka and her parents lived bread from the kneading trough. Failure to
a life of ease. make this offering would lead to certain dis-
aster.
MASLENITSA
Russia MATI-SYRA-ZEMLYA
A festival held at the end of February, mark- Slav
ing the start of Lent. The name comes from Also: Zemes Mte; Zemyna
maslo (butter or fat). A celebration of the The earth goddess whose name is literally
earths awakening, Maslenitsa involved the Moist Mother Earth. She is not often
making of a straw doll, or the dressing of a referred to by name in the myths of ancient
young woman to play the role of the doll, Russia, nor was she ever given form, being
and the decorating of a tree. Following a feast worshiped simply as the earth itself. She was
of traditional foods, the ceremonies would often called upon to witness oaths and con-
culminate with newly married couples sled- tracts, a common method being the placing
ding down artificially constructed slopes. of a handful of soil on the head before tak-
Those who slid the farthest would be assured ing a vow. This made the vow sacred, for
the best crops in the coming year.The spin- Mother Earth could not be cheated. Her cult
ners in the community also sledded down dated from very early times, as in most agrar-
the hills, and the one that slid the farthest ian cultures; however, relative to similar cults,
would be assured the best crop of flax for her hers was undeveloped.
spinning. The Slavs once believed that they could
Maslenitsa also was the name given to the communicate with the goddess by digging a
goddess of spring, whom the festival wel- hole in the ground, speaking into it, and
comed at her return from winter exile. The then listening for her reply. It also was com-
MATUSHKA ZEMLIA 187
mon practice to kiss her before setting out Matriona (affectionate form of mother): In
on a journey, and then again at journeys its traditional, feminine form, the matrioshka
end. Beneficent to all, the goddess was par- may be seen as a representation of Mother
ticularly benevolent to women. She oversaw Russia, whose maternal love for her people,
the fertility of the world every spring, at especially the humblest, is expressed by a doll
which time bread was buried for her to eat that bears more dolls and thus ensures the
and wine or beer was poured into a hole for continued existence of not just the people
her to drink. She was also the patroness of but also the country itself.
the harvest. In times of plague, she could be References: Pronin and Pronin 1975
called upon to keep a household free of the
pestilence if a furrow was dug around the MATUSHKA
house at nighta furrow that Mati-Syra- Russia
Zemlya would fill with her potency, pre- Matushka is a Russian term of endearment
venting the infection from entering the meaning dear mother.The Russian word is
home. applied not only in its literal sense to human
See also: Mother Earth mothers but also figuratively, as a poetic epi-
thet indicating affection for and emotional
MATRIOSHKA attachment to natural phenomena, such as
Russia the river Volga.
Traditional Russian nested doll, hollow and See also: Volga
made of wood, with the largest, exterior doll
concealing a smaller one inside it, which in MATUSHKA KOZMA-DEMIAN
turn conceals an even smaller one, and so on. Russia
The matrioshka is usually brightly painted in One of the names given to the feast of
traditional peasant garba head kerchief, an 1 November, an important agricultural festi-
embroidered peasant blouse, and a dress sim- val also known as Kuz'ma and Dem'yan Day.
ilar to a jumper, called a sarafan. The first syl- Traditionally on this day unmarried women
lable of the dolls name is aptly derived from would go out and search for a husband.
See also: Dem'yan, Saint; Kuz'ma, Saint
MATUSHKA KRASNOGO
SOLNTSA
Russia
Mother of the Red Sun, the personifica-
tion of the mother of the sun god Dazhbog,
and by association, possibly the wife of the
sky god Svarog.
See also: Dazhbog; Sun; Svarog
MATUSHKA ZEMLIA
Russia
Mother Earth, the literal Russian name for
the goddess of the earth who usually remains
unnamed in the myths and legends. When
she is named, she is usually called Mati-Syra-
Zemlya, Moist Mother Earth.
Matrioshka, or Russian stack dolls (Russell See also: Mati-Syra-Zemlya; Mother Earth
Thompson/Archive Photos) References: Levin 1967
188 MAVKI
A Russian lacquer painting of Prince Sviatoslavovichs soldiers straining to move a massive plow as Mikula looks
on (Sovfoto/Eastfoto/PNI)
humble Mikulathough Mikula is by no ders.A light bay mare pulled the plow, which
means an ordinary peasant. was made of maple and had a coulter of
Vol'ga Sviatoslavovich was the nephew damask steel, a share of silver, handles of red
and godson of Prince Vladimir Bright Sun, gold, and traces made of silk. Mikula himself
grand prince of Kiev. His uncle had given is described as a man of tremendous mascu-
him dominion over three towns, along with line beauty, with eyes as keen as a falcons,
the peasants who lived on the surrounding hair in tight ringlets, and brows as black as
lands. As was his right, Vol'ga periodically sable. He wore a black velvet tunic, a soft felt
demanded and collected taxes from his sub- cap, and boots of green Morocco leather
jects, and on one such trip around his with extremely pointed toes and very high
domain he encountered Mikula. heels.
As they rode through the countryside, Mikula and Vol'ga exchanged greetings.
Vol'ga and his entourage heard the sounds of When Vol'ga told Mikula the purpose of his
a plowman whistling and calling to his horse journey, the plowman warned the prince
and of the plow cutting its furrow, and the that a band of robbers were camped along his
grating of the plowshare as it struck a stone. chosen route. These robbers lay in wait by a
However, no matter how fast they rode, they bridge over the river Smorodina, the planks
were unable to catch up with the plowman. of which they had sawn through so that trav-
For two and a half days they rode hard, chas- elers would fall into the water and drown.
ing the elusive sounds, until they finally came Mikula told the prince that he had been that
upon him. way just three days before and that these rob-
Whistling as he went, the plowman bers had attempted to waylay him as he trav-
Mikula tore up tree stumps that lay in his eled home carrying two skins filled with salt
path, roots and all, and cast aside huge boul- that weighed 100 poods (roughly 3,600 lbs,
MISFORTUNE, THE IMPS OF 191
or 1,638 kg) each.When the robbers had de- hill of the sky (some authorities equate
manded money from Mikula in return for Dausos with the moon).This was one of sev-
safe passage, he simply mowed down 1,000 eral routes by which the departed could
of their men. make their journey, other options being to
Hearing this, Prince Vol'ga invited Mikula climb up the slippery high hill of the sky, to
to join his party. Mikula willingly agreed and ride on horseback, to travel in the smoke of
unharnessed his horse. However, after a short the cremation fire, or to travel in a boat such
ride, Mikula began to worry about his plow, as that used every day by the sun as it
for he had left it in the open where it might returned home for the night.
easily be stolen. Vol'ga sent five of his men See also: Birds Way,The; Dausos; Moon; Sun
back to hide the plow, but they could not
even begin to move it. Ten men went back, MILOSERDNIA
and they had no more success than the orig- Russia
inal five. Finally Vol'gas entire company Post-Christian name given to one of the
attempted to move the plow, but it still three female spirits that oversaw all the func-
would not move. Seeing this, Mikula walked tions of human lifethe Russian equivalents
into the field, lifted the plow from the of the Greek Fates. Her companions were
ground with one hand, and hid it himself Alleluiah and Miloslaviia. Popular legend of
behind a willow bush after he had carefully the flight from Jerusalem of Mary the
cleaned it off. Mother of God says that she placed the
With the plow safe, Mikula urged his lit- infant Jesus in the care of an elderly woman
tle mare forward.When the mare broke into called both Miloserdnia and Miloslaviia.This
a trot,Vol'ga had to urge his steed into a gal- woman had a child of her own, whom she
lop. When Mikula gave his mare her head, sacrificed in order to hide the baby Jesus.
Vol'ga was left far behind. Calling out for When Mary returned for Jesus, the generous
Mikula to stop, Vol'ga caught up with him. woman found that her own child had been
Having been duly impressed with Mikulas resurrected.
strength and prowess, the prince made See also: Alleluiah; Miloslaviia
Mikula lord of his three towns and bade him References: Afanas'ev 186569; Bezsonov
collect the taxes in his place. 1861; Haase 1939
See also: Kiev; Mati-Syra-Zemlya; Mother
Earth; Smorodina;Vladimir Bright Sun, MILOSLAVIIA
Prince;Vol'ga Sviatoslavovich;Volos Russia
References: Chadwick 1964; Nechaev and Post-Christian name given to one of the
Rybakov 1959
three female spirits that oversaw all the func-
tions of human lifethe Russian equivalents
MILKY WAY, THE of the Greek Fates. Her companions were
Slav Alleluiah and Miloserdnia.
Russian peasants believed that the souls of See also: Alleluiah; Miloserdnia
their departed loved ones crossed the celes- References: Afanas'ev 186569; Bezsonov
tial bridge of the Milky Way to reach the 1861; Haase 1939
moon, which was to be their eternal abode.
A similar belief existed in Lithuania, where MISFORTUNE, THE IMPS OF
the Milky Way was known as the Birds Way, Ukraine
and was believed to be a bridge across which Invisible spirits that arbitrarily choose a vic-
the souls or spirits of the dead traveled to tim and cause that person bad luck through-
reach their eternal abode, the realm of out their life, going so far as to climb into the
Dausos, which lay beyond the slippery high coffin of their victim after they have died so
192 MISHA
that they might continue their influence in might once again turn to ill. However, when
the afterlife. Their influence is recorded in a the rich brother released the Imps of
story concerning two brothers, one a car- Misfortune, they refused to return to their
penter who had a large number of children former victim because he had tried to kill
and grew steadily poorer, and the other a them, and instead decided to stay with the
rich merchant who had no children and rich brother, who soon became as poor as his
grew steadily richer. brother had once been. However, when he
One year, as Christmas approached, the called on his brother and asked for charity, he
poor brother went cap in hand to his rich was received warmly, and from that day forth
brother and asked for charity, but his brother could always rely on his brother when the
would not help him. However, as he made need arose.
his way home again, he started to sing in This story should be compared with that
order to keep up his spirits, and he heard of Misha, whichapart from a few minor
many voices join his in song.When he asked differencesis identical.
who was there, the voices told him that they See also: Misha
were the Imps of Misfortune, whose goal was
to ruin a mans life and ensure that whatever MISHA
he did would end in failure. Having learned Russia
exactly what was causing his life of misery, The poorer of two brothers who lived in a
the man returned home and made himself a village near Smolensk. The name of Mishas
coffin, telling his distraught wife and family brother is unknown. The two brothers had
that he had decided to end his life.The Imps been left equal riches by their late father; but
of Misfortune told the man that even then for reasons not recorded, Misha steadily
he would not escape them, for they would lie became poorer while his brother grew ever
in his coffin with him.That was exactly what richer. At length Misha was forced to go cap
he had hoped. in hand to his brother, but the only help
Bidding his family farewell, the man took Misha got was to be invited, along with his
his coffin into the fields and dug a hole, into wife and family, to a great banquet that his
which he lowered the open casket.Then the brother was hosting.
man asked the Imps of Misfortune to test the Misha and his wife duly went to the party,
coffin for him, especially to make certain that and there Misha sang; but when he sang, his
the lid fit tightly enough. The Imps of voice sounded like two voices. Finally it
Misfortune climbed into the open coffin, dawned on him that he was being accompa-
whereupon the man screwed down the lid nied by Sorrow, who swore that from that day
and filled in the hole. Then he returned to forth they would be constant companions.
his wife and family and told them what had Returning from the party, Sorrow asked
happened. From that day forth their fortunes Misha for vodka, but Misha had none, nor
changed, and within a year they had amassed did he have the money to buy any. Sorrow
a considerable fortune and had built them- simply shrugged and told Misha that they
selves a fine new home. could sell Mishas fur coat, as in six months it
The rich man was traveling through his would be summer and he would no longer
brothers village one day and was astonished need it. Thus they took Mishas fur coat to
to see the riches he had managed to amass. the market the following day and sold it for
He stopped to call on his brother and was enough to buy two bottles of vodka. That
told what had transpired. Jealous of his night, with the vodka gone, Sorrow told
brothers good fortune, he hurried out into Misha that the following day they would sell
the countryside to release the Imps of his sled, for in six months, when summer
Misfortune so that his brothers good fortune came, he would have no need for it. So it
MOCKER KING, THE 193
went, day after day, until Misha had nothing He then carried the wheel down to the river
left that they could sell. and cast it adrift; and from that day forth nei-
Sorrow told Misha to go to his neighbor ther brother saw Sorrow again. They were
and borrow his ox and cart. Misha did so, and soon reconciled and lived ever after as broth-
before long he and Sorrow were stopped in ers should.
a field in which a huge boulder lay. Sorrow See also: Misfortune,The Imps of; Sorrow
and Misha climbed down from the cart, and
after much exertion, moved the boulder MOCKER KING, THE
aside, uncovering a huge cache of money. Armenia
When they loaded the money onto the cart, The title given to an unnamed ruler of an
it was filled to the brim. As Sorrow made unnamed realm who took great delight in
ready to climb up onto the cart, Misha asked laughing at those less fortunate than himself.
him to have one last check in the hole; and One day, seated at his window, he beheld the
Sorrow, thinking only of the vodka he might most hideously deformed woman he had
miss if even one coin were left behind, gladly ever seen, and almost split his sides in ribald
climbed down.As he did so, Misha leaned all laughter.The old woman heard his mockery,
his weight against the rock and rolled it over and there and then she determined that she
the hole, trapping Sorrow inside. would have the last laugh.
Misha then drove home, unloaded the The old woman was a powerful witch,
money, and returned the cart to his neighbor. and that evening she transformed herself into
Before long Misha had built a beautiful new a beautiful maiden and found employment at
home and was living a life of luxury and the palace as one of the queens maids.When
leisure. It was then that his brother came to she touched the queen as she stepped from
call on his new, rich neighbor and found to her bath, the queen changed into a deformed
his surprise that it was none other than his old crone. The maid then disappeared, and
brother who had, not six months before, the queen had to call out to the king for
come to him for money. When Misha told assistance. He did not know which way to
his brother what had happened, the brother turn or where to look for the witch, and so
became green with envy and set out to he sat comforting his wife, though he found
release Sorrow so that Misha might once her repulsive.
again have his company. The witch left the couple to reflect on
However, when the brother moved the their misfortune for a couple of days before
rock to one side, Sorrow leaped out and she returned to the palace. The king recog-
clung to his hair, sneering and saying that he nized the old woman as the one he had
would never be free of him. Sorrow laughed mocked from his window. The witch
loudly and called the brother a liar when he explained to the king that his mockery had
attempted to tell Sorrow that he was not rebounded on him, and promised that if he
Misha. Thus the greedy brother was stuck would hold his mockery in check, she would
with Sorrow, who soon started to whittle restore his wife.The king readily agreed, and
away at his fortune. The brother thought pleaded with the witch to restore his wife.
long and hard about his predicament, and The witch laughed and touched the queen,
then he invited Sorrow to play a game of who immediately became as she had been
hide and seek with him. Sorrow agreed, and before. From that day forth, the king only
he easily found the brother.The brother then laughed when it was appropriate to do so,
challenged Sorrow to hide in the hub of a and never again mocked the afflictions of
wheel. Sorrow agreed. No sooner had others.
Sorrow squeezed into the open hub of a References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967,
cartwheel than the brother plugged the hub. vol. 10
194 MODEINA
Present-day Montenegro became part of doing and what they had seen. Sometimes,
the Roman Empire in about 11 B.C. Slavs however, the moon would be angry with her
settled the region in the seventh century, and brother and would block out his light. (Early
Montenegro became part of Serbia in the peoples thought the moon had eaten the sun
late twelfth century. The Ottoman Empire and then spat him out.) Such occurrences
defeated the Serbs at the Battle of Kosovo were usually short-lived, for the moon could
Polje in 1389, and from that date until 1516, not remain angry long. The sun and the
local nobles ruled the country on behalf of moon both feature in the story of Raven
the Ottomans. That year, Serbian Orthodox Ravenson, though this story has more to do
bishops of the monastery at Cetinje began to with mans stupidity than with either celes-
rule part of Montenegro, and by the late tial object.
eighteenth century their rule extended to The moon is also widely regarded as an
the entire country. In 1852, Montenegros eternal abode for the souls of the dead, each
ruler took the title of prince, and the posi- soul crossing the celestial bridge of the Milky
tion of bishop reverted to a separate office. In Way to reach its final resting place.
1878, the Congress of Berlin formally recog- The Russians believed that the moon was
nized Montenegro as independent and the realm of the dead, as did the ancient
granted the state new lands that almost dou- Lithuanians, who believed that the souls of
bled its size. Prince Nicholas took the throne the departed crossed the Birds Way (the
in 1860 and declared himself king in 1910. Milky Way) to reach their eternal abode. As
In the early twentieth century a move- the realm of Dausos was also considered the
ment to unite Serbs and other Slavic peoples land of the dead, positioned as it was beyond
gathered strength in the region, and in 1918 the slippery high hill of the sky, this has led
townspeople deposed the king, and Monte- to conjecture that Dausos was the Lithuanian
negro became part of the new Kingdom of name for, though not a deification of, the
the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. In 1946, moon. The latter honor was reserved for
Montenegro became one of the six republics Menuo, who is described as traveling across
of Yugoslavia. the night sky in a chariot drawn by gray
In 1990, Montenegro held its first multi- horses and wearing a starry robe. He married
party elections, and between June 1991 and
March 1992, four Yugoslav republics
Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, and Bosnia-
Herzegovinadeclared their independence.
In April 1992, Serbia and Montenegro
formed a new, smaller Yugoslavia.
See also: Bosnia; Croatia; Herzegovina;
Macedonia; Serbia; Slovenia
MOON
Slav and Baltic
Like the sun and elemental forces such as
frost or wind, the moon is not usually given
a name in later Russian folktales. Earlier tales
call him (or her, for the moon is sometimes
described as feminine) Mesyats. Some say
that the sun and the moon were brother and
sister, and that every spring they would come
together to talk about what they had been View of the moon, taken from Apollo 11 (NASA)
MOROZKO 197
Saule, the sun goddess, but later fell in love tume of profusely embroidered jackets and
with Ausrine, the Morning Star, for which he skirts, elaborate coiffures, large earrings, and
was punished by Perkunas, who broke him numerous necklaces.Although Christianity is
into pieces (the ancient explanation for the common, ancient forms of nature worship
lunar phases). The Latvian equivalent of the are still practiced. The chief divinity of the
Lithuanian Menuo was Meness, who was non-Christian faith is Shkay, a sun god. The
said to have married the Weaver of the Stars. moon, trees, water, frost, and thunder are also
See also: Ausrine; Birds Way,The; Dausos; deified, and altars are sometimes built in
Frost; Meness (~ulis); Menuo; Mesyats; Milky homes for the purpose of animal sacrifice.
Way,The; Morning Star; Perkunas; Raven See also: Erzya; Finno-Ugric; Moksha; Shkay
Ravenson; Saule; Sun;Weaver of the Stars;
Wind MORNING STAR
Slav and Baltic
MORAVIA The Slavic personification of the Morning
General Star, the planet Venus when seen in the dawn
Moravia was an Avar territory from the sixth sky, was called Zvezda Dennitsa, one of the
century until it was conquered by the Holy two Auroras. She and her sister Zvezda
Roman Empire of Charlemagne. In 874 the Vechernyaya, the Evening Star, were daugh-
Slavic prince Sviatopolk founded the king- ters and attendants of the sun god Dazhbog,
dom of Great Moravia, which he ruled until with the specific task of grooming their
894. The Magyars invaded and conquered fathers horses.They were sisters of the two, or
Great Moravia in 906, and the kingdom three, Zoryi, though the Zoryi and Zvezdy
became a fief of Bohemia in 1029. In 1526 it may be interchangeable. The Morning Star
was passed to the Habsburgs; and in 1849 it was believed to give birth to Dazhbog each
became an Austrian crown land. Moravia was morning, whereas the Evening Star wel-
incorporated into the new republic of comed him to his death.
Czechoslovakia in 1918, remaining a prov- The Latvian personification of the Mor-
ince of that country until 1949. Today ning Star was Ausrine, and her Lithuanian
Moravia is a region in the eastern Czech counterpart was Auseklis.
Republic. See also: Auroras; Dazhbog; Evening Star;
See also: Avars; Bohemia; Czechoslovakia; Sun;Venus
Magyars
MOROZKO
MORDVINS Russia
General The frost demon who features most notably
People speaking one of the Finno-Ugric lan- in the story of Marfusha, on whom he took
guages and forming a large part of the pop- pity when she was left to be his bride,
ulation of the Mordvinian autonomous although he froze her two spoiled stepsisters
region, an internal division of Russia. The to death when they complained of the cold.
Mordvins number about one million and are Another story concerning the frost does
divided into two groups with different not name Morozko directly. In this tale a
dialectsa northern branch called the Erzya, peasant pays homage to the Wind, who
and a southern branch known as the appears as a man with tousled hair, dis-
Moksha. Their chief occupation is agricul- heveled clothing, and a swollen face and lips.
ture, but carpentry, the manufacture of This homage paid to the Wind offends both
wooden vessels, and beekeeping are also the Sun, who appears as a chubby man with
important to their economy. Many of the rosy cheeks, and Frost, who appears as a thin
women wear a distinctive traditional cos- man with gray hair and bushy white eye-
198 MORSKOI
brows. The Wind, however, promises the tal of his principality. During the fourteenth
peasant that neither shall ever harm him. century, under the rule of Alexander Nevski,
That winter the peasant feared because of Ivan I, and Dmitri Donskoi, the city became
the frost to venture from his home; but he the foremost political and religious center in
was forced to go out when he ran out of fire- Russia. The city was burned in 1571 by the
wood. As he walked through the forest, he khan of the Crimea and ravaged again by fire
felt Frost attacking him, so he broke into a in 1739, 1748, 1753, and 1812. In the last
run. Soon he was warm and thanked Frost instance the fire might have been deliber-
for making him move more quickly to keep ately set in an attempt to stop Napoleons
himself warm. Angered by this, Frost swore troops from taking the city. In 1918 Moscow
that he would make the man suffer horribly; became the capital of the RSFSR (Russian
so when the peasant removed his hat and Soviet Federated Social Republic), and in
gloves in order to chop wood, Frost froze 1922 it was named the administrative capital
them solid. Returning to his garments, the of the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist
man saw that they were frozen, so he began Republics).
to pound them with the blunt edge of his See also: Crimea; Khan; Mongols; Russia; St.
axe. Frost barely managed to escape the Petersburg
onslaught, and he crept away badly beaten
and bleeding. The Wind stayed quiet MOTHER EARTH
throughout this episode, for it knew that Russia
Frost was not really dangerous without his Mother Earth, personified as Mati-Syra-
collaboration. Zemlya, is essential to Russian legend. In the
The Wind also helped the peasant the fol- story of Dobrynya Nikitich, the hero calls
lowing summer when the Sun tried to upon her to open up and swallow the vast
scorch himblowing gentle, cooling breezes lake of dragons blood he finds himself
and making small clouds scurry across the stranded in after he slays a hideous, twelve-
sky to blot out the Sun and drop a quench- headed she-dragon.
ing rain on the man. Neither Frost nor Sun Mother Earth came into existence, so the
ever bothered the peasant again. legends tell us, when a little duck laid an egg
See also: Frost; Marfusha; Sun;Wind on a small island that rose out of the primeval
ocean. The egg rolled off the island and
MORSKOI broke into two, the lower half forming the
Russia earth and the upper half the sky.This legend
The Russian name of the Sea Tsar with bears comparison with the remarkably simi-
whom Sadko had dealings, and from whom lar Finno-Ugric story of Ilmater Luonnotar
that merchant managed to escape only with and the duck that laid its eggs on the god-
the help of Saint Nikolai of Mozhaisk. desss knees in the primeval ocean.
See also: Nikolai of Mozhaisk, Saint; Sadko; See also: Dobrynya Nikitich; Dragon; Finno-
Sea Tsar Ugric; Mati-Syra-Zemlya; Matushka Zemlia
References: Afanas'ev 186569; Fedotov 1960,
MOSCOW 1966; Matorin 1931; Pilnyak 1968;Tokarev
General 1957
Capital of Russia, located about 400 miles
(640 km) southeast of St. Petersburg. MOTHER OF THE SEAS
Founded as the city-state of Muscovy in Latvia
1127, it was destroyed by the Mongols dur- Respectful name by which Juras Mte, the
ing the thirteenth century and rebuilt in sea goddess, was known.
1294 by Prince Daniel (d. 1303) as the capi- See also: Juras Mte
MUZEM-MUMI 199
N
followed them, vowing to bring
her sister home or to die in the
attempt. She quickly caught up
with Dunai Ivanovich, Dobrynya
Nikitich, and her sister; however,
for some unknown reason she did
not attack them and instead turned
NADANOJLA and rode away. She was followed
Slav and unseated from her horse by Dunai
The leader of the vile. Her headdress and Ivanovich. Her courage so impressed Dunai
wings were stolen by Prince Marko. that he asked her to be his wife. Nastas'ya
Nadanojla and Prince Marko were married rode with the party to Kiev, and she and
and lived happily together until Marko fool- Dunai were married at the same ceremony
ishly boasted that his wife was a vila. as Vladimir Bright Sun and Evpraksiya.
Nadanojla immediately gathered up her During the wedding feast Nastas'yas new
headdress and wings and flew away.After she husband boasted that there was no finer
was recaptured by Marko, she remained his archer in all of Kiev than he. Nastas'ya rose
wife forever, reacting only with laughter to this bait and challenged her husband,
when her husband boasted of her supernat- proposing that a silver ring be set up on the
ural origins. head of one and that the other fire an arrow
See also: Marko, Prince;Vila along the blade of a knife and then through
the ring. Dunai Ivanovich invited his wife to
NAINAS try first. Three times she successfully per-
Russia formed the feat. However, as Dunai Ivan-
The personification of the northern lights, ovich prepared to take his turn, Nastas'ya
the aurora borealis. He was betrothed to implored him not to pursue their dangerous
Niekia, the daughter of the Moon, but he game and to forgive her foolishness. Dunai
never married her, due to the intervention of Ivanovich refused to listen. Nastas'ya again
Peivalk and his father, the Sun. begged him to abandon the contestif not
See also: Aurora Borealis; Moon; Niekia; for her sake, then for that of their unborn
Peivalk; Sun child, whom she said would be the most
wondrous babe ever born: He would have
NASTASIIA arms of pure gold from the shoulders to the
Russia elbows and legs of pure silver from the hips
Alternative spelling of Nastas'ya. to the knees; stars would cluster around his
temple; the moon would shine from his
NASTAS'YA, PRINCESS back; and the sun would radiate from his
Russia eyes.
Daughter of the king of Lithuania and sister Dunai Ivanovich still refused to listen.
of Princess Evpraksiya (some sources iden- Dipping the tip of his arrow in snake venom,
tify both as daughters of the Tatar khan). he let it fly. The arrow accidentally pierced
When Dunai Ivanovich and Dobrynya Nastas'yas heart. As she lay dying, the child
Nikitich traveled from Kiev to Lithuania to was cut from her womb. He proved to be
201
202 NASTAS'YA NIKULICHNA
just as Nastas'ya had described him. Grief- three days he brooded there in silence as they
stricken, Dunai Ivanovich planted his spear rode across the steppes. On the fourth day,
in the ground and threw himself onto its the womans horse stumbled and complained
point.Where the two died, two rivers sprang that it could no longer continue to carry a
up: the Nastas'ya and the Dunai, the latter of polianitsa and a bogatyr'.
which is better known today as the river The woman immediately climbed down
Danube. from her horse and took Dobrynya out of
In another version of the legend, Nastas'ya her pouch, demanding to know who he was,
was chosen as a suitable bride for Dunai and saying that if he was older than her, she
Ivanovich by his mother; but in order to win would kill him; if he were younger, she
Nastas'yas hand, he had to defeat her in bat- would consider him her brother; and if they
tle. Instead, Nastas'ya triumphed over Dunai. were the same age, she would marry him.
She placed him in her bag, stating that if he Dobrynya refused to tell the woman any-
were younger than she, then he would thing. However, her horse recognized him
become her brother; if he were older, she and told the woman that his name was
would kill him; but if he were of the same Dobrynya Nikitich and that he was the same
age, she would marry him. Dunai was the age as the woman. The latter then told
same age as Nastas'ya, and the two were sub- Dobrynya that her name was Nastas'ya
sequently married. Nikulichna, and that as they were the same
In later times the story of Princess age, they should marry. Dobrynya agreed,
Nastas'ya became linked with that of Na- and the two of them rode back to Kiev.
stas'ya Nikulichna, although the two stories Dobrynyas mother, the widow Amelfia
had separate origins. Timofeyevna, welcomed Nastas'ya to their
See also: Danube; Dobrynya Nikitich; Dunai home. Before long, a huge wedding was
Ivanovich; Evpraksiya (~ia), Princess; Khan; arranged which was attended by Prince
Kiev; Lithuania; Nastas'ya Nikulichna;Tatars; Vladimir Bright Sun and his wife Ev-
Vladimir Bright Sun, Prince praksiya. For three days and three nights
References: Astakhova 1961; Evgen'eva and the wedding feast wore on, and afterward
Putilov 1977; Khudiakov 1964
Dobrynya and his new wife Nastas'ya
returned to live with Amelfia Timofeyevna.
NASTAS'YA NIKULICHNA Thereafter Nastas'ya stayed at home like
Russia any other Russian wife. When Dobrynya
A polianitsa whom Dobrynya Nikitich came left to wage war in behalf of the king of
across as she spurred her jet-black horse Lithuania, his wife promised that she would
across the plains. Dobrynya quickly strung an wait faithfully for him. However, after
arrow in his bow and fired at the maiden, the many years had passed and news of her
arrow flying straight and true and striking husbands death had reached Kiev, Nastas'ya
her on the side of her helmet. agreed to marry Alyosha Popovicheven
However, rather than hurting the rider, though she had promised Dobrynya that
the arrow simply fell to the ground and the Alyosha would be the last man she would
woman rode on as if nothing had happened. ever consider marrying.
Dobrynya let a second arrow fly, with exactly Dobrynya Nikitich heard of the wedding
the same result. The third arrow struck the plans and rode quickly back to Kiev, where he
woman on her helmet, causing her to stop disguised himself as a minstrel and sang for the
and look around. She caught sight of wedding guests. When his identity was
Dobrynya and rode up to him, lifted him revealed, Dobrynya forgave his wife for her
from his saddle by his hair, and thrust him errant ways but made ready to kill Alyosha
into a deep pouch she carried with her. For Popovichhis sword being stayed by Il'ya
NEMAL CHELOVEK 203
Muromets. Dobrynya and Nastas'ya lived the when the russalki moved from their watery
rest of their lives in peace and happiness and winter homes to spend the summers in the
never again spoke of (or to) Alyosha Popovich. trees of the woods and forests.
See also: Alyosha Popovich; Amelf(i)a See also: Radunitsa; Rus(s)alki (~ulki)
Timofe(y)evna; Bogatyr'; Dobrynya Nikitich;
Evpraksiya (~ia), Princess; Il'ya Muromets; NAVKI
Kiev; Lithuania; Polianitsa;Vladimir Bright Russia
Sun, Prince
One of the various names applied to the rus-
References: Astakhova 1961; Evgen'eva and
Putilov 1977; Gil'ferding 1951; Rambaud 1879
salki, which appears to owe its origins to
Nava, the name of the underworld sea. Other
NASTAS'YA OF THE names for the russalki include mavki, faraony,
GOLDEN BRAID and vodianiani.
See also: Faraony; Mavki; Nava; Rus(s)alki
Russia
(~ulki); Underworld,The;Vodianiani
Wife of Bel Belyanin and mother of Peter References: Snegirev 183739
Belyaninovich,Vasilii Belyaninovich, and Ivan
Belyaninovich. She was abducted by Whirl-
NAZARIEV, FOMA
wind and rescued many years later by her
Russia
youngest son Ivan, although Peter and Vasilii
See Foma Nazariev.
tried to claim the credit for themselves.
See also: Bel Belyanin; Ivan Belyaninovich;
Peter (Belyaninovich);Vasilii Belyaninovich; NEDELIA, SAINT
Whirlwind Russia
One of the two saints commonly associated
NAUI with Saint Paraskeva, the other being Saint
Russia Sreda. Saint Nedelia was also linked with
A great, mythical bird into which Vol'ga Saint Anastasia. The three saintsParaskeva,
Buslavlevich turned himself in order to drive Nedelia, and Sredaare considered Christian
all the birds in a forest into the nets strung up personifications of the pagan goddesses of
by his men.The exact shape and form of the fate. They were worshiped either as a triune
Naui bird are not revealed, but some have entity or individually and interchangeably.
suggested that it was a cross between an eagle See also: Anastasia, Saint; Nedelia, Saint;
and a dragon. Paraskeva, Saint; Sreda, Saint
See also: Dragon;Vol'ga Buslavlevich References: Afanas'ev 186569; Bezsonov
1861; Haase 1939; Ralston 1872
NAVA
Russia NEMAL CHELOVEK
A name for the underworld, the land of the Russia
dead (a land also known as Rai, or Peklo). The Big Man, a sorcerer who, in the guise
Also the name of a sea in the underworld of a rich merchant, kidnapped the only
that the dead must cross in order to reach daughter of an unnamed tsar and his wife by
their eternal abode. luring the young woman onto his ship with
See also: Peklo; Rai; Underworld,The promises of untold riches, such as a self-
References: Afanas'ev 186569; Haase 1939 playing lute, a talking cat, a self-laying table-
cloth, and a host of other objects never
NAVII DEN' before seen. The tsar immediately offered
Russia half his kingdom and his daughters hand in
A festival day shortly after Easter and marriage to whoever could find her and
Radunitsa that marked the time of the year return her home again.
204 NESTOR
Many men tried and failed, and gradually mansion totally unguarded, for the sorcerer
the tsar grew more and more despondent. never imagined anyone would be foolish
Then one night a lowly guard named Ivan enough to enter his domain. Ivan entered
was standing watch in the tsars garden the mansion and quickly located the tsars
when he overheard two crows talking. daughter, who told him that Nemal Che-
These crows talked about a sorcerer named lovek intended her to become the bride of
Nemal Chelovek who had once visited the the Gorynich, a terrible dragon that was
realm and made off with the daughter of also the nephew of the sorcerer. Ivan told
the tsar. In the course of their conversation, her not to worry, for he would deliver her.
the crows named the kingdom in which the When she heard these brave words, the
sorcerer lived and described how he might princess gave Ivan her ring as a token of
be defeated. their betrothal.
Ivan listened intently, and when his watch Just then Nemal Chelovek returned to his
had come to an end, he went to ask permis- mansion and stormed into the great hall
sion of the tsar to search for his daughter.The where Ivan was standing with the princess.
tsar was less than responsive to the idea of a When the sorcerer saw Ivan, he cast a spell
humble soldier going to look for his daugh- that made him grow until his head brushed
ter, especially when so many valiant and the ceiling, and then he rushed at Ivan. Ivan
noble men before him had failed.When Ivan simply lifted the Samosek Sword, which flew
assured the tsar that he would not fail, the through the air of its own volition and neatly
tsar relented and provisioned and equipped decapitated the oncoming giant. Then the
Ivan for his journey. However, the tsar sword went through the mansion and killed
warned the soldier that if he failed he would all of Nemal Cheloveks servants before
pay with his life. returning neatly to Ivans hand. Ivan and the
Two days later Ivan set sail for the princess then went home, and no one in the
Southern Seas. En route he made a detour world was ever troubled again by Nemal
and came ashore at a small island on which Chelovek.
two leshie lived who had jointly inherited See also: Dragon; Gorynich; Ivan the Guard;
the self-cutting Samosek Sword some thirty Leshii (~y); Samosek Sword
years before. As Ivan the guard stepped onto
the island, he heard the two leshie fighting NESTOR
over whose the sword truly was, and seeking Russia
the two out, he offered to act as their judge. A monk of the Pechersky cloister in Kiev
Ivan thought for a moment, and then pro- who was once considered the author of the
posed that he should hold the sword himself. Nachal'naya Letopis', one of several extant
He would shoot an arrow into the woods, versions of the Primary Chronicle. However, it
and the leshii that brought the arrow back to is now generally accepted that Nestor was
him would be awarded ownership of the simply an editor of or a contributor to the
sword.The leshie readily agreed and gave the chronicle.
sword to Ivan. Ivan then shot an arrow far See also: Kiev; Primary Chronicle
into the woods, and the two leshie ran off. References: Cross and Sherbowitz-Wetzor
They quickly found the arrow but then 1953;Vernadsky 1948
began fighting over whose it was. Ivan
laughed to himself as he reboarded his ship NICHOLAS, SAINT
and set sail with the Samosek Sword for the Russia
kingdom of Nemal Chelovek. Anglicized name for Saint Nikolai of
Two days later the ship landed and Ivan Mozhaisk.
stepped ashore to find Nemal Cheloveks See also: Nikolai of Mozhaisk, Saint
NIKITA ROMANOV 205
disaster, Ivan Groznyi eventually accom- ents, especially at Christmas. His feast day is
plishes the evil deed by his own hand. 6 December.
See also: Bylina; Ivan Groznyi; Ivan Tsarevich; Saint Nikolai is featured in the story of
Moscow; Nikita Romanov Sadko.The saint was credited by Sadko with
References: Chadwick 1964; Chistov 1967 having helped him escape imprisonment
beneath the sea by the Sea Tsar. As a gesture
NIKITICH, DOBRYNYA of thanks to Saint Nikolai, Sadkothe rich-
Russia est merchant in Novgorodbuilt a magnifi-
See Dobrynya Nikitich. cent cathedral in Novgorod and dedicated it
to him.
NIKITIN, KOSTIA The protective nature of Saint Nikolai is
Russia also well demonstrated in the story of Ivan
See Kostia Nikitin. the merchants son. Ivan was placed under
the protection of Saint Nikolai of Mozhaisk
NIKOLAI OF MOZHAISK, SAINT and then made to keep vigil over the body of
Russia the local tsars daughter, who was a witch. By
One of the patron saints of Russia and a reading the Psalms, and with the help of
patron saint of sailors, as well as one of the Nikolai, Ivan captured the witch when she
most popular saints worldwide. He is known rose from her coffin and made her pray to
in English as Saint Nicholas. Very little is God for absolution. Even though she did this
known about the true Saint Nicholas other and was resurrected, she was still possessed by
than that he was a bishop of Myra in Lycia evil. Seeing this, Saint Nikolai pushed the
(southwest Turkey) during the fourth cen- girl into a bonfire and pulled her burning
tury. As the patron saint of children, Saint body apart. Hordes of frogs, snakes, and other
Nicholas became inextricably linked with reptilesthe source of her evilcrawled
the tradition of giving and receiving pres- from her severed limbs and were burned in
Detail of Saint Nikolai of Mozhaisk, from a mosaic in Cappella Palatina, Palazzo Reale, Palermo, Italy
(Alinari/Art Resource, NY)
NOVGOROD 207
the fire. Saint Nikolai then restored the with No Bigger than a Finger to crawl out of
princess to life, baptized her, and married her his stomach.The boy agreed on condition that
to Ivan. Many years later, after his father-in- the wolf take him home. Back at the village,
law died, Ivan ascended to the throne. No Bigger than a Finger crawled out of the
See also: Nicholas, Saint; Novgorod; Sadko; wolf and took hold of it by the tail.Too weak
Sea Tsar to run away, the wolf was easily killed by No
References: Magarshack 1968 Bigger than a Fingers old parents, with whom
the boy was then reunited.
NIKULICHNA, NASTAS'YA
Russia NOBODY
See Nastas'ya Nikulichna. Russia
The name of the invisible being commonly
NO BIGGER THAN A FINGER known as I-Know-Not-What, who lived at
Russia I-Know-Not-Where and who was brought
A tiny boy who was born when his mother thence by Petrushka.
cut off her little finger while baking an apple See also: I-Know-Not-What; I-Know-Not-
pie. When the boy went out to the fields to Where; Petrushka
help his father plow, he told his father that
should anyone offer to buy him, he should NOVAYA ZEMLYA
be sold for as high a price as his father could Russia
get.Then the boy told his father to rest.The A group of Russian islands in the Arctic
little fellow climbed up to the horses ear to Ocean that separate the Barents Sea from the
whisper instructions as he quickly finished Kara Sea. The Russian name, which means
the plowing. new land, most commonly refers to the
Just then a rich landowner came by and two largest islands. The northernmost of
was amazed to see the horse plowing the these covers about 20,000 square miles
field, apparently by itself. When the father (52,000 square kilometers) and is blanketed
explained that his diminutive son was giving by glaciers. The Soviet Union tested nuclear
it instructions, the landowner paid a very bombs here in the 1950s, and the island still
high price for him and put the tiny boy in registers harmful levels of radiation today.
his pocket. No Bigger than a Finger gnawed The large, southern island has an area of
a hole in the pocket, jumped to the ground, about 15,000 square miles (38,800 square
and started for home. kilometers), most of which is a treeless plain.
That night, resting behind a blade of grass, Early Russians first discovered Novaya
he overheard three thieves who were planning Zemlya between the eleventh and twelfth
to steal a bull. He persuaded them that he centuries, but the islands remained uninhab-
could be of help, so they took him along to ited until 1877, when the Samoyeds estab-
the bull pen. No Bigger than a Finger entered lished the first permanent settlements there.
the pen and led out the finest bull, which the Today a few Russians and Samoyeds live on
thieves then shared among themselves, leaving the southern island.
only the offal for No Bigger than a Finger, See also: Samoyeds
who lay down to sleep beside it. During the
night a hungry wolf came along and swal- NOVGOROD
lowed the offal and the tiny fellow. Russia
Alive in the wolf s stomach, No Bigger than City on the Volkhov River in northwest
a Finger gave it a very hard time, for each time Russia.A major trading city in medieval times
it stalked a flock of sheep, a tiny voice rang out and the original capital of Russia, Novgorod
to warn the shepherd. Finally the wolf pleaded was founded by the Viking chieftain Riurik
208 NOVOTORZHENI, KOSTIA
O
an unsuspecting maiden who
would be lowered to her death
through a hole in the roof of
Odz-Manouks chamber. One
day the guards brought back the
most beautiful maiden in all the
land, a girl by the name of Arevhat,
OBIDA whom they lowered through the roof of
Russia the chamber before they hurried away.
A swan-maiden whose appearance was sup- Later that day the king went to look in on
posed to be the precursor of bad times for his son and was astonished to find the girl
the people and a barren period for agricul- still alive. His astonishment turned to bewil-
ture. She is connected with Div and the per- derment when he saw that Odz-Manouk
sonification of grief as a triune deity. Unless was no longer a dragon but had been trans-
Obida was invoked and appeased with the formed into a handsome prince. This trans-
correct rituals, she would fly over the land, formation came about because Arevhat had
laying it to waste. spoken kindly to him and had not been
See also: Div frightened by his appearance. Released from
References: Mann 1979; Zenkovsky 1963 the chamber, Odz-Manouk and Arevhat
soon were married.
OBIN-MURT Some days later, Odz-Manouk asked his
Votyak new wife exactly who she was. She told him
Rain man, the god of rain. that she was an orphan and had not always
been the radiant woman he saw before him.
OD(LEK) Once she had been an ordinary girl. One
Mongolia day, while she sat on a hillside sewing, her
Variant name(s) for Tengri. bobbin fell down a narrow ravine. She
reached down into the crevice but could not
ODZ-MANOUK reach the bobbin. Then she saw an old
Armenia woman standing at the bottom.The woman
Serpent Child, the dragon born to an told her how she could enter and retrieve
unnamed king and queen. One week after the lost item.
his birth the child, who had been born as a Once Arevhat was inside, however, the
snake, became a dragon, and had to be entrance disappeared. The girl realized that
locked away in a special chamber for fear of she was in the presence of a witch.The witch
what he might do if allowed to roam free. first asked Arevhat to clean her home, which
Odz-Manouk was offered all the finest foods she did, and then to comb her hair. Arevhat
in the kingdom, but he did not touch any of performed these tasks with kindness. Then
it, and before long his roars of hunger threat- she allowed the old woman to rest her head
ened to shake the very palace apart.Then, by in her lap while she slept, having first given
chance, the daughter of the kings chamber- Arevhat instructions to wake her when she
lain went to see Odz-Manouk, who saw yellow water flowing. Arevhat did as she
snatched her up and quickly ate her. was instructed; and when the old woman
209
210 OHAN
awakened, she took Arevhat by the ankles the throne passed to Igor, his son-in-law, and
and plunged her into the yellow water.Then then to his daughter Olga after the murder of
she sent her on her way, transformed into a Igor.
radiant beauty; and it was thus that she had See also: Kiev; Olga; Riurik
been brought to the palace. References: Chadwick 1964; Cross and
See also: Arevhat Sherbowitz-Wetzor 1953;Waliszewski 1926
References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967,
vol. 1 OLGA
Russia
OHAN The wife of Igor, and the daughter of Oleg.
Armenia Following the murder of her husband, Olga
The laborer father of an unnamed youth was courted by Prince Mal, the peaceful
who became known as the Apprentice. leader of the Derevliane, who sought her
See also: Apprentice,The hand in an attempt to acquire the Kievan
kingdom.What happened then is related in a
OKA folktale known as Olgas Revenge.
Russia Upon hearing the suit of Prince Mal,
A river that barred the passage of Il'ya Olga sent messengers to the Derevliane ask-
Muromets on his journey from Murom to ing them to send envoys so that they might
Kiev. He was able to cross the river only after discuss a possible marriage alliance. When
he asked her permission and thanked her for those envoys arrived, however, Olga immedi-
the fertility she brought to the surrounding ately had them thrown into a deep trench
land. That alone would not have been and buried alive. Next Olga sent for further
enough: The Oka allowed him passage also envoys to visit her, inviting them to a great
because his mother had blessed his journey feast at which the proposed alliance would
and because he was riding his wondrous
horse, Borushka Matushka or Kosmatushka.
See also: Borushka Matushka; Il'ya Muromets;
Kiev; Kosmatushka; Murom
OLEG
Russia
Historical prince of Kiev who died in 912.
He was successor to Riurik and had a
daughter named Olga. According to the
Russian chronicles, Oleg asked his wizards
how he would meet his death.They told him
that he would be killed by his favorite horse.
Reluctantly Oleg banished the animal from
the court and had it released far out on the
steppe. Many years later Oleg heard that the
horse had died and rode out to the place,
where he was shown the animals skeleton.
Dismounting, he placed one foot onto the
skull of the animalupon which a poi-
sonous viper shot out of one eye socket and
bit him on the ankle. Several days later Oleg An undated illustration of Prince Oleg (RIA-
died, fulfilling the prophecy. After his death Novosti/Sovfoto)
OSSETES 211
be discussed. When these envoys arrived, plete the tasks set by Elena the Fair, which
Olga invited them to refresh themselves in revealed the treachery of Ivans brothers Peter
the bathhouse and then had her men set fire Belyaninovich and Vasilii Belyaninovich.
to the bathhouse with her guests inside. See also: Ivan Belyaninovich; Lame; Peter
Now Olga turned her wrath directly (Belyaninovich);Vasilii Belyaninovich;
upon Prince Mal and the Derevliane. She Whirlwind
and her entourage traveled to the grave of
Igor, her husband, which happened to lie OPSIKION
within Derevlian territory.There she invited Slav
the Derevliane to a feast in Igors honor. Slav colony that was at one time under the
When all her guests were drunk, her men governorship of Methodius, the brother of
hacked them to pieces. Then she assumed Saint Cyril.
command of the army and demanded three See also: Cyril and Methodius, Saints
pigeons and three sparrows as tribute from
every Derevlian household.When these were ORSEL
delivered, she fixed firebrands to their claws Slav
and set them free so that they might fly back Variant name for Ursula.
to their homes and burn the Derevlian
houses. Olga went on to vanquish Prince ORT
Mal. Not only did the Derevliane fail to gain Finno-UgricCheremiss
the Kievan kingdom, but Olga conquered Cheremiss word for the spirit or soul with
the Derevlian land. which all things, animate and inanimate, are
See also: Derevliane; Igor; Kiev; Mal, Prince; imbued.Among the Votyaks this soul is called
Oleg the urt.
References: Cross and Sherbowitz-Wetzor See also: Cheremiss-Mordvin; Urt;Votyaks
1953
OSSETES
ONCE A WOLF, ALWAYS A WOLF Russia
Armenia People descended from the ancient Alans,
A wolf once walked the hills above a flock of who speak Ossetic, a language of the Iranian
sheep and called down his blessings on them. branch of the subfamily of Indo-Iranian lan-
The oldest sheep of the flock listened to the guages. Ossetic has two dialects, Iron and
blessing and then turned to the remainder of Digor, both of which are written using the
the flock and warned them not to listen, for Latin alphabet (previously, the Armenian
a wolf would always be a wolf, no matter alphabet was used).The Ossetes traditionally
what he said or did to the contrary. inhabited Ossetia, a region in the central
One of the fables of Vardan. Caucasus (part of Caucasia), the northern
See also: Vardan areas of which are in Russia and the south-
References: Marr 189499 ern areas in the republic of Georgia. Os-
setians presently number about 600,000.The
ONE-EYE northern Ossetians are Sunnites. They
Russia export timber and cultivate various crops,
One of the two servants of Whirlwind. He especially maize.The southern Ossetians are
and his companion, Lame, are so called Eastern Orthodox Christians and are chiefly
because that is exactly what they were. pastoral, herding sheep, goats, and cattle.
Endowed with magical powers, they helped Traditional industry includes the manufac-
Ivan Belyaninovich to return home after he turing of leather goods, fur caps, daggers,
killed Whirlwind, and once there, to com- and metalware. Christianity was introduced
212 OSTYAKS
P
then divided the rich spoils equally
among themselves.
See also: Bogatyr';Vol'ga Buslavlevich
PARAKHA
Russia
The eldest of the two stepsisters of
PANNONIA Marfusha, and the only one of the two to
General be named. Unlike Marfusha, she and her
Ancient country of Illyria, bounded on the unnamed sister died when they were left
north and east by the Danube River, on the to be married to the frost demon
south by Dalmatia, and on the west by Morozko.
Noricum and parts of upper Italy. Pannonia See also: Frost; Marfusha; Morozko
included parts of modern Austria, Hungary,
Croatia, and Slovenia. It received its name PARASKEVA, SAINT
from the Pannonians, a people probably of Russia
Illyrian origin, who lived there in ancient Apocryphal saint who appears to have
times. Octavian, who later became the adopted many functions of Mokosh. One of
Roman emperor Augustus, invaded Pan- the few truly Russian saints, Paraskeva is of
nonia in 35 B.C. but was unable to subdue pagan origin. She was usually referred to in
the country until 9 B.C., when he made it a her dual identity as Paraskeva-Piatnitsa, or
part of Illyricum, a colony established by the Saint Friday. The epithet of Friday
Romans in 168 B.C. The Pannonians moved applied to this most popular Russian saint
to the north of the region after an insurrec- appears to have come from the translation of
tion in A.D. 6 was suppressed, and in A.D. 10 the Greek word paraskeva, meaning the day
this area became the separate Roman before the Sabbath, or Friday. Friday was
province of Pannonia. In the early second sacred to the goddess Zhiva, and it would
century the Roman emperor Trajan divided seem that the connection being sought by
the province into Upper Pannonia and Christian missionaries was again one of
Lower Pannonia, but by the end of the assimilation by association.
fourth century the region was abandoned by Celebration of Saint Paraskeva, however,
Rome. Subsequently Pannonia was held suc- remained pagan, being condemned in 1589
cessively by the Huns, Ostrogoths, Lom- by the patriarch of Constantinople. Twelve
bards, Avars, and Slavs. The Magyars took Fridays throughout the year were believed
possession of most of the area at the end of sacred to Paraskeva, and on these days, men
the eleventh century. and women, both young and old, would
See also: Avars; Croatia; Danube; Hungary; strip naked and jump and shake, saying that
Magyars; Slovenia they had seen Saints Paraskeva and Anastasia
and had been ordered to honor them with
PANTALOVNA, QUEEN their lascivious dances.The Stoglav Council,
Russia set up during the latter half of the sixteenth
At one time held captive by a sultan of century by Ivan Groznyi, also condemned
Turkey, Queen Pantalovna was released the festivals, calling them orgies. However,
213
214 PARASKEVA GRIAZNAIA
the cult continued, especially in Ukraine, Christianity came into direct conflict
where Friday was considered the Sabbath through the cult of Paraskeva, giving way
over Sunday until well into the eighteenth eventually to an uneasy coexistence of the
century. two, called double faith (dvoeverie). Only
The Stoglav Council issued a decree, after many generations did Paraskevas pagan
known unsurprisingly as the Stoglav docu- influence begin to wane, giving the advan-
ment, denouncing Saint Paraskeva as the tage to the Orthodox rite. Paraskeva was not
goddess of fate connected with two other only worshiped as a saint but was also
saints with pagan rootsSaints Sreda and remembered in folklore, where she has two
Nedelia. All three were seen as the triune namesParaskeva Griaznaia, Muddy
Fates, spinners who wove the course of Paraskeva or Dirty Paraskeva, and Para-
mankinds life, and as mistresses of the cosmic skeva Lnianitsa, Flaxen Paraskeva. In these
order. This, of course, the Christian church two guises she was identified with Mother
could not accept, as it would place the three Earth and the bounty she provided.
saints on the same plane as God. See also: Anastasia, Saint; Baba-Yaga (-Jaga,
Paraskeva was represented in folklore and -Iaga); Constantinople; Dvoeverie; Ivan
icons as a tall, thin woman with long, flow- Groznyi; Mokosh; Moscow; Mother Earth;
ing hair, the hair being an uncharacteristic Nedelia, Saint; Paraskeva Griaznaia; Paraskeva
trait in a country where long hair was usu- L'nianitsa; Paraskeva-Piatnitsa; Sreda, Saint;
Tree of Life,The; Ukraine; Underworld,The;
ally plaited. She was surrounded by her
Zhiva
twelve apostlesanother aspect of her References: Afanas'ev 1916 and 186569;
cult that brought it into direct conflict with Bezsonov 1861; Chicherov 1957; Dal' 1957;
the Stoglav Council. The members of the Haase 1939; Kologrivof 1953; Meyer 1931;
Council considered the cult a mockery of Potebnia 1865; Ralston 1872;Warner 1976
the Christian faith and an unveiled attempt
to assimilate Christianity with paganism, PARASKEVA GRIAZNAIA
rather than the other way around. Para- Russia
skevas icons were even said to have been Muddy Paraskeva or Dirty Paraskeva, a
miraculously discovered, as various name given to Saint Paraskeva in popular
Christian icons hadclaims that were again Russian belief that seems to identify this
an open challenge to the Orthodox faith aspect of the pagan goddess-saint as Mother
because they explicitly identified Paraskeva Earth.
with the Tree of Life. So widespread and See also: Mother Earth; Paraskeva, Saint
well integrated was her cult that at one time, References: Chicherov 1957; Dal' 1957;
right in the heart of the Russian Empire, in Potebnia 1865
Red Square in Moscow, there stood a chapel
dedicated to Paraskeva that was open only to PARASKEVA L'NIANITSA
women, who came there to worship on Russia
Fridays. Flaxen Paraskeva, a name given to Saint
Worship of Paraskeva was perhaps the Paraskeva that identifies the pagan goddess-
most entrenched pagan tradition of all and it saint with the bounty provided by Mother
proved the most difficult for the Orthodox Earth, who is represented by Paraskeva
church to eradicate, particularly among the Griaznaia.
peasantry. The saint was as feared as Baba- See also: Mother Earth; Paraskeva, Saint;
Yaga, being associated with death and the Paraskeva Griaznaia
underworld, but at the same time was as References: Chicherov 1957; Dal' 1957;
revered as the Virgin Mary. Paganism and Potebnia 1865
PEASANT, THE PRIEST, AND THE GOLD, THE 215
chest and the priest hurried home, sure that became aware of Niekias existence and car-
he had become a very rich man. However, ried her up to meet his son, but she was
when his wife came to cut away the severely scorched and adamant that she
goatskin, she could not, for it had become would not marry Peivalk. Furiously, the Sun
part of the priest, and every time she cut the flung Niekia back into the arms of the
skin, she cut her husband as well. Moon, her mother, who pressed her to her
The priest prayed for forgiveness and heart.Tradition has it that Niekias face is vis-
returned the gold to the peasant, who lived ible to this day on the surface of the moon.
the rest of his life in comfort. The priest See also: Moon; Nainas; Niekia; Sun
remained trapped in the goatskin and was
thus punished by both God and the Devil, as PEKLO
he had offended both. Russia
See also: Devil,The One of many names applied to the under-
world, Peklo is associated with pech' (a verb
PECHENEGS meaning to bake, and a noun meaning
General oven or furnace). In ancient times this
An ancient, warlike, nomadic tribe of the word evoked the comforting warmth of par-
Black Sea steppes. adisal realms rather than the scorching heat
See also: Black Sea of hellthe modern, post-Christian inter-
pretation.
PECHERSKAIA LAVRA See also: Nava; Rai; Underworld,The
Russia References: Afanas'ev 186569; Haase 1939
The very first Russian monastery, built dur-
ing the tenth century, in Kiev. Pecherskaia PERKONIS
Lavra consisted of a series of caves connected Prussia
by a honeycomb of tunnels bored into the The thunder god, the Prussian version of
limestone cliffs above the city. The site was the Lithuanian Perkunas. His sanctuaries
thought to be guarded by the Virgin Mary. contained a fire that was never allowed to
See also: Kiev go out.
References: Bezsonov 1861 See also: Perkunas
PEIVALK PERKONS
Russia Latvia
The Suns son. When he announced to his The Latvian thunder god, the equivalent of
father that he had attempted to find a bride, the Lithuanian Perkunas and the Prussian
his father replied that he had heard that the Perkonis.
Moon had just had a daughter and that he See also: Perkonis; Perkunas
would approach the Moon about a betrothal.
The Moon was horrified at the prospect and PERKUNAS
protested that the Sun would scorch her del- Lithuania
icate daughter, but the Sun simply waved the The thunder god who was known as
Moons objections aside. She then told the Perkons in Latvia, Perkonis in Prussia, and
Sun that her daughter was already betrothed Perun in Russia and the Czech lands.
to Nainas. At this the Sun became so angry Perkunas was perceived as a vigorous red-
that everyone on earth had to take cover. bearded man brandishing an ax as he rode
To protect her daughter, the Moon sent across the sky in his rattling chariot drawn by
her to be raised on earth by an elderly cou- a billy goat. These attributes are remarkably
ple who called her Niekia. Finally the Sun similar to those of the Norse god of thunder,
PERUN 217
Thrr, which leads to the conjecture that Peron (curse) in Slovakia, and Perun in
Perkunas is a Lithuanian variant of that deity. Russia and the Czech lands. His name is
Perkunas lives in a castle on the top of the possibly cognate with that of Paranjanya, an
slippery slope of the sky (see Dausos), where epithet of the Hindu storm god Indra. Perun
as the agent of good and justice, he attacks was depicted with a head of silver and a gold
the Devil with his thunderbolt. He also dis- mustache. In the tenth century an idol of
penses justice on mankind, either striking Perun stood in Novgorod near Lake Il'men',
down evil men with his thunderbolt or strik- around which six eternal fires burned.
ing their homes with lightning. The thun- Regarded as the lord of the universe, Perun
derbolt of Perkunas is, as in many other lived in the sky and had absolute control
mythologies, conceived of as a symbol of fer- over the weather. When he was angry, he
tility, and in spring the thunder of Perkunas caused thunderstorms and sent lightning to
is believed to purify the earth of the evil spir- strike down people who had offended him.
its of winter and bring it back to life. Belemnite fossils, which formed around the
See also: Dausos; Devil,The; Perun arrow-like internal bone of a creature simi-
lar to the cuttlefish, traditionally were
PERMYAKS regarded by those who found them as mis-
General siles flung down by Perun, and they were
Indigenous people from a region to the east thus called thunder arrows. Peruns thun-
of the Ural Mountains, related to the Votyaks derbolts also were considered a potent fertil-
and Zyrians, who have been almost totally ity symbol because they were thought to
assimilated by the Russians. Their Finno- awaken the earth in spring from its death-
Ugric language is still spoken in a few iso- like winter sleep.
lated places, but virtually nothing remains of God of war as well as thunder, Perun was
their ancient traditions and beliefs. believed to ride across the sky in an iron
See also: Finno-Ugric; Ural Mountains; chariot pulled by an enormous billy goat and
Votyaks; Zyrians to carry a bow and arrows as well as a heavy
cudgel, a spear, and a battle-ax that always
PEROM (~N) returned to his hand after it was thrown.The
Slovakia protector of soldiers, the god could bestow
Literally, Curse. The Slovak name for victory on those he favored. For this reason,
Perun, the god of thunder and rain. when military or commercial treaties were
See also: Perun concluded, it was by their naked swords and
by Perun that the Russians swore to keep
PERPERUNA their word. Very much an exclusive deity,
Russia Perun had no priests, his rites being per-
Virgin goddess who invokes rain. Perperuna formed by princes and military leaders.
is identified as a feminine personification of However, the common populace did regard
the great god Perun. him as necessary to their everyday existence,
See also: Perun for without his intervention every morning,
References: Frazer Darkness would hold the Sun prisoner in a
cell whose door was impregnable to every-
PERUN thing but Peruns lightning.
Slav Cockerels and other animals were offered
Also: Perom; Peron; Pikker; Piorun; Pyerun as votives to Perun, and human sacrifices in
The god of thunder and rain, known as his honor also were common. One recorded
Perkonis in Prussia, Perkons in Latvia, example of the latter was a Viking living in
Perkunas in Lithuania, Perusan in Bulgaria, Kiev who was chosen by Vladimir I to be the
218 PERUSAN
for the rescue.The truth eventually came out long before and that she would cure him of
and their father wanted to have them exe- his affliction on the condition that he marry
cuted, but Ivan interceded. Peter then mar- her. Peter immediately agreed; and no sooner
ried the tsaritsa of the Silver Kingdom and had he done so than his sores disappeared and
Vasilii the tsaritsa of the Copper Kingdom, his strength was renewed. However, Peter
and Ivan married Elena the Fair, the tsaritsa now saw no reason to marry the maiden, and
of the Golden Kingdomall three maidens he made to leave the cottage.As he did so, his
having been rescued by Ivan Belyaninovich strength sapped away and the sores again
when he freed his mother. erupted. Convinced that he had no choice in
See also: Bel Belyanin; Copper Kingdom, the matter, Peter agreed to the union, and the
The; Elena the Fair; Golden Kingdom,The; couple were duly married.
Ivan Belyaninovich; Nastas'ya of the Golden At their wedding the woman told Peter
Braid; Silver Kingdom,The;Vasilii that her nameor rather the name she had
Belyaninovich;Whirlwind chosen to use as his wifewas Fevroniia.
Together Peter and Fevroniia traveled back
PETER OF MUROM to Murom, where the influential boyars,
Russia angered that Peter had married a mere peas-
The brother of Paul, who was a Christian ant, accused Fevroniia of bad manners at the
ruler of the city of Murom. Pauls wife, feast thrown in honor of their prince.
euphemistically referred to as the Dark Fevroniia retaliated by performing a series of
Princess, was visited by the Devil in the form miracles, such as turning crumbs from the
of a serpent. Only she could recognize the table into frankincense and myrrh. These
Devil in this serpent, whereas those around acts, however, did not alleviate the anger of
her saw only the image of Paul. When she the boyars, who demanded that she be ban-
told her husband of the visit she had received ished from court because she was a powerful
in her bedchamber, Paul advised her to dis- sorceress and would hold their wives in her
cover from the Devil the manner of his power. Fevroniia agreed to leave Murom,
death. She did as he asked, and found out provided Peter accompany her.
that Pauls brother Peter would kill him. So Peter, Fevroniia, and their retinue set
However, when Peter came to do the dirty out from Murom by boat. As they made
deed he succeeded only in killing the serpent camp that evening, Peter expressed worry
that had assumed Pauls guise. It is worth about their exile. Fevroniia assuaged his fears
pointing out that at this point in the legend by performing another miracle: She picked
all references to the Dark Princess stop, and up the branches that had been cut to fuel the
it can only be assumed that she was, in fact, cooking fire and blessed them, saying that by
a servant of the Devil, and when she had morning they would be great trees. True
accomplished her purpose, she returned to enough, the following morning Peter and his
eternal damnation. coterie awakened to find themselves in the
Peter, however, had been tainted by the middle of a great forest, whereas they had
blood of the serpent. Covered in sores, he set been on the edge of a small wood the night
out in search of a cure for himself and his before. Peter and Fevroniia remained there
kingdom, which had been struck down as a until news was brought to them of a fratrici-
result of his apparent fratricide.Traveling with dal war that had broken out among the
a large coterie, Peter arrived at a village called boyars in Murom, who were asking Peter
Charity, where he was carried to an isolated and Fevroniia to return and rule over them.
cottage in which a very beautiful, half-naked This they did; but while Peter was the fig-
woman sat spinning. The spinner told Peter urehead, the true ruler of Murom was
that she lived alone as her family had died Fevroniia.
220 PETROV DEN'
Many years passed, and the couple ruled See also: Lado; Petrovki; Rus(s)alki (~ulki);
Murom wisely. After Peter died and was Underworld,The
buried in the cathedral, Fevroniia died by her References: Snegirev 183739; Sokolov 1945;
own will on the feast of Kupalo. She was Zabylin 1880
buried outside the city walls, in emphasis of
her pagan and peasant origins; but the fol- PETROVKI
lowing morning the boyars discovered her Russia
grave was beside that of her husband, inside Popular name for the pagan festival held on
the cathedral grounds. Petrov Den', Saint Peters Day, just before
Fevroniia, as symbolized by her legendary harvest time.
transformation of the cut branches into a See also: Petrov Den'
fully grown forest, is a personification of the
pagan tree goddess. This story, which was PETRUSHKA
recorded by the fifteenth-century monk Russia
Ermolai-erazm, demonstrates the willingness The favorite archer of an unnamed tsar, he
of the Christian faith to accept certain cen- was relied upon to supply the finest meat for
tral aspects of the ancient pagan religions and the tsars table. One day, however, Petrushka
shows that the two belief systems lived hap- was having no luck at all.All day long he had
pily side by side so long as Christianity was neither seen nor heard any prey suitable for
demonstrably the more potent (as was well his master. Trudging wearily back to the
illustrated by the burial of Peter in the cathe- palace, thinking about the punishment the
dral and Fevroniia outside the city walls).The tsar might mete out, Petrushka saw a white
magical movement of Fevroniias grave to dove seated in a tree. Carefully notching an
the cathedral demonstrates that no matter arrow to his bow, Petrushka shot and
whether pagan or Christian, God accepts all wounded the bird, which fell to the ground.
into his kingdom after death. Petrushka ran up to the bird, picked it up,
See also: Boyars; Charity; Dark Princess,The; and was about to wring its neck when the
Devil,The; Fevroniia; Kupalo; Murom; Paul bird cried out to Petrushka to spare its life in
References: Zenkovsky 1963 return for a wondrous reward. Petrushka
agreed, and the dove gave him instructions
PETROV DEN' on how he might obtain this reward.
Russia Petrushka took the bird home, patched up
Saint Peters Day, the Christianized festival its broken wing, and set it on his windowsill
that preceded the harvest and thus welcomed so that it might rest. When the bird fell
the degenerative powers of autumn.The fes- asleep, Petrushka tapped it with a finger as he
tival was popularly referred to as Petrovki. had been instructed, whereupon the bird fell
Women, married and single, were central to from the sill and instantly became the most
the festival. On the eve of Petrov Den' the beautiful maiden in all Russia. Petrushka
whole village would stay up to welcome the stared in amazement at the apparition before
sun, called Lado, as it appeared from beneath his eyes. Masha the Dove Maiden (for that is
the horizon, born again. The women would how she was known) said they should
then gather and swing beneath trees, in imi- immediately marry, and Petrushka agreed.
tation of the russalki. As they swung, they Their life together was extremely happy,
would sing about the declining power and though the tsar paid Petrushka little and the
vitality of the sun, about the ancestral spirits couple lived a life of abject poverty.
in the underworld, and about the departure Petrushkas entire life savings amounted to a
of the water and woodland spirits, who were mere hundred rubles. One day Masha told
leaving for their winter homes. her husband to take those hundred rubles
PETRUSHKA 221
which she told him to roll along the ground: Masha woke him in the morning and gave
It would take him straight to the under- him three felt hats, a pair of pincers, and
world. She also advised him to take the tsars three metal rods. Petrushka followed Mashas
counselor along as a companion because advice to the letter. As he drew near the cat,
otherwise the tsar would never believe he put the three felt hats on his head and
Petrushkas report. Thus Petrushka set out, grasped the first metal bar in one hand and
accompanied by the tsars counselor. the pincers in the other. The cat hissed and
Together they followed the gold ring all the clawed viciously at Petrushka; but the hats
way to the underworld. As they entered that protected him, although they were torn to
dark realm they encountered an old man shreds. Shortly before the cat tore away the
pulling a cart laden with wood, goaded by third hat, Petrushka managed to catch the
two red-horned demons. flaying leg in the pincers and started to beat
Petrushka recognized the old man as the the animal with the first metal rod, which
tsars father. He called to the demons to allow was made of iron. When that bar broke, he
the old man ten minutes to talk with him. picked up the second bar, made of brass, and
The demons agreed, but only if the coun- continued to beat the cat; and when that bar
selor took his place; so for ten minutes the broke, he took the last one, made of tin, and
old tsar talked with Petrushka, while the continued the punishment. This bar grew
counselor hauled the cart under a relentless hot and bent, but it did not break, and in the
beating by the demons. end the cat begged mercy and promised to
Petrushka and the counselor then re- go with Petrushka to his tsar.
turned to the tsars palace and met with the When he stood again before the tsar,
tsar, who was furious to see Petrushka back Petrushka bowed and told his ruler that he
in his realm. At first the tsar refused to had accomplished his mission. The tsar
believe Petrushkas story, especially when the looked at the cat and asked Petrushka how he
latter told him that his father advised him to could be sure that this was indeed Kot Bayun.
be kinder to his subjects.The tsar was on the Petrushka released the cat, which immedi-
verge of ordering his guards to take ately bared its teeth, arched its back, spat, and
Petrushka away, when the counselor re- flew at the tsars throat.The tsar called out for
vealed the marks from the beating he had help, whereupon Petrushka simply bran-
received at the hands of the demons.The tsar dished the pincers and the tin bar, and the cat
reluctantly allowed Petrushka to return returned to his side. Petrushka then locked
home, and then set about berating his coun- the cat in a cage within the palace and
selor for failing him, demanding that he returned to the arms of Masha his wife.
devise a new plan. The tsar nursed his wounds and then
Once more the counselor sought the called for his counselor, telling him that if he
advice of the old peasant, who again ac- did not rid him of the troublesome Petrushka
cepted a goblet of wine in payment for his once and for all, the counselor would lose his
counsel. The peasant told the counselor to head.The counselor immediately sought out
instruct the tsar to send Petrushka to the the rough peasant and bought a plan from
Thrice-Ninth Kingdom, which lay in the him as he had done twice before, the pay-
Thrice-Ninth Land, to capture Kot Bayun, ment once again being a single goblet of
the talking cat, and bring him back. wine.The peasant this time advised the coun-
The tsar followed his counselors advice, selor to tell the tsar to send Petrushka to I-
and once again Petrushka returned crest- Know-Not-Where, with instructions to
fallen to his wife, who told him to sleep return with I-Know-Not-What.
soundly for in the morning she would equip The counselor relayed the plan to the tsar,
him to safely undertake his task. Sure enough who in turn passed on these instructions to
PETRUSHKA 223
Petrushka, who again returned home and the oldest living creature. The marsh stirred
told Masha of his plight. This time Masha and the frog appeared. Baba-Yaga asked the
was at a loss; but she sent her husband off the frog if it knew the place I-Know-Not-Where
following morning with an embroidered and the thing I-Know-Not-What; and when
towel and a ball of wool that he was to roll the frog replied that it did, the witch asked it
on the ground and follow to the home of the to take Petrushka there.
only person in all the world who might help. Babushka-Lyagushka-Skakushka said that
Petrushka did as he was instructed and fol- she would do so, provided Petrushka first
lowed the ball of wool. After a long journey carried her in a jug of fresh milk to the River
the ball of wool came to rest beside the fence of Fire; for she was old, and without the reju-
that surrounded a curious hut that stood on venating powers of that river, she would not
chickens legs, a hut that Petrushka immedi- have the strength to undertake the journey.
ately recognized as the home of the witch Baba-Yaga agreed and took the frog back to
Baba-Yaga. her home in her pestle and mortar.There she
As Petrushka entered the compound that prepared a jug of fresh milk, placed the frog
surrounded the hut, it stopped revolving in in the jug, and woke her son-in-law and told
the wind, and the witch came out to see who him what to do.
had dared enter her dominion.When she saw Petrushka took the jug with the frog in it,
Petrushka she cackled and sang about the mounted Baba-Yagas swiftest horse, and
fine meal of Russian man she would dine on within a matter of a few minutes, stood
that night. Unperturbed, Petrushka faced the beside the River of Fire. There Petrushka
witch and told her that she would not enjoy took the frog out of the jug and placed her
him as he was, grimy from his journey, and on the ground. Placing one foot in the River
perhaps she would at least allow him to wash of Fire, Babushka-Lyagushka-Skakushka
before she ate him. Baba-Yaga led him to a started to grow until she was the size of
barrel of water, and Petrushka washed off the Petrushkas horse.The frog told the archer to
grime of the journey, taking out the towel climb on her back and hold tight, which
Masha had given him to dry himself on. Petrushka did, waiting while the frog contin-
When Baba-Yaga saw the towel, she asked ued to grow until it was higher than the
Petrushka where he had come by it; and tallest tree in any forest. The frog made cer-
when he said that Masha his wife had given tain that Petrushka was holding on tightly
it to him, Baba-Yaga embraced Petrushka and then leaped high into the air.When they
and welcomed him as her son-in-law, for came to earth, they found themselves in a
Masha was Baba-Yagas daughter. Baba-Yaga foreign land. The frog slowly exhaled until
led Petrushka into her unusual home, and she resumed her normal size.
there she laid out a feast fit for any tsar. After Babushka-Lyagushka-Skakushka informed
they had eaten, Petrushka explained his mis- Petrushka that they were now in I-Know-
sion to his mother-in-law. She knew nothing Not-Where. The frog then told Petrushka
of I-Know-Not-Where or of I-Know-Not- that he should go to the lowliest hut in a
What, but she told Petrushka that he should nearby village and hide there behind the
sleep and she would work on the problem stove, for within that hut lived I-Know-Not-
that night. What. Petrushka thanked Babushka-Lya-
As soon as Petrushka had fallen asleep gushka-Skakushka and set out. He found the
Baba-Yaga took her pestle and mortar and hut with little difficulty and hid himself
sailed through the night sky to the boundaries inside, as instructed.
of the Green Marsh. There she stood on the A short time later an old man came in and
edge and called out to Babushka-Lyagushka- told Nobody to bring him food. Instantly a
Skakushka (Grandmother Hopping Frog), banquet appeared. The old man called out
224 PIKKER
again, this time for drink, and a jug of wine the palace and asked a local woodsman
appeared. After the old man had eaten and whose it was. When he was told that the
drunk his fill, Petrushka crept out from owner of the palace was Petrushka, the tsar
behind the stove and called to Nobody to commanded ten of his men to enter the
accompany him. Then he left the hut with palace and drag Petrushka and his wife out;
his mysterious companion and started back but when the tsars men advanced, the club
toward the kingdom of the tsar and the arms flew from a window and quickly killed all
of his beautiful wife. ten.The tsar then called out his entire army,
After a short walk they came across a ban- but Petrushka saw what was happening,
dit who owned an enormous club.The bandit opened the gusli, and plucked the first string.
asked Petrushka for food, whereupon Pe- A vast sea appeared between the palace and
trushka ordered Nobody to supply the bandit the tsars army. Petrushka then plucked the
with food and drink. The bandit was so second string, and a fleet of ships appeared.
impressed that he offered his club to Petrushka He then plucked the third string time and
in exchange for Nobody, adding that his club, time again, and within a few short minutes
unaided, would kill anyone its master ordered the tsars army was no more.
it to kill. Petrushka agreed to the exchange and The tsar, horrified by these events, called
then continued on his way. After he had gone out to Petrushka to stop, whereupon Pe-
a short distance, he commanded the club to trushka closed the gusli, and the ships and the
kill the bandit, which it did; and then he ocean vanished.Then Petrushka called out to
ordered Nobody to return to him. the tsar to have his counselor put to death,
A distance farther on, Petrushka came for it was his evil that had led to their prob-
across a second bandit, this one carrying a lems; but when the counselor heard this, he
gusli slung over his shoulder. Again Nobody took to his heels and fled. Petrushka sent his
fed the man, and again Petrushka agreed to club after the counselor, and the latter fell as
the exchange of Nobody for the gusli, which he ran for cover, his head caved in.
had the power to create a vast sea when the From that day on, the tsar and Petrushka
first string was plucked and a huge fleet of were close friends. The tsar gave his old
ships when the second was plucked; and to archer half the kingdom in recompense for
cause those ships to fire their cannons when- his service. Great banquets were often held
ever the third string was plucked. However, a in the palace of Petrushka and Masha.When
short distance away, Petrushka ordered his Petrushka was asked where Nobody came
club to kill the bandit and to return Nobody from, he would reply I-Know-Not-
to him. Then he continued his journey Where, and when asked what kind of
homeward. being he was, he would reply I-Know-
After many weeks of travel, Petrushka Not-What.
returned home. To his dismay, he found the See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga); Babushka-
door broken from its hinges and his wife Lyagushka-Skakushka; Dove Maiden; Green
gone. Cursing the tsar, Petrushka saw a white Marsh; I-Know-Not-What; I-Know-Not-
dove fly down toward him, and then before Where; Kot Bayun; Masha; Nobody; River of
his eyes, change back into Masha, his wife. Fire,The;Thrice-Ninth Kingdom,The;
Thrice-Ninth Land,The; Underworld,The
The couple embraced. Masha told him that
she had been forced to hide from the tsar.
Petrushka then commanded Nobody to PIKKER
build him an impenetrable palace, which Russia
Nobody did with amazing speed. One of the variant names applied to Perun,
Some weeks later the tsar was traveling the god of thunder and rain.
through his kingdom when he came across See also: Perun
POLAND 225
POKROVSKAIA SUBBOTA
Russia
Literally,Sabbath of Protection or Sabbath
of Intercession. The true name of Pokrov
Day, a festival in October at which women
(in the main) paid homage to the veil of the
Virgin Mary and were thus ensured fertility Engraving of Thaddeus Kosciuszko, a Polish patriot
and a good, safe marriage. Pokrovskaia (17461817), in battle (Archive Photos)
226 POLEL
Poland, but after his death later that year, In 1815 a small, self-governing Kingdom
Poland went through periods of warfare and of Poland was created under Russian control.
disunity. By the mid-twelfth century, it had In 1830, Poles in the Kingdom of Poland
broken up into several sections, each ruled rebelled against the Russians, but Russia
by a different noble. Mongols devastated the crushed the revolt. Other unsuccessful revolts
country in 1241. Some time later, German were launched against Austria and Prussia,
and Jewish refugees began to migrate into and after a second revolt in the Kingdom of
Poland and settle among the Slavic indi- Poland in 1863, Russia tried to destroy
genes. In 1386, Queen Jadwiga of Poland Polish culture by making Russian the official
married Wladyslaw Jagiello, the Grand Duke language there. After 1871, when Prussia
of Lithuaniaa move that combined both formed the German Empire, Poles under
countries rule under a single monarch, Prussian control were forced to adopt the
though each remained largely self- German language. Not until after World War
governing. Jagiellonian kings ruled Poland I did Poland regain its status as a sovereign
for nearly 200 years, and under their leader- state.
ship Poland expanded its territory and made See also: Baltic; Belorussia; Czechoslovakia;
important advances in its cultural, eco- Lithuania; Mongols; Prussia; Ukraine
nomic, and political development. The
Polish empire reached its height during the POLEL
sixteenth century, when it covered a large Russia
part of central and eastern Europe, including One of the twin offspring of Lada, the other
Ukraine and Belorussia. In 1493, the first being Lel. These twins have been identified
national parliament of Poland was estab- with the divine twins Castor and Polydeuces
lished, and in 1569, Poland and Lithuania of classical Greeceor Castor and Pollux, as
were united under a single parliament. At they were known in Rome.
that time, Poland was the largest country in See also: Lada; Lel
Europe. It would not long be so. In 1648, References: Afanas'ev 186569; Znayenko 1980
Poland lost much of its territory in Ukraine
as a result of a rebellion there, and in 1655, POLEVOI (~IK)
Sweden won control over most of Polands Slavic
Baltic provinces. The dramatic decline of Masculine spirit of the fields whose ap-
Poland continued into the eighteenth cen- pearance varied according to geographical
tury. In 1772, Austria, Prussia, and Russia location. Sometimes he was dressed all in
took advantage of Polands weakness and white, sometimes he had grass for hair, and
partitioned Polish territory among them- sometimes he was a dwarf with skin the
selves. Austria seized land in the south, color of the earth. Drunkards or travelers
Prussia took land in the west, and Russia who slept in his fields were likely to be
took land in the east. As a result, Poland lost attacked or even murdered, for the polevoi
around one-third of its territory and half of jealously guarded the sanctity of his home.
its population. In 1793, Prussia and Russia
seized additional territory in eastern and POLIANITSA
western Poland, which led to an uprising Russia
among Poles in 1794. Polish forces under (pl. polianitsy) Word describing a female war-
Thaddeus Kosciuszko fought Russian and rior in the byliny, related to pole (field). She
Prussian troops but were defeated, as a result was the feminine counterpart of the bo-
of which Austria, Prussia, and Russia divided gatyr', rivaling or even bettering the bogatyri
what remained of the country among them- in every respect, from skill in weapons han-
selves in 1795. dling to guile, speed, intuition, and other leg-
PRIMARY CHRONICLE 227
PRINCE AND THE FLEA, THE 1947, after World War II, when the Allies
Armenia divided its territories among East and West
A prince was tormented by a flea, the tor- Germany, Poland, and Russia.
ment continuing until the prince managed See also: Poland; Silesia
to catch the offending insect under his shirt.
The flea begged for mercy, saying that the PSKOV ICON, THE
harm it had done the prince was very small. Russia
The prince replied that the flea had done all A cherished icon that was found floating on
the harm that it was in his power to do, and a lake in 1420. It was one of many Orthodox
then squashed him. icons miraculously discovered in nature.
One of the fables of Vardan. Modern thinking attributes the appearance
See also: Vardan of these holy relics to the early clergy who
References: Marr 189499 recognized the importance of associating the
Virgin Mary with the nature goddesses that
PRIPARCHIS pervaded pagan religious belief. They might
Slav have reasoned that icons found near pagan
Usually coupled with Kremara, Priparchis holy trees and water bodies would be readily
was the patron of piglets who ensured that accepted by the folk and revered even by
they were safely born and successfully those least likely to convert to Christianity.
weaned, whereupon responsibility passed to The available evidence suggests that this ruse
Kremara, who ensured their continued good was successful.
health until it was time for them to be References: Matorin 1931
slaughtered. Unlike Kremara, no cult or cer-
emonial tradition developed around Pri- PTITSY-SIRINY
parchis. Russia
See also: Kremara Magical maidens, half human and half bird
perhaps best described as a cross between the
PRUSSIA classical Greek harpies and sirens.
General
This northern German duchy founded in PU-ORT
1525 became a state in 1618 when it was Cheremiss
united with Brandenburg. Prussia became a The soul of the tree. Ort is the name given
kingdom in 1701 under Frederick I, around by the Cheremiss people to the soul that
which time the Baltic language of Prussian they believe everything, animate or inani-
fell into disuse. Silesia, East Frisia, and West mate, possesses.
Prussia were annexed by Frederick II See also: Cheremiss-Mordvin; Ort
between 1740 and 1786, the lost territory
being restored after the Congress of Vienna PUCHAI
in 1815, along with lands in the Rhineland Russia
and Saxony. A war in 1864 with Denmark An extremely fast-flowing river that rose in
resulted in the acquisition of Schleswig- the Sorochinsk Mountains and above which
Holstein. In 1867 Prussia became a domi- a terrible twelve-headed she-dragon, who
nant power in the North German Con- lived in the mountains, liked to fly so that
federation, and in 1871, the core of the she could pick off unsuspecting people who
German Empire, under the Prussian king bathed in the river. On one such occasion
Wilhelm I.After World War I, Prussia became the dragon attacked Dobrynya Nikitich, but
a republic, but it soon lost its independence he almost killed her. Later, after the dragon
in 1932. Prussia ceased to exist as a state in had broken her pact with Dobrynya and
PURTO 229
abducted the Princess Zabava, the knight Meanwhile Kayen, or Cain, the ruler of
came to her lair and killed her, thus releas- Kilikia, or Cilicia, who had his palace in
ing the princess and all of the dragons other Adana (in south-central Turkey, above the
captives. tail of Cyprus), had fallen ill with terrible
See also: Dobrynya Nikitich; Dragon; ulcers all over his body that were slowly eat-
Sorochinsk Hill; Zabava (Putyatichna), ing him away.The king called his most trusted
Princess doctor to his side and asked him if there was
any cure for his illness. The doctor knew of
PUDNITSA Purto, and by magic means, also of his associ-
Russia ation with Shah-Mar. He told the king that
Variant form of poludnitsa. only the power of Shah-Mar could cure him
and that he would see to it that Purto
PURTO brought the king of snakes to his assistance.
Armenia The doctor had Purto brought to him and
A young hunter who at the age of fifteen told him to bring Shah-Mar to the palace.
happened to stray into the cave of Shah- Purto refused, whereupon the doctor had
Mar, the king of snakes, to seek shelter from Purto flogged. Still Purto refused, so the doc-
the rain. The king of snakes was a strange tor had Purtos ears sliced open and salt and
being with the head of a man but the body pepper rubbed into the wounds. Still Purto
of a huge serpent. Trying to ignore his situ- remained resolute, so the doctor set to the
ation, Purto lit a fire and sat down to dry unfortunate hunter with pincers, tearing off
himself, and he did not feel the king of large chunks of his flesh until finally Purto
snakes reach out and place his mark on the consented.
young mans back. Purto placed some of his Purto made his way painfully to the cave
catch on a spit and roasted it over his fire, of Shah-Mar, who already knew of the tor-
and having only taken a small portion for ment his adopted son had suffered. Shah-
himself, offered the rest to the king of snakes Mar quickly consented to travel with him
and his four serpent attendants. to Adana. On the way they came to Mount
After he had eaten, the king asked Purto Nauriz, where Shah-Mar plucked a flower
for some water. Purto left the cave and and told Purto to swallow it. Then he
returned a short time later with a basin of picked a whole bunch of different flowers
water from a nearby spring. Then Purto set and told Purto to make a brew of them,
to work, and six days later he had finished which would imbue him with the power of
digging a channel from the spring so that telling the properties of every flower and
clear water now flowed into a basin he had herb. Purto did as he was told and then fell
prepared in the cave. Thanking him for his asleep. When he awoke, he found that he
kindness, Shah-Mar gave Purto a small stone did indeed know the healing qualities of
of great value and then adopted the young every plant in existence.
hunter as his son. Shah-Mar then told Purto that he must
Purto thanked Shah-Mar and went his now make him drunk on red wine that was
way, sold the stone for a great price, settled exactly seven years old. Then he was to cut
all his debts, and built himself a fine man- off his head, bury his body, and make two
sion.Then he bought a flock of forty sheep potionsone from the brains in the left side
and returned to the cave, where he regally of his head, and one from those in the right
entertained Shah-Mar and his attendants. In side, the former potion being healing and the
return Shah-Mar gave Purto another stone latter poisonous. Purto did as he was
of great value and an escort back to his instructed and then set out for the palace
mansion. with the two potions. There Kayen told the
230 PUSKAITIS
doctor to test the medicine, so Purto gave man. However, knowing that his secret was
him the concoction made from the right- out and that his life was in peril, the assistant
hand brains of Shah-Mar.As soon as the doc- took to his heels and hid, and no matter how
tor tasted the brew, he screamed the most hard Loqmn searched for him, he could not
hideous scream anyone had ever heard, and find him.
he died before his body hit the floor. The Many years later, as Loqmn grew old and
king was petrified; but when Purto explained knew death was close at hand, he called for
what had happened, the king was happy to the youths mother to come to him and per-
drink the other potion. He was immediately suade her son to give himself up, for Loqmn
cured of his vile illness. From that day forth, meant him no harm. Several days passed.
he decreed, Purto would be known as Finally the assistant came back, and the two
Loqmn the Wise, the Father of Medicine. were reconciled. Then Loqmn had the
All went well for a while, but then one of youth brew a potion that would restore his
the snakes that had once attended Shah-Mar life, but the assistant managed to pour only
learned of the king of snakes death, and he one drop into Loqmns mouth. Loqmn
sent word to all the snakes of the world to gasped, and then died.
come together and attack Adana. When the Thereafter the assistant was beset with
king heard what was happening, he sent for haunting nightmares of Loqmn and took to
Loqmn the Wise, who promised to quickly wandering the countryside. For twenty-five
settle the situation. Loqmn the Wise then years he wandered sleeplessly, until he came
made a potion from the liver of Shah-Mar to a richly appointed house, the home of a
and set out to visit the snakes, wearing the bishop whose wife was in labor but could
prayer beads that had once belonged to not deliver. The youth went to her aid, and
Shah-Mar. When they saw these beads and with the knowledge he had gained from
received the potion made from Shah-Mars Loqmn, delivered the baby. Having thus
liver, the snakes accepted Loqmn the Wise proved his worth, the young man conquered
as their king and made their peace. his nightmares, and from that day to his death
Loqmn the Wise took a deaf and dumb he slept peacefully.
youth as his assistant. Unsure that the youth See also: Cain; Cilicia; Kayen; Kilikia; King of
was really afflicted as he appeared, Loqmn Snakes; Loqmn the Wise; Shah-Mar
made sure that the youth did not learn any of References: Hakyuni 1901
his secrets, at the same time as he attempted
to trick him into talking. For seven years the PUSKAITIS
youth remained dumb, but Loqmn contin- Latvia
ued to try to make him speak. A subterranean deity who lived beneath an
One day they were summoned by a man elder bush and ruled over the barstukai and
who suffered intolerable headaches. Loqmn kaukai. He rewarded those who worshiped
brewed the man a potion that rendered him him and left him votive offerings, sending his
unconscious and then removed the top of subjects to his worshipers with gifts of grain.
the mans head.There he saw an eight-legged See also: Barstukai; Kaukai
creature crawling inside the mans brain; but
try as he could, he could not get a grip on it PUTYATICHNA, ZABAVA,
with his pincers. The young man, forgetting PRINCESS
his subterfuge, told Loqmn to heat the Russia
tongs, which Loqmn did and so cured the See Zabava (Putyatichna), Princess.
The egg in both cases symbolizes rebirth: It
was a seemingly inert or dead object from
which life would eternally emergelife
that would later be reborn in a future
R
egg, and so on, with the cycle being
endlessly repeated.
See also: Babii Prazdnik; Rus(s)alki (~ulki)
References: Mansikka 1922; Snegirev
183739
RAI
RADIGAST Russia
Baltic Coast One of various names applied to the
A deity whose attributes and characteristics underworld, others being Nava and Peklo.
are similar to those of Svantovit. Radigast is Rai was believed to be the home of
only known through the writings of Saxo Alkonost', a terrible bird-woman whose
Grammaticus, the Danish chronicler who song tortured the souls of the dead and
lived between c. 1150 and c. 1220. Radigast gave them no rest. It was also the place
was the god of good advice, sound thinking, where the sun set each evening and
and the honoring of promises. He carried a whence it was reborn the following morn-
two-headed battle-ax and wore two impor- ing, and the abode of those who had died
tant symbolsa swan on his head, symboliz- and were to be reborn.
ing thought, and a bulls head on his chest, The underworld appears, through the
symbolizing unshakability. three names given to it, to have been orga-
See also: Saxo Grammaticus; Svantovit (~dovit) nized in much the same way as the classical
Greek realm of Hades, with definite regions
RADUNITSA allocated to the various classifications of
Russia dead. Peklo was a paradisal realm that could
Ancient spring feast occurring the day after be associated with the Elysian Fields of
Easter that commemorated the dead and Hades. Nava could be equated with the
was dedicated to the russalki. The name rivers of Hades, while Rai would seem to be
appears to be related to rad, meaning glad- closest to Tartarus. However, from the latter
ness, or to rod, meaning birth or off- infernal region there was never any possibil-
spring. Celebrated in the main by women, ity of returna trait not shared by the realm
Radunitsa was concerned with the damag- of Rai, the inhabitants of which had a hope
ing aspects of fertility and rebirth, and was of achieving eternal peace and blessing, per-
held in direct contrast to, and to counteract haps after a number of earthly lives.
the effects of, the Rusaliia, which was held See also: Alkonost'; Nava; Peklo; Underworld,
slightly later in the year. It has been argued The
that russalki, with whom the festival is References: Afanas'ev 186569; Haase 1939
closely linked, were once known as radu-
nitsy. RAKHMAT
In Kievan Rus', Radunitsa was also Russia
called Babii Prazdnik (Old womans holi- The father of Solovei Rakhmatich, the half-
day). During the festival it was customary man, half-bird brigand known in English as
to paint eggs, a practice that was later trans- Nightingale.
ferred to the Christian festival of Easter. See also: Nightingale; Solovei (~y) Rakhmatich
231
232 RAKHMATICH, SOLOVEI
holding on tightly, then leaped through the the hand of the young girls mother. The
air, landing in a foreign land and breathing girl recognized the hand by the ring that
out slowly until she resumed her normal still adorned one finger. She followed the
size. Thus Petrushka was carried to I- eagle to the river, and there she found the
Know-Not-Where, the home of I-Know- remains of her mother, which she gathered
Not-What. up and buried. At that point some of the
See also: Babushka-Lyagushka-Skakushka; I- legends end, whereas others say that the
Know-Not-What; I-Know-Not-Where; mother was resurrected and accepted the
Petrushka Christian faith.The latter variants obviously
owe their origins to the continuing struggle
ROD() the state was having in converting women
Slav from pagan ways.
Also: Chur See also: Moscow
An ancient rain and fertility god who, along References: Ukhov 1957
with his female counterparts, the rozhanitsy,
and the spirits of dead ancestors, protected ROMANIA
the home. Rod was originally the god of General
husbandmen, though his attributes went far Country in southeastern Europe on the
beyond this role. He was a universal deity, the Black Sea, bounded to the north and east by
god of heaven, rain, and the thunderbolt, Russia, to the south by Bulgaria, to the
who had created the world and all forms of southwest by the former Yugoslavia, and to
life in it. He created man by sprinkling dust the northwest by Hungary. The earliest
or gravel over the surface of the earth, estab- known inhabitants of Romania merged with
lished the importance of the family, and unit- invaders from Thrace to form an indigenous
ed his devotees into a unified nation. His people who became subject to Rome when
wife was called Rozhanitsa (also spelled their land was conquered by Emperor Trajan
Rozanica). The frequent use of the word around A.D. 106 and became the Roman
with the plural ending -y (rozhanitsy) implies province of Dacia. Most of the inhabitants,
that Rod had many wives; appropriately, known as Daci, had originally emigrated
polygamy was a common trait among pagan from Thrace in northern Greece. Following
Slavs. Later, Rod was toppled from his posi- the withdrawal of the Romans in 275,
tion at the head of the pantheon by Perun Romania was occupied by Goths. Later,
and was reduced to his role as protector of between the sixth and the twelfth centuries,
the home and guardian of ancestors. Rod is it was overrun by Huns, Bulgars, Slavs, and
the Eastern Slavic equivalent of the Baltic others. Through intermarriage and gradual
deity Svantovit. assimilation with Slavic tribes, these people
See also: Perun; Rozanica; Rozhanitsa; developed into a distinct ethnic group called
Svantovit (~dovit) Walachians, or in Slavonic, Vlachs. Their
References: Ivanov and Toporov 1965 nomadic habits and warlike conduct made
them a constant threat to the neighboring
ROMAN VASIL'EVICH Byzantine Empire.
Russia Under Bulgarian rule, in the ninth cen-
Legendary despotic ruler of Moscow who tury, the Orthodox form of Christianity was
murdered his unnamed wife. When his introduced to Dacia. Around the end of the
young daughter, also unnamed, came to ask thirteenth century, Hungarian expansion by
him where her mother was, he refused to Magyars drove many of the people from the
tell her. She went into the gardens, and western provinces to settle south and east of
there an eagle swooped down and dropped the Carpathians. There they established the
234 ROSSIYA
principality of Walachia and later that of Phanariot system was ended, and Russia
Moldavia, each ruled by native princes or became the unacknowledged suzerain of
voivodes (from the Russian voevoda, leader the two statesa situation disapproved of
of an army), many of whom acknowledged by the great European powers, which had
the suzerainty of the kings of Hungary or begun to intervene in Balkan affairs during
Poland. With the defeat of the Hungarians the Greek war.
by the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of The country has existed within its current
Mohcs in 1526, Moldavia and Walachia borders since 1859.
came under Turkish rule, which lasted three See also: Bessarabia; Black Sea; Boyars;
centuries. At the close of the sixteenth cen- Bulgaria; Byzantine Empire; Dacia; Hungary;
tury, Moldavia, Transylvania, and Walachia Magyars; Moldavia; Poland; Russia;
were temporarily united by Prince Michael Transylvania;Walachia
of Walachia, who made continual war on
the Turkish sultan in an attempt to gain and ROSSIYA
maintain independence. For a time Michael General
successfully opposed the Ottomans, con- Land of the Rus', the Russian name for the
quering Transylvania in 1599 and Moldavia country of Russia.
in 1600, but he was assassinated the follow-
ing year, and the spirit of independence ROSTOV
waned thereafter. General
The Ottomans restored their control over Port on the river Don in southwest Russia,
the principalities after Michaels death, some 14 miles (23 kilometers) east of the Sea
imposing severe political restrictions. Finally of Azov. Modern Rostov dates from 1761
the Romanians turned to Russia for help. In and is linked by river and canal to Volgograd
an effort to fend off the growing influence of on the river Volga.
Russia in the early eighteenth century,
Moldavia and Walachia were ruled by ROT
Turkish-appointed hospodars (Old Slav Lapp
gospod, lords), usually members of Greek The god of the underworld and the dead.
families from the Phanar district of Con- See also: Underworld,The
stantinople.
Russian influence became preeminent ROZANICA
after 1750 and remained so for a century. In Slav
1774 Russia defeated Turkey, which was The wife of Rod.After Rod was displaced as
then forced to promise lenient treatment of the head of the pantheon by Perun, Ro-
Moldavia and Walachia. In 1802 Russia zanica appears to have been replaced
obtained a voice in the appointment of especially in Russiaby the rozhanitsy
hospodars. In 1812, having defeated Turkey (plural form of Rozanica).
in the Russo-Turkish War of 18061812, See also: Perun; Rod; Rozhanitsa
Russia obtained Bessarabia, which had pre-
viously been part of the principality of ROZHANITSA
Moldavia. The weakening of Turkish influ- Russia
ence became more evident after the start of Usually referred to in the plural form
the Greek War of Independence in 1821. By (rozhanitsy). A group of female deities who
the Treaty of Adrianople, which ended the along with Rod and the spirits of dead
Greek war in 1829, Moldavia and Walachia, ancestors protected the home. They also
while remaining nominally under Turkish presided over the birth of children and ani-
control, became more autonomous. The mals and ensured that the land was always
RUSALIIA 235
tectors, torn to pieces, and then scattered appearance; but they were severely limited in
across the fields to ensure the lands fertility. this ability, for they could only change into
The young women would lament the animals that lived in the water, such as fish or
death of the dolls, let their hair down and toads and frogs. Some accounts say that dur-
wail, and finally fall to the ground as if dead. ing the winter the russalki lived in the water,
The Rusaliia was essentially a female cer- coming ashore during the summer to live in
emony. In Ukraine no woman would dare the forest.
bathe on the eve of the Rusaliia for fear of The russalki are spinners who weave the
offending the spirits, the punishment for cycle of the seasons and the weather and
which might be floods, or plagues spreading who regulate human and animal fertility.
among their cattle. They are mistresses of the woodland;
See also: Lada; Rus(s)alki (~ulki); Semik; guardians of streams, lakes, and other water-
Troitsa; Ukraine; Zelenie Sviatki ways; and representatives of Mother Earth.
References: Propp 1963; Ralston 1880; They were the goddesses of the horse, and
Snegirev 183739;Vsevolodskii-Gerngross could change their shape at will into that of
1929; Zabylin 1880; Zemtsovskii 1970 any animalthough if they were not in
human form, they would most commonly
RUS(S)ALKI (~ULKI) appear as a horse. In the underworld they
Slav were said to inhabit Nava, the ocean that the
Water nymphs, sometimes malevolent, some- dead had to traverse upon entry into the
times benevolent, who, like the leshie, lived afterlife. Depending on the region, the rus-
in the forest. Although they principally lived salki had various names, such as mavki, navki,
in the waters that flowed through the forest, vodianiani, and faraony; but no matter what
they would quite often climb out and lie on name they were known by, they shared com-
the banks of the river or lake, or climb a tree mon attributes, if not appearance.They were
that hung over the still waters below. Their inextricably linked to the festivals of
favorite pastime was combing their flowing Radunitsa and Rusaliia, and they may be
golden or green hair while admiring their equated with the Germanic Lorelei, the
beauty in the water. On clear, moonlit nights French Ondine, and the classical Greek sirens
they would assemble to dance and sing, and harpies.
weaving garlands out of the forest flowers. A Often represented as sad and lonely fig-
russalka could not live long out of the water; ures, russalki might well attempt to find
but as long as she carried her comb, she was human companions who could be lured to
not in danger, for her comb gave her the their deaths and thus join the russalki in their
magical ability to conjure up water when she underwater crystal palaces. Young children
needed it, no matter where she was. were fair game, and legends describe the rus-
Russalki were thought to be the spirits of salki as attempting to lure them into the
drowned girls, so they were depicted as water with baskets of fruit and nuts or bis-
almost human, though their characteristics cuits. However, what every russalka really
depended on their surroundings: Russalki of desired was a young man. In order to lure
soft and sunny southern rivers were de- young men into their power they would
scribed as nubile and attractive, while those leave the water and call out young mens
from the cold north were stern, cruel, and names at random. If a young man in the for-
ugly.Their skin was exceptionally translucent est was foolish enough to call out in reply,
and pale, and they sometimes had tails; the then the russalka had him in her power.The
latter characteristic indicates that they might russalka would then make him join her in
have originated as mermaids. Like leshie they her games and eventually would drown him
possessed the power to transform their in the water. If this did not workfor some
RUSSIA 237
men appeared to have a resistance to the some time beneath the waters of that river,
charms of a russalkathe russalka would but in the end he began to long for home.
tease and tickle him until he fell down out of Remembering that anyone could be pro-
exhaustion and then she would drag him tected from the charms of the russalka by the
down into the water. Peasants who believed holy cross, he made the sign and was imme-
in the existence of russalki always remem- diately transported back homethough
bered to wear a cross, or to cross themselves having crossed himself, he would never be
when swimming or crossing a stretch of able to return to his love. In the words of
water, for this would render the russalka Alexander Pushkin (17991837) in his poem
powerless to harm them. Russalka:
Some stories tell of men who were capti-
vated by the unearthly beauty of russalki and She looked at him and shook her hair,
who tried to live an ordinary life with them. Threw kisses, laughed
One such story concerns a young seal hunter And like a child,
by the name of Ivan Savel'evich, who came Cried to the monk: Come to me,
from Arkhangel'sk. Spending the winter seal here. . . .
hunting on the bleak island of Novaya
Zemlya, in the Arctic Circle, he spent many Some authorities have sought to connect
nights alone in his hut playing his balalaika. the russalka with Rosa, the Latin for rose,
One night the oil in his lamp ran out and he and thus say that the name is a reflection of
continued to play in the dark. As he played, the wedding garlands worn by newly mar-
he heard the sound of someone dancing ried women.
inside his hut. Knowing that he was alone, he See also: Arkhangel'sk; Faraony; Ivan
became frightened and quickly refilled and Savel'evich; Leshii (~y); Mavki; Mother Earth;
Nava; Navki; Novaya Zemlya; Radunitsa;
relit his lamp. He was indeed alone.The fol-
Rusaliia; Underworld,The;Vodianiani
lowing night, the same thing happened. References: Afanas'ev 186569; Branston 1980;
Finally he hid the lit lamp behind a thick Gimbutas 1982; Haase 1939; Mansikka 1922;
curtain, and as soon as the sound of dancing Moszynski 1967; Oinas 1969; Paulson 1971;
started, he drew back the curtain, revealing a Pomerantseva 1975; Pushkin 1964; Ralston
young girl. 1880 and 1872; Snegirev 183739;Vasilenko
This girl explained to Ivan that she was a 1960
russalka but that as she had a human father,
she was able to remain out of the water as RUSSIA
long as she liked, so long as she was only in General
the presence of one person. Ivan fell hope- The Russian Empire in the nineteenth cen-
lessly in love with the russalka and they spent tury comprised parts of Europe and western
the winter together. However, when spring and northern Asiaa vast territory that was
came Ivan had to return to his home to sell inherited by the Bolshevik regime after the
his catch. On parting the russalka gave him revolution of October 1917 and subse-
instructions on how he might find her again. quently renamed the Union of Soviet So-
Some time later Ivan found he could not cialist Republics (USSR).Today Russia com-
live without the russalka. Remembering monly refers specifically to the Russian
what the russalka had told him, he sought Federation, the largest and most influential of
out her home, climbed a tree that hung the fifteen former constituent republics of
above the water, and on the stroke of midday, the USSR, and an independent nation since
dived into the water. As he reached the bot- Christmas Day 1991.The term Russia also is
tom of the river, his love rushed out from the used more broadly to denote the former
weeds and embraced him. Ivan stayed quite Russian Empire. At its greatest extent, in
238 RUSSIA
1914, the Russian Empire included about Croats, Slovenes, and Bulgars; and the eastern
8.5 million square miles (22 million sq km), tribes as Russians, Ukrainians, and
an estimated one-sixth of the land area of the Belorussians. The Eastern Slavs became
earth, divided into four general regions: renowned traders and established a number
Russia proper, comprising the easternmost of trading posts, notably the cities of Kiev in
part of Europe and including the Grand the south and Novgorod in the north.
Duchy of Finland and most of Poland; the The political organization of the Eastern
Caucasus; Siberia; and Russian Central Asia, Slavs was largely tribal. According to
which was further subdivided into the steppe Russian tradition recorded in the Primary
regions of the southwest and Russian Chronicle, internal dissension and feuds
Turkestan in the southeast. It is roughly this among the Eastern Slavs around Novgorod
historical area that is represented within this became so violent that they voluntarily
book, along with a few fringe areas that have chose to call upon a foreign prince who
come under, or exhibit, Slavic and/or could unite them into one strong state.Their
Russian influences. choice was Riurik, a Scandinavian chief,
During the pre-Christian era the vast ter- who in 862 became ruler of Novgorod.Two
ritory that became Russia was sparsely other Scandinavians, Dir and Askold
inhabited by groups of wandering, nomadic possibly legendary figuresgained control
tribes, many of which were described by of Kiev; A.D. 862 is thus considered the
Greek and Roman writers. The largely beginning of the Russian Empire. From the
unknown north, a region of extensive forests, Scandinavians, called Varangians, or Rus',
was inhabited by tribes later known collec- came the name Rossiya, or Russia, meaning
tively as Slavsthe ancestors of the modern land of the Rus'. The establishment of
Russian people. Far more important was the Riurik and the dynasty he founded initiated
south, where the indeterminate region a period of consolidation and expansion of
known as Scythia was occupied by a succes- Slavic populations, notably toward the
sion of Asian peoples, including the Cim- northeast and northwest, where indigenous
merians, Scythians, and Sarmatians. Finnic groups were largely absorbed or
In the early centuries of the Christian era, replaced by Slavs.
the Asian peoples of Scythia were displaced Riurik was succeeded in 879 by his son
by the Goths, who established a kingdom on Igor (reigned 912945), a child for whom
the Black Sea. In the fourth century A.D. the Oleg ruled as regent. Prince Oleg, realizing
invading Huns conquered and expelled the the value of the Kiev region, had the
Goths, destroying Scythia.The Huns held the Varangian rulers of that city killed in 882 and
territory constituting present-day Ukraine united the two centers, establishing his capi-
and the region of Bessarabia until their defeat tal at Kiev. He extended Russian rule con-
in western Europe in 451. Later came the siderably, subduing neighboring tribes, and
Avars, followed by the Magyars and the led his raiders as far south as Constantinople,
Khazars, who remained influential until where he concluded a treaty with Byzantium
about the mid-tenth century. in 911the first event in Russian history
Meanwhile, during this long period of that bears a date verified by non-Russian
successive invasions, the Slavic tribes dwell- sources. In the years that followed, Russian
ing northeast of the Carpathian Mountains relations with the Byzantine Empire became
had begun a series of migratory movements. continually closer. Igor assumed power in
As these migrations took place, three distinc- 912, and in 945 he was succeeded by his
tive subdivisions evolved.The western tribes widow, Olga, who became a Christian in
evolved as the Moravians, Poles, Czechs, and 955. In 964 Olga abdicated in favor of her
Slovaks; the southern tribes as the Serbs, son, Sviatoslav, the first prince of the house
RUSSIA 239
of Riurik to bear a Slav name.With his gov- him was moved to a larger principality, end-
ernment centered in Kiev, Sviatoslav devoted ing with the throne of Kiev.
himself to strengthening the Russian posi- Although this unique pattern of prece-
tion in the south. He led his troops against dence was nominally practiced, Yaroslavs
the Khazars in the southeast, against the death in 1054 signaled Kievs decline. One
Pechenegs, and against the Bulgars. Sviatoslav final attempt was made to unite the country
built a great empire, and commerce and by Yaroslavs grandson, Vladimir II Mono-
crafts increased under his reign. machus; but his death in 1125 ended efforts
The empire was divided among the to form an alliance, and the division contin-
princes three sons, causing dynastic conflicts ued, with other states challenging Kievs
that were ended in 980 when the youngest supremacy. Russia became a loose federation
son, Vladimir I, later known as Vladimir the of city-states held together by a common
Great, became sole ruler. The most signifi- language, religion, traditions, and customs
cant event of his reign was his conversion to and ruled by members of the abundant
Christianity (the Byzantine rite) in 988 and house of Riurik, who were usually involved
the institution of that religion as the official in internecine wars.
religion of the Russian people. After casting In the early thirteenth century a greater
off his several pagan wives,Vladimir married danger than any that Russia previously had
Anna, a sister of the Byzantine emperor Basil faced came from the east. In 1223 the
II. Early Russian monasteries and churches Mongol armies of Genghis Khan appeared in
were built in the Byzantine style, and the southeast, and in the Battle of the Kalka
Byzantine culture ultimately became the River (now Kalmius River), completely
predominant influence in such fields as routed Russian forces. For twelve years after
architecture, art, and music. this Mongol victory, however, the khans
Upon the death of Vladimir in 1015, his armies remained in their homelands. In
dominions were divided among his sons, and 1237, Batu Khan, grandson of Genghis
strife immediately developed. Vladimirs Khan, led the Mongols again to eastern
eldest son, Sviatopolk, called The Accursed Russia; this time, on their march northward,
(reigned 1015 and 10181019), held the they captured and destroyed most of the
supreme power; but in order to secure his major cities on their route.
position, he murdered his brothers Boris and In 1240 Batu Khan swept the southwest,
Gleb. Sviatopolk in turn was defeated and destroying Kiev despite the citys desperate
deposed by his brother Yaroslav the Wise, effort at self-defense, and in 1242 he estab-
prince of Novgorod. Yaroslav attempted to lished his capital at Sarai on the lower Volga
re-create the empire of his grandfather (near modern Volgograd), where he founded
Sviatoslav, and by 1036 he had succeeded in the khanate known as the Golden Horde.
making himself ruler of all Russia. During Although the Mongols did not attack
his reign, the state of Kiev reached its great- Novgorod, northwestern Russia was men-
est power. Yaroslav made Kiev an imperial aced by invaders from the west at the same
capital with magnificent buildings, including time. In 1240 a Swedish army landed on the
the notable Hagia Sophia. Schools were banks of the Neva. Prince Alexander
opened; and the grand duke revised the first Yaroslavevich led a Russian army to meet
Russian law code, the Russkaia pravda. To them, and his forces so completely defeated
consolidate the position of his heirs,Yaroslav the Swedes that he was thenceforth known
devised a system of precedence, grading the as Alexander Nevsky (the epithet means of
various principalities from the smallest to the Neva). Two years later the Teutonic
Kiev, the most powerful, so that when a Knights advanced from the west, but again
grand duke of Kiev died, each vassal below Alexanders troops routed the enemy. Faced
240 RUSSIA
with continuing danger in the west, first Zemsky Sobor (National Assembly), and
Alexander adopted a policy of loyal acquies- in December 1564, Ivan left Moscow and
cence to the Golden Horde and conciliation announced that he had abdicated. He
with the khan. In 1246 Alexander succeeded returned the following January, however,
his father as grand prince of Novgorod, and having agreed to resume the throne after
in 1252 he was invested by the khan as grand receiving absolute powers. He then seized
prince of Vladimir and Suzdal'. half of Muscovy as his personal propertya
In 1263 Alexander Nevsky gave Moscow territory called the oprichnina, which was a
to his younger son, Daniel, the progenitor of separate administrative unit ruled directly by
a line of powerful Muscovite dukes, who as the tsar. Ivan distributed these holdings
Mongol favorites, gradually extended their among his supporters as rewards for military
lands by annexing surrounding territories. In and personal service, thereby establishing a
1328 Daniels son Ivan I became duke of new service corps of oprichniki who acted as
Muscovy. Beginning with Ivan, the dukes of Ivans personal police. In 1552 Muscovite
Muscovy styled themselves princes of all armies conquered and annexed the Tatar
Russia. kingdom of Kazan', while Astrakhan' became
In the mid-fourteenth century internal a Russian territory in 1556.
dissension weakened the power of the Ivans son, Fyodor I, was sickly and feeble-
Golden Horde. Taking advantage of this minded, and during his reign (15841598)
weakness, Grand Duke Dmitrii led the first he was dominated by his brother-in-law, the
successful revolt against the Mongols. boyar Boris Godunov. In 1598, when Fyodor
Dmitriis important victory over the Mon- died childless, ending the house of Riurik,
gols on the banks of the Don River in 1380 Boris was elected tsar by a Zemsky Sobor.
won him the honorary title Donskoi (of the Although he ruled with ability, his hold on
Don) and marked the turning point of the throne was uneasy because of the widely
Mongol power. held belief that he had murdered Dmitrii
When Constantinople fell to the Otto- Ivanovich, a son and legal heir of Ivan the
man Turks in 1453, Moscow became the Terrible. Dmitriis mysterious death in 1591
center of Christian Orthodoxy. The grand made possible the subsequent appearance of
duke Ivan III Vasilevich, who added to pretenders to his name and ranks, inaugurat-
Muscovy the states of Novgorod in 1478 and ing a period of unrest and revolt known in
Tver' in 1485, began to regard himself as the Russian as the smutnoe vremia (Time of
tsar. In 1480 he refused to pay the annual Troubles).
tribute to the Golden Horde, a date that is In 1604 a pretender to the throne calling
regarded as the end of Tatar domination. himself Dmitrii I, and known as the False
Once free of Tatar rule, Ivan invaded Dmitrii, gained the support of a number of
Lithuanian territory, in 1492 and 1500. Ivans Polish and Lithuanian nobles and Cossacks.
son and successor, Basil III Ivanovich, fol- Three months after the death of Boris in
lowed his fathers aggressive policy of expan- 1605, Dmitrii I entered Moscow and was
sion to the westhe annexed Pskov in 1510, crowned tsar. He was murdered by boyars
captured Smolensk in 1514, and absorbed who subsequently elevated Prince Basil
the grand duchy of Riazan' in 1521. Shuisky to the throne. This move was
Ivan IV Vasilevich, better known as Ivan opposed by the Cossacks and rebellious peas-
Groznyi (the Terrible), became ruler in ants who supported a second pretender,
1533 at the age of three. In 1547 Ivan Dmitrii II, who was already advancing on
assumed the throne and became the first Moscow. At the same time King Sigismund
Muscovite grand duke to be formally III of Poland invaded from the west.At Basils
crowned as tsar. In 1549 he convened the request, Sweden sent in armed support.After
RUSSIA 241
his son, Alexander III, who was, in turn, As night fell, the two made camp. After they
succeeded by his eldest son Nicholas II, in ate, they argued over who should keep watch
1894. Nicholas proved a weak ruler, out of over their horses.The Russian argued that he
touch with his people and easily dominated had no need to watch his horse, because it
by othersmost notably Grigory Yefimo- was white and therefore easy to see; so it was
vich Rasputin. only fair that the Tatar should guard his own
On Sunday, 22 January 1905, thousands mount. The Tatar, hoping to get the better
of petitioners, led by Georgy Apollonovich end of the bargain, exchanged his horse for
Gapon, a priest, marched to the Winter the Russianswhereupon the Russian said
Palace to present their demands to the tsar that he had no need to watch over a black
and were fired on by imperial troops. horse, which could not be seen at night.The
Hundreds were either killed or wounded on Tatar stood guard and fumed.
that day, which subsequently became known After a while he led the Russians horse to
as Bloody Sunday. The massacre acted as a a nearby swamp and pushed it in before
catalyst for revolutiona process only tem- returning to their camp and falling asleep.
porarily halted by the outbreak of World The Russian had only been pretending to
War I, in 1914. sleep, and as soon as the Tatar fell asleep, he
In February 1917, riots began in Moscow, led that mans horse to the swamp, rescued
and when the imperial troops were ordered his own, and pushed the Tatars horse in. He
to fire on rioters, they instead joined in the then returned to the camp and went to sleep.
rioting. The abdications of Nicholas II and At dawn the Tatar shook the Russian awake
his son were announced on 15 March, and and said that he had had a dream in which
the imperial government was replaced by a the Russians horse had wandered into a
temporary provisional government. In swamp and drowned.The Russian countered
October, the Bolshevik coup put an end to that he had dreamed that the Tatars horse
this transitional state; and a few years later, had broken loose and died in a swamp. The
the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Tatar rushed to the swamp, but the horse had
(Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Res- been dead several hours.
publik) was formed. Feigning compassion, the Russian sold his
See also: Alans; Avars; Batu Khan; Bessarabia; horse ostensibly so that they would be equal,
Black Sea; Bulgaria; Byzantine Empire; and the two continued on their way on foot.
Crimea; Croatia; Desna; Dnieper; Don; Before long the Tatar suggested that they
Estonia; Finland; Gleb, Saint; Golden Horde, should take turns carrying each other. The
The; Hanseatic League; Karelia; Kiev; Russian agreed and suggested that to mea-
Lithuania; Livonia; Magyars; Moldova;
sure the distance, the one being carried
Mongols; Montenegro; Moravia; Pechenegs;
Poland; Primary Chronicle; Prussia; Riurik;
should sing a lullaby, and when the singer fell
Sarmatians; Scythia; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; asleep, it would be time to trade places.Thus
Sviatopolk;Tatars;Teutonic Knights; the Tatar climbed onto the Russians back
Turkestan;Varangians;Volga and began to sing a sweet lullaby in his fine
baritone, and before long, he had fallen fast
asleep.
RUSSIAN AND THE TATAR, THE The Russian put the Tatar down; and
RussiaTatar when the Tatar awakened, he climbed onto
An unnamed Russian and an unnamed Tatar his back and began to sing.Though he had a
had become traveling companions as they fine voice, the Russian sang in a raucous
made their way across the southern steppes voice that sent the birds fluttering from the
of Russia. The Russian was riding a thin trees and would have awakened the dead. All
white horse and the Tatar a sturdy black one. day long he sang, and all day long the Tatar
244 RUSSKAIA PRAVDA
S
dung in the cattle stall.
All this was done to celebrate and
give thanks for the harvest and to
ensure a similarly good harvest in the
coming year. This complex ritual
was performed in December to
rekindle the fertility of the earth at a
SAAMI time when everything would appear
Lapp dead and thus to ensure that the following
The name the Lapp people use to refer to year the earth would spring back to life.The
themselves. ritual was widely practiced until about the
start of the nineteenth century, and a variant
SABARIOS of it is still practiced in rural areas today.
Lithuania
Harvest celebration that occurred after all the SADKO
grain had been gathered and threshing had Russia
just begun.The farmer would take nine hand- Originally an ancient water deity, Sadko
fuls of grain, one of each type of crop gath- reemerged after the advent of Christianity as
eredwheat, barley, oats, and so onand a poor musician from Novgorod who played
then divide each handful into three smaller the gusli, a stringed instrument similar to a
portions. Each of the twenty-seven portions psalteryessentially, a flat wooden box that
would then be thrown into a heap and mixed was laid across the knees and plucked with
together. Half of this mixture would be the fingers. Sadko earned his living by play-
ground into flour and made into small loaves, ing at banquets. One day he fell into disfa-
one for each member of the family. The vor, for a reason that is not given. Saddened
remainder would be mixed with more barley and worried by this, he went to the shores of
and brewed into beer.Then, on an evening at Lake Il'men', where he began to play. He
the beginning of December, when farmers played all day long and into the duskuntil
could expect that they would not be inter- he saw a huge wave forming out on the lake.
rupted, they would celebrate the harvest. Greatly frightened, he ran all the way back to
First the farmer would pour a jug of the Novgorod.
beer over the bung of the barrel and take the Three days later, still out of favor, he
beer through to where his wife and family returned to the shores of Lake Il'men' and sat
were waiting with a black, white, or speckled down to play. Again a huge wave formed on
(never red) cock and hen. With the jug of the lake and he ran away. Another three days
beer in his hand, the farmer would kneel and passed before Sadko had plucked up enough
give thanks for the harvest. Then he would courage to return to the lake. Once more he
take a wooden spoon and beat the cock and played until the huge wave appeared, and
hen to death. His wife would then boil the this time he did not turn and run but sat and
birds in a new pot, and the cooked meat and waited.
small loaves would be set out.The farmer and Out of the wave came the Sea Tsarper-
his family would then drink the beer and eat haps the personification of Lake Il'men'to
the flesh and the loaves, until everything had thank Sadko for so regally entertaining his
245
246 SADKO
ships hulls, the ships did not move forward. Seeing that Sadko could no longer play
Sadko immediately guessed what was wrong because his gusli had been ruined, the Sea
and ordered that a barrel filled with red gold Tsar tried another way of keeping Sadko for-
be thrown into the sea as a tribute to the Sea ever beneath the sea. He offered him a wife
Tsar, whom they had forgotten to honor on from hundreds of beautiful maidens. As
their countless previous voyages. instructed by the old man, Sadko chose the
Still the ships did not move, even after very last maiden, a beautiful girl by the name
they had tossed numerous other barrels filled of Chernavathough some sources name
with valuables over the side. Finally Sadko this maiden as Volkhofand did not con-
suggested that they draw lots and make a summate the marriage but instead fell into a
human sacrifice; but Sadko tried to trick his deep sleep.
men by writing his name on a twig while the When he awoke, Sadko found himself on
men wrote theirs on gold coins.The human the banks of the river Chernava, his fleet sail-
sacrifice would be the name that was on the ing toward him down the river Volkhov into
first lot to reach the bottom of the sea. Sadko Novgorod. Released from the grip of the Sea
fully expected his lot to float, but to his dis- Tsar, Sadko kept a promise to the old man
may it sank while the gold coins floated. who had appeared to him on the ocean bed,
Realizing that the Sea Tsar wanted him and built a cathedral in honor of Saint
alone, he called for writing materials so that Nikolai of Mozhaisk, in Novgorod, for it had
he could write his will.Then, having lowered been none other than the saint himself who
an oak raft into the sea and taking only his had appeared to and had helped Sadko. This
gusli with him, he bade farewell to his men was the last time Sadko ever sailed the seas,
and was cast adrift. Immediately the ships for he had decided instead to stay safely at
were released and sailed off toward Nov- home in Novgorod. Some sources say that
gorod, leaving Sadko alone. Sadko not only built a cathedral to Saint
Having nothing else to do, Sadko lay back Nikolai but also built another in honor of
on the raft and quickly fell asleep. When he the Virgin Mary; but this assertion appears to
awoke, he found himself on the seabed close be a much later addition.
to a white palace that was the home of the An alternative version of events says that
Sea Tsar. As soon as the Sea Tsar had chided the storm created when the Sea Tsar danced
Sadko for having failed earlier to pay him to the music of Sadkos gusli sank Sadkos
tribute, he ordered Sadko to play his gusli. As ships, and that when Sadko escaped from the
Sadko played, the Sea Tsar began to dance undersea palace he found himself penniless.
until the sea was whipped into a frenzy, caus- As a result he had to take work as a barge
ing many people to die. Soon people began hand, a job he stayed in for twelve years, eat-
to pray to Saint Nikolai of Mozhaisk, the ing nothing but bread and salt. Then Sadko
patron saint of sailors, also called Mikola decided that the time had come to return
Mozhaiski, to save them. home; but recalling the Sea Tsars wrath, this
Beneath the sea Sadko continued to play time Sadko remembered to give thanks to
and the Sea Tsar continued his frenzied the spirit of the river that had provided his
dance.As he played, Sadko was confronted by livelihood for the past twelve years.The river
an old man who bade him stop; but Sadko spirit responded by asking Sadko to take a
could not stop, as he was under the spell of message to his brother, the spirit of Lake
the Sea Tsar. The old man then instructed Il'men'. Sadko agreed and dutifully carried
Sadko to break the strings and the pegs of his the message to the lake. The lake responded
gusli so that it would be impossible to con- by telling Sadko to take a boat to its center
tinue playing.This Sadko did, and the storms and to cast out a net three times there. Sadko
abated. did as he was instructed, hauled in three nets
248 SAFAT
teeming with fish, and then returned to plained, the rock began to slide toward him,
shore.As soon as the keel of the boat touched as though it might crush him.
dry land, the fish turned into silver coins, and Once more the fox called out to the saint
Sadko once again found himself a rich man. for help, this time promising to burn one and
The story of Sadko is best known outside a half ounces of incense, and again the saint
Russia in the version presented in Rimsky- plucked him from the jaws of death.Again, as
Korsakovs opera Sadko. soon as he had recovered from shock, the fox
See also: Chernava; Foma Nazariev; Golden began to complain about the saint, saying that
Horde,The; Il'men', Lake; Ladoga, Lake; Luka martyrdom had done nothing to lift the saint
Zinoviev; Mikola Mozhaiski, Saint; Moscow; beyond the enticement of a bribe, and if he
Nikolai of Mozhaisk, Saint; Novgorod; Sea wanted incense then he could buy it himself.
Tsar As he moaned, a group of hunters came
References: Barker 1986; Gil'ferding 1951;
across the fox and set their dogs on him.
Ukhov 1957
This time, when the fox called out to
Saint George, the saint stood by and watched
SAFAT as the dogs set about the fox, and then as the
Russia hunters flayed him for his pelt and threw his
River near the banks of which Dobrynya bloody carcass away. When the hunters had
Nikitich and his bogatyri did battle with a left, Saint George appeared and scolded the
heathen army and encountered a supernat- fox, saying that as it had broken its oaths, it
ural power that could not be defeated. This would never be a martyr and would die
final battle of the last of the bogatyri is unabsolved.
described in the poem Why There Are No One of the fables of Vardan of Aygek.
More Bogatyri in Holy Russia, which explains See also: George, Saint;Vardan
that the knights became too confident of
their abilities.Their overconfidence led them SAITE (~VO)
to attack a large supernatural armya force Lapp
that is identified in some versions of the Alternative names for the sacred sejda stone.
story as the Kams. Every time a supernatural
warrior fell to the bogatyri, two more sprang SALTYK
up to take his place. At last the bogatyri Russia
admitted defeat and fled to the mountains, In the legend of Volkh Vseslav'evich, the king
where they were turned to stone. of India who was killed by the hero of the tale.
See also: Bogatyr'; Dobrynya Nikitich; Kams See also: India;Volkh Vseslav'evich
and immediately the horse leaped upward peeping out from his hiding place, Samson
and flew swiftly through the sky until its path saw the Tapagz returning, driving a mixed
was blocked by two mountains. The horse flock of bison, sheep, cows, and oxen in front
told Samson to strike its belly with his stir- of him, using an uprooted tree as his staff.
rups, and as he did so, the horse reared up The Tapagz entered the cave, made a vast
and cleared the peaks, losing only a few hairs meal of the animals he had driven before
from its tail. On and on the horse and him, and then went to sleep. As his snores
Samson flew until they came to a magnifi- filled the cave, Samson crept out and was
cent garden where the horse alighted to amazed by the size of the Tapagz. Samson
graze. As Samson sat eating his own meal, a estimated that his head weighed fifty poods,
gardener came up to him and told him that his nose fifteen poods, and each tooth
he had settled in the private garden of the between four and five poods.Taking the spit
king of the devils and that he should be gone from the Tapagzs fire, Samson climbed onto
before the king found out. the giants nose, and gathering all his
Samson replied that he would welcome strength, thrust the point of the spit into the
the attention of the king and all his army, and single eye in the middle of the Tapagzs
then gave the gardener a shove. Some time forehead. With a mighty sigh, the giant
later the gardener regained consciousness keeled over and died.
and ran to his master, who drew his army Setting out on the back of Samsons fly-
around him and marched toward Samson. ing horse, Samson and Gulinaz flew for sev-
Samson saw them coming, drew his sword, eral days until they alighted in a beautiful
mounted his horse, and killed each and every palace garden. While Samson and Gulinaz
demon, including the king of the devils him- rested in the shade of a tree and the horse
self.Then Samson flew onward. fed on the lush grass, a gardener discovered
After several days Samson saw a huge them and asked them what they thought
stone slab blocking the entrance to a cave they were doing. Samson calmly replied that
a cave in which Samson knew his beloved he was the one who would put out the eye
dream maiden was captive. Samson had the of the gardener and the king. The gardener
horse land, easily moved aside the stone slab hurried to the king and gave him the mes-
that a hundred normal men could never have sage. Worried, the king called for his lala (a
hoped to move even a fraction of an inch, Turkish tutor or servant that has charge of a
and entered the cave.There, seated on a car- young prince or gentleman). The lala sug-
pet, he saw his dream maiden, and he knew gested that the young mans anger had been
that his journey had come to an end. The brought about by hunger, so the king had
two embraced, and the maiden told Samson the lala take the young man and the young
that her name was Gulinaz (a Persian name lady some food. Samson responded by draw-
denoting a young rose), adding that she had ing fifteen camels laden with gold on a piece
been carried off and imprisoned in that cave of paper, and he sent the picture back to the
by Tapagz. king with the lala.
Samson had never heard of Tapagz, The king realized that the young man was
though Gulinaz actually refers to this crea- demanding fifteen camels laden with gold in
ture as a Tapagz, rather than the Tapagz, exchange for leaving the palace gardens. He
signifying that there was a race of giants and responded by sending his lala back with two
her captor was just one example of that race. eggs, signifying that he would put out the
Gulinaz told Samson how he might kill the young mans eyes for being so insolent.
Tapagz, and then she asked her beloved to Samson responded by sending the lala back
replace the stone slab and hide in the cave.As with two walnuts to show that he was as hard
night fell, the ground began to shake, and a nut to crack.
SARACEN HILL 251
Knowing that he was being toyed with, then that task was carried out by Sar Akkas
the king sent the lala back with a handful of sister, Uks Akka.
grain. Samson knew this meant that the king See also: Mader Akka; Mader Atcha; Uks
had an army as numerous as grains of wheat. Akka
Thus he responded by sending the lala back
with a chicken, to show that no matter how SARAC
large the army was, this chicken would soon Serbia
gobble them up. Seeing that reasoning was Prince Markos horse. The name means
hopeless, the king assembled his army and piebald. Described as the fastest horse in
marched out to do battle with the impudent the world, Sarac had the gift of speech and a
young man. capacity for alcohol equivalent to that of his
Samson saw the army approaching.Taking master, whose wine he always shared. Sarac
up his sword, he leaped onto his horse and was 160 years old when he was killed by
completely decimated the unfortunate sol- Marko, who was 300 years old at the time.
diers. Seeing his army dead on the battle- Marko gave the horse an elaborate burial
field, the king summoned three demons that before lying down to die.
lived within his kingdom and sent them See also: Marko, Prince
against Samson. Within minutes the three
demons lay dead; so the king assembled all SARACEN HILL
his advisers and asked them how he might Russia
overcome or escape this violent youth. A mountain, also called Sorochinsk, that lay
One of these counselors advised the king on an uninhabited island.The place was vis-
to consult a local sorcerer.The king immedi- ited by Vasilii Buslayevich and his men, who
ately summoned the sorcerer, who divined climbed the mountain. Halfway up the
the situation and told the king that the mountainside,Vasilii Buslayevich came across
young man had slain the Tapagz and res- a pile of human bones and idly kicked the
cued the daughter of King Aslan. When the skull aside.As he did so, the skull warned him
king heard this, he sent thirty camels laden that he would die on that very mountain.
with gold to Samson, and news to King Vasilii refused to believe this, kicked the skull
Aslan of the safe return of his daughter. King to one side, and continued to climb. At the
Aslan hurried to the palace and was reunited top of the mountain the men came to a huge
with his daughter. He then took Samson and stone slab that had an inscription on it saying
his daughter back to his own kingdom, that any who dived across it would surely
where he married his daughter to her rescuer die.This slab is described by some sources as
and then abdicated in favor of his new son- being three fathoms high (24 feet), three
in-law. arshins and a quarter wide (an arshin equals
See also: Aslan; Gulinaz;Tapagz 28 inches), and a whole ax-throw across.
References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967, Vasilii and his men read the words, laughed at
vol. 4 them, and then crossed the stone, though
none dared to dive across. However, since
SAR AKKA they found nothing else on that island, they
Lapp returned to their ship and set their course
One of the daughters of Mader Atcha and again toward Jerusalem.
Mader Akka. If an unborn childcreated Vasilii Buslayevich and his men visited the
by Mader Atcha and Mader Akkawas to island again, on their way back to Novgorod.
be a girl, Sar Akka completed the childs Again Vasilii Buslayevich and his men
creation and placed the fetus in the womb climbed the mountain and crossed the stone
of its human mother. If it was to be a boy, slab at the top, although this time Vasilii
252 SARMATIANS
decided he would take a risk and dive head- which light was poured, her daughters
long from one side to the other. He took a washing it every evening in the sea. Saule
good run up and leaped into the air. was closely associated with the moon god
However, as his legs crossed the edge of the Menuo, or Meness, and the unnamed sons of
stone, one foot caught on the lip, and Vasilii Dievas, known as the Dievo suneliai.
Buslayevich crashed down onto the slab, General Baltic belief (as opposed to purely
splitting his head open and spilling his brains. Lithuanian) holds that Saule became the
Vasiliis men gave him a Christian burial and consort of the moon and that the stars and
then returned home to Novgorod, where the earth are their offspring. However,
they went their separate ways. because Saule spent every day with the sky,
See also: Novgorod; Sorochinsk Hill;Vasilii the marriage is not a happy or peaceful one.
Buslayevich Eclipses were interpreted as the rare occa-
sions when Saule and the moon made up
SARMATIANS and hung a cloth over themselves to hide
Russia their lovemaking.
An ancient barbarian people who inhabited See also: Dausos; Dievas; Dievo suneliai;
Russia during the Roman epoch. Their Meness (~ulis); Menuo; Moon; Sun
descendants, the Ossetes, still inhabit the
Caucasus. The Ossetes have a story about SAVEL'EVICH, IVAN
their hero Batradz that bears great similarity Russia
to the tale of the passing of King Arthura See Ivan Savel'evich.
story that was possibly brought to them by
Roman soldiers. SAXO GRAMMATICUS
See also: Arthur, King; Batradz; Caucasus; General
Ossetes Danish chronicler (c. 1150c. 1220) who
compiled the Gesta Danorum, a Latin history
SAULE of the legendary and historical kings of
Lithuania Denmark up to 1186, in sixteen volumes
The sun goddess who was believed to live that were probably written between 1185
with her daughters in a castle located either and 1216. The writings of Saxo Gram-
at the far end of the sea or beyond the tops maticus and other obscure contemporary
of the slippery high hill of the sky (see chroniclers contain the only known histori-
Dausos). Every day she would drive her cal references to several Baltic coast deities,
gleaming copper chariot, drawn by tireless such as Svantovit.
fiery steeds, across the sky. As evening See also: Baltic; Svantovit (~dovit)
approached, she would rest her horses and
wash them in the sea before retiring to her SBRODOVICH
castle home. Sometimes she would ride Russia
down the slopes of the slippery high hill of A family of seven brothers, all of whom
the sky to her apple orchard in nine chariots passed the tests set by Vasilii Buslayevich
drawn by one hundred horses. The red, set- and as a result became members of Vasiliis
ting sun was said to be one of her precious thirty-strong druzhina. Other members of
apples slipping from her hand, the goddess this group were Kostia Novotorzheni, the
weeping fiery red tears that would shine first to pass; the brothers Luka and Moisei;
from the mountainside and fall to earth as and the men of Zalyoshen. Twenty-nine
red berries. members of the druzhina were picked
Sometimes Saule was described as sailing through the tests,Vasilii Buslayevich himself
the seas in a golden boat, or as a jug from being the thirtieth. Those who failed the
SEJDA 253
tests were killed and simply thrown over a becalmed, even though the wind still filled
wall. their sails and the waves still lapped at their
See also: Kostia Novotorzheni; Luka; Moisei; hulls.
Vasilii Buslayevich; Zalyoshen Set adrift on an oak raft, Sadko fell asleep,
only to find himself under the sea in the
SCHEK presence of the Sea Tsar when he awoke.The
Slav Sea Tsar ordered Sadko to play his gusli (a
The Primary Chronicle says that Kiev was stringed musical instrument), which he did.
founded by three Viking brothers named Kiy, The Sea Tsar began a frenzied dance, which
Schek, and Khoriv. Kiy, Schek, and Khoriv whipped the seas into a fury. Many people
might actually have existed, but this is not drowned in the storm, while those who sur-
certain. However, the Primary Chronicle vived prayed for salvation to Saint Nikolai of
places them in Kiev before Riurik founded Mozhaisk, the patron saint of sailors. Saint
Novgorod, and reports that by that time, the Nikolai helped Sadko to escape from the Sea
descendants of these three were living in the Tsar by telling him to break his instrument.
city as tributaries of the Khazars. These The Sea Tsar then attempted to hold onto
descendants were killed when Oleg seized Sadko by having him marry one of his
power in Kiev, in 882. daughters. As instructed by Saint Nikolai,
See also: Khoriv; Kiev; Kiy; Novgorod; Oleg; Sadko chose the very last maiden offered to
Primary Chronicle; Riurik; Schek;Vikings him, a girl by the name of Chernava. Also as
References: Cross and Sherbowitz-Wetzor Nikolai had directed him, Sadko did not
1953 consummate the marriage, and when he
awoke the morning after his wedding he
SCYTHIA found himself on the banks of the river
General Chernava near his home city of Novgorod.
Region to the north of the Black Sea See also: Chernava; Il'men', Lake; Nikolai of
between the Carpathian Mountains and the Mozhaisk, Saint; Novgorod; Sadko
river Don, the original inhabitants of which,
after the middle of the fourth century, were SECOND ALMAFI
slowly superseded by the Sarmatians. HungaryMagyar
See also: Black Sea; Carpathian Mountains; See: Almafi.
Don; Sarmatians
SEJDA
SEA KING Lapp
Russia Also: Saivo, Saite
Alternative name for the Sea Tsar. A sacred stone that also acted as a talisman.A
sorcerer named Lompsalo once owned a
SEA TSAR sejda that enabled him to catch copious
Russia quantities of fish. On the opposite bank of
Also: Sea King the river lived another sorcerer who stole
The god of the oceans, in one account Lompsalos sejda, and thus obtained the
equated with the spirit of Lake Il'men'. The power of the sejda and the ability to catch
Sea Tsar also features in the story concern- large quantities of fish. Lompsalo countered
ing the poor musician Sadko, who became the theft by procuring a more powerful
the richest merchant in Novgorod, with his sejda; so once more the fish returned to his
help. No matter how often Sadko sailed the side of the riveruntil his rival destroyed the
open seas, he forgot to pay tribute to the Sea new sejda.
Tsar. One day his ships were strangely See also: Lompsalo
254 SELYANINOVICH, MIKULA
SEMIK SENMURV
Russia Slav
Festival that was central to the weeklong Alternative name for the Simorg.
cycle that started with the Rusaliia and
ended with the Troitsa (from Whitsun to SERAPION
Trinity Sunday). The root of Semik is sem', Russia
which associates the festival with the words Historical thirteenth-century bishop of Vla-
for seed,sperm,family, and seven.The dimir who vociferously denounced women
festival was celebrated on the seventh for clinging to pagan beliefs, calling them
Thursday after Easter, and was immediately witches. However, he opposed the drowning
preceded by a ritual called kumstvo. During of witches, as he saw this as confirming their
this prelude, a birch tree known as the power over the natural world.
Semik Birch would be dressed with rib-
bons like a goddess to preside over the com- SERBIA
ing festivities. This ritual and others were General
designed to confirm the unity of the com- During the sixth and seventh centuries A.D.,
munity and reconfirm its link with deceased various groups of Slavs, including the ances-
ancestors and the society of the past.Young tors of the Serbs, settled on the Balkan
girls were central to kumstvo, during which Peninsula in the area of present-day Serbia
they would wear garlands woven from birch (then the Roman province of Moesia), at the
twigs, representing their fertility, which they invitation of the emperor Heraclius. These
would retain unsullied until they married. people adopted Christianity about two hun-
The girls would embrace, signifying the sol- dred years later. Each group had its own
idarity of the village, and pledge their eternal leader until the late twelfth century (c. 1169),
blood ties. These rituals of kumstvo com- when Stefan Nemanja, a warrior and chief,
pleted, the festival of Semik could begin. formed the first united Serbian state. During
Once the kumstvo was completed, the the fourteenth century, Emperor Stefan
birch tree would be cut down and brought Dusan (13311355) led the country in suc-
into the village, where its boughs would be cessful wars against the Byzantine Empire,
used to decorate every house. Then the tree but the Serbian Empire began to break up
would be feasted as a goddess of the dead. after his death in 1355.The Ottoman Empire
Then, having been well fed, the tree would be conquered Serbia in the Battle of Kosovo
carried down to the banks of a local river Field in 1389, annexed the country in 1459,
where it would be ceremonially undressed and subsequently ruled Serbia for more than
and cast into the water to drown. During this three hundred years, throughout which time
time the unmarried women of the village the Serbs never lost their national pride.
would select their future husbands, and having Djordje Petrovic, a Serbian peasant nick-
done so, would cast their birch-branch gar- named Black George, led an uprising against
lands into the water. If a garland sank, its owner the Ottomans in 1804, while another
was fated to die; but if it floated, she would Serbian peasant leader, Milos Obrenovic, led
marry, be happy, and bear healthy children. a second revolt in 1815, after which Turkey
Semik lasted two days, Thursday and recognized Serbia as an autonomous princi-
Friday, and was followed by Troitsa, which at pality. Serbia regained independence in 1878
that time was celebrated on Saturday. following the Ottoman Empires defeat by
SHKAY 255
Russia in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877 name to their priestly magicians and seers
1878. who practiced a form of what is now popu-
During the early twentieth century, vari- larly known as charismatic religion. The
ous economic and political conflicts devel- female counterpart of the shaman is the
oped between Serbia and Austria-Hungary. shamanka. The word means one who is
In June 1914, the heir to the throne of excited or one who is exalted. The priest
Austria-Hungary, Archduke Francis Ferdi- or priestess on whom the title was bestowed
nand, was assassinated by Gavril Princip, a was said to have the power of entering the
Serbian student. The assassination sparked spirit world at will and to bring its denizens
World War I, which began a month later under his or her command. In some
when Austria-Hungary declared war on instances the journey of the shaman is sym-
Serbia. After the war ended in 1918, Serbia bolized by his climbing a tree or a ladder, a
spearheaded the formation of the Kingdom symbology that connects the rites of the
of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which was shaman to the World Tree. In others he or she
renamed Yugoslavia in 1929. is spoken of as flying, usually in bird form, or
Following World War II, Tito and the riding on a magical horse.The shaman is also
Communists founded the socialist state of believed to have the ability, like the gods he
Yugoslavia with a new federal system of or she could communicate with, to send his
government, and Serbia became one of the or her spirit out at will to summon other
countrys six republics. A bloody conflict in spirits and to exorcise those who caused ill-
the late 1980s led to the breakup of ness or other harm.
Yugoslavia, and in April 1992 Serbia and Though in certain cases the role of
Montenegro formed a smaller Yugoslav shaman might be inherited from genera-
confederation. tion to generation, the shaman was usually
See also: Bosnia; Byzantine Empire; chosen by a spirit that would inhabit the
Herzegovina; Montenegro body of the unwilling individual until it
could be driven out. While the spirit was
SERGIUS OF RADONEZH, SAINT within its host, that person would take to
Russia living in the woods, until at length he or
National hero and patron of the fourteenth- she underwent an ecstatic enlightenment
century monastery named in his honorthe during which the secrets of the universe
Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra at Sergiyev Posad were revealed. These individuals then ac-
(Zagorsk)which became the center of cepted their particular roles in life and
Muscovite religious life. acknowledged their spirit aids. The spirits
References: Kazanskii 1855 inhabiting their bodies then return to the
spirit world, where they wait to be con-
SHAH-MAR tacted by the new shamans.
Armenia See also: Shamanka; Siberia;Tungus;World
King of the snakes, a strange being with the Tree
head of a man and the body of a huge ser-
pent.The legends connected with Shah-Mar SHAMANKA
are outlined in the entry for Purto. General
See also: King of Snakes; Purto A female shaman.
SHAMAN SHKAY
General Mordvin
The term shaman originated with the Tungus The sun god, head of the non-Christian pan-
people of the Siberian Arctic, who gave the theon of the Mordvin people.
256 SHUNDI-MUMI
rim of his glass with the veil and was recog- dess Ishtar. In Ukraine, Simorg was depicted
nized. The tsar welcomed him as a man as seated on a tree, on an island guarded by
would welcome a lost son, and duly married voracious fish. In the tenth century, especially
him to his daughter, much to the displeasure in Ukraine, Simorg was a popular embellish-
of Ivans brothers. ment on womens jewelry.
See also: Dragon; Mokosh;Tree of Life,The;
SIMIZAR Ukraine
Armenia References: Afanas'ev 1957; Ivanov and
Toporov 1965
The daughter of King Zarzand who was
abducted by Tapagz, the oldest of the
demons, who carried the maiden to his lair, SINEUS
the Devils Castle, and there, for forty days Scandinavia and Russia
and forty nights, besought her to become his One of the two younger brothers of Riurik,
wife. She refused, whereupon Tapagz went the other being Truvor. When Riurik was
mad for three days, calling her name end- chosen as the first Varangian ruler of
lessly, and then had the maiden handed over Novgorod, Sineus settled at Beloozero and
to his mother, who was a witch. The latter Truvor at Izborsk, the Primary Chronicle dat-
imprisoned Simizar in a cave, allowing her to ing their settlement at between 860 and 862.
wander outside only at midnight. It was on Two years later Sineus and Truvor died and
one of these occasions that she encountered Riurik became the sole ruler. The Hypatian
Aslan, who promised to free her. Primary Chronicle gives a different account,
For the remainder of the legend see the saying that Riurik settled first at Lake
entry for Zurab. Ladoga. After the deaths of Sineus and
See also: Aslan; Devils Castle;Tapagz; Truvor, Riurik assumed sole authority and
Zarzand; Zurab moved his seat of power to the city on the
banks of the river VolkhovNovgorod.
SIMORG (~ARGL, ~URG) See also: Ladoga, Lake; Novgorod; Primary
Slav Chronicle; Riurik; Rostov;Truvor;Varangians
Also: Senmurv References: Cross and Sherbowitz-Wetzor
Possibly having originated with the ancient 1953
Persian Simarghu, Simorg was a dragon, a
hybrid bird-dog that guarded the Tree of SIRIN
Life, on which could be found the seeds of Russia
every living plant on earth.There was, how- A water nymph that may be directly equated
ever, one problem: The Tree of Life looked with the classical Greek siren and the
like any other tree, and Simorg was invisi- Germanic Lorelei. She was a paradisal bird
ble, a ruse that was meant to protect the with the face of a beautiful young maiden.
Tree of Life from the attentions of Unlike her Greek and German counterparts,
mankind. Thus, the act of cutting down a the sirin was not known for luring unsus-
tree was fraught with danger, lest one fell pecting travelers to a watery death through
the Tree of Life. To alleviate this danger, an their enchanting song: The russalka ade-
elaborate ritual was performed, propitiating quately filled that role. Instead the sirin was a
Simorg, who in response would ensure the bird of happiness and beauty who rewarded
safety of the tree. the virtuous by flying down from heaven and
Often mentioned alongside the goddess singing to these fortunate few. Any who
Mokosh, Simorg was described as the pro- heard the song of the sirin would instantly
tector of the home and the family and has forget everything and die.
been linked with the ancient Sumerian god- See also: Rus(s)alki (~ulki)
SLAVS 259
SLAVS
General
The most numerous of the various European
peoples, with a vast population of more than
250 million distributed principally in eastern
and central Europe. The Slavic language
group with its many dialects is a part of the
Indo-European language family and can be
divided into three linguistic subgroups: the
East Slavic branch, consisting of Russian,
Belorussian, and Ukrainian; the West Slavic
branch, including Polish, Czech, and Slovak;
and the South Slavic branch, including A woman cries over the grave of her husband, who
Slovenian, Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, and was killed by a grenade in downtown Sarajevo.
Bulgarian. (Reuters/Corinne Dufka/Archive Photos)
260 SLOVAKIA
ment of the Slavs. Today, the Slavic groups With the exception of the Czechs, the Slavs
show a far greater range of diversity in phys- remained a predominantly agrarian people
ical type and in culture than other European until the mid-twentieth century. After World
ethnic groups. War II most of the Slavic nations came under
Christianity was initially introduced to the Soviet sphere of influence, and their
the Slavs by Greek missionaries during the Marxist governments embarked on ambi-
ninth and the tenth centuries.Their religious tious programs of industrialization and
development, however, was altered by the urbanization. In the late 1980s and early
separation of the Eastern and Western 1990s, with the breakdown of the Soviet
churches in 1054. The Slavs quickly became Union, the various East European nations
the focus of intense rivalry between Roman moved toward setting up independent
Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. Cathol- democratic governments. In some areas, par-
icism and Western culture triumphed among ticularly the former Yugoslavia, this transition
the Poles, Slovaks, and Czechs; later, howev- ignited conflict among Slavs of different
er, the Czechs were significantly affected by national and religious groups.
the Reformation, and because of this, they See also: Belorussia; Bosnia; Bulgaria;
are today the only Slavic people with a large Byzantine Empire; Croatia; Cyrillic alphabet;
Protestant minority. In the Balkans, the Czechs; Herzegovina; Macedonia;
Slovenes and Croats also gave their allegiance Montenegro; Poland; Russia; Serbia; Slovakia;
to Roman Catholicism and fell into the Slovenia; Ukraine; Ural Mountains
sphere of central European civilization.
Serbs, Macedonians, Bulgarians, and a major- SLOVAKIA
ity of the Eastern Slavs (Belorussians, General
Russians, Ukrainians) joined the Orthodox A newly independent country in central
Church and adopted many aspects of Europe that is bordered by Poland to the
Byzantine culture, including an adaptation of north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the
the Greek alphabetwhat is known today as south, and Austria and the Czech Republic
the Cyrillic alphabet. to the west. A Slavic people called Slovaks
During the fourteenth century the make up most of Slovakias population.
Ottoman Turks conquered much of south- From 1918 until 31 December 1992,
eastern Europe. Parts of what are now Bosnia Slovakia and the Czech Republic were part-
and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the for- ners in the larger nation of Czechoslovakia.
mer Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia Hungary had ruled Slovakia from the tenth
and Montenegro, and Slovenia remained century until 1918 when the Slovaks joined
under Ottoman rule until 1912. Centuries of with the Czechs and other local groups to
Turkish domination had a profound effect form Czechoslovakia. In mid-1992, Czech
on the Balkan Slavs, many of whom were and Slovak leaders decided to split Czecho-
forced to convert to Islam.Today the major- slovakia into two nations, one for Czechs and
ity of Slavic Muslims are in Bosnia and one for Slovaks; and on 1 January 1993, the
southern Bulgaria. Czech Republic and Slovakia were created
Although the Slavs created a number of to replace Czechoslovakia.
medieval kingdoms between the ninth and See also: Czechoslovakia; Czechs; Hungary;
the eleventh centuries, much of their subse- Poland; Ukraine
quent history was characterized by subjuga-
tion within foreign states.The present Slavic SLOVENIA
nations are to a great extent the results of the General
dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian and Under the Roman Empire (27 B.C.A.D.
Ottoman Empires following World War I. 476), Slovenia was part of the provinces of
SNOWSTORM, GRANNY 261
mother. The stepmother flew into a terrible chagrin of her stepmother, who had
rage and made the unfortunate girl climb thought the girl gone for good. She was so
down the well to fetch it. jealous of the young girls good fortune
The girl climbed over the lip of the well that the very next morning she decided
and dropped into the water, where she that her own daughter should descend into
sank to the bottom. There she saw a door, the well so that she too might return with
which she opened, and walked into a a bucket of gold.
beautiful garden, where all the flowers Deliberately dropping the bucket down
were in full bloom and the sun shone in a the well, the old womans daughter climbed
brilliant blue sky, even though the village down and was soon in the employment of
she had left had been gray and wet. Right Granny Snowstorm. However, the girl did
in the middle of the garden was a small not know how to do any of the household
house, and standing in the doorway was a chores she was assigned, and Granny
woman dressed all in white. The girl asked Snowstorm grew increasingly tired of her.
this woman if she had seen her bucket.The After just a few days, she told the girl that
woman replied that she had, and if the girl she could go. The girl asked to be paid for
wanted it back she would have to work to the work she had done, though in fact she
earn its return. had not done anywhereupon Granny
The girl agreed, as it did not matter to Snowstorm took her to a storeroom full of
her where she worked, and she settled down gold, silver, diamonds, and pearls. The girl
to do the chores the old woman assigned took her bucket and started to fill it, then
her. One of these was to shake the old stopped and asked Granny Snowstorm
womans mattress. While she was shaking what was the most valuable thing in the
the mattress, she looked out the window room. Granny Snowstorm told her that it
and saw her home and the well in her gar- was a single, immense pearl. The girl emp-
den. All around the snow was falling, and tied her bucket and put the pearl in it.Then
the people of the village seemed pleased to she climbed back up the well, took the
see it settling on the ground. The old pearl out of the bucket, and ran to show
woman walked into the room and saw the her mother and all the people in the vil-
puzzled expression on the girls face. She lage. However, as she ran the pearl began to
explained that she was Granny Snowstorm; melt: It was nothing more than a large
and each year, if she was pleased, she sent a snowball.
hard winter so that the following year From that day on the womans daughter
would produce a good harvest, the snow was the laughingstock of the village.The old
ensuring the fertility of the soil. mans daughter, on the other hand, was soon
Three weeks passed, and the young girl being courted by the son of a nobleman; and
worked for Granny Snowstorm and com- as the village gathered in the harvest, the
pletely forgot about her real home. couple marriedthe riches of Granny
However, one night she dreamed that her Snowstorm acting as the young girls dowry.
father was grieving for her, and the follow- See also: Mother Earth
ing morning she asked Granny Snowstorm References: Oparenko 1996
if she might take her bucket and go home.
Though she was sad to see the young girl SOLOVEI (~Y) RAKHMATICH
leave her, Granny Snowstorm said she Russia
could go, and gave the girl her bucket, The name literally means Nightingale, Son
which she had filled with gold coins. The of Rakhmat. This brigand was described as
young girl climbed back up the well and half man, half bird.
was reunited with her father, much to the See also: Nightingale; Rakhmat
SORROW 263
SOROCHINSK HILL
Russia
Alternative name for the Saracen Hill, lo-
cated on a remote island and climbed by
Vasilii Buslayevich and his men, and the place
where Vasilii Buslayevich, in at least one ac-
count, met his death.
See also: Saracen Hill;Vasilii Buslayevich
SOROCHINSK MOUNTAINS
Russia
Mountain range that was the home of a
twelve-headed she-dragon that was killed by
Dobrynya Nikitich after she had abducted
the Princess Zabava from the court of Prince
Vladimir Bright Sun in Kiev. The mountain
range was the source of the Puchai, an
Mosaic image of the Madonna from the Cathedral of extremely fast-flowing river above which the
Saint Sophia in Kiev, Ukraine (Konstantin dragon liked to fly and pick off unsuspecting
Starodub/Art Resource, NY) people who foolishly bathed in its waters.
See also: Dobrynya Nikitich; Dragon; Puchai;
Vladimir Bright Sun, Prince; Zabava
SOPHIA, SAINT (Putyatichna), Princess
Russia
The patron saint of a great number of SORROW
churches throughout Russia, notably the Russia
great cathedral in Kiev where a sixteen-foot- The personification of bad luck that attached
high image of the Mother of God, with her itself to Misha and refused to leave him.
arms upraised in a strikingly pagan gesture, Misha finally tricked Sorrow and buried him
hangs over the altar. Sophia, whose name is in a hole from which a great quantity of gold
Greek and means wisdom, symbolized had been dug. When Mishas unnamed
both the feminine aspect of God and the brother found out about his brothers new-
continued importance of matriarchy in found wealth, jealousy got the better of him
Russian Christianized peasant society. and he dug up Sorrow in the hope that
See also: Kiev Misha would again fall on hard times. Instead
Sorrow attached himself to the brother, and
SOPHIA PAL(A)EOLOGUE Misha continued to live a life of luxury.The
Russia brother was as resourceful as Misha, and he
A niece of Constantine XI Palologus, she managed to capture and seal Sorrow in the
married Ivan III (better known as Ivan the hub of a wheel, which he threw into a river.
Great) in 1472, whereupon he assumed the From that day forth neither brother saw
title Ruler of All Russia and adopted the Sorrow again. They were soon reconciled
symbol of the Byzantine basileus, the two- and lived thereafter as brothers should.
headed eagle, and the mantle of the See also: Misha
264 SREDA, SAINT
Colored engraving of the view of the Imperial Bank and environs, St. Petersburg (Nationale, Paris, France;
Giraudon/Art Resource, NY)
STAVR GODINOVICH 265
STAVR GODINOVICH and thirty minstrels, and set off for Kiev to
Russia free her unfortunate husband, feeling honor-
During a great banquet at the palace of bound to do so as his plight resulted from his
Prince Vladimir Bright Sun in Kiev it was boasting about her prowess.
noticed that one bogatyr', Stavr Godinovich, A short distance from the walls of Kiev,
was sitting quietly and not joining in the Katrina and her retinue made camp, Katrina
custom of boasting. When asked what was herself to go alone into the city, disguised as
the matter, Stavr replied that he had nothing a man. So it was that a short time later she
to boast about.All the company laughed, say- entered the hall of Prince Vladimir Bright
ing that everybody had something to boast Sun and announced that she was the Am-
about, and if he could not think of a boast bassador of the King of Greece, whom she
about himself, then why not boast about his named as Kalina, and that she had traveled to
wife. Kiev to exact tribute from Prince Vladimir
Stavr rose to the bait. His wife, so he said, Bright Sun under threat of a terrible war.
was as brave and skillful as any polianitsa. She Vladimir asked for three days and three
was the best archer in all the land, the finest nights to reflect on the demands of Kalina;
gusli player, and a master at chess. The boast but Katrina, in her disguise, refused, and
went on to say that even Prince Vladimir instead said that he would accept the hand
Bright Sun himself would find it hard to of the Princess Zabava in marriage in lieu of
outshine his young wife. the tribute. Again Vladimir asked for time to
The room fell silent as Stavr made the last think. Katrina said he could have twenty-
part of his boast.The silence lasted only a few four hours, and then she returned to her
seconds before Vladimir commanded his camp.
guards to seize Stavr Godinovich and throw However, as she returned to her camp she
him into a dungeon for his impudence. Stavr was secretly observed by Zabava and
sat in the cold stone dungeon pondering his Evpraksiya,Vladimirs wife, and they guessed
fate and the foolishness of his boast.As he sat that the Ambassador from Greece was a
there, a face appeared at the windowa face woman. Thus, when Vladimir came to
everyone in Kiev knew well, for it was that Zabava to tell her the news and to ask her to
of Zabava Putyatichna, better known simply marry the Ambassador to save them from a
as Princess Zabava, the favorite niece of terrible war, Zabava and Evpraksiya told
Prince Vladimir Bright Sun. Vladimir they suspected a ruse. They sug-
She asked how the brave bogatyr' had gested the fraud might be exposed by chal-
come to be thrown into the dungeons.When lenging the Ambassador to manly contests.
he told her his sorry tale, she took pity on The following day the Ambassador
him and went out to get a basket of fine food returned to Kiev and asked Vladimir for his
and mead, which she lowered down to him. reply. Vladimir stalled and asked for more
She then went to her chambers and told her time, whereupon the Ambassador grew
pet raven the story, telling the bird to fly to very angry and demanded Zabava as his
the home of Stavr Godinovich and tell his wife there and then. Vladimir remained
wife, Katrina Ivanovna, the sorry news. The calm and suggested that while the wedding
raven did as it was commanded and flew preparations were being made, they should
straight to the chamber of Stavrs wife and sit a while and play the gusli. Katrina
told her the story. divined Vladimirs intent and said that it
Katrina Ivanovna was not crestfallen, as had been a long time since he had played
might have been expected, but rather she the gusli but agreed to sit and play, as his
rose to the challenge and gathered her ret- players were weary from the long journey
inue of thirty archers, thirty chess masters, from Greece.
266 STEEL CITY, THE
Vladimir was astounded. The Ambassador guards to release him and arm him for com-
could not possibly be a woman. But he bat against the Ambassador from Greece. Stavr
decided to put the Ambassador to another rode out from Kiev, and hidden by the dust
challengethis time, a game of chess. The thrown up by their horses, Stavr and his wife
Ambassador replied that his chess masters were reunited.The pair then returned to Kiev,
were weary from the journey to Kiev, but where Katrina Ivanovna revealed her true
that he had played chess as a child. Quickly identity to Prince Vladimir Bright Sun.Then,
Katrina outplayed every chess master laughing together, Stavr Godinovich and his
Vladimir could produce, beating Vladimir wife Katrina Ivanovna rode away from Kiev,
himself in so few moves that the prince leaving Prince Vladimir Bright Sun musing
could not help but think that he was playing that Stavr had not made an idle boast.
the greatest chess master in all the world. See also: Bogatyr'; Evpraksiya (~ia), Princess;
Convinced that the Ambassador was a man, Kiev; Polianitsa;Vladimir Bright Sun, Prince;
Vladimir nonetheless continued with his Zabava (Putyatichna), Princess
plan and challenged the Ambassador to an
archery contest. Again Katrina said that the STEEL CITY, THE
archers in his camp were weary from the Armenia
journey but that he would be glad to try One of the succession of cities that the
his hand. princess wife of Habrmani traveled through
Three times Vladimir fired his arrow at the on her quest to find her husband and restore
target, a ring and a knife, and on each occa- him to her side.
sion missed.Then the Ambassador aimed and See also: Habrmani
let fly a single arrow, which flew straight References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967,
through the ring and split itself in two on the vol. 4
knife blade. Vladimir knew that he was
beaten. The Ambassador turned to Vladimir STEFAN
and told the prince to either produce the Slav
tribute required by Kalina, or to have the Peasant who became engaged to Katya, who
Princess Zabava taken to the cathedral in on the night before their wedding, was stran-
readiness for their marriage. With a heavy gled in bed with her own hair by her jealous
heart Vladimir went to his niece and com- dvorovoi lover.
manded her to prepare herself for her wed- See also: Dvorovoi; Katya
ding to the Ambassador. Then he went back
to where the Ambassador waited to say that STEPHEN (OF HUNGARY), SAINT
the bride was on her way. Hungary
The Ambassador himself then issued a The patron saint of Hungary, whose feast day
challenge, saying that Vladimir and he is 16 August. Born c. 975 in Asztergom,
should ride out onto the steppes and test Stephen was the son of Geza, the duke of the
their strength together.Vladimir Bright Sun Magyar community that had recently settled in
replied that it would be a waste of time, as Hungary. At least partially Christianized,
there was none in all Russia who could Stephen was baptized along with his father in
compete. The Ambassador taunted Vladimir, Prague by Saint Adalbert in 985.Ten years later
saying that if the prince could not produce a he married Gisela, sister to Duke Henry III of
champion and refused to compete himself, Bavaria, and in 997 he succeeded Geza as ruler
then perhaps there was one in the palace of the Magyars. Although he faced some
dungeons who would compete. opposition, Stephen consolidated his position
Vladimir remembered Stavr Godinovich and implemented the Christianization of his
and his idle boast, and immediately he told his people. He had himself crowned the first king
SUKHMAN 267
of Hungary in 1001, a title sanctioned by Pope sidered the god of wealth, which he spread as
Sylvester II, who sent a crown for the corona- far as his winds blew. In areas with harsh win-
tion. This crown was captured by the U.S. ter weather, Stribog also came to be considered
Army during World War II and not returned the winter king, whose gusts carried the snow
until 1978. and chilled the bones of Mother Earth.
During his reign, King Stephen concen- See also: Mother Earth
trated on establishing an independent Hun-
gary and converting his people to Christianity, SUAIXTIS
even going so far as to make it illegal to blas- Prussia
pheme or to marry a pagan. In 1031 his son The god of light, but not the sun god. His
and heir, Emeric, was killed in a hunting acci- name probably means Star.
dent, and the latter years of his reign were
marred with ill health and squabbles over the SUKHMAN
succession. Stephen died in 1038. His relics Russia
were enshrined at the Church of Our Lady in Knight at the court of Prince Vladimir
Buda in 1083, and he was canonized by Pope Bright Sun. During a feast, Sukhman boasted
Gregory VII the same year. that he would catch for his prince a snow-
See also: Adalbert of Prague, Saint; Hungary; white swan without harming it. Riding away,
Magyars he was disappointed to find that where the
wild fowl usually gathered, on that day there
STRENGTH DOES NOT ALWAYS was not even the smallest duck to be found.
COME IN NUMBERS Riding on farther, to the Dnieper, he was
Armenia surprised to find that the river, usually a rac-
Once, all the stars in the heavens held a ing torrent, was meandering at a snails pace,
meeting to discuss why they were outshone its waters silted up with sand. When
by the sun and the moon.The eldest star said Sukhman asked the river the meaning of
it was because they were not united, and so this, the river replied that a Tatar army some
they decided to come together to outshine forty thousand strong was camped upstream
the sun as it rose the following morning. and continually tried to build bridges across
However, as they did so they found that their the river, and that she had used up almost all
light was obliterated by that of the rising of her strength washing these bridges away.
moon. They reluctantly went back to their Sukhman realized that if the Tatar army
original places in the sky, as they realized that managed to cross the river, then Kiev would
if they did not have the power to outshine be lost. Goading his horse into an enormous
the moon, they stood no chance of compet- leap, he cleared the river in a single bound.
ing with the sun. There he uprooted a huge treesaid in
A fable of Mekhithar Gosh, the moral of some accounts to have weighed ninety poods
which is that even though a group may con- (a pood roughly equals 36 lbs or 16.38 kg),
sist of many members, if the members are all which he wielded as a huge club as he deci-
weak, they cannot hope to overcome an mated the Tatar army, killing all but three
enemy who is strong. warriors. These three hid and ambushed
See also: Mekhithar Gosh Sukhman as he rode back toward Kiev, their
arrows striking him in his side. Pulling the
STRIBOG shafts out, Sukhman killed the three Tatars
Russia and then plugged his wounds with leaves and
Wind Lord, the god of air, or more specifi- herbs before riding back to Kiev.
cally of wind, and the grandfather of all partic- There he was greeted by Vladimir Bright
ular winds. In some areas Stribog was also con- Sun, who asked for his swan. Sukhman related
268 SUN
what had happened, but Vladimir thought he witch Baba-Yaga say that the Sun is under her
was simply making excuses, so he had him command, along with Day and Night, and in
thrown into a deep dungeon. Nevertheless he these stories the Sun is described as a scarlet
sent Dobrynya Nikitich to investigate Sukh- horseman, dressed from head to foot in that
mans claims. When Dobrynya Nikitich color and riding a scarlet stallion. He starts his
returned with conclusive proof of their truth, journey from Baba-Yagas cottage, and returns
Vladimir Bright Sun released Sukhman and there when his days work is done.
apologized to him. Sukhman refused to accept Lithuanian legend held that at the end of
the apology, and riding away from Kiev, the Suns daily journey across the sky, he
unplugged his wounds, from which his blood would travel from west to east in a boat across
gushed to form the fast-flowing river that the night sky in order to be ready for the fol-
bears his name. lowing days journey. Other Lithuanian leg-
See also: Dnieper; Dobrynya Nikitich; Kiev; ends assign a feminine gender to Sun, naming
Tatars;Vladimir Bright Sun, Prince Saule as the sun goddess. Others still say that
the new sun was forged every morning by
SUN the divine smith Kalvaitis.
Slav On the Baltic coast, the god of the sun
Though many Russian folktales are told remains unnamed but is said to be the off-
about the sun, none refer to Dazhbog, the spring of Svantovit. This bears comparison
ancient god of the sun. As paganism was for- with the Lithuanian sun goddess Saule, who
gotten, the sun had become connected with in this context might be seen as the daugh-
death, as had the moon. Russians would ter of Svantovit.
always try to bury their dead just before sun- See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga); Day;
set so that the sun on its downward journey Dazhbog; Kalvaitis; Lithuania; Moon;
might carry away the departing soul. Morozko; Night; Saule; Svantovit (~dovit)
One Russian folktale describes the sun as a
beautiful maiden with wings like an angel. SUNS SISTER
This story says that a peasant once came to a Russia
cottage at the end of the world, where the Given no specific name, Suns Sister appears
earth and the sky meet. He asked whether he in the story of Ivan the Mute, which tells
could stay the night. Welcomed into the how she helped the young tsarevich escape
house, he retired before sunset but awoke in from the cannibalistic clutches of his sister, a
the night, hearing the old woman talking to fearsome witch. Though in this story Suns
her daughter. Peering through a crack in the Sister lives on earth, the story also tells of a
curtain, he saw the maiden sitting at the table palace she has in the heavensthe sun itself.
eating her supper, her dress radiating a brilliant See also: Ivan the Mute
light that warmed the room. After her meal,
the girl hung up her dress and her mother SUPREME DEITY
covered it with a thick cloth, and darkness General
immediately fell. The following morning the The head of any pantheon; usuallythough
maiden put on her dress and left the house, not alwaysa celestial deity, such as
and as she did so, the night became day. Dazhbog.
In other Russian folktales the Sun marries See also: Dazhbog
human girls, while in others he either warms
men who have honored him or tries to scorch SUREN
men who have offended him. In one such Armenia
story (see Morozko) he appears as a chubby The young son of an old peasant couple, he
man with rosy cheeks. However, stories of the was driven from his home by his mother
SUREN 269
after he told his parents that he had seen his The dragon asked Suren if he would be
infant sister Koknas stealing the familys kind enough to comb her mane and look for
food; his parents did not believe her old nits. Suren, suspecting a trickfor the
enough to be capable of such an act. Suren dragon had hunger in her eyessaid that he
traveled for some time until he came to a would, and he invited her to join him under
tumbledown house where he found an old, the tree. Placing the dragons head on his
blind couple. The couple marveled that he knee, Suren pretended to search for nits
had managed to make his way to their home while the dragon lay there sharpening her
past the three vicious vishaps (dragons) that teeth. In reality, however, Suren was tying the
lived in the area and kept all the local people dragons mane to the tree.When he was sure
prisoner so that they could eat them one by that the dragon could not jump after him,
one. Only the old couple remained free Suren got up and said that he had to fetch a
because they milked the goats and sheep goat that was wandering away.The dragon let
belonging to the dragons. The dragons had him go, and then tried to spring after him,
plucked out their eyes and hidden them so only to find herself unable to.
that they would not run away. Suren gathered up the goat that was
Suren said he would live with and help indeed about to wander, and then stood a
the old couple, who immediately adopted short distance from the dragon, which
him as their own. From that day on, Suren seemed perplexed as to why Suren had tied
led the sheep and the goats out to pasture her to the tree. Suren told the dragon that he
every day and brought them home again in would let her go if she told him where she
the evening. One day, while sitting in the and her sisters had hidden the eyes of his
shade of a tree, Suren saw a huge lion adoptive parents.The dragon told Suren that
approaching. He leaped to his feet, club in she could not, for her big sister held the key.
hand, ready to protect the sheep and goats. Hearing this, Suren set Zangi and Zarangi
The lion, however, spoke to Suren, telling on the dragon with the command that not
him that he meant no harm and that he had one drop of her blood should fall to the
come to Suren only to give him two lion ground. Zangi and Zarangi tore the dragon
cubs, which he did, and then departed. The to pieces, and within minutes there was no
cubs grew in one day as much as a normal evidence that she had ever existed.
lion would grow in a month. Within fifteen Several days passed before Suren saw the
days, they had grown into enormous, mature second dragon coming his way.This dragon,
lions. Suren called the two lions Zangi, or too, asked Suren to check her mane for nits,
Blackie, and Zarangi, or Goldie. and Suren tied her to the tree. Once more
One day, while Suren, Zangi, and Zarangi the young man gathered up a goat that was
were sitting in the shade of a tree watching about to stray and then asked this dragon for
the sheep and goats, Zangi and Zarangi sud- the eyes of his adoptive parents. When the
denly leaped to their feet and ran off toward dragon replied that her little sister had the
a huge shape that was slithering toward the key, Suren told her that her little sister was no
tree. Suren rightly guessed that this was one more, whereupon the dragon told Suren that
of the three vishaps that were holding the her big sister held the key. Suren then set
people captive. The dragon spoke to Suren, Zangi and Zarangi on the dragon, and
asking him to call off his lions, as she meant within minutes there was nothing left of
the youth no harm and had a favor to ask. hernot so much as a single drop of blood.
Suren called to Zangi and Zarangi, who set- Two months passed before Suren encoun-
tled down beside their young master, while tered the third dragon. She was so large that
remaining poised to spring into action her form blocked the light of the sun, and
should the need arise. the earth trembled as she walked. Again
270 SUREN
Suren made a pretext of combing the while she went to feed his horse. In the sta-
dragons mane looking for nits, while he bles Koknas tore off one of the horses legs
actually tied her to a tree and then went off and ate it. She then returned to the house
after one of his goats.With the dragon firm- and asked Suren if he had really ridden a
ly tied to the tree and thus unable to move, horse with just three legs. When he replied
Suren was finally able to obtain from her the that he had, Koknas returned to the stable,
keys to the caskets in which the eyes of his tore the remaining three legs from the horse,
adoptive parents had been locked away, as and ate them. Returning once more to the
well as the key to the storehouse in which house, Koknas asked Suren if he had ridden
the three dragons had locked all the people on a horse with no legs. Suren knew what
of the city.With the keys safely in his posses- was going on, and replied that he had.
sion, Suren set Zangi and Zarangi on the Koknas returned to the stable and devoured
dragon, and within minutes there was noth- what was left of the horse before returning
ing left to indicate that there had ever been a to the house and asking her brother if he had
dragon tied beneath the tree. walked.
Suren took the three keys and went to Suren said that he had; then, saying that he
find the home of the dragons. Before long he had to stretch his legs, Suren went out of the
came to two huge buildings. In the first he house, locked the door behind him, and
found two small caskets, and unlocking these climbed up onto the roof, where he pon-
with the smaller two of the three keys, he dered his predicamentfor he knew that his
removed the eyes of his adoptive parents. sister surely intended to eat him next. Suren
Then he went to the other building and devised a plan and removed his trousers. He
freed all the people, who immediately then tied the bottom of each leg and filled
elected Suren to become their new ruler, them with handfuls of ashes scooped from
their true king having been one of the first the chimney. So stuffed, he dangled the
eaten by the dragons. Suren accepted their trousers down through the skylight.
offer, but said that he had a couple of other When Koknas found the door locked, she
matters to attend to first. When these tasks knew that she could get out of the house
had been completed, he would return. through the skylight. When she walked over
First Suren returned to his adoptive par- to the skylight, she saw the stuffed trouser
ents and restored their eyesight.Then he set legs dangling. Thinking these to be Suren,
out for his true home village, wondering she leaped up and took them in her teeth,
what had become of his real parents and his whereupon they exploded in a shower of
little sister. He took along a single hair from ashes that left Koknas reeling, coughing, and
each of his two lions. It did not take many gagging. Furious, Koknas started to break
days to ride back to his old home village; down the locked door; but as she did so,
but when he arrived, he found it deserted. Suren took the hairs of Zangi and Zarangi
Remembering where he had once lived, from his pocket, and as soon as he did so, his
Suren made his way to the house of his lions appeared beside him. Then, as Koknas
true parents, and after stabling his horse, finally managed to hack the door down,
went in.There, in front of the stove, was his Zangi and Zarangi leaped on her, and within
sister Koknas, who had become a ghovt, or seconds all that was left of the ghovt was a
she-devil. single drop of blood on the ground.
Koknas turned around as Suren entered Suren cleaned up the blood with his
the house, and greeted her long-lost brother, handkerchief, and then, with Zangi and
asking him if he had come on horseback. Zarangi by his side, he set off to return to
When Suren said that he had, his sister told the city he was due to become the ruler of.
him to sit by the stove and warm himself En route he came across a group of people
SVAREVICHI 271
gathered around a log that was filled with sword and war banner. The stallion, like the
gold.When he asked what they were doing, wine, was a means of divination, being
Suren was told that the gold could be driven by the gods priests through a twisting
released from the log only if the name of the course made up of spears stuck into the
tree could be guessed. Suren tried a couple ground.The forecast for the coming year was
of guesses, but to no avail.Then he wiped his good if the horse did not disturb any of the
forehead with his handkerchief, and seeing spears, but bad if any spears were dislodged
the blood, sighed for his sister Koknas. This the degree of bad luck depending on the
time when the log was struck, it split open number of spears uprooted. The statue and
and the gold spilled out, for the tree was the inner shrines of Svantovits temple were so
yellow fir, or Kknar (the Turkish name for sacred that they were guarded day and night,
the yellow fir). and even the high priestswho were the
Thus, when Suren finally arrived at his only people ever to be allowed past the
new home city, exhausted from his travels, he armed guardshad to hold their breath
was able to restore the inhabitants fortunes. while inside.
The people then chose Suren the most beau- Early chroniclers, such as Saxo Gram-
tiful maiden in the city to become his wife, maticus, are the only sources of testimony
and Suren settled down to rule the city, his regarding the cult of Svantovit, and the
faithful lions Zangi and Zarangi ensuring its information they provide is sketchy at best.
safety from attack. Similar deitiesRadigast, Rugevit, and Ya-
See also: Dragon; Ghovt; Koknas;Vishap; riloalso are described in these early texts.
Zangi; Zarangi While each has attributes like Svantovits,
References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967, they are all plainly different, and might be
vol. 4 understood as the various, contrasting aspects
of Svantovit.
SVANTOVIT (~DOVIT) One statue of Svantovit, discovered in the
Baltic Coast nineteenth century near the river Zbrucz on
Also: Sventovit, Iarovit (wrath), Porevit the Russo-Galician border, shows an aspect
(power), Rujevit (rutting time),Triglav that appears female, having breasts. No other
Energy, the principal deity of the peoples statue of the god with this aspect has been
inhabiting the Baltic coastal districts, con- discovered; and it may well be that this was a
troller of the fertility of the world, lord of later representation of the deity designed to
prophecy and war, god of gods and father of show acceptance, or at least tolerance, of
all gods, particularly Sun and Fire. His chief women within the gods sanctuary.
temple was at Arcona, with another on the See also: Arcona; Baltic; Iarovit; Porevik (~it);
island of Riigen containing a statue some Radigast; Rugavit (~ievit); Rujevit; Saxo
eight meters high, depicting Svantovit in Grammaticus; Sun;Triglav;Yarilo
four aspects, one for each cardinal point, on References: Grammaticus 1886
a carved wooden pillar.The god held a bulls
horn cup in his right hand that was annually SVAREVICHI
filled with wine, which would seep away or Russia
evaporate.The amount left in the cup at the A group of deities identified as the sons of
end of the year was believed to portend the Svarog. The Svarevichi are linked with the
coming years prosperity. No wine left in the powers of fire and sunlight, and are generally
cup spelled disaster. assumed to be of Iranian origin. Today the
A white stallion, sacred to Svantovit, was word is used as a collective name for Dazh-
kept in his temple, and beside his statue hung bog and Svarozhich.
its saddle and bridle along with Svantovits See also: Dazhbog; Svarog; Svarozhich (~gich)
272 SVAROG
Some time later, Sviatogors horse stum- a stranger carrying a small bag slung over one
bled and complained that carrying two shoulder; but no matter how hard he spurs
knights was too much, even for him. his mount, he cannot catch up with the
Sviatogor took Il'ya out of his pouch, and stranger. Finally, Sviatogor calls out to the
seeing that he was a knight of Holy Russia, stranger, who stops and waits for the giant to
suggested that the two of them ride together catch up.
as brothers.This they did for many days, until When the two finally meet, Sviatogor asks
they came to a huge stone coffin lying beside the stranger where he is going in such a
a tree. hurry and what he is carrying. The stranger
Il'ya leaped off his horse and lay down in places the bag on the ground and tells
the coffin. It was much too large for him, Sviatogor that if he wants to see what is in
but it fit Sviatogor perfectly. Even though the bag, he should lift it up and take a look.
Il'ya Muromets pleaded with him not to put Sviatogor accepts the challenge, climbs down
the lid on, Sviatogor did just that. However, from his horse, and takes hold of the bag.
when he asked Il'ya to remove the lid, Il'ya However, no matter how hard Sviatogor
found it far too heavy.Three times he hit it strains, he cannot move the bag even a frac-
with his mace, but each time he hit it a steel tion of an inch. Sviatogor admits defeat and
band closed around the coffin, securing the asks the stranger what is in the bag. The
lid. stranger replies that the bag contains the
Sviatogor blew some of his strength into weight of the world.
Il'ya so that he could use the giants own Sviatogor is impressed and asks the
sword; but this just made matters worse, for stranger his name. The stranger replies that
two steel bands closed around the coffin his name is Mikulushka Selyaninovich but
every time it was hit with the sword. that most people call him Mikula. Sviatogor
Resigning himself to his fate, Sviatogor had has heard of Mikula, and asks him how he
Il'ya tie his horse to the tree, to die there might learn his fate. Mikula tells the giant to
beside its master. Il'ya did as asked and sadly ride to the Northern Mountains, and there
rode away from the coffin, knowing that under the tallest tree he will find a smithy
Sviatogor, the last of the giants, would where the blacksmith will tell him all that
shortly be no more. will come to be.
The second account of Sviatogors demise Sviatogor thanks Mikula and rides as hard
is possibly the older of the two: Sviatogor as he can toward the Northern Mountains.
often boasted of his great strength, going so When he reaches the mountains, he finds the
far as to say that he could even lift Mother blacksmith hard at work in his smithy, forg-
Earth. One day while he was out riding, he ing two thin hairs. Sviatogor asks him what
came across a small bag lying in his path. he is doing, and the smith replies that he is
Unable to move it with the tip of his staff, forging the fates of all those destined to
Sviatogor dismounted, and with tremendous marry. Interested, Sviatogor asks whom he is
effort, managed to raise the bag as high as his destined to wed; but the reply he receives is
knees. In doing so, he sweated so heavily that not what he expects.The smith tells him that
his sweat became blood. Sinking deep into his bride lives in the Kingdom by the Sea,
the earth under the weight of the bag, he dwelling in the City of the King, where she
could not save himself. has lain for the past thirty years on a
Interestingly, there is a further legend con- dunghill.
cerning Sviatogor and his attempt to lift Although he is disgusted by the thought,
Mother Earth. In this story, Sviatogor is out Sviatogor quickly seeks out the woman fate
riding, trying to find a means by which to has decreed he will marry. When he finds
test his great strength.While riding, he spots her, the sight repulses him. There, in a poor
274 SVIATOPOLK
and lowly hut, the woman lies on a dunghill, See also: Bogatyr'; City of the King,The; Il'ya
her skin as black and as thick as the bark of a Muromets; Kingdom by the Sea,The; Mikula
fir tree. Sviatogor cannot imagine marrying Selyaninovich; Mother Earth
the maiden; so instead he takes five hundred References: Chadwick 1964
rubles from his purse and lays them on a
table before drawing his sword and stabbing SVIATOPOLK
the maiden through the breast. Russia
As Sviatogor rides away, the maiden stirs Also: Svyatopolk
from her deep sleep; and as she stands up, the The brother of Boris and Gleb, both of
bark that has protected her for the past thirty whom willingly submitted to their deaths at
years falls away, revealing her true beauty, the his handso history recordsin 1015.
likes of which have never been seen before See also: Boris, Saint; Gleb, Saint
or since. Finding the money on the table, she References: Cross and Sherbowitz-Wetzor
quickly sets herself up as a merchant and 1953
amasses a great fortune, sailing all over the
then-known world, trading as she goes. SWAN WOMAN
Finally her ships land at the edge of the Holy Tatar
Mountains, and Sviatogor comes to see the A mysterious bird-woman who appears in a
woman that everyone is talking about. As poem along with the hero Kartaga. For
soon as he sees her, he is smitten, and before many years the couple wrestled, neither
long he has persuaded her to marry him. On gaining the upper hand. Kartaga owned two
their wedding night Sviatogor notices the horses, one piebald and one black, and they
scar on her breast and asks his new bride knew that the Swan Woman did not carry
what caused it. her soul with her but kept it in a golden
She replies that she had slept for thirty casket. That casket was hidden in a black
years on a dunghill in the City of the King chest beneath a copper rock, a rock that
that lay within the Kingdom by the Sea. rose from the earth to the heavens, marking
When she awakened from her deep sleep, she the point where the nine seas of the under-
found five hundred rubles on a table, the scar world met and became one, rising to the
on her breast, and that she was no longer surface of the earth.
covered in fir bark. It is then that Sviatogor The horses ran to the place where the
realizes that this is the woman he was des- copper rock emerged from the underworld,
tined to marry and that there is no way of dug up the black chest, and removed the
avoiding the fate decreed by God. golden casket. Then the two horses carried
Later accounts seem to confuse the rela- the casket back to where Kartaga and the
tionship between Sviatogor and Il'ya Mu- Swan Woman were still fighting. There the
romyets, tending to make the two one and the piebald horse transformed itself into a bald
sameSviatogor being the pre-Christian per- man, opened the casket, and killed the seven
sonification, and the bogatyr' the post- birds that flew out.These birds held the soul
Christian one. Evidence does not, however, of the Swan Woman, who fell dead as the last
support these theories, which appear to be due bird was killed.
to confusion caused by the passage of time. See also: Kartaga; Underworld,The
275
A Kholui lacquer miniature by N. Kurchatkina depicts the Swan Woman befriending two swans during a
banquet. (Sovfoto/Eastfoto/PNI)
one of the six brothers of the Tapagz killed
by Aslan. If this is the case, then it is safe to
assume that Tapagz was a family name
rather than a personal one. The
T
Tapagz in the legend of Aslan and
Simizar had three heads, but that in
the legend of Samson and Gulinaz
had just one. Both had a common
attribute, however: a single eye in the cen-
ter of the head. One need only put out
that eye to kill the giant. The legend
TALKING MOUNTAIN, THE also contains an allusion to the size of
HungaryMagyar the Tapagz, with estimates that the head
A magical mountain to which Third Almafi weighed fifty poods, his nose fifteen poods,
journeyed in order to obtain directions to and each tooth between four and five poods.
the well of the sorcerer called Deceit. Third See also: Aslan; Devils Castle; Gulinaz;
Almafi traveled to a vast forest in the middle Simizar; Zarzand; Zurab
of which rose a lofty mountain, on which he References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967,
found a cave. Within that cave he found a vol. 4
marble slab that gave him instructions on
how to awaken the voice of the mountain. TATARS
Third Almafi went out of the cave and tore General
up twelve tall pine trees from the forest A Turkic, mainly Muslim people who are the
below, dragged them into the cave, and set descendants of the followers of Genghis
fire to them as the instructions told him to. Khan. They live mainly in Tatarstan and
Then he waited until the last embers died Uzbekistan, having been deported there
away, whereupon the mountain spoke, telling from the Crimea in 1944, and in southwest-
Third Almafi how to find the well of Deceit. ern Siberia. Their language belongs to the
See also: Almafi; Deceit Altaic grouping.
See also: Crimea; Genghis Khan; Siberia;
TAPAGZ Uzbekistan
Armenia
A terrible, three-headed giant who was one TAWALS
of seven, all apparently called Tapagz (as Poland
Gulinaz refers to the giant as a Tapagz One of the three gods of the field, the other
rather than the Tapagz). However, in the two being Datan and Lawkapatim.
legend of Zurab, who later became known as See also: Datan; Lawkapatim
Aslan, there is just one giantthough that
giant does have six brothers who remain TENGRI
unnamed. In this legend, where Tapagz Mongolia
abducts Simizar, the daughter of King Also: Od(lek)
Zarzand, and carries her off to his lair, the The creator of the universe, which before his
Devils Castle, he is confronted and killed by intervention existed only in a state of utter
Aslan. chaos. He created people from fire, wind,
In the legend of Samson and Gulinaz, it is and water, and then breathed life into them.
Samson who kills a Tapagz, but which His wife was Itugen, Mother Earth, or
Tapagz is never made clear. Perhaps it was Umai, Mother of All, and his children, who
277
278 TEUTONIC KNIGHTS
were all known as Tengri, came to live on lands that later became known as Prussia,
earth as the spirits of everything in the Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. In the four-
worldfrom visible objects such as trees and teenth century the Teutonic Knights lost
the flames of a fire, to abstract notions such much of their power, and finally the Poles
as law, order, and human nature.Tengri him- and Lithuanians overthrew them. In 1525,
self still rides across the surface of the earth the Grand Master, Albert of Hohenzollern,
on his storm horses, and storms announce his became a Protestant and changed the order
arrival to right wrongs and to punish those from a religious to a civic organization; and
who have broken the law. in 1618 the orders territory passed to the
See also: Itugen; Mother Earth; Umai Hohenzollern elector of Brandenburg.
See also: Estonia; Latvia; Lithuania; Prussia
TEUTONIC KNIGHTS
General THIRD ALMAFI
The name of an organization of German HungaryMagyar
crusaders that arose in Europe during the See: Almafi.
twelfth century. The Teutonic Knights were
organized for service in the Holy Land, and THRICE-NINTH KINGDOM, THE
modeled their organization after two earlier Russia
crusading ordersthe Knights Templars and An unidentified kingdom that according to
the Knights Hospitalers. In the thirteenth some sources was (at least partly) the land of
century the Teutonic Knights shifted their Tsar Afron. The Thrice-Ninth Kingdom,
activities to central Europe, where they tried unsurprisingly, lay within the Thrice-Ninth
to convert and control the people in the Landa land that is equally unidentified and
TO EACH ITS OWN 279
TIME
Armenia
Personified as an old man sitting on a stone
throne at the foot of Mount Biledjan. Time
controlled Death and could, if so disposed,
free men of their fear of Death and enable
them to live a full life.
See also: Death
TIMOFE(Y)EVNA, AMELF(I)A
Russia
See Amelf(i)a Timofe(y)evna.
TIPI
Armenia
The name Aslan gave his horse.
Tomb of Konrad von Thueringen, Grand Master of See also: Aslan; Zurab
the Order of Teutonic Knights, 12401245,
Elisabeth Church, Marburg, Germany (Erich TO EACH ITS OWN
Lessing/Art Resource, NY) Armenia
A wolf once seized a lamb from a pen and
unidentifiable.Another distinguishing feature made off with it.The lamb asked the wolf to
of the Thrice-Ninth Kingdom was that it serenade her before he ate her, as her parents
was home to the talking cat Kot Bayun, had told her that wolves had the most beau-
which Petrushka sought to capture for his tiful voices. The wolf was flattered and
tsar.The tsar had assigned Petrushka this mis- immediately began to howl with all its
sion in order to get rid of him so as to take might.The noise woke the shepherds watch-
Petrushkas wife as his own. dogs, which attacked the wolf and bit it
See also: Afron; Kot Bayun; Petrushka;Thrice- severely. The wolf managed to escape and
Ninth Land,The crawled away to lick its wounds, blaming
itself for thinking that it could succeed in
THRICE-NINTH LAND, THE something it had never tried before.
Russia One of the fables of Vardan of Aygek.
An unidentified country within which lay See also: Vardan
the Thrice-Ninth Kingdom, home to Kot References: Marr 189499
280 TOAD, DR.
again doing the work Tobias had been asked told the dragon that he wished to return
to do. She told her son to get rid of the trou- home, provided the dragon would carry him
blesome human, so the dragon suggested that on his back.The dragon was only too happy
they should fight. Tobias agreed, and asked to oblige, so that he could finally be rid of
how he would be rewarded if he won. The Tobias. Thus it was that Tobias rode the
dragon said that he would give Tobias a bar- dragon home like a horse. At the gate to
rel of gold if he won; but Tobias would have Tobiass house the dragon made its farewells
to go home if he lost.Then the dragon sug- and set off for home. En route he came across
gested that they fight with sticks.The dragon a fox that was rolling on the ground laughing.
chose a huge poplar tree, and Tobias a small When the dragon asked what was so funny,
sapling. Then Tobias, who had the right by the fox told him that he was laughing at the
way of tradition, said that they should fight dragon-horse he had seen the human riding.
in the pigsty. There, of course, the dragon The dragon was furious and asked the fox
could hardly move, let alone swing his club, what he might do to retrieve the three bar-
whereas Tobias set about the dragon with rels of gold.The fox brokered a bargain with
ease and soon had him begging for mercy. the dragon, saying that he would help in
Having won the fight, and with one bar- return for a cock and nine hens; and the two
rel of gold already secured,Tobias thought he set off toward Tobiass house.Tobias saw them
was safe. However, the dragon now suggested coming and shouted to the fox in an angry
a sneezing competition, again offering a bar- voice, saying that he had been promised nine
rel of gold to Tobias if he won, and again say- dragon skins, so why had the fox brought
ing that if he lost, Tobias must go home. him just one? The dragon was so scared that
Tobias agreed, and they went indoors. The he took to his heels and ran all the way
dragon sneezed first and blew Tobias all home. As for Tobias, he built a fine mansion
around the room. Picking himself up, Tobias with the gold and lived in peace and comfort
went around the walls and started to plug up for the rest of his natural days.
any holes he found. When the dragon asked See also: Dragon
what he was doing,Tobias said that if he did References: Biro 1980
not plug up the holes the house would not
collapse, and if the house did not collapse, the TONX
dragon would not be certain who had Vogul
sneezed the best. Collective name for benevolent water spirits
The dragon was horrified, begged Tobias who brought men luck when hunting or
not to sneeze, and gave him the second bar- fishing, and who could be propitiated to cure
rel of gold. Still determined to beat Tobias, illness and disease.
the dragon then suggested a shouting com-
petition. Tobias immediately agreed and TRANSCAUCASIA
asked to be taken to the local blacksmith.The General
dragon was naturally curious as to the reason A geographic region that between 1936 and
for such a visit.Tobias told him that it was to late 1940 was divided among the republics of
have seven hoops made, one for each of the Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia.
dragons seven heads, as without them his See also: Armenia; Azerbaijan; Georgia
shout would crack the dragons heads like
eggs.The dragon again begged for mercy and TRANSYLVANIA
measured out a third barrel of gold for General
Tobias. A region of Romania, near the Hungarian
Knowing that he had now amassed more border, that covers about 39,000 square miles
than enough wealth to last a lifetime, Tobias (101,000 square kilometers).The Carpathian
282 TREE OF LIFE, THE
inside a marked ring and make predictions Kiev, during a banquet, he was insulted by
regarding marriage and fertility, complain, Alesha, whom he then attempted to kill by
and listen to complaints about misfortune. throwing his knife at him. Ekim, Aleshas
The unmarried women of a community squire, caught the knife. Tugarin then chal-
would then sing about relinquishing their lenged Alesha to meet him out on the
carefree youth for the responsibilities of mar- steppe.
riage and a family. Alesha went out on the steppe in the guise
See also: Rusaliia; Semik of a pilgrim.Tugarin thought he would have
References: Snegirev 183739 the upper hand, for he had made himself a
pair of wings out of paper on which he flew
TRUVOR while sitting astride his powerful horse.
Scandinavia and Russia Alesha, however, prayed for rain. The rain
One of the two younger brothers of Riurik, indeed came, ruining the giants wings.
the other being Sineus. When Riurik was Crashing to the ground, Tugarin rushed at
chosen as the first Varangian ruler of Alesha on horseback, fully intending to
Novgorod, Sineus settled at Beloozero and trample him into the ground; but Alesha hid
Truvor at Izborsk, according to the Primary in the horses flowing mane and struck
Chronicle, which dates their settlement at Tugarins head from his shoulders with the
between 860 and 862.Two years later Sineus heavy staff he was carrying.Alesha then stuck
and Truvor died and Riurik became the sole Tugarins head onto the end of the staff and
ruler. (The Hypatian Primary Chronicle says rode back into Kiev on Tugarins horse.
that Riurik first settled at Lake Ladoga.) Tugarin is a prime example of the way the
After the deaths of Sineus and Truvor, Riurik traditional dragon developed in the later epic
assumed sole authority and moved his seat of stories, the byliny, for he was human in form
power to the city he founded on the banks but had the power to fly like a dragon
of the river VolkhovNovgorod. albeit on paper wings.
See also: Ladoga, Lake; Novgorod; Primary See also: Alesha; Bylina; Dragon; Ekim; Kiev;
Chronicle; Riurik; Rostov; Sineus;Varangians Vladimir Bright Sun, Prince
References: Cross and Sherbowitz-Wetzor
1953 TUNGUS
Siberia
TSMOK Ancient indigenous people from one of the
Belorussia coldest regions on earth, who endured the
The personification of the domovoi in the rigors of life in the tundra of Siberia. Only
form of a snake that depended on the bless- one of the major Tungus legends has sur-
ings of a house, and in particular on that of vivedwhich is unfortunate, as this story,
the women of the house, for its sustenance, that of Ivan the Mares Son, is particularly
and thus for its life. fine.
See also: Domovoi See also: Ivan the Mares Son; Siberia
TUGARIN TURKESTAN
Russia General
A vile, heathen monster who is described as A vast region in Asia that has no definite
a giant with the girth of two fully grown oak boundaries. The name refers to the Turkic-
trees. His eyes were set widesome accounts speaking tribes that have lived in this region
say a full arrows length apartand his ears since as early as the fifth century A.D.
were almost eight inches long.While he was Turkestan (also spelled Turkistan), stretches
at the court of Prince Vladimir Bright Sun at from Siberia on the north to Iran, Pakistan,
284 TURKMENISTAN
India, and Tibet on the south. The Turkestan. During the 1920s and 1930s,
Mongolian Desert lies to the east, and the Western Turkestan was divided into five sep-
Caspian Sea to the west. arate states of the Soviet Union: the Kazakh,
Turkestan consists of three primary Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, and Uzbek Soviet
regions: Western Turkestan, formerly also Socialist Republics. In 1991, following the
called Soviet Turkestan, lies between the dissolution of the Soviet Union, each of the
Caspian Sea and the Tian Shan mountain five republics became independent.
range and includes the countries of See also: Caspian Sea; Kazakhstan; Siberia;
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turk- Turkmenistan; Uzbekistan
menistan, and Uzbekistan. Chinese
Turkestan, also called Eastern Turkestan, in TURKMENISTAN
the heart of Asia, extends eastward from General
Western Turkestan to the Gobi Desert and A mostly desert country in west-central Asia.
Tibet, and forms part of Chinas Xinjiang Russia began a conquest of the region in the
region. This region is bordered by the Tian mid-1870s, and by 1885, all Turkmen lands
Shan range on the north and by the Kunlun were under Russian control. In 1924, after
Mountains on the south. Afghan Turkestan is much resistance from local tribes, Turk-
bounded on the north by the Amu Darya menistan became a republic of the Soviet
(Oxus River) and on the northwest by Union and was named the Turkmen Soviet
Western Turkestan. Socialist Republic, or Turkmenia. In 1990,
Russia began to extend its rule to Western Turkmenistan declared that its laws over-
Turkestan soon after the conquest of Siberia, ruled those of the Soviet Union; and in
during the seventeenth century, and most of October of the following year the republic
Western Turkestan was Russian territory by declared its independence. That December,
the nineteenth century.The government cre- after the Soviet Union was dissolved,
ated the province of Turkestan and made Turkmenistan became independent and
Tashkent its capital. In 1887, an Anglo- joined a loose association of former Soviet
Russian commission established the bound- republics called the Commonwealth of
ary between Afghanistan and Russian Independent States.
horse-riding Cimmerians, occupied the
region. The Scythians conquered the Cim-
merians about 700 B.C., and between 700 and
600 B.C., Greek colonies appeared
U
on the northern coast of the Black
Sea, although the Scythians con-
trolled most of the region until c. 200
B.C., when it fell to the Sarmatians.
The region was invaded by Ger-
manic tribes from the west in A.D.
270 and by the Huns in 375.
UKKO During the ninth century a Slavic
Estonia civilization called Rus' sprang up around
The supreme being, consort of Maan-Eno, Kiev, the resultant East Slavic state being
and the joint creator of man. known as Kievan Rus'. Scandinavian mer-
See also: Maan-Eno chant-warriors known as Varangians, or
Vikings, played an important role in organiz-
UKRAINE ing the East Slavic tribes into the Kievan state.
General Vladimir I, the ruler of Novgorod, con-
A constituent republic of the Soviet Union quered Kievan Rus' in 980, and under his
since 1923, the capital of which is Kiev. rule the state became a political, economic,
Ukraine is the second-largest European and cultural power in Europe. In 988,
country in area, exceeded only by Russia, its Vladimir became a Christian and made
neighbor to the east. The Ukrainian lan- Christianity the state religion. In 1240,Tatars
guage is a member of the Slavic branch of swept across the Ukrainian plains from the
the Indo-European family and is closely east and conquered the region. After the fall
related to Russian. of Kievan Rus', several principalities emerged
During the ninth century A.D., Kiev in the region. The state of Galicia-Volhynia,
became the center of a Slavic state referred in what is now western Ukraine, grew in
to as Kievan Rus'. In the fourteenth century, importance. In the fourteenth century,
most of Ukraine came under Polish and Poland took control of Galicia, while
Lithuanian control. Cossacks freed that por- Lithuania seized Volhynia, and later, Kiev. By
tion of Ukraine from Polish rule in 1648 1569, Poland ruled the entire region. In
(eastern Ukraine was absorbed by Russia in 1648, a Cossack named Bohdan Khmelnitsky
1667) and liberated the remainder of the led an uprising that freed Ukraine of Polish
country from Austrian rule in 1793. control, and in 1654 he formed an alliance
In 1923, Ukraine became a constituent with the Russian tsar against Poland.
republic of the Soviet Union and was Ukraine was divided between Poland and
renamed the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Russia in 1667, with Poland gaining control
Republic. In 1991, Ukraine declared its of lands west of the Dnieper River, while
political independence, and later that year, Ukrainian lands east of the Dnieper came
after the breakup of the Soviet Union, under Russian protection but retained self-
received diplomatic recognition as an inde- rule. By 1764, Russia had abolished
pendent country. Ukrainian self-rule, and in the last decade of
Human settlement in Ukraine began the eighteenth century, it gained control of
almost 300,000 years ago. By about 1500 B.C., all of Ukraine except Galicia, which Austria
nomadic herders, including the warlike, ruled from 1772 until 1918. Ukraine became
285
286 UKS AKKA
a soul or spirit. Among the Cheremiss this century, and in the late fourteenth century
soul is called the ort. the Mongol conqueror Tamerlane founded
See also: Cheremiss-Mordvin; Ort;Votyaks the capital of his vast Asian empire in
Samarqand. A group of Turkic tribes known
UZBEKISTAN as the Uzbeks invaded in the sixteenth cen-
General tury, and over a period of time political states
A country in central Asia that extends from called khanates were established in the re-
the foothills of the Tian Shan and Pamir gion. In the nineteenth century, the khanates
Mountains to the land just west of the Aral were either conquered by Russia or came
Sea. The country covers 172,742 square under Russian influence; and in 1924,
miles (447,400 square kilometers). It became Uzbekistan became a republic of the Soviet
an independent state in 1991, after nearly 70 Union. In 1990, the Uzbek government
years as a republic of the Soviet Union. declared that its laws superseded those of the
In the sixth century, Arabs invaded the Soviet Union, and with the dissolution of the
area that is now Uzbekistan and introduced Soviet Union in 1991, Uzbekistan became
Islam. Mongols led by Genghis Khan con- an independent country.
quered the region in the early thirteenth See also: Genghis Khan; Mongols
the blood of the living. The victim of the
vampires bite in turn would become one
of the living dead. This is, of course, the
source of the famous novel
V
Dracula by Bram Stoker. The
vampire seems to have origi-
nated as a dragon who ate the
moonsuch occurrences being
believed to bring the dead back to life.
The name itself is borrowed from the
Serbian vampir, which is in turn related
VA-KUL' to the Turkisk word ubir, undead,
Zyrian though some sources assert an association
A malevolent water spirit who was depicted with the Slavic upir. In certain cases the
as either a man or a woman with long, vampire had the ability to shift shape at
unkempt hair. will, its favorite animal manifestation being
the wolf, though bats were also common.
VAHAGN These vampires were known as vukodlak,
Armenia which literally translates as wolf s hair, a
The warrior and creator god who was acci- word that is still in common usage.
dentally born at the dawn of creation. Sky and Common superstition still holds that when
earth had coupled in an attempt to create life, a werewolf dies, it becomes a vampire.
but their violent actions caused a red reed that
had been floating on the surface of the pri-
mordial ocean to fly up into space. As it flew
through space, its motion caused the red color
of the reed to concentrate at one end, and a
tail of sparks to fly from the other; and thus
the comet-like fiery being dubbed Vahagn
was created. As he moved through the sky,
sparks flew from his tail, filling the night sky
with stars. The Milky Way was formed, by
some accounts, as slivers of the reed flew off,
or from wisps of straw that Vahagn dropped
from the bale of straw he had gathered to feed
his chariot horses. Vahagn also covered the
surface of the earth with all kinds of plants
and animals, and then went on to create
humankind. Vahagn was married to Astlik,
goddess of the starsa marriage to his own
offspring, for the stars were his creation.
See also: Astlik; Milky Way,The
VAMPIRE
Slav
In Slavic demonology the vampire was a Christopher Lee as Dracula bares his fangs. (The
corpse that returned to life at night to suck Museum of Modern Art Film Stills Archive)
289
290 VARANGIANS
Great gave the man a city and its income. VASILII BUSLA(Y)EV
When told by his ministers that the man did Russia
not deserve such a gift, Alexander the Great Alternative name for Vasilii Buslayevich, the
replied that when one is known for his gen- son of Buslai and Amelfia Timofeyevna.
erosity, his gifts must be truly memorable.
See also: Aleppo; Alexander the Great; VASILII BUSLAYEVICH
Mekhithar Gosh Russia
References: Marr 189499 The son of Buslai, as his name indicates,
Buslayevich simply meaning son of Buslai,
VARPULIS and the sorceress Amelfia Timofeyevna.
Czech Although the legends do not explicitly state
The god of the storm wind and an attendant the relationship,Vasilii must have been a half
of the thunder god Perun, whose chariot he brother of Dobrynya Nikitich, as Amelfia
ran alongside as it galloped across the sky. As Timofeyevna is also said to be the mother of
a result Varpulis was often out of breath, and that great bogatyr' and the widow of
his panting was perceived in the rumbling of Dobrynyas father Nikita.
thunder. At the age of seven,Vasilii Buslayevich was
See also: Perun sent to learn to read and write, which he
accomplished with aplomb, and then to
VASILII II, GRAND PRINCE write and sing hymns, which he again
Russia achieved without equal in all of Novgorod,
Historical ruler of Muscovite Russia who his home city. However, when he grew up,
adopted the patronage of Saint George in Vasilii began to consort with a drunken and
1415. rowdy crowd, and soon he gained a reputa-
See also: George, Saint
tion as a lout who would do harm to others
References: Cherniavsky 1969
simply for the fun of it.The law-abiding cit-
VASILII BELYANINOVICH izens of Novgorod went to see the widow
Russia Amelfia Timofeyevna to complain about the
Son of Bel Belyanin and Nastas'ya of the conduct of her son, and she, in turn, scolded
Golden Braid, and brother to Peter Bel- her son for his behavior.
yaninovich and Ivan Belyaninovich. After However, the scolding did nothing to
Ivan rescued their mother from Whirlwind, Vasilii Buslayevich other than make him
he and Peter left their young brother resolve to live his life as he saw fit. He sent
stranded and tried to claim credit for the res- out a challenge to all those in Novgorod that
cue themselves. The truth finally came out, if they could pass two tests he would set
and their father wanted to have them exe- them, they would become members of his
cuted. Ivan interceded; and Peter married the druzhina (retinue) and live a life of luxury at
tsaritsa of the Silver Kingdom,Vasilii married his expense.
the tsaritsa of the Copper Kingdom, and Ivan Word of the challenge quickly spread, and
married Elena the Fair, the tsaritsa of the it was not long before a huge crowd had
Golden Kingdom, the three maidens having gathered in front of Vasilii Buslayevichs
been rescued by Ivan when he freed his home.Vasilii faced the crowd and told them
mother. that the two tests consisted of drinking, in a
See also: Bel Belyanin; Copper Kingdom, single quaff, a cup of green wineno nor-
The; Elena the Fair; Golden Kingdom,The; mal cup, but one holding the equivalent of
Ivan Belyaninovich; Nastas'ya of the Golden one and a half vedro. The second test would
Braid; Peter (Belyaninovich); Silver Kingdom, be to stand, unwavering, under a single blow
The;Whirlwind from Vasilii Buslayevichs huge mace, which
292 VASILII BUSLAYEVICH
was made of elm wood and filled with lead Timofeyevna gave her son a drugged drink,
and weighed more than twenty poods (ap- then had her handmaiden lock him in a
proximately 720 pounds). strong dungeon with thick iron bars at the
The first to take the tests and pass was windows and several locks on the many
Kostia Novotorzheni. He was followed by doors between the dungeon and the outside.
two boyar brothers by the names of Luka and The battle now turned in favor of the
Moisei, then by the men of Zalyoshen, the men of Novgorod, who steadily forced Vasilii
seven Sbrodovich brothers, and so on, until Buslayevichs men back toward the river
there were twenty-nine members of the Volkhov. There the handmaiden of the
druzhina, Vasilii Buslayevich himself being widow Amelfia Timofeyevna came across the
the thirtieth.Those who failed the tests were fight and was beseeched for help by Vasilii
killed and simply thrown over a wall. Buslayevichs men. She immediately cast the
Several days later Vasilii Buslayevich heard buckets from the yoke about her neck, and
that the men of Novgorod were organizing a brandishing the yoke, plowed into the men
large party in honor of one Nikolai, so he of Novgorod, killing a great many and
and his men went along to see if they could knocking a great many more senseless.Then,
gain entry, which they did when Vasilii with the odds slightly evened, she ran to the
Buslayevich paid five rubles for each of them dungeon where she had incarcerated Vasilii
and twenty-five for himself. As the evening Buslayevich and set him free.
wore on, great quantities of alcohol were Vasilii Buslayevich rushed to the aid of his
consumed, and a fight broke out during men, only to find his way blocked by an aged
which Vasilii Buslayevich was set upon and pilgrim carrying a huge gold bell that
came close to being strangled. He called out weighed over three hundred poods (10,800
for help, whereupon Luka, Moisei, and pounds). The pilgrim warned Vasilii Bus-
Kostia Novotorzheni came to his aid, killing layevich to refrain from attacking the men of
their atamans attackers. Novgorod, for he said that the men of Nov-
The fighting continued until the partygo- gorod would be victorious in the end. Dis-
ers begged Vasilii Buslayevich and his men interested and disbelieving, Vasilii Buslay-
for mercy.Vasilii Buslayevich considered the evich told the pilgrim to stand aside, and
problem for a moment and then wagered the when he did not, he struck out at him,
townsfolk that his followers could take on whereupon the pilgrim disappeared.
the entire city and win. He added that if he Vasilii Buslayevich hurried back into the
did win, then the city would pay him and his battle. Soon he and his men once more had
men a tribute of three thousand rubles a year, the upper hand. Seeing that they were losing
until the very last member of his druzhina the battle, the men of Novgorod went to the
was dead; but if he lost, then he would pay widow Amelfia Timofeyevna and told her
the city three thousand rubles a year until his that they would accept defeat and gladly pay
death. The men of Novgorod accepted the the tribute her son had demanded. Amelfia
challenge and agreed that the fight should sent the handmaiden to fetch Vasilii
start the very next day. Buslayevich, and over glasses of wine the two
Quickly it became apparent that Vasilii sides made their peace.
Buslayevich and his men were the more Peace, however, was not what burned in
powerful; so several of the leaders of Vasilii Buslayevichs heart. Still, he had
Novgorod went to the widow Amelfia signed a pact with the city of Novgorod, and
Timofeyevna and pleaded with her to take so he had to seek adventure farther afield.To
her son in hand.The widow considered var- this end he built a sturdy ship, painted it
ious courses of action and then had her blood red, and took to a life of piracy on the
handmaiden bring her son to her. Amelfia waters of Lake Il'men'. As they sailed, Kostia
VASILII BUSLAYEVICH 293
Nikitin guarded the stern and Tiny Potania Sailing on into the Caspian Sea, the ship
the stem, while Vasilii Buslayevich paced up came to the island of Kuminsk and docked
and down looking for a new target to attack. under the watchful eye of over a hundred
At length,Vasilii Buslayevich felt the burden Kazakh pirates.Vasilii Buslayevich paid them
of age bearing down on him, and so he and no attention, calmly moored the ship, and
his men decided to make a pilgrimage to then leaped ashore, carrying his huge elm
Jerusalem to seek divine forgiveness before mace. So intimidated were the Kazakhs by
they died. his casual indifference that they scattered to
Setting sail from Novgorod, they sailed tell their atamans of the arrival of Vasilii
three weeks before sighting another ship. Buslayevich and his druzhina. The atamans
When the two ships drew abreast, they asked came out to greet their visitor, who simply
the other sailors, who all had heard of Vasilii asked them to point out to him the most
Buslayevich and his druzhina, the most direct direct route to Jerusalem. They invited him
route to Jerusalem.The sailors told them that to dine with them, which he did, and then,
the city they sought lay seven weeks sail amazed by his prowess and calm among a
away by the most direct route, or a year and company feared by all others, the Kazakh
a half by the indirect one.Vasilii Buslayevich atamans provided Vasilii Buslayevich a young
told them he would follow the quickest guide and bade him a safe journeyglad to
route to his salvation; but the sailors warned see him go and to have escaped his legendary
him that this meant they would have to pass wrath.
the island of Kuminsk in the Caspian Sea, Vasilii Buslayevich and his men sailed
where three thousand Kazakh atamans across the Caspian Sea and entered the con-
barred the way, robbing and sinking any ship fines of the river Jordan, where they tied up
that attempted to pass. the ship, Vasilii Buslayevich going on into
Undeterred, Vasilii Buslayevich and his Jerusalem by himself. There he prayed and
men sailed on until they came to an island on took communion in the Church of the Holy
which they beached their ship. They began Sepulchre. While he was away, his men
to climb the central mountain, which was waited patiently on their ship and bathed in
called the Sorochinsk, or the Saracen, Hill. the waters of the Jordan.While bathing they
Halfway up the mountainside, Vasilii Bus- were approached by an old woman, who told
layevich came across a pile of human bones them that only Vasilii Buslayevich might
and idly kicked the skull aside. The skull bathe in the same waters that Jesus Christ
warned Vasilii Buslayevich that he would die had been baptized in and that they would
on that very mountain; but Vasilii refused to lose their valiant leader before long.
believe it, kicked it again to one side, and The men laughed at the old womans
continued to climb. superstition and continued to bathe in the
At the top of the mountain they came to river. Vasilii Buslayevich completed his
a huge stone slab that had an inscription on prayers in Jerusalem and returned to his boat,
it saying that any who dived across it would and then set sail, retracing his course back to
surely die. This slab is described by some Novgorod. On the way he again stopped and
sources as three fathoms high (24 feet), three feasted with the Kazakh pirates, and moored
arshins and a quarter wide, and a whole ax- his ship again at the island of the Sorochinsk,
throw across. Vasilii and his men read the or Saracen, Hill.Again Vasilii Buslayevich and
words, laughed at them, and then crossed the his men climbed the hill, and crossed the
stone, though none dared dive across. stone slab at the top.This time Vasilii decided
However, they found nothing else on that to defy the prophecy engraved on the slab
island, so they returned to their ship and and dove headlong from one side to the
resumed their course for Jerusalem. other. He took a good run up and leaped
294 VASILII BUSLAYEVICH
into the air. However, as his legs crossed the thing was wrong. Quickly he mounted his
edge of the stone, one foot caught the lip, own horse and rode across the plain, looking
and Vasilii Buslayevich crashed down onto for his comrade. Before long he came to the
the slab, splitting his head open and spilling tent of the Tatar, and there he saw the dis-
his brains. He died instantly. membered body of Dobrynya Nikitich lying
His men quickly gave Vasilii Buslayevich a on the ground. Alyosha roared a challenge
Christian burial and then returned to and was quickly met by the Tatar. The two
Novgorod, where they broke the news of his fought long and hard until Alyosha managed
death to the widow Amelfia Timofeyevna. to unseat the Tatar, leaped upon him, and
Vasiliis mother offered each of his men an made ready to cut out his heart. As he
equal share of her dead sons fortune, but kneeled over the body, knife poised, a black
they all refused and drank a simple toast raven swooped down and beseeched Alyosha
before going their separate ways. to spare the life of the Tatar, saying that if his
This is not the only account of the death life was spared, then the raven would fetch
of Vasilii Buslayevich.Another legend, which the Water of Life and Death so that Alyosha
is a post-Christian attempt to stamp out the might restore his fallen comrade to life.
remembrance of these great heroes and Alyosha agreed, and before long the raven
demigods, says that seven bogatyri once returned with two vials of water, one con-
assembled to go on a journey together. The taining the Water of Death and the other the
seven were Vasilii Buslayevich, Godenko Water of Life.Alyosha first anointed the body
Bludovich, Vasilii Kazimirovich, Ivan Go- of Dobrynya Nikitich with the Water of
stinyi Syn, Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Death, and his body became whole again.
Nikitich, and Il'ya Muromets. Setting out Then he anointed the body with the Water
together on horseback, the seven rode out of Life, and Dobrynya came back to life and
toward the river Safat. At the junction of embraced his comrade. They then set the
three roads, not far from the banks of the Tatar free and returned to the banks of the
Safat, the seven men made camp and settled Safat to wash and give thanks to God.
down for the night. As they rose from their ablutions they saw
The following morning Dobrynya Ni- a huge Tatar army approaching the river and
kitich was the first to wake and went down called to the other bogatyri to join them in
to the Safat to bathe and give thanks to God. the coming battle. For three hours and three
As he made to leave he noticed a white tent minutes they rode through the Tatar army,
pitched on the opposite bank that he recog- and by the end of that time had killed each
nized as belonging to a Tatara Muslim, and and every Tatar warrior.As they rode back to
thus a sworn enemy of every bogatyr'. the banks of the river to wash off the blood
Dobrynya called out a challenge to the Tatar, of the battle, the seven began to boast about
who rushed from his tent fully armed and their accomplishments. As they boasted that
leaped onto his horse to meet Dobrynya none could ever defeat them, they were con-
Nikitich in battle on the plain. For a long fronted by two strange warriors, who chal-
time the two fought before Dobrynya was lenged them.
toppled from his horse. The Tatar leaped Alyosha Popovich took up the challenge
down and cut out Dobrynyas heart and liver. first and rushed at the warriors, cutting each
As Dobrynya Nikitich died, Alyosha in half as he rode past them; but as he turned
Popovich rose from his bed and came to the his horse to boast to his comrades, he saw
Safat to bathe and make ready for the day. that the two had now become four.
There he saw Dobrynya Nikitichs horse Dobrynya Nikitich was the next to charge,
wandering aimlessly, and catching the sad and he too cut all the warriors in half; but as
look in the horses eyes, he knew that some- he turned, he found that the four had now
VASILIS(S)A KIRBIT'EVNA 295
become eight. Il'ya Muromets then charged, was returning home with the Firebird, the
but with the same result. For the first time in Horse with the Golden Mane, and Elena the
their lives, the seven felt fear, and deciding Beautiful, and killed him. Vasilii won Elena
that living was better than certain death, they the Beautiful when he and Dmitrii cast lots,
all fled for the mountains. There, as each of while his brother received the Horse with
the seven entered the foothills, he was imme- the Golden Mane. They presented the
diately turned to stone.That is why, after this Firebird to their father as proof that they had
encounter, there were no more bogatyri left completed the quest for the fabulous bird.
in all Russia. After Ivan was restored to life with the Water
It is interesting to note in this story that of Life and Death and returned to the royal
the Water of Life and Death is depicted as palace,Vasilii and Dmitrii were thrown into
two separate elements, whereas it is usually the deepest dungeon by their father for their
referred to as a single solution. It is also inter- treachery.
esting to note that the deaths of the heroes See also: Dmitrii (Vyslavovich); Elena the
vary from those described in the tales of their Beautiful; Firebird,The; Horse with the
individual lives. Golden Mane,The; Ivan Vyslavovich;Vyslav
See also: Alyosha Popovich; Amelf(i)a Andronovich;Water of Life and Death,The
Timofe(y)evna; Boyars; Buslai (~y); Caspian
Sea; Dobrynya Nikitich; Godenko Bludovich; VASILIS(S)A, PRINCESS
Il'men', Lake; Il'ya Muromets; Ivan Gostinyi Russia
Syn; Kostia Nikitin; Kostia Novotorzheni; A daughter of the Sea Tsar, sometimes
Luka; Moisei; Nikita; Nikolai of Mozhaisk, referred to as Vasilissa the Wise, and described
Saint; Novgorod; Potania,Tiny; Safat; Saracen
by some as an incarnation of the witch Baba-
Hill; Sbrodovich; Sorochinsk Hill;Tatars;
Vasilii Kazimirovich;Water of Life and Death,
Yaga. In an unnamed realm, an unnamed tsar
The; Zalyoshen sought to sacrifice his son to an eagle in
References: Speranskii 1916; Ukhov 1957 return for great wealth, but the youth was
rescued by Princess Vasilissa. The tsar called
VASILII KAZIMIROVICH on the Sea Tsar to return his son to him, but
Russia Princess Vasilissa overcame and killed her
One of seven bogatyri who once assembled father, married the youth, and ruled in the
to go on a journey together. The other six Sea Tsars stead.
were Vasilii Buslayevich, Godenko Bludo- See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga); Sea Tsar;
Vasilis(s)a the Wise
vich, Ivan Gostinyi Syn, Alyosha Popovich,
Dobrynya Nikitich, and Il'ya Muromets.This
legend, which attempts to explain why the VASILIS(S)A KIRBIT'EVNA
bogatyri disappeared from Holy Russia, may Russia
be found in the entry for Vasilii Buslayevich. The beautiful daughter of Tsar Kirbit. She
See also: Alyosha Popovich; Bogatyr'; lived in a tower with a gilded roof from
Dobrynya Nikitich; Godenko Bludovich; Il'ya which she was abducted by Bulat the Brave
Muromets; Ivan Gostinyi Syn;Vasilii and Ivan, the latter of whom it had been
Buslayevich prophesied she would marry. En route she
References: Speranskii 1916; Ukhov 1957 was kidnapped by the terrible Koshchei the
Deathless.
VASILII VYSLAVOVICH Bulat the Brave and Ivan came to the
Russia home of Koshchei to rescue her. With her
Son of Tsar Vyslav Andronovich and brother help, they found out where Koshchei had
of Dmitrii and Ivan Vyslavovich. He and hidden his soulfor without it, he could not
Dmitrii waylaid their brother Ivan when he be killed. After Bulat the Brave and Ivan had
296 VASILIS(S)A OF THE GOLDEN BRAID
successfully collected Koshcheis soul and as he told her this, for he did not believe that
killed him,Vasilissa returned with Ivan to his such a person existed. Indeed, at that time,
homeland, where in fulfillment of the Ivan the Pea had not yet been born.
prophecy, she became his wife. Back at her home, Vasilissas mother was
See also: Bulat the Brave; Ivan; Kirbit; heartbroken for the lack of news of her chil-
Koshchei (the Deathless) dren.Walking in her garden one hot day, she
became thirsty and drank from a small stream
VASILIS(S)A OF THE GOLDEN that ran through the garden, failing to see
BRAID that she also swallowed a small pea that was
Russia in the water. The pea started to swell inside
The beautiful daughter of Tsar Svetozar. For the tsarina, and after the appropriate time she
the first twenty years of her life she lived gave birth to a son, whom she called Ivan the
alone, save for her maids and ladies-in- Pea.
waiting, in her room at the top of a tall Ivan the Pea grew at a tremendous rate.At
tower. She earned her epithet from her hair, the age of ten, he was the strongest and fat-
which reached to her ankles and which she test knight in all the kingdom. Learning of
wore in a single plait. News of her wondrous the fate of his brothers and sister, Ivan the
beauty had gradually spread far and wide, Pea set out to find them.After traveling three
and soon offers of marriage were received. days, Ivan the Pea came to a house on chick-
Her father was in no hurry and waited until ens legs that revolved in the wind. The old
the appropriate time to announce that she crone who lived in the house gave Ivan the
would choose a husband. Pea directions to the land of the dragon, on
As Vasilissa had never been outside her the condition that he bring back some of the
room, she longed to see the fields and the magic water owned by the dragon, which
flowers that lay beyond the palace. Finally her would make her young again.
father agreed to let her out just once. As she After a lengthy journey, Ivan the Pea
strolled around, picking the pretty flowers, she arrived at the palace of the dragon. When
wandered away from her ladies-in-waiting. Vasilissa found out who he was, she begged
Just then, a strong wind sprang up, lifting the him to leave and save his life. Ivan the Pea
unfortunate girl from the ground and carry- would not hear anything of the sort. Instead,
ing her far away to the domain of a fierce he went to the palace smithy and asked the
dragon, who imprisoned her in a golden old smith to make him a mace weighing five
palace that stood on a single silver pillar. hundred poods (18,000 lbs or 8,190 kg).The
Heartbroken by her disappearance, her mace took forty hours to make, and fifty
parents sent her two brothers to find her. men were needed to lift it; but Ivan the Pea
After two years they came to the land of the picked it up in one hand and tossed it into
dragon and saw Vasilissa behind a barred win- the air, where it disappeared from sight. Ivan
dow inside the strange palace. As they the Pea returned to the palace and asked to
entered the palace the dragon returned. be told when the mace was sighted. Three
Confronted by the two young men, he deftly hours later, a frightened messenger told Ivan
picked up one and dashed him against his the Pea that the mace had been spotted, and
brother, thus killing both. he deftly caught it in one hand, the impact
Vasilissa at first starved herself; but then having no effect on him but making the
she vowed that rather than die, she would mace bend slightly. Ivan the Pea simply laid
escape from the palace. Pretending to be nice it across his knee and bent it straight again.
to the dragon, she learned that there was Shortly afterward the dragon returned to
only one who could overcome him, and he the palace, which normally would have
was named Ivan the Pea.The dragon laughed begun to revolve on its single silver pillar as
VASILIS(S)A THE BEAUTIFUL 297
he approached. This time it did not even Vasilissa, her blessings and a doll, saying that
move an inch, warning the dragon that there if ever Vasilissa needed guidance all she had to
must be something, or someone, extremely do was feed the doll and it would tell her
heavy inside. what to do. A short time later the merchant
The dragon, who had the body of a man married for the second time, this time mar-
but the head of a serpent, flew in through rying a widow who had two daughters of
one of the windows, riding a winged black her own.
horse. Spying Ivan the Pea, the dragon leaped Vasilissas stepmother and stepsisters were
at him, but Ivan the Pea jumped nimbly to jealous of her beauty and did everything they
one side. As the dragon crashed to the floor, could to make her life miserable. They gave
Ivan the Pea launched his enormous mace at her all the hardest jobs to do and yet were
it. As the mace made contact, it smashed the always complaining about her. However,
dragon into thousands of tiny pieces. Vasilissa completed each task with ease, for all
However, the mace did not stop at that, and she had to do was feed the doll her mother
continued through the walls of the palace, had given her, and while she passed the time
coming to rest many hundreds of miles away. picking flowers or walking in the meadows,
Refusing the requests of the beleaguered the doll did all the work that had been
kingdom that the dragon had ruled over to assigned.
become their tsar, Ivan the Pea appointed the The years passed and the merchant spent
smith who had made his mighty mace. Next, much of his time away from home. On one
remembering the promise he had made to such occasion the stepmother moved the
the old crone in the forest, he located the entire family to the edge of a very dark for-
magic water owned by the dragon, the Water est in the middle of which Baba-Yaga had
of Life and Death. He carefully filled a flask her home. Every day some excuse would be
with the water and then sprinkled some over found to send Vasilissa into the forest; but
the bodies of his dead brothers, who came every time, the doll guided her and kept her
back to life, rubbing their eyes as if they had clear of Baba-Yagas house. One night in
just awakened from a deep sleep. autumn the stepmother and her daughters let
All four then returned home, stopping all the fires in the house go out, and order-
en route to deliver the flask of the magic ing Vasilissa to fetch light from Baba-Yaga,
water to the crone in the forest. Once they pushed her out of the house.
home,Vasilissa took a husband, and follow- After talking with her doll, who told her
ing the death of their father, Ivan the Pea that no harm would come to her as long as
became tsar. she kept the doll with her, Vasilissa left the
Even though the crone in the forest in this house and started into the forest.A short way
story is not named, most authorities agree down the path, just as dawn was breaking,
that she is none other than the witch Baba- she was passed by a galloping horseman
Yaga. whose face and clothes were white, as were
See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga); Dragon; Ivan his horse and its harness. Just as the sun was
the Pea; Svetozar;Water of Life and Death,The rising, she were passed by a second racing
horseman. This time the riders face and
VASILIS(S)A THE BEAUTIFUL clothes were scarlet, as were his horse and
Russia harness. Vasilissa walked deeper and deeper
Also: Maryshia. into the forest, well into the evening, until
Vasilissa the Beautiful was the only daughter she came to the clearing in which Baba-
of a merchant whose wife died when the girl Yagas house stood.
was just eight years old. As she lay dying her The sight she saw froze her to the spot. A
mother gave Vasilisushka, her pet name for high fence of human bones circled the cot-
298 VASILIS(S)A THE WISE
tage, which revolved slowly in the slight before handing it to Vasilissa, who then made
breeze. Human skulls adorned the fence her way back to the cottage where her step-
posts. The gate consisted of a pair of human mother and stepsisters awaited her return.
legs, the bolts of a pair of human hands, and Outside the cottage Vasilissa made to
the lock of a mouth with razor-sharp teeth. throw away the skull, but it told her not to.
As Vasilissa stood there, a third horseman Entering the cottage, Vasilissa was warmly
passed her, riding swiftly through the gates, welcomed, because since she had left they
which magically opened to admit him. This had been unable to light anything in the
rider was entirely black and rode the black- cottage and had spent five miserable days in
est horse Vasilissa had ever seen. As horse and the dark and the cold. However, when they
rider passed through the gate, they disap- took the skull from Vasilissa, it stared straight
peared from view, and night instantly fell. into their eyes. No matter where they hid
Light soon returned to the scene, however, the skull managed to fix its gaze on them,
for the eyes in the skulls that sat atop the and by morning all three had been burned
fence started to glow until the clearing was to a cinder.
lit as brightly as it would have been in the Leaving the cottage the next morning,
middle of the day. Vasilissa buried the skull and returned to
As Vasilissa stood in the strangely lit clear- town to await her father. While she waited,
ing, she heard an awful noise coming from her doll wove some spectacular thread,
the forest. Suddenly Baba-Yaga herself came which a seamstress took to the tsar.When he
into view, riding in a mortar that she rowed saw it he asked for the spinner of such a
with a pestle, and brushing away all traces of thread to be brought to him. When he saw
her passage with a broom. Stopping at the Vasilissa, the tsar fell instantly in love with her
gates, she saw Vasilissa and asked her why she and made her his wife.
had come. When Vasilissa told her that she This story, whose theme is well known in
had come for a light, Baba-Yaga said that she such stories as that of Cinderella, shows both
would give her one provided she worked for the benevolent and the malevolent nature of
her for a time, warning that her failure to the witch Baba-Yaga. Authorities have iden-
complete any assigned task would result in tified the mother of Vasilissa as a sister of
her being eaten. Baba-Yaga who is jealous of Vasilissas beauty,
For two days Baba-Yaga assigned Vasilissa or as one of Baba-Yagas aspects that is equiv-
seemingly impossible tasks, such as extracting alent to the third aspect of the triune god-
earth from poppy seeds, or fennel from dessthat of death. Baba-Yaga herself repre-
wheat; but each task was carried out with sents the second aspect of the triune
ease by the doll. All Vasilissa had to do was goddessthat of fate, neither good nor bad,
cook for the witch, a task she enjoyed and and the doll, her first aspectthat of protec-
the doll did not, for fear of falling into the tress and life-giver.
fire and burning up. On the third evening See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga); Day; Night;
Baba-Yaga told Vasilissa that as her mother Sun;Vasilisushka
had blessed her, she was free to leave. First, References: Afanas'ev 1957
however, Vasilissa asked whether she might
know the answer to a single question. The VASILIS(S)A THE WISE
witch agreed.Vasilissa wanted to know who Russia
the three horsemen were whom she had A princess from a remote, unnamed king-
seen. Baba-Yaga explained that they were her dom who had the ability to change her shape
servants, Day, Sun, and Night. Leading the at will, though she usually chose to assume
girl to the gate, she took one of the skulls that of a frog. It was in this guise that Ivan the
down from the fence and placed it on a pole Young found her.
VASILIS(S)A THE WISE 299
Ivan was the youngest son of an unnamed frog; but each only produced disastrous
tsar and one of his three concubines, each of results, while the frog produced the finest
whom had presented the tsar with a son. loaf ever seen.
Unsure which son should succeed him, the To congratulate each of his daughters-in-
tsar told each to go into a field and to shoot law the tsar organized a huge banquet in
a single arrow, with the sons name written their honor. Distraught, Ivan the Young knew
on it, each in a different direction.Wherever he would be the laughingstock of the king-
the arrow landed, that son would rule, and he dom if he brought a frog to the banquet.
would marry the daughter of the house the Telling him to go on ahead, the frog changed
arrow landed in. Each prince did as in- into the beautiful maiden and arrived at the
structed and set off to find his arrow. banquet in the finest horse and carriage any-
Ivan was at first unable to locate his one in that kingdom had ever seen. As the
arrow. However, after three days of searching feast drew to a close, Ivan made an excuse
he came across a small hut made of reeds, in and left early to arrive home ahead of his
the middle of a swamp. Inside sat a large wife.There, in an attempt to keep his wife in
green frog with Ivans arrow in its mouth. her womanly form, he found and burned her
The frog saw Ivan the Young and bade him frog skin. When his wife returned, she told
enter, changing the hut into a pretty sum- him that had he waited just a while longer,
merhouse so that it was large enough to she would have been his forever. She told
accommodate him. him that her name was Vasilissa the Wise and
The frog then magically conjured up a that she must now disappear; and she gave
table fully laden with food, and when Ivan him instructions on how to travel to the land
had eaten, told him that unless he consented of eternal sunlight if he wished to find her.
to marry her he would never leave the Ivan the Young set out to find his wife.
swamp. Realizing that the frog was an After a long journey he found himself in
enchantress, Ivan the Young agreed. With front of a small wooden hut on chickens legs
that, the frog discarded its skin and stood that revolved slowly in the windthe home
before him in its real formthat of a beau- of the witch Baba-Yaga. Entering the hut he
tiful maiden. The maiden told Ivan that she was confronted by the angry witch; but
would wear her frog skin during the day but when he explained the purpose of his visit,
would appear every night as he now saw her. the witch agreed to help him. She told him
When he returned home, Ivan the Young that his wife flew in every day to see her.
was at first ridiculed for wanting to marry After she had made herself comfortable, Ivan
the frog; but finally his father consented and was to take hold of her firmly and not let go
the two were wed. The frog kept her word even when she changed her shape. Finally
and appeared as a beautiful woman every she would turn into an arrow, which Baba-
night. For a long time Ivan and his wife Yaga told Ivan to break over his knee.Then,
lived happily. Then the tsar devised three and only then, would Vasilissa be his forever.
tests for each of his sons wives.The first was Shortly afterward Vasilissa flew in on her
to sew a fine shirt. The frog easily won, for magic carpet. Making herself comfortable,
she had had the garment magically made. she did not see Ivan as he leaped out of his
The second test was to embroider a tapestry hiding place and caught hold of her.
in a single night. Again the frog easily won, Instantly she began to change her shape,
for she commanded the winds to bring her and in surprise, Ivan let her wriggle free
the finest tapestry from her fathers king- and fly away. Baba-Yaga then advised Ivan
dom. Finally the tsar commanded each to the Young to visit Vasilissas middle sister,
bake him a loaf of bread.This time the two for the witch knew that Vasilissa also visited
other wives tried to cheat by spying on the her. Ivan thanked the witch and made his
300 VASILISUSHKA
way to the home of Vasilissas middle sister. Hills, in families and villages similar to those
There the very same thing happened, so they lived in on earth.
the middle sister sent Ivan on to visit their
youngest sister. VELES
There he was told that this time he must Russia
not fail, for if he did, he would never see A nature deity who was regarded as the
Vasilissa again.After Vasilissa had arrived, Ivan patron of cattle and of merchants. Following
pounced on her and hung on with all his the adoption of Christianity by Vladimir I,
might. Finally realizing that she could not Veles became Saint Vlasii, who is depicted in
escape him,Vasilissa changed herself into an Russian iconography as being surrounded by
arrow, which Ivan broke across his knee. sheep, cows, and goats.
Instantly Vasilissa assumed her human form See also: Vladimir I;Vlas(i)i, Saint
and told him that she was his forever.
Together they rode on Vasilissas flying carpet
VELI JOZE
back to the home of Ivan, and there they
Croatia
lived happily together, Ivan eventually inher-
Literally, Big Joe.Veli Joze was a giant and
iting his fathers domain.
a valiant warrior who lived at Motovun, on
In the Ukrainian version of this tale, the
the Istra peninsula of northern Croatia.
shape-changing frog is named Maria and
Once, in a fit of fury against a tyrannical feu-
identified as the daughter of the Sea King.
See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga); Ivan the
dal lord, he wrapped his arms around
Young; Maria; Sea King Motovun tower and shook it with all his
might.The tower cracked and began to lean
VASILISUSHKA to one sidea state it remains in to this day.
Russia Veli Joze did not escape unpunished. Two
The pet name given to Vasilissa the Beautiful iron rings were fixed to the side of a nearby
by her mother. canyon from which Veli Joze was suspended,
See also: Vasilis(s)a the Beautiful though whether or not he died there was not
recorded.
See also: Motovun
VASILKO
Ukraine
The younger brother of Marusya. VELNIAS
See also: Marusya Baltic
A malevolent spirit of the dead.
VED'MA
Russia VENUS
The Russian word for a witch, which comes General
from to knowa root that indicates the The nearest planet to Earth.Venus lies nearer
importance of witches such as Baba-Yaga, the Sun than does Earth, and thus it appears
who were not only the doers of magical in phases. It is most famous as the Morning
deeds but also the repositories of all knowl- Star or the Evening Starthe first star vis-
edge. ible in the dusk sky, or the last star to disap-
See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga) pear at dawn. Many cultures around the
world have connected the planet Venus with
VELE(S) deities personifying the daily death of the
Baltic Sun and its wondrous rebirth the following
Spirits of the dead. They are believed to live morning.
in another world, referred to as the Sand See also: Evening Star; Morning Star; Sun
VIKINGS 301
VIKINGS
General
Also called Norsemen, and known as
Danes in England and Ireland, the Vikings
were Scandinavian sea warriors who raided
Europe between the eighth and eleventh
centuries. Many Vikings eventually settled in
the lands they raided and conqueredfor
example, the province of Normandy, in
France. The Vikings conquered England in
1013 under Sweyn I, whose son Canute was
later crowned king of England, Denmark,
Full-disc image of Venus, taken by the Pioneer Venus and Norway. In the east they created the first
Orbiter, March 3 1979 (NASA) state in Russia (Kievan Rus') as well as either
founding the city of Novgorod or helping to
establish it on a firm footing. Excellent
VESNA mariners, the Vikings sailed as far as the
Russia
A goddess of spring whose name appears to
have given rise to Ovsen', an archaic name
used for the Koliada festival in the Volga
regionthough the inverse might also be
the case.
See also: Koliada; Ovsen';Volga
References: Afanas'ev 186569; Potebnia 1865
VESNIANKA
Russia
In certain parts of Russia, this goddess was
considered the personification of spring. She
might owe her origins to Vesna, or vice
versa.
See also: Vesna
VIKHOR'
Russia
The Russian name of the character referred
to as Whirlwind in English translations of
the story of the tsarevich Ivan Belyanino-
vich. A wicked enchanter who, in the guise
of a whirlwind, abducted either the mother
or the sister of the tsarevich. Popular belief Detail of the prow of the ninth-century Viking
held that if a knife could be thrust into the Oseberg ship (Museum of the Viking Ship, Oslo,
very center, or heart, of a whirlwind, it Norway; Knudsens-Giraudon/Art Resource, NY)
302 VILA
VLADIMIR I
Russia
Also known as Saint Vladimir or Vladimir the
Great, the first Christian sovereign of Russia.
Born c. 956, the son of Sviatoslav, Grand
Prince of Kiev, and thus grandson of Olga
(the daughter of Oleg), he became Prince of
Novgorod in 970, and seized Kiev from his
brother in 980. Consolidating the Russian
realm from the Baltic to the Ukraine, he
extended its dominions into Galicia,
Lithuania, and Livonia, making Kiev his cap-
ital city. Until 987 he, like his people, wor-
shiped pagan gods such as Perun; but in 987
or 988, he formed a pact with the Byzantine The fourteenth-century Bran Castle in Romania,
emperor Basil II, married Basils sister Anna, home of Vlad Tepes (the Impaler) (Reuters/Radu
and accepted Christianity. He was, with his Sigheti/Archive Photos)
304 VLADIMIR BRIGHT SUN, PRINCE
During his reign,Vladimir Monomakh com- ever organized in a fashion that required a
piled the Russkaia pravda, the first code of leader.
law in Kievan society, which placed great See also: Bogatyr'; Polianitsa
importance on the matriarchal role.
See also: Kiev;Vladimir I;Vladimir Bright VLKODLAK
Sun, Prince;Vladimir Monomakh Slav
Also: Vookodlak
VLADIMIR BRIGHT SUN, PRINCE Wolf hair, one of the many names applied
Russia to a werewolf.
A legendary figure created from two histori-
cal princes of Kiev,Vladimir I (c. 9561015) VODIANIANI
and Vladimir Monomakh (10531125). Russia
According to the legends, the bogatyri, or One of the many variant names applied to
Holy Russian knights, gathered at his court the russalki, others being mavki, navki, and
before setting off on their adventures in faraony.
defense of their country. See also: Faraony; Mavki, Navki; Rus(s)alki
See also: Bogatyr'; Kiev;Vladimir I;Vladimir (~ulki)
Monomakh References: Pomerantseva 1975
Usually a jolly, benevolent beinghis See also: Astrakhan'; Caspian Sea; St.
favorite sport being to ride on the backs of Petersburg
large fishthe vodianoi could also become
angry, such as when humans tampered with VOL'GA BUSLAVLEVICH
his possessions or forgot to return his off- Russia
spring to the water. Early legends said that a A mighty shape-changing warrior and
vodianoi would claim a life in compensation bogatyr' who is the subject of a bylina. Born
every time a new water mill was built, for the to unnamed parents,Vol'ga Buslavlevich was
vodianoi tended to favor the still waters of obviously destined to be a great warrior from
the millpond.To safeguard the mill, the peas- an early age, for when he was just five it is
ants would slaughter a chicken or a horse said that even Mother Earth trembled when
and throw it into the water.They also crossed he walked and animals fled as he ap-
themselves before swimming or stepping proachedthough there is no evidence that
into the water to bathe, just in case the vodi- he was a giant. For the next seven years Vol'ga
anoi was angry and tried to drown them. Buslavlevich traveled throughout the known
However, as the story of Kapsirko demon- world and learned everything there was to
strates, the vodianoi were not omniscient and learn about peopletheir history, their lan-
might easily be tricked. And although the guage, and everything else. Then he traveled
vodianoi were immortal, they aged like to Kiev and gathered a group of twenty-nine
humans and were rejuvenated according to other bogatyri around him, himself acting as
the phases of the moon. their ataman, or chieftain.
See also: Kapsirko; Rus(s)alki (~ulki) Vol'ga Buslavlevichs first command to his
men was to make nets of silk and set them in
VOGULS the forest, and then hunt through the forests
General and catch him martens, sables, foxes, hares,
Ancient indigenous people from western and any other creatures they might come
Siberia closely related to the Ostyaks.As with across, driving the animals into the nets. His
many early peoples of Asiatic Russia, very lit- men obeyed his command; but no matter
tle remains of the customs and beliefs of how hard they hunted, not one animal was
these people, as they have been almost totally driven into the nets.Then Vol'ga Buslavlevich
assimilated by the invading and conquering himself went into the forest, turned himself
Russians. into a lion, and drove just about every animal
See also: Ostyaks; Siberia in the forest into the nets.
Back in Kiev, Vol'ga Buslavlevich com-
VOLGA manded his men to make him more nets, and
Russia this time he told them to place the nets
The longest river in Europe, the Volga flows between the branches of tall trees, hunt for
approximately 2,250 miles, or 3,600 kilome- three days, and drive all the birds of the for-
ters. It rises in the Valdai plateau about 200 est into the nets. His men again followed his
miles (320 kilometers) southeast of St. commands to the letter; but no matter how
Petersburg, drains most of central and eastern hard they hunted, not one bird flew into the
Russia, and flows into the Caspian Sea 55 nets. Then Vol'ga Buslavlevich himself went
miles or 88 kilometers below Astrakhan'. It is into the forest, turned himself into the great
748 feet (228 meters) above sea level at its naui bird, and drove all the flying animals of
source, and 92 feet (28 meters) below sea level the forest into his nets.
where it empties into the Caspian. In Russian Once more assembled in Kiev, Vol'ga
legends the river is affectionately referred to as Buslavlevich told his men to make him yet
matushka, which translates as dear mother. more nets of silk and to build him a great
306 VOL'GA SVIATOSLAVOVICH
boat from which they were to fish for three This story should be compared with the
days on the sea. After three days of intensive story of Volkh Vseslav'evich, which apart
fishing, not one fish had been caught.Vol'ga from the numbers and the country involved,
Buslavlevich therefore turned himself into a is similar.
great pike, and soon he had driven all the fish See also: Bogatyr'; Bylina; Kiev; Mother Earth;
for miles around into the nets. Naui; Pantalovna, Queen;Volkh Vseslav'evich
Knowing by these tests that his men
would do exactly as he commanded, he VOL'GA SVIATOSLAVOVICH
told them that he had learned that the sul- Russia
tan of Turkey was planning to invade Rus- Nephew and godson of Prince Vladimir
sia and that he would travel there to dis- Bright Sun, who had bestowed on him a
cover the intentions of that ruler. Vol'ga domain that included three towns and their
Buslavlevich turned himself into a fast- surrounding lands, and lordship over all the
flying bird, and quickly flew to the palace inhabitants of this domain. He is best known
of the sultan. He landed on the windowsill from a legend, possibly dating from as late as
of the throne room, whence he could hear the fifteenth century, that describes him as
the sultan speaking. The sultan was telling setting out to collect taxes from his subjects,
his prisoner, Queen Pantalovna, of his plans and being warned of robbers in the vicinity
to invade Holy Russia. As Vol'ga by the plowman Mikula Selyaninovich. The
Buslavlevich listened, he heard the sultan latter so impresses the prince with his
say that he intended to take nine cities for strength and prowess that Vol'ga makes him
his nine sons and to bring back the finest lord of his domain, empowering him to col-
sable coat in all Russia. lect taxes in Vol'gas behalf.
Queen Pantalovna replied that she had See also: Mikula Selyaninovich;Vladimir
had a dream. In that dream a tiny white bird Bright Sun, Prince
had met in aerial combat with a mighty
black raven, the white bird triumphing and VOLGA VSESLAV'EVICH
scattering the feathers of the raven to the Russia
four winds. She added that the white bird See Volkh Vseslav'evich.
was none other than Vol'ga Buslavlevich,
while the raven was the sultan of Turkey. VOLGA YAROSLAVICH
The sultan was furious and struck the Russia
queen, whereupon Vol'ga Buslavlevich One of three heroes with whom Il'ya
turned himself into a wolf and quickly ran Muromets was advised never to do battle, the
to the royal stables, where he tore the other two being Sviatogor and Mikula
throats of all the horses there. Then he Selyaninovich. Il'ya was given this advice by
turned himself into a weasel and ran pilgrims who cured him of his disabilities.The
through the palace, breaking bows and pilgrims told him that although he might
arrows, shattering swords and spears, and defeat Volga Yaroslavich in battle, the cunning
smashing steel maces. Then Vol'ga Buslav- of Volga would be sure to defeat him in time.
levich resumed his form as a tiny white bird See also: Il'ya Muromets; Mikula
and flew quickly back to Kiev. Selyaninovich; Sviatogor
There he gathered together his bogatyri,
and the thirty of them marched into the VOLKH VSESLAV'EVICH
lands of the sultan of Turkey, killed the sultan Russia
and all his men, released Queen Pantalovna, Also: Volga Vseslav'evich.
and then divided the rich spoils equally One of the most ancient Russian heroes, a
among them. mighty wizard and hunter, the son of Tsar-
VOLKHV 307
evna Marfa Vseslav'evna and a snake who Marching inexorably into the heart of
impregnated his mother when she stepped India, they finally arrived at the walls of the
on him. His birth was hailed as that of a great capital city. There appeared to be no entry;
man, for the sky was lit up by the brightest but Volkh changed himself and his entire
moon ever seen, and a huge earthquake army into ants, and they crawled through
rocked the land and made all the animals of tiny gaps until they were all inside the city.
both land and sea seek a safe hiding place. After changing his men back into their
At the age of just one and a half hours, he human form, he commanded them to
spoke his first words, telling his mother not slaughter everyone, save for seven thousand
to swaddle him but rather to equip him with beautiful maidensone for each of them.
a suit of shining armor and a helmet of solid He himself went straight to the royal palace.
gold. He also told her to give him a heavy There he forced his way into King Saltyks
lead mace. By the age of ten,Volkh was fully chamber, swung him into the air, and
educated and possessed many special skills, smashed him onto the floor, shattering his
such as the ability to change his shape at will. bones.
At twelve he began to gather an army of Volkh then divided the spoils of battle
youths, a task that took him three years. By among his men, who married the seven
the age of fifteen, he had assembled an army thousand maidens who had been spared; and
some seven thousand strongall the same Volkh and his men settled in that land,Volkh
age as he. ruling wisely over them and taking the cap-
A short time later, a rumor reached Kiev tive queen as his wife.
that the king of India was threatening to Some accounts of the story of Volkh say
invade Russia. Immediately Volkh and his that Volkh first defeated the infidel forces as
army set out for the far-off land. Each night they sought to destroy the churches of Kiev
as his troops slept,Volkh would change him- and then went to India to take control of that
self into a vicious wolf and hunt down the country. His name is post-Christian, though
animals that were needed to feed his army. it could also be pre-Christian, as Volkh means
Some nights, wanting to give his men a both priest and sorcerer.
change from red meat,Volkh would change See also: India; Kiev; Marfa Vseslav'evna;
himself into a falcon and harry swans, geese, Saltyk
and ducks.
As they neared the border of India,Volkh VOLKHV
changed himself into a wild ox and bounded Russia
away from his army to survey the land Best described as seers, the volkhvy (pl.) are
ahead. When they crossed the border,Volkh generally believed to have been female
changed himself into a falcon and flew shamans, or shamankasfemale counterparts
straight to the palace of King Saltyk, whom of the kolduny. The volkhvy would allow
he overheard talking to his wife, who was admittance of the opposite sex only through
warning him of Volkhs approach. Knowing blood lineage, whereas the kolduny were
that his advance on India had been reported, reportedly more open about their practices
Volkh changed himself into a stoat and ran and welcomed all who felt disposed to join
all over the palace, seeking out the kings their number. In later times the volkhvy and
armaments. He gnawed through bow the kolduny were combined in an open soci-
strings, removed the flints from firearms and ety of male and female sorcerers known as
buried them, and ruined as much as he znakhari.
could find. Then he changed himself back See also: Koldun; Shaman; Shamanka;
into a falcon and flew back to where his Znakhar'
men were waiting. References: Tokarev 1957
308 VOLOS
VU-MURT
VYELYES
Votyak
Russia
Man of Waterthe god of water, whether
Also: Veles
it be sea, lake, river, stream, or puddle.
The Russian god of war, known elsewhere as
Volos.
VU-NUNA See also: Volos
Votyak
Water Uncle, a protective water spirit who VYSLAV ANDRONOVICH
ensured that the yanki-murt left the Votyak Russia
people alone. The tsar of an unnamed realm, he had three
See also: Yanki-murt
sonsDmitrii Vyslavovich,Vasilii Vyslavovich,
and Ivan Vyslavovich (the second name,
VU-VOZO Vyslavovich, is a patronymic meaning son of
Votyak Vyslav). The tsar coveted the Firebird and
A malevolent water spirit who lived in the sent his three sons on a quest for it. Ivan
springs and wells from which the Votyaks Vyslavovich succeeded in snaring the creature
drew their drinking water. The Votyaks, tak- and at the same time secured Elena the
ing water from a new source or from a Beautiful and the Horse with the Golden
source that belonged to a neighboring com- Mane. However, Ivans brothers killed him
munity, would protect themselves from the and claimed his trophies as their own. Ivan
vu-vozo by asking him to spare them and Vyslavovich was restored to life by a shape-
take a Cheremiss or Russian woman instead. changing wolf that had helped him by using
The vu-vozo had a counterpart in the yanki- the Water of Life and Death. When Vyslav
murt, from whom the Votyaks were pro- Andronovich learned of the treachery of
tected by vu-nuna. Dmitrii Vyslavovich and Vasilii Vyslavovich, he
See also: Vu-nuna;Yanki-murt had them thrown into his deepest dungeon.
See also: Dmitrii (Vyslavovich); Elena the
VUK Beautiful; Firebird,The; Horse with the
Serbia and Bosnia Golden Mane,The; Ivan Vyslavovich;Vasilii
A historical fifteenth-century ruler who was Vyslavovich;Water of Life and Death,The
known as Despot Vuk and who came to be
equated with Zmag Ognjeni Vuk, a leg- VYSLAVOVICH, IVAN
endary werewolf. Russia
See also: Werewolf; Zmag Ognjeni Vuk See Ivan Vyslavovich.
WATER OF LIFE AND DEATH, THE
Russia
A magical water that was owned by the
dragon that abducted Vasilissa
W
of the Golden Braid. It was
used by Ivan the Pea to restore
his two brothers to life after he
rescued his sister Vasilissa from the
dragon. Ivan the Pea, keeping a
promise, also gave some of the life-
restoring water to an old crone who
WAIZGANTHOS lived in a small wooden house on
Prussia chickens legs in a forest, for she had given
Fertility deity and patron of crops who was him directions to the land of the dragon.
propitiated in a ceremony where the tallest The Water of Life and Death also makes
girl in a community would stand on one leg an appearance in the story of Ivan
and toast the god with brandy, beseeching Vyslavovich. Here it was used by a shape-
him to make the crops grow at least as tall as changing wolf to restore Ivan to life after he
she was. She would drink the first cup of had been ambushed and killed by his broth-
brandy and then pour a second on the ers, Dmitrii and Vasilii Vyslavovich, who were
ground for the god. If the girl remained jealous because Ivan had not only obtained
steady throughout the ceremony, good crops the Firebird but also had managed to secure
would follow; but if she faltered and her the Horse with the Golden Mane and the
raised foot touched the ground, even for the maiden Elena the Beautiful.
briefest moment, it was feared that the har- See also: Dmitrii (Vyslavovich); Dragon;
vest would be doomed. Elena the Beautiful; Firebird,The; Horse
with the Golden Mane,The; Ivan the Pea;
Ivan Vyslavovich;Vasilii Vyslavovich;Vasilis(s)a
WALACHIA of the Golden Braid
Romania
An ancient region of southern Romania WEAVER OF THE STARS
that stretches from the southernmost Latvia
mountains to the Danube. The original The wife of Meness the moon god.
inhabitants of Walachia gradually united See also: Meness (~ulis); Moon
and formed an independent state under a
single ruler before the region was con-
quered by Ottoman Turks in 1476.Walachia WENCESLAS, SAINT
was united with Moldavia in 1861 to form Czech
the modern country of Romania. The patron saint of the Czech Republic,
Bucharest, the capital of Romania, is situ- whose feast day is 28 September. He is best
ated in Walachia. known from the famous Christmas carol by
See also: Danube; Moldavia; Romania J. M. Neale, a reworking of the medieval
carol Tempus adest floridum. Wenceslas was
the son of Duke Wratislaw of Bohemia, but
WALG(A)INO his upbringing was handled in the main by
Poland his grandmother Ludmilla. In c. 920 Wra-
The patron god of cattle. tislaw died during a battle against the
311
312 WENDS
Heinrich Parler, Scenes from the Life of St.Wenceslas, 1353, Cathedral of Saint Vitus, Prague, Czech
Republic (Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY)
the region of Lusatia in southwestern Poland suckled. Often as not, they were twins.
and eastern Germany (which includes the Although some werewolves were thought to
cities of Cottbus and Bautzen), and still speak have the ability to change their form at will,
a West Slavic language similar to Polish and others changed involuntarily under the influ-
Czech. ence of the full moon. This latter form of
metamorphosis has become the most popular
WEREWOLF in modern tales of werewolves. Some were-
General wolves were thought to be invulnerable to
Also: Vlkodlak;Vookodlak mortal weapons, though most could be
The legends that surround a person who wounded with silver weaponsoriginally
metamorphoses into a wolf at night but arrows, but later bulletsand others could be
reverts to human form by day may have come hurt as could any mortal human being.
from the Berserkirs, the warriors dedicated to Wounded werewolves resumed their human
Odnn, who wore bear- or wolf-skin shirts form before they died. Common superstition
into battle and who drove themselves into a still holds that when a werewolf dies it
martial frenzy. The English name, however, becomes a vampire, although the soul of the
comes from the Saxon wer (man) and wulf werewolf would be reborn to another human
(wolf). Werewolves were born to human mother and thereby perpetuate the survival
mothers, were particularly hairy at birth, and of this supernatural race.
might have extra folds of skin on their heads The belief in werewolves dates back at least
or even a wolf s claws and fangs, with which three millennia but had its heyday in late
they bit and scratched their mothers as they medieval and renaissance Europe. During
these times, werewolves received as much
attention as did the other emissaries of the
Devildemons and witches. Any signs of
lycanthropy, with a recognized series of symp-
toms, were met with the severest punishment.
No woman could ever be persecuted for
being a werewolf, as all werewolves were
male; but women had to contend with witch-
hunts, which were common at that time.
Characteristics of the werewolf included an
excessive hairiness; a port winecolored birth-
mark known as the mark of Cain; short,
stubby fingers with sharp nails; excessive and
often threatening sexuality; and in the most
extreme cases, cannibalism. No factually sub-
stantiated record of a werewolf exists; but from
the first quarter of the sixteenth century to
the first quarter of the seventeenth century,
more than 30,000 suspected werewolves were
put to death in France.
See also: Devil,The;Vampire
WHIRLWIND
Russia
Scene from The Wolfman (The Museum of Modern The personification of a whirlwind, sometimes
Art Film Stills Archive) referred to as Vikhor'. In one story he abducts
314 WHITE GOD
Nastas'ya of the Golden Braid, the wife of Bel the cause of all misfortune.White God is the
Belyanin and mother of Peter Belyaninovich, literal translation of the root words of the
Vasilii Belyaninovich, and Ivan Belyaninovich, name Belobog, belyi (white) and bog (god).
and keeps her in a wondrous palace encrusted See also: Belobog; Belun; Black God;
with diamonds and other precious stones on a Chernobog
plateau atop a high mountain range.There he
also holds three maidens captive as the tsaritsas WHITE RUSSIA
of his three kingdomsthe Copper Kingdom, General
the Silver Kingdom, and the Golden Literal English translation of Belorussia
Kingdom, the tsaritsa of the latter being Elena (Belarus', in the indigenous language), for-
the Fair. Each of the four palaces in merly a constituent republic of the Soviet
Whirlwinds realm was guarded by a multi- Union and today an independent state.
headed dragon that could only be placated See also: Belorussia
with water drawn from a well nearby.
Whirlwind renewed his strength periodi- WHITE SEA
cally from a barrel that contained a magical General
water that bestowed great strength on any- (Russ. Beloe More) An arm of the Arctic
one who drank it. He also kept a second bar- Ocean that reaches into northwestern
rel, which contained a water that sapped the Russia, the White Sea is icebound from
drinkers strength. These two barrels ulti- September until June. The port city of
mately were his downfall. Arkhangel'sk is located on its shore.
Ivan and his two brothers set off to search See also: Arkhangel'sk
for their lost mother. Ivan finally found her,
after climbing the tall mountains and passing WHITE YOUTH
through the three kingdoms. Nastas'ya of the Finno-UgricYakut
Golden Braid told Ivan of Whirlwinds The father of mankind, known as the White
secret, and by drinking of the strength- Youth, who was nourished by the spirit of
increasing water and then swapping that with the World Tree. Possible parallels to White
the strength-sapping one, Ivan was able to Youth are the Russian Belobog and the
defeat Whirlwind, cutting off his head with a Norse Heimdallr.
single blow, burning his body, and scattering See also: Belobog;World Tree
the ashes in the wind.
Whirlwind had two servants, Lame and WIND
One-Eye, who could work wondrous magic. General
After Whirlwinds death, these two served Ivan. In many Russian folktales the wind is
See also: Bel Belyanin; Copper Kingdom, referred to simply as that, and has no name.
The; Dragon; Elena the Fair; Golden Earlier stories named the god of the wind
Kingdom,The; Ivan Belyaninovich; Lame; Stribog. In one such story (see Morozko), the
Nastas'ya of the Golden Braid; One-Eye; wind appears as a nameless man with tousled
Peter (Belyaninovich); Silver Kingdom,The; hair, a swollen face and lips, and wearing
Vasilii Belyaninovich;Vikhor' disheveled clothing. He can be either benev-
olent or malevolent and is said to give rise to
WHITE GOD demons whenever he blows hard. The fol-
Slav lowing Russian legend, In Favor of the
Known as Belobog or Belun in Russia, the Wind, aptly demonstrates the benevolent
White God is the personification of goodness, aspect of the Wind:
light, and life. He is opposed by Chernobog, A peasant was walking along a country
the Black God, the personification of evil and lane one day when he was met by Sun, Frost,
WORLD TREE 315
and Wind.The peasant said good morning long after the disappearance of paganism.This
and continued on his way, though that story tells of a peasant couple who were so
innocuous remark almost caused the three poor that they were reduced to living off
elements to come to blows, as they could not acorns from the forest. One of the acorns they
decide which of them the peasant had been had gathered rolled out into their cellar, where
addressing. Before resorting to physical force, it began to grow. When the sapling reached
the three decided to ask the peasant, and they the floor of their home, they simply cut a hole
hurried to catch up to him. for it to grow through. They did the same
When the peasant replied that he had when it reached the roof. Now they had a tree
been greeting Wind, Sun became furious and growing straight through their home.
threatened to burn up the peasant, but Wind Finally the time came when they could
said that his breezes would keep the peasant find no more acorns in the forest, so the man
cool. climbed the tree to gather acorns from it
Then Frost vented his anger and threat- instead. Among its uppermost branches he
ened to freeze the peasant; but Wind told found a magnificent cockerel and a handmill.
him that he could do no harm if there was Quickly he seized both and climbed back
no breeze, thus proving that the peasant had down to his wife. Wondering what they
been right in giving Wind precedence over would have to eat that day, the old woman
Sun and Frost. turned the handle on the mill. To the cou-
Later legends name not merely one god of ples delight, pies and pancakes began to
the wind but three: the gods of the North, tumble from the mill. From that day forth
East, and West winds. Of these winds, which they no longer felt the pangs of hunger.
lived on the oceanic island of Buyan, only Some time later a wealthy merchant was
the West wind is given a nameDogoda. passing through the forest and stopped at their
The Czechs also had more than one god house, where he was hospitably welcomed
of the wind, but their god of the storm wind and fed from the mill. Seeing the mill, the
was potentially the most dangerous. An merchant offered a high price for it, but the
attendant on the thunder god Perun, he was couple would not sell it. The merchant stole
named Varpulis. the mill and quickly made his way home.
See also: Buyan; Czechs; Dogoda; Frost; Knowing that they could not go after the
Morozko; Perun; Stribog; Sun;Varpulis merchant, for no one would believe their
word against his, the couple sent the cockerel
WORLD TREE out after the mill. The bird flew off to the
Slav home of the merchant, perched on his gate,
Also known as the Tree of Life. Common to and began to crow, saying that the merchant
many mythologies and religions is the con- should return the mill. Hearing this, the man
cept of a World Tree whose roots reach down ordered his servants to throw the cockerel into
to the underworld and whose branches reach the well. There the cockerel simply drained
up to heaven. It was generally believed that the water and flew onto the mans balcony,
this tree grew in the exact center of the where it repeated its demands. This time the
world. Later traditions tended to treat the man had his cook throw the cockerel into the
World Tree with contempt. In Siberia, how- stove. In the midst of the flames, the cockerel
ever, the legends of the tree retained their spat out all the water from the well and flew
importance for a much longer time, for it right into the heart of the mans house.As the
was this tree that aspiring shamans climbed man ran away, the cockerel seized the mill and
in order to gain their magical powers. flew back to the old couple in the woods.
One post-Christian story illustrates the See also: Shaman; Siberia;Tree of Life,The;
manner in which the World Tree was treated Underworld,The
316
Pacino da Bonaguida, Tree of the Cross, fourteenth century,Accademia, Florence, Italy (Alinari/Art Resource, NY)
world of mortal men. Its entrances were
located where rivers flowed into the frozen
wastes of the Arctic Ocean. Some stories
describe Yambe-akka as support-
Y
ing the world on her upturned
hands, explaining that earthquakes
are tremors in her hands, caused by
the continual strain.
See also: Underworld,The
YAKUTS YANKI-MURT
General Votyak
Ancient Siberian people who speak a The counterpart of the vu-vozo, and from
Turkic language (in the Uralic-Altaic lin- whom the Votyaks were protected by vu-
guistic family) and who live near the Lena nuna.
See also: Votyaks;Vu-nuna;Vu-vozo
River in northeastern Siberiaone of the
coldest regions on earthwhere they con-
stitute the majority of the population of YARILO
the Yakut autonomous region. Although Slav
many were converted to Christianity after Also: Erilo
their subjection by the Russians in the A goddess of peace who later became the
beginning of the eighteenth century, god of spring, fertility, and erotic or sexual
shamanist traditions still color their reli- love. The name is derived from yary (pas-
gious life, particularly in the north. The sionate). Depicted as a handsome, barefoot
Yakuts have not decreased in number as youth dressed in a white cloak and adorned
have other Siberian peoples; on the con- with a crown of wildflowers,Yarilo rode on
trary, they have increased considerably. a white horse, his left hand holding a buck-
Their economy is a mixture of the tradi- et of wheat seed, the duality of his role as
tional and the modern. Some still pursue a god of sex and spring being visible in the
nomadic life of hunting, trapping, and fish- eagerness of the earth to receive his seed in
ing. Others, under Russian influence, have springtime. Ceremonies honoring Yarilo
adopted modern methods of agriculture were commonplace as recently as the eigh-
and have collectivized activities such as cat- teenth century. These included a spring-
tle raising. Fishing also has been commer- time planting rite, during which a beauti-
cialized to some extent. Today there is an ful young girl was crowned with flowers as
institute in Yakutsk, the coldest point of the Yarilos queen, and an autumn ritual burn-
Arctic, for studying the permafrost. ing of his effigy after the harvestaccom-
See also: Finno-Ugric; Lena, River; Shaman; panied by an orgy of eating, drinking, and
Siberia
lovemakingafter which the ashes of the
effigy were scattered on the fields to ensure
a good crop the following year.
YAMBE-AKKA
Lapp
Old woman of the dead, goddess of the YAROSLAVICH,VOLGA
underworld, whose realm was described as Russia
a vast ice kingdom situated beneath the See Volga Yaroslavich.
317
318 YAROVIT
YAROVIT YRYN-AL-TOJON
Baltic Coast SiberiaYakut
A deity with attributes similar to those of The white creator Lord, the supreme being
Svantovit; possibly, simply an aspect of that of the Yakut people. He lives in, or above, the
deity. His legendary existence is known only Tree of Life, the cosmic pillar in whose roots
through the writings of the Danish chroni- the mother goddess Ajysyt lives and whence
cler Saxo Grammaticus. she rises to suckle those in need of nourish-
See also: Saxo Grammaticus; Svantovit ment and sustenance.
(~dovit) See also: Ajysyt;Tree of Life,The
miraculously born from eggs. Under the
parentage of the old couple, they grew up
to be strong young men who labored
effortlessly in the fields. For sev-
Z
eral weeks the forty brothers
noticed that some of the hay they
had baled was being stolen. For
thirty-nine days the brothers sat and
watched the hay; but each time,
the guard fell asleep and the hay
was stolen. However, when
ZABAVA (PUTYATICHNA), Zamoryshcheks turn came, he
PRINCESS stayed awake and caught the mare who
Russia was stealing the hay.
The favorite niece of Prince Vladimir Bright As soon as the mare was caught and the
Sun. Princess Zabava was abducted from the thirty-nine other brothers came back to
gardens of the royal court at Kiev by a the field, the mare changed into Baba-
twelve-headed she-dragon and carried away Yaga. The witch gave each of the thirty-
in the dragons jaws to a lair in the nine brothers a mare to ride and then
Sorochinsk Mountains. She was later rescued returned to her equine form so that
by Dobrynya Nikitich, who killed the Zamoryshchek could ride her. The forty
dragon after an epic, three-day battle. brothers rode out to search for suitable
See also: Dobrynya Nikitich; Dragon; Kiev; wives. Before long, they were offered the
Sorochinsk Mountains;Vladimir Bright Sun, forty daughters of a witch. The mare re-
Prince sumed her guise as Baba-Yaga and warned
the brothers that the forty daughters of the
ZALTYS
witch intended to kill them; so the broth-
Lithuania
ers killed their new wives on their wedding
The grass snake, believed to be lucky.
night and then set out to find true wives,
Aitvaras was sometimes depicted as having
finally marrying the forty daughters of a
the head of a grass snake.
tsar.
See also: Aitvaras
Though two witches appear in this leg-
ZALYOSHEN end, it is generally agreed that both witches
Russia are Baba-Yaga, the mare being her benevo-
A family whose men took and passed the lent aspect as the horse goddess, and the
tests set by Vasilii Buslayevich when he was witch with forty daughters being her malev-
seeking twenty-nine members for his new olent aspect as the goddess of death.
druzhina. Others who passed the tests See also: Baba-Yaga (-Jaga, -Iaga)
References: Afanas'ev 1957
included Kostia Novotorzheni, Luka, Moi-
sei, and the seven Sbrodovich brothers.
See also: Kostia Novotorzheni; Luka; Moisei; ZANGI
Sbrodovich;Vasilii Buslayevich Armenia
Blackie, one of two lions given to Suren as
ZAMORYSHCHEK cubs that grew to full maturity within fifteen
Russia days.The other was Zarangi. For the story of
The youngest of the forty sons of an aged Zangi and Zarangi see the entry for Suren.
peasant couple. He and his brothers were See also: Suren; Zarangi
319
320 ZARANGI
ZARANGI ZEMININKAS
Armenia Lithuania
Goldie, one of the two lions given to Alternative name for Zemepatis.
Suren, the other being Zangi.
See also: Suren; Zangi ZEMYNA
Lithuania
ZARZAND The Lithuanian name for Mother Earth.
Armenia Sometimes referred to as the sister of
Terror, a king whose daughter Simizar Zemepatis, god of the home, Zemyna is also
was abducted by a Tapagz who locked her known as Mother of the Fields,Mother of
away in his lair, the Devils Castle. She had Springs, Mother of Forests, Blossomer,
been placed under a spell by the giants and Bud Raiser.
mother, who kept her imprisoned in a cave See also: Mother Earth; Zemepatis
except for a short period every midnight,
when she could wander outside. It was on ZHIROVITSKOI
one such occasion that she encountered Russia
Zurab, who eventually set her free and An icon of the Virgin Mary that was discov-
restored her to her father, and having mar- ered in a pagan sacred tree by a shepherd in
ried Simizar, became the heir to the king- 1191. It was one of many religious icons that
dom of Zarzand. For the full story see the were miraculously discovered in natural set-
entry for Zurab. tings. Modern thinking attributes the appear-
See also: Devils Castle; Simizar;Tapagz; ance of these holy relics to the early clergy
Zurab who recognized the importance of associating
the Virgin Mary with the nature goddesses
ZELENIE SVIATKI that pervaded pagan religious belief. They
Russia would have reasoned that icons found near
Trinity Week, the Christianized festival that pagan holy trees and water would be more
displacedalbeit gradually and incom- readily accepted and revered by those least
pletelythe pagan Rusaliia. likely to convert to Christianity. All available
See also: Rusaliia evidence suggests that the ruse was successful.
References: Matorin 1931
ZEMEPATIS
Lithuania ZHIVA
Also: Zemininkas Russia
The brother of Zemyna, Zemepatis is the Goddess of fertility and of the dead whose
god of the homestead, sometimes being name comes from zhit' (to live), she was wor-
called Dimstipatis, this latter name being shiped principally in the region surrounding
derived from dimstis (home) and patis the Elbe. Mentioned in the twelfth century
(father). His Latvian equivalent is Majas by the Saxon priest Helmhold, worship of
Kungs. Zhiva appears to have involved an entire
See also: Dimstipatis; Majas Kungs; Zemyna community and to have taken place deep in
a forest, near a sacred spring, river, or lake.
ZEMES MTE Friday was sacred to the goddess, although
LatviaLett this day later became dedicated to the wor-
The name given to Mother Earth by the Lett ship of Paraskeva.
people of Latvia. The Lithuanian equivalent See also: Paraskeva, Saint
to Zemes Mte is Zemyna. References: Afanas'ev 186569; Ivanov and
See also: Letts; Mother Earth; Zemyna Toporov 1965
ZORYA VECHERNYAYA 321
bread) and eggs, hanging above his head. On her found the swallows that knew how she
more than one occasion he noticed that might be freed.
some of his rations were missing, and so one There and then Aslan promised Simizar
night he kept watch instead of sleeping, his that he would seek out the swallows and
kulab (shepherds cloak) pulled over his head return for her. The next morning, he drove
to shield his open eyes. In the middle of the the sheep back down to the village, asked for
night, as Aslan was fighting to stay awake, a the money due him, and set out. Before long
radiant maiden approached the cave, took he came to the intersection of three roads.
down Aslans satchel, ate half his rations, and Unsure which road to take, he prayed to God
drank half his water. and then threw his staff in the air.When the
As she turned to leave, Aslan caught hold staff landed, Aslan picked it up and followed
of her and demanded to know who she was. the road it had lain across.All day he walked,
She pleaded to be released, but Aslan was until just as the sun was about to dip beyond
smitten; and rather than let her go, he the horizon, he came to a village, and there
pleaded with her to remain with him and he saw some swallows nesting above the
become his wife. The maiden told him that door of a cottage.
she would bring Aslan nothing but bad luck; The cottage belonged to an old woman
but Aslan was resolute. Seeing that his mind who was only too glad to receive Aslan as her
was made up, the maiden told him that she guest. She fed him bread and whatever else
was the daughter of King Zarzand, who for came to hand; and after he had eaten, she
the past four or five years had been prepared him a bed.All night Aslan lay awake
embroiled in a bitter war with seven kings thinking about Simizar and wondering
who had formed an alliance against him. Her whether the swallows he had seen would
father had ridden off to war, leaving the indeed provide him the information he
maiden and her two brothers behind. required. As day broke, Aslan climbed a lad-
All would have been well had not the ter- der to where the swallows had their nest,
rible giant, the three-headed demon praying to God for the ability to understand
Tapagz, arrived with his six brothers, their language. God answered his prayer in an
attacked the palace, and carried her off. Her instant, and soon Aslan understood exactly
two brothers had raised an army and hurried what he had to do.
in pursuit. For ten days the two sides fought, Following the guidance of the swallows,
and by the eleventh day four of the demons Aslan descended the ladder and went to the
and the maidens eldest brother had been old woman who had provided him with
killed. On the thirteenth day another demon food and lodging. Aslan kissed the womans
and the maidens younger brother had been hand three times and thanked her three
killed. Now leaderless, the army had scat- times, just as the swallows had said, and the
tered and returned to their homes. old woman embraced him. She gave Aslan
Tapagz, who was the oldest of the fourteen hazelnuts, two walnuts, a small bot-
demons, carried the maiden to his lair, the tle of water, a small quantity of flour in a
Devils Castle, and there, for forty days and cloth, and explicit instructions on how it
forty nights, besought her to become his should all be used.
wife. She refused, whereupon Tapagz went Aslan profusely thanked the old woman
mad for three days, calling her name, Simizar, and departed. A short distance from the vil-
endlessly, and then had the maiden handed lage, he sat down and ate one of the hazel-
over to his mother, a witch, who had impris- nuts. Instantly all thoughts and pangs of
oned her in the cave, allowing her to wander hunger left him. Aslan cracked open one of
forth only at midnight.Thus the maiden was the two walnuts, and before him stood a
condemned to live until one who truly loved magnificent horse of fire and air, with wings
324 ZURAB
that were invisible to mere mortal eyes. mark, giving Aslan the chance to almost
Aslan then cracked open the second walnut, completely sever a second head, which then
and from it came a steel-tipped spear, lay useless against the ogres chest. Tapagz
a sword sharp enough to cut through realized he was losing the battle, so he raised
wrought iron, a shield under which a man himself to his full height, and heaving a huge
could shelter in safety, and the finest clothes boulder over his head, he launched it at
in all the world. Aslan, who simply parried it with his shield
Aslan dressed himself in the clothes, and then lunged at the giant with his spear.
picked up the weapons, and mounted the The steel point found its mark, penetrating
horse, and for seven days he rode like the Tapagzs head through its single eye and
wind until he came to the Devils Castle. appearing again on the opposite side of his
There, following the instructions he had skull.
been given, Aslan sprinkled water from the With Tapagz dead, Aslan turned to face
bottle over the sleeping form of the ogres his mother, but she was nowhere to be seen.
mother, climbed down the well in which Instead there was a huge lake where none
Tapagz slept, took a green wand from the had been before. Tipi told Aslan that the
water, climbed back up the well, and leaped lake had been formed from the ogresss spit-
onto the back of Tipi, the name he had given tle and that she herself was now a duck
his horse. Aslan spurred his horse on and swimming on its surface. Tipi then told
rode toward the cave and his beloved Aslan to pluck three hairs from his mane
Simizar. and throw them on the lake. Aslan did so,
For three days he rode, as fast as the wind, and instantly a bridge appeared, over which
and on the fourth he looked back and saw a Aslan safely rode.
huge dust cloud following him, being Two days later Aslan reached the cave in
thrown up by Tapagz and his mother in hot which Simizar was imprisoned, and tapping
pursuit. As Aslan spurred on his horse, Tipi the wand three times on the rock, he released
spoke to him for the first time and told him his beloved.Together they rode to the village
to throw the flour he had been given into of the old woman who had given Aslan the
the air. Aslan did as he was told, and as the help he needed to accomplish his mission,
flour settled on the ground, a great forest and they invited her to accompany them as
sprang upa forest so thick that Tapagz and their mother. She was delighted, and after she
his mother quickly became entangled in its gathered together her meager possessions,
undergrowth. she took a small carriage from beneath her
For two more days Aslan and Tipi rode dress and blew it up. Aslan and Simizar rode
on. On the third day Aslan turned around in Tipi toward the kingdom of King Zarzand,
alarm as he heard the approach of Tapagz the old woman following in her carriage a
and his mother. Tipi told them that they short distance behind, some invisible force
must stand their ground and fight, so Aslan carrying it along.
prepared himself to do battle. After many days travel the three came to
Tapagz was the first of the giants to reach the border of Zarzands kingdom, where they
Aslan. His first punch, which would have encountered an army that barred their way.
smashed Aslan to a million pieces, missed Aslan was all for fighting, but neither Simizar
when Aslan neatly stepped to one side, the nor the old woman thought it a good idea,
force of the blow causing Tapagz to stumble Simizar for fear that Aslan would receive a
and fall. Aslan seized this chance to cut off mortal blow, and the old woman, because she
one of the giants three heads.Again the giant knew it was unnecessary. She took her shawl
came at him, and again his blow missed its from around her neck and spread it on the
ZYRIANS 325
ground.Then she and Simizar sat on it and it leshii, though obviously of far less potency
rose into the air, and Tipi unfurled his wings, and lesser importance.
and he too rose into the sky with Aslan on See also: Leshii (~y)
his back.
As the travelers reached the edges of ZVEZDA DENNITSA
Zarzands capital city, they landed, and on the Slav
advice of the old woman, they waited out- The Morning Star, sister to Zvezda
side the city walls while she went to gain Vechernyaya and the two, or three, Zoryi
approval for the marriage of Simizar and all four, or five, being the daughters of
Aslan. At first neither the king nor queen Dazhbog. She and her sister Zvezda
would believe that their daughter was still Vechernyaya (the Evening Star) are both
alive; but at length, having been shown a tal- described as having married Mesyats (the
isman Simizar had given the old woman, moon) and having given birth to the stars
Zarzand and his wife came to the city gates by him. The specific task of Zvezda
and greeted their daughter and her Dennitsa and her sister was to groom the
betrothed. horses that daily pulled their fathers chariot
Several days later, following the wedding across the sky.
feast, Simizar and Aslan retired to their quar- See also: Dazhbog; Evening Star; Mesyats;
ters while the old woman, aware that they Moon; Morning Star; Zoryi; Zvezda
were in danger, stationed herself outside Vechernyaya
their door with a three-pronged spear in her
hand. Just as she had expected, on the stroke ZVEZDA VECHERNYAYA
of midnight, a huge snake slithered into Slav
view.The old woman sprang to her feet and The Evening Star, daughter of Dazhbog, and
thrust the spear through the snakes head. sister to Zvezda Dennitsa as well as the two,
The beast was killed and instantly trans- sometimes three, Zoryi. She is said to have
formed itself back into the mother of married Mesyats (the moon) and to have
Tapagz, one of each of the three prongs of been the mother of the stars by him, but her
the spear through each eye of the ogresss sister Zvezda Dennitsa is also said to have
three heads. done this. Zvezda Vechernyaya and Zvezda
King Zarzand was so delighted by the Dennitsa had the specific job of grooming
marriage his daughter had made that he their fathers white horses. In some cases
immediately abdicated, and so began the Zvezda Vechernyaya is referred to as
reign of King Orphan Aslan. Vechernyaya Zvezda.
See also: Aslan; Devils Castle; Simizar; See also: Dazhbog; Evening Star; Mesyats;
Tapagz; Zarzand Moon; Zoryi; Zvezda Dennitsa
References: Orbeli and Taronian 195967,
vol. 4 ZYRIANS
General
ZURO Indigenous people from a region to the east
Armenia of the Ural Mountains, related to the
See Zurab. Permyaks and Votyaks, who have been almost
totally assimilated by the Russians. Their
ZUTTIBUR native Finno-Ugric languages are still in use
Slav today in a few isolated locales, but virtually
An obscure deity of the forests who is nothing remains of their ancient traditions
thought to be a spirit of the same type as the and beliefs.
326 ZYTNIAMATKA
See also: Finno-Ugric; Permyaks; Ural harvested fields. A woman in the guise of
Mountains;Votyaks Zytniamatka would lie down in the fields,
and a newborn child that previously had
ZYTNIAMATKA been hidden beneath her skirt would be
Prussia drawn out and held aloft. This ritual, which
The goddess of the grain whose continued symbolized the life brought to the village by
fertility was ritually observed each year by the fields, and thus by Zytniamatka, was
the simulated birth of a child in the recently thought to ensure a good crop each year.
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APPENDIX 1: GLOSSARY OF TERMS
331
APPENDIX 2:TRANSLITERATION
FROM CYRILLIC TO LATIN LETTERS
333
APPENDIX 3:THE RULERS OF RUSSIA
PRE-TSARIST ERA
Ruler Lived Reigned
335
336 THE RULERS OF RUSSIA
337
338 TOPIC FINDER
353
354 INDEX
Biledjan, Mount, 62 Boleslaw I (king of Poland), 1, Byzantium, 49, 50, 53, 118,
Birch trees 225226 185
Bereginy and, 37 Boris, Saint, 4142, 64
kumstvo festival and, 159 as plow maker, 93, 162 Caesarea, 35
in Semik festival, 254 Saint Gleb and, 94[photo] Cain. See Kayen
See also Fool and the Birch Sviatopolk and, 239, 274 Calandae, 154
Tree,The Boris I (tsar of Bulgaria), 47 Canute, 301
Bird goddesses, Baba-Yaga as, Borushka Matushka, 42, 155 Carantania, 261
25 Bosnia, 4243, 109 Carpathian Mountains, 51, 112
Birds Bouyan. See Buyan Casimir IV (king of Poland),
Div, 6869 Boyars, 43 169
Kush-Pari, 160161 Ivan Groznyi and, 124 Caspian Sea, 51, 293
Naui, 203 of Murom, 83, 84 Castor, 163, 166, 226
Ptitsy-Siriny and, 228 Peter of Murom and, Catherine I (empress of
Birds Way, 38, 61, 191, 196 219220 Russia), 241
Bird-woman, 231 Bozhena, 43 Catherine II. See Catherine
Birth. See Childbirth Bran Castle, 303[photo] the Great
Black God, 37, 38, 52. See also Brevnov, 1 Catherine the Great, 37,
Chernobog Briansk Woods, 44, 64, 116, 241242
Black Mire, 38, 116 134 Cats
Black Sea, 38, 161 Bright Sun, 44. See also Kot Bayun, 156157, 222,
Black Stream, 3839, 115 Vladimir Bright Sun, 279
Blacksmiths Prince Mr. Kotsky, 157
Christian saints as, 41, Broom, of Baba-Yaga, 26 Cattle, patron god, 311
6465, 93, 162 Bucharest, 311 Caucasus, 51
Kalvaitis, 143 Bud Raiser, 320 Cautious Mother Crow (Vardan),
Krukis, 158 Buda, 44 51
Blaise, Saint, 39, 308. See also Budapest, 44 Caxton,William, 90
Vlasii, Saint Buddhism, Kalmucks and, 143 Cemeteries, Muslim, 21[photo]
Blasuius, Saint. See Blaise, Saint Bulat, 3, 4445 Cerberus, 286
Bloody Sunday, 243 Bulat the Brave, 4546, Cetinje, 196
Blossomer, 320 120121, 152, 155, 295 Champions. See Bogatyri
Bludovich, Godenko. See Bulgaria, 35, 4648, 175, 176 Charity, 51, 83, 219. See also
Godenko Bludovich Bulgaroctonus, 3435. See also Fevroniia
Boba, 23, 39. See also Baba Basil II Charlemagne, 20
Bogatyri, 39, 40[photo] Bulgars, 31, 35, 46, 239 Charles IV (Holy Roman
kams and, 143 Busi-urt, 48, 76 emperor), 41
polianitsy and, 226227 Buslaev,Vasilii. See Vasilii Charlies Wain. See Ursa Major
Tatars and, 294295 Buslayevich Chelovek, 73
See also Alyosha Popovich; Buslai, 11, 48, 205, 291 Cheremiss-Mordvin people,
Vasilii Buslayevich;Vasilii Buslavlevich,Vol'ga. See Vol'ga 52, 86
Kazimirovich; Ivan Buslavlevich Cherkess, 52, 53. See also
Gostinyi Syn; Godenko Buslayevich,Vasilii. See Vasilii Circassians
Bludovich; Dobrynya Buslayevich Chernava, 52, 247, 253
Nikitich; Il'ya Muromets Buyan (island), 3, 37, 48, 73 Chernigov, 44, 52, 80, 116,
Boghu, Khan, 29, 30, 4041, Bylichki, 39, 48, 308 205, 290
152 Byliny, 39, 49, 259, 264 Chernobog, 37, 38, 52, 314.
Bogoroditsa, 41 Byzantine Empire See also Black God
Bohemia, 41, 197, 312 Bulgaria in, 35, 4647 Chernoe More. See Black Sea
Boii, 41 history of, 4950 Childbirth
Boleslaus. See Boleslaw I Macedonia and, 175 Paraskeva-Piatnitsa and, 215
Boleslav, 312 Russia and, 238, 239 rozhanitsy and, 234
356 INDEX
See also Divine Twins servants of Whirlwind and, Christian saints and, 203,
Duani Ivanovich, 201202 164 214
Dugnai, 76 Whirlwind and, 314 Dekla, 64
Dunai, River, 76, 202 Eletskoi icon, 80 Karta, 146
Dunai Ivanovich, 52, 60, 69, Elias, 80 Laima, 163164
7677, 81 Elijah, 115, 218 Miloserdnia, 6, 191
Dunay, 77. See also Dunai Elisabeth Church (Marburg), Miloslaviia, 6, 191
Ivanovich 279[photo] See also Golden Book of
Dunayushka, 77. See also Dunai Elizabeth Petrovna, 241 Fate
Ivanovich Elysian Fields, 231 Fates (Greek), 6, 26
Dundra, 3, 7778 Emeric, 267 Father Christmas, 64
Dusk, 78. See also Zorya Envy (Vardan), 80 Feast of the Intercession, 28
Vechernyaya Erisvorsh, 80 Feasts
D'u-urt, 48, 76 Erlik, 8081, 286 Babii Prazdnik, 26
Dvina, 78 Ermolai-Erazm, 81, 84, 220 of the Intercession, 28
Dvoeverie, 78 Erzya, 81, 194, 197 Ivan Kupalo, 124125
Dvorovoi, 78, 148, 266 Eskeri, 81 Kupalo, 84, 220
Dyaus, 68 Estonia, 32, 81, 169, 170 Radunitsa, 28, 231, 236
Dziewana. See Dilwica Estonians, 86 See also Festivals
Dziewona, 78. See also Devana; Eusebius, 35 Ferdinand, Archduke. See
Dilwica Evening Star, 19, 81. See also Francis Ferdinand
Dzuli, 78 Venus; Zvezda (archduke of Austria)
Vechernyaya Fertility deities
Earth Goddess. See Mother Evil, 81 Didilia, 67
Earth Black God and, 38 Iarila, 113, 125, 156, 163
Earth Mother. See Mother Chernobog and, 52 Iarilo, 113, 125, 156, 159,
Earth One-Eyed Likho, 167168 163
Easter, Babii Prazdnik and, 28 Evpraksiya, Princess, 81 Kirnis, 153
Eastern Orthodox Dobrynya Nikitich and, 69, Kostroma, 156, 163
Christianity 71 Kostromo, 125, 156
in Azerbaijan, 21 Dunai Ivanovich and, Kostromo-Kostrobunko,
Byzantine empire and, 7677 113, 159, 163
4950 Katrina Ivanovna and, 147 Kricco, 158
Slavs and, 260 Marinka and, 181 Kupala, 159, 163
Eclipses, 252 Nastas'ya Nikulichna and, Kupalo, 113, 125, 156, 159,
Eggs 202 163, 178
iconography of, 154155 Prince Vladimir Bright Sun Lado, 113, 125, 156, 159,
Koshchei the Deathless and, and, 210 163
154155 Princess Nastas'ya and, 201 Liuli, 169170
Mother Earth and, 198 Stvar Godinovich and, 265, Maan-Eno, 175
rebirth and, 231 266 Mati-Syra-Zemlya, 187
Ekim, 5, 79, 283 Excalibur, 35 Mokosh, 194
Elbruz, 51 Ezerinis, 81 Perkunas, 217
Elena the Beautiful, 79 Perun, 217
Afron and, 12 Fables. See Mekhithar Gosh; Rod, 233
Ivan Vyslavovich and, 109, Vardan of Aygek Saint George, 90
138, 295, 309 Fairies, 83, 84[photo] Waizganthos, 311
Vasilii Vyslavovich and, 69 False Dmitrii. See Dmitrii I Yarilo, 317
Elena the Fair, 7980 Faraony, 83, 203 Zhiva, 320
Golden Kingdom and, 96 Fate, deities of Zizilia, 321
Ivan Belyaninovich and, 53, Alleluiah, 6, 191 Festivals
122123, 219, 257, 291 Baba-Yaga, 26 Funeral of Kostroma, 156
INDEX 359
I-Know-Not-Where, 28, 29, Istanbul, 50, 53, 118. See also Ivan Kupalo, 124125. See also
100, 113, 207, 222224, Byzantium; Kupalo feast
233 Constantinople Ivan Savel'evich, 17, 125, 237
Illyria, 42, 213 Istria, 55, 199 Ivan the Dragon Killer, 9293,
Illyricum, 42 Istvan, 118120, 141 125126
Ilmater Luonnotar, 198 Itugen, 120, 277, 286 Ivan the Fool, 257258
Il'men', Lake, 115 Ivan (companion of Bulat the Ivan the Great (grand prince
Black Stream and, 3839 Brave), 4546, 152, of Moscow)
Sadko and, 245246, 295296 Golden Horde and, 95, 240
247248 Ivan (father of Il'ya Novgorod and, 43, 208, 240
Sea Tsar and, 253 Muromets), 120 rule of, 126, 240
Vasilii Buslayevich and, 155, Ivan (merchants son), 121, as Ruler of All Russia,
292293 206207 240, 263
Il'ya, 115. See also Elijah Ivan (tsarevich), 45, 120121 Saint George and, 90
Il'ya Ivanovich, 115. See also Ivan Asen, 47 Ivan the Guard, 126128, 204,
Il'ya Muromets Ivan Asen II, 47 248249
Il'ya Muromets, 11, 115118 Ivan Belyaninovich, 121123 Ivan the Mares Son, 128130,
birthplace, 146 Bel Belyanin and, 35, 37 135, 178, 283, 286
Black Mire and, 38 Elena the Fair and, 79, 96, Ivan the Moons Son,
Chernigov and, 52 257, 291 128129, 130, 135, 178
Dobrynya Nikitich and, 23, Nastas'ya of the Golden Ivan the Mute, 130131, 212,
72, 202203 Braid and, 203 268, 287
father of, 120 One-Eye and, 211 Ivan the Pea, 131132
horse of, 42, 155 Peter Belyaninovich and, Baba-Yaga and, 25
Murom and, 199 218219 Bald mountains and, 31
Nightingale and, 205, 261 servants of Whirlwind and, Svetozar and, 272
Oka river and, 210 164 Vasilissa of the Golden
Perun and, 218 Whirlwind and, 53, 257, Braid and, 296297
Sivushko and, 115, 116, 314 Water of Life and Death
117, 118, 259 Ivan Crnojevic, 123 and, 311
Sviatogor and, 272273, Ivan Gostinyi Syn, 11, 123, Ivan the Soldier, 44, 64,
274 294 132135
Tatars and, 295 Ivan Groznyi (tsar of Russia), Ivan the Suns Son, 128129,
Vasilii Buslayevich and, 294 135[photo] 130, 135, 178
Volga Yaroslavich and, 306 aristocratic landowners and, Ivan the Terrible (tsar of
Imps of Misfortune. See 43 Russia), 135. See also
Misfortune, Imps of Astrakhan' and, 19 Ivan Groznyi
In Favor of the Wind, 314315 Ivan Tsarevich and, 136 Ivan the Young, 27, 135136,
India, 118 Kazan' and, 148 179181, 298300
Indian summer, 28 Nikita Romanov and, Ivan Tsarevich (son of Ivan
Indra, 217 205206 Groznyi), 124, 136, 205
Ioann the Long-Suffering, Novgorod and, 208 Ivan V (tsar of Russia), 241
Saint, 118 rule of, 123124, 240 Ivan Vyslavovich, 136138
Iron, 211 Saint Anastasia celebrations Afron and, 12
Iron City, 104, 118 and, 12 Dmitrii Vyslavovich and, 69
Ishtar, 258 Saint Basil and, 34 Elena the Beautiful and, 79
Islam Saint Paraskeva festivals and, Firebird and, 86
in Azerbaijan, 21 213214 Horse with the Golden
in Balkans, 31 Ivan I (grand prince of Mane and, 109
cemeteries, 21[photo] Moscow), 198, 240 Raven Ravenson and, 308
Slavs and, 260 Ivan III. See Ivan the Great Tsar Dalmat and, 59
in Uzbekistan, 288 Ivan IV. See Ivan Groznyi Vasilii Vyslavovich and, 295
362 INDEX
Vyslav Andronovich and, Karta, 64, 146, 164 Primary Chronicle on, 149,
309 Kartaga, 146, 274 150, 153, 232, 253
Water of Life and Death Kashchei the Deathless. See Prince Oleg and, 210
and, 311 Koshchei the Deathless Riurik and, 232
Ivanovich, Dunai. See Dunai Katrina Ivanovna, 143, Vol'ga Buslavlevich and,
Ivanovich 146147, 265266 305, 306
Ivanovna, Katrina. See Katrina Katya, 148, 266 Volkh Vseslav'evich and,
Ivanovna Kaukai, 148, 286 178, 307
Ivanushka, 34, 139 Kaukas, 148. See also Domovoi Kikimora, 73, 150
Ivashko, 3, 139140 Kayen, 148, 229230 Kilikia, 229230. See also
Ivo, 140 Kazakh, 284 Cilicia
Izborsk, 232, 258, 283 cemetery of, 21[photo] King of Snakes, 151
Kazakhs, 148, 293 King of the Forest, 151
Jadwiga (queen of Poland), Kazakhstan, 148 King of the Waters, 151, 171,
169, 226 Kazan', 124, 148, 240 172, 173
Jagiellon dynasty, 168169 Kazimirovich,Vasilii. See Vasilii Kingdom by the Sea, 53,
Janos, 118120, 141 Kazimirovich 151152, 273274
Jazi Baba, 23, 141. See also Kerch Strait, 22 Kingdom of Darkness, 152
Baba-Yaga Keremet, 148149, 199 Kingdom of Light, 152
Jazyges, 141 Khagan. See Khan Kingdom of the East, 152
Jerusalem,Vasilii Buslayevich Khan, 149 Kings Are Not Created by
and, 293 Khan, Batu. See Batu Khan Flattery Alone (Mekhithar
Jesus Christ Khan Boghu. See Boghu, Khan Gosh), 152
Miloserdnia and, 191 Khazars, 238, 239 Kirbit, 45, 120, 152, 295
Tree of the Cross, 316[photo] Khmelnitsky, Bohdan, 285 Kirbit'evna,Vasilissa. See
Jezda, 23, 141. See also Baba- Khor, 149 Vasilissa Kirbit'evna
Yaga Khorezm, 90 Kirghiz, 152153
John I Tzimisces (Byzantine Khoriv, 149, 150, 153, 253 Kirnis, 153
emperor), 47 Khorovody, 235 Kirov Opera Company,
John VIII (pope), 56 Khors, 218 221[photo]
John XV (pope), 1 Khoziaika lesa, 25, 149 Kirovabad, 188
Julijske Alps, 282 Khwrizm, 90 Kisel', 184, 185
Jumala, 141 Kiev Kiy, 149, 150, 153, 253
Juras Mte, 141, 198 Alesha and, 5 Klyuchevskaya, 256
Askold and, 18 Knights. See Bogatyri
Kalanda, 154 Briansk Woods and, 44 Kk Chan, 153
Kalevala, 85 Cathedral of Saint Sophia, Koknas, 92, 153, 269, 270
Kalina, 143, 265. See also 263[photo] Kolduny, 153, 307, 321
Katrina Ivanovna Desna river and, 65 Koliada festival, 153154
Kaliningrad. See Knigsberg Dir and, 68 babia kasha and, 28
Kalka River, battle of, 239 Dnieper river and, 69 Badnik log and, 3031
Kalmucks, 143 Dobrynya Nikitich and, 70, Ovsen' and, 212
Kaloyan (tsar of Bulgaria), 47 72, 98, 99 Vesna and, 301
Kalpak, 182 history of, 149150, 208, Vinograd and, 302
Kalvaitis, 143, 268 238, 239, 285, 290, See also Sviatki
Kams, 143 303304 Knigsberg, 1
Kandek, 144 Il'ya Muromets and, 115, Korka-Murt, 154
Kapsirko, 145146, 305 116, 117, 118 Koryaks, 154
Karacharovo, 120, 146 Katrina Ivanovna and, Kosciuszko,Thaddeus,
Karelia, 146 146147 225[photo], 226
Karelians, 86 Nightingale and, 205 Koshchei the Deathless,
Krolyi, Mihly, 112 Pecherskaia Lavra and, 216 154155
INDEX 363
Baba-Yaga and, 27 Kuz'ma and Dem'yan Day, 187 Samosek sword and,
Bulat the Brave and, 4546 Kuznya, 65 248249
Chudo-Yudo and, 52 Kyrgyz, 284 Zuttibur and, 325
compared to Badikan, 30 Kyrgyzstan, 153 Leto, 163
Ivan and, 120121 Letts, 167
Vasilissa Kirbit'evna and, Lada, 163 Lezghians, 20
295296 Dida and, 67 Liar,The, 167
Kosma. See Kuz'ma as Divine Twin with Lado, Light, deities of
Kosmatushka, 42, 155 113, 125, 156 Belobog, 37
Kosovo, battle of, 196, 254 Liuli and, 169 Belun, 37
Kossuth, Lajos, 111 offspring of, 166, 226 Suaixtis, 267
Kostia Nikitin, 155, 292293 Rusaliia festival and, 235 Lightning deities, 101
Kostia Novotorzheni, Lado, 67, 113, 125, 156, 159, Likho, One-Eyed, 167168
155156, 252, 292 163 Lions, 19
Kostroma, 113, 125, 156, 163 Ladoga, Lake, 163, 232, 246, Lions Share,The (Vardan), 168
Kostromo, 125, 156 258 Lithuania, 32, 168169, 226,
Kostromo-Kostrobunko, 113, Lady of Tender Mercy, 286 278, 285
156, 159, 163 Laima. See Laima-Dalia Lithuanian, 168
Kot Bayun, 156157, 222, 279 Laima-Dalia, 64, 146, Lito, 169
Kotsky, Mr., 157 163164 Little Bear, 169, 287. See also
Krasnaia Gora, 157 Lake deities Ursa Minor
Kremara, 157158, 228 Autrimpas, 19 Little Raven. See Voroneyushka
Kremlin, 75, 158 Ezerinis, 81 Liuli, 169170. See also Lada
Kuz'ma and Dem'yan Day, 162 Kul', 158159 Livonia, 124, 165, 170
Cathedral of the Lake nymphs, 3738 Livonian, 170
Dormition, 75 Lame, 79, 122123, 164, 211, Livonian Knights, 170
history of, 158 314 Livonians, 86
Kricco, 158 Lapland, 164 Lizard, 92
Krimba, 158 Lapps, 85, 86, 164, 245 Ljeschie. See Leshii
Krk, 140 Laptev Sea, 166 Loduna, 163
Krotomanic, Stephen, 42 Latvia, 32, 164165, 169, 170 Logs, in Koliada festivals,
Krukis, 158, 218 Laukpatis, 165 3031
Krum, Khan, 4647 Lauksargis, 165 Lompsalo, 170, 253
Kublai Khan, 90 Lawkapatim, 61, 165, 277 Lonzaric, Petar. See Petar
Kul', 158159 Lay of Igors Campaign, 68, 114, Lonzaric
Kumans, 165 165, 308 Loqmn the Wise, 33, 107,
Kuminsk (island), 293 Lazar, 165166 170, 230
Kumstvo, 159, 254 Lazaropolje, 166 Lorelei, 236, 258
Kun, Bla, 112 Lee, Christopher, 289[photo] Love deities
Kupala, 156, 159, 163 Legend Aurea (Voragine), 90 Didilia, 67
Kupal'nitsa, 125, 159 Legends, Russian, types of, 48, Yarilo, 317
Kupalo, 113, 125, 156, 159, 49 Zizilia, 321
163, 178. See also Ivan Lel, 163, 166, 226 Lbeck, 106
Kupalo Lena, River, 166 Lucifer, Dazhbog and, 62
Kupalo feast, 84, 220. See also Leo III (Byzantine emperor), Ludmilla, 311, 312
Ivan Kupalo 50 Lugmn the Wise. See Loqmn
Kupiatitskaia icon, 159 Leo XIII (pope), 56 the Wise
Kurke, 159160 Leontii, 5, 166 Lugosi, Bela, 282[photo]
Kurwaichin, 157, 160 Leshachikha, 166 Luka, 170, 252, 292
Kush-Pari, 160161 Leshii, 166167 Luka Zinoviev, 86, 170, 246
Kut'ia, 28 Ivan the Guard and, 126 Lulizar, 170171
Kuz'ma, Saint, 41, 93, 161162 russalki and, 236 Lusaghen, 151, 171173
364 INDEX
See also Genghis Khan Stirbog and, 267 Ivan Belyaninovich and, 53,
Monomakhovichi dynasty, 304 Sviatogor and, 273 79, 96, 121122, 257
Montenegro, 195196, 255 Tengri and, 277 Peter Belyaninovich and,
Moon, 196197 as Zemes Mte, 320 218
Alklha and, 6 as Zemyna, 320 Vasilii Belyaninovich and,
Niekia and, 205 See also Moist Mother 291
Peivalk and, 216 Earth Whirlwind and, 314
as realm of the dead, 61 Mother goddesses, 2 Nastas'ya River, 202
Moon deities Mother of All, 277, 286 Nature deities,Veles, 300
Atrimpaasa, 19 Mother of Forest, 320 Naui, 203
Dundra, 7778 Mother of Springs, 320 Nauriz, Mount, 229
Mesyats, 188 Mother of the Fields, 320 Nava, 203, 208, 231, 236
Romany, 3 Mother of the Red Sun, 187 Navii Den', 203
Ursula, 287 Mother of the Seas, 141, 198 Navki, 83, 203
Moravia, 197 Mother of the Sun, 256 Nazariev, Foma. See Foma
Moravians, 20 Mother Russia, 187 Nazariev
Mordovia, 52 Mother Troitsa, 282 Neale, J. M., 311
Mordvinia. See Mordovia Motovun, 199, 300 Nedelia, Saint, 12, 203, 214, 264
Mordvins, 81, 194, 197 Mountain nymphs, 182 Nemal Chelovek, 98, 126127,
Morning Star, 19, 197. See also Mountain of Gold, 101, 199. 203204, 248
Ausrine;Venus; Zvezda See also Golden Nemanja, Stefan. See Stefan
Dennitsa Mountain Nemanja
Morozko, 87, 178179, Mukylin, 148149, 199 Nested dolls, 187
197198, 213 Murom, 199 Nestor, 204, 227
Morskoi, 198 Fevroniia and, 8384 Neva, River, 246
Mortar and pestle, 26 Il'ya Muromets and, 115, Nevsky, Alexander. See
Moscow, 263 146 Alexander Nevsky
Golden Horde and, 95 Mary and, 185 Nicholas (king of
history of, 198 Paul and, 215 Montenegro), 196
Ivan Groznyi and, 124 See also Peter of Murom Nicholas, Saint, 121, 204. See
Kremlin and, 158 Muscovy, 198 also Nikolai of
Roman Vasil'evich and, 233 Muxdi. See Dzuli Mozhaisk, Saint
Mother Earth, 99, 198 Muzem-Mumi, 199 Nicholas I (emperor of
Dobrynya Nikitich and, Russia), 242
103 Nachal'naya Letopis', 204, 227 Nicholas II (emperor of
as Granny Snowstorm, Nadanojla, 201, 302 Russia), 243
261262 Nainas, 19, 201, 205, 216 Nieka, 19
Gregory of Smolensk and, Narodnaya, Mount, 287 Niekia, 201, 205, 216
103 Narva, 124 Night, 61, 205, 298
Habrmani and, 103 Nastasiia. See Nastas'ya Nightingale
Igor and, 114 Nastas'ya, Princess, 201202 Briansk Woods and, 44
as Itugen, 120 death of, 60 Hazaran as, 107108
Jumala as, 141 Dunai Ivanovich and, 77 Il'ya Muromets and, 205,
Mati-Syra-Zemlya, 186187 polianitsy and, 227 261
as Matushka Zemlia, 187 Princess Evprakisya and, Smorodinka and, 205, 261
Mikula Selyaninovich and, 81 Solovei Rakhmatich as,
189 wedding feast of, 52 116, 205
Mukylin and, 199 Nastas'ya Nikulichna, 11, 72, Nikita, 11, 48, 72, 205
as Muzem-Mumi, 199 202203 Nikita Romanov, 124, 136,
russalki and, 236 Nastas'ya of the Golden Braid, 205206
Saint Paraskeva and, 214, 203 Nikitich, Dobrynya. See
215 Bel Belyanin and, 35, 37 Dobrynya Nikitich
366 INDEX
Paul (of Murom), 61, 83, 215, Ivan Belyaniniovich and, Pogroms, Cossacks and, 54
218 79, 121, 122, 123, 164 Pokrov, 225
Paul I (emperor of Russia), Nastas'ya of the Golden Pokrovskaia Subbota, 28, 225
242 Braid and, 203, 257 Poland, 225226
Paul II (pope), 56 tsarita of the Silver Belorussia and, 37
Peace, goddesses of, 317 Kingdom, 53, 80, 96, 291 Lithuania and, 169
Peacock, 152 Peter I. See Peter the Great Livonia and, 170
Peasant, the Priest, and the Gold, Peter of Murom, 51, 8384, partitioning of, 242
The, 215216 219219 Silesia and, 257
Pechenegs, 216, 239 Peter the Great (tsar of Teutonic Knights and, 278
Pecherskaia Lavra, 216 Russia), 170, 241, 264 Ukraine and, 285
Pechersky cloister (Kiev), 204 Petrodvorets, 172[photo] Polaris, 287
Peivalk, 19, 201, 205, 216 Petrograd, 264. See also St. Pole Star, 287
Peklo, 203, 208, 216, 231 Petersburg Polel, 163, 166, 226
Perdiccas I, 175 Petrov Den', 220 Polevoi, 226
Perekop, Isthmus of, 55 Petrovic, Djordje, 254 Poliane, 225
Perkonis, 216. See also Petrovki, 220 Polianitsy, 226227, 304
Perkunas Petrushka, 220224 Pollux. See Polydeuces
Perkons, 216. See also Perkunas Babushka-Lyagushka- Polotsk, 308
Perkunas, 89, 188, 197, Skakushka and, 2829, Poludnitsa, 227
216217. See also Perun 100 Polydeuces, 163, 166, 226
Permyaks, 86, 217, 308, 325 I-Know-Not-What and, Pominki
Perom, 217. See also Perun 113 Pontus Euxinus, 38
Peron. See Perun Kot Bayun and, 156157, Popovich, Alyosha. See Alyosha
Perperuna, 217 279 Popovich
Persia Masha and, 75, 185 Porevik, 227
Armenia and, 17, 18 Nobody and, 207 Porevit. See Svantovit
Azerbaijan and, 21 River of Fire and, 232233 Potania,Tiny, 227, 293
Perun, 217218 Philip II (king of Macedon), Potok, Mikhailo Ivanovich. See
Darkness and, 61 175 Mikhail Potyk
Dievas and, 68 Phillip (high priest), Potyk, Mikhail. See Mikhail
Elias and, 80 135[photo] Potyk
Elijah and, 115 Photius, 56 Povest' vremennykh, 227
Erisvorsh and, 80 Piglets, patron god, 228 Prague, 1, 58[photo]
as fire, 99 Pigs, patron god, 157158 Presidium, 158
Khor and, 149 Pikker, 224. See also Perun Prigirstitis, 227
Rod and, 233 Piorun, 225. See also Perun Primary Chronicle, 227
Saint George and, 90 Plague, Mati-Syra-Zemlya and, on Askold and Novgorod,
Varpulis and, 291, 315 187 18
Vladimir I and, 303 Plenkovich, Churilo. See on Kiev, 149, 150, 153, 232,
Volos and, 308 Churilo Plenkovich 253
Zorya Utrennyaya and, 321 Plowman, 189191 Nestor and, 204
Zroya and, 322 Plows on Riurik, 232, 238, 258,
See also Perkunas Saint Boris and, 41, 64, 93, 283
Perusan, 218. See also Perun 162 Saints Boris and Gleb in,
Peseias, 158, 218 Saint Dem'yan and, 6465, 42, 93
Pest, 44 162 Prince and the Flea,The
Pestle. See Mortar and Pestle Saint Gleb and, 41, 64, 93, (Vardan), 228
Petar Lonzaric, 218 162 Prince Vladimir Bright Sun.
Peter Asen, 47 Saint Kuz'ma and, 6465, See Vladimir Bright Sun,
Peter Belyaninovich, 218219 162 Prince
Bel Belyanin and, 35, 37 See also Ursa Major Princip, Gavril, 31, 42, 255
368 INDEX
Sirens, 228, 236, 258 Sorochinsk Hill, 263. See also Stefan Dusan, 254
Sirin, 6, 258 Saracen Hill Stefan Nemanja, 254
Sivash, 22 Sorochinsk Mountains, 263 Stephen, Saint, 266267. See
Sivushko, 115, 116, 117, 118, Dobrynya Nikitich and, 69, also Stephen I (king of
259 70 Hungary)
Sjadaei, 259 Goryshche and, 9899 Stephen I (king of Hungary),
Skadar, Lake, 123 Princess Zabava and, 319 111. See also Stephen,
Skazki, 259, 308 Puchai river and, 228 Saint
Sky deities Sorrow, 192193, 263 Stoglav Council, 12, 213214
Debestevs, 64 Soul, 211. See also Urt Stoker, Bram, 282, 289, 290,
Num, 208 Soviet Union 303
Svarog, 272 Armenia and, 18 Stones, sacred, 253
Ulgan, 286 Azerbaijan and, 22 Storm deities
Slavic languages, 259 Baltic countries and, 32 Erisvorsh, 80
Slavonia, 55 Belorussia in, 37 Varpulis, 291
Slavonic, 47 Bessarabia in, 38 See also Granny Snowstorm;
Slavs, 259260 Cossacks and, 5455 Thunder deities
in Balkan history, 31 Kalmucks and, 143 Stravinksy, Igor, 218
in Bulgarian history, 46 Kremlin and, 158 Strength Does Not Always Come
Eastern Catholicism and, 50 Latvia and, 165 In Numbers (Mekhithar
in Russian history, 238 Lithuania and, 169 Gosh), 267
Varangians and, 290 Moldova and, 194195 Stribog, 267, 314
Sleds, 105 Novaya Zemlya islands, 207 Stvar Godinovich, 265266
Slovakia, 41, 57, 260 Slavs and, 260 Suaixtis, 267
Slovaks, 260 Turkmenistan and, 284 Sukhman, 69, 267268
Slovenia, 260261, 282, 321 Ukraine and, 285, 286 Sukhona, 78
Smiths. See Blacksmiths Uzbekistan and, 288 Sun, 268
Smolensk, 240, 241, 290 Spinners, russalki as, 236 Alklha and, 6
Smorodina, 116, 190, 261 Spirit, 211, 257. See also Urt Baba-Yaga and, 298
Smorodinka, 116, 205, 261 Spring deities Buyan island and, 48, 73
Smutnoe vremia, 240 Maslenitsa as, 186 Darkness and, 61
Snakes Vesna, 301 Dawn and, 61
Habrmani as, 103104 Vesnianka, 301 Day and, 61
Shah-Mar, 151, 229230, Yarilo, 317 Dusk and, 78
255 Spring festivals, 157 Frost and, 197198
Tsmok, 283 Sreda, Saint, 203, 214, 264 Nainas and, 201
Zaltys, 319 St. Peters Day festival, 156 Niekia and, 205
See also Serpents St. Petersburg, 172[photo], Peivalk and, 216
Snowstorm, Granny, 261262 241, 264 Wind and, 314315
Solovei Rakhmatich, 116, 205, St.Vid Church (Rijeka), 218 Sun deities
231, 262 Stables, patron spirit of, 232 Dazhbog, 6162
Solstice ceremonies Stand Your Ground (Vardan), Iarilo, 113
Koliada, 153154 264 Saule, 252
Sviatki, 272 Star deities Shkay, 255
Son of the apple. See Almafi Astlik, 19 Shundi-Mumi, 256
Songhua, 12 See also Morning Star; Suns Sister, 130131, 268, 287
Sophia Palaeologue, 126, 263 Evening Star Supreme Deity, 268
Sophia, Saint, 263 Stariny, 49, 264. See also Byliny Suren, 92, 153, 268271, 319,
Sorbs, 312313 Stavr Godinovich, 143, 146, 320
Sorcerers, 153 147 Suzdal', 153
Sore throats, Saint Blaise and, Steel City, 104, 266 Svantovit, 271
39 Stefan (peasant), 266 as Iarovit, 113
INDEX 371
Eletskoi icon and, 80 Vladimir I (grand prince of Volshebnye Skazki, 39, 308
as Gramovitsa, 99 Kiev), 303 Vookodlak. See Werewolves
Makar'evskaia icon, 177 Basil II and, 12, 14, 35 Voragine, Jacobus de, 90
Mokosh and, 194 Dazhbog and, 62 Voron Voronich, 138, 308. See
Pecherskaia Lavra and, 216 human sacrifice and, 217, also Raven Ravenson
Pokrov Day and, 225 218 Voroneyushka, 71, 72, 99, 308
Pskov icon and, 228 Kiev and, 149 Votyaks, 86, 199, 308, 309, 325
as Umilenie, 286 Prince Vladimir Bright Sun Vseslav, 308
Zhirovitskoi icon and, 320 and, 44, 303, 304 Vseslav'evich,Volga. See Volkh
See also Mary, Mother of rule of, 239, 285 Vseslav'evich
God Vladimir II (grand prince of Vseslav'evna, Marfa. See Marfa
Virgin of Tlog,The, 177[photo] Kiev), 44, 239, 303304 Vseslav'evna
Visapaklal, 302 Vladimir II Monomachus. See Vuk, 309. See also Despot Vuk
Visby, 106 Vladimir II Vu-Kutis, 309
Vishap, 302 Vladimir Monomachus (grand Vultures Are Like Priests,Why
Vixen and the Lioness,The prince of Kiev), 303, (Mekhithar Gosh), 309
(Vardan), 302 304. See also Vladimir II Vu-Murt, 303, 309
Vizi-Anya, 302 Vladimir Monomakh (grand Vununa, 317
Vizi-Ember, 302303 prince of Kiev), 303, Vu-Nuna, 309
Vizi-Leany, 303 304. See also Vladimir II Vu-Vozo, 309
Vlachs, 233 Vladimir the Great. See Vu-vozo, 317
Vlad Tepes, 282, 290, 303 Vladimir I Vychegda, 78
Vlad the Impaler. See Vlad Tepes Vlas, Saint. See Vlasii, Saint Vyelyes, 309. See also Volos
Vladimir, Saint. See Vladimir I Vlasii, Saint, 300, 304, 308. See Vyslav Andronovich, 309
Vladimir Bright Sun, Prince, also Blaise, Saint Firebird and, 86
304 Vlasta, 304 sons of, 2, 59, 69, 136, 295
Alesha and, 5 Vlkodlak, 304. See also Vyslavovich, Ivan. See Ivan
Alyosha Popovich and, 11 Werewolves Vyslavovich
Dnieper River and, 69 Vltava, 304
Dobrynya Nikitich and, 69, Vodianiani, 83, 203, 304 Wagon. See Ursa Major
70, 71, 72, 98, 99 Vodianoi, 145, 304305 Waizganthos, 311
Dunai Ivanovich and, Voguls, 86, 212, 305 Walachia, 194, 195, 234, 282,
7677 Vokh Vseslav'evich, 118 303, 311
Il'ya Muromets and, 115, 116 Volga, 19, 74, 143, 148 Walachians, 233
Katrina Ivanovna and, 143, called matushka, 187, Walgino, 311
146147 305 War deities
Kiev and, 149 described, 305 Perun, 217
Nastas'ya Nikulichna and, Vol'ga Buslavlevich, 203, 213, Vahagn, 289
202 305306 Vyelyes, 309
Nightingale and, 205 Vol'ga Sviatoslavovich, Zroya, 322
origins of, 303 189191, 261, 306 Water deities
Princess Evpraksiya and, 81, Volga Vseslav'evich. See Volkh Anahita, 12
210 Vseslav'evich As-Iga, 18
Princess Zabava and, 98, 99, Volga Yaroslavich, 115, 306 Kul', 158159
319 Volgograd, 234 Sadko, 245248
sons of, 41, 93 Volhynia, 285 Tonx, 281
Stvar Godinovich and, Volkh Vseslav'evich, 178, Va-Kul, 289
265266 306307 Vizi-Ember, 302303
Sukhman and, 267268 Volkhov, 246, 247, 292 Vu-Kutis, 309
Tugarin and, 283 Volkhvy, 153, 307, 321 Vu-Murt, 309
Vol'ga Sviatoslavovich and, Volos, 189, 304, 308. See also Vu-Nuna, 309
190, 306 Vyelyes Vu-Vozo, 309
374 INDEX
See also Zorya Zuttibur, 325 as Evening Star, 81, 197, 325
Utrennyaya; Zorya Zvezda Dennitsa See also Zvezdy
Vechernyaya as Aurora, 19, 62 Zvezdy, 62, 81, 197, 321, 322.
Zosim, 322 as Morning Star, 81, 197, See also Zvezda
Zroya, 322 325 Dennitsa; Zvezda
Zurab, 19, 277, 320, 322325. See also Zvezdy Vechernyaya
See also Aslan Zvezda Vechernyaya Zyrians, 86, 308, 325
Zuro. See Zurab as Aurora, 19, 62 Zytniamatka, 326