We were all little once, and we all read Russian fairy tales. Reading these fairy tales, we had a figurative idea of all the characters, about Vodyanoy, Baba Yaga, Koshchei the Immortal, Ivan Tsarevich, Alyonushka, Varvara Kras, and many more. Fairy tales taught us to recognize good and evil. In every story the heroes can be distinguished between good and bad traits. And everyone main character contains certain meaning. For example:
1. Ivan Tsarevich is one of the most important Russian heroes folk tales. Usually in a fairy tale he is shown as a positive hero. His characteristic qualities- This is kindness, honesty and nobility. In every fairy tale, Ivan helps people, saves a princess or defeats an enemy. Ivan teaches every person to listen to his heart, and if something bad happens, not to lose heart.
2. A frequently mentioned hero from fairy tales is the Snow Maiden. She appears to readers as tender, vulnerable, and purely soulful. The Snow Maiden embodies all the most best qualities that every woman should have. The Snow Maiden always has unusual beauty in fairy tales. She teaches us that everything that is not done from the heart will not succeed, and also that we should not stop at any difficulties. If you want something, you need to strive for it, and then everything will work out.
3. But our children like not only positive heroes, but also negative ones. For example, Baba Yaga is admired by many. This character is involved in almost every fairy tale. Baba Yaga lives in a big dark forest in a small hut on chicken legs. In order for the hut to turn around and open its doors, you need to say to it: hut, hut, turn your back to the forest, and turn your front to me. And then the hut will definitely turn around and open its doors. Old Yaga is an old friend of Koshchei the Immortal; they sometimes make insidious plans together. But, the main thing distinguishing feature Baba Yaga is that she flies in a mortar and on a broom. Baba Yaga symbolizes treacherous people who do everything out of the blue. Children remember Baba Yaga as a grandmother in a mortar with a large bent nose.
4. Koschey the Immortal is the most sinister hero of Russian folk tales. He lives in splendid isolation in a castle. He is also very rich and greedy. But the most main feature Koshchei is that it is not so easy to kill him. His death is hidden in a crystal casket, in an egg. If you take a needle that is hidden in an egg and break it into two parts, then the cat will die. Koschey the Immortal is the image of the evil, treacherous and bad people. Looking at him, we see that everyone who loves money very much quickly perishes.
5. The merman is a creature male who lives in a swamp. He is a good owner and takes good care of his possessions. But if you offend him, he can take cruel revenge. The fishermen who fished in the reservoirs, so that Vodyanoy would not disturb them, they cajoled him. People brought various treats to the water, and in gratitude for this, Vodyanoy did not tear their fishing nets and did not scare the fish. The merman symbolizes people who are ready not to notice anything bad if they give him something for it. This is a negative character and should not be repeated after him.
6. Dwarves - they live underground, working in the mines. They are very hardworking. But they also have negative trait, dwarves are too hungry for gold. They are ready to do anything for him. People who love money more than anything in the world are prototypes of gnomes.
7. Brownie is a creature that lives in every home. Usually the Housekeeper is the keeper of cleanliness and comfort in the house. People believed that if a brownie lived in a house, then it would always be clean and comfortable. The brownie is an image of economic and ambitious people.
8. Serpent Gorynych is the negative hero of Russian folk tales. He has either three, or nine, or twelve heads. As a rule, the Serpent Gorynych spews out flames. As he flies, thunder roars and the earth shakes. In fairy tales, the Serpent Gorynych stole girls and burned cities and villages with his fire. The Serpent Gorynych symbolizes bad people who are ready to do anything to achieve their goal.
All heroes in Russian folk tales contain makes a lot of sense. There are, just as there are negative ones, there are also positive heroes. To understand what kind of hero is in a fairy tale, you need to understand and analyze him. Since fairy tales are very useful, they should be read to children; they will help in shaping their vision of the world.
Characters invented in Russia are symbols of the childhood of each of us, while different countries world they are perceived completely differently. For example, if in Russian mythology Baba Yaga is an evil spirit, then among the Scandinavians a similar character is the goddess of the kingdom of the dead, Hel.
Female images: “my light, mirror, tell me...”
Vasilisa the Wise, Elena the Beautiful, Marya the Mistress, Frog Princess, Snow Maiden, Alyonushka - female images who possessed not only stunning female logic, but also kindness, wisdom, beauty, and sincerity. The most striking of them are:
1 A fragile little girl, Santa Claus's assistant - a favorite New Year's guest, a role model for naughty children. Since the mid-19th century, the image of a little granddaughter has been replaced by a young beauty, with the obligatory kokoshnik or fur hat, the preferred clothing of Russian women.
No country in the world can boast of the same magical and romantic biography as the Russian Snow Maiden. In Italy, this is the fairy Befana, an old woman with a hooked nose who flies to children on a broom, giving gifts. A kind of “Santa Claus” in a skirt. The Mongols call their Snow Maiden Zazan Okhin, the girl Snow. The heroine traditionally asks riddles and gives gifts only after hearing the answer. In the USA, Santa has only reindeer as his assistants, but there is no Snow Maiden.
It is curious that if you try to translate the word Snow Maiden into English using the Google Translate service, the result will always be different. Yesterday Snegurochka was translated as “Snow - boy” (literally - snow boy). Today, Snegurochka in the service database is translated as Snow-maiden (Made from snow).
2 Masha, the Bear's restless companion, a naughty character in the record-breaking 3D cartoon.
The green-eyed fidget is fluent in hand-to-hand combat techniques, loves to be capricious and mischievous, and asks questions that are difficult to answer. The prototype of the animated series was the folklore heroine of a Russian folk tale. Director O. Kuznetsov borrowed character traits from the hero of O. Henry’s story “The Leader of the Redskins.” The team behind the series does not adapt native Russian characters for broadcast in different countries.
3 Baba Yaga- witch, heroine Slavic mythology, endowed magical power. Negative character lures good fellows to his hut on chicken legs, without fail he gives the heroes a fairy-tale horse and a magical navigator of those times - a ball of thread. The Russian witch is not always friendly, but if you have the gift of eloquence, she can help.
4 Firebird, a fabulous bird that heals the sick and restores sight to the blind, has to sister the Western European bird Phoenix, which knew how to revive from the ashes. The father of the two fiery heroines was most likely Peacock.
Each heroine is an individual, embodying good or evil, her actions and actions are directly related to her character and mission.
Male images: “there are still no shortage of heroes on the Russian land!”
No less colorful is the top positive male images, vividly conveying the spirit of the Russian people. The main images are always antagonistic: in contrast to the beautiful, there is always something bad. Without which male characters are Russian fairy tales unthinkable?
1 Father Frost.
In the Russian version - Morozko, Studenets, the mighty lord of the winter blizzard. The character adored by children rides three horses, binds ponds and rivers with the sound of a staff, and sweeps away cities and villages with his cold breath. IN New Year together with the Snow Maiden gives gifts. During the Soviet era, Grandfather was dressed in a red fur coat, the color of the country’s flag. The image of the popular Grandfather, who “wanders through forests and meadows” is played out differently in different countries: Santa Claus, Joulupuki, Jouluvana.
This is interesting:
According to the most conservative estimates of scientists, Santa Claus is already more than 2000 years old. For two thousand years, Santa Claus has appeared in different images. First - in the form pagan god Zimnik: an old man of short stature, with white hair and a long gray beard, with his head uncovered, in warm white clothes and with an iron mace in his hands. And in the fourth century, Santa Claus was reminded of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, who lived in Asia Minor in the city of Patara.
Grandfather began coming to the house with gifts with the beginning of the New Year celebration in Rus'. Previously, he gave gifts to the obedient and smart, and beat the mischievous ones with a stick. But the years have made Santa Claus more compassionate: he replaced the stick with a magic staff.
By the way, Father Frost first appeared on the pages of books in 1840, when Vladimir Odoevsky’s “Children’s Tales of Grandfather Irenaeus” was published. In the book, the name and patronymic of the winter magician became known - Moroz Ivanovich.
In the twentieth century, Santa Claus almost disappeared. After the revolution, it was considered that celebrating Christmas was harmful for the people, because it was a real “priestly” holiday. However, in 1935, the disgrace was finally lifted, and soon Father Frost and the Snow Maiden appeared together for the first time at the Christmas tree celebration in the Moscow House of Unions.
2 Three heroes. Strong, brave, cheerful heroes have long become a symbol of Russia, thanks to a series of full-length adventures by Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich and Ilya Muromets. In fact, the brave fellows never met in life; according to epics, they even lived in different centuries.
This is interesting:
In 2015, the 6th part of the saga, “Three Heroes: Knight's Move,” released on screens, collected 962,961,596 rubles. Almost 1 billion rubles! Thus, the film became the highest grossing animated film of the year. Although it all started modestly: the box office of the first part - “Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin the Serpent” (2004) - amounted to 48,376,440 rubles. Then the fees grew steadily.
3 Ivan the Fool(third son) is a character who embodies a special “magic strategy”: the hero acts contrary to common sense and always succeeds! The fool excels at solving riddles and wins evil spirits and valiantly saves the main character.
Pinocchio, Crocodile Gena, Doctor Aibolit, Barmaley, Winnie the Pooh, Leopold the Cat and Matroskin the Cat are also among the most popular and beloved heroes of Russian cinema, who rightfully occupy high positions in the ranking of fairy-tale characters.
Evil spirits: guardians of forests, swamps and houses
The largest Russian group folk epic make up mythical creatures. Vodyanoy, Kikimora, Leshy, mermaids, Brownie, Baba Yaga - magical images that appeared along with the inexplicable forces of nature. In his actions and character - this is more negative characters, but at the same time, they are charming and charismatic in modern films and cartoons, these include:
1 Koschei the Deathless. A character with supernatural powers. According to legends, he is a treacherous old man who kills domestic animals. The sorcerer often kidnaps the protagonist's fiancee in the hope of "mutual love."
This is interesting:
In Soviet cinema, Koshei was brilliantly played by actor Georgy Millyar. Basically, he played all sorts of evil spirits and he had to apply complex makeup. But for the role of Koshchei the Immortal, makeup was practically not needed, since the actor himself resembled a living skeleton (after contracting malaria, the actor’s weight was only 45 kg).
Koschey the Immortal - Georgy Millyar - Article
A son, a spoiled prince and even a gray wolf. One of the most popular positive fairy tale images is a hero who has remarkable physical strength, stamina, courage and good nature. Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich are heroes who were not afraid of the three-headed Serpent Gorynych, Nightingale - and combine a brilliant mind, ingenuity and cunning.
Often in Russian fairy tales there are also kind animals - a horse, a wolf or a dog, which symbolize intelligence, cunning, devotion and fidelity.
Another well-known fairy-tale hero is the collective image of a simple Russian guy, Ivan. Ivan Tsarevich is always noble, brave and kind. He shows unprecedented heroism and reigns from evil forces. Ivanushka the Fool is another favorite positive Russian folk - most often this is the son in the family, but the most talented and unique. He knows how to understand animals, and they willingly help Ivanushka fight evil.
The kindest fairy tale hero
Answer yourself the question “which hero is the best?” It is possible only by specifying the purpose of good deeds. So, undoubtedly, Ivanushka can be called the kindest, who bravely goes against the dark forces, without thinking about his own well-being. True goodness is, first of all, determined by selflessness, since a hero who performs noble deeds for profit turns into a simple mercenary.
Traditionally, good heroes in fairy tales help the world restore the natural balance of good and evil, preventing the antagonist from realizing his insidious plans.
Therefore, a real good deed can be performed only when the hero is guided solely by the breadth of his soul. Such characters are Morozko, Grandfather Frost, Vasilisa the Beautiful, Cinderella's fairy godmother and other heroes who do good for the sake of good, without expecting any reward in return.
Thus, the title of the kindest fairy-tale hero can be awarded to each of these characters, since in the fight against evil it is not so much skill that is important as intention, and the intention of each of them is undoubtedly the most noble.
Without exaggeration, Ilya Muromets can be called the most famous of Russian epic heroes. Even that Russian who has never read epics or their prose retellings knows about this Russian hero at least from cartoons.
Researchers of Russian folklore know 53 epic heroic plots, and in 15 of them Ilya Muromets is the main character. All these epics belong to the Kyiv cycle associated with Vladimir the Red Sun - an idealized image of Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich.
Deeds of an epic hero
The beginning of the epic “biography” of Ilya Muromets is associated with a very typical motif of belated maturity for an epic hero: for 33 years the hero sits on the stove, unable to move either his arms or legs, but one day, three elders come to him - “walking stones.” In Soviet-era publications, the clarification of who these people were was “cut out” from the epics, but tradition hints that these are Jesus Christ and the two apostles. The elders ask Ilya to bring them water - and the paralyzed man gets to his feet. Thus, even the hero’s healing turns out to be associated with the willingness to perform a good deed, albeit insignificant.
Having acquired heroic strength, Ilya sets off to perform feats. It is noteworthy that neither Ilya Muromets nor other Russian heroes ever perform feats only for the sake of personal glory, as the heroes of Western chivalric novels sometimes do. The deeds of Russian knights are always socially significant. This is the most famous feat of Ilya Muromets - the victory over the Nightingale the Robber, who killed travelers with his robber whistle. “You are full of tears and fathers and mothers, you are full of widows and young wives,” says the hero, killing the villain.
Another feat of the hero was the victory over Idolishch, who seized power in Constantinople. Idol is a collective image of nomadic enemies - the Pechenegs or Polovtsians. These were pagan peoples, and it is no coincidence that Idolishch threatens to “smoke God’s churches.” Defeating this enemy, Ilya Muromets acts as a defender of the Christian faith.
The hero always appears as a defender common people. In “Ilya Muromets and Kalin the Tsar,” Ilya refuses to go into battle, offended by the injustice of Prince Vladimir, and only when the prince’s daughter asks the hero to do this for the sake of poor widows and small children, he agrees to fight.
Possible historical prototypes
No matter how fabulous the plots of the epics about Ilya Muromets may seem, historians say: this is a real person. His relics rest in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, but initially the tomb was located in the chapel of St. Sophia of Kyiv - the main temple Kievan Rus. Usually only princes were buried in this cathedral; even boyars were not given such an honor, therefore, the merits of Ilya Muromets were exceptional. Researchers suggest that the hero died in 1203 during a raid by Cuman troops on Kyiv.
Another version is offered by historian A. Medyntseva, who tried to explain why the epic tradition connected the image of Ilya Muromets with Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich, who lived much earlier. Without denying the connection epic hero with the real-life Ilya Muromets, she points out that another source of the image could be the same person who served as the prototype for Dobrynya Nikitich. It was the uncle of Prince Vladimir
Artist Roman Papsuev created a series of drawings in which he reinterpreted the images of fairy tale heroes Ancient Rus'. In the author's interpretation, such heroes as Ilya Muromets, Vasilisa the Beautiful, Kashchei the Immortal and many others. others may well look like characters from a fantasy world.
Ilya Muromets. I started, of course, with him. By the way, he has a bottle of dead water hanging on his belt to treat his wounds. And with a shield he is quite capable of destroying his enemies. I drew this picture from my head, just based on the types from my childhood, but later, after checking with the sources, I came to the conclusion that I quite fit into the image.
The author of the project in no way distorts the history of the great heritage of our ancestors. He's just trying to make his vision famous heroes. “I don’t invent characters, they are all in mythology, I just interpret their descriptions in my own way, try to find common features in these descriptions and at the same time try to maintain a single style so that it looks like the game world.
What makes me most happy is that some people who look at my pictures begin to re-read epic fairy tales, learn a lot of new things for themselves and understand why Vasilisa the Beautiful has a doll in her bag, why Vodyanoy is on a catfish, why Ilya Muromets has a sword in his hands, and not a mace, etc. This return to origins through my modest project pleases me as an author most of all.” - explains Roman.
Dobrynya. What is known about him (in parentheses - how I played it out). A relative of the prince (the armor must be rich), the second most popular hero after Ilya (smaller in size, but still cool), a snake fighter (a magical shield, upholstered in fiery dragon skin, shooting fire), a seven-tailed whip, with which he whipped his horse so that trampled baby snakes, and all that. It’s hard to depict diplomatic skills, education and politeness in a picture, but I put a scroll in a tube on his belt, like he’s reading in his spare time. Right there with him living water, it complements the set of Ilya, who, let me remind you, has dead water on his belt. Well, the sun motif, like Ilya’s, serves one prince.
Popovich. Well, it’s obvious that he should be a witch hunter, right?
A sudden turn slightly to the side, towards Finist.
It was the girls' turn. I'll start with Vasilisa the Beautiful (not to be confused with Vasilisa the Wise, aka the Frog Princess). A battle mage, there’s nothing to even think about, one skull that incinerates enemies (mentioned in a fairy tale), that’s worth it. And of course, the doll is in the bag, everything is as it should be. A small note: it may not be so clearly visible, but her kokoshnik is made of steel, part of a half-helmet.
Vasilisa the Wise (Frog Princess). It turned out to be not so simple with her. There are already three common versions of the fairy tale (in one of them she is generally called Elena the Beautiful), so I decided to try to collect everything that is known about her into one image. So, witch. He casts spells both with the help of his own power and with the help of nannies (grandmothers, nannies, mothers, etc.). I decided that the nannies would be plump flying fairies in my version. The magic of nanny mothers individually is not that strong, but if they start doing something together, just hold on.
I did not find confirmation in fairy tales that Vasilisa is the daughter of Koshchei the Immortal (although there is such a version, and it is quite logical), so I did not make obvious necromantic paraphernalia. But the Wise One, it seems to me, could dark magic to indulge, she has such a character... I completely forgot to mention - she has an arrowhead hanging on her chest in the form of a pendant. The same one.
Princess Nesmeyana. First I wanted to make my face open, then I decided to immediately show off the visor mask. Kokoshnik is part of a helmet. Observant viewers will notice the waterskin and horn on her belt. Why? Because because of forever bad mood constantly applied to alcohol. By the way, when she laughs (and she laughs extremely rarely), it means that she has an attack and she becomes a berserker - a very scary ability.
Marya Morevna. Everything is clear here. The only note is that since the fairy tale indicates that she is a steppe warrior, I slightly added Asian elements.
Varvara is beautiful. Mound Raider. Strictly speaking, this is a movie character; it seems that Varvara the Beauty did not exist in mythology. But, firstly, everyone probably knows Rowe’s film, and secondly, her name is too famous, I couldn’t pass it by. I think it's clear who the reference was. A few comments: the hatchets are attached to the sheath on the hips, amulets-amulets dangle from the belts, the kokoshnik, as always, is metal. When there are a lot of enemies, she attacks by spinning like a top and mows down the enemies (haha). The braid itself may well be made of leather, like a whip, i.e. it is not collected hair, but part of a helmet.
Baba Yaga. V. 1.0.
Koschey. Feeds on the souls of victims. I also drew this one, based on stamps from my head, then I carefully studied the sources and came to the conclusion that I would change Koshchei’s head. So later there will be Koschey Mark 2. :)
Nightingale the Robber. Part one. Upper. I'll have to explain some things. In fairy tales, the Nightingale sits on nine oak trees, sits high, looks far away, whistles like a nightingale, screams like an animal. I thought for a long time how to play it all out (“sitting on nine oak trees” was the most big problem- a giant, or what? Or are oak trees small?), eventually came to the conclusion that the Nightingale would be a monster rider. He will ride on an oak tree. His scream-whistle is a sonic weapon. A whistle is a targeted blow, a scream is a wave with a wide range of action. He will also have a magical staff to control the oak tree. And notice the acorn necklace around his neck. It is not without reason, it is a solution to the problem with nine oaks. Yes, many have strange associations with his mouth, I advise you to go to the mirror and try to make “chicken lips” - you will be surprised. :)
Nightingale the Robber. Part two. Riding on an oak tree. In general, he lives in a tree, this is his storage and fortress. Chests (trophies) and shields are hung on the branches, which move if something threatens the Nightingale. The oak tree also has chains with hooks, with which it pulls the victim towards itself in order to eat it.
The oak tree moves both like a spider and like a centipede, that is, it supports the trunk with large branches and finely moves with its roots. It moves slowly, but if it gets there, screw the hero. Now about the problem of nine oaks. Acorns are magical. When Nightingale throws one acorn on the ground, an oak minion quickly grows from there, ground support, so to speak. I drew one of them on the left. They are faster and more aggressive than the fortress oak. They run up to the hero and hit him. There are eight acorns on the necklace plus the fortress oak, for a total of nine. Oaks themselves are pretty creepy trees, but when nine oaks plus a Nightingale with his sonic weapon are moving towards the hero, the hero should feel uncomfortable.
Yes, and the scale here is a little arbitrary (otherwise it wouldn’t fit), but roughly guide yourself by the skulls on the branch, these are the skulls of adults. That is, the Nightingale is slightly larger ordinary person. Yes, and in the picture he just screams like an animal.
Tugarin Zmey. This is probably the last picture where I use complex frames - they take too much time, the characters are more important, so then the frames will be very conventional.
Lesovik. Owner of the forest. I will separate the forest spirits, this one is the most important. He is, in principle, kind, but stern and fair, if anything happens, he can punish harshly.
Visually, I decided to start from zooanthropomorphic descriptions, with elements of phytoanthropomorphism; for each forest spirit I will choose the main animal and will dance from it
Leshy. I tried to embody in this handsome man the main thing that is known about goblin in the generally accepted (and most importantly - evil) sense. Leshy's character, to put it mildly, is not very pleasant. One eye is normal (left), the right one is usually larger than the left and “dead”, motionless. The beard and hair are gray. They often write about a cone-shaped head, in my interpretation - because of the hair collected in a bun. He wraps his clothes to the left and wears them inside out (it turned out not so easy to show with a pencil that it was the wrong side). The arms and legs are covered with fur. In some versions of the legends it is belted, in others it is necessarily not. On the belt hang trophies and essential things: the skulls of defeated lost and impolite travelers, a horn for drinking, and bast shoes, because my Leshy just likes bast shoes, he collects them. In the legends, the classic Leshy also has some kind of fixation on bast shoes. But considering that he is often described as having hooves, the question is - how did he wear them? The logical answer is that he did not wear them on his feet, he simply carried them around with him as souvenirs.
Bolotnik. A vile creature living in the swamps pretends to be a hummock and eats everyone. Throws “swamp lights” from the bracelet to paralyze the victim. Poisonous.
P.S. I would also like to add a decoy, like that of an angler fish. The decoy is long, telescopic, in fact a symbiote, i.e. a separate creature, lures and hypnotizes travelers, leading them straight into the quagmire to the Bolotnik.
Spirits of the forest. Part 1. It was impractical to draw a separate picture for each small spirit of the forest, so I decided to divide them into groups. All these guys are Lesovik’s retinue. I tried to do it according to the descriptions that I could find, but it was not without arbitrariness.
Vodyanik, for example, is like one of the names of Vodyany. But I decided that small ponds, streams and small rivers should also have their own spirits, so I singled out the name “Vodyanik” into a separate group of small spirits. All forest spirits are quite neutral, but if you anger them, they can attack.
The most aggressive of this group is Mokhovik; according to legend, he could eat children, if anything.
Berryberry, for all its outward harmlessness, can also cause damage (with poisoned berries).
Derevyanik - combined Derevyanik and Kornevik in one character - stupid, awkward, but quite strong, he can entangle himself with roots and drink the juices from the victim with them.
Spirits of the forest. Part 2. Mushroom picker, Leaf picker, Herbal picker, Kustin. I call this picture “Russula is late for the meeting.” Concluding the topic of forest spirits and Lesovik’s retinue, let’s quickly go over the characters and abilities.
The mushroom picker is not a very kind character (in mythology mushrooms are generally not very popular, there is a lot about genitals and excrement), not very strong, but very tenacious and touchy (he believes that people slander him). Can infect offenders with rapidly growing fungi. His dream is to conquer the whole world.
The herbalist is a hippie. In case of danger, he can fool the offender and even kill him if he gets very angry.
Leaflet (combined with Steblevik, so as not to produce entities) - the most harmless of all, usually acts as a support group for Derevyanik and Kustin, giving them additional strength and protection.
Kustin (Kushchanik) is Derevyanik’s younger brother, they are very similar in character and usually work in pairs. Kustin can remotely entwine the offender with branches, paralyzing him.
Water on catfish. For this picture, I will simply list the main characteristics with explanations of why this is so, and we’ll talk about the details of Vodyanoy’s character in the next picture. I’ll say right away: I tried to incorporate into the image everything that the Internet knows about Vodyanoy, while at the same time proposing some of my own solutions. Please, immediately forget the song of Vodyanoy from “The Flying Ship”. So, let's go.
It is known that Vodyanoy is a fat old man with big belly(done), he is often seen in a red shirt (for me it’s chain mail made of scarlet gold), he has a thick beard and a green mustache (here I cheated and made him a CATFISH mustache, part of the beard is also a catfish’s stubble, hence the greenish color). Among the northern peoples of Russia, Vodyanoy is often represented with a club. In general, Vodyanoy is a serious evil spirit, and his character is very bad (quote: “The embodiment of the element of water as a negative and dangerous principle”). And the main quote for the picture, from which, in fact, the image itself was born. “He is credited with catfish as his favorite fish, which he rides on and which brings him drowned people. For this reason, the catfish is popularly called the “devil’s horse.” This is where the idea of making a mount boss came to mind. Since Vodyanoy is sometimes seen on land, I made the catfish not quite a catfish. In fact, there is a whole mix of animals (they all live quite well in Russia, by the way), whoever identifies them all has a pie.
I paid special attention to the harness, harness and saddle; I had to use my imagination, of course, but fighting pack catfish do not exist in nature, so I apologize if anything happens. This is not the last picture of Vodyanoy: here he is too small and the details are not visible, so I will make him separately, as I did Nightingale.
Vodyanoy and Vodyanitsa. Sorry for the many letters, but it's necessary. I present to your attention family photo, because of which I spent a sleepless night at work, it hit me like that. Let's start with Vodyanitsa, because new character. There is very little information about Vodyanitsa (where to put the emphasis, I prefer to put on and); it is known that she is NOT a mermaid, she is dressed in a torn sundress, she has big breasts, she’s a prankster, but on the whole she doesn’t offend anyone much, that is, she’s quite positive character. I drew her in a magpie (headdress married women) to emphasize marital status. And this character also has a key feature that really stuck with me. “Vodyanitsa is a drowned woman from the baptized, and therefore does not belong to the undead.” Do you understand, right? The baptized drowned woman is the wife of Vodyanoy, who is actually an evil spirit (undead). There is a huge scope for imagination, of course. And this is what I imagined.
As I wrote earlier, Vodyanoy has extremely bad character. He seems to be neutral, but with a greater bias towards evil. He constantly needs to be cajoled, otherwise he will play dirty tricks, drown you, and wave your club. However, he can provide a catch and save, if anything - and in my version, all his good deeds are directly related to Vodyanitsa. Since his wife is essentially kind, but young, mischievous and foolish, she plays with the old man as she wants. And often makes hubby commit good deeds, although this contradicts his unclean nature. And vice versa, when they quarrel, Vodyanoy goes on a hike and rages even more, letting off steam. Vodyanitsa herself is not particularly visible to people, and in my interpretation she is not even a separate character, but simply an addition to the image of Vodyany. She buffs (increases the strength) of the Vodyanoy when she yells at him.
Sister Alyonushka, brother Ivanushka Another sweet couple. I understand that I shock many people with this picture, but before you judge, please re-read the fairy tale. However, I will briefly explain everything to you. There are several key points in the fairy tale (in its many iterations) that are the same for all versions. So, the facts:
1. Ivanushka became a kid.
2. Alyonushka was drowned.
3. In almost all versions there is a “fierce snake” that sucked out Alyonushka’s heart (and there is also a “heavy stone” on her neck, “a white fish ate her eyes out”, “yellow sands lay on her chest”, “silk grass on her hands”, dust, decay, hopelessness, that’s all).
4. There is a witch-witch who organized this whole drowning mess.
5. They took Alyonushka out of the river, “dipped her, rinsed her in clean water, they wrapped it in white linen, and it became even better than it was.”
6. In all versions of the fairy tale, where Ivanushka turned into a little goat, he remained one. Well, you understand what I mean, right?
I was not lazy and nevertheless compiled my “dictionary of runes”. They are, of course, fictitious, based on the Scandinavian and those scribbles that he dug up in the pre-Christian writing of the Slavs. Moreover, I came up with the meanings of the runes myself, without really looking at the real ones. My version, my runes, I move whatever I want. There will be an additional game for the audience - reading what the characters have written on their clothes.
The heroes of Russian folk tales create the mythical and sometimes even mystical reality of Russian folk tales, because these heroes are separate part the lives of our ancestors. All those magical powers, which they owned and in which the ancient inhabitants believed have come down to us, although described more modern language, but at the same time not losing each of their uniqueness and type.
They are familiar to us all, as are their heroes, characters, and destinies. Let's see if you know all the heroes and if they are all familiar to your children. We will give pictures of heroes of Russian folk tales to make it easier for you to remember and imagine them. Maybe you can even decide who your favorite Russian folk tale hero is.
Ivan Tsarevich, who is also Ivan, is a fool and Ivan is peasant son. His main qualities are always described as kindness and nobility. In all fairy tales, Ivan Tsarevich helps other people and, in the end, lives happily. The character of Russian folk tales, Ivan the Fool, teaches us to listen to our hearts and listen to our intuition, to go through all difficulties with honor and not to lose heart. We often meet in such fairy tales gray wolf or a horse loyal to Ivan. The wolf usually symbolizes intelligence and cunning, and the horse, for example, Sivka-Burka, symbolizes devotion and fidelity, helping the hero in all his adventures.
The next familiar character from Russian folk tales is 
Snow Maiden. This heroine is a symbol of female tenderness and vulnerability, a bright soul and purity. Tales about her show that a person can create whatever he wants, that his potential is limitless, but what he creates has no heart and therefore sooner or later disappears, goes into oblivion.
One of the most beautiful options You can find fairy tales with the Snow Maiden in the section. And the Snow Maiden is like a white snowflake, with eyes like blue beads, a brown braid down to her waist...
Not only kind and positive heroes occupy our children. They also like negative heroes fairy tales, for example, Baba Yaga or sometimes Yaga-Yaginishna. This character in Russian folk tales is the oldest and most multifaceted. She lives in a big scary forest, which you need to avoid and God forbid you get into her hut on chicken legs. Baba Yaga is a Russian mythical creature, she can cast spells and bewitch, and more often harms the heroes of fairy tales than helps. Baba Yaga is most often depicted with a big nose, in a mortar and with a broom. This is how we all remember her.