Characteristics of characters in Russian folk tales. Fairytale names
Fairy tales shape the thinking, fantasy and worldview of many generations. Fairy tales not only entertained us as children, but the actions of the heroes of Russian fairy tales taught us to distinguish between good and evil, to be brave and to act justly.
At the same time, fairy tales reflect different beliefs, views and ideas of the people at different times. During its development, the fairy tale changed significantly, and its functions also changed. If it was initially used for a magical incantatory purpose (to summon good luck in a hunt, to protect oneself from enemies or to ensure victory in battle), then over time, having lost its ritual meaning, the tale acquired an aesthetic, educational or entertaining character.
Fairy-tale characters also remained conventional. They are types, not individuals, and therefore are described in general outline, are often idealized, exalted, and exaggerated. The main images here are always antagonistic: one embodies the good, the beautiful; the other is evil forces. Hence their characteristics - actions, actions, intentions, language. According to their functions, the heroes of Russian fairy tales are conventionally divided into do-gooders, evil-doers and the disadvantaged.
The largest group of fabulous folk epic make up magical, fantastic tales. An explanation of many motives and characteristics of fairy-tale heroes can only be found in comparison with ancient rituals, elements of the socio-religious way of life of the Proto-Slavs and ancient Eurasians. Let's try to analyze some of the most famous characters in Russian fairy tales.
Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga is a character from Slavic mythology and folklore. Usually an ugly old woman endowed with magical powers and magical items. Often a witch, sorceress. More often - negative character(luring children and good fellows into her hut on chicken legs to eat), but sometimes acts as the hero’s assistant. According to folklore specialist Vladimir Propp, three types of Baba Yaga can be distinguished in fairy tales: the giver (gives the main character a fairy-tale horse), the kidnapper of children and the warrior (she fights with the main character “to the death”).
IN modern ideas Baba Yaga is the mistress of the forest and guardian of the borders of the “other world” (far away kingdom). That's why she has a bone leg - to stand in the world of the dead. In many fairy tales, Baba Yaga heats the bathhouse and vaporizes the hero, performing the ritual of ablution. Then he feeds him, that is, he performs a funeral feast with him. And you female image Baba Yagas are associated, according to researchers, with matriarchal ideas about the structure of the social world.
Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Water
In Slavic mythology - a spirit that lives in water, the owner of water, the embodiment of the element of water as a negative and dangerous principle. He appears before us in the form of an obese old man, goggle-eyed, with a fish tail. He has a huge beard and mustache, sometimes fish-like features, webbed paws and a horn on his head. Lives in whirlpools and whirlpools, but especially loves water mills. Therefore, the millers cajoled them in every possible way, and also buried a live black rooster or other security attributes under the log where the door to the mill would be. Vodyanoy is often associated with the king of the sea.
Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Firebird
A fairytale bird is usually the target of a search for a fairy tale hero. The feathers of the firebird glow and amaze with beauty. Lives in the Garden of Eden, in a golden cage. He eats golden apples, heals the sick with his singing and restores sight to the blind. At a deep mythological level, he is the personification of fire, light and sun. Therefore, every year in the fall the Firebird dies and is reborn in the spring. At the cross-cultural level, it has an analogue - the Phoenix bird, reborn from the ashes.
Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Dragon
A fire-breathing dragon with several heads, the personification of evil in fairy tales and epics. He usually lives in the mountains, near a fiery river and guards the “Kalinov Bridge”, through which one enters the kingdom of the dead. The number of heads of the Serpent-Gorynych is usually three (3, 6, 9 or 12). In fairy tales, the element of fire is usually associated with the serpent. The Serpent-Gorynych kidnaps girls (often princesses) to feast on them. After that main characters comes to him for a duel, first killing his viper cubs.
Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Ivan the Fool
A very popular image in mythology, which, when solving problems, is guided by its own, non-standard solutions, often contrary to common sense, but bringing success. The designation “fool” is interpreted in different ways. Some researchers consider this a talisman against the evil eye. According to another version, Ivan is called a fool, since usually in fairy tales he is the third son, who is not entitled to a share of the parental inheritance (hence the ability to think outside the box and find a way out of difficult situations). Etymologically, the image of Ivan the Fool is connected with the image of a priest, because he can sing and play various instruments, and also speaks in riddles. At the end of the fairy tales, Ivan the Fool receives wealth and a princess as his wife.
Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Cat Baiyun
A huge cannibal cat with a magical voice. On the one hand, he charms and lulls travelers with his tales, on the other, his tales can heal. The word “bayun” itself means “talker, storyteller.” In fairy tales, Cat Bayun sits on a high pillar far away in the thirtieth kingdom or in a lifeless forest where there are no animals. In one of the fairy tales, he lives with Baba Yaga.
Catching the Cat Bayun is usually a test for the main character, who catches him wearing an iron cap and iron gloves. But the captured Cat Bayun then serves at the royal court, healing the sick with his stories.
Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Kolobok
A fairy-tale character in the form of spherical wheat bread, who runs away from grandparents, from various animals, but in the end is eaten by a fox. This character clearly personifies the reverent attitude of the Slavic people towards bread, and its sacred meaning. Namely, the round shape of the Kolobok, which also rolls, which refers us to the cult of the sun.
Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Koschey (Kashchei) the Immortal
An evil sorcerer whose death is hidden in several nested magical animals and objects. “On the sea, on the ocean, there is an island, on that island there is an oak tree, under the oak tree there is a chest buried, in the chest there is a hare, in the hare there is a duck, in the duck there is an egg, in the egg there is the death of Koshchei.” Often kidnaps the main character's fiancee. In appearance - a thin (Koschei - from the word “bone”) tall old man or a living skeleton. Sometimes on a talking and flying horse. A powerful sorcerer, which also allows us to call priests his prototypes.
Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Goblin
The master spirit of the forest in Slavic mythology. Its appearance can be different, even the opposite breeds in different fairy tales- sometimes he is small, sometimes a giant, sometimes an anthropomorphic creature, sometimes he has an animal appearance. In any case, its nature is otherworldly. People's attitude towards him is also ambivalent. On the one hand, they are afraid of him, he can make a person get lost, sometimes he plays pranks, and he can punish for inappropriate behavior in his domain. At the same time, it is the Leshy who protects the forest, on which human life largely depends.
Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Miracle Yudo
Character folk tales and epics, and even pre-Slavic mythology. The positive or negative nature of the character is not clearly indicated, as well as his gender - in different eras he was female, male, and neuter. Miracle Yudo is a character so ancient that researchers find it difficult to link him to any phenomenon.
It could be a sea animal, a mythical serpent, a dragon. And in author's fairy tale Peter Ershov “The Little Humpbacked Horse” (1834) there is Miracle Yudo Whale Fish - island fish.
Svyatogor
Sirin
Snow Maiden - The heroine of Russian folk tales does not like everything connected with warmth and fire, but she is a soulful, sincere girl.
The Snow Queen is from the fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen. The Snow Queen is cold as ice, unapproachable as an iceberg...
Sleeping Beauty - princess - a beauty who fell into a long sleep andslept for a hundred years
No one can remember from which region Grandfather Samo came to us. He was on friendly terms with any matter. And he did a lot not for himself, he tried for working people. Especially for those who loved to keep advice. If grandfather comes across such a person, he will definitely mark him. Master Samo also had one more amazing property - he knew how to convey his name to the working tool. Evgeniy Permyak told us about the wonderful grandfather Samo in his fairy tale “About Grandfather Samo.”
The Steadfast Tin Soldier,
Piggy bank,
Nightingale - these fairy-tale characters starting with the letter C were revealed to the world by the famous Danish writer G.H. Andersen.
Nightingale the Robber
Fairy-tale characters starting with the letter T
Tobacco - jackal, constant companion of the tiger Sherkhanfrom the collection of short stories "The Jungle Book"
Cockroach - threatened to swallow everyone and not have mercy on anyone
Tikhei Molchanovich
Tikhogrom is a dwarf from the fairy tale of the same name by the Brothers Grimm, a small agile man with a large head and long arms.
Three fat men -
Pumpkin (godfather)
Toropyzhka
Tortilla - a turtle, an inhabitant of the pond, a warm-hearted lady who gave Pinocchio the golden key (a fairy tale by A.N. Tolstoy “The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Pinocchio”)
Tugarin Zmey
Fairy-tale characters starting with the letter U
Ukonda - one of the seven underground kings
Umka is a polar bear cub, good-natured and funny
Urgando - one of the ancient Time Keepers of the Underground Country
Warra - leader of the Flying Monkeys
Urfin Juice
Fairy-tale characters starting with the letter F
Beans - the son of the rag picker Beans and friend of Cipollino from the fairy tale by D. Rodari “The Adventures of Cipollino”
Fedora (b
grandmother) – big fan of dishesFairies are frequent guests of fairy tales, both original and folk.
Finist - clear falcon
Foka is a jack of all trades,
man is an inventorfrom the fairy tale of the same name by Evgeny PermyakFoxtrot - Chief of Police from "The Adventures of Pig Funtik"
Freken Bok is a housekeeper with a great culinary talent for baking buns (“The Kid and Carlson Who Lives on the Roof” by Astrid Lindgren)
Funtik
Fairy-tale characters starting with the letter X
Khavroshechka is a girl who does not know her mother’s love; her life was spent in worries and work.
Hart from “The Fire God of the Marrans” and “The Yellow Fog” by A. Volkov
Khitrovan Petrovich - from the fairy tale “The Long-Lived Master” by Evgeny Permyak
Hottabych is an old man who can work miracles
The Mistress of the Copper Mountain is a royal and important person. She has her own kingdom, special, precious
Hvasta (h
ayats)Lame leg from “The Adventures of Cipollino” by D. Rodari
Piggy
Fairy-tale characters starting with the letter C
The Frog Princess - by the will of fate, became the wife of Ivan Tsarevich, the youngest son of the Tsar
King Bird (aka Firebird)
Tsar Saltan - the hero of the fairy tale by A.S. Pushkin “The Tale of Tsar Saltan, of his glorious and mighty hero Prince Gvidon Saltanovich and of the beautiful Swan Princess”
Tsakhes - s
The son of a poor peasant woman, Frau Lisa, an absurd freak who had never learned to speak or walk well until he was two and a half years old, Tsakhes frightened those around him with his appearance (hero of Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann's fairy tale "Little Tsakhes, nicknamed Zinnober")Caesar - from A. Volkov’s fairy tales “Fiery God of the Marrans” and “Yellow Fog”
Fairy-tale characters starting with the letter H
Sorcerer - an ordinary sorcerer
Cheburashka is an animal belonging to an unknown family of animals.
Bird cherry - doctor from the fairy tale by D. Rodari “The Adventures of Cipollino”
Blueberry - godfather from the fairy tale by D. Rodari “The Adventures of Cipollino”
The Devil (from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale “The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs”).
Cipollino is a brave onion boy from
fairy tales by Gianni Rodari “The Adventures of Cipollino”Cipollone - father Cipollino from the fairy tale by D. Rodari “The Adventures of Cipollino”
The sneezers from Genrikh Sapgir’s fairy tale “Miguns and Schihuns” love to listen to poetry
Wonder bird
(from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale “The Wonder Bird”)Miracle - Yudo
Churidilo from the fairy tale by Genrikh Sapgir is as round-faced as the moon; he has forty arms and forty legs, and even forty blue eyes
Fairy-tale characters starting with the letter Sh
Humpty Dumpty is a fairy tale character who sat on the wall and fell in his sleep.
Shapoklyak is an old woman who
organizes unkind pranks on harmless city residentsShere Khan - tiger, character from The Jungle Book (Mowgli) English writer Rudyard Kipling, the main antagonist Mowgli
The Hatter from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Chocolate - b
ehemothfrom “The Adventures of Pig Funtik”Hairpin -
artist, living in fairy tales about Dunno by Nikolai NosovSyringe -
doctorShpuntik -
master,Shtuchkin -
director , living in fairy tales about Dunno by Nikolai NosovScrew -
inventor,living in fairy tales about Dunno by Nikolai NosovShushera - a rat from the fairy tale “The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Pinocchio”
Fairy-tale characters starting with the letter Ш
The Nutcracker was at first an ugly doll, but at the end of the fairy tale he became a very important person...
Pike is a slightly weird character, she has magical powers and can give this power to others
Fairy-tale characters starting with the letter E
Eliza is the heroine of the fairy tale by H.K. Andersen's "Wild Swans"
Ellie -
the girl is meek, quiet, but knows how to stand up for herselffrom A. Volkov’s fairy tale “The Wizard of the Emerald City”Elvina - former queen of the Underworld
Elgaro - miner
Elyana - one of the last kings of the Underworld
Elf, elves -
Forest echo - no one saw it, but everyone heard it
Fairy-tale characters starting with the letter Y
Yuma - Marrano princess, wife of Prince Torma,fairy-tale heroine from A. Volkov’s book “Fiery God of the Marrans” (series of fairy tales “The Wizard of the Emerald City”)
Yuxie (in Russian means first) is the eldest gosling, he was the first to hatch from the egg, and soon demanded that everyone obey him from the fairy tale story of Selma Lagerlöf “ Wonderful trip Nils with wild geese"
Southern Whototam is a beast that nature “forgot” to create, but it was invented by a wonderful writer, a real miracle worker Boris Zakhoder
Fairy-tale characters starting with the letter I
Apple tree - a fabulous tree from the Russian folk tale “Geese and Swans”
Jacob - a boy who traded in the market square with his mother
Fairytale lands...
Brawler
- a magical fairy-tale island found in Russian fairy tales and beliefs. This island is considered the navel of the earth, it is located in the middle of the sea-ocean and there are many magical objects on it: a baked ox, crushed garlic in the side, and a sharpened knife; it is inhabited by mythological characters, Christian saints, and evil diseases - fever; Alatyr magic stone that heals any wounds and illnesses...Fairytale Buyan also became widely known thanks to Pushkin: on the island of Buyan magical things are stored that help fairy-tale heroes, and a magical oak tree (World Tree) grows. Many folk conspiracies and spells began with the words: “On the sea on Okiyan, on the island on Buyan lies the white-flammable stone Alatyr.” The sacred stone alatyr in Slavic mythology designated the center of the world.Real Buyan is the German island of Rügen in the Baltic. In ancient times, the West Slavic tribe of Ruyans lived on the island, and in their honor the island was called Ruyan. On the island was Arkona, the main pagan sanctuary of the Baltic Slavs. In subsequent centuries, in Slavic folklore the name was transformed into Buyan.
And the fabulous “white-flammable stone Alatyr” is the chalk rock “Royal Throne”, towering above the sea. According to tradition, the contender for the Ruyan throne had to climb alone at night along the spurs of the rock to the very top (which, apparently, was difficult and scary).
Lukomorye -
distant fairyland...The fabulous Lukomorye was borrowed by Pushkin from the folklore of the Eastern Slavs. This is a reserved northern kingdom on the edge of the world, where people hibernate in winter and wake up with the first rays of the spring sun. There is the World Tree (“At Lukomorye there is a green oak”), along which, if you go up, you can get to heaven, if down, you can get to the underworld.The real Lukomorye, contrary to the children's song with the words “Lukomorye is not on the map, which means there is no way into the fairy tale,” is depicted on many old Western European maps: this is the territory adjacent to the eastern shore of the Ob Bay, in the area of the modern Tomsk region.
In general, “Lukomorye” in the Old Church Slavonic language means “bend of the sea shore,” and in ancient Russian chronicles this toponym is mentioned not in the Far North, but in the region of the Azov and Black Seas and the lower reaches of the Dnieper. The chronicle Lukomorye is one of the habitats of the Polovtsy, who were sometimes called “Lukomorets”. For example, in connection with these regions, Lukomorye is mentioned in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.” In “Zadonshchina” in Lukomorye the remnants of Mamai’s army are retreating after the defeat in the Battle of Kulikovo.
Far Far Away kingdom - “another, distant, alien, magical” land (country).
The expression “The Far Far Away Kingdom, the Thirtieth State” is very often found in Russian folk tales as a synonym for the expression “very far away.” The origin of the expression is due to the fact that in ancient Rus' the word “land” was used, in particular, to refer to a territory subordinate to one ruler (for example, the Rostov-Suzdal land - a territory subordinate to the princes who lived in the cities of Rostov and Suzdal). Thus, the hero who goes “to distant lands” must, in his wanderings, cross a corresponding number of fairly large territories and state borders located between them.
The natural background for the action of Russian myths was the usual habitat (field, forest). As a contrast, an “Other”, alien, strange land was envisaged: the Far Far Away Kingdom, the Thirtieth State... Initially, these were steppes, deserts, and also often forests and impenetrable swamps and other fabulous obstacles (for example, rivers with fire), etc.
The very origin of the term is as follows: in the old days they counted in threes, hence distant (three times nine) - twenty-seven, thirty - thirty.
Oz - O surrounded on all sides by mountains and desert, the land of Oz could well exist in reality. Some argue that Frank Baum allegorized the United States in his book, but there is an opinion that real country Oz is in China, and Sydney, Chicago and Dubai are tipped for the laurels of the Emerald City. In any case, when you go looking for the land of Oz, be careful, because the first film based on this work is listed as “cursed” due to many accidents on the set. In addition, many productions of the work were also overshadowed by troubles that happened to the actors, most often suffered by those who played the role of the evil sorceress Gingema.
Wonderland - P the consolation through the rabbit hole seems more fantastic in our times than space flight, although in the century before last the latter seemed less real. The magical land where they live Cheshire Cat and the March Hare, you can easily find it if you take a good walk around Oxford, where Lewis Carroll once studied. And those who want to get to know the characters of the book better should go to the small town of Ripon in North Yorkshire. It is the decorations of the local cathedral served as a source of inspiration for Lewis when creating images.
Neverland - With According to legend, only children can enter the island, and adults are prohibited from entering here. Although, with pure childish thoughts, it is quite possible to follow Peter Pan's route over the treetops and through caves and end up in a land where Captain Hook, fairies, mermaids and pirates live. They say that James Barry wrote his book under the impression of a trip to Australia, but many also argue that the real prototype of the island “No and Will Not” is Madagascar.
Narnia - The kingdom of Narnia, where animals can talk and magic works, appeared thanks to Clive Lewis, who described it in a series of seven children's fantasy books. There is no clear opinion as to where Lewis found inspiration for describing the amazing landscapes. Although many are inclined to believe that the dense forests, crenellated castles and high mountains described in the book can be found in Northern Ireland in County Downe. However, the creators of films about Narnia found the scenery for filming their chronicles only in distant Australia. And the third film in the series, scheduled for release in December 2010, is being filmed in New Zealand, on the White Island, located in the Bay of Plenty.
middle earth - P It's probably hard to find a non-existent country with more detailed map and a more complete documented history. There is even more “historical evidence” of Middle-earth written by John Tolkien than that of some real countries. Thanks to the author of the film trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" Peter Jackson, in the minds of tourists, Middle-earth was firmly associated with New Zealand and served as a massive influx of tourists to these distant lands. If you don’t want to go that far, you can find places closer: Argentina, Scotland, Romania and Finland are also related to the great work.
Wonderful forest - The hundred-acre forest, which became “wonderful” thanks to Boris Zakhoder, is actually located in England, in the county of East Sussex and is called Ashdown. In any case, this is exactly what Alan Milne’s son, Christopher, claims in his autobiography. Some of the places written about in the book can actually be found in the forest, which, thanks to Winnie the Pooh, has long gained tourist popularity. Alas, you won’t be able to see the toys that served as prototypes for the fairy tale heroes in England. Back in 1947, they were taken to the USA for an exhibition and are now stored in the New York Public Library. True, the issue of returning exhibits to their homeland haunts the British and was even raised in 1998 in the British Parliament. But in Oxfordshire you can take part in the annual trivia championship, which appeared thanks to the book.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of fairy-tale characters who are actors fairy tales that are loved by your children, and maybe you too. They will help you more specifically choose certain fairy tales for your children for correctional purposes. Perhaps you will learn something new and interesting... Or perhaps you will disagree with something. But getting to know the characteristics of the characters will help you in choosing the hero of your own fairy tales for your baby, as well as for general awareness.
Cinderella lives in the kitchen near the stove and sleeps in a box of ash. Ash (ash) represents the essence of what has been burned. Fire is a symbol of destruction, purification and transformation. Cinderella lives next to fire, which imparts its power to her, and it in turn helps her survive adversity and suffering. Like fire that turns water into steam, Cinderella processes, burns through humiliation, resentment and pain, turning them into pure love. You must have a warm heart so as not to become embittered and hardened in soul when you are insulted, humiliated and hated.
Princess Frog
The amphibian frog and Vasilisa the Beautiful are one and the same creature: animal and earthly forces are fused together. Every person contains incredible and wonderful possibilities. Merging with the image of the beautiful Vasilisa, you feel omnipotent, harmonious and joyful. a frog that turns into a beauty realizes its potential, given from birth.
sleeping Beauty
During the time of Sleeping Beauty, people perceived and realized differently the world. Consciousness never stands still, it develops, and intuitive perception should have been replaced by logical thinking. The spindle is a symbol of spinning. And the processes of spinning and thinking are initially related. The expressions “I lost the thread of reasoning”, “I pulled the thread and remembered everything” still exist. “Spinning” in figurative language means to build thoughts, create a logical chain.
The princess, who, under the curse of the evil fairy, pricks herself on the spindle and dies (falls asleep), is not ready to easily and quickly switch to a different type of thinking. And she goes into sleep to accept this process on an unconscious level.
The Snow Queen
Woman made of ice... Ice is frozen crystallized water. The Ice Queen symbolizes frozen feelings and emotions, stopped movement. Admiring ice crystals, the correctness of lines, the geometry of space and time and not feeling the tenderness of a flower, the warmth of the sun, the soft touch of beloved hands means living with a cold, frozen heart. The Snow Queen and her ice castle represent, on a psychological level, detachment, insensibility, firmness, determination, icy calm, composure, and the ability to control oneself. Are these qualities really that bad? Aren't there situations in life when we need to be cool, balanced and calm? It’s just that everything in excess is harmful. And even the most beautiful things in large quantities tire. And when the mind and feelings are in harmony, what could be better?
Image Snow Queen very useful for children (adults) who are weak and weak-willed, insecure and timid, vulnerable and soft: it will give them strength, firmness, self-confidence, and perseverance in the face of difficulties. The image of the Snow Queen will also help those who are overly excitable, temperamental and hot: it will cool down excessive ardor, balance and calm.
Mermaid
The Little Mermaid is a child of the element of water and symbolizes the emotional and sensory world. The Little Mermaid’s passionate desire to experience earthly love and spend her life not in the expanses of water, but on solid land can be associated with the fact that the intangible and invisible strives to take shape. But life on earth is associated with great pain for the Little Mermaid. It is probably no coincidence that the heroine was never able to fulfill her dream of becoming the prince’s lover and wife. It would seem that the Little Mermaid deserved her happiness, but she did not receive it.
In such cases, you can invite children to write their own fairy tale and change its ending. The technique of changing fairy tales allows you to look at the world around you more optimistically and joyfully. This is especially important for sad, indecisive, inhibited and weakened children.
Mistress of Copper Mountain
This woman is incredibly beautiful, balanced and strong. The stone woman, however, is capable of crying, and is fair, and compassionate. So why doesn’t it bring joy to even good people? Maybe the point is not in the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, but in the person himself, who goes out to fight with a stronger one, but is not able to withstand the fight? Precious stones are a symbol of wealth and power. How many are capable of possessing treasures and not having attachment to them, not falling into dependence? The image of the Mistress of the Copper Mountain allows you to feel strong and powerful in a good way, fair and at the same time ruthless, powerful and rich.
A light, airy creature endowed with magical powers. Messenger of fate, witch, sorceress - her other names. A fairy is a beautiful star creature, a kind of mediator between Space and Earth, the world of people. The fairy is inextricably linked with the light that penetrates any space. To feel like a fairy means to have indestructible faith in yourself, in the power of your thoughts; experience the state of a wizard for whom nothing is impossible.
It got its name from the verb “to know” - to know. Her other titles are sorceress, knowledgeable, knowledgeable, sorceress. A witch is, first of all, a healer, a sorceress. She easily commands the diverse forces of nature and any creatures. Unlike a fairy and a good sorceress, a witch uses powers to the detriment of a person or creature, demands a considerable fee for services, rejoices when she feels good, radiates anger, envy, tension and brute force (the force of a hurricane, whirlwind, earthquake).
One of the witches. The ancient Slavs in Rus' called her a hellish goddess, a terrible goddess who destroys the bodies and souls of people. Baba Yaga is a powerful sorceress, and her hut on chicken legs is something like a passageway, a kind of bridge between the world of the living and the kingdom of the dead. Only a brave hero, capable of overcoming the fear of death, can resist Baba Yaga. To be embodied in Baba Yaga, to live her image means to feel power, crushing strength and the absence of fear of death.
Koschei the Deathless
Belongs to the world of the dead. Why is he called immortal? Koschey the Immortal consists of nothing but bones. bones are the hardest, strongest, toughest tissue in the human body, capable of withstanding enormous loads. Bones do not rot or decompose under certain conditions and are difficult to burn.
Koschey the Immortal symbolizes complete insensibility and lack of spirituality, rigidity, stereotyping, limitation and inertia. At the same time, the image of Koshchei the Immortal helps to gain fortitude, fearlessness, unshakable self-confidence, determination and strength.
Tsar (king)
The state is governed by a huge number of people. At the symbolic level, the king means a certain dominant higher psychic center. To be in a royal state is to experience the unification of all parts of the Self. To feel like a king means to control your thoughts, emotions, states, to feel responsible for everything that happens in your “kingdom”.
The highest regulatory center is responsible and governs. However, unlike the king, she symbolizes female emotions and feelings.
A wonderful sign of beauty and flourishing vitality. To more accurately understand the symbolism of a particular flower, describe it to yourself with 3-5 adjectives. These adjectives will mean the state of your soul that you see in the flower. If, for example, we take “The Scarlet Flower,” then I would like to describe it with the following adjectives: beautiful, burning, blazing, scarlet. Isn't it associated with the heart and love? The merchant's daughter's desire to find a scarlet flower is a desire for love, passion, dedication, and heartfelt affection.
Symbol of freedom. By living the state of a bird, you can get rid of heavy attachments to desires, feel a state of independence, lightness, airiness and flight.
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A simple and at the same time mysterious bird. Crows are endowed with mystical powers and the ability to penetrate supernatural worlds, including the afterlife. Crows are smart and wise birds. Having reincarnated as a raven, you have the opportunity to look at the world with different eyes, see the deep and mysterious areas of life, explore the dark side of your soul and touch your inner wisdom.
Martin
The beautiful, fast-winged bird is a symbol of spring and renewal, a symbol of new life. It is no coincidence that it was the swallow that carried Thumbelina to new world, in which the girl found a home, her prince and happiness. Caring for a swallow, as Thumbelina did, means preparing for change, for a state of spring, joy, and happiness.
The white swan symbolizes beautiful and pure thoughts. The swan is a sign of greatness, beauty and grace.
Eagle owl (owl)
A nocturnal bird of prey with excellent vision in the dark. It symbolizes the unknown and darkness. Unknown dark spaces are usually frightening, and therefore people are always afraid of the owl (owl). But it is not without reason that the owl (owl) is considered a symbol of wisdom. It is his fearless perception of the dark and mysterious side of life that provides depth and wisdom. Eagle owl (owl) is a symbol of transformation, the transition of negative dark states into a calm and harmonious perception of life.
A predatory beast, strong, smart and careful. Sometimes he is endowed with such traits as cruelty, ferocity, gluttony and greed. Wolves have a highly developed sense of family and pack. They are caring parents and partners who feel great about each other. In some fairy tales, the wolf is a bloodthirsty, ferocious and merciless monster, while in others, particularly in Mowgli, he is a caring, attentive and even noble parent. Therefore, a wolf can symbolize different states of the soul.
In Russian fairy tales, it usually appears as an independent, intelligent and resourceful creature, able to easily defend itself and repel any beast. Its needles symbolize caution, inaccessibility, closedness, fear of pain and the need for protection.
The hare is considered a symbol of fear, weakness, as well as boasting and unjustified self-confidence. And in many fairy tales he is indeed presented this way. However, the fairy tale “Koska the Hare and the Spring” shows other sides of the hare’s nature: curiosity, playfulness, patience and courage.
An ambiguous and deep image, they fear her, deceit and meanness are associated with her. Biblical motifs characterize the serpent as a seducer and tempter. The snake has the ability to change its skin frequently, and in this way it symbolizes rebirth and renewal. Different snakes symbolize different things: a boa constrictor, for example, can symbolize enormous suffocating compressive power and strength, and a viper may symbolize cunning and meanness.
It belongs to the category of amphibians and feels equally at home in water and on land. She is subject to both the emotional and sensory world and the material and objective world. In different fairy tales we see different images of frogs. in the fairy tale “The Frog Traveler,” curiosity, the desire for change, boasting and pomposity come to the fore; in the fairy tale “The Frog Princess” - nobility hidden behind the apparent external ugliness.
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When interpreting the image of a bear, one should take into account its dual nature. On the one hand, the bear is considered a clumsy, clumsy, heavy creature, on the other hand, the bear is unusually dexterous and fast. The bear represents cruelty, rudeness, evil force, and at the same time its image is associated with good nature and protection. In the fairy tale "Mowgli" the bear is a symbol of teacher's wisdom, attention, nobility and protection.
Smart, courageous, fearless, cunning, possesses seductive grace and flexibility, noiselessness, patience, and sometimes ruthlessness. The image of a panther will help balance existing qualities and give strength, firmness, sobriety, determination and courage.
There are many different expressions associated with the image of a fish: to be silent like a fish, to fight like a fish on ice, like a fish in water... each of these expressions describes certain human actions. The image of a fish is often associated with the “emerging” of deep psychic unconscious information. We can also talk about character traits such as coldness and dispassion. Sometimes fish symbolizes slipperiness, when the person with whom we are communicating deftly avoids the desired topic, avoids sensitive moments or situations.
Known for its ability to shed its tail in times of danger and grow a new one over time. Therefore, it is considered a symbol of renewal, reincarnation, resourcefulness and vitality. Perhaps, thanks to Bazhov’s fairy tales, or perhaps for another reason, the habitats of lizards are associated with deposits precious stones, gold or treasures. And that is why lizards are considered a symbol of wealth, material gain or reward.
It is connected with the fact that anyone can become kind in them - a narrow-minded son, a spoiled prince, and even Gray wolf. One of the most popular positive fairy-tale images is the 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 tale - most often he is the youngest 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 the question “which hero of Russian fairy tales is the kindest?” It is possible only by specifying the purpose of good deeds. So, undoubtedly, Ivanushka can be called the kindest, who bravely goes into battle with dark forces, without thinking about his own well-being. True goodness is, first of all, determined by selflessness, since the hero who commits noble deeds for the sake of profit, he 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, to award the title of the kindest fairy tale hero it is possible for each of these characters, since in the fight against evil it is not so much skill that is important, but intention, and the intention of each of them is undoubtedly the most noble.
If you regularly read our blog, you probably remember the post about the creation of a little dog, a character in the mobile game “Evolution”. It was drawn (and the post was written) by the leading artist of the project, Roman Amokrus Papsuev. However, like all talented people, Roman creates not only at work, but also in free time- for the soul. One day he came up with the idea of redrawing well-known characters from Russian fairy tales and epics in a modern fantasy gaming style. The result is a whole series of wonderful pencil drawings, executed with great attention to detail. The novel was not guided by the characters of any specific game; the images turned out to be collective. However, it is better to see a hundred times than to read once.
Welcome to the cut, his story is waiting for you there (also see the second part). Lots of pictures inside!
As a CG artist, I sometimes amuse myself by remembering how to draw with a pencil. I once spent a lot of time on a sketchbook that I called Monsta Panopticum - it was a collection of various monsters, a kind of exercise for the imagination. But the sketchbook ended, but the ideas remained, and then it occurred to me that Slavic mythology and Russian folk tales are full of cool characters, and games based on our legends are one or two out of stock. Since I have been working in game development for quite a long time, I have a fairly good understanding of the basic visual cliches (I may disappoint someone, but I have never played Warhammer, Allods Online, Dota, Elder Scrolls, Dark Souls or even World of Warcraft, which is not prevents me from knowing what they look like).
The idea of the project is this: develop and develop one topic, try to look at it from different angles. It occurred to me that we should try to make our characters, but in the standard modern fantasy game style (you shouldn’t try to identify the specific game that inspired the pictures, everything will be from everywhere).
At first it was just an exercise in imagination, then, when I began to carefully study the primary sources and look at reference literature, the project became much more interesting for me, since it allowed me to interpret “in a playful way” not only the stereotypes that have stuck in everyone’s heads since childhood, but also primary sources are Russian folk tales and epics. You will see for yourself how the descriptions of the pictures vary: the longer the description, the more time I spent studying the sources.
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.
I often hear that the characters turned out to be “not Russian”, they say, remove the signatures - and it’s not clear who is where. I would like to say right away that, firstly, I consciously tried to get away from stereotypes and interpretations of individual authors, and secondly, I would like to know where the canon is by which you can EXACTLY determine what Baba Yaga looked like, for example. After all, all we know about the heroes of fairy tales are images from childhood, images given to us by the brilliant Ptushko, Rowe, Vasnetsov, Bilibin. That is, the author's interpretations. So, my pictures are also interpretations, and in a very specific style. Just keep in mind that this project has nothing to do with realism and historical authenticity. And these are fairy tales that have found their way into the world of games. My goal is not to erase our great heritage, but only to try to look at it from a different point of view.
Thank you for making it through the introduction. Now the actual pictures.
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 completely fell into the image.
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. He also has 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 Finistu.
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. Conjures and with the help own strength, and with the help of mother-nannies (grandmother-nanny, mother-nanny, 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 also dabble in dark magic, her character is like that... 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 due to an eternally bad mood, he constantly drinks 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-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 Roe’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 about how to play it all out (“sitting on nine oak trees” was the biggest problem - a giant, or what? Or are the oak trees small?), in the end I 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 phytoanthropomorphy; for each forest spirit I will choose the main animal and will dance from it.
Goblin. 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.
As for the general appearance, the justifications are as follows.
- Firstly, legends indicate that Leshy often appears in a zooanthropomorphic form, in particular in the form of a bear. There is a saying: “The goblin is not his brother - he will break all the bones no worse than a bear.”
- Secondly, there are beliefs that he goes into hibernation (preved, bear).
- Thirdly, which animal is considered the most ferocious and personifies Russian nature?
- Fourthly, as friends from LiveJournal suggested to me - according to many researchers (in particular, Dmitry Zelenin), Leshy can be considered the personification of Veles, whose basic hypostasis is just a bear.
Since he is still a forest spirit, I also added phytomotives. Leshy are often associated with aspen trees (aspen trees seem to indicate demonicity), so he is hung with the leaves of this tree. On the chest hang the cut cores of magical aspen trees, in the center of which magical stones grow (this is a fairy tale, let me remind you). These cuts on the chest are the magical protection of Leshy. Well, the roots and branches hold the skin on the shoulders.
And finally, he has woodpecker skulls hanging from him. Since Leshy has a violent and bad temper and at the same time he loves to sleep, he is terribly annoyed by the knocking woodpeckers. That's why he destroys them. Well, he exterminates rats simply because they are rats. Leshy is afraid of their bare tails. On this basis, the Leshis often quarrel with the Lesoviks. Although they are relatives, they are, in fact, Greenpeace members and, in general, protect any forest life. And the Leshis believe that some forest dwellers are disgusting and must-have.
Swampman. 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 Vodyanoy. 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.
Vodyanoi 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 a 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 - also catfish probes, 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 it's a 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 large breasts, she is a prankster, but in general she does not offend anyone much, i.e. .is quite a positive character. I painted her wearing a magpie (the headdress of married women) to emphasize her 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 an 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, and drown, and wave his 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 she often forces her hubby to do 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.
Now a little about the images themselves.
All river spirits in Slavic mythology are distinguished by a passion for combing their hair (all of them must have long and flowing hair). Vodyanitsa is no exception. In one of the sources I saw that she combs her hair with fish bones, but I decided to give her a cool comb (hanging on her belt). This is a gift from the Sea King, a distant relative of Vodyanoy (Bolotnik, by the way, is also a relative, but feral, “there’s a black mark in the family,” as they say). Vodyanitsa's hair is green, she herself is very pale. Her jewelry is mostly pearls and all sorts of things with shell and water motifs. On the belt, in addition to the comb, there are amulets, but they do not affect Vodyanoy, because he is a husband. The merman does not object to amulets (he even hangs all sorts of moonlights on his fighting catfish), but he does not wear them himself, because he sincerely believes that he does not need them and he does not care at all.
More about Vodyanoy. As I mentioned, he has chain mail made of scarlet gold, underneath it is a shirt made of nets, a shell plate to protect his stomach, well, you can see for yourself. But he took off his shoulder pads because he was at home. He has a whip on his side, because he “grazes herds of his cows - catfish, carp, bream and other fish - at the bottom of rivers and lakes.” He has short legs because he usually rides a catfish, and they are not particularly developed. I would especially like to mention the “crown”. The merman is also described as having a horn on his head; I replaced the horn with a crown - in the form of catfish probes sticking out of his head.
As for Vodyanoy’s abilities, he draws his strength, of course, from water and from the screams of his wife. He is a boss mount (meaning he is very tough and rides a horse), and together with the fighting catfish they make a formidable fighting unit. The merman uses mainly brute force, and can magically summon only lower water spirits (akin to Kelpies from Celtic mythology) - stupid, but aggressive. There may be other magical abilities, but I haven't thought about them yet.
What a sweet couple they turned out to be. In general they have happy marriage, live and live, make good. Not without quarrels and swearing, of course. But it’s the same for everyone, probably, right?
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:
- Ivanushka became a little goat.
- Alyonushka was drowned.
- 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”, ashes, decay, hopelessness, that's all).
- There is a witch-witch who organized this whole drowning mess.
- They took Alyonushka out of the river, “dipped her, rinsed her in clean water, wrapped her in white linen, and she became even better than she was.”
- In all versions of the fairy tale, where Ivanushka turned into a little goat, he remained one. Well, you understand what I mean, right?
Ten years have passed. The little goat has grown up...
He became her bodyguard and instrument of brute force. Both characters are creatures tied to magic. Both are generally positive and on the side of good, but they do not hesitate to use black magic, unlike Popovich, who is all correct. They are professionals high standard, merciless with evil spirits, unsurpassed masters melee combat: Ivanushka takes with force, Alyonushka with dexterity. Ivanushka is generally as strong as a bull (ha-ha), so he carries all of his and his sister’s belongings, plus a huge hammer, which he naively calls the “Hammer of the Witches.” Ivanushka has complexes about his appearance and can kill if someone suddenly calls him an asshole.
Now for the images. The idea of a little girl and a big companion is not new; in the same Juggernaut we have Una, for example. Here this scheme simply suggested itself. So it turned out like this. Well, some details, just for information.
Alyonushka:
- the wreath is woven from water lilies (in fact, a drowned woman), poppy (a flower against witches), leaves and branches of aspen (a magic tree);
- a cross on the neck - protection of the immortal soul. The fairy tale did not say whether Alyonushka was baptized, I believe that she was baptized;
- Witches are afraid of all piercing and cutting weapons, including scythes. Alyonushka has a damask scythe-sickle, created specifically for fighting evil spirits;
- Alyonushka’s costume is partially and very loosely based on the clothing of the Krivichi and Drevlyans;
- on the belt hang the necessary things against witches - a bottle of spring water (a bonus for the one who tells you why spring water), a bag of poppy seeds, obligatory amulets and a bag with all sorts of things. Well, half-drowned women also love combs.
Ivanushka:
- in addition to a two-handed war hammer, he carries with him a large damask knife on his side (one of those with which they wanted to stab him), a cleaver strapped to the “backpack”, and an aspen stake in the same place. Not a peg, as usual with everyone (for the same Popovich), but a really hefty stake. Can string several unclean enemies onto him at once;
- all his armor is painted with the sign of witch hunters, so that it is immediately clear who he is and why he came;
- on his belt dangles a tooth, torn out from the first werewolf he killed (his skin is on his shoulders), and the collarbone of the very witch who drowned Alyonushka;
- bells-amulets hang on the shoulder pads;
- well, in the end, before you say that goats have only two horns, google “goat with four horns”, you will see everything for yourself, I was also surprised by the variety of genetic mutations.
Now about the runes. 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. And here are the runes themselves:
I also have