Russian fairytales are the whole world, somewhat obscure but very deep and interesting. Fairytales form part of the national mindset, so if you study Russian or would like to dive into Russian culture, it’s a good idea to get to know some of the local folklore. Today we will talk about the most popular Russian fairytale characters.

Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga (Бабая Яга) is probably the most famous character of Russian and Slavic folklore. She is an old witch that lives in a forest in a hut on chicken legs and uses a mortar with a pestle to fly. Baba Yaga appears in many Russian fairytales and she is often portrayed as an evil character that parents even today use to scare their little children with when they misbehave. In popular plots, Baba Yaga steals children and even cooks them just like a witch from Hansel and Gretel’s stories. However, in some stories, Baba Yaga may even help the main characters but of course, still on her own, kind of malicious way.

Koschei

This character is mostly known as Koschei “the Immortal” (Кощей Бессмертный). He is an evil antagonist character in many Russian fairytales. Koshei is best known for being immortal, he hides his “death” inside some special objects, and while these objects remain untouched he cannot die. In most common plots his death is hidden in the needle, that is hidden inside the egg, the egg is in the duck, the duck is in the hare, the hare is in the chest, the chest is buried or chained up on a far island. Reminds a little bit of Lord Voldemort, isn’t it? Koshei is usually portrayed as a bareboned old man or even as a living skeleton.

Zmei Gorynich

Another famous evil character of many Russian fairytales, myths, and legends is Zmei Gorynich (Змей Горыныч) — a three-headed dragon. Zmei Gorynich literally means “snake of the mountains”, so usually, in fairytales, he lives in mountains or sometimes in a forest. The terrifying dragon can speak and in most stories, he can fly. Zmei Gorynich is usually a rival of “bogatyrs”, mighty Slavic warriors, and the battle between a hero and a dragon is a popular element of Russian fairytales.