One question I get a lot from you readers is whether or not there is a collection of myths, monsters, and stories from Russian fairy tales out there. There really isn’t anything definitive, or at least nothing that I can recommend. So I’m going to be compiling my own “Guides to Russian fairy tales” over the next few months. These will be free downloads for you guys, by the way.
I’m thinking of a few options, including a book of Slavic myths, a guide to heroes and villain from the tales, and a guide to monsters and other mythical. I’ll start with a Slavic bestiary, but feel free to comment and let me know which of these you’d prefer to see first.
Alatyr
The Alatyr is a stone that has magical and healing properties. It’s a kind of “father of all stones.” You can find it in the center of the world, in the middle of the Ocean-Sea (a fascinating place I talk about in a previous post). You can also find it on the legendary island of Buyan.
The legends say that it is the sea of the World Tree or sometimes the foundation of the throne of all kingdoms. All healing waters, such as Living Water, have their source under the stone of Alatyr.
The stone of Alatyr figures prominently in book 5 of my Raven Son series, which as of the writing of this post is still being written.
Alkonost
The Alkonost is a paradise bird who resides in Aer, the garden of the gods, or the Slavic mythological version of heaven.
The Alkonost has an incredible voice, and anyone who hears her song can forget everything in the world and lose himself in the search for paradise. However, if the Sirin can sometimes have evil intentions, the Alkonost is entirely a creature of good.
The Alkonost sometimes laid eggs which helped the world overcome winter and enter the renewal of spring. She never sat on her eggs, though, but deposited them into the Ocean-Sea. Whenever her eggs are at the bottom of the sea, the weather at sea turns fair.
The Alkonost has the head and chest of a woman, with the rest of the body of a bird.
Anchutka
The Anchutka is a small evil spirit, usually residing in water or the swamp. Thought it doesn’t have wings, it can fly. Another strange nickname of the Anchutka is “the one without heels.” This is one of the best ways of recognizing evil forces–they always have a limp. In some stories, the Anchutka becomes “heel-less” because the wolf has bitten off its heels.
The Anchutka is often a sidekick of the Vodyanoy (a water spirit). Not surprisingly, you’re not supposed to utter its name aloud, because it always appears when you summon it.
After the coming of Christianity, the name “Anchutka” became a synonym for “demon”.
Aspid
The Aspid is a kind of dragon, but with bird-like elements, like a beak. It resides in mountains primarily, and usually prefers solitude. But if it invades a region, it almost always causes universal devastation.
Baba-Yaga
Baba-Yaga is an old hag who lives in the forest in a hut standing on chicken feet. This hut usually turns it back to the forest, and its front door to the visitor. There’s a fence of human bones and skull around her house, and the lock to her door is a mouth with sharp teeth.
Baba-Yaga can’t see very well, and one of her feet is bony. She eats people and flies around the world in a mortar and pestle, with a broom in hand (presumably to wipe away her tracks). Still, Baba-Yaga is an ambivalent character, and she often helps heroes on their quest.
Baba-Yaga is queen of all witches, and all forest animals listen to her, especially frogs, ravens, black cats, and snakes.
She appears in many Russian fairy tales. You can learn more about her historical origins in this post.
Bannik
The Bannik is the spirit of the steam house (yes, he’s the god of the sauna… this shouldn’t surprise you if you know any Russians). The steam house used to be one of the most important parts of any house. Still, people were a little afraid of it. For whatever reason, people thought of it as an unclean place. If you ever tore down your banya, you could never build anything else on that spot.
After all, it was the home of the Bannik, who lived behind the stove or under the shelf where people sat. As a rule, he was invisible.
The Bannik is mischievous, and he doesn’t really like people, especially drunkards. Oddly enough, he doesn’t like steam. So it’s important to get your steam house nice and hot and steamy before entering, because he’s most likely left for a while.
If you get the Bannik mad, he can thrown hot stones at you, burn you with boiling water, or even choke you with steam. He’s especially dangerous after midnight, so you should never have a steam after that time. He tends to lull people to sleep in the banya , then blow hot air into their mouths that kills them.
The best way to pacify him is to leave him an unused bath broom, a piece of soap, and a bit of water in a vessel on the floor. Sometimes, if things get really bad, you should leave him a black-feathered chicken to eat.
For the uninitiated in the art of the steam room, you’re not supposed to go back and forth from banya more than three times. The “fourth steam” is reserved for the Bannik and his friends the rusalki (mermaids).
If you enjoyed this post, I bet you’ll also like my essay “A Passport to Russian Fairy Land,” in which I guide you through the opening lines of Russian Fairy Tales, help you interpret cryptic fairy tale phrases, and introduce you to the infamous Baba Yaga herself! Enter your email and I’ll send your passport!