Every country has its characters from fairy tales and movies. Therefore, today we are going to tell you about the characters that were invented and exist only in Russia, and which every Russian person is familiar with since their childhood.

Female characters

The most memorable female characters in Russian fairy tales and movies are Snegurochka, Alenushka, Elena the Beautiful, Vasilisa the Wise, and the Frog Princess. They were known for their kindness, wisdom, beauty, as well as intellect, and logical thinking. Other bright characters are:

• Masha – a character from the most popular Russian cartoon series “Masha and the Bear”, a restless and naughty girl, the Bear’s companion. This brat loves caprices and mischiefs, and she always asks questions that are hard to answer. A character from a Russian fairy tale became a prototype of Masha.

• Baba Yaga – the oldest character in Slavic mythology, an old woman and a witch who lives in a hut on chicken legs and knows how to control the magical powers. Baba Yaga is a negative character in most fairy tales, although there are few stories where she helps the main characters.

• The Firebird – a fabulous bird that can heal sick people. It is also a prototype of the Western European Phoenix.

Each female character is individual in her own way and has her own character which embodies both the good and the bad.

Male characters:

We can also distinguish really bright characters among male heroes. We think that it is impossible to think of Russian fairy tales without such characters as:

• Three Bogatyrs. They are strong and brave heroes, symbols of Russia, who every viewer has long loved, thanks to a series of full-length animated movies about adventures of Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich, and Ilya Muromets.

• Ivan the Fool is a character who, unlike his brothers, does not have a big brain. However, whatever he does he always succeeds. In a fairy tale, he saves the main female character by skillfully solving all the puzzles and defeating evil spirits.

Buratino, Crocodile Gena, Doctor Aybolit, Barmaley, Winnie the Pooh, Cat Leopold, and Cat Matroskin are also extremely popular and favorite characters of the Russian cinema.

Mythological creatures: guardians and dwellers of swamps, forests, and houses

Mermaids, Vodyanoy, Kikimora, Leshy, Domovoy, and Baba Yaga are a significant and large component of the Russian traditional epos. In classical Russian movies, these characters are traditionally negative. However, in modern movies they are often positive.

• Koschei the Immortal is an old man who has supernatural powers. One can defeat Koshcheev only when finds and breaks the needle, which stores his death. In many Russian fairy tales Koschei acts as the kidnapper of the main character’s bride.

• Bayun-Cat is the main Baba Yaga’s helper. He lulls people into sleep by telling tales or singing songs, then kills them. But he also can heal travelers or send them to death to Baba Yaga.

• Leshy is a host and protector of the forest, as well as a mighty spirit. He can frighten travelers and make them get lost in the forest. However, he can save the travelers who he has liked.

• Zmey Gorynych is a fire-breathing dragon with several heads who personifies evil. In fairy tales, he very often appears together with Koschei the Immortal in order to commit some evil things.

Well, we have looked at the most popular characters from Russian fairy tales, movies, and cartoons.  We hope you will like the article and will know a lot of new things about the characters from Russian movies.