On our last Slavic Saturday, we discussed a new webtoon based on Slavic folklore called Marya Morevna, and I promised in that post that we would discuss more about that historical tale. So that’s exactly what today’s post is. We’ll talk about the sorcerer Koschei the Deathless (also known as Koschei the Immortal), the warrior queen Marya Morevna, and the bogatyr Ivan Tsarevich.
Note: If you enjoy Slavic mythology, check out A Dagger in the Winds, the first book in my Slavic fantasy series called The Frostmarked Chronicles. You can also get a free eBook copy of the prequel novella, The Rider in the Night, via most retailers throughout the world or by joining my newsletter.
Deathless
It is hard to study Russian folktales (known as skazki) for long without encountering Koschei the Deathless. Ironically, the most famous tale related to the character is called “The Death of Koschei the Deathless” (or “Marya Morevna”), and that irony draws into his character. Koschei is thought to be a powerful sorcerer afraid of nothing… except death itself. So, he does everything possible to avoid death’s grip.
According to the many skazki in which Koschei appears, he achieves his immortal status by separating his soul from his body. He puts Voldemort to shame by not just hiding his soul in various objects but placing it on the tip of a needle in an egg that is in a duck that is in a hare that is in a chest buried beneath an ancient oak tree. *Takes breath* That chest is often claimed to be on the mythical island of Buyan in the middle of the ocean that could appear or disappear depending on the tides and whims of the wind gods that lived upon it. Obviously, this makes his soul quite difficult to find – the entire point of why it’s there. To make matters worse, some tales claim a dragon guards the island.
Okay, so let’s assume the bogatyr (the hero) reaches this mysterious hidden island, slays the dragon, and finds the chest. That’s it, right? Koschei will be vulnerable.
Well… kind of. In the tales, the hare would run away when the bogatyr opened the chest, and even if the hare was killed, the duck would try to fly away. Only when the bogatyr manages to reach the egg does Koschei become vulnerable, as he would die if the needle within were destroyed. This could make the one possessing the egg very powerful if they were to command Koschei using the egg.
Koschei, Meet Marya
Now, let’s talk about “The Death of Koschei the Deathless”/”Marya Morevna”. This tale is a fascinating one, involving a warrior queen, a wandering prince, an immortal sorcerer, the most famous witch in Slavic mythology, wizards, and a good old mafia-style chopping people up and throwing them in barrels. What else could you ask for?
The tale begins with the young Ivan Tsarevich. His last name quite literal means “son of the tsar,” so we know Ivan is important. It is said in the tale that he has three sisters, who at various points are married off to wizards (specifically wizards associated with certain birds) after his parent’s deaths. In this tale, it’s not specified that Ivan is the youngest son, but typically he is the youngest of three. Perhaps this is why he is allowed to just leave and wander in search of his sisters when he decides he misses them.
Along his journey, Ivan discovers the warrior princess Marya Morevna and marries her. She soon decides to march to war, though, and leaves Ivan to oversee the castle (or house) while she’s gone, warning him not to go into the dungeon. This only ignites Ivan’s curiosity, and he opens the dungeon to see our favorite immortal sorcerer in chains.
Somehow, Marya had captured Koschei and left him to rot. That’s never fully explained in the tales I’ve seen, but Ivan takes pity on Koschei when he asks for water. When Ivan brings the water, though, the sorcerer’s powers return to full. He breaks from his chains and flees. On his way, he kidnaps Marya (kidnapping and womanizing are also associated with Koschei in some other stories).
Ivan chases after the sorcerer and his lost wife, but when he approaches their camp and frees Marya, Koschei is too fast on his steed. Twice, Ivan tries and fails, and on the third attempt, Koschei loses his patience. He chops up Ivan, throws him in a barrel, and then tosses him into a river (or ocean).
Now, remember those bird wizards that married Ivan’s sisters? The three of them (Falcon, Eagle, and Raven) find Ivan in the barrel and rescue him. Then, they tell him about Baba Jaga/Baba Yaga, an infamous witch in the woods who just happens to have magic horses that are faster than Koschei’s.
Ivan leaves to find Baba Jaga at once. He encounters various animals along the way and helps them, earning their trust before he crosses a flaming river to find Baba Jaga’s hut. Typically adorned with skulls on sticks and walking on chicken legs, the hut is quite the sight, but Ivan approaches the witch and asks her for a horse. She gives him tasks each day that he must complete to earn the horse, and each day he fails. The animals he helped, though, bring him aid, completing the tasks for him. The witch doesn’t know the difference, and Ivan escapes with a horse in the end.
Now with his faster steed, Ivan finds Koschei and Marya again. This time, he is quicker, and when he saves Marya, he is able to slay the mighty sorcerer. This is the death of Koschei the Deathless.
But what? Didn’t I say before that the only way to kill Koschei was by destroying the pin in the egg in the duck in the hare in the chest under the tree on the island guarded by a dragon? Once again, we have the irony of this story, as it completely ignores that. Funny, isn’t it? The most famous tale about Koschei is the one that ignores his most important trait.
In The Frostmarked Chronicles
While not taking part in A Dagger in the Winds (book 1), I can most definitely confirm Koschei appears in The Frostmarked Chronicles. Ivan as well makes an appearance in a form you may be surprised by. And in the end, all three will likely appear in a side-novella (that may end up as way more than that) as I plan to write my own spin on Koschei, Marya, and Ivan’s tale at some point. Make sure to join my newsletter to keep updated and get those related novellas for free.
That’s all for this week’s Slavic Saturday. Be sure to keep a lookout for more posts soon, and if you haven’t seen the full series of posts, be sure to check them out.
*As always just a quick disclaimer. Slavic mythology is broad and not written in many if any primary sources, so there’s a variety of interpretations. The interpretations I’m using here are from the sources I’ve found to be reliable.