Ivan Tsarevich ( or Иван-царевич) is one of the main heroes of Russian folklore, usually a protagonist, often engaged in a struggle with Koschei. Along with Ivan the Fool, Ivan Tsarevich is a

placeholder name Placeholder names are intentionally overly generic and ambiguous terms referring to things, places, or people, the names of which or of whom do not actually exist; are temporarily forgotten, or are unimportant; or in order to avoid stigmat ...

, meaning "Prince Ivan", rather than a definitive character. ''

Tsarevich Tsarevich (, ) was a title given to the sons of tsars. The female equivalent was ''tsarevna''. Under the 1797 Pauline Laws, Pauline house laws, the title was discontinued and replaced with ''tsesarevich'' for the heir apparent alone. His younger ...

'' is a title given to the sons of

tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

s. He is often, but not always, the

youngest son The youngest son is a stock character in fairy tales, where he features as the hero. He is usually the third son, but sometimes there are more brothers, and sometimes he has only one; usually, they have no sisters. In a family of many daughters, ...

of three. In the tale "The Three Tsardoms" he is a son of Nastasya the Golden Braid. Different legends describe Ivan with different wives, including Yelena the Beautiful, Vasilisa the Wise and Marya Morevna. Ivan is the main hero of multiple Russian folktales. He is almost always portrayed either as the third son of a peasant family or as the third son of a king. In the latter stories, he is called Ivan Tsarevich, which means "tsar's son". ("Ivan" is one of the most common Russian forenames.) The friends and foes of Ivan Tsarevich are often mythic figures, from magical animals to deathless beings. The most famous folktale featuring Ivan as the protagonist is "

Tsarevitch Ivan, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf "Tsarevich Ivan, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf" () is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in '' Russian Fairy Tales''. It is Aarne-Thompson type 550, the quest for the golden bird/ firebird. Others of this type include " ...

". In this story, a magical wolf aids Ivan as he captures the firebird and wins the hand of a beautiful

tsarevna Tsarevna (, ) was a title given to the daughters of tsars in Russia before the 18th century. The male equivalent was ''tsarevich''. All of them died unmarried with the exception of the daughters of Ivan V. Notably, his daughter Catherine marrie ...

. The firebird inspired

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

's 1910 ballet of the same name. In another famous tale, part of which was also used by Stravinsky in ''The Firebird'', Ivan Tsarevich married a warrior princess, Maria Morevna, who had been kidnapped by the immortal being called Koschei the Deathless. In this tale, the animal helpers were a lion, a bird and a magical horse that belonged to

Baba Yaga Baba Yaga is a female character (or one of a trio of sisters of the same name) from Slavic folklore who has two contrasting roles. In some narratives, she is described as a repulsive or ferocious-looking old woman who fries and eats children, ...

. Mounted on this horse, Ivan defeats Koschei. Ivan the peasant's son has as many tales as Ivan Tsarevich. One of the best known is the story "the Little Humpbacked Horse", in which a magical talking horse helps Ivan to become a hero and to marry the princess he loves. Ivan Tsarevich is also mentioned in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s 1871 novel

Demons A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in media including fiction, comics, film, t ...

, (also known as ''The Possessed'' or ''The Devils'') as an identity to transform the protagonist, Nikolai Stavrogin into, and thus thrust him into legendary status as a mascot of the new regime. Tales about Ivan Tsarevich include: * "Ivan Tsarevich and the Grey Wolf" * "Tsarevna the Frog" * "The Sea Tsar and Vasilisa the Wise" * "The Tale about Rejuvenating Apples and the Life Water" * "The Death of Koschei the Immortal" (also known as "Marya Morevna")"

References

{{Slavic mythology Russian folklore characters Fictional princes Fairy tale stock characters Russian folklore Fictional characters who use magic Heroes in mythology and legend

See also

References