The Sea Tsar (, sometimes inverted for emphasis: ) is a character in East Slavic

folktale Oral literature, orature, or folk literature is a genre of literature that is spoken or sung in contrast to that which is written, though much oral literature has been transcribed. There is no standard definition, as anthropologists have used va ...

s and ''

bylina A (, ; ), also popularly known as a ''starina'' (), is a type of Russian oral epic poem. deal with all periods of Russian history. narratives are loosely based on historical fact, but greatly embellished with fantasy or hyperbole. or ...

s'', the

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 ...

of the sea realms. The best known examples are ''bylinas'' about

Sadko Sadko () is a principal character in Russian '' byliny'' (oral epic poems). He is an adventurer, merchant, and '' gusli'' musician from Novgorod. The story of Sadko is best known outside Russia in the opera '' Sadko'' by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov ...

and

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...

s about Vasilisa the Wise, such as ''

The Sea Tsar and Vasilisa the Wise The Sea Tsar and Vasilisa the Wise () is a Russian fairy tale published by author Alexander Afanasyev in his collection of ''Russian Fairy Tales'', numbered 219. The tale features legendary characters Sea Tsar and Vasilisa the Wise. The tale is ...

''. Vsevolod Miller suggested that the image of the Sea Tsar was influenced by the Finnish god Ahti, known for the ''

pomor The Pomors (, ) are an ethnographic group traditionally thought to be descended from Russians, Russian settlers (primarily from Veliky Novgorod) living on the White Sea coasts and nearby regions, with their southern boundary marked by a waters ...

s'' (Russian seashore dwellers of the Russian North). Also Miller doubted that the image of Sea Tsar in these fairy tales reflects old East Slavic pagan beliefs and is probably based on the tales of itinerary storytellers. The Sea Tsar should not be confused with the water spirit, ''

vodyanoy In Slavic mythology, ''vodyanoy'' ( rus, водяной, p=vədʲɪˈnoj; lit. ' efrom the water' or 'watery') is a water spirit. In Czech and Slovak fairy tales, he is called ''vodník'' (or in Germanized form: ), and often referred to as '' ...

''.

The Sea Tsar and Sadko

The Sea Tsar and Vasilisa the Wise

Sea kings of South Slavs

Some draw the parallel of the Sea Tsar with the tale about South Slavic ''morski kralj'' recorded, e.g., by Slovenian poet and ethnologist in his 1890 collection ''Narodne pripovjesti u Varaždinu i okolici'' (''Folk Tales from

Varaždin Varaždin ( or ; , also known by #Name, alternative names) is a city in Northern Croatia, north-east of Zagreb. The total population is 46,946, with 38,839 in the city settlement itself (2011). The city is best known for its baroque buildings, ...

and its Vicinity''), also published by in his ''Pripovedke za mladino'' collection (referring to Valjavec). s:sl:Čudotvorni lokot The tale in question (in both references) is called "Čudotvorni lokot" ("Magic Padlock"). Andrijana Kos-Lajtman and Jasna Horvat notice that in the tale "Magic Padlock" the sea king is not written with capital letters and there is nothing particular of sea surroundings, i.e., the sea is not a determining feature of the tale. It addition it turns out that the sea king also has a cat, clearly a non-maritime animal.Andrijana Kos-Lajtman, Jasna Horvat,
IVANA BRLIĆ-MAŽURANIĆ, PRIČE IZ DAVNINE: NOVA KONSTRUKCIJA IZVORA I METODOLOGIJE
section "2.2. Matija Kračmanov Valjavec:'' Narodne pripovjedke, skupio u i oko Varaždina'' This is a story about a young man who rescues a dog, a cat, and a snake. Snake's mother gives him a magic padlock which fulfils his wishes. The padlock helps him to win the (land) king's daughter for a bride. A sea king comes to visit the (land) king, notices how the young man operates the padlock, steals it, and orders to bring the castle and the bride to the sea. The cat and the dog steal the padlock back, the young man wishes the castle and the bride back, and the sea king as well, whom they roast on a spit. Another sea king (''morski kralj'') is in the elaborate

literary fairy tale A literary fairy tale is a fairy tale that differs from an oral folktale in that it is written by "a single identifiable author", as defined by Jens Tismar's monograph. They also differ from oral folk tales, which can be characterized as "simple ...

''Ribar Palunko i njegova žena'' (''Palunko the Fisherman and His Wife'') by Croatian writer

Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić (; 18 April 1874 – 21 September 1938), also spelled Ivana Berlic-Mazuranic in English, was a Croatian literature, Croatian writer. She has been praised as the best Croatian writer for children. Early life She was born ...

.Ribar Palunko i njegova žena
/ref> However her Sea King has nothing in common neither with that of Valjavec, nor with the Sea Tsar from the East Slavic folklore.

References

{{reflist Slavic legendary creatures