Koschei the Deathless
Slavic · numen · modern collection · numen
The nested hiding of the soul is one of the most widely distributed motifs in Eurasian folklore and this is its most famous instance, which is reason enough to hold the record. He is entered as a numen and not a deity because no source treats him as one; he has no cult, no prayer and no festival, and the record does not manufacture him any. No relation is recorded to Baba Yaga. They appear in the same tale — in 'Marya Morevna' the hero wins from her the horse that can outrun his — but the sources make them neither allies nor enemies, and this programme does not draw an edge because two figures share a page.
Domains
- deathlessness
- abduction
Epithets
- Бессмертный