The Bear and the Nightingale

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death and child abuse.

Vasya is the protagonist of The Bear and the Nightingale and the last child of the boyar Pyotr Vladimirovich and his first wife, Marina Ivanova. She is set apart from her siblings since she is the only one to inherit the legacy of her maternal grandmother, who was reputed to have second sight. She is skinny, with reddish-black hair and large, green eyes.

While considered an ugly child and nicknamed “little frog” by her family, she eventually grows into her looks. However, Pyotr admits that she still looks “like a wild thing new-caught and just barely groomed into submission” (105). Her appearance reflects her defiant and unconventional nature. In a society that defines women’s roles as obedient daughters, wives, or nuns, Vasya is an outsider. From childhood, she rejects traditional expectations and prefers wandering in the forest and speaking with the chyerti over learning embroidery or household management.

As part of the novel’s heavy folkloric inspiration (See: Background), Vasya reflects and subverts traditional female archetypes found in these stories. The name “Vasilisa” itself has heavy ties to Russian folklore. It means “Queen” or “Empress” and is the name for the female protagonists of many Russian folktales, including Vasilisa the Beautiful, one of the most famous heroines in the tradition.