Also called Kashchei, Koschei Bessmertny, Koshchey.
The tale
Koschei is a gaunt old sorcerer who cannot be killed because he keeps his death outside his body. It lies in a needle, in an egg, in a duck, in a hare, in an iron chest buried under an oak on a distant island. In Afanasyev's tale of Marya Morevna, Prince Ivan opens a forbidden closet and gives water to a chained prisoner, who is Koschei; restored, he bursts his chains and carries off Ivan's warrior wife. Only with the help of animals Ivan once spared can the hero find a horse swift enough, and in other versions reach the egg and break the needle.
When they are met
- in winter storytelling
- when facing something that seems unbeatable
Staying on their good side
- none; tradition treats him as a foe to be outwitted
- kindness to animals, who help the hero defeat him
- keeping promises, especially forbidden doors closed
Honouring them, or keeping safe
- Read Marya Morevna or The Death of Koschei aloud and talk about what the hero learns.
- Be kind to creatures in need, as Ivan is, since the tales say they repay the favour.
- When a problem seems impossible, break it down layer by layer, like the chest, the hare, the duck and the egg.
- Keep a sealed egg-shaped stone as a reminder that every fear has a weak point.
What their tales teach
- the lesson that no tyrant is truly deathless
- patience in a long struggle
- the price of breaking a promise
- finding the heart of a problem
Symbols
- a needle in an egg
- a duck, a hare and an iron chest
- an oak on a far island
- chains
From Russian wonder tales, chiefly Afanasyev's 19th-century collection.
More Slavic folklore
- Baba Yaga The witch in the hut on hen's legs
- Domovoi The grandfather who lives behind the stove
- Leshy The master of the forest
- Rusalka The maiden of river and birch
- Kikimora The spinner in the dark corner
- Kostroma The straw maiden of spring and summer
- Dodola The rain-bringing girl of summer
- Kolyada The spirit of midwinter carolling