Also called Zmei Gorynych, Zmiy, the Dragon Son of the Mountain.
Their story
Zmey Gorynych, whose second name suggests "son of the mountain", is a multi-headed fire-breathing dragon of Russian epic songs and fairy tales. In the bylina of Dobrynya Nikitich he carries off Prince Vladimir's niece Zabava, and the hero must rescue her from his mountain lair. In the tales heroes fight dragons at the Kalinov bridge over the fiery river Smorodina, cutting off heads that grow back until the last is struck.
Best times to give to them
- story nights in winter
- Koliada
What they like being given
- courage and cleverness, which is what defeats him in the tales
How to honour them
- Read or tell the bylina of Dobrynya and the dragon to young listeners.
- Name your own "many-headed" problem and tackle one head at a time.
How they can help you
- courage
- keeping promises (Dobrynya is punished for trusting the dragon's word)
- facing big problems
Symbols
- three, six, nine or twelve heads
- fire
- the Kalinov bridge
- the Smorodina river
Sources
- Kirsha Danilov, Drevnie rossiiskie stikhotvoreniia (18th century)
- Alexander Afanasyev, Narodnye russkie skazki (Russian Folk Tales)
More Slavic beings
- Div The crying omen in the tree-top
- Vodyanoy The old man of the millpond
- Polevik The spirit of the fields
- Poludnitsa Lady Midday of the harvest fields
- Mavka Hollow-backed maiden of the Ukrainian woods
- Mora The night-mare who sits on the chest
- Firebird The glowing bird of the golden apples
- Alkonost The bird of joy