Who is Marya Morevna?
Marya Morevna is a warrior princess from a Russian folk tale recorded in Alexander Afanasyev’s collection. She marries Prince Ivan. She keeps Koschei the Deathless, a sorcerer of Russian tales, as her prisoner; once he is set free, the heroes face a separation and a long search.
Marya Morevna enters the tale as a warrior in her own right. After she meets Prince Ivan, the story turns on a forbidden door, a separation and a search. For play at home, pick the theme of teamwork: the hero needs courage, and he also needs the skills of the people he meets on the road.
About the story: “Marya Morevna” in Afanasyev’s Russian Folk-Tales, translated by Leonard Magnus (1915), on Project Gutenberg.
Build a team for a fairy-tale quest
Our own activity ideas inspired by the story — for drawing, toys and telling stories aloud.
- Plan a quest where courage is needed to help someone: find a lost friend, fix a bridge or bring water back to a village. What qualities besides strength will the team need?
- Draw a map with three helpers. One knows the forest paths, another understands birds, and the third is good at talking things through. Give each of them an important job.
Talk about it together: Which part of the job will the heroine handle herself, and when will she turn to her helpers?
Let’s play!
An adventure with a map and helpers
Draw the road and give each character a skill: spotting tracks, finding a shortcut or working out a deal. If you’d like to try hunting for clues on a phone or tablet, look at Papo Town Castle. Solve the first puzzle together.
We picked these apps for the activity they offer. We have not confirmed that this heroine appears in them.
A question about the heroine
Is Marya Morevna a princess or a warrior?
In the folk tale she is both: a korolevna, or king’s daughter, and a warrior. That is why we include her among the fairy-tale princesses.