Who is Vasilisa the Wise?
Vasilisa the Wise is a heroine of Russian folk tales. In a well-known version of “The Frog Princess,” a young woman hidden under a frog skin handles one hard task after another. In different retellings, the heroine’s name and the details of the story can change.
Vasilisa handles tasks that seem far too hard for a little frog. That is the famous twist of the tale: the other characters judge her by her looks and get it wrong. After reading, talk about which skills helped Vasilisa, then invent an easy-to-overlook character with an unusual talent of her own.
About the story: Wikipedia: The Frog Princess (folk tale).
Draw Vasilisa’s magic pattern
Our own activity ideas inspired by the story — for drawing, toys and telling stories aloud.
- Invent a magic pattern for a carpet: each stripe tells about a river, a forest or a star. Draw it and explain where it could carry the heroes.
- Pick the plainest thing in your drawing, like a leaf or a pebble. What will it turn into in the story, and what skill will help its friends?
Talk about it together: Why did the other characters expect nothing special from a frog? How could they have gotten to know her better?
Let’s play!
Make up a new story about a transformation
Pick your own heroine and decide what she turns into, what she can do and what condition has to be met. You can use our ready-made story starters and swap in a new obstacle. For stories with rooms and outfits, our catalog has My Little Princess: Castle; the child makes up the plot there.
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 Vasilisa the Wise the Frog Princess?
That is her name in one of the best-known versions of “The Frog Princess,” Afanasyev No. 269. Other folk retellings give the frog bride other names.