Dobrynya and the dragon

Some folks say that Dobrynya Nikitich was more than merely a mythical character, that he was an historic warlord and a leader of the army under Sviatoslav the Great, famous warrior prince of the late 10th century. Although the historic people in this folktale are recognizable among the factual histories of the region known today as Russia and the Ukraine, the dragon (and therefore this story) is still considered mythical.


The area’s ancient oral stories, called the Byliny, began the tale with Dobrynya’s mother warning him not to go to the Sorochinsk Mountains and not to bathe in the Puchai River. Of course, ignoring his mother’s words, Dobrynya Nikitich did both of these things.


While Dobrynya was bathing in the Puchai River, the dragon Zmaj Gorynych appeared and challenged him. Zmaj Gorynych was a great, green fire-breathing dragon who had made her nest in a cavern near that part of the Sorochinsk Mountains. Unarmed, Dobrynya was sure that he was doomed. But the story told that Dobrynya swam for the far shore where, miraculously, he found a wizard’s cap on the river bank. Snatching up the hat, Dobrynya turned back to Zmaj Gorynych and turned to used it to slice the dragon’s head off. In desperation, Zmaj Gorynych pleaded with Dobrynya to allow her to live, vowing never to terrorize the humans of the region again. Dobrynya relented and spared her life, negotiating something of a nonaggression pact between the two of them. The dragon flew off, while Dobrynya Nikitich returned to Kiev. There he was acclaimed a hero and made a “bogatyr” or Holy Knight of the Realm.

The dragon Zmaj Gorynych abducted the lovely princess Zabava, niece of Prince Vladimir. When Prince Vladimir heard of Dobrynya Nikitich’s earlier encounter with the dragon, he summoned the bogatyr and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse -- rescue the Princess Zabava or forfeit his life.


Dobrynya returned to his mother’s house. There she gave him a silken whip. She told him to take the old mare and, when it grew weary, he was to draw the silken whip across the horse’s flanks. So Dobrynya rode off on the old mare to the Puchai River in the Sorochinsk Mountains to confront the dragon once more.


Once Dobrynya had reached the lair of Zmaj Gornynych, the bogatyr found a brood of many young dragons inside the cavern. He had slaughtered many of the offspring when an angry Zmaj Gornynych confronted him. The battle raged for three days between these two old foes. Every time the old mare would grow weary, Dobrynya would pull the silken whip across the horse’s flanks and the horse would be miraculously revitalized to continue the fight.


At the end of the third day, Zmaj Gornynych lay dead on the ground in a vast pool of her own blood. But the dragon’s blood would not seep into the ground and Dobrynya and his horse found themselves stuck in the muddy pool of blood. Dobrynya plunged his spear into the earth and boldly commanded the earth to absorb the dragon’s blood. With that, the blood was swallowed by the earth. Dobrynya rescued the fair princess Zabava and returned to Kiev to a great hero’s welcome.


Read more dragon stories at The Folklore Store.