Ukrainian folklore

Myths about a Ukrainian fighter pilot during the Russian invasion of Ukraine

thumb|300x300px|The three most famous bogatyrs, Dobrynya Nikitich, [[Ilya Muromets and Alyosha Popovich, appear together in Viktor Vasnetsov's 1898 painting Bogatyrs kept in the Tretyakov Gallery.]] A bogatyr (, ; , ) or vityaz (, ; , ) is a stock character in medieval East Slavic legends, akin to a Western European knight-errant. Bogatyrs appear mainly in Rus' epic poems—bylinas. Historically, they came into existence during the reign of Vladimir the Great (Grand Prince of Kiev from 978 to 1015) as part of his elite warriors (druzhina),

legendary character in Ukrainian folklore

Mavka ( ) or Nyavka ( ) is a type of female spirit in Ukrainian folklore and mythology. The Mavka is a long-haired "Soul of the Forest", typically depicted as a temptress figure who lures men to their deaths.

mythical character

Ukrainian cossack

Ukrainian outlaw

Ukrainian Cossack hetman

Malanka (, or ) is a Ukrainian folk holiday celebrated on 31 December, which is New Year's Eve in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Formerly it was celebrated on 13 January corresponding to 31 December in the Julian calendar (see Old New Year). The festivities were historically centred around house-to-house visiting by groups of young men, costumed as characters from a folk tale of pre-Christian origin, as well as special food and drink. The context of the rituals has changed, but some elements continue to the present.

prince of Polish-Lithuania Commonwealth

Ukrainian fairy tale

Apocryphal letters from the Ottoman sultan demanding Cossacks to surrender with a defiant mocking Cossack response

thumb|right|250px|Painting of a Cossack Bandurist (Cossack Mamay) by an unknown author (19th century). [[National Art Museum of Ukraine]]

Legendary heroine

collection of Russian fairy tales, collected by Alexander Afanasyev

Ukrainian peasant outlaw

fairy tale from Ukraine

Hetman of Ukraine

folklore of ethnic Ukrainians

fictional character

Jewish prankster (1757–1811)

Saint Nicholas in the European folklore

Slavic folklore character

brothers of Rurik, a Varangian chieftain of the Rus'

Russian fairy tale

Zaporozhian Cossack polkovnyk (colonel) (early 1640s–1710)

Ukrainian Cossack leader (died 1655)

Ukrainian folk fairy tale

Ukrainian folk tale

thumb|A portrait of famous Opryshky leader Oleksa Dovbush, 1746 Opryshky (, opryshok, ) were groups of brigands active in the region of Ukrainian Carpathians between the 16th and early 19th century. Consisting of runaway peasants, noblemen's servants and, in a latter period, dodgers from conscription, they formed small groups headed by individual leaders and attacked noble estates, keeps, tax farmers, tavern keepers, merchants and wealthy peasants. In some cases part of their booty would be distributed among the poorer peasantry. This contributed to the image of Opryshky as popular heroes and

'"Sirko"' () is a Ukrainian folk tale (kazka) about a friendship between an old dog and a wolf.

Ukrainian folklore

Ukrainian fairy tale

historical legend about the origins of Rus

folktale from Eastern Europe

Russian folk fairy tale

Witchcraft location in Slavic mythology