DVOROVOI—The dooryard-guardian of Russian folklore.
ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH—The supreme head of the Eastern Orthodox Church, based in Constantinople (modern Istanbul).
GAMAYUN—A black bird in Russian folklore that speaks prophecy, generally depicted as a bird with a woman’s head.
GER (YURT)—A portable round tent made of felt or skins and used by Mongol armies on the march. Generally they were taken down and put up each night, but the finest one, used by the Khan or the leader of the host, was often left intact and transported from place to place on a giant platform drawn by oxen.
GOLDEN HORDE—A Mongol khanate founded by Batu Khan in the twelfth century. It adopted Islam in the early fourteenth century, and at its peak ruled a large swath of what is now Eastern Europe, including Muscovy.
GOSPODIN—Form of respectful address to a male, more formal than the English “mister.” Might be translated as “lord.”
GOSUDAR—A form of address akin to “Your Majesty” or “Sovereign.”
GRAND PRINCE (VELIKIY KNYAZ)—The title of a ruler of a major principality, for example Moscow, Tver, or Smolensk, in medieval Russia. The title tsar did not come into use until Ivan the Terrible was crowned in 1547. Velikiy Knyaz is also often translated as “Grand Duke.”
GREAT KHAN—Genghis Khan. His descendants, in the form of the Golden Horde, ruled Russia for two hundred years.
HEGUMEN—The head of an Orthodox monastery, equivalent to an abbot in the Western tradition.
ICONOSTASIS (ICON-SCREEN)—A wall of icons with a specific layout that separates the nave from the sanctuary in an Eastern Orthodox church.
IVAN—This reference is to the fairy tale Marya Morevna, where Ivan, having been cut apart by the wicked sorcerer, is restored to life by his brothers-in-law, the bird-princes, who go and get him the water of death (which restores his flesh) and the water of life (which returns him to life).
IZBA—A peasant’s house, small and made of wood, often with carved embellishments. The plural is izby.
KOKOSHNIK—A Russian headdress. There are many styles of kokoshniki, depending on the locale and the era. Generally the word refers to the closed headdress worn by married women, though maidens also wore headdresses, open in back, or sometimes just headbands, that revealed their hair. The wearing of kokoshniki was limited to the nobility. The more common form of head covering for a medieval Russian woman was a head scarf or kerchief.
KOLOMNA—A town that still exists today, part of the Moscow region. Its name likely derives from the Old Russian word for a bend in the river. Its official arms were granted by Catherine the Great. The historical location of Dmitrii’s mustering of the Russian army before marching to Kulikovo.
KREMLIN—A fortified complex at the center of a Russian city. Although modern English usage has adopted the word kremlin to refer solely to the most famous example, the Moscow Kremlin, there are actually kremlins to be found in most historic Russian cities. Originally, all of Moscow lay within its kremlin proper; over time, the city spread beyond its walls.
KULIKOVO—Kulikovo Pole, literally “Snipes’ Field.” The location of the historic Battle of Kulikovo, which took place in 1380.
LESNAYA ZEMLYA—Literally, “Land of the Forest.” Vasya, Sasha, and Olga’s home village, the location for much of the action of The Bear and the Nightingale, referenced in The Girl in the Tower and The Winter of the Witch.
LETNIK—A calf-length, light woman’s garment with long, wide sleeves, worn over a shift.
LISICHKI—Chanterelles, a kind of mushroom.
LITTLE BROTHER—English rendering of the Russian endearment bratishka. Can be applied to both older and younger siblings.
LITTLE SISTER—English rendering of the Russian endearment sestryonka. Can be applied to both older and younger siblings.
MATYUSHKA—Literally, “little mother,” a term of endearment.
MEAD—Honey-wine, made by fermenting a solution of honey and water.
METROPOLITAN—A high official in the Orthodox church. In the Middle Ages, the Metropolitan of the church of the Rus’ was the highest Orthodox authority in Russia and was appointed by the Byzantine Patriarch.
MONASTERY OF THE ARCHANGEL—The monastery’s full name was Aleksei’s Archangel Michael Monastery; it was more familiarly known as the Chudov Monastery, from the Russian word chudo, miracle. It was dedicated to the miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae, where the angel purportedly gave the power of speech to a mute girl. It was founded in 1358 by Metropolitan Aleksei.
MOSCOW (RUSSIAN: MOSKVA)—Currently the capital of the modern Russian Federation, Moscow was founded in the twelfth century by Prince Yury Dolgoruki. Long eclipsed by cities such as Vladimir, Tver, Suzdal, and Kiev, Moscow rose to prominence after the Mongol invasion, under the leadership of a series of competent and enterprising Rurikid princes.
MOSKVA RIVER—River along which Moscow was founded.
MUSCOVY—Derived from Latin Moscovia, from the original Russian appellation Moscov, the term refers to the Grand Duchy or Grand Principality of Moscow; for centuries, Muscovy was a common way to refer to Russia in the West. Originally Muscovy covered a relatively modest territory stretching north and east from Moscow, but from the late fourteenth to the early sixteenth century it grew enormously, until by 1505 it covered almost a million square miles.
NEGLINNAYA RIVER—Moscow was originally built on a hill between the Moskva and the Neglinnaya, and the two rivers formed a natural moat. The Neglinnaya is now an underground river in the city of Moscow.
OLEG OF RYAZAN—Also Oleg Ryazansky. The Grand Prince of Ryazan during the latter half of the fourteenth century. His role in the time leading up to the Battle of Kulikovo, and in the battle itself, is ambiguous. Some sources put him fully on the side of the Tatars. Others say he tried to play both sides, so as to come out ahead whoever won. He might have been the first one to bring word to Dmitrii that Mamai’s forces were advancing on Kulikovo; he might have delayed his own arrival at the battle and turned aside Mamai’s reinforcements to give Dmitrii a chance. He might have allowed his boyars to fight on the side of the Russians but hung back himself.
OTCHE NASH—Our Father, the opening phrase of the Lord’s Prayer in Old Church Slavonic. Even today, the prayer is generally memorized and said in this older form rather than in modern Russian.
OVEN—The Russian oven, or pech’, is an enormous construction that came into wide use in the fifteenth century for cooking, baking, and heating. A system of flues ensured even distribution of heat, and whole families would often sleep on top of the oven to keep warm during the winter.