Polkan
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Polkan (Russian: Полка́н), or Palkan (Russian: Палкан; from Italian Pulicane), is a half-human, half-horse creature (in some variants, half-dog) from Russian folktales, known for his immense power and speed.[1]
In folk etymology, his name is interpreted as polukon (Russian: полуконь), meaning 'half-horse'.[1] As a result, Polkan could be a centaur based on folk etymology 're-thinking'.[1] He initially appears as the enemy of the hero Bova Korolevich, but after a battle, he becomes Bova's loyal friend and ally. He eventually dies fighting lions while protecting Bova's wife and children.[1] This tale was extremely popular in Russia and became part of Russian folklore, leading to numerous lubok prints containing the tale as well as woodcut illustrations.[2] Alexander Pushkin in particular used some elements from the story for his own fairy tales.[3]
Polkan is originally based on Pulicane, a half-dog character from Andrea da Barberino's poem I Reali di Francia, which was once popular in the Slavonic world through prosaic translations.[4]
In modern Russia, Polkan has become a popular name for large dogs.[1]
See also
[edit]- Kitovras, another centaur-like creature in Russian apocrypha
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 Ermolaeva 2020, p. 331.
- ↑ Ermolaeva 2020, p. 332.
- ↑ Ermolaeva 2020, p. 333.
- ↑ . Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary (in Russian). 1906.
Sources
[edit]- Ermolaeva, Elena (2020). "Centaurs in Russian Fairy Tales: From the Half-Dog Pulicane to the Centaur Polkan". In Marciniak, Katarzyna (ed.). Chasing Mythical Beasts: The Reception of Ancient Monsters in Children's and Young Adults' Culture. Studien zur europäischen Kinder- und Jugendliteratur. Vol. 8. Universitätsverlag Winter. pp. 327–338. ISBN 978-3-8253-6995-8.