Queerness-of-Russian-Folklore on Uránia

Muzhik-Maslenitsa: A Maslenitsa Figure of a Man Dressed as a Woman

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 22:45:37 +0700

Maslenitsa is the Russian name for Cheesefare Week, the last week before Great Lent in the Orthodox calendar. Its date changes every year because it is tied to Pascha, or Easter. During this week meat has already been excluded from the diet, while butter, dairy products, and eggs are still permitted. Blini gradually became the best-known festive food of the season and one of the most recognizable symbols of Maslenitsa.

Uncensored Russian Folklore: Highlights from Afanasyev’s “Russian Secret Tales”

Sun, 22 Sep 2024 22:45:37 +0700

We chose three adult Russian folk tales to make one point clear: the folklore of our ancestors was far more explicit – and far bolder – than you might expect. Alongside familiar fairy-tale staples like talking animals and magical transformations, these stories openly explore the body, taboo sex (including sex across species), gigantic phalluses, bondage, and even same-sex themes.

The Cross-Dressing Bogatyr: A Russian Bylina About Mikhailo Potyk, Who Disguises Himself as a Woman

Sun, 29 Oct 2023 22:45:37 +0700

Russian byliny (epic songs) contain a rare plot about the bogatyr (epic warrior) Mikhailo Potyk, who twice disguises himself in women’s clothing. Why does he do this? And how does this motif work inside the epic? This article briefly retells the bylina’s plot, then focuses in detail on the two episodes in which cross-dressing appears: once as a way to defeat enemies, once as a way to save the hero’s life.