Bogatyr

:"For other meanings, see Bogatyr (disambiguation)."The bogatyr ( _ru. богаты'рь, from the Slavic "bogat" - "rich" or "gifted") or vityaz ( _ru. витязь, a valiant warrior) was a medieval Russian heroic warrior, akin to Western European knight errant.

An early usage of the word "bogatyr" was recorded in Russia time in Sernitskiy's book "Descriptio veteris et novae Poloniae cum divisione ejusdem veteri et nova"," printed in 1585 in an unknown location, in which he says, "Rossi… de heroibus suis, quos Bohatiros id est semideos vocant, aliis persuadere conantur"."

Bylinas prominently feature stories about these heroes. Each bogatyr tends to be known for a certain character trait: Alyosha Popovich for his wits, Dobrynya Nikitich for his courage, and Ilya Muromets for his physical and spiritual power and integrity, and for his dedication to the protection of his homeland and people.

Epic bogatyrs

* Alyosha Popovich
* Dobrynya Nikitich
* Ilya Muromets, regarded as the greatest of the bogatyrs
* Svyatogor, who when dying, gave his strength to Ilya Muromets
* Peresvet, who sacrificed himself against the Tatars at the Battle of Kulikovo

In art

* "The Bogatyr" is a decorative oil on canvas panel painted by Mikhail Vrubel in 1898. It is displayed in The Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia. [http://www.abcgallery.com/V/vrubel/vrubel54.html]
* Viktor Vasnetsov's 1898 painting "Bogatyrs", displayed in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

In fiction

* In the video game "Battlefield 2142", the T-39 Bogatyr is part of the Pan Asian Coalition (PAC) armored cavalry. It is a "Battlewalker" or "mech" that carries a driver and a weapons officer. Its counterpart in the European Union (EU) Army is the L-5 Riesig.
*"Lord of Snow and Shadows" by Sarah Ash (The Bogatyr, Kostya Torzianin, is the Commander of the Druzhina, who guard the "Drakhaon" or "Dragon Lord" of the country Azhkendir in Rossiya)
*"The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights" by Alexander Pushkin ("Knights" are "Seven Bogatyrs" in the original Russian)
*Bogatyri (A team of Russian superheroes published by Marvel Comics)
*"Bogatyr" A superhero from Russia, part of a fictional United Nations organization, who appears as a character in the GURPS sourcebook called "International Super Teams," ISBN 155634192X. A defector from Russia, the character uses his own design of powered armor and an enhanced battle ax.

In Music

* The finale of Modest Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" is sometimes called "The Bogatyr Gate" after a proposed gate to Kiev in 1866 by Victor Hartmann. The gate was to commemorate the escape of Tsar Alexander II of Russia from an assassination attempt. This version of the gate was not selected in the competition. (per Nancy Bricard in the notes of the Alfred Masterworks sheet music)

References

* Богатыри и витязи Русской земли: По былинам, сказаниям и песням. (1990) Moscow: "Moskovsky Rabochy" publishers ru icon