The Morskoi Tsar; A shadow puppet based upon a Russian folk tale

This weekend I finaly had some time left to work out one of the shadow puppets I had in mind for a very long time. Below you can see my version of the Morskoi Tsar, who was in former days known as the water king in the folklore of Russia.

He appears in many Russian folk tales and it is said that he lived underwater in beautiful crystal halls together with his daughters. They are the well known Rusulkas, maidens of extraordinary beauty who can shape shift in the form of an animal if they wish. They are mostly seen in the form of water birds such as swans , geese or ducks.

Most people were afraid of the Morskoi Tsar as it was believed he hunted on humans and drowned them if he managed to catch one. It is also said that sometimes he would seek for boys to marry his daughters.

What the Morskoi Tsar is doing here? Is he hunting for a groom or is he hunting humans? Well, you have to seek that out yourself.....


The original hand-cut puppet is now for sale at my Etsy Shop!