Morskoy Tsar

In Russian folklore, the Morskoy Tsar (also spelled Morskoi Tsar) is the lord over all waters in the world. He is as ancient as the Sea itself. The Morskoy Tsar rides the seas in a shell drawn by sea dogs or sea horses. On his head he has a crown of sea fern. He holds an oar in one hand and a trident in the other.

The palace of the Morskoy Tsar, made of crystal, silver, gold and precious stones, is placed indefinitely: now in the blue sea, now on the island, now in Lake Ilmen. When the Morskoy Tsar dances and has fun, a storm rises on the sea.

His wife is the Morskaya Tsaritsa, who is also known as Tsaritsa Belorybitsa and Tsaritsa Vodyanitsa. The Morskoy Tsar and his wife have many daughters and not a single son.

The most famous references to the Morskoy Tsar are the epic Sadko and the folktale The Sea King and Vasilisa the Wise.

In folklore
In byliny, he first creates wealth for Sadko, and then, when Sadko becomes rich, demands him to his underwater kingdom.

In addition to the epic about Sadko, the Morskoy Tsar plays a significant role in the tale of Vasilisa the Wise. Here he also wants to keep the hero (Ivan Tsarevich) in his underwater kingdom, but the daughter of Morskoy Tsar, Vasilisa, who fell in love with the prince, runs away with him and saves him from her father's pursuit.

The Morskoy Tsar should not be confused with the vodyanoys from the same folklore. The latter live in pools, especially near mills, are famous drunkards, like to visit taverns, play dice, steal horses and cows and drown people, while the former is an obvious aristocrat who lives in rich castles and is portrayed as a passionate music lover.