The Bear and the Nightingale

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2017

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapters 1-4

Part 1, Chapters 5-11

Part 2, Chapters 12-17

Part 2, Chapters 18-22

Part 3

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

The Chyerti

The chyerti are the folk spirits of the household and nature. They symbolize The Connection Between Humanity and Nature, as well as how the dismissal of old ways disrupts the harmony of the community and the environment. The chyerti protect and provide for the villagers, and the people, in return, provide them with offerings, such as food.

The balance begins to unravel with the arrival of Father Konstantin, who denounces the chyerti as pagan superstitions, or even malevolent demons. His teachings lead the villagers to neglect the spirits, weakening the bond between them. As the villagers abandon them, the chyerti’s power weakens, which leads to growing disorder, fear, and natural calamities in and around the village, showing the danger when cultural roots are forsaken. For example, the domovoi, which lives in the oven, is the protector of the house. When he is weakened from neglect, he cannot keep Medved from the house, and Agafya is attacked as a result. Once Vasya gives the domovoi offerings again—bread and some of her blood—he is able to keep the upyrs of Agafya and Dunya out of the house.

Outside of the household guardians, such as the domovoi and the bannik, the spirit of the bathhouse, Arden shows the spirits of the forest surrounding Lesnaya Zemlya, who have a more dangerous nature that matches their wilder home. The rusalka, a water spirit, aids Vasya at times but also lures Konstantin to her in an attempt to drown him. As Vasya reassures her worried horse, the leshy, a wood spirit, “does not eat horses. Only foolish travelers” (170). When Vasya begs Morozko’s forgiveness for the villagers entering and hunting in his woods, he warns Vasya about Medved and the deteriorating situation.

Since so few of the characters can see the chyerti, they are unaware of the danger they are in. The exceptions are Anna and Vasya. While the latter’s willingness to engage with the chyerti on their own terms allows her to combat Medved’s chaos, the former’s rejection of them leaves her exposed to the Bear’s influence, resulting in her tragic fate.

The Talisman (the Sapphire Necklace)

Morozko’s talisman, a gift for Vasya, is described as “a single jewel, of a brilliant silver-blue, nestled in tangle of pale metal, like a star or a snowflake and dangling from a chain as fine as silk thread” (70). The frost demon gives it to Pyotr, who gives it to Dunya, who finally gives it to Vasya on her deathbed. It is a protective talisman that can shield Vasya from supernatural threats, such as the upyr or Medved himself, but its significance extends beyond its practical use.

The necklace represents Vasya’s character growth, self-awareness, and ability to step into her role as a bridge between human and spiritual realms. For most of the novel, Dunya keeps it from her “until the little girl [i]s old enough to be trusted with the glittering thing” (76). By the time she relents and gives it to her, the supernatural situation has escalated, but Vasya has also become a courageous young woman. It is also a physical representation of the connection between Morozko and Vasya. As a gift from him, it represents his power and interest in her, serving as a way to protect her when he physically cannot.

Russian Icons

Throughout the novel, Arden references traditional Russian icons, religious art pieces painted on wood used in Orthodox Christianity. The icons symbolize Ancestral Traditions Versus Religious Orthodoxy. In the Russian Orthodox tradition, icons are believed to be windows into the divine, connecting worshippers with the spiritual world. In the novel, however, they often become twisted or misused, reflecting the flawed faith of the characters who create or venerate them.

For Konstantin Nikonovich, icons are both a tool of control and a measure of his spiritual status. He believes that his artistry in painting icons demonstrates his closeness to God, as the beauty of his icons “had never been seen in Muscovy; they must have come from the finger of God to bless the wicked world” (99). However, his spiritual pride and susceptibility to vanity corrupt his devotion. One of the icons is Konstantin’s attempt at an image of the Virgin Mary, which transforms under his hand into a likeness of Vasya. Her image on the icon reflects not her true self but the version of her that Konstantin fears and desires. He projects his conflicting emotions onto the painting, turning a sacred object into a personal battleground for his guilt, lust, and frustration. Medved’s later possession of the icon of the risen Christ represents the role that religious imagery can play in creating fear and chaos.