 Princess Vasilisa the Wise or Vasilisa the Beautiful is a stock Russian fairy tale character. Here she is seen at the hut of Baba Yaga in Vasilisa the Beautiful. | |
| Pronunciation | IPA: [vəsʲɪˈlʲisə] |
|---|---|
| Gender | female |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Greek, Russian |
| Meaning | queenly, Russian feminine form of Vasily or Basil. |
| Region of origin | Russia |
| Other names | |
| Nickname(s) | Vasya |
| Related names | Basilia, Basilissa, Basilla, Vassa, Vasilia, Vasiliki (Greek); Vasilka (Bulgarian); Vasylyna (Ukrainian); Vasilissa |
The Russian female name Vasilisa (Russian: Василиса) is of Greek origin (Greek: βασίλισσα, basilissa), which means "queen" or "empress". It is the feminine form of Vasily, the Russian form of the name Basil.[1][2]
Its use was inspired by a third-century Christian child martyr, Vasilissa, and several other early saints who are venerated by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. It was the name of several early princesses.
Today the name is also associated with a fairy-tale princess because of its frequent use in Russian fairy tales. The princess Vasilisa the Beautiful or Vasilisa the Wise is a stock character in Russian fairy tales, including "The Frog Tsarevna" and "Vasilisa the Beautiful". The character often rises in status from a peasant girl to the wife of a prince; or she is a princess who marries the hero after helping him to accomplish difficult tasks. Unlike other fairy-tale heroines who wait to be rescued, Vasilisa often accomplishes a series of tasks that help her defeat the villain of the story. In the tales, the character is also usually a successful housekeeper, which helps her win the love of the prince.[3]
Fictional characters with this name include: