Who is the MAIN monster in Russian fairy tales? 

The image of Serpent Gorynych is vivid and recognizable. Firstly, he has many heads. Their number varies: most commonly three, six, nine and 12, but some tales also feature him with five or seven heads. Secondly, he can fly. However, his wings are almost never mentioned in connection with flight. It’s quite possible he can fly without them.

Thirdly, the Serpent is associated with fire. "The fierce serpent flies, blazing with fire, threatening death," as the tales say. Or: "The serpent blazes with flames, tears with his claws." However, the tales remain silent about how exactly this fire is emitted. Popular prints and later illustrations by artists tell us that the serpent spews flames from its mouth.

Its body is also not described in the tale. Whether it’s scaly, smooth or covered in skin is unknown. Clawed feet are rarely mentioned in the texts. A long, pointed tail, a favorite detail of popular prints, is also absent from the tales. The lack of a detailed description most likely indicates that the storytellers themselves were not entirely clear about the serpent's image.

Some fairy tale snakes were also associated with the element of water: "Suddenly, the serpent began to emerge and water gushed behind it for three arshins." Folklorist Vladimir Propp believes that the serpent's nickname ‘Gorynych’ refers the reader to another place – the mountains.

What does the serpent do in fairy tales? He is the embodiment of chaos, evil and harm. First, he abducts women, usually with lightning speed and unexpectedly. Secondly, he threatens and blackmails the townspeople, demanding a woman for marriage or to devour them by force, as tribute. Thirdly, the serpent guards the borders of the other world. In these cases, he resides by the fiery Smorodina River, guarding the Kalinov Bridge. One can cross the bridge only by killing him.

The serpent can be defeated by cutting off all of his heads. And all at the same time, otherwise they grow back: "He chopped off nine heads of the monster; the monster picked them up, drew a fiery finger on them and the heads grew back." Only after the fiery finger is chopped off does the hero succeed in cutting off all the heads. Usually, the serpent and the hero fight three times, the third battle being the most terrible. But, of course, in the end, the hero wins. However, after the battle, one more task remains: the serpent must be completely destroyed and all of its heads burned. And its body "rolled into the fiery river". Then all will be well!