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Vasilisa (name)
Encyclopedia
The female name Vasilisa is of Greek origin and means "Queen". It is the feminine form of Vasily
, the Russian
or Greek
form of the name Basil
.
Its use was inspired by a third-century Christian
child martyr, Vasilisa
, 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 Prekrasnaya (Vasilisa the Beautiful) or Vasilisa the Wise is a stock character
in Russian fairy tales, including The Frog Tsarevna
and Vasilissa the Beautiful
. The character often rises in status from a peasant girl to the wife of a prince or 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. Vasilisa is also the name of a character in the book series The Vampire Academy
by Richelle Mead. In the series, Vasilisa Dragomir is a princess and best friend to the protagonist and narrator, Rose Hathaway.
One modern day namesake is Vasilisa Bardina
, a Russian professional tennis player.
Vasily
Vasili or Vasily is a Slavic male given name of Greek origin and corresponds to Basil. It may refer to:People*Vasili I of Moscow Grand Prince from 1389-1425*Vasili II of Moscow Grand Prince from 1425-1462...
, the Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
or Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
form of the name Basil
Basil (name)
The name Basil , , has origins from the male Greek name Vassilios which first appeared during the Hellenistic period. It is derived from "basileus" a Greek word of pre-Hellenic origin meaning "king", from which words such as basilica and basilisk , as well as the eponymous herb derive, and the...
.
Its use was inspired by a third-century Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
child martyr, Vasilisa
Vasilissa, Martyr
Vasilissa is venerated as a child martyr by the Christian Church. According to tradition, she was a small child when martyred, suffering in Nicomedia not long after the death of Anthimus...
, 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
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
princess
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
because of its frequent use in Russian fairy tales. The princess Vasilisa Prekrasnaya (Vasilisa the Beautiful) or Vasilisa the Wise is a stock character
Stock character
A Stock character is a fictional character based on a common literary or social stereotype. Stock characters rely heavily on cultural types or names for their personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics. In their most general form, stock characters are related to literary archetypes,...
in Russian fairy tales, including The Frog Tsarevna
The Frog Princess
The Frog Princess is a fairy tale that exists in many versions from several countries.Russian variants include the Frog Princess or Tsarevna Frog and also Vasilisa the Wise ; Alexander Afanasyev collected variants in his Narodnye russkie skazki...
and Vasilissa the Beautiful
Vasilissa the Beautiful
Vasilisa the Beautiful , commonly known as Vasilisa's Doll, is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki....
. The character often rises in status from a peasant girl to the wife of a prince or 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
Housekeeper (servant)
A housekeeper is an individual responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of the interior of a residence, including direction of subordinate maids...
, which helps her win the love of the prince. Vasilisa is also the name of a character in the book series The Vampire Academy
Vampire academy
*Vampire Academy , a paranormal romance novel from Richelle Mead.*Vampire Academy , the novel series of Richelle Mead's novel.*Vampire Academy , a Romance Fantasy drama film based on the novel....
by Richelle Mead. In the series, Vasilisa Dragomir is a princess and best friend to the protagonist and narrator, Rose Hathaway.
One modern day namesake is Vasilisa Bardina
Vasilisa Bardina
Vasilisa Alekseyevna Bardina is a Russian professional tennis player.As of August 10, 2007, her highest ranking was World Number 48, achieved in early 2007...
, a Russian professional tennis player.