  in slavic folklore, the firebird (, zhar-ptitsa; , zhar-ptica; serbo-croatian: ÐÐ°Ñ-Ð¿ÑÐ¸ÑÐ° or Å½ar-ptica; , zhar-ptitsa; , Å½ar-ptica; ; ; ; ) is a magical glowing bird from a faraway land, which is both a blessing and a bringer of doom to its captor. the firebird is described as a large bird with majestic plumage that glows brightly emitting red, orange, and yellow light, like a bonfire that is just past the turbulent flame. the feathers do not cease glowing if removed, and one feather can light a large room if not concealed. in later iconography, the form of the firebird is usually that of a smallish fire-colored peacock, complete with a crest on its head and tail feathers with glowing "eyes". the story of the firebird inspired many literary works, including "the little humpback horse" by pyotr yershov. the most famous production of the firebird was by sergei diaghilev of ballet russe who commissioned composer igor stravinsky to create the enormously popular large-scale ballet score known as the firebird. ==fairy tales== a typical role of the firebird in fairy tales is as an object of a difficult quest. the quest is usually initiated by finding a lost tail feather, at which point the hero sets out to find and capture the live bird, sometimes of his own accord, but usually on the bidding of a father or king. the firebird is a marvel, highly coveted, but the hero, initially charmed by the wonder of the feather, eventually blames it for his troubles. the firebird tales follow the classical scheme of fairy tale, with the feather serving as a premonition of a hard journey, with magical helpers met on the way who help in travel and capture of the bird, and returning from the faraway land with the prize. there are many versions of the firebird story as it was primarily told orally in the beginning. one version is the tale of ivan tsarevich and the grey wolf. according to suzanne maisie the story of the firebird is about a great embroiderer maryushka, who lives in a small village. people would come from all over to buy her embroidery. many merchants would try to get her to work for them but she told them all that they could buy her wares but she would never leave the village she was born in. one day the evil sorcerer kaschei the immortal heard of maryushkaâs beautiful works and transformed into a beautiful young man and visited her. upon seeing her ability he became enraged that a mere mortal could produce finer work than he. he tried
Fairy_tale_stock_characters Legendary_birds Russian_mythology Slavic_legendary_creatures