#polianitsa

Polianitsa(Russian: поленица, поляни́ца, паленица, паляница) in Russian folklore and epic poems is a female warrior (bogatyrsha) akin to the Amazons. Many of the more well-known polianitsas are wives to the famous male bogatyrs, such as Nastasya Mikulishna, the wife of Dobrynya Nikitich.

The female bogatyrs match the men in strength and bravery with stories detailing instances where they save their husbands and outwit the enemies. If a man wanted to marry polianitsa he should have defeated her in a honorable fight to deserve her respect. Some polianitsas beat the most famous bogatyrs.

They are often seen working with the heroes in tales that mention their presence or riding free with their sisters-in-arms.