# Donotknow — Russian Folktales character guide

> Donotknow in Russian Folktales by A. N. Afanasyev.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0056-donotknow

## Snapshot

A mysterious boy whose only answer is 'I don't know,' a blankness that unsettles everyone who tries to place him.

## Who they are

Donotknow enters the tale as an enigma, refusing the ordinary exchanges that bind people to their communities. His repeated non-answer is not stupidity but a kind of shield, and the people around him cannot decide whether he is simple, stubborn, or something stranger. He matters because he forces the story to ask what happens when a person will not be known, and what that refusal costs both him and those who need him.

## In the story

### [Donotknow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/russian_folktales_se/chapters/donotknow)

Iván the merchant's son, disguised in bull's hide and bladder, acts as a scarecrow and later reveals himself as a mighty hero who defeats the Arab prince's armies.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/russian_folktales_se/characters/donotknow
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/russian_folktales_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/russian_folktales_se/characters