# Iván the Terrible — Russian Folktales character guide

> Iván the Terrible in Russian Folktales by A. N. Afanasyev.

**Role:** minor

**Also known as:** Iván III

**First appearance:** 0022-the-tsar-tsa-harpist

## Who they are

The tsar appears in historical legends and folktales.

## In the story

### [The Potter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/russian_folktales_se/chapters/the-potter)

Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, who tests the potter's wisdom and later rewards him by swapping their social positions.

### [The Dream](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/russian_folktales_se/chapters/the-dream-notes)

Referenced as a popular figure in Russian ballads, one of two Tsars named Iván Vasíl'evich who enlarged Moscow's domain and curbed noble power.

## Links

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