While Koshchei the Immortal is the ultimate evil sorcerer of Russian tales, Zmey Gorynych (pronounced ZMAY gor-EE-nich) is his fire-breathing, city-smashing attack dog. Think of him as the Slavic answer to the Hydra, but with a dragon's body, a personality, and a taste for kidnapping princesses and laying waste to villages.

He is the classic dragon of the region—the monster under the mountain, the threat that mobilizes the hero and sends a kingdom into panic. The official origin of name "Gorynych" is considered the word "gora" (mountain), implying it is a mountain-dweller or is as huge as a mountain although the association with "goret" (to burn) is a powerful and perfectly logical piece of folk etymology that has undoubtedly enriched the image of the dragon for generations of listeners.