Case file · Folklore / legend
Peter of Murom and the serpent
The Tale of Peter and Fevronia, written in the 1540s for the canonisation of 1547, tells how Prince Peter of Murom killed a flying serpent that visited his brother's wife in his brother's likeness, and was cured of its poisonous blood by the peasant healer Fevronia.
1547 CE · 55.58, 42.05 · status: legend
The account
Fevronia, a beekeeper's daughter with healing knowledge, required Peter to marry her; he did, and the couple ruled Murom and were buried in one coffin. The serpent-lover is an old folk motif (the 'fiery serpent' that visits widows). Their feast day, 8 July, was made Russia's 'Day of Family, Love and Fidelity' in 2008.
The sceptical view
A literary tale built on folk motifs; the historical Peter has not been securely identified.