Vasilisa (name)

Infobox Given Name Revised
name = Vasilisa

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imagesize=200
caption=Princess Vasilisa the Wise or Vasilisa the Beautiful is a stock Russian fairy tale character. Here she is seen at the hut of Baba Yaga in Vasilissa the Beautiful.
pronunciation=vah-see-LEE-sa
gender = female
meaning = queenly, Russian feminine form of Vasily or Basil.
region = Russia
nickname = Vasya, Vasilisochka
origin = Greek, Russian
related names = Basilia, Basilissa, Basilla, Vasilia, Vasiliki (Greek); Vasilka (Bulgarian); Vasylyna(Ukrainian); Vasilissa
footnotes =

Vasilisa is a name of Greek or East Slavic origin. It is the feminine form of Vasily, the Russian or Greek form of the name Basil. The Greek form of the name is Vasilia or Vasiliki. [Satran and Rosenkrantz (2007), p. 285]

Its use was inspired by a third-century Christian child martyr, Vasilisa, and several other early saints who are venerated by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. It was the name of several early princesses. Today the name is also associated with a fairy tale princess because of its frequent use in Russian fairy tales. The princess Vasilisa Prekrasnaya (Vasilisa the Beautiful) or Vasilisa the Wise is a stock character in Russian fairy tales, including The Frog Tsarevna and Vasilissa the Beautiful. The character often rises in status from a peasant girl to the wife of a prince or is a princess who marries the hero after helping him to accomplish difficult tasks. Unlike other fairy tale heroines who wait to be rescued, Vasilisa often accomplishes a series of tasks that help her defeat the villain of the story. In the tales, the character is also usually a successful housekeeper, which helps her win the love of the prince. [Tatar (2002)]

One modern day namesake is Vasilisa Bardina, a Russian professional tennis player.

Notes

References

*Satran, Paula Redmond, and Rosenkrantz, Linda (2007). "Baby Name Bible". St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 978-0-312-35220-2
*Tatar, Maria (2002). "The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales". W.W. Norton and Company. ISBN 0393051633