Tsar Gorokh

Tsar Gorokh (Russian: Царь Горох) is a character from Russian folklore, a fictional tsar whose name literally means "pea". The exact origin of the name is unknown.[1]

Depiction by Ivan Bilibin.

Expression

The name "Tsar Gorokh" appears in a number of Russian-language expressions as a reference to times immemorial, as in "during the times of Tsar Gorokh". Some preambles of Russian fairy tales set their scene in this way. In common speech the reference often conveys an ironical sense, as an indication of unbelievable or obsolete circumstances.[2] Dostoevsky references Tsar Gorokh in the opening pages of Crime and Punishment to indicate Raskolnikov's perturbed thoughts.

Actual character

There are a number of narratives, folklore and literary, where Tsar Gorokh is an actual character, rather than a time frame reference.

References
  1. "Кто такой царь Горох?" ("Who Is Thar Gorokh?"), Анатолий ЖУРАВЛЕВ, доктор филологических наук, заведующий отделом этимологии и ономастики Института русского языка РАН, «Учительская газета», №40, October 6 2009 (in Russian)
  2. A footnote in "A Life Under Russian Serfdom", by Savva Dmitrievich Purlevskii, Boris B. Gorshkov, 2005, ISBN 963-7326-15-4, p. 44.
  3. War of Mushrooms, fairy tale
  4. Wikisource: Tsar Gorokh by P. Vyazemsky, (in Russian)
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