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TheRussian Bear (Russian:Русский медведь,romanized: Russkiy medved') is a widespreadsymbol (generally of aEurasian brown bear) for Russia, used in cartoons, articles, and dramatic plays since as early as the 16th century,[1] and relating alike to theRussian Empire, theRussian Provisional Government andRussian Republic, theSoviet Union, and the present-dayRussian Federation.
The uses of the bear are mixed. It was often used by Westerners, in Britishcaricatures and later also used in the United States, often not in a positive context. On occasion it was used to imply that Russia is "big, brutal and clumsy". However,Russians have also used it to represent their country, where it has been used as a "symbol of national pride."[2]
There have been a few examples of Russians depicting bears in coats of arms, mainly showingpolar bears andbrown bears.[3]TheNovgorod Oblast coat of arms andflag include two brown bears.[3]The coat of arms of theMari El Republic is a red bear with a sword and shield.[3]The coats of arms ofNenets Autonomous Okrug andChukotka Autonomous Okrug havepolar bears.[3]Meanwhile, theRepublic of Karelia andKhabarovsk Krai haveblack bears in their coat of arms.[3]
In the arms ofPerm Krai and theRepublic of Karelia, a bear symbolizes howOrthodox Christianity took over frombear cults. Despite the bear's symbolism inside Russia, the local coat of arms uses the bear to reflect the region and its history rather than Russia as a whole.[3]
The idea of the Russian bear that pushes Russianness first appeared not in Russia but in the West.[4] It is unknown when the Russian bear was first used in the West.[4] One of the earliest usages of the Russian bear was fromWilliam Shakespeare'sMacbeth in Act 3, Scene 4. Where Shakespeare referred to a "rugged Russian bear."[4]
Multiplemaps from the 17th to the 20th centuries show Russia as inhabited and represented by bears.[4][5] Themaps started with small bears to represent Russia.[4] The small use of the Russian bear led one scholar to suggest that the West viewed Russia as "realms forwild animals" by pointing out the comparison between the bears in Russia and thelions in North Africa.[4] Over time these bears started to represent the entire country.[3] In the end, the bears became connected with the idea of Russia, rather than small animals on the map, especially through satirical maps.[5]
The Russian bear has also been depicted inpolitical cartoons, especially in theBritish publicationPunch.[4] One of the earliest uses of the bear's connection to Russia was in the late 18th century, when a British cartoon putCatherine the Great's head on a body of a bear ridden by Russian GeneralGrigory Potemkin.[4] TheNapoleonic Wars also had bears used to represent Russia alongside other animals, such as theLion of England.[4] During theCrimean War, Russia was portrayed as a bear multiple times, especially inPunch cartoons showing a bear holding a turkey representing theOttoman Empire which is given the subtitle "Turkey in danger?"[4] Representation of the Russian bear continued in cartoons throughout the 19th century and the early 20th century.[4] In theFirst World War, manyPunch cartoons referred to Russia using a bear to representthe empire.[4]
The cartoons, however, did not always represent Russia through war or expansion but also used the bear to describe internal problems.[4] Sometimes the bear is shown as injured from war or internal problems.[4] Especially after theJanuary Uprising in Poland, a Russian bear is portrayed fighting a woman who represents thePoles.[4]
The bear image was, however, on various occasions (especially in the 20th century) also taken up by Russians themselves. Having the bear cub "Misha" as themascot of the1980 MoscowOlympic Games was evidently intended to counter the "big, brutal Russian Bear" image with a small, cuddly, and smiling bear cub.
InRonald Reagan's successfulcampaign to be re-elected President of the United States in1984, he used the bear motif in the famous "Bear in the woods" ad. It claimed that Reagan recognized the existence of a Soviet threat to the United States and the "First World", while his opponentWalter Mondale denied its existence.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, there was some support in theRussian Parliament for having a bear as the newRussian coat of arms, with the supporters pointing out, "Russia is anyway identified in the world with the Bear". Eventually, however, it was the Tsarist-era coat of arms of thedouble-headed eagle that was restored.
In Russia, associations with the image of the bear have received relatively mixed reactions. On one hand, Russians themselves appreciate the bear for its raw power and cunning, and bears are very often used as mascots or as a part of a design on a logo. On the other hand, the overuse of the image of the bear by foreigners visiting Russia prior to 20th century led to the image of bear being a sort of insider joke that postulates that "Russian streets are full of bears" as an example of factually-inaccurate information about Russia.
Later, the bear was taken up as the symbol of theUnited Russia Party, which has dominated political life in Russia since the early 2000s. Coincidentally, the surname ofDmitry Medvedev, the Russian president elected in 2008, is an inflectional form of the wordмедведь, thus meaning "of the bears".
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Media related toRussian Bear at Wikimedia Commons
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