3️⃣. ⬆️ The Cunning Soldier: The Guy Who Outsmarts the Devil

Finally, there’s the hero who has nothing but his wits. Often just called "The Soldier," he’s a regular guy finishing his 25-year army service, heading home with nothing but a knapsack and three crusts of bread.

On his way, he runs into trouble, and it’s usually supernatural. Maybe it’s a greedy noble, or even the Devil himself or the Death. The Soldier can’t fight them head-on. So, he does what any clever American GI might do: he uses trickery.

In one famous tale, a soldier catches the Devil causing mischief. Instead of trying to kill him (which is impossible), he tricks the Devil into climbing into his own knapsack. Then, what does he do? He takes the knapsack to the blacksmith and has him seal it shut on an anvil. Problem solved.

This hero is like Bugs Bunny or Br'er Rabbit. He proves that you don't need magic or muscles to beat a bully. You just need to be quicker and smarter. He’s the champion of the little guy, using sheer cleverness to level the playing field.

The Ultimate Moral for a Male Character:
For the man listening to these tales, the lesson was: Do not strive arrogantly. Be humble, be kind to those you meet on the road, respect the forces of nature and magic, and your rightful destiny will find you. It is a moral of patience, community, and faith in a moral universe that ultimately rewards the good-hearted, however simple they may appear.

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🤩Multi-Russia: the Tambov region

🤩 The prominent electrical engineer Alexander Lodyguine, one of the inventors of the incandescent light bulb, was born in the Tambov region.
The celebrated biologist Ivan Michurin, one of the founders of scientific agricultural selection, produced his new types of crop plants here, on Tambov earth.

And every Russian knows that the Tambov wolf is a friend to all.

Find out more…

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