Koschei

Koschei is an archetypal male antagonist in Slavic folklore, described mainly as abducting the hero's wife. None of the existing tales actually describes his appearance, though in book illustrations, cartoons and cinema he has been most frequently represented as a very old and ugly-looking man. Koschei is also known as Koschei the Immortal or Koschei the Deathless, as well as Tzar Koschei. As is usual in transliterations, there are numerous other spellings, such as Koshchei, Kashchej and Kaschei. The spelling in Russian and other Slavic languages suggests that his name may be derived from the word 'kost' meaning 'bone', implying a skeletal appearance.