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A Bogatyr (Russian: богатырь, IPA: [bəɡɐˈtɨrʲ] ^ⓘ) or vityaz (Russian: витязь, IPA: [ˈvʲitʲɪsʲ]) is a stock character in medieval East Slavic legends, akin to a Western European knight-errant. Bogatyrs are mainly found in Rus' epic poems called Bylinas and came into existence during Vladimir the Great's reign as part of his elite warriors, akin to Knights of the Round Table except, King Arthur accompanied his men on most of their adventures unlike Prince Vladimir. Bogatyrs are described as warriors of immense strength, courage and bravery, rarely using magic while fighting enemies in order to maintain the "loosely based on historical fact" aspect of Bylinas. They are characterized as having resounding voices, with patriotic and religious pursuits, defending Rus' from foreign enemies(Turks at the time) and their religion. In modern Russian, the word is used to describe a courageous hero, an athlete or a physically strong person.

The word bogatyr is not, originally, a Russian word. There have been different theories about the origin of the word but researchers agree that bogatyr is not of Slavic origin. Many researchers suspect the word bogatyr is derived from a class of Ancient Turkish words: bahadir, bagadur, baghtur, bator, batyr, and batur, all meaning along the lines of hero, warrior, and brave. This reasoning originates from noted interactions between Turks and Rus-Kievan people in the form war and battle, the chance of one influencing the other and vice versa being high. Another theory, proposed by Orest Miller and others, have stated the origin of bogatyr being derived from the Turkish language but the Turkish word being a derivation from the Sanskrit word bhagadhara, meaning "having happiness" or "being lucky". The word bogatyr is used similarly in other modern languages such as Polish(bohatur), Hungarian(bator) and Persian(bahadur) meaning hero, and/or athlete.

The first time bogatyr is used to denote "hero" and subsequently becoming synonymous with each other was recorded in Stanisław Sarnicki's book Descriptio veteris et novae Poloniae cum divisione ejusdem veteri et nova, (A description of the Old and the New Poland with the old, and a new division of the same,) printed in 1585 in Cracow (in the Aleksy Rodecki's printing house), in which he says, "Rossi… de heroibus suis, quos Bohatiros id est semideos vocant, aliis persuadere conantur." ("Russians... try to convince others about their heroes whom they call Bogatirs, meaning demigods.")

Many Rus epic poems, called Bylinas, prominently featured stories about these heroes, as did several chronicles, including the 13th century Galician–Volhynian Chronicle. Some bogatyrs are presumed to be historical figures, while others, like the giant Svyatogor, are purely fictional and possibly descend from Slavic pagan mythology. The epic poems are usually divided into three collections: the Mythological epics-older stories that were told before Kiev-Rus' was founded and Christianity was brought to the region, includes magic and the supernatural- the Kievan cycle- contains the largest number of bogatyrs and their stories(IIya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich, and Aloysha Popovich)- Novgorod cycle- focused on Cadko and Vasily Buslayev, depicts everyday life in Novgorod.

Many of the stories about bogatyrs revolve around the court of Vladimir I of Kiev (958–1015) and are called the Kievan Cycle. The most notable bogatyrs or vityazes served at his court: the trio of Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich and Ilya Muromets. Each of them tends to be known for a certain character trait: Alyosha Popovich for his wits, Dobrynya Nikitich for his courage, and Ilya Muromets for his physical and spiritual power and integrity, and for his dedication to the protection of his homeland and people. Most of those bogatyrs adventures are fictional, and often included fighting dragons, giants and other mythical creatures. However, the bogatyrs themselves were often based on real people. Historical prototypes of both Dobrynya Nikitich (the warlord Dobrynya) and Ilya Muromets are proven to have existed.

The Novgorod Republic produced a specific kind of hero, an adventurer rather than a noble warrior. The most prominent examples were Sadko and Vasily Buslayev who became part of the Novgorod Cycle of folk epics.

Mythological epics rooted in the supernatural and shamanism, and related to paganism. The most prominent heroes in these epics are Syvatogor and Vokh Vseslavyevich; they are commonly called the "Elder Bogatyrs".

Later notable bogatyrs also include those who fought by Alexander Nevsky's side, including Vasily Buslayev and those who fought in the Battle of Kulikovo.

Bogatyrs and their heroic tales have influenced many figures in Russian Literature and Art, such Alexander Pushkin, who wrote the 1820 epic fairy tale poem Ruslan and Ludmila, Victor Vasnetsov, and Andrei Ryabushkin whose artworks depict many bogatyrs from the different cycles of folk epics.

Female Bogatyr

Though not as heavily researched, the female bogatyr or polianitsa(Поленица) is a female warrior akin the Amazons. Many of the more well known polianitsas are wives to the famous male bogatyrs, such as Nastas'ya Nikulichna, the wife of Dorbrynya Nikitich. The female bogatyr matches the men in strength and bravery with stories detailing instances where they save their husbands and outwit the enemy. They are often seen working with the heroes in tales that mention their presence.