Krystyna (Krzysia) Drohojowska (later Ketling of Elgin) is a fictional character in the novel'' Fire in the Steppe'' by

Henryk Sienkiewicz Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz ( , ; 5 May 1846 – 15 November 1916), also known by the pseudonym Litwos (), was a Polish writer, novelist, journalist and Nobel Prize laureate. He is best remembered for his historical novels, especi ...

. She is a beautiful orphan who marries

Hassling-Ketling of Elgin Ketling (Hassling-Ketling of Elgin, Moray, Elgin) is a fictional character in Henryk Sienkiewicz, Henryk Sienkiewicz's novel ''Fire in the Steppe'', the third volume of his award-winning ''The Trilogy''. A Scotsman, Ketling moved to Poland where h ...

. In Jerzy Hoffman's 1969 film adaptation, Krzysia is portrayed by

Barbara Brylska Barbara Brylska (born 5 June 1941) is a Polish actress who gained critical acclaim in 1960s and was featured in numerous films throughout the countries of the Warsaw Pact including the Soviet Union. She is noted especially for her role as ''Nadya ...

Story

Krystyna is an orphan in the care of stolnik Makowiecki. In 1668 she arrives (together with Barbara Jeziorkowska) in Warsaw and meets

Michał Wołodyjowski Jerzy Michał Wołodyjowski () is a fictional Polish hero in Henryk Sienkiewicz's Trilogy: ''With Fire and Sword'', ''The Deluge'' and ''Pan Wołodyjowski''. Michał Wołodyjowski is partly based on the historic figure, Colonel , a Polish noble ...

. He falls in love with her and proposes. Krystyna accepts his proposal, even though her feelings for him are platonic. Soon she meets

, Wołodyjowski's friend. Krystyna and Ketling quickly fall in love, but since she is already engaged, they can't be together. Krzysia decides then to enter a convent, but Wołodyjowski gives up Krystyna to his friend, wanting them both to be happy. After they marry, Krystyna and Ketling live in

Courland Courland (; lv, Kurzeme; liv, Kurāmō; German and Scandinavian languages: ''Kurland''; la, Curonia/; russian: Курляндия; Estonian: ''Kuramaa''; lt, Kuršas; pl, Kurlandia) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. ...

. They have one son. In 1672 Ketling goes to

Kamianets-Podilskyi Kamianets-Podilskyi ( uk, Ка́м'яне́ць-Поді́льський, russian: Каменец-Подольский, Kamenets-Podolskiy, pl, Kamieniec Podolski, ro, Camenița, yi, קאַמענעץ־פּאָדאָלסק / קאַמעניץ, ...

which was to be attacked by Turks. Krzysia accompanies him. After the city surrenders, Ketling refuses to surrender and commits suicide, together with his friend Wołodyjowski, by blowing themselves up in a gunpowder depot.

Description

Krystyna is a young and very beautiful woman. She is tall and slender. She's got black hair, big blue eyes and pale complexion. She is a shy and passive but honest person. When she realized her love for Ketling, she feels guilty. She prefers to become a nun rather than marry unloved Wołodyjowski. At the end of the novel, she shows up to be very brave, she decides not to leave Ketling even during the war with Turks.

References

* Characters in novels of the 19th century Fictional Polish people Literary characters introduced in 1888 Orphan characters in literature Sienkiewicz's Trilogy Fictional characters from the 17th century {{Novel-char-stub