Marusia Bohuslavka was a legendary heroine who lived in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

in the 16th or 17th century. She is primarily known from many Ukrainian epic ballads ('' dumas''), usually referred to as ''Duma about Marusya Bohuslavka'', and other Ukrainian folklore. Her nickname 'Bohuslavka' refers to her origin, the city of Bohuslav.Историческія пђсни малорусскаго народа съ объясненіями Вл. Антоновича и М. Драгоманова. Томъ первый. Кіевъ. Типографія М.П. Фрица. 1874, item 46
Маруся Богуславка освобождаетъ козаковъ изъ турецкой неволи. (Дума). Б. (Записалъ въ Зеньковск. у. Полт. губ. А. Метлинскій).
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Legend

Marusya was kidnapped and sold into a Turkish harem. The ''duma'' tells how she earned the trust of her husband and gained access to the keys of the palace, including the prison. She used them to free a group of

Ukrainian Cossacks The Zaporozhian Cossacks, Zaporozhian Cossack Army, Zaporozhian Host, (, or uk, Військо Запорізьке, translit=Viisko Zaporizke, translit-std=ungegn, label=none) or simply Zaporozhians ( uk, Запорожці, translit=Zaporoz ...

who had been imprisoned for 30 years. However, she did not flee with them but remained in the harem since this was now the only life she knew. In comments to the dumas about Marusya, her high status is compared to that of Roxelana.

References

{{Reflist 17th-century Ukrainian people Ukrainian folklore People from Bohuslav Kobzarstvo Folklore characters Characters in epic poems Slaves from the Ottoman Empire 16th-century slaves 17th-century slaves