Koshchei

Koshchei (Russian: Коще́й, romanized:Koshchey, IPA:), also Kashchei (Russian: Каще́й, romanized:Kashchey, IPA:), often given the epithet "the Immortal", or "the Deathless" (Russian: Бессме́ртный), is an archetypal male antagonist in Russian folklore and mythology.

The most common feature of tales involving Koshchei is a spell which prevents him from being killed. He hides "his death" inside nested objects to protect it. For example, his death may be hidden in a needle that is hidden inside an egg, the egg is in a duck, the duck is in a hare, the hare is in a chest, the chest is buried or chained up on the faraway mythical island of Buyan. Usually Koshchei takes the role of a malevolent rival figure, who competes for (or entraps) a male hero's love-interest.