Russian Bear

The Russian Bear (Russky medved) is a widespread symbol (generally of a Eurasian brown bear) for Russia, used in cartoons, articles and dramatic plays since as early as the 16th century, and relating alike to the Russian Empire, the Russian Provisional Government and Russian Republic, the Soviet Union, and the present-day Russian Federation. The uses of the bear are mixed. It was often used by Westerners, in British caricatures and later also used in the United States, often not in a positive context. On occasion it was used to imply that Russia is "big, brutal and clumsy". However, Russians have also used it to represent their country, where it has been used as a "symbol of national pride." There have been a few examples of Russians depicting bears in coats of arms, mainly showing polar bears and brown bears. The Novgorod Oblast coat of arms and flag include two brown bears. The Republic of Marii El's coat of arms is a red bear with a sword and shield. The coats of arms of Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug have polar bears. Meanwhile, the Republic of Karelia and Khabarovsk Krai have black bears in their coat of arms. In the arms of Perm Krai and the Republic of Karelia, a bear symbolizes how Orthodox Christianity took over from bear cults. Despite the bear's symbolism inside Russia, the local coat of arms uses the bear to reflect the region and its history rather than Russia as a whole. The idea of the Russian bear that pushes Russianness first appeared not in Russia but in the West. It is unknown when the Russian bear was first used in the West. One of the earliest usages of the Russian bear was from William Shakespeare's Macbeth in Act 3, Scene 4. Where Shakespeare referred to a "rugged Russian bear." Multiple maps from the 17th to the 20th centuries show Russia as inhabited and represented by bears. The maps started with small bears to represent Russia. The small use of the Russian bear led one scholar to suggest that the West viewed Russia as "realms for wild animals" by pointing out the comparison between the bears in Russia and the lions in North Africa.