Russian Bear

This article is about the symbol. For the tennis player, see Henry Prusoff.
American political cartoon, 1904

The Russian Bear (Russian: Русский медведь, romanized: Russkiy 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,[1] 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."[2]

  1. ^ Christine Ammer, It's Raining Cats and Dogs and Other Beastly Expressions (BookBaby, 2012)
  2. ^ Platoff, Anne M.; North American Vexillological Association / Association nord-américaine de vexillologie (2012). "The "Forward Russia" Flag: Examining the Changing Use of the Bear as a Symbol of Russia". Raven: A Journal of Vexillology. 19: 99–126. doi:10.5840/raven2012197. ISSN 1071-0043.