The Cossacks characters

Also known as Dmitri Andreich

Appears from the start

A wealthy young Russian nobleman who leaves Moscow for military service in the Caucasus after finding fashionable society, friendship, and romance unsatisfying. Earnest but restless, he repeatedly imagines that a new setting or moral resolution will give his life purpose.

Appears from the start

Olenin's servant, who accompanies him from Moscow to the Caucasus. Vanyusha remains attached to familiar urban habits and evaluates village life through the practical concerns of food, comfort, money, and his master's unpredictable enthusiasms.

First appears in chapter 5

A young Cossack praised for his courage and skill. Lukashka serves at the frontier cordon, where the dangers across the Terek are immediate rather than romantic. He is closely tied to village custom and is expected to marry Maryanka.

First appears in chapter 8

The strong, self-possessed daughter of the household in which Olenin is quartered. She works as part of the village economy and is informally promised to Lukashka. Olenin is struck by her physical confidence and by how little she seems to need his approval.

First appears in chapter 10

An old Cossack hunter who befriends Olenin and teaches him about the woods, animals, local customs, and raids along the frontier. Earthy, boastful, and affectionate, Eroshka embodies a life Olenin sees as freer and more direct than Moscow society.

Also known as The Cornet

First appears in chapter 8

Maryanka's father and the head of the Cossack household where Olenin lodges. As a cornet and prosperous villager, he combines military standing with careful attention to his family's property and advantage.

First appears in chapter 8

Maryanka's capable mother, who manages the household and assesses Olenin as both a lodger and a possible source of benefit. She is alert to reputation, marriage arrangements, and the practical value of the people around her.

First appears in chapter 12

A lively young Cossack woman and Maryanka's friend. Ustenka is more openly playful with men than Maryanka and helps Olenin enter the village's courtship games and evening gatherings.

First appears in chapter 5

Lukashka's fellow Cossack and companion at the frontier cordon. Nazarka shares the young men's rough humor, drinking, and alertness to threats from across the river.

First appears in chapter 25

A Russian officer who brings the manners and social calculations of educated society into the Cossack village. Friendly and worldly, Beletsky encourages Olenin to treat local courtship as an amusement rather than the moral transformation Olenin wants it to be.