GREAT KHAN — Genghis Khan. His descendants, in the form of the Golden Horde, ruled Russia for two hundred years.

HEGUMEN — The head of an Orthodox monastery, equivalent to an abbot in the Western tradition.

ICONOSTASIS (ICON-SCREEN) — A wall of icons with a specific layout that separates the nave from the sanctuary in an Eastern Orthodox church.

IVAN — This reference is to the fairy tale Marya Morevna, where Ivan, having been cut apart by the wicked sorcerer, is restored to life by his brothers-in-law, the bird-princes, who go and get him the water of death (which restores his flesh) and the water of life (which returns him to life).

IZBA — A peasant’s house, small and made of wood, often with carved embellishments. The plural is izby.

KOKOSHNIK — A Russian headdress. There are many styles of kokoshniki, depending on the locale and the era. Generally the word refers to the closed headdress worn by married women, though maidens also wore headdresses, open in back, or sometimes just headbands, that revealed their hair. The wearing of kokoshniki was limited to the nobility. The more common form of head covering for a medieval Russian woman was a head scarf or kerchief.

KOLOMNA — A town that still exists today, part of the Moscow region. Its name likely derives from the Old Russian word for a bend in the river. Its official arms were granted by Catherine the Great. The historical location of Dmitrii’s mustering of the Russian army before marching to Kulikovo.

KREMLIN — A fortified complex at the center of a Russian city. Although modern English usage has adopted the word kremlin to refer solely to the most famous example, the Moscow Kremlin, there are actually kremlins to be found in most historic Russian cities. Originally, all of Moscow lay within its kremlin proper; over time, the city spread beyond its walls.

KULIKOVO — Kulikovo Pole, literally “Snipes’ Field.” The location of the historic Battle of Kulikovo, which took place in 1380.

LESNAYA ZEMLYA — Literally, “Land of the Forest.” Vasya, Sasha, and Olga’s home village, the location for much of the action of The Bear and the Nightingale, referenced in The Girl in the Tower and The Winter of the Witch.

LETNIK — A calf-length, light woman’s garment with long, wide sleeves, worn over a shift.

LISICHKI — Chanterelles, a kind of mushroom.

LITTLE BROTHER — English rendering of the Russian endearment bratishka. Can be applied to both older and younger siblings.

LITTLE SISTER — English rendering of the Russian endearment sestryonka. Can be applied to both older and younger siblings.

MATYUSHKA — Literally, “little mother,” a term of endearment.

MEAD — Honey-wine, made by fermenting a solution of honey and water.

METROPOLITAN — A high official in the Orthodox church. In the Middle Ages, the Metropolitan of the church of the Rus’ was the highest Orthodox authority in Russia and was appointed by the Byzantine Patriarch.

MONASTERY OF THE ARCHANGEL — The monastery’s full name was Aleksei’s Archangel Michael Monastery; it was more familiarly known as the Chudov Monastery, from the Russian word chudo, miracle. It was dedicated to the miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae, where the angel purportedly gave the power of speech to a mute girl. It was founded in 1358 by Metropolitan Aleksei.