Darya Nikolaevna

Darya is one of the characters in the Frost and the Maiden fairytale told by Dunya to Marina and her four eldest children in the Bear and the Nightingale on the night the ram is born and Marina reveals her pregnancy with Vasya to her husband, Pyotr.

Description
Darya marries Boris Borisovich after the death of his wife in childbirth. Despite being a handsome woman with a good reputation, Darya's heart is cold and cruel. She hates Marfa for her beauty and goodness and prefers her own ugly, lazy daughter Liza. Darya attemps to make Marfa ugly through backbreaking work. However, Marfa is a hardworking, uncomplaining girl who possesses a bit of magic to help her through the difficult tasks. After several failed attempts to make Marfa ugly and/or get rid of her, Darya suddenly announces that it is time for Marfa to get married.

At first, Marfa and her father are excited, however they soon become horrified when Darya reveals the intended bridegroom: Morozko, the master of the white snows, the black firs, and the silver frost. Boris does not want his daughter to marry the winter demon, and cries as he packs her into his sledge to take her to the middle of the woods. He is unable to say no to any request from Darya, possibly because of a bit of magic that she possesses herself.

When Marfa returns with a chest of treasure and wearing Morozko's cloak, Darya and Liza are jealous and enraged. Darya is convinced that her daughter is much better and would get even more treasure from Morozko, so she convinces Boris to leave Liza in the woods dressed in her finest dress and furs. However, after waiting hours for her daughter's return, Darya grows anxious and impatient. She demands Boris to go get Liza from the woods, warning him to expect at least two large treasure chests.

However, Boris finds Liza dead in the woods, and when he returns, Darya cries out for her daughter before dropping dead.

Parallels in the Series
Darya's character is parallel to Anna Ivanovna.