"Of the Great Serpent"[2]) is a folk tale (the so-called skaz) of the Ural region of Siberia collected and reworked by Pavel Bazhov.

It was first published in the 11th issue of the Krasnaya Nov literary magazine in 1936 and later the same year as a part of the collection Prerevolutionary Folklore of the Urals.

[15] In 1944 the story was translated from Russian into English by Alan Moray Williams and published by Hutchinson as a part of The Malachite Casket: Tales from the Urals collection.

With the master's auspices, he is released from the obligation of paying obrók [ru] (a serf's levee, translated "quit-rent").

[21] After a week of paltry gold harvest, the father tells the boys to stay at the shed to guard the tools.

[24][25] The helper hints that he is the Great Snake who could reveal the trail to gold, but worries he may spoil the boys with the secret.

[c]The Great Poloz is willing to take a chance on the children's innocence, but their father, though soon to die, is still corruptible, and will not be trusted with the secret of the gold loot.

The snake caused the river to freeze and went to the other bank, and at an old birch (берёза) tree standing, said that was the marker for the place to dig.

[31] Bazhov also introduced numerous daughters of the Snake,including Zmeevka (Змеевка), Ognevushka (Огневушка),[10] and Golden Hair (Золотой волос; Zolotoy volos), who becomes the stolen bride of the Bashkir hero Ailyp (Айлып) in the tale "Golden Hair".

[32] The relationship between him and another folklore creature, The Mistress of the Copper Mountain, is unclear, and Bazhov was not able to get his best storytelling source (Grandpa Slyshko) to clarify on this point.

[34][35] Poloz [ru] (Russian: полоз, IPA: [ˈpoləs]; is the word for the snakes from the Colubridae family.

[38] That is to say, people were probably familiarly witness to large "Snake" since the aboriginal population (jalpyng uj; ялпын уй).

[26] The character of Poloz the Great Snake is based the Ural legends, miner's omens, and on the superstitions of the Khanty, the Mansi people, and the Bashkirs.

[41] Throughout the Urals, the hoarder of gold is called The Serpent or The Snake King (Змеиный царь, Zmeinyj tsar).

[45] Bazhov believed that the most ancient creature of the Ural mythology is Azov Girl, the Snake appeared next, and the last one was the Mistress.

[48] In the story cycle of the snakes, the Ural miners "explained mysterious natural phenomena" in terms of the Great Poloz and his daughter serpents.

[49] Bazhov's Poloz, in addition to his traditional function of a treasure guardian, also fulfils the concept of social justice.