Text: The Great European War – The Great Battle between the Russian Knight and the German Serpent.

Year: ca. 1914

Publisher: A. V. Beideman and Co. printing house.

Artist: A. P. Korkin.

Additional Information: This Russian poster from the First World War depicts a knight slaying the three-headed hydra of the Central Powers, with the Franz Joseph head of Austria-Hungary already severed. The remaining heads represent Germany and the Ottoman Empire. In the background, Reims Cathedral, shelled by the German Army at the start of the war, is depicted. The subtitle at the bottom reads: “The Great Battle between the Russian Knight and the German Serpent,” referencing Russian folklore with “bogatyr” for knight and “zmei” for serpent. A poem printed at the bottom describes the iniquity of the Germans and their inevitable defeat, with references to Russian chivalric legend, particularly Ilya Muromets, a bogatyr known for heroic deeds.