Velikiy Poloz (The Great Snake)

Bazhov's explanatory note frames Poloz as the huge snake who rules the other snakes and holds command over gold. Within miners' lore collected and reworked by Bazhov, Poloz functions as the nonhuman proprietor of subterranean riches rather than a human ancestor or elemental force; his authority explains uneven distribution of mineral wealth in the Ural mining landscape.

In the narrated encounter in Bazhov's tale, the being first appears in the guise of a man described as "a green-eyed man" dressed in golden clothing (a tunic/kaftan and trousers of gold brocade, a greenish shining girdle, a yellow shapka with red flaps and red boots). In that scene the earth is said to sink under him where he stood. He then transforms into the Great Snake: rearing out of the ground, "tall as a tree," growing longer as successive rings or segments appear from the earth. His emergence is accompanied by an unusual bright cold illumination.

Poloz is credited with control over gold: "All the gold was at his disposal" and he could both "take away" and "bring" gold at his will, acting either personally or with assistance from his snake servants. He functions as guardian of veins and as an arbiter who reacts to human conduct: when prospectors quarrel or when a site is confiscated, Poloz may cause a contended vein to disappear. In the tale he selectively rewards those deemed fit (the poor, uncorrupted boys) and withholds or withdraws riches when exposure to the golden trail seems likely to breed greed.