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Shelma
also: Шельма
A village elder (starosta) who narrates the story from a filthy tavern as a self-styled expert in "peasant affairs"; his name derives from Russian shel'ma, "rogue, swindler." He boasts of arranging Yevdokim Petrov's release from an unwanted elder's post by tricking him into a staged theft.
Reading notes
- The Village Elder §2 village elder Shelma
The story's narrator: a village elder (starosta) named Shelma -- a speaking name from Russian shel'ma, "rogue, swindler, scoundrel." He holds forth in a filthy roadside tavern as a self-styled peasant-affairs "lawyer," boasting of the crooked schemes he arranges for a fee.