History UsefulNotes / GrigoriRasputin

* Rasputin shows up during a flashback episode in ''Anime/BloodPlus''. Here he was a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Chiropteran]] servant of the BigBad Diva His powers enabled him to survive his historical assassination. Rasputin went into hiding in his hometown using his shapeshifting abilities to disguise himself as a young girl. It is hinted that Diva impersonated Anastasia at some point. He’s ultimately killed in a confrontation with Saya and Hagi in 1918. Notably the episode acknowledges that Rasputin is actually a nickname as well as correctly identifying his hometown as Pokrovskoye. The manga adaptation casts him as the leader of a Chiropteran cult.

Grigoriy Yefimovich Rasputin (Григо́рий Ефи́мович Распу́тин, 22 January [9 January in the Old Style calendar] 1869 – 30 December [17 December in the Old Style calendar] 1916) was a UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}n mystic and preacher.

* Rasputin, primarily identified as Gregori, shows up during a flashback episode in Anime/BloodPlus. Here he was a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Chieropteran]] servant of the BigBad Diva who apparently impersonated Anastasia. His powers enabled him to survive his historical assassination. Rasputin went into hiding in his hometown using his shapeshifting abilities to disguise himself as a young girl. He’s ultimately killed in a confrontation with Saya and Hagi in 1918.

* While Ride/TheHauntedMansion was in development, imagineer Marc Davis had planned for [[https://weekinweird.com/2017/01/11/walt-disney-rasputin-ghost-haunted-mansion/ a portrait of Rasputin to be one of the changing portraits in the loading area at Disneyland.]] The portrait would have had Rasputin's staring eyes grow larger and larger until the portrait was all one eerily staring eyeball. Walt put the kibosh on that, though, as Rasputin still had living relatives who might brought legal action against Disney. However, the original Marc Davis concept art was re-purposed into one of the "Sinister Eleven" portraits in Disney World with moving eyeballs. This one's officially known as "The Ogre", with a shaggy gray beard but a face and expression similar to Rasputin's. (Some fans refer to this portrait as Rasputin nonetheless.)

* [[Film/HammerHorror Hammer]] did a movie about him called ''Film/RasputinTheMadMonk'', with Creator/ChristopherLee in the title role.

Rasputin's healing ability was uncanny and apparently perfectly genuine. His effect on the tsarevich is well documented by hostile witnesses who admitted they couldn't explain it. Modern doctors suggest that Rasputin accidentally gave the Tsarevich the best treatment available by keeping their early-20th-century predecessors ''away'' from the boy -- doctors of the 1900s-10s would have prodded him a lot and recommended aspirin, the former of which could aggravate or even create new bleeds and the latter of which is a blood thinner [[WorstAid that would make bleeds worse]]. Some say his reassurances to Alexei and his mother [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower calmed both of them down, lowering the stress on both of them and making the hemorrhages less severe]]. Despite his many moral failings, he was genuinely loyal to the Tsar and Tsarina and saw himself as their God-appointed protector. Alexei wasn't the only Romanov child that became close to Rasputin; his four older sisters, Olga, Tatiana, Maria and {{UsefulNotes/Anastasia|NikolaevnaRomanova}}, were grateful to him, and Rasputin responded in kind, reading them stories and generally being a good man towards them. Their official caretakers were quite leery, but the Grand Duchesses' letters show nothing but trust and affection and his answers give some excellent advice. Rasputin's own daughter, Maria, claimed he was a strict but affectionate father.

When Tsarina Alexandra called upon him to pray for the healing of Tsarevich Alexei, he told Alexandra "God has seen your tears and heard your prayers. Do not grieve. The Little One will not die. Do not allow the doctors to bother him too much." Alexei's hemorrhage stopped the next day and he began to recover, something that even the doctor treating Alexei couldn't describe as anything but a miracle. Alexandra regarded Rasputin as a ''starets'', a venerable religious elder figure with a direct connection to God, and would manifest MamaBear-like instincts, fervently defending him and turning her wrath against anyone who dared to question him after Alexei's miraculous healing. However, the famous song at the top of the page is incorrect. He debauched his way through St. Petersburg society with behavior that may have been illegal, but he was smart enough to keep all of that away from the Tsar's family; he was not the straitlaced and prudish Alexandra's lover, with no evidence that their relationship was anything other than one of religious fervor. None of that stopped gossip, of course, especially when Alexei's illness was only known by a handful of people.

Rasputin's influence over the Tsarina, and through her the Tsar, was resented by many, not without reason, and he became a target of anti-Romanov and anti-Tsarist groups in Russia. He was murdered in 1916, ostensibly by Prince Felix Yusupov [[note]]otherwise known for being a flamboyant bisexual crossdresser, and being married to the Tsar's niece[[/note]] and a band of his cronies. [[DatedHistory Yusupov's story]] (as embroidered and added to through the years) was that Rasputin was lured to a meeting with Yusupov where he was fed cakes and wine laced with cyanide; when that failed to kill him, he was beaten, shot, stabbed, had his genitals chopped off and was thrown into the Neva River, where he died of hypothermia after trying to claw through the ice. In reality, he was shot four times. No cakes ([[DisabilityImmunity he had a bad stomach and wouldn't have eaten them even if the cyanide could have survived the baking process]]), sipped a very small amount of wine, the first shots fired by Yusupov's trembling hand either missed [[OnlyAFleshWound or did not hit vital organs]], no beating, no freezing. Though he may have reincarnated as Creator/AlanMoore.

Rasputin's influence over the Tsarina, and through her the Tsar, was resented by many, not without reason, and he became a target of anti-Romanov and anti-Tsarist groups in Russia. He was murdered in 1916, ostensibly by Prince Felix Yusupov[[note]]otherwise known for being a flamboyant bisexual crossdresser, and being married to the Tsar's niece[[/note]] and a band of his cronies. [[DatedHistory Yusupov's story]] (as embroidered and added to through the years) was that Rasputin was lured to a meeting with Yusupov where he was fed cakes and wine laced with cyanide; when that failed to kill him, he was beaten, shot, stabbed, had his genitals chopped off and was thrown into the Neva River, where he died of hypothermia after trying to claw through the ice. In reality, he was shot four times. No cakes ([[DisabilityImmunity he had a bad stomach and wouldn't have eaten them even if the cyanide could have survived the baking process]]), sipped a very small amount of wine, the first shots fired by Yusupov's trembling hand either missed [[OnlyAFleshWound or did not hit vital organs]], no beating, no freezing. Though he may have reincarnated as Creator/AlanMoore.

Rasputin's healing ability was uncanny and apparently perfectly genuine. His effect on the Tsarevich is well documented by hostile witnesses who admitted they couldn't explain it. Modern doctors suggest that Rasputin accidentally gave the Tsarevich the best treatment available by keeping their early-20th-century predecessors ''away'' from the boy -- doctors of the 1900s-10s would have prodded him a lot and recommended aspirin, the former of which could aggravate or even create new bleeds and the latter of which is a blood thinner [[WorstAid that would make bleeds worse]]. Some say his reassurances to Alexei and his mother [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower calmed both of them down, lowering the stress on both of them and making the hemorrhages less severe]]. Despite his many moral failings, he was genuinely loyal to the Tsar and Tsarina and saw himself as their God-appointed protector. Alexei wasn't the only Romanov child that became close to Rasputin; his four older sisters, Olga, Tatiana, Maria and {{UsefulNotes/Anastasia|NikolaevnaRomanova}}, were grateful to him, and Rasputin responded in kind, reading them stories and generally being a good man towards them. Their official caretakers were quite leery, but the Grand Duchesses' letters show nothing but trust and affection and his answers give some excellent advice. Rasputin's own daughter, Maria, claimed he was a strict but affectionate father.

Born of peasant parents[[note]]his father was a former postman fired for [[VodkaDrunkenski alcoholism]][[/note]], he arrived in Saint Petersburg in the early 20th century, where he had some success in treating Tsarevich Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia. He managed to turn this, and the fascination in upper-class Russian circles with religious mysticism, healing, and sex, into becoming a close associate of UsefulNotes/{{Tsar|Tsar Autocrats}} UsefulNotes/NicholasII's family and an important figure in [[UsefulNotes/TsaristRussia pre-revolution Russia]]. Rasputin also was never an ordained cleric or monk of the Orthodox Church (and had quite a lot of enemies among them); his official status in UsefulNotes/OrthodoxChristianity was that of a lay preacher. However, authors tend to forget that and call him a "mad monk".

Rasputin's healing ability was uncanny and apparently perfectly genuine. His effect on the Tsarevich is well documented by hostile witnesses who admitted they couldn't explain it. Modern doctors suggest that Rasputin accidentally gave the Tsarevich the best treatment available by keeping their early-20th-century predecessors ''away'' from the boy -- doctors of the 1900s-10s would have prodded him a lot and recommended aspirin, the former of which could aggravate or even create new bleeds and the latter of which is a blood thinner [[WorstAid that would make bleeds worse]]. Some say his reassurances to Alexei and his mother [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower calmed both of them down, lowering the stress on both of them and making the hemorrhages less severe]]. Despite his many moral failings, he was genuinely loyal to the Tsar and Tsarina and saw himself as their God-appointed protector. He had a close relationship with the Romanov children, which their official caretakers found worrying, but the Grand Duchesses' letters show nothing but trust and affection and his answers give some excellent advice. Rasputin's own daughter, Maria, claimed he was a strict but affectionate father.

When Tsarina Alexandra called upon him to pray for the healing of Tsarevich Alexei, he told Alexandra "God has seen your tears and heard your prayers. Do not grieve. The Little One will not die. Do not allow the doctors to bother him too much." Alexei's hemorrhage stopped the next day and he began to recover, something that even the doctor treating Alexei couldn't describe as anything but a miracle. Alexandra regarded Rasputin as a ''starets'', a venerable religious elder figure, and would manifest MamaBear-like instincts, fervently defending him and turning her wrath against anyone who dared to question him after Alexei's miraculous healing. Alexei wasn't the only Romanov children that became close with Rasputin. Alexei's sisters, Olga, Tatiana, Maria and {{UsefulNotes/Anastasia|NikolaevnaRomanova}}, were also happy for what he did, and Rasputin responded in kind, reading them stories and generally being a good man towards them.

* [[https://youtu.be/Nl_Eo2QzqU4 "Rasputin"]] by {{disco}} band Music/BoneyM, which refers to him as "Russia's greatest love machine". It's been covered by a number of bands and is a staple of the ''VideoGame/JustDance'' series. In a very odd and ironic twist of fate, the FaceOfTheBand Bobby Farrell died on a December 30 (2010) in Saint Petersburg, just like the Mad Monk.

Born of peasant parents[[note]]his father was a former postman fired for [[VodkaDrunkenski alcoholism]][[/note]], he arrived in Saint Petersburg in the early 20th century, where he had some success in treating Tsarevich Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia. He managed to turn this, and the fascination in upper-class Russian circles with religious mysticism, healing, and sex, into becoming a close associate of UsefulNotes/NicholasII's family and an important figure in [[UsefulNotes/TsaristRussia pre-revolution Russia]]. Rasputin also was never an ordained cleric or monk of the Orthodox Church (and had quite a lot of enemies among them); his official status in UsefulNotes/OrthodoxChristianity was that of a lay preacher. However, authors tend to forget that and call him a "mad monk".

Born of peasant parents[[note]]his father was a former postman fired for [[VodkaDrunkenski alcoholism]][[/note]], he arrived in Saint Petersburg in the early 20th century, where he had some success in treating Tsarevich Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia. He managed to turn this, and the fascination in upper-class Russian circles with religious mysticism, healing, and sex, into becoming a close associate of the UsefulNotes/{{Tsar|Tsar Autocrats}}'s family and an important figure in [[UsefulNotes/TsaristRussia pre-revolution Russia]]. Rasputin also was never an ordained cleric or monk of the Orthodox Church (and had quite a lot of enemies among them); his official status in UsefulNotes/OrthodoxChristianity was that of a lay preacher. However, authors tend to forget that and call him a "mad monk".

* In ''Manga/{{Drifters}}'', Rasputin shows up on the side of the Ends as one of the chief servants and advisers of the Black King. Oddly, this puts him on the same side as Anastasia Romanov, a character he is more often portrayed as being antagonistic towards when they meet [[WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}} in other]] [[VideoGame/ShadowHeartsCovenant media]].

No relation to the current Russian President, UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin (though Putin's grandfather very likely cooked food for him). Their surnames are actually ''antonymous'' in Russian, with Putin meaning "of the path"]] while Rasputin stands for "off the path" or, figuratively, "the libertine".

No relation to the current Russian President, UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin (though Putin's grandfather very likely cooked food for him). Their surnames are actually ''antonymous'' in Russian, with Putin meaning [[TheFettered "of the path"]] while Rasputin stands for [[TheUnfettered "off the path"]] or, figuratively, "the libertine".

There were some theories that suspect British involvement in the plot. While Yusupov himself did not have any obvious connections to the organization, its director at the time[[note]]Sir George Mansfield Smith-Cumming, aka "C"[[/note]] ''was'' a friend of a friend[[note]]Bruce Lockhart, who frequently interacted with Yusupov in his capacity as Minister of Foreign Services[[/note]]. The fact that he was pushing the Tsar to get Russia out of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI certainly gave the British reason to want him dead.

* In the Creator/DonBluth film ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'', Rasputin was a sorcerer who made a DealWithTheDevil and [[OurLichesAreDifferent came back as an undead]]. Nevermind the other countless historical inaccuracies and fantasies, such as ''causing the Bolshevik Revolution with a curse'', somehow.

* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "[[Recap/DoctorWho2022CENThePowerOfTheDoctor The Power of the Doctor]]", [[ArchEnemy the Master]] appears using Rasputin's identity, although it isn't clear whether the Master [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy always was]] Rasputin, or was temporarily impersonating him.

* In ''Manga/{{Drifters}}'', Rasputin shows up on the side of the Ends as one of the chief servants and advisers of the Black King. Oddly, this puts him on the same side as Anastasia Romanov, a character he is more often portrayed as being antagonistic towards when they meet [[WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}} in other]] [[VideoGame/ShadowHearts media]].

* HBO's 1996 cable ''Rasputin'', aka ''Rasputin Dark Servant Of Destiny''. His portrayal argued Rasputin may actually have been a saint with legitimate supernatural powers derived from God and at the very least didn't deserve the crap piled on his memory.

TropeNamer for RasputinianDeath. The frequent myths and interesting history around him has made him a frequent target for a HistoricalVillainUpgrade, HistoricalDomainSuperperson or BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy, as well as a prominent figure in many a UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheory.

* Played by Karel Roden in ''Film/Hellboy2004''.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwh6078A-VU "Rasputin"]] by {{disco}} band Music/BoneyM, which refers to him as "Russia's greatest love machine". It's been covered by a number of bands and is a staple of the ''VideoGame/JustDance'' series. In a very odd and ironic twist of fate, the FaceOfTheBand Bobby Farrell died on a December 30 (2010) in Saint Petersburg, just like the Mad Monk.

When Tsarina Alexandra called upon him to pray for the healing of Tsarevich Alexei, he told Alexandra "God has seen your tears and heard your prayers. Do not grieve. The Little One will not die. Do not allow the doctors to bother him too much." Alexei's hemorrhage stopped the next day and he began to recover, something that even the doctor treating Alexei couldn't describe as anything but a miracle. Alexandra regarded Rasputin as a ''starets'', a venerable religious elder figure, and would manifest MamaBear-like instincts, fervently defending him and turning her wrath against anyone who dared to question him after Alexei's miraculous healing. Alexei wasn't the only Romanov children that became close with Rasputin, however. Alexei's sisters, Olga, Tatiana, Maria and {{UsefulNotes/Anastasia|NikolaevnaRomanova}}, were also happy for what he did, and Rasputin responded in kind, reading them stories and generally being a good man towards them.

Rasputin's healing ability was uncanny and apparently perfectly genuine. His effect on the Tsarevich is well documented by hostile witnesses who admitted they couldn't explain it. Modern doctors suggest that Rasputin accidentally gave the Tsarevich the best treatment available by keeping their early-20th-century predecessors ''away'' -- doctors of the 1900s-10s would have prodded the boy a lot and recommended aspirin, the former of which could aggravate or even create new bleeds and the latter of which is a blood thinner [[WorstAid that would make bleeds worse]]. Some say his reassurances to Alexei and his mother [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower calmed both of them down, lowering the stress on both of them and making the hemorrhages less severe]]. Despite his many moral failings, he was genuinely loyal to the Tsar and Tsarina and saw himself as their God-appointed protector. He had a close relationship with the Romanov children, which their official caretakers found worrying, but the Grand Duchesses' letters show nothing but trust and affection and his answers give some excellent advice. Rasputin's own daughter, Maria, claimed he was a strict but affectionate father.

No relation to the current Russian President, UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin (though Vladimir's grandfather very likely cooked food for him). Their surnames are actually ''antonymous'' in Russian, with Putin meaning [[TheFettered "of the path"]] while Rasputin stands for [[TheUnfettered "off the path"]] or, figuratively, "the libertine".