The Malachite Box them are keepers of hidden underground riches. The Mistress, described as either a beautiful green-eyed woman in malachite gown or a lizard with the crown on her head, is the keeper of gemstones. Poloz is the master of every existing piece of gold. The miners believed that if a gold-bearing lode disappeared, it meant that the Great Snake moved it to a different place. Bazhov introduced numerous daughters of Poloz, including Golden Hair from the tale of the same name. The relationship between Poloz and the Mistress is unclear. Bazhov commented that he asked some story-tellers about it, but they
The Malachite Box continued in "The Master Craftsman" (alternative translations: "The Mountain Craftsman", "The Mountain Master"), published a year later in "Na Smenu!". "A Fragile Twig", published in 1940, focuses on Katyenka and Danilo's son. Bazhov had plans for the fourth story, but it was never written. "Golden Hair" is based on the Bashkirs folklore. It tell the story of a Bashkir hunter Ailyp who meets the daughter of Poloz the Great Snake. In addition to the stories mentioned above, the first edition of "The Malachite Box" contained the following 8 stories: "The Manager's Boot-Soles", "Sochen and His Stones", "Marko's Hill", "The Twisted